Script Sample:
Heart of the Company

PONY
(Snaps his eyes open)
What?

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COSMO

(Puts the paper down tightly)
Pony, look at the TIME.

PONY checks the clock.

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COSMO
Number Seven. Time for Number Seven.

PONY jumps up.

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PONY

Geez, almost forgot!

PONY runs out into the engine area. VALROSE watches with ncomprehension.

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COSMO
(Obviously rattled)
Can’t forget Number Seven. You know you can’t ever forget that one. That one there’s the very one you can’t ever forget about!

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VALROSE

What’s Number Seven?

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COSMO

The main gauge. Gotta be shut off from time to time, or there’d be trouble.

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VALROSE
Trouble? What kind of trouble?

COSMO

BOOM! That kind’a trouble. It’s a big ole red gauge. If you look back there, you might be able to see it.

VALROSE rises and looks toward the engine room for it, but doesn’t see it.

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VALROSE

You mean...this building could actually...blow up? If...Pony doesn’t...turn that one gauge off?

COSMO

Never happen. We’re always here. All day an’ all night. Hell, I practically live here. Just so’s Number Seven don’t take a mind to blow the whole place to smithereens.

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VALROSE

(To herself)
They didn’t tell me the building could blow up...
(To COSMO)
I don’t know about that, Mr. DiFabio. I don’t know...

PONY enters.

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PONY

Aw, you ain’t got nuthin’ to worry ‘bout. Like Mo said, one of us is here all the time. You just gotta get it before it starts ringing. Or on the first coupla rings, that’s all. Only way that baby goes is if you let the pressure build past time and you let it keep going. Let it build and build and build. Then you got some serious trouble.

COSMO

BOOM trouble.

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VALROSE

But this is 2016. Things are run by computers and...and...electronics. There can’t still be a hand-turned gauge
or whatever down here.

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PONY

Sure there is. Out front is where they got all the new fancy stuff. Make everybody think the whole place’s like that. Then they got this part down here, where the real deal happens. They got the same big monster machines grinding away in the basement of Schlumberger Limited they always had. Same with all these skyscrapers up here.

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COSMO

They can shine ‘em up on the outside all they want. If them gauges don’t get released, it’s ‘Goodbye, Charlie’. And it’s us that’s got to release ‘em. Yes, sir.

VALROSE

Goodbye, Charlie!

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PONY

I told you. Nothing to worry about. Never happen.

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COSMO

Never.
(Pause)
You better get started there, honey. There’s a lot of work to do around here.

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VALROSE

Oh, of course. Right away, Mr. DiFabio. Of course...

She moves back to her seat, and shuffles through the files, all the time looking at them out of the corner of
her eye like they are madmen and she’s wondering how to get out of this place.