"Sheldonopolis…"
Sheldon Cooperson, the Master of Sheldonopolis… Dr. Sheldon L. Cooper
Calvin Cooperson, his son… Dr. Leonard Hofstadter
Rotwolowitz, the inventor… Howard, the engineer
Amy, Chief Assistant to the Master of Sheldonopolis… Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler
Penny/Futura, her android double…
The Creative Man…
Death…
The Seven Deadly Sins… Penny, the waitress
The Thin Man… Name withheld by request
Male Worker clones… Howard, the engineer
Grotta, chief clone supervisor for the Heart machine…
Female worker clones…
Georgy… Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski
("Howard, the engineer?" "Would you want to be the only one listed without Dr. in front?" Sheldon, archly…
Hmmn…
"It does have a nice ring to it, Howie…" Bernadette notes…
"Yeah, yeah…Forget about 'the engineer'…What about this 'Penny, the waitress' crap?...I'm the only actor in this bunch…"
"And don't forget the Epigram, Leonard… 'Between the Heart and the Head, there must be a Mediator…And that Must be the Human Heart'…Such a wise people, the Germans…"
"Yeah…It's interesting though isn't it that the original story's author Thea von Harbou then decided Hitler of all people was the perfect mediator for Germany and turned her ex-husband/director Fritz Lang in as a Jew to the Nazis." Howard noted.
"Howard?...We agreed it was too easy to get Sheldon with that, when we agreed you could be the mad scientist, not me…Even though I'm a much better choice…And the idea of being Sheldon's son makes me want to vomit…"
"Oh, right…" Raj, frowning… "Try being the Thin Man, chief goon to Sheldon…With almost no lines…"
"And why would we consider you a perfect choice for that?..." Howard. "And you get the single greatest line of all."
"True enough." Raj nodded, reflecting. "And it better not be cut…Like most of the Thin Man's scenes till the restored version appeared."
"And you get to physically intimidate me, Rajesh." Amy noted.
Oh…Involuntary gasp…
Several stares…
Leonard chuckling…Right…Raj "intimidating" Amy…Uh-huh…
"I'm sure Raj will be a perfect gentleman in any 'intimidation'…" Penny noted, hastily.
"Or else…" she glared at Raj…Who gulped.
"No one mentioned any 'physical' things between Rajesh and Amy…" Sheldon, a mite perturbed.
"Oh, he gets very…Physical…" Amy noted, innocently.
Oh…Involuntary gasp…
"Why do you keep doing that?" Sheldon eyed her.
"Doing…What?" innocent gaze.
Right…Amy…Raj sighed.
"Uh, you know…If Sheldon feels uncomfortable about this, I'm sure Bernadette would be willing to step up and…"
"Raj…A word?" Howard, politely…Stepping over. "Sheldon? Care to join us?"
"Why?" Sheldon stared.
"So you can help me physically threaten Rajesh if he makes any moves on Amy or tries again to switch Bernie into the role." Howard, patiently. Raj staring…
"Oh…Right…Excellent notion, Howard." Sheldon, sagely nodding. Stepping over.
"Penny?" Amy had gone over by her bestie…
"You are one shrewd little minx, you…" Penny grinned. "I know I said to let Sheldon know Raj's character would be getting…"
"Oh…Physical?"
"Uh, yeah…Amy? You ok?" concerned look. "Leonard?" she turned to Leonard who came over to take Amy's arm.
"I'm fine…" Amy shook head…
"Not for you!" Sheldon's voice from the corner where he and Howard were discussing matters with Raj…Who gave a sudden shocked groan. "Sheldon?!"
"Sure?" Leonard eyed Amy. Penny, looking a bit anxious. Mainly over Amy's sudden spell, partially eyeing Leonard's grip on Amy's arm.
"Yes…It's just…All this 'physicality'…And display of manly prerogative over my person is making me a little dizzy…" Amy noted, swaying a bit. Eager glance toward Sheldon…
"Maybe this script thing isn't such a good idea." Leonard looked to Penny.
"Oh, no…" Amy put up a hand… "The show…Physicality and all…Must go on! Right, bestie?"
"Hmmn…Oh, yeah." Penny nodded.
Nah, there's nothing there but genuine sweet Leonardly concern.
Even if she is so smart…And has become so open about her "physicality" since we first knew her…
Nope, nothin' at all to worry meself about…C'mon…
Amy and Leonard? No way, no how…
I hope…
"Well, we're all better now…" a beaming Howard with Sheldon, leading a rather anxious Raj back to the group…Bernadette, with them, a bit torn between appreciation for the jealously romantic gesture and annoyance for the same.
"Look, if this is gonna make trouble among us…" Leonard began, carefully…
"I don't think there'll be any trouble now…" Howard, brightly. "Right, Raj?"
"No." sigh.
"Leonard?..." Penny, disappointed tone… "C'mon guys…You said you'd do this for me…As an acting exercise that would let you get into playing roles in a classic sci-fi tale…Leonard, you're the hero…And Raj, the Thin Man is a great part…You get to be the Enforcer, Secret Police Chief, and be Sheldon's conscience later…No small parts, guys…"
"Well, you should certainly know about that…" Sheldon, smugly…Slight frown. "And what would I need a conscience for?" he eyed Amy.
Well…Uh…Amy, looking away.
Oh, I already be melding into my part as adoring assistant to a controlling power-mad dictator…Who turns from him only to save his soul.
"One more word, Sheldon and I'll take Leonard up on that idea to use a digital composite of the real Fredersen to play your character and you can be the wussy worker guy, Georgy…Or one of those worker clone guys who gets fed to the Moloch machine…" Penny glared.
Wussy…? Bernadette hissing to Howard… "I thought you said my female version would be a noble character…"
"And it will…Or the mad Rotwolowitz will deal with the fools standing in his beloved's way." Howard, raised eyebrow, attempt at mad man's look.
"Ok, then…Let the show go on." Bernadette nodded, beaming.
"Are you sure you're right for this part?" Sheldon eyeing Amy. "I don't know if I like having you play this part…"
"Are you attempting to 'physically' intimidate me…Within strict limits, of course...From taking this role?" she eyed him.
"Am I right in assuming…Within strict limits…The answer is yes…Within strict limits…?" he eyed her.
"Within strict limits…Yes."
Oh…)
Prelude…Cue original "Metropolis" score…
Title card…
In 2056, Humanity, devastated by ecological disasters of its own making…Nope, no evil Skynet, no Matrix computer revolt…Heck, the computers have been the only things trying their devoted best to save our miserable hides…Has largely retreated from the Earth's surface to a paradise/Hell of its own creation…Sheldonopolis, the global city, the womb of surviving Humanity.
Part underground labyrinth, part towering crown reaching to the sky, this vast complex covers a large stretch of what was once the urban areas of Earth, with surface points at old New York, London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, Bangkok, New Delhi, Calcutta, Los Angeles, Buenos Ayres, Rio de Janiero, Chicago, all interconnected by a network of caverns and tunnels, mostly underground or undersea. The vast treks of badly damaged, largely lifeless, ocean and lands now are abandoned by Humanity and under the care of its machines, slowly and painfully being restored to viability. Yet within the vast metropolis, one might believe its glittering surface areas and bustling upper caverns, designed by its creators with eye to both utility and beauty, to hold the Paradise Humanity had so long dreamed of.
At least, if you were of the same mind as its creators…
And of the fortunate upper millions, the elite chosen for survival by the world city's creators when all seemed lost and Humanity, in its last gasps of desperate strife, doomed…Before the brilliant minds of the creators had offered a last, best hope.
If however, you were not of the same mind as the said creators…As a member of the pampered, secure elite, you might find the controlled climate and artificial weather conditions monotonous and stifling…The restrictions on use of public space annoying…The political restrictions and limited input into governance contrary to the more advanced notions of human liberty…The restraints of freedom of expression a weight on the spirit. But most such members, raised in the conditions of the supercity, were satisfied with the many perks and indulgences granted the elite…And it had been true that with the initial crisis over, a loosening of the reins had occurred.
A loosening not always considered desirable by certain members of the creative leadership…Particularly the great Administrator himself, the famed Sheldon Cooperson…
Not to be confused with the warm-hearted, free-wheeling, lovable famed physicist Sheldon Cooper of course…
("I had that put in…" Sheldon noted to Amy. "Though really I think Cooperson is the hero here…")
…A man whose vision, with the help of others, had saved all Humanity and was steadily restoring the globe to health…But who had become convinced by the turmoil and destruction and waste of the decades of strife and struggle leading to the triumph of Sheldonopolis that only an iron will in tight control of his great creation could keep Humanity safe and the world on its slow course of healing….
And if, you were not of that pampered elite of millions…You might well find this "paradise" of salvation, a veritable Hell… If you were one of the faceless billions of workers whose toil and effort had not only built this great structure but maintained it, even with their life's blood…A worker race of clones, bred by the creators to serve their great dreams but to have no share in its benefits. The grim solution to centuries of thought on social structure, born of desperation as Earth's human billions had died in scores…Even in their deaths posing a terrible threat to human survival. Billions of workers had been needed to clear the dead and build the great structures and billions were created…Bred supposedly to be content with their limited lot, unable to advance mentally beyond the abilities of say, a reasonably capable engineer or microbiologist…
("Heh, heh, heh…" Howard, forced laugh. "Very funny, guys, very funny…I for one am really gonna enjoy the workers' revolt against you Nazi sons-of-bitches."
"Howie…" Bernadette, sighing. Then grim look. "Don't tell the bastards about our revolt, we want them lulled into security and condescending incomprehension when we strike and kill them all, roasting their effete fat asses over the ashes of their mammoth temple to exploitation."
"So right, dearest." He nodded, happily…The others staring…
"Hey, guys…We're not all bad here…" Leonard tried. "My character's the mediator for you…Plus I wrote a liberal reform movement among the elite into the script…And don't forget, you're part of the leadership. Rotwolowitz…" arch look.
"The part that wants to destroy this unholy Nazi world and watch the people hang your torn out guts out to dry…" smile.
"We'll need better security…That was always a problem in the original film. What was Fredersen thinking not to have a strong police force standing by…" Raj noted, shaking head to Sheldon.)