CATALYST: META
FADE IN:
INT. DEON'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
In the darkness of night, the PC SPOOLS UP uncommanded, and the PC MONITOR irradiates the room in a blue light that picks up Deon's silhouette partially covered inside the bed — asleep.
[PC SPOOLS UP]
PC MONITOR (TEXT):
(LOGIN CLIENT Deon. Connecting...)
(connected to IP_Hastral. Locating Toshiko81...)
(handshaking Toshiko81... )
(Data is LOAD LVL1 Scene.)
[PC NETWORK SPOOLS UP]
The electric noise eventually wakes Deon up.
The PC continues loading...
Deon gets up groggy and shambles to the PC to check out the fuss...
...and is flabbergasted at what he sees:
The PC is installing a program from an unknown source over the internet...
...a...
DEON: (shocked) ...virus?
Then, on the screen, green TEXT:
TOSHIKO81: Hey Deon!
Deon stares relieved at the screen, and a smirk grows on his lips.
DEON: I knew it!
He sits down at the desk and grabs the mouse to orient himself on the screen.
A CHAT BOX appears. Deon immediately gets the cue and clicks on it to begin typing in it.
DEON (CHAT): Hey Toshiko. Can I call you Toshi?
A brief wait, with a snigger on his face.
TOSHIKO81: Sure! And can I call you Dinny?
Deon scowls at the name and leans forward to type a sassy reply.
DEON (CHAT): No
Meanwhile, the PC has finished installing "Shelder Evolution A 4.0," and a PROGRAM spools up.
[PC SPOOLING UP]
Deon is caught off guard and startles away from the monitor — what happens to the chat, now?
[PC SPOOLED UP]
The PC presents Deon with the MAIN MENU of SHELDER EVOLUTION A 4.0:
The background is SPACE with planet SHELDER half-bathed in sunlight with its shiny atmosphere glowing at the horizon.
The planet can be faintly observed to be rotating on its vertical, inclined axis, and there are puffy white clouds... some with blinking flashes in them — lightning!
Deon is fascinated...
The MENU fades in gently:
> PLAY
LOBBY
TERRITORY
SHELDEX
Only "PLAY" is colored in. The others are greyed out.
A new chat message as a CAPTION BOX appears from the left side low:
TOSHIKO81 (CHAT): (server) Come play with us!
Deon reads it and smiles in embarrassment. Then types:
DEON (CHAT): Where are you?
While he waits for a reply, Deon clicks on "PLAY."
[PC SPOOLS UP]
The Menu progresses forward to:
> SURVIVE
COMPETE
INTERACT
ADAPT
Like before, only the first, blinking one is colored in. Deon selects it.
[PC SPOOLS UP]
TOSHIKO81 (CHAT): (private) We're in-game. Anvil Valley.
The PC shows a new Menu:
> AFFINITY
> ADOPTION
Meanwhile, the Game background has slowly shifted from Orbit to high altitude over the planet's ocean and far lands, just above the highest clouds.
DEON (CHAT): How do I get there?
Deon checks out "AFFINITY". It goes into an EMPTY MENU with only a BACK button and a WARNING MESSAGE saying: "No relationship". He goes back.
TOSHIKO81 (CHAT): (server) Adopt a freebie and come to us.
Deon is excited to play. He opens "ADOPTION", and a new menu populates with a variety of options for CREATURE Cards. He browses, intrigued.
DEON (CHAT): I should go back to bad, really. It's late.
He still takes the time to read through the list.
TOSHIKO81 (CHAT): (private) It's okay. Come back whenever you're ready. We'll be here.
He sets his eyes on a specific entry: SH1_029. It is a SHELDORAPTOR RAIVEI with many TRAITS. He clicks on it and checks out the details...
CREATURE Sheldoraptor raivei SH1_029
Nest: SH1_02, Anvil Valley, Atlantia
It also lists a bunch of Traits. Deon is amazed at just how many it has. He clicks on "SAVE" and a message tells him: "SH1_029 saved to SHELDEX!"
Excited, Deon goes back to the Main Menu:
> PLAY
COMPETE
TERRITORY
> SHELDEX
Now "SHELDEX" is colored in also. He clicks it and opens a new Menu style, different from the atmospheric Scene of the planet. This new Menu is all digital and glassy.
INTERFACE
> CREATURE
TERRITORY
SPECIES
He checks out "CREATURE", and, indeed, in a new Menu, his saved entry is listed at the top:
SH1_029 (in ADOPTION)
DEON: (satisfied) Cool!
Then he sighs and stretches.
DEON (CHAT): I have to go now.
He goes back to the Game main Menu and selects "QUIT".
[PC SPOOLS UP]
TOSHIKO81 (CHAT): (private) OK, see ya!
The game unloads, and Deon shuts the PC down.
CUT TO:
DEBATE: CLIENT LORE
YOU ARE READING
The Road to Hastral
AdventureDeon, 15, is approached by a movie agent over a compelling story award he won through his school, and now they want to make a movie on it, but how is a teenager going to write that killer script and work as a consultant too? Is this a dream or a nig...
