Ezra’s day starts off normal in the dystopian future of 2050. As usual, her artificially intelligent virtual assistant named Jyn guides Ezra through another day connected to the metaverse, Infinity. But when Ezra’s Infinity glasses break, she finds something that will set her on a life-altering journey.
Scene 1
EZRA (studio-voice)
This is Ezra of (Under)Grounded
If you’re listening to this, then you have been disconnected from Infinity
servers and connected to ours – meaning your access to all Infinity platforms
has been temporarily blocked.
Do not panic. We’re not trying to steal your Infinity account, nor are we
collecting your personal data.
The only thing we want … is a moment of your attention.
Let me tell you a story…A story that started six months ago on October 10th,
2050.
You might remember it as a day that began a bit differently than usual.
Scene 2
[Desert street sounds – scooter rolling on the pavement – rainy weather] – first
person
Voice01:
An emergency maintenance of delivery drones.
Premiums will have their orders delivered by human staff.
2
But Standard users have been going out since this morning to get their weekly
food ration in pick-up areas.
We remind you all that this comes as an advice to limit your time outside as
much as possible to avoid being exposed to //
AD
“Easily bored? You won’t ever be…//”
EZRA
Jyn, skip the ad
JYN
You’ve already dismissed 5 ads today
AD
“Easily bored? You won’t ever be with our hilarious host at Infi-TV. Comment
on recent events with the most outrageous guests. Available All day long!”
JYN (digital voice) –
You are now 5 minutes away from your destination.
[Sounds of notifications]
JYN
Turn left.
EZRA
Jyn?
Change this weather.
Put on a sunny sky please.
Ambience
JYN
Loading
[Sound of sky changing program+changing ambiance? Like spring birds,
“spa”like ] –
3
we switch from a quite minimalist dry ambiance
(subtle drone music, to a digitalize ambiance
from the street, which sounds a bit weird but that
remind today
JYN
By the way, you’ve received an invite for a party next Thursday.
They wanted a quick answer so I said you would be there!
EZRA
You should have asked me first.
JYN
You were studying! Which proves my point, you need to relax a bit!
Also, Charly will be there!
And if my calculations are correct, that meant there was a 92% chance you’d
want to go.
And finally, a party would help your social score – which in your case, couldn’t
hurt.
So…
EZRA
Yeah, you’re right.
Thanks.
JYN
Great!
EZRA
Can you put on the news?
JYN
And back to being a nerd!
4
EZRA
Jyn…
JYN
Just kidding…There you go
// would be nice to have different posts we could spatialise in her metaverse,
so we create a kind of big flow of post / information. The idea is that she is
scrolling.
NEWS CHANNEL- Mature voice
“Infinity-led countries like Belgium have, intt my opinion, a great opportunity…
which is to lead the way for under-digitalised countries stuck in the past.”
Voice 02:
Is it correct to compare them to our own Disconnecteds?
Voice 01:
Well first, as always, there is no correct answer, right?
But in my opinion, it’s not really the same situation.
Disconnecteds are lunatics…They’ve been ousted from Infinity to preserve
order and harmony in the online community.
Under-digitalised peoples want to have access to Infinity, they just don’t have
the infrastructures allowing them to do so yet.
Voice 02:
Why don’t we ask the audience what they think – Go ahead, first thing that
comes to your mind:
Voix 03
The only thing stuck in the past is you and this mentality.
Voice 04
Here we go, snobbish idiot.
EZRA
5
Wooh
reaction of the audience
[But then big “BAAANG” and crack of broken glasses – followed by electronic
dysfunction sounds] the street ambience becomes quite “lofi”, distorted and
brassy.
EZRA
Shiiiit! shit shit.
We can hear some more of this destroyed sound
Scene 3
EZRA (studio-voice)
So… I had broken my Infinity-glasses.
Glitching sound / Jyn voice “broken” / “bug/crack”
She takes her glasses off, so the ambience changes
quite radically to something quite cold and silent, some
wind, the ambience should be quite calm but a bit dark
(lower pitch).
Since the “big event” from 2034, people avoid the street.
I tried stopping some people to ask for directions, but of course they couldn’t
hear me.
[We hear people talking to their JYN – passing by on their e-scooters]
I walked past a few Disconnecteds…
Although, I wasn’t gonna ask these freaks…
I decided to stop one minute and sit down on the front stairs of a building.
I looked up “Rue des Tanneurs”.
I remembered going through this street.
I hadn’t recognised it without the Infinity-glasses, but I remembered the name.
6
I was just a street away from home.
I stood up, turned around to pick up my bag…And that’s when I noticed it.
(We can hear some slight experimental music)
The front door was open.
A stone was keeping the door open, a little black stone.
(Ambience quiet street)
[the door squeaks]
Scene 4
EZRA (in situs)
Hello?
Anybody here?
[The door squeaks completely open – we can hear her walking in and around
the space]
Scene 5
EZRA (studio-voice)
I had only ever seen these in pictures: An old, abandoned radio studio
Many offline businesses had closed down in the past decades.
All those which had failed to digitalise themselves, basically.
At that point, that’s what I assumed.
I couldn’t help it…I was too curious.
[We can hear her moving some papers / boxes, she removes the dust from
boxes, we hear her stop]
7
EZRA (studio-voice)
That’s when I found it.
I didn’t know what it was.
[Ezra manipulates it – clicks on play]
Scene 6
ADRIEN (voice on recorder)
Tuesday February 13 th , 2034.
I knew that would happen eventually.
Infinity has grown so fast…
And now it’s bringing us down
[ Recorder is paused – Ezra is startled – On entend une porte claquer – elle le
met dans sa poche : sa fermeture éclair – We hear her rushing outside.]
stops – ]
Ep. 2 - "They seized everything and now they're coming for us." - Disconnected in 2050