Chapter VI. Fire Escape

33 INT. MADISON’S LIVING/DINING ROOM - NIGHT

They all enter, Jerrica last. Shaggy pads over. She kneels, buries her face in his fur. He licks her cheek. She stands. Smooths her dress. Smiles at no one. Almost moves on.

Madison ushers Celia and beckons Jerrica. The three women head towards the kitchen. Kai walks over to the bar cart. Gestures to Django: want something?

DJANGO
Can you pour me the Toki. How was it? You were really riding it.

KAI
Uncanny… I forgot which thoughts were even mine.

DJANGO
You made Jerrica laugh. Like really.

Kai doesn’t answer. Looks at the bar cart.

DJANGO (CONT’D)
If you can make her laugh then…

Kai busies himself with pouring. Actively avoiding: don’t.

DJANGO (CONT’D)
What are you thinking? Right now.

KAI
That I should have less wine.
(pours more wine)
How easy it was to say what I generally wouldn’t.

DJANGO
Whaddya mean?

KAI
Like at an office party, where everyone knows Alice is sleeping with Bob. It’s a shock only if someone says it out loud.

Django holds his gaze. Kai looks away first. Django smiles. Not unkind. Lets it go. Kai drinks. Sets the glass down.

KAI (CONT’D)
You like putting things on edge. Destabilizing people.

He drinks.

DJANGO
It works, so it depends on how it’s used, right? Like how do you feel?

The women enter, Madison carrying a flan with two lit candles, a two and a five.

MADISON/JERRICA/CELIA
Happy Birthday to you…

Kai joins in quietly.

ALL
Happy Birthday to you…
Happy Birthday dear Django…
Happy Birthday to you!

Laughter, whoops, a small burst of clapping. Django’s face moves from puzzled to touched. He blows out the candles. Five spoons dig into the flan simultaneously.

Madison gestures to Django to carry on. Heads out to the fire escape. Jerrica ruffles Kai’s hair and follows. Celia heads to the kitchen.

34 EXT. FIRE ESCAPE — MADISON’S APARTMENT - FRIDAY NIGHT

MADISON lights a cigarette. Takes a long drag. Exhales slowly. Staring into the distance.

JERRICA comes through the window with drinks in each hand, and snaps her head up and looks around frantically.

JERRICA
What the fuck was that?

MADISON
What was what?

JERRICA
I could’ve sworn that there was - nevermind.

Jerrica sits beside Madison, handing her her drink. Knees pulled to her chest, one arm draped lazily over the railing. They pass the cigarette back and forth without looking at each other. Practiced. Unceremonious.

JERRICA (CONT’D)
Celia didn’t kill me…I’d say that went well.

A beat. Madison exhales.

MADISON
I’m still dealing with the gallery brouhaha.

Jerrica accepts the cigarette. Takes a small drag.

JERRICA
Still? What’s the latest?

Madison takes it back, flicks ash over the railing.

MADISON
I’m being slandered in lowercase blog posts for “democratizing elitism.”

JERRICA
What the fuck does that even mean?

33 INT. MADISON’S LIVING/DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Kai watches them slide the window shut behind them. Muffled voices through the glass. He turns back to Django.

KAI
How did you get into this?

DJANGO
(beat)
My father was…very controlling. My mother would push back, gypsy blood —

KAI
Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.

DJANGO
It’s ok.
(Pause)
I got good at predicting when things would…explode.

KAI
That led to Morpheus?

Django looks distracted.

DJANGO
When someone knows what you’re going to say next…how do you feel? Trapped?

Kai nods: yeah, so?

DJANGO (CONT’D)
Then you have to do random shit to escape. Become unpredictable.

Kai looks puzzled: huh?

34 EXT. FIRE ESCAPE — MADISON’S APARTMENT - FRIDAY NIGHT

MADISON
Oh and you’ll love this…

JERRICA
What?

MADISON
Some Yale art girl put her BFA in a blender… and mailed it to us. The blender. Posted the whole thing on Insta. And tagged us.

JERRICA
Should’ve blended her trust fund. That I’d respect.

33 INT. MADISON’S LIVING/DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Kai looking at Jerrica through the window.

KAI
Does she know about Morpheus?

Celia emerges from kitchen on her way to the bedroom.

CELIA
Who’s Morpheus?

DJANGO
A work… um… friend.

Celia stops. Looks at Django. Then at Kai. Django looks at Kai. Please.

CELIA
Uh huh.

She moves on. Out. Kai holds Django’s eyes. A beat. Then small nod.

KAI
How did you meet Madison?

DJANGO
She found some scribbles in a book I left in the laundry room.

35 INT. BASEMENT LAUNDRY ROOM - HAZY EDGED FLASHBACK

Madison sees Django dropping the book off, picks it up, reads the inscription, and calls him back as he’s walking away. They introduce themselves and get to talking.

KAI (V.O.)
What book?

DJANGO (V.O.)
Tess of the d’Urbervilles.

KAI (V.O.)
What had you scribbled?

DJANGO (V.O.)
“It’s not subversive if she has to die.” She grilled me…I thought she was mad at me.

KAI (V.O.)
Can’t imagine that.

DJANGO (V.O.)
She was mad at the idea that artists have to be tragic to be legit.

KAI (V.O.)
That tracks.

33 INT. MADISON’S LIVING/DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Kai looks out at Madison, then Jerrica.

KAI
So how did they meet?

DJANGO
Right after she got here. She told me she found Jerrica intoxicating.

Kai looks questioningly. Django’s look: don’t you? Kai starts to protest. Stops. Sips his wine instead.

KAI
How did she get into the art world?

Django turns his glass. A beat.

DJANGO
There was a guy. Durbin. Owned a gallery. She reached out to him to see if he’d be a mentor.
(hesitating as Kai nods)
He liked her hustle.

KAI
Is she still there?

DJANGO
No, that fell apart.

KAI
Why?

DJANGO
I’m not 100% sure. There was this high-profile event. Something immersive.

Kai looks: go on. Django shrugs. Apologetic: I don’t know.

DJANGO (CONT’D)
She just quit. Burned out, I guess.

34 EXT. FIRE ESCAPE — MADISON’S APARTMENT - FRIDAY NIGHT

JERRICA
But…are you worried?

MADISON
It sucks. The whole point was to get away from people with daddy issues… or daddy galleries.
(Beat)
Then there’s this artist…one of ours…who is spoiling for a fight. Wants to make a stand against AI.
(sighs)
It’s all so stupid.

JERRICA
And your Django is spiraling around his spicing.

Madison almost smiles. Glad to be off the subject.

MADISON
I’m watching my career implode and he’s having a crisis about whether the sopes have authentic lineage.

33 INT. MADISON’S LIVING/DINING ROOM - NIGHT

KAI
And Jerrica? How did you meet her?

DJANGO
Through Madison. I got absorbed into their orbit.

34 EXT. FIRE ESCAPE — MADISON’S APARTMENT - FRIDAY NIGHT

MADISON
But he is not so innocent… He’s the one who suggested using AI in the first place.

JERRICA
“Innocent” … my ass.

MADISON
Well he did come early to cook. Which was sweet.

JERRICA
On his birthday!

MADISON
On his birthday.
(Fond chuckle. Beat)
Well, I’m glad Kai didn’t wait to come with you.

33 INT. MADISON’S LIVING/DINING ROOM - NIGHT

KAI
Just to go back to Morpheus… something really strange… mid-game it started whispering… “buy crypto”

Django startles. Looks around. His phone buzzes.

KAI (CONT’D)
Just kidding. No, but it whispered “they’re performing each other”

DJANGO
Performing for each other?

KAI
No. Performing… each other. Then it said “eliminate redundancy.” What does —

Django stops listening. Reads his phone. The color goes.

INSERT on phone screen

STAVROS: Where are you? Alignment failure. Sadism in simulation. Revert all to previous version ASAP. No outside comms. Quietly. We’re very lucky no outside users.

KAI (V.O.)
I dunno. It was weird. Never mind.

BACK.

DJANGO
Hey, I’m sorry I gotta - work thing.

KAI
Oh I get it, go ahead man.

Kai watches Django. Django watches Jerrica, then looks to his phone. Caresses his throat with thumb and forefinger. Through the glass, Jerrica lifts the cigarette to her lips. Exact gesture Madison used a moment earlier. Same tilt.

Same exhale. Django glances down then gestures bye to Kai and rushes out.

34 EXT. FIRE ESCAPE — MADISON’S APARTMENT - FRIDAY NIGHT

MADISON
Too bad Celia was napping when Kai got here… like what was she doing all night?

JERRICA
I told him not to wait for me. He’s really on at the center but a bit shy when it’s just a hang.

MADISON
He’s like a young old person…very paternal about the juggalo girl.

JERRICA
And Celia’s an old young person. She seemed a bit flustered when I tried to push them along.

MADISON
Well, you teased her… I would have eased her into it. But she’s always half a beat off.

HOLD. From directly above. Rooftop height, looking straight down. Both their heads, small. Watched.

JERRICA
She was judging me about the juggalo case. Like… ask about it before you decide I’m morally bankrupt.

MADISON
She does that.

JERRICA
I’m fucking out on a limb by myself. Weak man boss called my approach novel. If it works he’ll swoop in for the credit. If not, he’ll say it was my personal pro bono crusade.
(in Celia’s voice)
“How’s that charitable?”
(back in her voice)
She can be such a sanctimonious—Sorry. She’s your sister.

MADISON
Go ahead, get it out…

JERRICA
Thank god. Your sanctimonious bitch of a sister.

MADISON
Better?

JERRICA
Not really. I feel like I’ve sinned.
(Beat)
Well, to expuage… no wait, what’s the word? Expiate? Or is it assuage? To expiate for my sins, I’ll talk her up tomorrow.

MADISON
Expiate? Is that a lawyer word?

JERRICA
More like priest talk.

MADISON
Celia wanted to be a nun.

Jerrica clocks it as future ammo.

JERRICA
She’d be expiating all the time. Kai is more the assuaging kind.

MADISON
That’d be on brand. Was he… assuaging you during the game?

JERRICA
Far from it. He was being transgressive.

She inhales. The ember glows.

JERRICA (CONT’D)
Do you think the stoic, religious types are suppressing a bit of kink? To make the average work out?

MADISON
I’m trying not to imagine it.

JERRICA
So… what’s Celia’s kink?

Madison takes a long drag. Instead of passing the cigarette, she leans in and holds it to Jerrica’s lips. Jerrica inhales. Madison pulls back, keeping the cigarette.

MADISON
Imagining us together, perhaps.

Jerrica exhales slowly into the space between them.

JERRICA
That’s my kink too.

MADISON
Now that my career’s up in smoke…
(flicks ashes)
…I’ll be Django’s kept woman.

JERRICA
Bitch, you wish.

They pass the cigarette. Jerrica takes the final drag—slow. The ember glows brightly in the dark. She stubs it out against the brick wall and watches the glow fade to nothing.