PROLOGUE – THE WAVE
SETTING:
The dunes in front of Ithaca Towers.
Surfers Paradise.
The sound of waves.
A neon sign flickers behind us.
Early morning.
TELEMACHUS enters carrying a surfboard.
He surveys the ocean.
Searching for waves.
Searching for answers.
He notices the audience.
A beat.
TELEMACHUS
You ever heard of Odysseus?
Hmm?
(Waiting)
You have?
Course you have.
Everyone has.
He's regarded as some kind of hero around here.
King Odi.
Lord of the Seven Seas.
You've probably seen him on the back page of the Courier Mail.
Front page of the Gold Coast Bulletin.
On the tele.
More than a surfer.
More like a god.
Army of blokes following him around the world with cameras.
Chasing glory and six-metre swells.
The CHORUS erupts from the darkness.
Music.
Crowd.
Flashbulbs.
The STUBBIES CLASSIC.
ODI is carried aloft by his crew.
He rings the winner's bell.
The crowd explodes.
ALL
All hail Odysseus!
All hail Odysseus!
All hail Odysseus!
REPORTER 1
Odi! How does it feel to be the first three-time winner of the Stubbies Classic?
ODI
Yeah.
Feels good.
The crowd erupts.
FANGIRL 1
Sign my bum, Odi!
FANGIRL 2
Sign my tits!
Laughter.
REPORTER 2
With today's result you become Surfing World Champion for 1989!
What does that mean to you?
ODI
Means the world.
Been plugging away for years.
Didn't know if I'd ever get one over Hector and the boys.
Good to finally get the win.
Cheers erupt.
REPORTER 3
Any plans for the prize money?
ODI
Yeah.
Penny and I bought Ithaca Towers a few years back.
Plenty of work to do over there.
Keep the wolves at bay.
REPORTER 1
Bit gnarly out there today?
ODI
Yeah mate.
Days like today it's good just to come back in one piece.
REPORTER 2
Anyone you'd like to thank?
ODI
Big thanks to Penny.
And a shout out to my number one fan.
Tele.
Watching at home right now.
See ya soon, mate.
CREW
Onya Tele!
The crowd cheers.
REPORTER 3
Forecast says beach closures tomorrow.
Cyclone moving down the coast.
Looks like you narrowly missed it.
ODI
Haven't missed it yet, mate.
The crowd cheers.
ALL
All hail Odysseus!
All hail Odysseus!
All hail Odysseus!
The celebration continues.
Telemachus watches.
Then:
TELEMACHUS
And that's how the story always gets told.
The trophies.
The magazines.
The interviews.
The cheering.
Nobody ever tells you about the waiting.
The crowd freezes.
TELEMACHUS (CONT'D)
Nobody tells you about birthdays he missed because the swell came in.
Nobody tells you about Mum pretending she wasn't angry.
Nobody tells you what it's like growing up with a bloke everybody belongs to.
The crowd fades slightly.
TELEMACHUS (CONT'D)
Everyone says he was fearless.
Like that's a compliment.
A beat.
TELEMACHUS (CONT'D)
I reckon sometimes he was just selfish.
Silence.
The crowd disappears.
The ocean grows louder.
The light changes.
CHORUS
The next morning—
TELEMACHUS
There it is.
CHORUS
Aeolus arrived in the dead of night.
Wind howling through the high-rises.
Palms bent backwards.
The ocean black and restless.
Like it remembered something.
Like it didn't forgive.
The Chorus becomes storm.
Wind.
Spray.
Darkness.
TELEMACHUS
And every surfer on the coast knew what it meant.
The ocean was loading up.
Something big was coming.
The kind of swell people talk about for years.
The kind of swell my dad could never resist.
We see ODI preparing his board.
Before dawn.
Before reason.
Before common sense.
Inside Ithaca Towers a light glows.
Penny boiling a kettle.
Telemachus watching from the dunes.
TELEMACHUS (CONT'D)
I remember thinking:
This is it.
The after-party for winning the Stubbies.
The biggest wave of his life.
ODI starts toward the beach.
TELEMACHUS
You're not going out in that.
ODI
You don't turn your back on a swell like this, Tele.
TELEMACHUS
You're mad.
ODI
Madder not to.
TELEMACHUS
Dad—
ODI
Tell your mum I'll be back before the wind turns south.
A beat.
A final look.
Then Odi runs.
Straight into the storm.
Straight into the surf.
Straight into the myth.
The Chorus becomes ocean.
Waves rising.
Bodies rolling.
Fabric surging.
CHORUS
Past the flags.
Past the break.
Past the point where sensible men turn around.
TELEMACHUS
Past his wife.
Past his son.
Past every reason to come home.
The wave rises.
Bigger.
Bigger.
Impossible.
TELEMACHUS
Dad.
Turn around.
The wave consumes Odi.
Silence.
CHORUS
Gone.
Taken.
Claimed by the sea.
TELEMACHUS
No.
Don't do that.
Don't turn him into a story.
A beat.
TELEMACHUS (CONT'D)
He disappeared.
That's it.
He disappeared.
And Mum stopped sleeping.
And I stopped waiting.
And everybody else got to talk about waves.
Long silence.
TELEMACHUS
So if you're here for the legend—
Good luck.
Beat.
TELEMACHUS
This is what actually happened.
BLACKOUT.
SCENE 1 – ITHACA TOWERS
Morning.
The motel comes alive.
PENELOPE is already working.
TELEMACHUS sits waxing his board.
PENELOPE
TELEMACHUS!
TELEMACHUS
They heard you in Coolangatta.
PENELOPE
Mate, I'll need a hand this morning.
TELEMACHUS
Yep.
PENELOPE
We've got four families checking in.
TELEMACHUS
Yep.
PENELOPE
Laundry.
TELEMACHUS
Yep.
PENELOPE
Breakfasts.
TELEMACHUS
Yep.
PENELOPE
And unless your father suddenly walks out of the ocean, I'm doing all of it myself.
Silence.
TELEMACHUS
Athena and me are going for a surf.
PENELOPE
A surf?
Mate, I can't do this all on my own.
TELEMACHUS
I know.
PENELOPE
Do you?
I've got guests, breakfasts, dinners, maintenance, the council breathing down my neck about the dunes and the bloke in Unit Five who wants me to wash the skiddies off his towels three times a day.
TELEMACHUS
I get it.
PENELOPE
You're not a kid anymore.
TELEMACHUS
I finished school last week.
Everyone else is at Schoolies.
PENELOPE
There'll be time later.
TELEMACHUS
When?
Silence.
PENELOPE
I'm sorry your dad disappeared at an inconvenient time for your Schoolies celebrations.
Instant regret.
TELEMACHUS
So now he's disappeared?
PENELOPE
Don't.
TELEMACHUS
Ten weeks, Mum.
PENELOPE
There's no body.
TELEMACHUS
It was a seven metre swell.
PENELOPE
There's no body.
A long pause.
PENELOPE
If anyone could survive it, it'd be your father.
Until I know—
She can't finish.
TELEMACHUS
Everyone keeps acting like he's coming back.
PENELOPE
Tele—
TELEMACHUS
Ten weeks.
PENELOPE
Go for a surf.
Have a good time.
One of us should.
Silence.
She immediately regrets it.
TELEMACHUS hears it.
ATHENA'S horn sounds.
PENELOPE
Back by lunch.
Promise.
TELEMACHUS
Promise.
TRITON enters.
Tailored shirt.
Loafers.
Perfectly wrong for the beach.
PENELOPE
No.
TRITON
You haven't even seen the offer.
PENELOPE
Loafers in the sand.
I've seen enough.
She exits.
TRITON
Pene—
He notices Telemachus.
TRITON
She can't run this place alone.
TELEMACHUS
She's not.
TRITON
The bank thinks otherwise.
TELEMACHUS
My dad's missing ten weeks and you lot swoop in like seagulls on a hot chip.
TRITON
You got a mouth on you.
TELEMACHUS
Must be all the sea air.
TRITON
Your mum should sell.
TELEMACHUS
And you should give up.
TRITON
Mate—
TELEMACHUS
Seriously.
You've been trying to buy this place for months.
How's that going?
TRITON
Funny.
TELEMACHUS
You know what's funny?
You blokes waiting ten weeks before circling.
At least vultures have the decency to wait till something's actually dead.
TRITON
Careful.
TELEMACHUS
Or what?
TRITON
Or you'll grow up and realise I'm right.
ATHENA enters carrying her surfboard.
ATHENA
What's my brother doing down here?
TELEMACHUS
Trying to buy Ithaca.
ATHENA
Still?
TRITON
Morning to you too.
ATHENA
It's ten-thirty.
TRITON
Close enough.
ATHENA
You know he's not selling.
TRITON
It's not his decision.
ATHENA
No.
It's Penny's.
Which means you're wasting your time.
TRITON
We'll see.
ATHENA
We already have.
A beat.
TRITON glares.
ATHENA doesn't care.
ATHENA (CONT'D)
Ready?
TELEMACHUS
More than ready.
ATHENA
Good.
Let's go before he starts talking about market value again.
TELEMACHUS
Too late.
They head toward the water.
Behind them:
PENELOPE bursts back out.
PENELOPE
Get out!
A briefcase flies from reception.
TRITON scrambles after it.
ATHENA and TELEMACHUS laugh despite themselves.
TRITON
Pene—
PENELOPE
You tell your client to stick his offer up his jatz cracker and leave us alone.
TRITON
Everyone has their price.
PENELOPE
Then you don't understand what this place is.
TRITON
It's a motel.
PENELOPE
It's our home.
Silence.
TRITON
There's a lot of debt attached to that home.
PENELOPE
Get off my property.
TRITON
The bank won't be nearly as polite as me.
PENELOPE
Then it's a good thing I'm talking to you.
TRITON
The offer drops when the pressure rises.
That's just how it works.
PENELOPE
Get.
Off.
My.
Property.
A beat.
TRITON hands her a card.
TRITON
When you change your mind.
He exits.
A MAID emerges holding a towel.
MAID
Pene?
The gentleman in Unit Five was wondering—
PENELOPE sees the skid mark.
Long pause.
PENELOPE
Give me that.
She snatches the towel and storms inside.
BLACKOUT.
SCENE 2 – OUT THE BACK
The ocean.
Open water.
Nothing but horizon.
ATHENA and TELEMACHUS sit astride their boards.
The Chorus creates the swell beneath them.
For a while they simply drift.
ATHENA
Bit bigger than yesterday.
TELEMACHUS
Yeah.
ATHENA
You nervous?
TELEMACHUS
About a wave?
ATHENA
About anything.
A beat.
TELEMACHUS
That's subtle.
ATHENA
Been practising.
A small smile.
ATHENA watches him.
ATHENA (CONT'D)
How's your mum?
TELEMACHUS
Busy.
ATHENA
That's not what I asked.
TELEMACHUS
That's the answer.
Silence.
ATHENA
She's worried.
TELEMACHUS
Everyone's worried.
The banks are worried.
The media are worried.
The neighbours are worried.
Everybody gets to be worried.
ATHENA
People care.
TELEMACHUS
People love a story.
Big difference.
ATHENA
Not everybody.
TELEMACHUS
The banks want their money.
The reporters want their headline.
The tourists want to stay in the room where the missing surf legend used to sleep.
ATHENA
Tele—
TELEMACHUS
What?
ATHENA
Stop.
A beat.
ATHENA (CONT'D)
You don't have to carry all of it.
TELEMACHUS laughs.
Not because it's funny.
TELEMACHUS
Yeah I do.
Nobody else is.
ATHENA
Your mum is.
That lands.
TELEMACHUS
Exactly.
She's always the one left holding everything together.
A swell rises beneath them.
ATHENA
You miss him.
TELEMACHUS
That's the stupid part.
A beat.
TELEMACHUS (CONT'D)
I'm angry at him.
And I still miss him.
Neither speaks.
ATHENA
You don't know he's dead.
TELEMACHUS
Ten weeks.
ATHENA
People survive things.
TELEMACHUS
Not this.
ATHENA
You don't know that.
TELEMACHUS
I'm sick of waiting.
Silence.
The ocean breathes around them.
TELEMACHUS (CONT'D)
Every morning someone asks if we've heard anything.
Every afternoon someone says they're praying.
Every night Mum pretends she's okay.
Then tomorrow everybody does it again.
ATHENA
She's trying.
TELEMACHUS
I know.
That's the problem.
A long pause.
ATHENA
You know...
TELEMACHUS
Here we go.
ATHENA
You could stop being miserable for one night.
TELEMACHUS
Impossible.
ATHENA
Pretty sure it's not.
TELEMACHUS
Got evidence?
ATHENA
Schoolies.
Tonight.
Bad music.
Questionable drinks.
Terrible decisions.
TELEMACHUS
Sounds awful.
ATHENA
You're coming.
TELEMACHUS
One drink.
ATHENA
Sure.
TELEMACHUS
That's not convincing.
ATHENA
It's not meant to be.
A set approaches.
ATHENA
Ready?
TELEMACHUS
Yeah.
ATHENA
Liar.
They paddle.
BLACKOUT.
SCENE 3 – POSEIDON'S PENTHOUSE
Glass.
Steel.
Money.
The city sprawls beneath them.
POSEIDON stands at the window on the phone.
POSEIDON
Trust me.
It's done.
A beat.
POSEIDON (CONT'D)
No.
Not nearly done.
Done.
I've got people on it.
Another beat.
POSEIDON smiles.
POSEIDON (CONT'D)
The property's as good as yours.
Pause.
POSEIDON (CONT'D)
I'll call when the paperwork's signed.
He hangs up.
The lift opens.
TRITON enters.
POSEIDON
You're late.
TRITON
Traffic.
POSEIDON
You live downstairs.
TRITON
Lift traffic.
POSEIDON doesn't laugh.
TRITON's confidence fades.
POSEIDON
Well?
TRITON
She didn't sign.
Silence.
POSEIDON slowly turns.
POSEIDON
What?
TRITON
She needs time.
POSEIDON
No she doesn't.
She's negotiating.
Did you make an offer?
TRITON
Yes.
POSEIDON
A real offer?
TRITON
Yes.
POSEIDON
Then why didn't she sign?
TRITON
Because she doesn't want to sell.
POSEIDON laughs once.
POSEIDON
Jesus Christ.
You actually believed that.
Nobody wants to sell.
Everybody sells.
That's the entire industry.
He pours a drink.
POSEIDON (CONT'D)
You know what real estate is?
TRITON
Property?
POSEIDON
Wrong.
It's timing.
Pressure.
Understanding exactly what someone needs before they do.
People don't sell because they want to.
People sell because eventually they have to.
TRITON
That's cynical.
POSEIDON
That's business.
Go back.
TRITON
Now?
POSEIDON
Immediately.
I just told Jupiter the property's as good as his.
TRITON
But she hasn't signed.
POSEIDON
Then get the signature.
ATHENA enters.
ATHENA
Oh good.
The vultures are nesting.
POSEIDON
Athena.
ATHENA
You know her husband disappeared ten weeks ago?
And your response was to buy her motel?
POSEIDON
Her motel isn't my concern.
ATHENA
Apparently it is.
POSEIDON
The world doesn't stop because somebody's sad.
ATHENA
No.
Just you.
A beat.
ATHENA heads for her room.
POSEIDON
Where are you going?
ATHENA
Out.
POSEIDON
Where?
ATHENA
Schoolies.
Try not to buy anything while I'm gone.
She exits.
Silence.
TRITON
She's got a point.
POSEIDON
No she doesn't.
The lift dings.
A new presence enters.
CYCLOPS.
The room changes.
POSEIDON
You're late.
CYCLOPS
Traffic.
POSEIDON
What is it?
CYCLOPS
We've got a problem.
POSEIDON
What kind of problem?
A beat.
CYCLOPS
Your surfer.
POSEIDON
What about him?
CYCLOPS
He's been seen.
Silence.
POSEIDON
That's impossible.
CYCLOPS
Maybe.
POSEIDON
He's gone.
CYCLOPS
Maybe.
A beat.
CYCLOPS (CONT'D)
Or maybe Odysseus just showed up on the Gold Coast.
BLACKOUT.
SCENE 4 — CAVILL AVENUE
SETTING:
Schoolies.
Cavill Avenue.
Music pumps from every direction.
The stage is alive with movement.
Schoolies.
Tourists.
Drunks.
Street performers.
A city determined not to sleep.
Odi enters.
He looks like a traveller in a strange land.
Everything fascinates him.
Everything confuses him.
A girl catches his attention as she hurries through the crowd.
A wolf whistle.
She stops.
Three bikies emerge from the shadows.
BIKIE 1
Hey, Spunkrat!
Where you headed?
TIFFANY
Work.
I'm so sorry.
I can't stop.
I'm late.
BIKIE 1
We'll give you a permission slip.
Won't we, lads?
BIKIE 2
S-U-R-E we can.
BIKIE 3
Don't want to see you get in any trouble.
BIKIE 1
What's your name?
TIFFANY
Tiffany.
BIKIE 1
Tiffany.
Pretty name.
(The bikies laugh.)
Where you headed tonight, Tiffany?
TIFFANY
Sirens.
It's the new club.
I've only just started.
BIKIE 1
Grouse.
I'll buy ya a drink.
TIFFANY
I really need to go.
BIKIE 1
I don't think you do.
(He grabs her wrist.)
ODI
Hey mate.
Hands off, please.
(The bikie turns.)
BIKIE 1
You know who you're talking to, stranger?
ODI
Some bloke who thinks it's alright to grab women in the street.
BIKIE 1
Well, I suppose that's right.
And who am I talking to?
ODI
Just a guy.
And I said please.
BIKIE 1
(Laughing)
Hey boys.
He said please.
BIKIE 2
P-L-E-A-S-E!
BIKIE 3
Well that changes everything.
BIKIE 1
You should've kept walking, mate.
ODI
Probably.
(He looks at Tiffany.)
You should go, love.
(Tiffany hesitates.)
ODI (CONT'D)
Go.
(She runs.)
BIKIE 1
Now that annoys me.
You see, me and Tiffany were getting acquainted.
ODI
Sorry about that.
BIKIE 1
Oh, you will be.
(Odi turns to leave.)
BIKIE 1 (CONT'D)
Not so fast.
(Bikie 2 and 3 grab Odi.)
Now you took something from me.
Which means I take something from you.
That's how the world works.
ODI
I haven't got anything.
BIKIE 1
Empty his pockets.
(They do.)
BIKIE 2
Nothing.
BIKIE 1
Then I'll take something else.
Give us your finger.
(He produces a pair of pliers.)
BIKIE 3
Hang on.
Look.
(He points to Odi's wedding ring.)
BIKIE 1
Well.
That's not nothing.
You married?
ODI
Apparently.
BIKIE 1
Apparently?
ODI
Lost my memory.
BIKIE 2
Seriously?
ODI
Apparently.
BIKIE 1
Well that's unfortunate.
Ring or finger.
Your choice.
ODI
Then I guess it's the finger.
BIKIE 1
Have it your way.
(He moves in.)
In a flash—
Odi breaks free.
The pliers are suddenly at Bikie 1's throat.
Everything freezes.
ODI
Now.
I don't want to hurt anyone.
But I've got nothing I can give you.
Understand?
BIKIE 1
Yep.
Understand.
BIKIE 2
Want me to hit him, boss?
BIKIE 1
I'm standing right here, you idiot.
What if you miss?
BIKIE 3
Rocks down?
BIKIE 1
Rocks down.
(Odi lowers the pliers slightly.)
ODI
You said I took something.
How about I trade you.
I'll give you back your pliers.
And I'll give you back your life.
A long beat.
BIKIE 1
You've got some balls.
ODI
Do we have a deal?
BIKIE 1
We have a deal.
(Odi releases him.)
The bikie takes back his pliers.
Studies Odi carefully.
For the first time, genuinely unsettled.
BIKIE 1
Who taught you that?
ODI
What?
BIKIE 1
Whatever the hell you just did.
ODI
Wish I knew.
Silence.
BIKIE 1
Yeah.
Me too.
(The bikies back away.)
BIKIE 1 (CONT'D)
Have a good night, mystery man.
(The Laestrygonians disappear into the crowd.)
The noise of Schoolies rushes back in.
For a moment Odi stands alone.
Lost.
A voice:
TIFFANY
Hey.
(Odi turns.)
Tiffany has returned.
Three women stand with her.
Confident.
Streetwise.
Dangerous in an entirely different way.
At their centre stands CIRCE.
She studies Odi.
CIRCE
You alright?
ODI
Define alright.
CIRCE
Concussion?
ODI
Maybe.
CIRCE
Drugs?
ODI
Not intentionally.
CIRCE
That's usually the worst kind.
(The women laugh.)
TIFFANY
He saved me.
CIRCE
I gathered.
(To Odi)
What's your name?
ODI
Odi.
Apparently.
CIRCE
Apparently?
ODI
Lost my memory.
CIRCE
Ah.
There it is.
TIFFANY
What?
CIRCE
The look.
I've seen it before.
TIFFANY
You've seen amnesia before?
CIRCE
No.
Men.
(The Sirens laugh.)
Even Odi smiles.
A little.
CIRCE (CONT'D)
You eaten?
ODI
Don't think so.
CIRCE
Thought not.
TIFFANY
Come have a drink with us.
ODI
No thanks.
TIFFANY
Why not?
ODI
I've got to figure out who I am.
CIRCE
Mate.
If you've forgotten who you are, one drink isn't what's slowing you down.
The Sirens laugh.
ODI
Fair point.
TIFFANY
One drink.
ODI
That's how it starts.
CIRCE
Correct.
TIFFANY
Come on.
(Odi looks around.)
The lights.
The music.
The city.
Nothing feels familiar.
Nothing feels like home.
For the first time all night, somebody is offering him somewhere to belong.
A beat.
ODI
One drink.
TIFFANY
That's the spirit.
CIRCE
Famous last words.
(The Sirens lead him toward the glowing entrance of SIRENS.)
Music rises.
Neon floods the stage.
The doors open.
Blackout.
SCENE 5 — SIRENS
SETTING:
The Sirens nightclub.
Neon.
Smoke.
Velvet.
Music.
A place that feels both glamorous and dangerous.
The stage pulses with life.
At one side sits ODI.
A drink in front of him.
Watching.
Listening.
Trying to understand the world.
CIRCE patrols the room like a general.
Nothing escapes her notice.
TIFFANY and the SIRENS weave through the crowd.
The club is full.
The night is young.
At centre stage a SIREN takes the microphone.
Music rises.
The room quiets.
SIREN
(singing)
Well the waves keep rolling
And the tide rolls through
Everybody's searching
For somebody new...
The crowd cheers.
Glasses raised.
Music swells.
Odi watches.
Something about the melody catches him.
Not a memory.
A feeling.
Gone before he can grasp it.
TIFFANY appears beside him.
TIFFANY
You alright?
ODI
Maybe.
TIFFANY
That's an improvement.
ODI
Apparently.
TIFFANY
Still don't know who you are?
ODI
No.
TIFFANY
Lucky.
I'd start over if I could.
CIRCE
(from across the room)
No you wouldn't.
TIFFANY
Maybe a little.
CIRCE
You'd last six minutes.
The women laugh.
The music continues.
Drinks flow.
The crowd becomes louder.
Messier.
The Chorus begin to transform.
Not literally.
Physically.
A little too hungry.
A little too loud.
A little too selfish.
The SIREN continues singing.
CHORUS
More!
Another round!
Drink!
Drink!
Drink!
The energy shifts.
Something uglier emerges.
One man shoves another.
A couple begin arguing.
Someone spills a drink.
Nobody apologises.
CIRCE sees it immediately.
CIRCE
Easy.
Sit down.
Take a breath.
Nobody listens.
The crowd grows worse.
Greedier.
Sweatier.
Louder.
The Chorus begin incorporating pig-like gestures.
Snorting.
Grunting.
Scrambling for drinks.
The transformation is unsettling and funny at first.
Then not funny.
GARY emerges from the crowd.
Already drunk.
Already angry.
GARY
Oi!
Where's my drink?
TIFFANY
You just had one.
GARY
Then get another.
TIFFANY
No.
GARY
What'd you say?
CIRCE appears.
Instantly.
CIRCE
She said no.
GARY
Who asked you?
CIRCE
My building.
My staff.
My rules.
GARY
Your rules?
CIRCE
Correct.
GARY
You reckon you're tough?
CIRCE
No.
I know I am.
The crowd laughs.
Gary doesn't.
He's humiliated.
Dangerous.
GARY
You're a smart mouth.
CIRCE
And you're drunk.
Go home.
GARY
Make me.
Silence.
CIRCE steps closer.
Not intimidated.
Not even slightly.
GARY shoves her.
Everything freezes.
Odi stands.
The movement is instinctive.
Like breathing.
ODI
Mate.
GARY
Who asked you?
ODI
Nobody.
GARY
Sit down.
ODI
Leave.
Silence.
GARY laughs.
The crowd watches.
GARY
Or what?
ODI
Or you'll embarrass yourself.
The room reacts.
Gary doesn't like being laughed at.
GARY
You reckon?
ODI
Yeah.
I do.
A beat.
Gary squares up.
Circe studies Odi carefully.
Watching.
Measuring.
Something about him.
The confidence.
The calm.
It's familiar.
Gary backs away.
Not because he's afraid.
Because he's outnumbered.
GARY
This place is a joke.
CIRCE
And yet you're still here.
Gary exits.
The tension breaks.
Music resumes.
People laugh nervously.
The Sirens get things moving again.
TIFFANY
Nice work.
ODI
Didn't do much.
CIRCE
You always say that after you've done something.
A beat.
ODI
Have we met?
CIRCE
No.
But I've met men like you.
Silence.
The music changes.
Softer now.
More intimate.
The singer begins another song.
A simple melody.
Something old.
Something familiar.
The room fades.
The lights shift.
The sound seems distant.
Across the stage—
A woman appears.
PENNY.
Not real.
Not entirely.
A memory.
A dream.
An apparition.
Only Odi sees her.
She sings softly.
PENNY
(singing)
Come home...
Come home...
The waves are rising
But I'll leave the light on...
Odi freezes.
Everything else disappears.
The nightclub dissolves.
Only her remains.
ODI
...
The apparition smiles.
PENNY continues.
PENNY
(singing)
Come home...
A tear appears in Odi's eye.
He doesn't understand why.
ODI
I know you.
The apparition says nothing.
Only sings.
ODI
I know you.
A beat.
The feeling overwhelms him.
ODI
I love you.
Silence.
The music stops.
Reality crashes back.
Gary has returned.
He has only heard the last line.
GARY
What'd you say?
Odi doesn't hear him.
Still staring at Penny.
ODI
I love you.
GARY
You got a problem, mate?
The apparition vanishes.
ODI
Wait—
GARY
Yeah.
That's what I thought.
Gary punches him.
Hard.
Odi drops instantly.
The room erupts.
TIFFANY screams.
CIRCE moves.
The Sirens rush forward.
Odi lies motionless.
The nightclub spins around him.
Blackout.