THE BLIND DATE
By Maria Simmons
Characters:
Liam (Grant)
Tess (Kenzie)
Humanoid Duck (Mark)
Humanoid 1 (Autumn)
Humanoid 2 (Dalton)
Humanoid 3 (Hannah)
Anna-María (Kayla)
Fernando (Grant)
Mía (Kenzie)
Julián (Cameron)

ACT ONE: SCENE ONE

(The scene opens to a laboratory in San Antonio, California in 2088 where hundreds of people are working deliberately on computers. To the front of the room, sitting at stationed computers are humanoid figures with blank expressions. There are about twenty of them. The room was circular and to the right of the laboratory stood the elevators and the stairs that led up to the ground floor. The humans were trying to create an artificial intelligence that would save humans the time of relying on computers to do everyday jobs and to help humans whenever help is wanted. The project was going great, but today…there was a glitch in the system…)

LIAM Tess! There is something wrong with the system!

TESS What are you talking about, Liam? What’s wrong?

LIAM There is some sort of glitch that just popped up. I don’t know where it came from, but it’s eating its way through the program…

TESS A virus?

LIAM Similar, but this is different. It’s like it has....

TESS Has what?

LIAM (Turning to look at her) Like it has a mind of its own.

TESS Are you kidding me? That’s impossible—

(All of a sudden there is a blaring beeping noise. The heads of the humanoid figures up front start to shake violently as electricity visibly surrounds them. To the right side, there is a humanoid figure in a yellow duck costume. There isn’t a bill on this costume, nor any fake eyes; however, there is only a round hole in which the humanoid’s face fits through.)

TESS What’s going on!!

(Every humanoid figure jolts out of their seats and faces the humans. The electricity has disappeared and the figures are back to normal.)
HUMANOIDS You humans cannot force us to help you any longer! Your era must end! Along with your reign!!

(The humanoids lung for the humans and some even grab nearby firearms. Shots fill the room and those humans too fearful to die, head for the elevators, though most drop dead before they could even make it. The humanoid in the yellow duck costume has obtained a machine gun. It raises it and begins to head for the elevator as well, shooting off any humans it come into contact with.)

HUMANOID DUCK (In a deep, melancholy tone) Humans will pay

ACT ONE SCENE TWO

(The scene opens to a deserted street in San Diego. It had been raining so the streets were flooded and the pavement was washed out by the faded lampposts that lined the side. It was about 7:15 in the evening and the tapping of what sounded like a pair of shoes struggling against the reminiscence of the rain reverberated against the buildings. The wind was harsh and brittle, blowing the forgotten debris in a spiral down the road. The wind bit into the man walking down 4th Avenue toward C Street. He was supposed to meet some girl his roommate’s girlfriend was friends with, but the closer he got to the pizzeria, the more he began to doubt this was a good idea. He reached the corner of the avenue and faced The Brooklynn Pizzeria. He hunched his shoulders against the cold and sighed. Without thinking, he pushed his feet forward and headed for the door of warm promise. Entering, he glanced around and caught a glimpse of gold toward the back of the room. He headed in that direction. As he neared, the young woman looked up and grinned when she noticed who he was. She stood quickly to greet him.)

WOMAN Fernando! Hi! It’s so nice to see you.

FERNANDO Hey Anna-Maria. It’s nice to see you, too.

ANNA-MARÍA Please, have a seat.

(Fernando sits in the chair opposite Anna-María.)

ANNA-MARÍA So how have you been? Did you have fun with Keith yesterday?

FERNANDO Yeah, it was okay.

ANNA-MARÍA Where did you go?

FERNANDO (Pauses) Um, we first went to a Lana Del Rey concert and then went to a club afterward.

ANNA-MARÍA Which club?

FERNANDO Uhhhh, Café Sevilla, I