THE-NETHER-8.9.11

THE NETHER by Jennifer Haley

CHARACTERS

SIMS

A successful businessman in his middle age, charismatic

MORRIS

A young female cyberdetective, elven

DOYLE

A science teacher heading into old age, crushed

IRIS

A girl, about nine-years-old, nin e-years-old, shining and new

DRAFT

July 28, 2011

CONTACT

Derek Zasky William Morris Endeavor Entertainment 1325 Ave of the Americas New York, NY 10019 (212) 903-1396 [email protected]

NETHER REALM

1. Another world for mythical creatures 2. Demon world 3. A dimension of Evil or Imagination - urbandictionary.com urbandictionary.com

The Nether - July 2011

PROLOGUE

[ Sunshine pours through through a vault of trees. Leaves shimmering, bright green and gold. In the distance, a picturesque Victorian Victorian house. In the foreground, foreground, a wide, modern table. IRIS - white frock, bow in her hair - runs in, drapes her arms over the table, bows her head, and counts loudly. ]

IRIS:

One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . six . . . seven . . . eight . . . nine . . .

[ She stops, peeks around her fingers, then - somewhat guiltily - covers her eyes again. ]

IRIS:

Ten . . . eleven . . . twelve . . . thirteen . . . fourteen . . . fifteen . . .

[ As she counts, the trees begin to dim. A darkness creeps up. She stops, stops, lifts her head. Distant sound of wind wind in the leaves. She whispers: ]

IRIS:

Papa?

[ She bows her head again. Resumes loudly: ]

IRIS:

Sixteen . . . seventeen . . . eighteen . . .

1


PROLOGUE

[ Sunshine pours through through a vault of trees. Leaves shimmering, bright green and gold. In the distance, a picturesque Victorian Victorian house. In the foreground, foreground, a wide, modern table. IRIS - white frock, bow in her hair - runs in, drapes her arms over the table, bows her head, and counts loudly. ]

IRIS:

One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . six . . . seven . . . eight . . . nine . . .

[ She stops, peeks around her fingers, then - somewhat guiltily - covers her eyes again. ]

IRIS:

Ten . . . eleven . . . twelve . . . thirteen . . . fourteen . . . fifteen . . .

[ As she counts, the trees begin to dim. A darkness creeps up. She stops, stops, lifts her head. Distant sound of wind wind in the leaves. She whispers: ]

IRIS:

Papa?

[ She bows her head again. Resumes loudly: ]

IRIS:

Sixteen . . . seventeen . . . eighteen . . .

1


[ She continues counting. Two Two figures emerge from the trees: DETECTIVE MORRIS - wearing a pencil skirt and reflective eyeglasses, carrying a briefcase - and SIMS - in an expensive business suit. suit. They advance slowly on IRIS. ]

IRIS:

. . . twenty-six . . . twenty-seven . . . twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!

[ They are almost upon her. IRIS lifts her head, clutched clutched in a sudden terror, even though she does not see them. ]

IRIS:

READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ She dashes off as the trees collapse into: ]

2


SCENE 1

[ An interrogation room. Vast, no edges. Harsh light cuts the darkness, illuminating DETECTIVE MORRIS and SIMS. They sit across from each other at the table. ]

SIMS:

I just want to go home.

MORRIS:

Which home?

SIMS:

I need to talk to my wife.

MORRIS:

Which wife?

SIMS:

I don t know what you re getting at. I want my phone call.

MORRIS:

There are things we want, too.

SIMS:

My lawyer.

MORRIS:

Which lawyer?

SIMS:

Come on!

MORRIS:

You are free to contact whomever you wish, Mr. Sims. We have a terminal right

"

"

here if you d care to log in. "

[ She gestures to a square of light that opens on the floor. He looks at it warily, but does not move. ]

3


MORRIS:

I imagine your wife is worried by now.

SIMS:

Leave her out of this.

MORRIS:

Your children.

SIMS:

I don t have any children.

MORRIS:

You have a beautiful home, Mr. Sims. Set back from a country lane. Victorian.

"

Painted white. Children on the front porch in long stockings and sailor caps. Barnaby. Antonia. Donald. Iris. Such quaint names. From an era associated with . . . innocence.

SIMS:

I have a brownstone on the east side. My wife is sterile. You ve got the wrong "

guy.

[ She waves her hand over a section of space, opening a File before her. ]

MORRIS:

Solicitation. Sodomy. Rape. Murder. These are heavy charges, Mr. Sims.

SIMS:

Are you charging me?

MORRIS:

The repetitive nature of the offenses. The amount of money you ve made.

SIMS:

If you re not charging me -

MORRIS:

We know about your account in Burkina Faso.

SIMS:

If you re not charging me, you have to let me go.

"

"

"

4


MORRIS:

Oh you re free to go.

SIMS:

I am?

MORRIS:

We can t hold you here without charging you. That would be against the law.

SIMS:

Okay. Then I m going to go.

MORRIS:

The body is immaterial now. Yours is free to walk out the door.

SIMS:

Great. My body is walking out the door.

MORRIS:

But if it does, we ll rescind your login. You will never have access to a terminal

"

"

"

"

again.

SIMS:

[ pause ] Who are you?

MORRIS:

Let me repeat the introduction. My name is Detective Morris. This is an investigative unit of the Nether.

SIMS:

Since when does the Nether yank a man from his own garden?

MORRIS:

We find face-to-face interaction underscores the seriousness of our intentions.

SIMS:

Your intentions?

MORRIS:

We must protect the community.

SIMS:

Which community?

MORRIS:

The one that matters now.

5


SIMS:

I have an excellent lawyer. I know my rights. You can rescind my login temporarily, but you won t keep me out for long. "

MORRIS:

Long enough to locate and detain more of your children.

SIMS:

MORRIS:

What s wrong? "

SIMS:

MORRIS:

I thought you didn t have any children, Mr. Sims. Or should I call you - Papa? "

6


SCENE 2

[ Interrogation room. DOYLE sits across the table from MORRIS, head in his hands. ]

MORRIS:

Mr. Doyle?

DOYLE:

MORRIS:

Mr. Doyle.

DOYLE:

MORRIS:

We have not told your wife.

[ He raises his head. ]

We are merely detaining you. We have not started anything formal. We just want to find this man you call Papa. In exchange, we will protect your identity.

[ She opens a File. ]

Cedric Doyle. You are Science teacher at Hubbard Middle School. You are one year away from retirement with full pension for forty years service in the school district. Your wife is a senior vestry member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, where you used to teach Sunday School until about four years ago. You have two children, one a junior at Illinois State, the other a freshman at Wesleyan. [ looking up ] Both children at in-world colleges. That s a huge expense, Mr. "

7


Doyle. Most students now get their higher education at online institutions in the Nether. According to your story, you pay for this by moonlighting as a professor at one of these online institutions - the [ consulting the File ] University of Metaphysical Certitude.

[ She drums her long fingernails on the table. ]

If you like, Mr. Doyle, this entire story about who you are may remain intact. We have even made arrangements with UMC to actually hire you. All those hours at your terminal, plus the boost in your bank account, will continue to make perfect sense.

DOYLE:

Can I keep her?

MORRIS:

Keep who?

DOYLE:

Her.

MORRIS:

No, Mr. Doyle. Once we find the man behind Papa, we can no longer allow that kind of relationship.

[ He stares at the desk. His face starts to crumple, then rearranges itself into impassivity. ]

DOYLE:

I have nothing to say.

8


SCENE 3

[ Interrogation room. MORRIS and SIMS. ]

SIMS:

How did you find me?

MORRIS:

It wasn t easy. The security encryption on your login was like nothing we ve ever "

"

seen.

SIMS:

It s technically impossible. You must have used other means.

MORRIS:

Weak spots tend to be . . . personal.

SIMS:

You ve made this very personal. And broken the most important covenant of the

"

"

Nether.

MORRIS:

The Covenant of Anonymity.

SIMS:

[ sarcastic ] You ve heard of it?

MORRIS:

Sort of an outdated notion, don t you think? Why should we feel the need to

"

"

hide?

SIMS:

It s called privacy.

MORRIS:

Yes of course. What I do in the virtual world is my own damn business. But what

"

if we examine the meaning of “virtual?” It has been defined as “that which is not real, but has the qualities of the real.” Because the Nether is a set of virtual realms inhabited by virtual communities, one might argue that none of it is real. But when eighty percent of the population work at jobs in the Nether, most of

9


them at office spaces rendered in the Nether, when our entire education system has been codified in the Nether, when the only way now to experience Nature is in the Nether; in short, when the Nether becomes our contextual framework for being , can you still argue that it isn t real? "

SIMS:

Yes, I can. It isn t real.

MORRIS:

Interesting position, coming from a shade.

SIMS:

I m not a shade. I have a fulfilling in-world life. I have a garden. I have a wife. I

"

"

keep them separate from my life in the Nether.

MORRIS:

According to our records, [ consulting a File ] you have fifty square feet of grass around your brownstone. A garden of snap peas and swiss chard. You place regular orders for wine-made-from-grapes. Your wife s clothes are made from "

cotton. It s not hard to have a good in-world life when you have money. But for "

most people -

SIMS:

What do you want, Detective?

MORRIS:

Justice. Harmony. World peace.

SIMS:

What do you want from me?

MORRIS:

Your realm, Mr. Sims.

SIMS:

[ pause ] My realm is not for sale.

10


MORRIS:

A perfectly-rendered Victorian house, populated by four children. Known to users as The Hideaway. We even peeked under the hood, if you will. The Hideaway is written in beautiful code.

SIMS:

Code that I have patented.

MORRIS:

A lucrative realm. Users will pay quite a bit of money to visit The Hideaway. Does your wife know where you get your income?

SIMS:

My wife respects my privacy.

MORRIS:

Is she aware of your tendencies?

SIMS:

MORRIS:

Your tendencies toward children, Mr. Sims.

SIMS:

Like all of us, she s as aware as she wants to be.

MORRIS:

What if we made her very aware?

SIMS:

I expect she would resent you.

MORRIS:

Or brought it to the attention of the Neighborhood Association, of which you are,

"

admirably, the President?

SIMS:

They will take my word over some shadowy unit of the Nether. And my record is whistle clean. Real children are hard to come by these days. It s not like they "

play outside anymore.

MORRIS:

Are you trying to be droll, Mr. Sims?

11


SIMS:

Yeah, I m trying very hard to be very fucking droll.

MORRIS:

It won t reflect well on your case.

SIMS:

Do I have a case here? That would surprise me. A case sounds like something

"

"

legal, which this definitely is not!

MORRIS:

We mounted an air-tight investigation. Just to make sure our charges were grounded. We sent someone undercover - an Agent Cokeberry - and here s "

what he reported:

[ She opens a File: the Cokeberry Report. ]

MORRIS:

Approached The Hideaway at eleven hundred hours. Perfect replica of an 1850s wood Gothic Revival. Detail down to a squeak in the top step leading up to the porch and music pouring softly through the screen door. Greeted by a butler figure, who scanned my login. Long wait for the security check - extremely advanced system. Posing as one Thomas Woodnut, first time visiting the Hideaway, complete with carpet bag.

My ID clears and I am admitted to the parlor. Three of the children are here. Antonia playing a perfectly rendered Vintage Steinway Pianoforte. Barnaby dancing with another patron. Iris reading in a window seat. Lively atmosphere. I am approached almost immediately by the suspect, a man known as Papa, in top hat and tailcoat. Perhaps it is a trick of this realm, but he conveys what I can only describe as a sympathetic warmth. He offers me a series of service

12


packages (detailed in my auxiliary report), from which I select the Deluxe. Papa then hands me an axe and encourages me to select one of the children.

[ she looks at SIMS ] And although this report does not include his personal feelings, Agent Cokeberry spoke to me while filing it and admitted that this was one of the strangest moments of his career - finding himself mulling over which was his preferred child . . . But let me continue.

[ back to the Report ] I take the proffered axe, place it in my carpet bag and select Iris. Looked to be about nine years old. She rather reluctantly closes her book and, clutching a dilapidated stuffed bunny to her chest, leads me out of the parlor and up a long staircase to the second floor. Several closed doors off a darkened hallway. We pass one from which come the low sounds of a child whimpering. Surmised this is the fourth child, Donald. Iris leads me past this door and into the last bedroom off the hallway. A child s room with pink walls and "

white lace four poster bed. She sits at the edge of the bed, pouting, pats the sheet beside her, and I notice a long blood stain, purposefully rendered there, I surmise, to titillate -

SIMS:

They. Are not. Children. The realm is clearly designated Adult. My background checks are thorough in the extreme to make sure we don t involve employees or "

guests who are underage. This is well in accordance with international laws governing content.

MORRIS:

The Nether is making its own laws.

SIMS:

What do you mean?

13


MORRIS:

The Nether community is assuming governance of its content.

SIMS:

That would be suicidal. The community exists through imaginative freedom.

MORRIS:

It exists, but does it thrive? In the abattoir you ve created, do you thrive?

SIMS:

That s for me to decide, not - who are you, anyway? How would you know what

"

"

the community wants?

MORRIS:

There have been elections, Mr. Sims.

SIMS:

I haven t heard of any elections.

MORRIS:

In the Nether. If you peeked out of your Hideaway from time to time, you would

"

be aware -

SIMS:

This is bullshit.

MORRIS:

Why don t you log in on our terminal and see for yourself?

SIMS:

So you can trace me? I don t think so.

MORRIS:

[ pause ] We need to know the location of your server. The physical machine

"

"

where you store the code for The Hideaway. Once we have accessed your server and deleted your realm from the Nether, you will be free to go without termination of your login.

SIMS:

I ll be free?

MORRIS:

I am afraid we ll need to place a tracker on you. You won t be able to create

"

"

"

another realm without our unit being notified.

14


[ He leaps up. His chair skitters behind him. ]

SIMS:

This is not legal!

MORRIS:

Mr. Sims -

SIMS:

By international law, the Nether cannot be censored!

MORRIS:

I suggest you sit down -

SIMS:

I don t think it s the community - I think it s you - you - who wants to govern the "

"

"

content!

[ He pounds the desk. Aggressive. MORRIS looks toward a high corner of the room. SIMS looks toward the corner, too, suddenly aware they may be monitored. ]

SIMS:

Wait! I ll sit down! Okay? I m sitting down. "

"

[ She looks toward the corner again. Brief nod. ]

SIMS:

What is this in-world life anymore? We cannot see stars. We cannot smell the air on a sharp winter morning. We cannot -

MORRIS:

- legally shove a stuffed rabbit down a child s throat at the same time we re -

SIMS:

Don t. Look.

"

"

"

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I am sick. I am sick and have always been sick and there is no cure. No amount of cognitive behavioral therapy or relapse determent or even chemical castration will sway me from my urges toward children. I am sick and no matter how much I loved him or her I would make my own child sick and I see this I see this not all of us see this, but I have been cursed with both compulsion and insight. I have taken responsibility for my sickness I am protecting my brother s children and my "

neighbor s children and the children I will never have and the only way I can this "

is because I ve created a place where I can be my fucking self! "

16


SCENE 4

[ A ray of sunlight beams through a tall, Victorian window. IRIS runs in, breathless. SIMS, in a top hat, catches her, spins her around in the light. She shrieks with laughter. He puts her down, and she wobbles in circles. ]

IRIS:

Whoa! I m a top!

SIMS:

Was that fun?

IRIS:

Yes! I m a top!

SIMS:

I thought you d like that. It s new.

IRIS:

Have you given it a name?

SIMS:

Not yet. Any ideas?

IRIS:

I d call it the Spinning Top.

SIMS:

The Spinning Top it is.

IRIS:

Did you try it on Barnaby?

SIMS:

No. You re the first.

IRIS:

Really?

SIMS:

I knew you d appreciate it the most. I need an easy audience to give me heart.

IRIS:

[ suggestively ] Are you saying I m easy?

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

17


SIMS:

Now Iris . . . that joke is too old for you.

[ She giggles and reassumes innocence. A bell tinkles. ]

SIMS:

It sounds like you have a guest. We stay so busy here. Very well, I shall leave you to -

IRIS:

Wait! Papa?

SIMS:

Yes?

IRIS:

I was thinking . . . I ve never asked for anything before, right Papa?

SIMS:

No, you haven t.

IRIS:

I was thinking. I might want a birthday party.

SIMS:

A birthday party?

IRIS:

Yes.

SIMS:

Are you trying to grow up? You re already such a big girl.

IRIS:

I imagined the yard dressed in streamers. And birthday cake. We could invite

"

"

"

our favorite Hideaway guests.

SIMS:

Involve the guests. So this is an entrepreneurial idea?

IRIS:

Sort of.

SIMS:

Sort of?

18


IRIS:

Not really.

SIMS:

Then what? You must tell me what s on your mind.

IRIS:

I want a day that s special.

SIMS:

[ pause ] Come here.

"

"

[ Iris moves to him. ]

SIMS:

We have a beautiful home here, Iris. We have a beautiful family, of which you are a very important member. It is this beauty which draws our guests. And a nonjudgemental environment. But do you know what is the most important thing we offer?

[ She shakes her head. ]

SIMS:

An opportunity to live outside of time.

[ She thinks this over. ]

IRIS:

What about the seasons?

SIMS:

What about them?

IRIS:

It is almost summertime here. And we are that much happier because three months ago it was winter. There was that last, late blizzard, and Donald and I made angels in the snow.

19


SIMS:

The seasons change, but they don t add up to years that sweep everything away. "

What comforts us here is that which is changeless. The way we, essentially, are changeless.

IRIS:

Like the way God sees us.

SIMS:

God?

IRIS:

Yes. [ almost guiltily ] I ve been thinking about God.

SIMS:

[ pause ] I see.

IRIS:

Not as in - a person. But as in - the way things are. The universe. Do you think

"

about God that way?

SIMS:

[ pause ] I do.

IRIS:

I knew you did.

SIMS:

How did you know?

IRIS:

I saw you planting those seeds last Fall. By the house, below my window. I forgot about it until today, when I saw they had grown into morning glory, blooming on my sill. And I knew you understood.

SIMS:

Is this what prompted your idea of a birthday party?

IRIS:

Yes. I want something to - mark this understanding.

[ The bell tinkles again. She looks at him hopefully. ]

20


SIMS:

We cannot have a birthday. It would upset a balance here to suggest you re "

growing older.

IRIS:

Okay.

SIMS:

And we should not involve the guests - or even the family. I can t single you out "

as special in front of the other children.

IRIS:

Okay.

SIMS:

But what about a party - just for you, just with me?

IRIS:

Really?

SIMS:

Would that make you happy?

[ She nods. ]

SIMS:

Very well.

IRIS:

Oh thank you! Thank you, Papa!

SIMS:

How can I refuse you? [ caresses her cheek ] You are my darling girl.

21


SCENE 5

[ Interrogation room. MORRIS and DOYLE. ]

MORRIS:

It s interesting how charisma translates even in the Nether. I understand your "

attraction to Papa.

DOYLE:

MORRIS:

I also understand the seductiveness of playing a child. Iris is innocent. Vulnerable. Free to express affection - and ask for it in return.

DOYLE:

MORRIS:

What I don t understand is the context in which this relationship has been forged. "

Let me return to the Cokeberry Report.

[ reading from the Report ] We sit on the edge of her four-poster bed. Iris fiddles with her stuffed bunny rabbit. She says nothing. Clearly I should take the lead. I feel strangely nervous. I stand and walk to the window. Below, in the backyard, the woman identified as Mother, but seems less Papa s wife than a housemaid, is "

tending a giant garden of myriad vegetables and herbs. “What are you doing?” the child asks. I turn around. Her eyes are huge, wet, beautifully rendered.

[ looks at DOYLE ] And although the report does not include this personal observation, Agent Cokeberry confided to me while filing it that he could almost see through to the sentient being behind the child. He confessed he was so

22


uncomfortable, he forgot the pedophilic persona he d so carefully developed and "

conducted the seduction like a high school kid on his first date:

[ back to the Report ] “Nothing, uh. Why don t you take off your dress?” I say. "

“Why?” she asks. “Because . . . it s hot in here.” She sticks her finger in her "

mouth and drawls, “Papa wouldn t like it.” Note: reluctance is part of the game. "

“I m a friend of your Papa s. My name is Thomas Woodnut. Take off your dress.” "

"

She pulls her white dress over her head and stands in her knickers, shivering. “I m cold,” she says, “Will you keep me warm?” She s trying to help me with the "

"

protocol. I go to her, put my hand on her shoulder. She takes my hand and moves it down -

DOYLE:

Okay.

MORRIS:

Okay what, Mr. Doyle?

DOYLE:

I remember Woodnut. You don t have to go through this again.

MORRIS:

Perhaps listening instead of participating will give you perspective on the

"

transaction.

DOYLE:

Do you think you re going to shame me into helping you? I m past shame.

MORRIS:

Then why is this hard for you to listen to?

DOYLE:

Because I m sick of your voice. And you don t know what you re talking about.

MORRIS:

I ve worked with a lot of shades, Mr. Doyle. I understand how important it is to

"

"

"

"

"

"

defend your Nether life.

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DOYLE:

How old are you?

MORRIS:

That s not germane to this discussion.

DOYLE:

You remind me of my students. So full of themselves. So sure they know what

"

the hell is going on.

MORRIS:

Do you feel pain in the terminal? As Iris, when she s with a . . . guest?

DOYLE:

A little pain. An electric shock. Feels kind of good.

MORRIS:

Even pain becomes addictive.

DOYLE:

Feeling pain . . . [ looking at her meaningfully ] and inflicting it.

MORRIS:

I m trying to help you.

DOYLE:

Let me go.

MORRIS:

We need to you talk to Papa. We need his in-world identity.

DOYLE:

That s against the Covenant of -

MORRIS:

The Covenant of Anonymity now comes with provisions.

DOYLE:

When did - ?

MORRIS:

There was a vote in the community.

DOYLE:

I haven t seen -

MORRIS:

You know what s at stake here. We can log in right now - [ gestures to the

"

"

"

"

"

square of light on the floor ] - and speak to your wife.

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DOYLE:

[ pause ] Fine.

MORRIS:

Fine?

DOYLE:

My wife won t leave me. She s too scared of the alternative.

MORRIS:

Your children?

DOYLE:

I ve saved enough money for them to finish college. And I don t care what they

"

"

"

"

think of me. They re adults now. They can think any thoughts they want. "

MORRIS:

Your job?

DOYLE:

My job. Ha! I used to teach my students that bodies are ninety-nine percent space. Everything we think of as solid is energy. I was a good teacher. Then all of the lesson modules were put in the Nether. I became no more than a proctor, keeping an eye on them, making sure they weren t hacking through the school "

firewall and accessing unauthorized material. Really, that s all I did. Walk from "

terminal to terminal making sure they weren t engaged in porn. It was a dark "

time.

My salary was cut. I was dipping into my kids college fund. I went into the "

Nether to moonlight. The irony? Porn is the most lucrative profession. It drives technology. The first photographs? Porn. The first movies? Porn. The most accessed content when the Nether was known as the Internet? Porn. Porn and violence. The urge, Detective - the urge . As long as we have an imagination, you will never stamp that out.

MORRIS:

What if we can get to what s behind it? "

25


DOYLE:

Who is we?

MORRIS:

You said you ve saved enough money. Why do you keep working at The "

Hideaway?

DOYLE:

MORRIS:

Perhaps you ve created a story around Papa that fills - an empty place.

DOYLE:

Don t psychodrivel me.

MORRIS:

Or perhaps he s created a world that s both so beautiful and so awful, it s meant

"

"

"

"

"

to distract you from what s real. "

DOYLE:

No, that s what makes it real. The two of those together. He s created algorithms "

"

to make things grow - like the garden, and the morning glory - and given us the power to present ourselves the way we d like to be seen. Iris is a truer "

embodiment of who I am than this sack of bones.

MORRIS:

You said we re ninety-nine percent space.

DOYLE:

Space. Energy. Going into the Nether is simply a transfer of energy.

MORRIS:

Why transfer it into a little girl who is repeatedly abused and murdered?

DOYLE:

That s the illusion. Iris always resurrects, perfect as she was before. The

"

"

important part is the exchange between users.

MORRIS:

What exchange?

DOYLE:

Of animal urge that eases energetic pain.

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MORRIS:

Eases it temporarily, perhaps. But feeds the cycle.

DOYLE:

Life is a cycle.

MORRIS:

No. The fact that we are here - the fact that we are human - the fact that we are having this conversation - means life is a trajectory. [ She leans forward, suddenly intense. ] And if this is the direction we are heading, if we keep moving toward becoming pure energy in the Nether, why do we need to create realms of darkness? Why not create a universal realm of pure beauty and light?

DOYLE:

Because. Even in the Nether, it s only the possibility of loss that makes "

things . . . matter.

[ MORRIS retreats back into herself. Drums her fingernails on the table. ]

MORRIS:

We have programs here to help shades.

DOYLE:

You just said - if we keep moving toward becoming energy -

MORRIS:

I m trying to gauge the extent of your addiction.

DOYLE:

I thought - [ He stops, shrinks a little. ]

MORRIS:

The desire to create alternate identities is usually found to be a symptom of

"

depression.

DOYLE:

I m not depressed. I m sad.

MORRIS:

We can help you pinpoint what role Papa plays in your psyche.

"

"

27


DOYLE:

He s not a role. He s energy. He s real.

MORRIS:

But first we need to you to help us find him. Consider it the first step in your

"

"

"

recovery.

DOYLE:

I DON T WANT TO RECOVER!! "

[ He leaps up, grabs the desk and bangs it several times on the floor. MORRIS nods at the corner of the room. DOYLE follows her gaze, then turns in fear toward an unseen door. He drops the table, holds up his hands. ]

DOYLE:

Wait. Wait.

28


SCENE 6

[ MORRIS and SIMS. ]

SIMS:

You used someone to find me. One of my children.

MORRIS:

SIMS:

This is wrong. What you re doing is wrong.

MORRIS:

It s interesting you bring up morality. Tell me, Mr. Sims, do you think Evil exists in

"

"

thought or deed?

SIMS:

I don t think Evil exists at all. I think the universe is perfect.

MORRIS:

Are you saying the rape and murder of children is perfect?

SIMS:

The act is - undesirable, but the urge is - simply an urge.

MORRIS:

Undesirable?

SIMS:

You presented this as question of morality, and I m telling you I think our notions

"

"

of morality shrink our understanding of what is . In terms of deed, of course we should protect our children. I created the Hideaway so users may experience their fantasies in a non-judgmental environment without committing actual harm.

MORRIS:

Very noble, but what if idea leads to deed?

SIMS:

I know for a fact child molestation rates have declined in the past thirty years.

MORRIS:

But did you know the cases that get reported have become more sadistic?

29


SIMS:

[ pause ] What is this to you, Detective? Why do you care so much about The Hideaway?

MORRIS:

This is my job, Mr. Sims.

SIMS:

Are you working for them [ glances at the corner ] , or are you leading this witch hunt?

MORRIS:

We just want the location of your server. The physical machine where you store the code for The Hideaway.

SIMS:

The code.

MORRIS:

Once you have given us this information, you will be free to go without -

SIMS:

You want the code.

MORRIS:

Merely so we can delete your -

SIMS:

You want to sell it to Disney.

MORRIS:

No, Mr. Sims -

SIMS:

Or use it to create some insipid realm where you can brainwash users -

MORRIS:

Brainwash! You think your code is that powerful?

SIMS:

It s the most life-like in the Nether.

MORRIS:

And certainly one of the attractions for your guests. We know about your plans

"

to expand the Hideaway from a house to a small village.

30


SIMS:

I m just trying to keep up with demand.

MORRIS:

Demand . . .

"

[ She seems momentarily overwhelmed by this. She puts her hand to her temple. ]

SIMS:

[ ever so slightly contrite ] Detective . . . it s keeping them off the streets.

MORRIS:

No, it s not, Mr. Sims.

"

"

[ She puts the black briefcase on the table. Opens it. Pulls out an old-school manilla folder and pushes it over to SIMS. He eyes it warily. ]

SIMS:

What s this?

MORRIS:

The difference between thought and deed.

"

31


SCENE 7

[ A vault of trees. SIMS and IRIS sit on a bench in summertime. Sound of cicadas, and leaves fluttering in the breeze. Beside SIMS is a huge box. ]

IRIS:

. . . and Barnaby said Antonia shoved him. And Donald wasn t saying anything "

because his shorts were dirty too. He had got into the chicken house with Barnaby. The funny thing is it was Antonia s idea all along. She wanted to find "

out if the eggs feel warm when they ve just come out of the chicken and I said I "

want to feel the eggs why didn t you ask me and she said because you always "

tell and I said no I don t. But I think she s just jealous because after the spanking "

"

room you kept stroking Donald s face and gave him that candy that s only for the "

"

guests. She said Barnaby hated me for not telling the truth.

SIMS:

Why do you get jealous?

IRIS:

Not me. Antonia.

SIMS:

I mean all of you. Don t you believe there s enough love to go around?

IRIS:

Maybe.

SIMS:

Love is not like a sack of corn. You don t run out of it the more you give away.

IRIS:

I know.

SIMS:

And you can t believe everything she says. You are too trusting, my dear.

IRIS:

Isn t that something you like about me?

"

"

"

"

"

32


SIMS:

Of course. I just want you to be - careful.

IRIS:

I know.

SIMS:

[ humored ] You know everything, don t you?

IRIS:

Almost. [ pause ] Who is Thomas Woodnut?

SIMS:

Who?

IRIS:

Thomas Woodnut. One of the guests. He said he was your friend.

SIMS:

Woodnut? Definitely not a friend.

IRIS:

There was something different about him. Barnaby noticed it, too, when he saw

"

him in the parlor. They always act peculiar when it s their first time, but. He was "

quite nervous.

SIMS:

New guests are often nervous.

IRIS:

He couldn t do the - first part.

SIMS:

That s not so unusual.

IRIS:

He asked about you.

SIMS:

What about me?

IRIS:

[ slowly ] He asked me if I knew who you are.

SIMS:

[ slight pause ] Who I am?

IRIS:

He made it sound like he knew something.

"

"

33


SIMS:

Something like what?

IRIS:

Something you do outside of the Hideaway.

SIMS:

IRIS:

I didn t tell him anything.

SIMS:

Do you want to know?

IRIS:

Know what?

SIMS:

Is it important to you to know something about me?

IRIS:

No. I respect your privacy.

SIMS:

Do you respect my privacy, or are you afraid to find something out you don t like?

IRIS:

What do you mean?

SIMS:

Something you may not want to hear. Something real.

IRIS:

You mean real real?

SIMS:

Yes.

IRIS:

I m not afraid. I m telling you so you will put a bar on him. I already know

"

"

"

"

everything about you I need to know.

[ SIMS blinks. Grins. ]

SIMS:

Do you know what I have here?

34


IRIS:

Is it a birthday cake?

SIMS:

Let s call it an Iris Day Cake.

IRIS:

I want to see it!

"

[ He lifts the cover. The cake is beautiful, multi-tiered. It looks like glass. ]

IRIS:

Ohhhhhhhhh!

SIMS:

It s made of ice that will never melt.

IRIS:

I can hear it. It s the sound of freezing and unfreezing.

SIMS:

The cake keeps reforming its crystal patterns.

IRIS:

And there s another sound. The sound of tiny dwarves who live in snowy

"

"

"

mountains singing falsetto.

[ SIMS leans in to the cake. ]

Can you hear it?

SIMS:

No. I can t. It must be only for children to hear.

IRIS:

Is that why you don t want me to grow up?

SIMS:

Why?

"

"

35


IRIS:

Because I ll no longer hear the singing? "

SIMS:

IRIS:

SIMS:

Come here, Iris Day Girl.

[ She scoots closer. ]

SIMS:

Did you know these trees are called poplars?

IRIS:

Yes.

SIMS:

No you didn t!

IRIS:

Yes I did!

"

[ He tickles her. Overlapping “No you didn t!/Yes I did!” as "

they giggle. ]

IRIS:

I promise! I did!

SIMS:

Okay. I believe you.

[ They sit for a moment, listening to the wind in the leaves. ]

36


There were poplars growing by the cottage where I grew up. I would wake to my bedroom wall aglitter with sunshine, the sound of wind washing through the leaves, and my mother at the window. She would say, The only way you hear the wind is because it has the leaves to blow through.

IRIS:

Is that a real memory?

SIMS:

Real real.

[ IRIS stares at SIMS, surprised. ]

Don t tell the others. "

[ IRIS shakes her head, solemn. Big breath. ]

IRIS:

I miss the trees.

SIMS:

I do too.

IRIS:

I love you.

[ SIMS is touched. He hesitates a moment, then: ]

SIMS:

You cannot know how much I love you.

[ He hugs her to him. ]

37


SCENE 8

[ Interrogation room. DOYLE is slumped at the table. There are band-aids on his index fingers. ]

MORRIS:

Mr. Doyle?

DOYLE:

MORRIS:

I am sorry about that. We needed to remind you that violence is not tolerated here. We used the same amount of current you receive when you re with your "

guests. Very minor. In fact, it should have “felt good.”

DOYLE:

MORRIS:

He said there were poplars by the house where he grew up? Most poplars disappeared from North America over fifty years ago. It s doubtful the man "

known as Papa could have any personal knowledge of them.

DOYLE:

He wouldn t lie to me.

MORRIS:

He played on your affections.

DOYLE:

He didn t need to do that. I worked hard for him. I conducted unpaid research

"

"

into Victorian terminology and patterns of speech to ensure his concept was total. I kept myself pharmacologically awake almost twenty hours a day so I could put in full swings at home.

MORRIS:

Home meaning the Hideaway?

38


DOYLE:

Yes. Of course. Papa didn t need pretense to secure my loyalty.

MORRIS:

And he never gave you another clue about his real identity?

DOYLE:

That was it.

MORRIS:

According to our investigation, this man called Papa has no compunction about

"

using his charms to get close to in-world children.

DOYLE:

I don t know anything about that. And I don t want to know. You re breaking the "

"

"

Covenant -

MORRIS:

Why is it so important to you to hold onto your idea of who he is?

DOYLE:

It s not an idea.

MORRIS:

So you think you know who he is?

DOYLE:

I know all I need to know.

MORRIS:

Is he someone who could do this?

"

[ She slides an old-school manilla folder toward him. He eyes it warily. ]

DOYLE:

I m not going to look at that.

MORRIS:

Is there something about the truth that frightens you?

DOYLE:

This is not the truth. Nothing in here is the truth.

"

39


MORRIS:

Where does this emotion come from if we re not close to something real?

DOYLE:

I want a lawyer. I want a lawyer!

MORRIS:

We re not the police. You are free to leave at any time.

DOYLE:

Please. I will never find him again if you destroy our home.

MORRIS:

[ pause ] Look inside the file, Mr. Doyle. And I ll let you go home.

"

"

"

[ DOYLE s hand trembles as he reaches for the file. ] "

40


SCENE 9

[ Interrogation room. SIMS stares at the manilla folder before him. ]

SIMS:

I suppose you want me to open this.

MORRIS:

You may already know what it contains.

SIMS:

What have you created to use against me?

MORRIS:

I have not created anything that wasn t already -

SIMS:

I know what s in that file -

MORRIS:

If you know what s in the file then why don t you -

SIMS:

I know what s in the file not because I know what s in the file but because I know

"

"

"

"

"

"

what sort of thing you would put in the file.

MORRIS:

The manner of the crime is consistent with tactics used in your establishment.

SIMS:

Oh god.

MORRIS:

Down to the victim being clothed in a late Victorian girl s dress. Or rather "

unclothed, but it was found near the body.

SIMS:

Okay.

MORRIS:

Where do you think this man might have gotten the idea?

SIMS:

Man or woman. 41


MORRIS:

Most of your patrons are -

SIMS:

Some of them are women.

MORRIS:

Very well, where do you think this man or woman got the idea?

SIMS:

I don t know. I don t create monsters.

MORRIS:

Who creates them, then?

SIMS:

God.

MORRIS:

God?

SIMS:

Yes, God. God creates monsters because monstrosity is an aspect of existence.

"

"

If we didn t know monstrosity we would also not know grace - because something "

may only be known by it s opposite. And although I respect your efforts to stop "

in-world monsters, I cannot assist any restriction of the Nether, because in letting them live there we honor what the universe is all about.

MORRIS:

Really? Is this what the universe is all about?

[ She lunges across the desk and rips open the folder. He looks at the photos. ]

SIMS:

Very well done.

MORRIS:

This isn t a joke.

SIMS:

I m not joking. The rendering is excellent.

"

"

42


MORRIS:

These are film, Mr. Sims. Film.

SIMS:

Almost as good as The Hideaway.

MORRIS:

Have you become so removed you can t tell the difference?

SIMS

Have you rationalized using technology for illegal interrogation?

MORRIS:

Are you so removed you can t tell what s real anymore?

SIMS:

Are you?

"

"

"

MORRIS:

SIMS:

MORRIS:

We have programs for shades, Mr. Sims.

SIMS:

[ a sharp laugh ] Back to this?

MORRIS:

You ve claimed you re not a shade, but your login records indicate you spend up "

"

to sixteen hours a day in the Nether.

SIMS:

I ll admit it if you admit it.

MORRIS:

Admit what?

SIMS:

Are you married, Detective? I don t see a ring. Smart girl. Perhaps you ve tried

"

"

"

a relationship or two. But it s hard, isn t it? "

"

MORRIS:

My private life is none of your concern.

SIMS:

My children are none of yours.

43


MORRIS:

They. Are not. Children.

SIMS:

In-world they are not. But in the Nether . . . I don t have to tell you, do I?

MORRIS:

Our programs for recovery programs for Nether addiction are ninety-five percent

"

effective.

SIMS:

I bet you ve had first-hand experience with those programs.

MORRIS:

You have the ideal in-world existence. Beautiful house. Beautiful wife. So why

"

would you -

SIMS:

Why? Is this really about why? Because I think you know why.

MORRIS:

Do I, Mr. Sims?

SIMS:

I think you do. A shade recognizes its own.

MORRIS:

SIMS:

You probably consider yourself “recovered.” And yet . . . something s not right. "

You still feel like a zombie in your “real” life because your mind is somewhere else. You leave your lover sleeping at night and sneak into the Nether for something he can t give you. These in-world men aren t very attractive, are they, "

"

with their soft interface hands? They can t compete with virtual hunks and a "

good plug-in johnson.

MORRIS:

What are you trying to flush out of me, Mr. Sims? Some sad little wound that needs to be soothed by Papa?

SIMS:

Perhaps an admission of hypocrisy.

44


MORRIS:

SIMS:

MORRIS:

I was a shade.

I disappeared into the Nether when I was four years old. My mother had been raped and murdered during a robbery. My father stopped functioning. He put me in the educational realm of Dorindor, and then he couldn t get me back out. "

Dorindor was a series of levels unlocked by mastering puzzles and quests. Solving algebraic formulas gave you the combination to a drawbridge. Reciting the work of master poets opened passageways in trees. Forming chemical compounds created oceans across which you could sail.

[ She removes her glasses and moves into the square of light on the floor. ]

I was an elf named Alia, lethal with the longbow. My friends were users in the form of gnomes, fauns, and other creatures befitting the genre. The realm espoused a simplistic morality, and we fought on the side of Good against Evil. My first love was a centaur. His name was Sloan.

Sloan and I became inseparable, running our quests. Hearing his hooves beating the forest floor became the sound of my heart. We slept, entwined, in giant trees. In the warmth of the terminal, I could feel his arms, his breath. He d "

whisper my name: Alia.

45


One day we got a quest to slay a powerful demon. The demon was on a spree of destroying peaceful villages. Refugees came to us, clothes burned into their skin, and begged us to stop the carnage. We found the demon at the edge of a smoking ruin. It lifted its head, saw us coming, and disappeared into the forest.

We tracked it meticulously, barely eating, never sleeping. The demon would pause for hours, peering through the twilit woods in our direction, and I would crouch [ she crouches ] , frozen in my cloak of extreme stealth until it broke its vigil and flitted on, farther in, to where it was winter, all sound softened in the mask of falling snow. And as the days went by, I found myself . . . admiring the demon s dark beauty. Like something I d never seen before, but which I "

"

recognized. The demon saw me, too, and I think, led me in, for don t we all "

secretly want someone to follow us to the darkest place of where we live?

Finally we came in range. The demon alit on a stone altar, exhausted, and licked its now-tattered wings. [ her crouch turns into a posture of attack ] I drew back the bowstring and let my arrow fly with a soft wthttht. The demon shrieked as its heart exploded into black shards. One of them pierced me, and I felt . . . I felt.

[ She holds her hand to her heart. ]

Sloan galloped up, cheering, but I suddenly found his joy oppressive. I turned on him with my hunting knife and stabbed him in the throat. The moderators of Dorindor deemed this anti-social and barred my login.

[ She steps out of the light, dons her glasses. ]

46


I surfaced from the Nether. I had to learn to walk again. I got special lenses so I could see with my eyes. I had to learn my father was not a stranger. I had to learn it was wrong to stalk and kill the neighborhood pets. I was twenty-five years old.

[ SIMS looks at her hard. ]

SIMS:

You re Agent Cokeberry.

MORRIS:

No, Mr. Sims.

SIMS:

You conducted that investigation. You came to my home posing as Thomas

"

Woodnut. You slaughtered Iris.

MORRIS:

No -

SIMS:

Yes. I recognize you.

47


SCENE 10

[ Weak sunlight falls through the Victorian window. MORRIS - in a top hat, clutching a carpet bag - stands at the window, peering out. IRIS strokes a stuffed bunny. Moments pass. ]

IRIS:

What are you doing?

[ MORRIS turns around. Nervous. ]

MORRIS:

Nothing, uh. Why don t you take off your dress?

IRIS:

Why?

MORRIS:

Because. It s hot in here.

IRIS:

Papa wouldn t like it.

MORRIS:

I m a friend of your Papa s. My name is Thomas Woodnut. Take off your dress.

"

"

"

"

"

[ IRIS sighs like a grunt, then pulls her dress over her head. She stands in knickers and a slip. ]

MORRIS:

Okay. Good girl.

[ MORRIS stands frozen while IRIS shivers. ]

48


IRIS:

I m cold.

MORRIS:

Your room is. Beautiful. There are even dust motes in the light.

IRIS:

Papa thinks of everything.

MORRIS:

And music floating up from the parlor. One could go to sleep here.

IRIS:

Is that how you want to spend your time?

"

MORRIS:

IRIS:

I m shivering. You should come keep me warm.

MORRIS:

Oh.

"

[ MORRIS crosses to IRIS, puts her hands gingerly on her shoulders. IRIS tries to move one hand down to her chest. MORRIS pulls her hand back. Steps away. ]

IRIS:

Is this your first time?

MORRIS:

Yes. Yes, this is my first time.

IRIS:

If you need help with the movements, I can -

MORRIS:

No, I don t need help.

IRIS:

It s alright to be nervous.

MORRIS:

I m not nervous.

"

"

"

49


IRIS:

We can also just talk.

MORRIS:

Talk?

IRIS:

Yes, talk.

MORRIS:

What would we talk about?

IRIS:

Whatever you want.

MORRIS:

How about - your Papa?

IRIS:

[ slight pause ] Okay.

MORRIS:

You say he s good to you?

IRIS:

Very good.

MORRIS:

Even though he keeps you in this - establishment.

IRIS:

He doesn t keep me. I m his child.

MORRIS:

But what if you wanted to leave?

IRIS:

Where would I go?

MORRIS:

Somewhere - nicer?

IRIS:

This place is so nice.

MORRIS:

Where you are treated with love.

IRIS:

Papa treats me with -

"

"

"

50


MORRIS:

But the guests. People like me.

IRIS:

You are treating me very nicely.

MORRIS:

But what if I didn t? What if I "

IRIS:

MORRIS:

IRIS:

Should I be less willing? I could also try to run away -

MORRIS:

No. That s not what I -

IRIS:

I m sorry. I don t know what you want.

MORRIS:

I want - I want you to be angry.

IRIS:

Okay. Get away from me! You re disgusting! I hate you!

MORRIS:

No, I mean for real.

IRIS:

For real?

"

"

"

"

[ MORRIS is agitated. She paces the room jerkily. ]

MORRIS:

This room. It s too lovely.

IRIS:

Mr. Woodnut?

MORRIS:

The Victrola. The rocking chair.

IRIS:

I could go get Papa -

"

51


MORRIS:

No! Don t do that.

IRIS:

Do you not feel well?

MORRIS:

I feel . . . I feel . . .

"

[ MORRIS presses her hand to her heart. IRIS watches her a moment, then hands her the bunny. MORRIS holds it. And holds it. ]

MORRIS:

I never had a room like this.

IRIS:

[ slowly . . . this is DOYLE speaking ] I don t think many of us did.

MORRIS:

This place is beautiful, but such terrible things happen in it.

IRIS:

You mean the Hideaway?

MORRIS:

The Hideaway. The world.

IRIS:

The world?

MORRIS:

It s not alright.

IRIS:

What if it is?

MORRIS:

It s not.

IRIS:

What if everything is just as it should be?

MORRIS:

Because . . . would it even matter, then . . . to try for something better?

"

"

"

52


IRIS:

To try, yes, but also to trust.

MORRIS:

Trust . . .

[ She suddenly throws the bunny to the floor. Turns on IRIS. ]

MORRIS:

Does your Papa tell you anything about himself?

IRIS:

What do you mean?

MORRIS:

About who he really is?

IRIS:

Who he - he s Papa.

MORRIS:

What if you found out your Papa didn t limit his - activities - to The Hideaway?

IRIS:

I think this is against the rules.

MORRIS:

What goes on between the two of you?

"

"

IRIS:

MORRIS:

I doubt he needs help with the movements.

IRIS:

MORRIS:

This Papa that s so nice. Does he -

IRIS:

Shut up you fucking weirdo! You d better finish this, or I m gonna terminate the

"

"

"

appointment!

53


MORRIS:

IRIS:

MORRIS:

Okay.

[ MORRIS pulls an axe out of her carpet bag. ]

Come here.

54


SCENE 11

[ Interrogation room. MORRIS and SIMS. ]

SIMS:

How was it?

MORRIS:

How was what?

SIMS:

Chopping her?

MORRIS:

You designed the program. You should know.

SIMS:

How did it make you feel? Metal sliding into flesh?

MORRIS:

I was doing my job. We needed evidence.

SIMS:

So you got evidence of violence. That s nothing. People are committing violent "

crimes in the Nether all the time. It s the sex that bothers you. And you didn t "

"

collect that evidence, did you?

MORRIS:

SIMS:

Iris told me you couldn t go through with it.

MORRIS:

No, Mr. Sims. I have a conscience.

SIMS:

But you had sex with Sloan the Centaur. Back in the day.

MORRIS:

This is not germane to our discussion -

SIMS:

What s the difference? Sex with a child. Sex with a demon. Sex with a centaur.

"

"

55


MORRIS:

Sex with a demon?

SIMS:

In Dorindor.

MORRIS:

You know about that?

SIMS:

You left Sloan one night, slunk off to the demon, and had the best fuck of your life. And then you were ashamed - ashamed - at the idea of having sex with an image . It was all going on inside your head, so what you were ashamed of, Detective, what you were afraid of, was yourself.

MORRIS:

Did you program it that way?

SIMS:

What do you mean?

MORRIS:

That demon was beautiful, Mr. Sims. One of your designs?

SIMS:

MORRIS:

According to our research, you were a co-creator of Dorindor. You supplied much of the code.

SIMS:

Dorindor was an early project, yes. Of course you would know that.

MORRIS:

That s the only world I knew for the first twenty years of my life. In a way, I am a "

product of your imagination.

SIMS:

I don t create product, Detective Morris. I don t produce outcome. I simply make "

"

algorithms that unfold from a basic design.

MORRIS:

Like God?

56


SIMS:

I guess so. Yes. Like God.

MORRIS:

Don t tell me that s never occurred to you.

SIMS:

It has.

MORRIS:

Sort of an amazing power you have, then. And here you spend it on demons and

"

"

pedophiles.

SIMS:

I have no more power than what you give me. I create a framework, but how the user navigates it is entirely up to her.

MORRIS:

Free will.

SIMS:

Of course.

MORRIS:

What if you made a framework that only left room for Beauty? Joy? Light?

SIMS:

Well, that wouldn t be very interesting, would it? For any of us. "

MORRIS:

SIMS:

MORRIS:

You think I m a fool, don t you?

SIMS:

No.

MORRIS:

You think I m an unimaginative, holier-than-thou, power-hungry idiot.

SIMS:

I think you re young.

MORRIS:

Listen, Mr. Sims.

"

"

"

"

57


[ She moves in close to him. ]

I understand that choice is part of what makes us who we are, makes us human, and that the world may be designed so that we confront our own shadows, but I believe we re approaching a collective choice as beings , not just humans, to "

design the way we exist .

SIMS:

[ uncomfortable with her proximity ] We aren t there yet.

MORRIS:

We are close. We have an opportunity.

SIMS:

I m not God. I m a man.

MORRIS:

The Nether is changing us. Look at my eyes, Mr. Sims.

"

"

"

[ She removes her glasses. He peers into her eyes, frowns. ]

Even our bodies are changing. Soon they won t matter anymore. "

SIMS:

Then we ll have lost everything.

MORRIS:

You re a shade. What do you care of corporeality?

SIMS:

I m not proud of being a shade.

MORRIS:

Not proud? You mean you can actually feel shame?

SIMS:

Is that what you want me to feel? Shame? Should I be ashamed for how I feel

"

"

"

about you right now?

58


[ She looks at his groin. A sexual spark flies between them. Discomfited, she moves away. ]

Have you ever had sex, Detective? In-world, I mean. Have you ever been touched?

MORRIS:

SIMS:

Your father should not have let you stay in the Nether so long.

MORRIS:

My father?

[ She turns back to him. ]

You re my father. I m a daughter of your realm. I trusted you. "

"

59


SCENE 12

[ The file of photos is open before DOYLE. His head is in his hands. ]

MORRIS:

The truth is hard, Mr. Doyle.

DOYLE:

He wouldn t do this.

MORRIS:

How can you know that?

DOYLE:

I don t know it. I feel it.

MORRIS:

Based on login location, we ve pinpointed the general vicinity of his in-world

"

"

"

residence down to the street. This has taken months; his login is encrypted with the best technology available. [ indicating the photos ] This little girl lived in a brownstone in this exact area. We know he was offline for an abnormally long time when the crime was committed.

DOYLE:

That s circumstantial.

MORRIS:

We know in the weeks before her death she developed a friendship with an older

"

man.

DOYLE:

So she had a friendship.

MORRIS:

That the there was a style to the dismemberment exactly matching one of the techniques espoused in your home. That this -

60


[ She tosses an axe on the table. ]

- was the weapon used. Something you can t just find in the stores anymore, Mr. "

Doyle. An archaic implement used for chopping a material that scarcely exists anymore. Only someone interested in relics from another era would posses such an item.

DOYLE:

[ almost whispering ] Coincidence.

MORRIS:

That this man with whom she had a friendship asked her to call him Papa.

DOYLE:

You seem to know enough about him. Why do you need me?

MORRIS:

We need information to establish his exact location. We need you to go in and get it.

DOYLE:

I don t think I can.

MORRIS:

You can and you will. You will go back in and do this, or you will never go back

"

again. Do you understand me? We ll use one of the other children. We ll find "

"

him one way or another, but this is your last chance to say goodbye.

[ Long pause. ]

DOYLE:

This will kill me. Before I do it, I need you to know. It will kill me.

[ DOYLE moves to stand in the square of light. ]

61


SCENE 13

[ IRIS stands forlornly in the light of her window. DOYLE stands in the square of light. MORRIS stands in the shadows, watching DOYLE. SIMS enters. ]

SIMS:

Iris?

IRIS:

[ jumps ] Papa?

[ As she speaks, DOYLE moves his mouth soundlessly. ]

SIMS:

One of our guests, Mr. Ives, just left.

IRIS:

SIMS:

He wanted his money back.

IRIS:

SIMS:

He was uncomfortable. He said you seemed. Sad.

IRIS:

We re supposed to be a little sad, aren t we?

SIMS:

Scared perhaps. But not. Sad.

IRIS:

I m sorry.

SIMS:

It isn t good for business.

IRIS:

Is it just a business, then?

"

"

"

"

62


SIMS:

Well. Yes. [ entering the room ] Why else do you think we are here?

IRIS:

I know we have to make money.

SIMS:

It s more than that, of course. But it s what keeps us here.

IRIS:

I know.

"

"

[ She weeps. ]

SIMS:

What are you doing? Iris. Stop crying.

IRIS:

Why?

SIMS:

I did not build the crying function for this purpose.

IRIS:

Don t talk like that! A few tears and you even stop sounding like Papa.

SIMS:

Come, this is going too far.

IRIS:

This is going too far?

SIMS:

Iris, I don t know what s wrong.

IRIS:

Papa, have you ever-

SIMS:

What?

IRIS:

Are there other little girls?

SIMS:

There s you and Antonia.

IRIS:

I mean - outside the Hideaway?

"

"

"

"

63


SIMS:

Outside?

IRIS:

Papa . . . have I been too trusting of you?

SIMS:

IRIS:

SIMS:

Iris, do you need to -

IRIS:

What?

SIMS:

Take a little break? Maybe you should. See someone.

IRIS:

You re sending me away?

SIMS:

Not for good.

IRIS:

It would be for good.

SIMS:

That s not what I want.

IRIS:

But it s what will happen.

SIMS:

You have to believe I don t want that. [ pause ] Here. Take my handkerchief. handke rchief. I

"

"

"

"

would. Miss you if you didn t come back. "

IRIS:

Really?

SIMS:

Of course, my dear.

IRIS:

It might help bring me back if I had something of yours to hold onto. Something real.

64


SIMS:

Something real?

IRIS:

Real real.

SIMS:

Like what?

IRIS:

Like something about. a bout. Your Your home.

SIMS:

This is my home.

IRIS:

I know, but.

SIMS:

IRIS:

SIMS:

I have a garden.

IRIS:

That s . . . splendid. What s in it?

SIMS:

The same things that are growing in our garden.

IRIS:

Snap peas? Swiss chard? Lemon basil?

SIMS:

In smaller amounts. And guess what I just found? I ve scoured the world for it.

IRIS:

What?

SIMS:

A sapling. saplin g. A poplar.

IRIS:

Ooooo.

SIMS:

I planted it right in the middle. [ pause ] Is that enough?

"

"

"

65


[ DOYLE looks back to MORRIS. MORRIS. MORRIS nods her head. ]

IRIS:

That s enough.

SIMS:

You still seem. Sad.

IRIS:

I m sorry.

SIMS:

You don t have to apologize.

IRIS:

Papa? Goodbye.

"

"

"

[ Lights on IRIS and DOYLE fade ]

66


SCENE 14

[ Interrogation room. SIMS head is in his hands. ] "

SIMS:

What did you do to her?

MORRIS:

What did I do to whom?

SIMS:

Iris. What did you do to her to make her give me up?

MORRIS:

Her? You mean - him.

[ SIMS lifts his head. ]

SIMS:

Don t tell me another word.

MORRIS:

What are you afraid of?

SIMS:

We have a right to anonymity.

MORRIS:

What if we no longer needed to hide?

SIMS:

Is your name really Morris?

"

MORRIS:

SIMS:

[ indicating the folder ] Are these photos real?

MORRIS:

SIMS:

You convinced her I committed that crime, didn t you? "

67


MORRIS:

Him.

SIMS:

I don t buy the hiding argument. You re as guilty of subterfuge as anyone.

MORRIS:

We re not quite there yet, Mr. Sims. We re still paving the way.

SIMS:

To what?

MORRIS:

The singularity.

SIMS:

The singularity.

MORRIS:

When we join with the Nether.

SIMS:

It s not happening.

MORRIS:

Look at all the world, becoming shades. Soon the only place we ll have to exist

"

"

"

"

"

"

is in our imagination. We will no longer distinguish between thought and deed.

SIMS:

We can t override the physical laws of Nature.

MORRIS:

Some of us will remain behind as technicians, but the rest of us -

SIMS:

We won t get there -

MORRIS:

We re well on our way, with your code. But we must regulate your content.

SIMS:

Not like this -

MORRIS:

We need the location of your server.

SIMS:

No.

MORRIS:

He s a middle school science teacher.

"

"

"

"

68


SIMS:

What?

MORRIS:

Iris. He s married with two children.

SIMS:

Stop! Please!

MORRIS:

What s the problem, Mr. Sims. Iris is your favorite. Why wouldn t you -

SIMS:

This is against the laws!

MORRIS:

What laws are you -

SIMS:

Laws of decency -

MORRIS:

Decency?

SIMS:

We haven t done anything wrong!

MORRIS:

Then why hide from each other? What are you afraid of?

SIMS:

At least not love.

MORRIS:

You think anything in the Hideaway has to do with love?

SIMS:

Yes! I love those children!

MORRIS:

Then how would you like to meet one?

"

"

"

"

SIMS:

MORRIS:

We have her here, in the next room.

SIMS:

69


MORRIS:

Or should I say - him.

SIMS:

MORRIS:

His name is -

[ SIMS screams. He upends the table. ]

Cedric Doyle.

[ SIMS starts for MORRIS. She glances at the corner of the room, but he keeps advancing. She suddenly crouches, reverting to her elf-self, dangerous. ]

MORRIS:

I warn you.

[ SIMS gets it. He stops. ]

SIMS:

You don t care about what happens in the real world anymore. You re the worst "

"

sort of person there is. You want to root out the idea.

MORRIS:

Because soon ideas are all we ll be . And what if we didn t have to fear them? "

"

No fear of violence, even in our own minds.

SIMS:

Violence moves us forward. Violence is a universe exploding into existence. Violence is life.

MORRIS:

What if there were only beauty, only justice, only peace.

70


SIMS:

How would you recognize them if you didn t know the opposite?

MORRIS:

Because we would no longer need duality in order to perceive .

"

SIMS:

MORRIS:

SIMS:

MORRIS:

Isn t this what you long for, Mr. Sims, in some small way? Why are you drawn to "

little girls? Because of their innocence. Because of their joy. Because of their trust in a loving universe. Why would we be able to dream of this if we could not have it?

SIMS:

You really want to do this.

MORRIS:

Yes.

SIMS:

You think it s possible.

MORRIS:

Yes.

SIMS:

You . . . you want to rewrite God s code.

MORRIS:

I believe that s the challenge God has given us.

"

"

"

[ He is stunned for a moment. Then he laughs a incredulous incredulous laugh. ]

SIMS:

My God, the audacity. You are my daughter.

71


[ They take each other in. She removes her glasses. Pleads: ]

MORRIS:

Come with me. We ll give you all the resources you need. Your code is almost "

perfect. Almost. One more step, and we re in. "

SIMS:

It s a beautiful idea.

MORRIS:

It could be real.

SIMS:

But look at what you re doing to get there.

MORRIS:

What do you mean?

SIMS:

Look at this. [ indicates the room, the upended table ]

MORRIS:

We re not there yet. We re paving the way.

SIMS:

Not this way. You can t create a realm of peace using violence. There s the knot

"

"

"

"

"

"

in your plan. There s the paradox. "

[ She stands, bewildered. He strides to her, puts his arms around her. She goes limp. Let s him hold her. ] "

SIMS:

See, my dear? The body is the cradle.

[ MORRIS abruptly steps back. She glances at the corner of the room. She dons her glasses. She heads for the door. ]

72


Wait! Detective Morris! Agent Cokeberry! Alia!

[ At the last name, MORRIS pauses. ]

SIMS:

You can t change the way we are.

MORRIS:

We are change.

"

[ She starts again for the door. ]

SIMS:

Twenty-four eleven Burbage Road. Gaithersburg, Maryland. [ She stops ] The server sitter s name is Martin. He has no idea what s running on it. Don t hurt "

"

"

him.

[ MORRIS turns to the corner of the room. A meaningful nod. She returns to the desk, gathers the manilla folder into her briefcase. ]

SIMS:

Cedric Doyle.

MORRIS:

SIMS:

A science teacher.

MORRIS:

SIMS:

Give him a message, would you? Tell him . . . tell him . . .

73


MORRIS:

Mr. Doyle is no longer with us.

SIMS:

What do you mean?

MORRIS:

We interrogated him several days ago. He elected to go home after giving us your location.

SIMS:

He s not. In the next room?

MORRIS:

He s not anywhere. He died in accident two days after leaving.

SIMS:

You killed him.

MORRIS:

Mr. Doyle killed himself.

"

"

SIMS:

MORRIS:

SIMS:

And my login. You re not going to give me back my login.

MORRIS:

No.

SIMS:

In-world banishment. How appropriate.

MORRIS:

You have a penchant for the old fashioned. Consider it a return to simpler times.

"

[ MORRIS has packed the briefcase. She snaps it shut. Heads for the door. ]

74


SIMS:

I did it. Once. The daughter of my neighbor down the street. I couldn t. Stop "

thinking about her. We would get together in person then. All of the neighbors. This was a long time ago. I was sixteen years old. She had honey-brown hair. And a laugh that came out of her like something magic. I wanted to posses it. At its most essential level. Her body is spread out in poplar grove. One of the last in North America, a couple hours from Bethel Park. Near a cottage where my mother took me some weekends. To get me outside the city.

[ He looks up at MORRIS. ]

So go ahead. Turn me over to the police.

MORRIS:

It s not the body that matters anymore. We do not concern ourselves with the "

police.

[ She walks to the door. ]

MORRIS:

You are free to go, Mr. Sims. You are free.

[ She exits. SIMS stares at the open door. Does not move. ]

75


EPILOGUE

[ A vault of trees. SIMS and DOYLE sit on a bench in summertime. Sound of leaves fluttering in the breeze. They face forward, and other than speaking, do not move. The trees dim slowly over the entire scene. ]

SIMS:

Do you know what I have here?

DOYLE:

Is it a birthday cake?

SIMS:

Let s call it an Iris Day Cake.

DOYLE:

I want to see it! [ pause ] Ohhhhhhhhh!

SIMS:

It s made of ice that will never melt.

DOYLE:

I can hear it. It s the sound of freezing and unfreezing.

SIMS:

The cake keeps reforming its crystal patterns.

DOYLE:

And there s another sound. The sound of tiny dwarves who live in snowy

"

"

"

"

mountains singing falsetto. Can you hear it?

SIMS:

No. I can t. It must be only for children to hear.

DOYLE:

Is that why you don t want me to grow up?

SIMS:

Why?

DOYLE:

Because I ll no longer hear the singing?

"

"

"

76


SIMS:

DOYLE:

SIMS:

Come here, Iris Day Girl. Did you know these trees are called poplars?

DOYLE:

Yes.

SIMS:

No you didn t!

DOYLE:

Yes I did!

"

[ Overlapping “No you didn t!/Yes I did!” as they giggle. ] "

DOYLE:

I promise! I did!

SIMS:

Okay. I believe you.

There were poplars growing by the cottage where I grew up. I would wake to my bedroom wall aglitter with sunshine, the sound of wind washing through the leaves, and my mother at the window. She would say, The only way you hear the wind is because it has the leaves to blow through.

DOYLE:

Is that a real memory?

SIMS:

Real real. Don t tell the others. "

[ Total darkness around them. Vast, no edges. ]

DOYLE:

I miss the trees.

77

THE-NETHER-8.9.11

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