INT. THE BLOODHOUND AGENCY OFFICE. LATE EVENING
THE LIGHTS ARE LOW IN THE OFFICES OF THE BLOODHOUND AGENCY. AN EVENING STORM IS POUNDING THE WINDOWS. DALLAS IS SITTING AT HIS DESK, TYPING AWAY AT HIS TERMINAL. JACK IS STANDING BY THE DISPENSARY PREPARING COFFEE
DALLAS:
Recording’s going. Will you fill me in now?
JACK:
Aye, we’ll get started. Fancy a cup?
WE HEAR THE SOUND OF THE DISPENSARY KICK ON. IT BEGINS BREWING.
DALLAS:
Please… So how long have we had this archive?
JACK:
Hmm, about a cycle now, I believe. Got my hands on it not long before you came aboard. Took Maggie a while to crack the encryption, but she got there.
DALLAS:
Where did it come from? Archives with the level of obfuscation I’m seeing here aren’t usually stored colony side.
JACK:
Well I’m hoping we can find that out. The scavenger Withers dealt with was adamant it was found underneath building 5.
DALLAS:
The CO offices?
JACK:
Aye. I don’t know about you, but I never heard of any farm running out of HQ.
DALLAS:
Only the local case server, but that was dismantled and shipped off with the transfers after the estrangement.
JACK:
Hmph.
WE HEAR JACK REMOVE THE CARAFE AND POUR TWO CUPS OF COFFEE
JACK:
Shall we begin?
DALLAS LEANS BACK IN HIS SEAT AND SIGHS.
DALLAS:
Is all this necessary? I’m already going to be writing up reports on everything.
JACK:
I’m getting old, Dal. It’s getting hard to read those damned things. Besides I’ve spent enough time combing through reports back when my eyes were young, I think I’ve earned a little reprieve.
DALLAS:
Fine. I’m keeping that in the record, though.
JACK SMIRKS AS HE WALKS OVER, HANDING DALLAS HIS DRINK BEFORE TAKING A SEAT, LETTING OUT A SIGH.
JACK:
Good, good. Let’s start then.
DALLAS:
Yea.
DALLAS TAKES A SIP OF COFFEE AND SIGHS. HE TAKES A BRIEF PAUSE BEFORE BEGINNING.
DALLAS:
This is Dallas Coy, Senior Detective with The Bloodhound Agency. Time of recording, 03- Wait… what format are we using?
JACK:
Let’s stick with planetary. We can convert later should the need arise.
DALLAS:
Alright. Time of recording is 03-SA-02: 08-11-65.
( Dallas speaks each element of the date (Oh three S A oh two…) )
JACK CLEARS HIS THROAT AND LEANS TOWARDS THE TERMINAL
DALLAS:
I’m using the desk monitor.
JACK:
Ah, ‘course.
JACK ADJUSTS TOWARDS THE DESK MONITOR.
JACK:
And this is Jack Orson, owner and lead investigation manager of The Bloodhound Agency.
DALLAS:
We are here today to mark the beginning of a new data audit process. The data in question was retrieved from a previously unknown storage farm found in Conroe, underneath colony headquarter’s building 5. We have so far been unable to confirm this.
DALLAS PAUSES TO ALLOW JACK A MOMENT TO SPEAK, CONTINUING AFTER JACK CHOOSES NOT TO RESPOND.
DALLAS:
I’ve spent some time combing through the data and have noticed two things: First, the levels of obfuscation here run many layers deep, and second, while nearly all attributes have been obfuscated or redacted, the original date of recording remains intact.
JACK:
Aye, that was Maggie. She attempted to unscramble what she could, but was only able to pull out the source dates.
DALLAS:
…Interesting. That suggests the method of obfuscation was different.
JACK:
Aye, what do you make of it?
DALLAS:
Not sure, yet. Perhaps the dates were scrambled at a different time.
JACK:
I was thinking that, but it doesn’t make sense. Were there process changes at CO after I left?
DALLAS:
No process changes, just executives getting lazy. It wasn’t uncommon for them to leave a piece of data readable while a case was open. Claimed it was easier to reference a date than a random string of characters.
JACK:
Hah, that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. No wonder leaks were so prevalent near the end.
JACK SIPS HIS COFFEE AS DALLAS TYPES A FEW COMMANDS INTO HIS TERMINAL
JACK:
What do you have?
DALLAS:
Just an observation. The dates are all in universal. Medician never used UT.
JACK:
It’s not impossible. We’ll put a pin in it for now. We don’t even know if the dates are accurate yet.
DALLAS:
I suppose. So, I guess we might as well jump in.
JACK:
Aye, pick one out and let’s get started.
( Jack is interrupted midway through his line. (Aye, pick one o-) )
JACK IS INTERRUPTED BY A LOUD CRASH OF THUNDER SHAKES THE BUILDING. THE TERMINAL AT DALLAS’ DESK SPARKS AND SHUTS OFF ABRUPTLY.
DALLAS:
(frustrated) Agh, piece of shit. Third time this week.
DALLAS SMACKS THE SIDE OF THE TERMINAL, BUT TO NO AVAIL. JACK SIGHS
JACK:
Don’t worry about it Dal, we can dive in when I get back next week.
DALLAS:
I’d prefer to get this done tonight.
ANOTHER LOUD CRASH OF THUNDER. THE POWER IN THE BUILDING GOES OUT.
BEAT BEFORE JACK BURSTS INTO LAUGHTER.
JACK:
Guess we should take the hint huh? Good thing the monitor’s on backup!
JACK CONTINUES LAUGHING. DALLAS SIGHS IN FRUSTRATION.
JACK:
Tell ya what. I’ll see about getting that terminal replaced when I pick up Danny’s. You can use the one in my office in the meantime. Once power comes back at least.
DALLAS:
Sure. Danny and I will come down in the morning and clean up. Hopefully the powers back by then.
JACK STANDS UP, GRABBING HIS JACKET OFF THE NEARBY COAT RACK
JACK:
Aye, let’s head out.
DALLAS:
Yea, sure.
DALLAS MATCHES JACK, GRABBING HIS TRENCH COAT OFF THE COAT RACK AND PULLING IT ON
JACK:
Need a ride? I can drop you off at the pub.
DALLAS:
What makes you think I’m heading there?
JACK:
Oh come on Dal, Rick talks. I’m sure you know that more than anyone! How long you two been sneaking around?
DALLAS:
Not long, and it’s not sneaking. It’s nothing. I meet up for a drink while he closes up. We talk a bit, that’s it.
JACK:
(Unconvinced) Sure, sure. Let’s get out of here. Don’t forget to hit the monitor.
DALLAS:
Yep.
WE HEAR DALLAS FUMBLE AROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE DESK UNTIL THE SOUND OF A BUTTON IS PRESSED, ENDING THE RECORDING ABRUPTLY.
I knocked out this script for the purpose of using it as a proof of concept for the series, so the goal was to keep it short and simple. A simple scene between Dallas and Jack that gives some context to the archive Dallas will be investigating in the main series.
The plan with this script is to use it as my practice project for production on the main series. After one more draft for touchups, I plan on hiring a voice actor or two to perform the scene, and use the result to experiment with the audio direction for the main series.
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