***** A Word From Our Sponsor A TTR:TDF quick lunchbreak fiction. ***** 001 SCENE: Interior, This Time Round (TTR) There is a close-up of a television, which has been placed on a shelf above the bar. On the screen is an ANNOUNCER reading copy from a sheet of paper. Below him, numbers and symbols scroll across the screen. ANNOUNCER The Dow has moved into record territory today... Camera pulls back to reveal the backside of a head of straight black hair, looking up at the screen. The head turns to one side, revealing that the watcher is ADRIC. He looks to be momentarily deep in thought, then seems to make a decisive decision. 002 CUT TO: ADRIC, behind the bar. He turns to HARRY, who is talking amicably with a customer. ADRIC Harry, could you please watch things for a moment? I'm taking a break. HARRY nods in the affirmative. ADRIC walks off-camera to one side. 003 CUT TO: Interior, TTR ADRIC is sitting down at a pub table with a laptop that is attached to a cell phone. The laptop is on, and he is starting to type. 004 CUT TO: Close-up of laptop screen. The screen displays a financial web page, where stock information is being displayed. 005 CUT TO: Interior, TTR ADRIC looks at the information intently. ADRIC Up to $27.00 dollars a share? I think it's time to sell! He starts to type something. He leans forward as he does so. But at the same time as he does this a shot rings out, and wall paneling behind him explodes in a shower of splinters. 006 CUT TO: Interior, the main doorway of the TTR. Framed by the doorway is the figure of a young girl in a brown fairy dress, PSYCHO NYSSA. She is holding a bizarre weapon of some kind. She steps forward as the camera zooms on her. PSYCHO NYSSA There you are, swamprat! This time you are really dead! 007 CUT TO: Interior, the TTR. ADRIC (Looking up) Oh, not now! As everyone in the whole pub dives for cover, ADRIC grabs his laptop and cell phone and dives underneath the table. A hail of automatic weapons fire riddles the wall behind him. As soon as he is underneath the table, he starts to type frantically on the keyboard. 008 CUT TO: Close-up of PSYCHO NYSSA PSYCHO NYSSA No hiding, Adric! She lets loose another volley in his direction. 009 CUT TO: Close-up of ADRIC, underneath the table. ADRIC is crawling along the floor, pushing the laptop in front of him. He is still typing. Bullet holes appear in the floor near him. ADRIC Just... need... a... little... time... 010 CUT TO: Interior, TTR PSYCHO NYSSA is running toward his side of the room. PSYCHO NYSSA There you are! 011 CUT TO: Interior, TTR, ADRIC's side of the room. ADRIC jumps up just as a net is launched toward him, still holding the open laptop, still furiously typing away. He jumps to one side; the net misses him and instead envelopes TURLOUGH, who was standing behind him. ADRIC hits the floor, and his laptop goes skidding out of his hands and across the floor. ADRIC (Watching laptop skid away) No!!! 012 CUT TO: Close-up, laptop A sale order can be clearly seen on the screen, awaiting a final command to be entered. 013 CUT TO: Interior, TTR ADRIC tries to reach for the distant laptop... PSYCHO NYSSA Come out, Adric. Now! More bullets. ADRIC retracts his arm out of harm's way just in time, then rolls away. 014 CUT TO: Interior, ADRIC's side of the room. ADRIC dives behind an upturned table, behind which are CHRIS and FITZ, neither of whom are pleased to see him. CHRIS Hey, get away from us! ADRIC ignores them; he is concentrated on trying to get to his laptop. There is a clink, then something hard hits the upturned table. 015 CUT TO: A close-up of the floor in front of table. A grenade with the pin pulled sits there. 016 CUT TO: FITZ and CHRIS trying frantically to get away. FITZ SCHIESTE!!! The grenade explodes, sending FITZ and CHRIS flying against the wall. ADRIC is flung another direction, even farther away from his laptop. 017 CUT TO: Close-up of PSYCHO NYSSA. PSCYHO NYSSA Adric, this is no time to make things difficult for everyone!! 018 CUT TO: Close-up of ADRIC. He is behind another upturned table, looking across the room. 019 CUT TO: ADRIC's POV The laptop is still there. The sale order is still visible. 020 CUT TO: Close-up of ADRIC ADRIC takes a deep breath, and makes a running dash towards his laptop. 021 CUT TO: PSYCHO NYSSA's POV PSCYHO NYSSA cuts away with a volley of automatic weapons fire as ADRIC sprints across the room. The ground and the walls explode behind him, but he is just fast enough to be in front of her wave. He reaches another piece of cover and crouches. 022 CUT TO: Close-up of ADRIC. ADRIC Just a little more... ADRIC jumps in the laptop's direction. 023 CUT TO: PSYCHO NYSSA's POV She pumps another volley at ADRIC. 024 CUT TO: Slow-motion, ADRIC jumping towards the camera. Bullet holes are now impacting him. His clothes are being torn apart. Blood starts to fly. 025 CUT TO: Close-up, the TTR floor. ADRIC hits the ground and slides, his side a scarlet mess. Nevertheless, he slides towards his laptop. With his last strength, he reaches forth with one hand... 026 CUT TO: Close-up, keyboard of laptop. A bloody hand reaches forth, and presses the ENTER key. 027 CUT TO: The laptop display screen. The screen changes. The words "ORDER ACCEPTED" appear on the screen. 028 CUT TO: ADRIC, from behind laptop. He is looking at the screen. ADRIC (Nodding) Good. Then, ADRIC dies. 029 CUT TO: Camera High angle. A bloody and bullet-ridden ADRIC can be seen, with one hand resting on the laptop. The words "SALE EXECUTED" can be clearly seen as the camera pulls back. Some of the regulars start to gather around the target of the carnage as the voice-over begins. ANNOUNCER #2 (Voice over) $12.00 a trade. Real-time quotes. 24-Hour Customer Service. 030 FADE TO BLACK ANNOUNCER #2 Express Yourself. TD Waterhouse. Then a card appears on the screen: EXPRESS YOURSELF TD Waterhouse www.waterhouse.com 031 END --DBK 11 January 2000