The Cube HTML Dec 2

Video test: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/udnedLeGP-w" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> CHARLIE Hey, Wes? You almost finished up up here? I wanna get going. WES Uh - yeah. Hey, come look at this. CHARLIE I just have homework due in the morning that I really need to get done? WES This’ll only take a minute, I swear. Look what someone left on the bar. [They brandish THE CUBE, holding it aloft, turning it this way and that.] CHARLIE What is that? WES I dunno. Some sort of cube. CHARLIE Someone just left it here? WES Yeah, on the bar, on top of a five. Weird tip. CHARLIE Uh. Yeah, I guess. Do you think maybe someone just forgot it? WES Weird thing to forget at a bar, don’t you think? CHARLIE Do you remember who was sitting there? Maybe we can call them or - WES Hey, look at this! [Wes in Some Way manipulates the cube. Something Happens, but it takes a second for them - and us - to figure out what it is.] CHARLIE What was that? WES Uh - [Wes checks themself over and notices something.] Huh. Look. [They wave a hand in front of Charlie. Nails that were plain are now a vibrant shade of green.] CHARLIE What, did you paint your- oh. That’s..weird. WES Like it’s, magical or something.. [They lean in to look at the cube, but don’t touch it this time. Charlie joins in after a moment’s hesitation.] CHARLIE We should call Muck. WES Muck? What, why? CHARLIE Weird alien, magic stuff is their thing. Maybe they’ve heard something about it! WES And the chance of them knowing is- [Charlie has dialed Muck’s phone number, the dial tone rings quietly.] -slim to none. CHARLIE Hey Muck! Are you doing anything right now? ..Sleeping, right… Hey, can you come to the bar? We found something...something weird, I don’t know, it’s like a kinda..box thing. It turned Wes’s nails green when they touched it and like- ..yeah, yeah we’re still at the bar, closing up. Can you come? ...Ok, see you in a few. Bye, Muck. [Wes leans on the counter, looking at his green nails with a mixed expression.] WES Should we really... be messing around with this? I touched it and it painted my nails. Like, not that I don’t kinda dig the look, but, that’s not normal. You sure we didn’t drink something weird by accident? CHARLIE Yeah, you touched it and your nails turned green. Imagine what else it could do! WES I don’t want any other parts of me to turn green, Charlie. I just don’t get why you had to call Muck and make it into a whole thing. If it were me, I’d just throw the thing out and leave it. CHARLIE You don’t want to know more about this thing? WES No, I don’t. [A knock on the door. Charlie looks at Wes for a moment, then stands to answer the door. Wes watches.] CHARLIE Well, that was fast. Come on in, the thing is on the bar. [Muck enters, the very picture of the sort of person you would see on a History Channel documentary about aliens that plays during the 3:30 am timeslot.] MUCK Tell me you didn’t mess with it any more before I got here? WES Not like we had any time to. Did you run here? MUCK No. [Obvious lie. They totally ran here.] Charlie said it turned your nails green? Let me see. [Wes wiggles their fingers a bit. Muck hmmms.] CHARLIE So, what do you think? WES What could they think? It’s a weird magic box. MUCK Probably not magic. There’s a science to this kind of thing; it doesn’t look especially extraterrestrial, but it is possible there is some form of cloaking device or other method of making it appear more mundane than it really is - only an idiot would design a powerful object to look powerful. Or a show-off, I suppose. WES ...Right. Okay. So, green fingernails? CHARLIE So you think it’s from aliens? MUCK I think it’s a possibility. What did you do to make it do that? [They gesture to Wes’s nails.] WES Nothing! I just touched it. Like, [They mime poking the cube but pointedly do not actually touch it.] that. MUCK We’ll be sure not to do that again. [After a beat they decisively pick up the cube. Wes and Charlie gasp but settle when nothing happens - yet.] I wonder what happens if we do this. OPTION A - LEADS TO SCENE A OPTION B - LEADS TO SCENE B DON’T TOUCH THE CUBE - LEADS TO IK1 [[Option A->Scene A]] [[Option B->Scene B]] [[Don't touch it->IK1]]

[Something Happens. We’re still in the bar, but something is different. The light or the sound has shifted just a little into something unnervingly slightly off - like the feeling when you know you put your glasses down somewhere and now can’t find them.] WES Oh my god what did you do? MUCK One can only learn through doing. The first instance seemed harmless enough, I don’t see how - [The door to the bar creeeeeeeeaks open. Enter Mallory, looking this side of frantic. She schools it into a cool, calm, confident expression upon seeing the gathering of people inside the bar.] MALLORY Oh. Hello. CHARLIE Hey! Uh - sorry, we’re just closing up now, I must have forgotten to lock the door. MALLORY I’ll only be a moment. I forgot something here a couple weeks ago and was wondering if you have some sort of lost and… [She trails off, spotting the cube in Muck’s hand.] Oh. You found it. CHARLIE Did you say a couple… WES Weeks. Yeah. She said a couple weeks. CHARLIE But we just found it, uhm. A few minutes ago. MUCK Interesting. How did you come to own this thing? MALLORY Does that matter? It’s mine. WES [Voice ticking upwards, just a little stricken] Holy shit Muck you fucked with the magic cube and now we’ve just Back To The Future’d ourselves / holy shit holy shit holy CHARLIE / I’m sure there’s some sort of reasonable explanation for this! Right Muck? MUCK Again - not magic. MALLORY You three messed with it, didn’t you? WES I told them it was a bad idea! CHARLIE It’s gonna be fine! MALLORY Just give it to me, okay? So what, you lost two weeks. It’s just two weeks. MUCK Why would we give it to you. We don’t even know your name. MALLORY Mallory. There. Give it to me. WES Maybe it’s a good idea to just pass it over? I just, holy shit, I just want to go to bed and wake up from this weird dream. MUCK No way. MALLORY I swear to god! [Mallory lunges for the cube. Muck lurches the cube away.] OPTION A - MUCK DROPS THE CUBE! ; LEADS TO B1 OPTION B - MALLORY GRABS THE CUBE! ; LEADS TO B2 [[Scene B1]] [[Scene B2]] [[IK4]]

Video test: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/G38oMRe58sI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> [Muck lets go of the cube in shock, but they have already moved. Wes, Charlie, and Muck have been moved in space across town, into the back of a dingy local 24 hour diner. They look around themselves.] MUCK Ok, so now we know what doing that does. WES We just… MOVED. MUCK Yes, Wes. We did. CHARLIE I guess the magic box wants us to go get milkshakes? WES We moved. Are you guys not. Are you guys not more surprised by that?! MUCK The object’s abilities seem to be...more complex than initially thought. WES No shit. [Wes looks at their nails, shaking their head.] CHARLIE Milkshakes? Disco fries? Think as we eat? MUCK I could be...amenable to that. WES Yeah, ok. But I’m not paying for the fries. Emotional reparation. [During this conversation, Muck stands to get them a table and menus.] CHARLIE I thought you liked the nails! WES What if they never turn back, Charlie? What then? CHARLIE You just...you just look sick forever! WES When I’m ninety-three?? CHARLIE Yeah, you’ll be the sickest grandparent ever. WES I sure feel sick. [Muck returns, holding menus.] MUCK Got us a table. You guys coming? CHARLIE I’m hungry. WES Fine. [The trio sit. Muck carries the cube gingerly, being sure not to manipulate anything. Muck observes it.] MUCK So. We are dealing with an object of presumably great power. It can manipulate not only the physical appearance of those who touch it, but it can also transport them through space. CHARLIE Fucked if true. WES It IS true, Charlie. It is. MUCK So the question is: are we controlling the cube, or is it controlling us? [The server, Mallory, walks up to the table. She looks exhausted, and initially takes no notice of the cube.] MALLORY Can I get you all something to drink? CHARLIE I’ll have a cookies and cream milkshake, please! MUCK A coke, thanks. WES Water is fine. MALLORY And are you guys ready to order y- oh my god. [Mallory has noticed the cube, and she lunges towards it. Charlie blocks her with an arm.] CHARLIE Wh-what are you doing? MALLORY That’s mine. That’s my- that’s mine. I’ve been looking for it. MUCK I find that highly unlikely. WES You don’t want this thing. MALLORY Yes, I do- it’s mine- [she takes a closer look at Charlie.] I recognize you- do you work at the bar? CHARLIE Uh, no- MALLORY Oh, how could I be so stupid. I must have left it there- [she lunges toward the cube again.] Give it to me. You can’t have it, you don’t know what it can do! MUCK I believe we ordered drinks? MALLORY Fine- I’ll be right back. And I’m taking that with me. OPTION A1- CHARLIE TAPS THE CUBE OPTION A2- CHARLIE GRABS THE CUBE IK2- MALLORY LEAVES WITH THE CUBE [[Scene A1]] [[Scene A2]]

[Charlie realizes what she did instantly. It’s a little hard not to, seeing as the diner around them has suddenly changed to a completely different location; instead of being in a diner, the four are now standing in a small house that is definitely not where they were before.] WES Are you kidding me? CHARLIE What?! I was just touching it. MALLORY How did you not realize what that would do? MUCK [The only one not absolutely freaked out by this situation, Muck has taken to examining their location, flipping through a book that is written in Spanish.] Odd. It seems like we’ve been moved to somewhere outside of the United States. WES Great! This is a mess, how are we supposed to get back? CHARLIE I’m sure someone will be able to help us! [As Charlie finishes speaking, someone new enters the room! HOME OWNER blinks in shock at the group of people standing in their house.] HOME OWNER ¿Quién eres? ¿Qué haces aquí? MALLORY Fuck. Do any of you speak Spanish? WES Shit. AE1 - FLEE THE HOUSE AE2 - TRY AND COMMUNICATE! [[IK3]] [[AE1]] [[AE2]]

[Previous choice: CHARLIE GRABS THE CUBE] [A flash of light. The four appear on an alien spaceship. It is a completely foreign environment. They are in a warehouse. A shelf behind them is filled with identical cubes. They don’t know it yet, but the whole ship has a truth field. They can’t tell a lie.] WES Again? AGAIN?? Charlie, why did you- [Mallory shushes Wes urgently.] MALLORY We’re on their ship. WES Wha- who’s ship? MALLORY [Mallory gestures to the cube, points at the cubes all around them on the shelves.] Their ship. CHARLIE ALIENS?! Dude, you don’t mean real aliens? Are we in SPACE?! MUCK [Muck is looking around, entranced, validated.] They’re real. They’re here and they’re real. I was right. I was always right. MALLORY Would you all shut up?! [She speaks in a hushed tone.] I’ve been here before. They...took me here. WES Heh, did they probe you or whatever? MUCK That’s science fiction. WES And this isn’t? MALLORY These...aliens. The cubes belong to them. It’s, like, their way of life. All of them each have one, and they know how to use them. [Muck stands, looks around.] CHARLIE Are we...in danger? MALLORY Possibly. Probably not. [Muck points at a screen.] MUCK Look at this...it looks like a computer. With a list. [A list of garbled numbers, each is the serial number of a cube. One is in red, but it’s flashing yellow.] MUCK I think it’s monitoring the objects. WES What if they find us? I don’t wanna get killed by aliens and then have nobody but MUCK believe it! [Muck walks back towards one of the shelves full of cubes. Most of the shelves in this room are full of cubes.] MUCK There’s so many of them...think of the power that they hold. No wonder we have so little evidence of alien encounters- they have complete control. All the cards are in their hands. CHARLIE What do we do now? OPTION AE3 - Sneak around the spaceship OPTION AE4- Stay in the warehouse IK3- Throw your body onto the cubes [[AE3]] [[AE4]]

[Hey, this scene is familiar. Charlie and Wes are closing up at the bar.] CHARLIE Hey, Wes? You almost finished up up here? I wanna get going. WES Uh - yeah. Hey, come look at this. CHARLIE I just have homework due in the morning that I really need to get done? WES This’ll only take a minute, I swear. Look what someone left on the bar. [They brandish THE CUBE, holding it aloft, turning it this way and that.] CHARLIE What is that? WES I dunno. Some sort… CHARLIE Does this feel weird to you? WES Yeah. I just got the...scariest deja vu ever. It’s like I’ve done this...before… [They look at each other, then at the cube. Wes drops it like they’ve been scalded.] CHARLIE Oh my god! Did it… WES We are not touching that thing again. No way. This is like, a blessing. We hit the magic reverse switch or something. Let’s just toss the thing and call it a night and we can absolutely just pretend there is no magic cube and that we never saw the magic cube and CHARLIE What about Muck? Do you think they’re back? WES I dunno. Holy shit let’s get rid of it please. [Charlie isn’t listening any more, too busy fiddling with their phone. She hits Muck’s number and waits for a moment with baited breath. Voicemail. Fuck.] CHARLIE Hey, uh, Muck? Are you here? Like...sorry, this is wild, but can you give me a call back as soon as you get this? WES [Under their breath] If they get it. [Charlie gives Wes a look.] CHARLIE Something weird just happened and I just want to make sure you’re okay, so just give me a call - [The door opens - or rather, someone tries to open it. Wes moves to open the door and lets in Muck, who spots the cube and strides right past Wes to go look at it.] WES Well. Hi to you, too. MUCK Yes, hello. How interesting. It seems to have launched us back to the moment before you realized the cube has power beyond this world. CHARLIE Wes thinks we should throw it out. MUCK Why would we do that, now? WES Uh, maybe ‘cause I’m not looking to get, like, like that scene in Click where Adam Sandler fast forwards through his whole life and then breaks down over it? Thanks no thanks? MUCK Well, we ought to decide sooner rather than later. I saw Mallory heading this way as well, and she will want to get her hands on it. CHARLIE What’s up with her? WES She’s cube-crazy or something. I don’t want to be cube-crazy. MUCK We’d better decide now, seeing as she’s - [The door slams open and in comes Mallory! She wants that cube back, huh?] MALLORY Look, just hand it over and we can all just put this behind us, okay? IK1 - HAND MALLORY THE CUBE, SHE LEAVES, GO ON WITH LIFE. BE1 - WES PICKS THE CUBE UP [[BE1]] [[IK1.1]]

[Previous Choice; MALLORY GRABS THE CUBE] [Mallory drops the cube in shock, they are now in an empty lot. The sun has just risen. It’s 1952, and they’ve landed on a Hollywood backlot. A retro car rolls past.] MALLORY Oh no. WES What just happened? Did we move again? I hate this, Charlie. I hate this shit. I feel like I’m getting motion sickness, anyone else feeling that? [Muck is looking around, taking stock of their surroundings. Mallory takes the cube back, tucking it carefully into her pocket.] CHARLIE Lighten up, Wes! This is the most interesting thing that’s happened to us, like, ever. Don’t waste it being a fuckin’ spoilsport! MUCK If I’m not mistaken, we seem to have travelled in time. WES What! How do you know? MALLORY Look around. We stick out like a sore thumb. CHARLIE No WAY! COOL! MUCK Looks- mid-century? 40s, 50s? And this looks...Hollywood. WES Oh, cute. No cell phones, no friends, AND there’s rampant homophobia. Sounds fun! MALLORY Come on. We need to blend in if we want any chance of fixing this. WES Tell that to my neon green nails! [A rack of clothing passes by them, led into a warehouse room. Mallory gestures for them to follow.] MUCK I am afraid that we may cause suspicion- MALLORY Trust me. I got this. [Mallory enters the warehouse. She takes the cube out from her pocket, twists a small lever, seemingly focusing on a thought. After a moment, she smiles up at the only woman there, an assistant.] MALLORY What are all these clothes for, miss? ASSISTANT [The woman seems dazed, smiling too wide.] The picture! The big one with Marilyn Monroe, the musical. Are you in it? CHARLIE (whisper) Did you just do something with the cube? MALLORY (whisper) Mind manipulation. It’s what it’s best at. CHARLIE Yes. We are! We are in…that movie! ASSISTANT Wonderful! Sit here, let me find you all something to wear...it’s a party scene, in France. [The assistant exits, humming merrily to herself.] MUCK Incredible...mind manipulation. Have you done this before? MALLORY All the time. Saves me the effort of getting to know anybody. WES Wait, is that why you had it with you at the bar? To score a date?? MALLORY Yeah. And it worked. CHARLIE You have a magic box that can do anything and you use it to get laid? MALLORY Problem? [The assistant returns, with four outfits on hangers.] ASSISTANT Dressing rooms are just over there! [She checks her watch.] Better hurry, call is in five minutes! [The four run to get dressed.] ASSISTANT Oh, aren’t you all darling! The scene is in studio E, around the corner! CHARLIE Well, gee, missus! Thank’ya ever so much! WES Never speak again. OPTION BE3- Head to the studio OPTION BE4- Leave the backlot [[BE3]] [[BE4]]

<center> <img src = "https://the-cube.neocities.org/logo.jpg" width = "600" height = "800"> [[BEGIN->Scene 1]] </center>

They go on with their boring lives. Nothing ever happens worth watching a virtual play about. [[Choose again->Scene 1]]

Bad choice. [[Choose again->Scene B]] [[Start again->Scene 1]]

CHARLIE Hey, Wes? You almost finished up up here? I wanna get going. WES Uh - yeah. Hey, come look at this. CHARLIE I just have homework due in the morning that I really need to get done? WES This’ll only take a minute, I swear. Look what someone left on the bar. [They brandish THE CUBE, holding it aloft, turning it this way and that.] CHARLIE What is that? WES I dunno. Some sort of cube. CHARLIE Someone just left it here? WES Yeah, on the bar, on top of a five. Weird tip. CHARLIE Uh. Yeah, I guess. Do you think maybe someone just forgot it? WES Weird thing to forget at a bar, don’t you think? CHARLIE Do you remember who was sitting there? Maybe we can call them or - WES Hey, look at this! [Wes in Some Way manipulates the cube. Something Happens, but it takes a second for them - and us - to figure out what it is.] CHARLIE What was that? WES Uh - [Wes checks themself over and notices something.] Huh. Look. [They wave a hand in front of Charlie. Nails that were plain are now a vibrant shade of green.] CHARLIE What, did you paint your- oh. That’s..weird. WES Like it’s, magical or something.. [They lean in to look at the cube, but don’t touch it this time. Charlie joins in after a moment’s hesitation.] CHARLIE We should call Muck. WES Muck? What, why? CHARLIE Weird alien, magic stuff is their thing. Maybe they’ve heard something about it! WES And the chance of them knowing is- [Charlie has dialed Muck’s phone number, the dial tone rings quietly.] -slim to none. CHARLIE Hey Muck! Are you doing anything right now? ..Sleeping, right… Hey, can you come to the bar? We found something...something weird, I don’t know, it’s like a kinda..box thing. It turned Wes’s nails green when they touched it and like- ..yeah, yeah we’re still at the bar, closing up. Can you come? ...Ok, see you in a few. Bye, Muck. [Wes leans on the counter, looking at his green nails with a mixed expression.] WES Should we really... be messing around with this? I touched it and it painted my nails. Like, not that I don’t kinda dig the look, but, that’s not normal. You sure we didn’t drink something weird by accident? CHARLIE Yeah, you touched it and your nails turned green. Imagine what else it could do! WES I don’t want any other parts of me to turn green, Charlie. I just don’t get why you had to call Muck and make it into a whole thing. If it were me, I’d just throw the thing out and leave it. CHARLIE You don’t want to know more about this thing? WES No, I don’t. [A knock on the door. Charlie looks at Wes for a moment, then stands to answer the door. Wes watches.] CHARLIE Well, that was fast. Come on in, the thing is on the bar. [Muck enters, the very picture of the sort of person you would see on a History Channel documentary about aliens that plays during the 3:30 am timeslot.] MUCK Tell me you didn’t mess with it any more before I got here? WES Not like we had any time to. Did you run here? MUCK No. [Obvious lie. They totally ran here.] Charlie said it turned your nails green? Let me see. [Wes wiggles their fingers a bit. Muck hmmms.] CHARLIE So, what do you think? WES What could they think? It’s a weird magic box. MUCK Probably not magic. There’s a science to this kind of thing; it doesn’t look especially extraterrestrial, but it is possible there is some form of cloaking device or other method of making it appear more mundane than it really is - only an idiot would design a powerful object to look powerful. Or a show-off, I suppose. WES ...Right. Okay. So, green fingernails? CHARLIE So you think it’s from aliens? MUCK I think it’s a possibility. What did you do to make it do that? [They gesture to Wes’s nails.] WES Nothing! I just touched it. Like, [They mime poking the cube but pointedly do not actually touch it.] that. MUCK We’ll be sure not to do that again. [After a beat they decisively pick up the cube. Wes and Charlie gasp but settle when nothing happens - yet.] I wonder what happens if we do this. [[BE1.1]] [[BE1.2]]

[Previous choice: Go to the studio] [The four of them walk briskly to the studio around the corner.] CHARLIE Are we gonna be in a movie? Are we gonna be FAMOUS? MUCK Looks like it. WES This may be, probably, totally all a dream, but I...I don’t hate this. Fuck it, let’s go like...party with Marilyn Monroe! MALLORY Why not? [They enter the studio.] STAGE MANAGER You’re late. Scene 19B. France, party scene. Look drunk. You probably already are. [He looks them over, then looks at the scene.] STAGE MANAGER You, tall one- back of the scene. [Muck goes.] STAGE MANAGER You two, table over to the left there. Take drinks from props, there, on your way. [Wes and Charlie go.] STAGE MANAGER You, miss- MALLORY [An excellent liar and improviser.] Mallory Mae Davis. STAGE MANAGER [Unamused] Miss Davis. Sit at the bar. [Mallory goes.] STAGE MANAGER That’s everyone, and that’s a MINUTE past call! That is NOT happening again, you all understand? [Murmurs.] STAGE MANAGER I don’t care what your excuse is, it’s time to work. Everyone look happy, it’s a party! Five seconds, four, three, two, ACTION! [Camera reel turns. We see a momentary clip of the movie (?); Hollywood scenery. Wikipedia pages roll on the screen of the career of the four.] END. [[Start over->Scene 1]]

[Previous choice- Leave the Backlot] MUCK Let’s just get out of here- we’ve caused enough trouble as it is. WES Are you kidding? What about being in a movie? MUCK Think about the temporal effects! We aren’t meant to be here as it is. If we changed the past, we could damage the future...think about it. You kiss Marilyn Monroe once at a party, then bam! Butterfly effect cascades and Steve Jobs is never born. CHARLIE What’s that got to do with Steve Jobs? MUCK It was just an example. MALLORY Come on, let’s just go. CHARLIE Can we get lunch? I never got to eat my fries. WES How can you think about fries in a time like this! CHARLIE Easily. [They exit the backlot. Mallory takes the cube back out of her pocket.] MALLORY It’s a long shot, but we could try to make it back home. MUCK Can I try? I have a hypothesis I’d like to test out. MALLORY No way. Not happening. I’m not losing it again. MUCK I’d give it right back, I’d just like to put it under some scientific assessments, to determine if there is a pattern to the object’s abilities. MALLORY [Mallory is on the verge of an outburst.] NO. CHARLIE C’mon, Muck is totally legit. I’d trust them with my life. MUCK You’d- MALLORY [Mallory boils over.] No. You don’t get to have this. This is mine, and you stole it, and if you messed with it and got in trouble, it’s your own fault. WES How were we supposed to know this was going to happen?! When you leave your shit behind in MY bar, that’s on YOU! As far as I’m concerned, it’s all YOUR fault! MALLORY Fine! Have fun, you three. [Mallory squeezes the cube, and disappears, leaving the trio alone in 1952.] WES Well, shit. END [[Previous Choice->Scene B2]] [[Start over->Scene 1]]

RIP [[Previous Choice->Scene A1]]

[A Newscaster stands in the middle of the frame, doing the nightly news report.) NEWSCASTER Tonight, some strange news coming in from Colombia. Four young Americans found themselves in an interesting situation in Bogotá, Colombia last night. The four California natives claim to have no idea how they wound up in Colombia late last night. Two of the young adults, Charlie LASTNAME and Wes LASTNAME were sighted at the bar they work at at approximately three am in California and somehow appeared in Colombia at around four am, Pacific Standard Time. These four lucky youths were able to find their way to the US Embassy and should be on their way home after an investigation by both the US and Colombian administrations. [[Previous Choice->Scene A1]] [[Start Again->Scene 1]]

[[AE2.1]] [[AE2.2]]

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[OPTION AE3 - Sneak around the spaceship] MUCK I think we should get moving. If they are truly this powerful, we shouldn’t sit like sitting ducks. Besides, this could be my- our one opportunity to observe real alien life! CHARLIE Yeah, I agree. I think Muck always has the best ideas. MUCK I think you have the best ideas, too. WES Weird. But yeah, I think that sounds smart. MALLORY I don’t know. We have to be really careful. MUCK Could we use the object to our advantage? MALLORY I don’t really know how to do very much with it. I mostly focused on the mind control. People are like malleable objects to me. WES Sketchy, thanks for sharing! MALLORY I can’t help but share. You can’t lie on this ship. Just try it. CHARLIE I ha-have a nipple piercing! WES What the fuck, Charlie? CHARLIE What? C’mon, let’s go that way. [They exit the warehouse. They face a corridor, with two directions to go down.] MUCK Which way, team? MALLORY Left. [They take the passage at the left. The passage seems deserted. The walls pulsate/glow gently.] CHARLIE Nobody home? MUCK Unlikely. WES How optimistic. [They continue walking down the corridor. An alien steps out of a door to the right, and stares at them.] WES [whispered] Shit. [The Alien points at them. The cube in Mallory’s hands disappears, and appears in the Alien’s hand.] MALLORY Give that back! Please! [The Alien stares.] [Muck steps forward, toward the alien.] MUCK Hello. My name is Morgan, and these are my friends. And also this other girl. We come in peace. [The Alien stares. When the alien speaks, it is otherworldly and computerized.] ALIEN Then go in peace. Forget what you have witnessed. [The four humans are transported out of the spaceship. They wake up back in the diner, exactly where they were in the booth.] MALLORY Do you all want something to drink? END [[Previous Choice->Scene A2]] [[Start Again->Scene 1]]

MUCK Well, clearly this, [They motion to the blinking serial number on the screen.] is the cube we’re in possession of. WES So we put it back and like, apologize and ask nicely to just go home? How about that? MALLORY Like hell. Who knows what they’d do if they found out I stole one of their...whatever these are. MUCK Why should we leave empty handed? CHARLIE Don’t you think they might hunt us down for one of these? They’re so powerful… WES [Turning on Mallory] How did you get in here in the first place? MALLORY None of your business. WES Are you kidding me? You left that thing on the bar and got us all into this mess in the first place! MALLORY I didn’t mean to leave it there! WES Well I didn’t mean to spend the night with you all freaking out about some all powerful cube-thing! CHARLIE Woah! I think maybe we should all, uh, take a breath or… WES Do not tell me to calm down, Charlie, I swear to god, I am going to absolutely lose it. MALLORY Like you haven’t been this whole time. MUCK HEY! We should be spending our time trying to figure out our next step, not squabbling with each other like children. CHARLIE I agree with Muck. WES You literally always agree with Muck. MALLORY You really do. CHARLIE Do not! Not always, just when they say something reasonable! MUCK Which is most of the time. CHARLIE Which is most of the time! Right. WES Riiiight. And not ‘cause you two are…[They motion between the two.] MUCK We aren’t anything. CHARLIE Right! What’s - what’s that supposed to mean? MALLORY Are you kidding me? You two have been making eyes at each other this whole time. CHARLIE Making eyes? WES You literally have Muck’s name saved with a heart next to it in your phone. CHARLIE You weren’t supposed to tell anyone that! WES Well, what else was I supposed to do? MUCK You do? CHARLIE I mean...yeah. Shit - wait, I wanted to say no! MALLORY Yeah, that’s part of this whole thing, [She motions at the idea of the ship around them] no lying. At least I can’t. It’s better to go for evasive rather than outright lies. MUCK A latent truth field...interesting. They must value honesty more than most. WES Great, so they won’t lie to us, whatever. Does that computer have, like, instructions or something? I wanna get home before they figure out we’re here. MALLORY It might. Budge over, let me look. [Mallory moves towards the computer screen and looks it over, clicking through screens that are largely serial numbers like we’ve seen before. She hums under her breath a little while looking underneath the following conversation.] MUCK So. A heart emoji? CHARLIE ...Uhm….yeah. MUCK Right. Well. CHARLIE Oh my god just reject me already please end this. WES You’re both ridiculous. MUCK No, I - I don’t mind. CHARLIE You don’t...mind? MALLORY Fuck yeah! Here, gimmie the cube. WES How can we trust you? Who’s to say you don’t just, like, pop off and leave us here? MALLORY I won’t leave you here. Truth field, remember? [Charlie, after a moment’s hesitation, passes over the cube. Mallory turns it over in her hands for a long moment before poking at one of the panels on it. They are transported, suddenly, to the bar - exactly as it has been when they left it.] WES Oh oh oh thank god, Earth air again, holy shit. MALLORY Now I’ll be goi- MUCK Wait. They’ll want that back, I’m sure. You should stick around. Safety in numbers, after all. CHARLIE Yeah! Friends? MALLORY [She looks between the three - Charlie looking earnest, Muck placidly interested, and Wes begrudging.] ...Fine. You’re right. Safety in numbers. [[Previous Choice->Scene A2]] [[Start over->Scene 1]]

They go on with their boring lives. Nothing ever happens worth watching a virtual play about. [[Choose again->Scene B1]]

[...Nothing happens. They’re all still in the now-closed bar, all still ten years older, all still standing around as Mallory fiddles with the cube.] CHARLIE ...So, definitely a no, then. MALLORY Shut up. Like you could do better. WES Who am I married to? MUCK [Notices a ring on their finger as well. Huh. They reach for a pocket and pull out a phone. The lock screen is a wedding picture. Double huh.] Me. WES No way. CHARLIE [Peering at the lockscreen.] You two don’t even like each other?! MALLORY [Still fiddling with the cube, letting out a sound of frustration.] Are you kidding? Do you even care that you’re older now? CHARLIE Not really. Hey - I bet I graduated! Didn’t even have to suffer through college! WES I told you all we were gonna get Adam Sandler’d but no, why would you listen to me? MUCK Maybe this isn’t the worst thing that could happen. It seems we have been moved forward in time into the bodies and lives we will have in ten years from the day we found the cube, so we don’t have to worry too much about the butterfly effect or other temporal displacements. I agree with Charlie that not having to worry about surviving through college. WES Oh, so now you’re a silver linings type? MALLORY So you’re telling me you’re okay with this? MUCK I’m telling you it isn’t the worst possible outcome of messing around with an unknown item with unknown power. WES Why do you think we got married? MUCK You started to find me charming? WES ...Huh. MALLORY Oh my god. CHARLIE The fact it takes being moved to past your wedding for you to realize maybe you don’t hate Muck is a little ridiculous. WES Shut up. Mallory, how’s the...cube thing working? MALLORY ...It isn’t. WES Maybe you uh...used up its charges? Maybe it just needs some time to recharge or something? MALLORY It doesn’t work like that. MUCK You don’t actually know how it works. MALLORY Shut the fuck up. CHARLIE Well, I think I would probably still live in town years later, right? Maybe we should just...call it a night. Go crash at mine? WES Do we still live here? MUCK By the looks of these pictures, yes. MALLORY Of course you three would still live here. WES You know, maybe Muck’s right. CHARLIE That’s a first. WES Come on. I’m just...maybe this isn’t the worst possible thing that could happen. Maybe we’re all happier here than we were back then. MALLORY If you three want to stay here but old, knock yourselves out. CHARLIE I mean...I’m cool with it. MUCK I am as well. WES ...You know what. Yeah. Maybe this is the best possible outcome. Who’s to say where we’ll end up if we fuck with it again, you know? We could wind up dead - who’s to say we’d get back to before? MALLORY Well. Have fun, then. I’m taking this and I’m going back, somehow. CHARLIE Good luck. [Mallory storms out, cube in hand. The trio look at each other for a long moment.] WES Shit...do you think we have kids? THE END [[Start Again->Scene 1]]

[The bar is normal again. All four are back to their original ages and clothes. Mallory lets out a triumphant whoop!] MALLORY I told you all I know how to use this thing. CHARLIE Good job! MUCK Or you got lucky. WES Does it matter? We’re back! We’re fine! I’m not married anymore, thank god, we can put this whole thing to rest now, right? MALLORY Right. So, I’ll be keeping this and heading out, then. CHARLIE Wait - where did you even get the cube to start with? What are you gonna do with it? You, like...aren’t gonna try to end the world with it or anything, right? MALLORY One question at a time. WES She has a point. That thing is scary unpredictable. MALLORY I found it. And I’m not going to use it to end the world. MUCK What have you been doing with it until now, then? Why did you have it in a bar? MALLORY ...I figured out how to make it make me seem hotter. WES You...You’ve been using the interdimensional magic time changing cube in order to pull dates?! MALLORY And skip the line at the DMV! WES Oh, ‘cause that’s so much better. CHARLIE No, no, she has a point. MUCK So you’re going to keep using it to get dates and not wait in line? MALLORY Uh, yeah? Duh? MUCK ...Fine. WES Are you kidding? We can’t just let her run around the world with a cube that can do god knows what, she might like, accidentally destroy the world or something, and then it’ll be on our conscience! I don’t want that on my shoulders, and I’m sure none of you do - CHARLIE Well, she already left, so. [Wes blinks. Mallory is, indeed, gone, having teleported off with the cube to god knows where in order to do god knows what.] MUCK Interesting. I suppose all we can do is hope she is at least a little reasonable. WES That’s it, then? MUCK Listen. It’s four am. I’m tired. This has been grand and has left me with a lot to research, but she’s gone, and she took the cube with her. I believe it’d be best if we just go home and THE END [[Start over->Scene 1]]