| ← "Spiraling" | "Crush" | "In Memoriam" → |
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Flash-forward[]
[shot of the sky, with 7 towers in the distance at the left side]
[shot of blood on the ground]
[pan left showing a DMR, Arbiter's feet, and the body of Claire's playermodel]
[close-up on Claire's face, who is laying dead on the ground]
[pan on Arbiter's entire player model, who is looking down on Claire's]
[far distance shot of Arbiter]
Scene 1: Battle Canyon[]
[Claire assassinates a player]
[Claire reloads her shotgun while looking down at the player she just assassinated. She shoots at another player at close range, she then equips her DMR and shoots another player in the head at a long distance, killing the victim when his shields went down]
MATTHEW: You're fierce, Claire! Fierce like a jaguar! [growls like one] Still got it.
CLAIRE: Didn't think I would, I'm surprising myself. I feel like I haven't played this in forever. You know what else surprises me, the community.
[a player approaches the couple]
PLAYER: Ugh, tens of thousands of players out there and every fucking day I've gotta be saddled with a cum dumpster?
[the player goes into his party chat]
PLAYER: Guys, we're quitting. We're fucked. "Guy in real life" on our team. No point, I know.
[he walks away]
CLAIRE: Hasn't changed a bit since I left it.
MATTHEW: We've got four months to enjoy ourselves and get some well-earned sleep before we hit the ground running on our next term. Shit's gonna get heavy. Don't let knuckleheads like that get to you.
CLAIRE: Who said I do?
[beat]
MATTHEW: Your friend, whom you mentioned and wanna meet up with? Has he signed on yet?
CLAIRE: No, but I suspect he will soon, he practically lives on this game. Haven't spoken to him since the last time I was down here. I'm excited, I mean... I reckon he hasn't changed a bit either.
MATTHEW: Who is he?
CLAIRE: Somebody dear to me.
Scene 2: Breakpoint[]
[shot of a base in Breakpoint]
[a sign saying "No exit" above the door]
[Eugene and Colin and a player seeking to join the clan]
CLAN INITIATE: Yo, man shit, you give me an address and I'll send you my left nut if I have to man. I'll send that shit priority you know what I'm saying? I'm head over heels in love with your clan and I'd kill for any sort of position among you. You want me to be your fucking tealady? I'm your guy, okay? I'm the perfect candidate no question about it, okay? I'm trolling everybody all the time and I've got every internet meme imaginable from minute to memory.
EUGENE: Get the fuck outta here, you serious?
CLAN INITIATE: Believe it.
EUGENE: Every meme? That's fantastic.
[Eugene turns to Colin]
EUGENE: How fantastic is that?
[Colin does not react]
[Eugene turns back to the player]
EUGENE: See that? You've gotten my mod all excited, he can barely contain himself. You've sealed the deal buddy. You're just the sort of person this clan needs. To tell you the truth, I can't fathom how we've come as far as we have without you. This clan's an unfinished puzzle and you're the missing piece.
CLAN INITIATE: Oh my god, dude. You just blown my mind literally you have no idea, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Holy shit, this is awesome!
TYLER: Eugene, got a second? Wanna fill you in on something you might find interesting.
[Eugene starts walking over to Tyler]
CLAN INITIATE: So, what happens now? I'm your humble servant man, you just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it.
EUGENE: What's going to happen now is that I'm going to leave you with my associate who knows exactly what to do next.
[Colin walks up to the player. After Eugene finishes his sentence, Colin shoots the player in the head repeatedly until he is fragged and banned]
EUGENE: What?
TYLER: That kid, Brody? Rumour has it that he's gay, literally. Apparently some chick confidant of his got shit faced at a party, spilled the beans to somebody who knows somebody else.
EUGENE: Hmph... So? Who gives a shit? Doesn't even surprise me.
TYLER: I've figured it was something we could throw on the backburner and use it to fuck with him if he steps out of line again, or if we just feel like it. Think his friend Kyle might be more than just a friend?
[Eugene chuckles]
Scene 3: Tempest[]
[the camera points at the sky with 7 towers at the left side of the screen]
[Eugene and Colin are standing on top of a rocky hill]
[Arbiter and Master Chief are with a young player]
CHIEF: THEY'RES ONLY 1 SINGLE PPLS LEFT, AND THOSE PPLS R U / EVERY 1 OF THEM
TYLER: Your turn, Arbiter. Better take it before I do.
YOUNG PLAYER: Okay, five of you are evidentally capable of banning players. I don't have a clue as to how the hell you are doing it but I would appreciate it immensely if you spare me from your spree, okay? I am-- I'm broke, I don't live with my family and playing online serves as my strongest and one of my few remaining means of connecting with them. Don't take that away just for the sake of a cheap laugh.
ARBITER: And then there were fewer.
YOUNG PLAYER: I recognize that voice, same avatar too I know you. You defended me against that guy who's giving me an earful over an achievement several weeks ago? Scalded his kid? I thought you were cool.
[Tyler and Master Chief looks at the Arbiter.]
CHIEF: the fuck r u w8ing 4, a slap on the a$$ or something?
[Arbiter waits briefly and frags the player]
[Tyler walks over to the body and starts teabagging the corpse.]
[Master Chief runs along to where Tyler is wanting to join him]
CHIEF: r00m 4 1 moar? / LOL
[while Arbiter is watching them play with the body, Claire appears]
CLAIRE: Arbiter?
[The Arbiter turns around to look at Claire]
CLAIRE: It's me, Claire!
[Tyler and Master Chief stop playing with the body to observe Arbiter and Claire, Colin and Eugene also watch]
CHIEF: OH BOY, H33R WE GO / DOT GIF DOT JPEG DOT EXE
[Colin raises his sniper rifle]
EUGENE: Hold off.
[Colin obeys and lowers his sniper rifle]
CLAIRE: Jesus, the server's really bustling with activity isn't it? Dead as disco. What's the deal? You and your friends must be having a whale of a time in here.
[Eugene walks down the rocky hill to where Chief and Tyler are.]
EUGENE: Who's the broad?
CHIEF: claire / prick tease arbiturs had a crush on since fucking forever ago / friend zoned the shit out of the poor fuck, and hes t00 pu$$y to except the fax and moved on / remember the wedding? / lol remember eugene? / she was the bread. / dumb bitch thot it was a gud ideas to married a total penisbutt / we had 2 stepped in
[Eugene is silent; continues to observe Arbiter and Claire]
CLAIRE: ...It's been way too long, how the hell have you been huh? Can you hear me? Is your microphone plugged in?
ARBITER: I can hear you fine.
CLAIRE: Is everything okay?
ARBITER: You shouldn't be here.
CLAIRE: What? Really? Am I interrupting something? I'm sorry, I- I was just really excited to finally sign back online and find you. We can catch up another time, it's fine. You're doing okay though, right? You- You and I are cool? Still friends?
[The Arbiter, not knowing what to do in this predicament looks back at Eugene, Tyler and Chief]
CLAIRE: What are you looking at them for?
CHIEF: teh womans axed u a quest chin, arbitur / turn ur a$$ back around
[The Arbiter, taking Master Chief's suggestion turns back to Claire]
CLAIRE: We are still friends, aren't we?
[beat]
ARBITER: I don't want to be your friend anymore.
[Claire shocked at Arbiter's answer, gasps in response. Chief jumps in joy]
CHIEF: AAHAHAHHAHAHAH THIS IS FUCKING AWESOME
TYLER: I'm nuking some popcorn.
CLAIRE: You don't want to be my friend anymore? Why not? What's the matter? Did something happen? Did I do something wrong?
ARBITER: We were never really friends. I considered myself a friend to you, but you've been of the fair weather variety since the beginning.
CLAIRE: "Fair weather"?
ARBITER: You're only around when YOU have a problem, and I've always been there for you. On the flip side, if I ever have a problem and things are all well and good for you, you're nowhere to be fucking found.
CHIEF: O SNAP
CLAIRE: I'm very sorry you feel that way, Arbiter. But if you reached out to me whenever you had a problem, I would have done whatever I could to help you. I haven't signed on in a while because my course loads have been keeping me swamped.
TYLER: Yeah, I imagine you've been swamped with quite a few loads during your time at school. The stretching alone required to put your ankles over your head must be SO time consuming.
CHIEF: OH LORD, SUMBODY HOOK A BROTHER UP W/ SUM AUNT JEMIMA / THESE ROFL WAFFLES ARE SIMPLY DELISHISS / DELISHISS.
CLAIRE: Excuse me? Get bent!
TYLER: I could bend you over a table if that's what you want.
CHIEF: LOL
CLAIRE: You're chewing me out for being a poor friend while associating yourself with assholes like this? Flawless logic, well done.
[Tyler raises his DMR]
TYLER: I'm popping this bitch's head like a balloon.
EUGENE: No.
[Tyler lowers his DMR as told by Eugene]
ARBITER: Chief aside, you don't know the first thing about these guys. I was in a bad way a while ago, and they were there for me when nobody else was. When you weren't. And where do you get off criticizing my choice of friends after nearly wedding yourself to a weapons grade tool like Trent?
CHIEF: YES / IN UR FACE, CLAIRE / IN UR FACE / PR33CH BROTHER, PR33CH
ARBITER: Shut the fuck up, Chief.
CLAIRE: I made a mistake.
ARBITER: And it took Chief and I forfeiting our online access to help you realize the fact.
CHIEF: YEAH SKANK
ARBITER: You're aware of our unique situation. You know how important that access is to us. Then you had the nerve to tell me that you hated me for intervening.
CLAIRE: It was wrong of me to say that, but for one I was of two minds and said that part of me hated you. Two, I know you are aware of the fact already because you corrected me the same way before back when we were co-moderators, remember that? Regardless, I didn't mean it. I don't hate you, the wedding fiasco was water under the bridge now. You stopped me from making a terrible mistake and I know that now, I like you, I really do.
ARBITER: But only as a so-called friend.
CLAIRE: Why can't that be enough?
EUGENE: And there it is, [short chuckles] man this is painful.
CHIEF: C? / TOLD U / C? / C, EUGENE? / C?
CLAIRE: You said it yourself, you know that I'm aware of your unique situation. Come on, what did you expect?
[beat]
ARBITER: Go fuck yourself.
[Claire, shocked and betrayed by the Arbiter, walks backwards away from him. In a moment, Eugene "accidentally" snipes Claire, banning her instantly. Arbiter runs up to Claire's body. He looks down at her]
[like in the flash forward, Arbiter turns around looking at Colin on top of the rocky hill; Eugene still has his sniper rifle raised; he reloads]
EUGENE: Whoops.
CHIEF: LOLOLLOLOOOLOLLOLOLOLLOLOOLOL
EUGENE: That was some spectacular entertainment. Well done, sir.
[Arbiter stares at Eugene]
EUGENE: Got a problem? All the cards were on the table, the conversation was over. She's dead weight man, you know that. Only one appropriate way to deal with dead weight... Gotta cut that shit off.
[Arbiter turns back towards Claire's corpse and continues to look down at her]
[credits roll with ocean noises in the background]