BITCOLLECT . scifi crypto thriller . screenplay

EXT. LOS ANGELES BASIN - NIGHT

Besame Mucho by The Beatles in the distance. The traffic creates rivers of light flowing below a lingering marine layer.

The blood red Cesna Citation, chasing darkness before dawn, descends into the mist.

INT. CABIN

Besame full blast on a Bose, sitting atop a minibar across the cabin from the arm wrestling.

Six buxom broads in suits cheer the contest. A seventh, sans blazer, struggles to finish a winning position. Her eyes share a glimmer of hubris, then her face a flash of fear, before being dumped in defeat. They cheer as another removes her blazer to face the blue jeans beauty in a Cowboy hat sitting across the table.

The SEVEN SISTERS shout & shove, finishing each other's drinks & sentences in thick European accents. The COWBOY cracks her leather bound knuckles and picks up a bottle of Bud while her last opponent peals herself off the floor.

    SISTER 
Ha ha ha! COWBOY broke my arm!

    SISTERS
Ha ha ha!

    SISTER
Hell of a hammer Cowboy. My turn.

    SISTER
Not kidding. Can't move.

    SISTER
Am I last?  Has everybody gone?

    SISTER
Broken.

    SISTERS
Go! Go! Go! Go!

The next sister takes a couple hard locker room pats on the butt then saddles up to the table.

She sets a bean bag on the table. Her elbow nestles into the beans.

Her fist opens up in one giant swiss alps rock climbing, goat catching, perfectly manicured BIG HAND.

Cowboy squeezes a resin bag in one glove, and raises her bud in the other.

The ladies’ palms smack together in a powder white cloud.

Cowboy slams Big Hands and her beer. The girls go wild.

    SISTERS
Holy Shit!  Holy Shit!  Holy Shit!  

EXT. THE CITATION

The music seems distant in the wind. The window's white lights flicker upon the red wings above the Hollywood Reservoir.

INT. THE CABIN

Sisters refresh their drinks, cutting lines & limes around the little mini bar besides the arm wrestling table. A giggling, SISTER BIG HANDS is being helped up from the floor. BROKEN ARM SISTER wraps her tie into a sling. The Bose is turned off but everyone’s still a little horny for Cowboy’s Americana. She lets ‘em kiss n touch her just a lil bit. Everybody knows who’s really got power...

    BIG HANDS
We talk business now baby. 

    SISTER
We like you Cowboy.  

    SISTER
The Sisters have always liked you. 
We trust you. 

    COWBOY
Careful now, tell me how you really feel.

    SISTER
We always have!  We all know. 

    SISTER
Everybody knows.

    SISTER
Cowboy is best messenger for corn.

    SISTER
Can’t kill the messenger if 
you can’t forget the message.

    SISTER
If you need to send message?-

    SISTER
-unmuted, anonymous, decentralized-

    SISTER
Still Wild West of Crypto. 
We long long way from Neom.

    SISTER
Cowboy comes collect but call 
her quick, she wants to ride into
the sunset. 

    SISTER
Everybody knows.

    SISTER 
Wrangle some bulls for us, 
Cowboy. Please. 

    SISTER
We gotta send a message to 
every herd.  

    SISTER
Sheep don’t flock, Whales don’t wash, 
everybody turn Pig. 

    SISTER
We don’t want a war.

    SISTER
Nobody likes a glutton.

    SISTER
Everybody knows. 

    SISTER
But such unvolatile markets,
the rise of Sovereign Governance,
AI’s crushing dissapointment... 

    BROKEN SISTER
Uncertain times.

    SISTER
Dare we let them care?

    SISTER
What's a bull gotta do to eat 
some shorts hahaha!

    SISTER
We've always done good business- 
together Cowboy. We know that, 
you know that.

    COWBOY
I know I do what you pay me to do.

    SISTER
What are we paying you to do 
this time?

    COWBOY
Find em, Tell em, Take it, Kill em. 
Make it look good for the papers.

    SISTER
Sinister Bitch.

    SISTER
Locate the debtor. Once the debt is 
collected, the contract is 
"Allowed" to expire.

    SISTER
Tie him up. 

    SISTER
Pills.

    SISTER
Hemmingway shot.

    SISTER
Carve it in his face. 

    SISTER
Fuck that guy-

    SISTERS
Sisters...   

    SISTER
On this card is the debtors name and
a bitcoin paper wallet address. 

A single white business card with shimmering black ink.

When You tell him The Sisters sent you. 
He will know what to do. 
He will know how much.
He will send it.   

    SISTER
But he does not know how it ends. 

    COWBOY
Nobody does. 

Cowboy squints at the little white business card in her glove before tucking it behind her ear.

    SISTER
Once expiration is documented on 
the chain, a smart contract will 
execute second payment 
to the address of your choice. 

    SISTER
It's important that it looks 
like an accident.

    COWBOY
Accident? Thought someone said Suicide? 
Want a Lover's Quarrel or hit by a Bus?  
You ladies know how I like my ducks.

    BROKEN SISTER
Suicide.  This one's a suicide. Our press 
will spin the rest.  

    COWBOY
I might ask why y'all need this pariah, I
do want to know what I’m looking for.


    SISTER
He’s just some DUMB BUM.

    SISTER
He's a nobody.


    SISTER
Day late, dollar short.

    SISTER
Never has been never gonna be.

    SISTER
Just another dependable expendables 
on skid row fits the bill.

    COWBOY
Bad News. Bad Influence.

    SISTER
Shitty little Exit Scammer.

    SISTER
Homeless is anything but 
an excuse these days.

    SISTER
Retarded, Wounded, Whatever.

    SISTER
Tsk tsk.
    
    COWBOY
That type a fella type huh?

    SISTER
Type of guy who had it coming. 


    SISTER
Type of man who talks a lot of shit about
a lot of shit he doesn’t know shit about.

    SISTER
Type who tells you how to raise your     
kids, live your life.

    SISTER
Never buys a beer, owes the mooch money. 

    SISTER
Fuck that guy.

    SISTER
Makes dogs bark.

Cocaine and pills are slapped into faces.

    SISTER
Invite him to a cup of coffee at 
a convention and he blows you off. 

    SISTER
Real ‘Eagle Scout’ rubbed 
shoulders tending bar 
 for winners, names for press.  

    SISTER
Lost it on a couple of lawn chairs.    

    SISTER
9/11 was an inside job type o jobber. 
“Can’t break the laws of physics” 
bullshiter. Lots of shitty 
social media dirt. 

    SISTER
Even Bernie Sanders and The Viking
want him rekt. 

    SISTER
Douche bag looser not a good shill.

    SISTER
Can’t hold it together for 
Christmas.

    SISTER
Ya think the world of someone
til you meet and they turn out 
to be Droopy.
    
    SISTER
Fits the bill. Fuck that guy.

    SISTER
Drinks coffee in the locker room.  
Plays air guitar at the Bar B Q.  
Rides a rental bike instead of 
taking the bus. 

    SISTER
Single white male forty year old, 
who-gives-a-shit fuck-that-guy.

    SISTER
Apparently needs surgery but doesn't 
no insurance, so he walks with 
a limp when he thinks nobody’s looking.

    SISTER
Excuses excuses.


    SISTER
Cry baby lil bitch petty thief glutton.

    SISTER
Fuck’n can’t remember a birthday
or where he left his pen.

    SISTER
Type of fella who volunteers at 
Charities that help people more 
fortunate than him. Ends up making 
good hearted rich donors uncomfortable.

    SISTERS
Fuck. That. Guy.

    BIG HANDS
Fuck ‘m.

Symphony of vodkas being kissed.

    COWBOY
Is he a threat?

    SISTERS
Nein!

    SISTER
Real bleeding pelican song.

    SISTER
Losing another job.
Taking it personally, stoner 
push over for trying in the
city with no pity. 

    SISTER
Everybody knows High Turnover’s good 
for fiscal & emotional HR. 

    COWBOY
Where is the danger?

    SISTER
The Danger is the People. 

    SISTER
Only half the population are chipped 
with Bitcoin, at this time. 

    SISTER  
At this time.

    SISTER
But if the people,

    SISTER
People start getting bad ideas. 
Start getting more than two ideas. 


    SISTER
You are chipped or not chipped.

    SISTER
You are free or a threat to the living.

    SISTER
Send a bad message 
for blockchain when 
squatters linger.

    SISTER
We must build a wall of fear
to defend ourselves Homelessness.

    SISTER
The Living and the Dead.

    SISTER
When the people find out how hard it is…

    SISTER
How easy it is…

    SISTER
Stop thinking. 

    SISTER 
What if they can go back.  

    SISTER
We will never go back 

    SISTER
It is law. We hosted elections.

    SISTER
Welcome to earth.  Babies are chipped, 
vaccinated, baptized,
and little boys circumcised. 

    SISTER
We don’t want war.

    SISTER
We can force it into the 30% that
survive, or they can do it by their
own free will. 

    SISTER
Either way, everybody knows.

    SISTER
We don’t Want war. But the people
continue to care about the homeless.

    SISTER
The only thing they’ll care about
is holding on to what’s left of freedom.

    SISTER
Bitcoin is Freedom 

    SISTER
Ha! Ha! Ha! 
Freedom!

    SISTER
They get so triggered over that 
word-

They punch each other in the arms. Broken Sister whinces when she's hit, then sits across from Cowboy.

    BROKEN SISTER
   (the hubris returns)
When we were little girls,
Teachers used to tell us,

“The only guarantee in this life,
is blood will cover the Appian Way, 
with Death and Taxes.”

The Chip guarantees it. 

    SISTER
Bitcoin guarantees the chip. 
Any questions?

    COWBOY
Y'all come up with that in a
writer’s room or was it improvised?

    BROKEN
What is Your bitcoin address?


    COWBOY
Thank you for the vibrant character 
analysis, and refresher on current 
affairs, but you didn’t you 
still haven’t told me what 
this fella looks like.

    BROKEN SISTER
Yes we did.

    SISTER
We told you everything.

    SISTER
Everything we know. 

    SISTER
Everything everybody knows.

    SISTER
Do you want us to repeat it? 

    COWBOY
Maybe.  And you are sure this is 
his real name?

She flips the card out from behind her ear and reads.

    COWBOY
Johny Shorts? Sounds like a fake name.

    SISTER
Take it up with casting.

    SISTER
He’s deleting his accounts. He’s 
on the run. 

    SISTER
-troubling behaviour according to our
statistics-

    SISTER
Camping on skid row sending emotional 
messages. Trying to “Stay Positive”.

    SISTER
“He’s trying”.

    SISTERS
Ha ha ha ha ha!

    BROKEN SISTER
People will believe whatever we 
tell them to.

    SISTER
And we might as well tell you this-

    COWBOY
Tell me then.

    SISTER
Cowboy, we know Suiciding Celebs
is your wheelhouse,  

    SISTER
-she put Blackfriars Bridge to shame-

    SISTER
but this one is just some 
nobody.  Don’t overthink it.

    COWBOY
What does he look like? 
You did not tell me what he 
looks like.

    SISTERS
Yes we did. 

    SISTER
We told you everything. Everything
we have.

    SISTER
Every word we just told you was something
recorded on blockchain. Written, said,

    SISTER
seen, or heard; and recovered via
keystroke or public surveillance.

    SISTER
Blockchain is beautiful. Everything 
is forever.

    SISTER
He was just a blip to begin with, 
but he’s been deleting friends.

    COWBOY
Johny Shorts had friends? 

    SISTER
“Poor man’s Lee Harvey. 
Shadow of Wilkes Boothe. Real Taxi
Driver Type.”  

    SISTER
Just some DUMB BUM.

    COWBOY
Find and kill the cliche.

    SISTER
Every word was just something, 
someone said about this blip.

    COWBOY
Ever thought of just hiring 
better writers at Forbes?

    SISTER
The patzi fits the bill. He’ll give
you no trouble and play his part.

    SISTER
Nobody will remember him. They’ll
remember the message

    SISTER
Johny might not remember where he 
slept the night before but he’ll
remember us.  He’ll never forget. 

    COWBOY
I believe you. How do You all feel?

    SISTER
Thirsty. Hungry. 

    SISTER
Sister’s, it’s the Cowboy...

    COWBOY
Looks like we’re landing soon. 
You asked for an address to 
send me corn-

Cowboy reaches behind her ear, reveals a 9 mm bullet with blinking blue tip, and sets it on the table.

Broken Arm Sister watches, reaches within her blouse to reveal a tiny red Nano Ledger, and sets it next to the bullet.

The Bullet's blue light casts a number and a barcode on the table. The Nano's light casts a red border that hovers around the barcode. A beep and the lights are gone.

Broken looks at Cowboy. Cowboy looks at the Sisters.

    BROKEN ARM
Done. 333 BTC. 

    COWBOY
Gracias.

Eyebrows.

We talk business now, Baby.  

EXT. THE CITATION

Along the belly of the red jet, the wind is so loud it almost muffles the drama within. The landing gear lowers above the blinking Burbank runway.

INT. THE CABIN

Cowboy is still sitting, still staring at the sisters. One of her hands raises her bottle of Bud, the other pins Broken Sister's hand to the table with the bar knife.

Hand still trembling, Broken has screamed herself into exhaustion. Cowboy finishes her beer while Broken weeps herself back into consciousness.

The Sisters are frozen, Cowboy has their attention.

EXT. BOB HOPE AIRPORT - DAWN

The Citation descends towards the tower’s silohettes. The tarmac still blinking despite the first glimpse of light.

INT. THE CITATION

Nobody has moved. The landing jars Broken’s stigmata into tears. Cowboy hushes her and everyone.

EXT. THE RUNWAY

The grounds crew wave the Citation to a stop. Seven large SUVs surround the jet. A luggage cart wobbles up to the belly of the jet.

INT. CABIN

The engines from the plane wind down. Sisters look towards the Cockpit. The cockpit door opens.

The pilot steps out from the tiny doors. He puts his jacket back on, straightens his hat, and picks up his heavy bags.

The co pilot steps out from the tiny doors and does the same, while the pilot stands close.

The co pilot leaves.

        PILOT
Will you be needing anything else, ladies?

        COWBOY
My horse, good sir?

        PILOT
It’s being unloaded first thing. 

        COWBOY
Good, you can fuck off. 

The pilot leaves.

EXT. JET ON RUNWAY

The pilot and co pilot walk briskly past the seven silent SUV.

INT. CABIN

Cowboy’s long frame watches the pilots through the door, then she turns back into the cabin. She puffs cotton
out one nostril, then the other.

The Sisters haven’t moved much from the mini bar, sipping drinks & staring back and forth from Cowboy to Broken.

Broken trembles on the tiny white chair. Struggling
for freedom, gulping back feelings, she grips the bar knife’s handle with her broken arm’s hand.

    COWBOY
Got a little weird at the 
end huh? 

    SISTERS
Yes.

    COWBOYS
How do you feel?

    SISTERS
Thirsty.  Hungry.

        SISTER
Yes.

    COWBOY
Devil’s Breath. Cocaine &
the resin bag. You know that
now though, 

just like you know who sent me... 

    BROKEN SISTER
   (surrenders)
El Corazon is coming.

The cabin’ lights flicker. Even Cowboy notices.

    SISTERS
   (crossing themselves)
El Corazon.

The Sisters sit close to an exhausted Broken and sooth her. Big Hands wraps her paws around the knife. Broken sinks into her sisters arms as the blade flashes free.

    COWBOY
Yes and they were right about you,
everything they said you’d say,
they were right about you.

Cowboy sets another bullet on the table, tips it over, and out spill seven tiny surgical chips.

Nobody moves.

    COWBOY
Come now. El Corazon is offering 
you their forgiveness. Which from 
the sound of things to come, 
is more than Johny’s gonna get.

Broken pulls herself back to the table. She finds a way to grip one of the chips and stabs it into her stigmata.

When it is done, she looks up at the Cowboy who’s holding up a cell phone with a tiny red light.

POV. CELL PHONE VIDEO

    BROKEN
Lo siento, el Corazon.

Broken stares apologetically into the camera. Big Hands, holding the knife, sets one hand flat on the table. In one cringy motion she stabs a hole in her hand, then picks up a chip, and sticks it in her wound. In tears she turns to the camera.

    BIG HANDS
Lo siento, el Corazon.

Another Sister picks up the blade.

BLACKOUT

ART OF DYING by GEORGE HARRISON blasts.

EXT. BOB HOPE AIRPORT - DAWN

Cowboy approaches a black & white, BMW NineRT.

She tosses her Cowboy Hat into the wind and pulls an Arai over her head.

She throws her long legs over the bike.

Cowboy rips thunder down Cahuenga into the blinding sun.

BLACKOUT

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Bitcollect, Hitcoin, Cryptoheist disclaimer: Rough draft cha cha. Any allusinon to living or dead is in your head. Nothing is real, everything is homage. 30% of @jacobts post's author-rewards go to steemfestdreams until futher notice. Appreciations will upvote and send moneys to author. jacobthomasschneider

CryptoDebt: $666?
1/11 post rewards $13.17
3/11 total sent 6.76 sbd ($6.58 usdt)
Debt Remaining: $659

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BITCOLLECT short...