Same Old, Same Old

An unused SPACE CASES script
by Peter David and Bill Mumy
Story by Myrna David
as published in issues #189-199 of Comics Buyer's Guide
Copyright © To Be Continued, Inc.
Reproduced With Permission

TEASER

Exterior:
Space - Focus on a huge computer-generated vessel with smaller ships attached under its wings. They release and descend forcefully toward a larger ship, firing.

Harlan (voice-over):
There's six of them! And I thought this was going to be tough!

Interior:
The Team Room - A wide establishing shot with Harlan and Bova. Harlan is wearing a high-tech virtual reality visor, a control stick in each hand. Each stick is jacked into the visor through a thin cord. Bova is wearing a visor as well, but he's not playing, his arms are folded.

Harlan:
Hold on...quick dive...there! Got that one! Targeting another...

Bova:
You'll never make it.

Harlan:
A week's worth of dish duty says I get through the whole program.

Bova:
You're on.

Rosie and Catalina enter.

Catalina:
Harlan! It was supposed to be our turn for the simulation 15 minutes ago!

Harlan:
I'm in the middle of this!

Catalina:
You're always in the middle of this, or that, or something else! When are you gonna start doing something around here?

Harlan:
I do plenty! And when I'm off duty, I do what I feel like! (Into game) Ha! Did you see that?

Bova:
Just luck.

Rosie:
You know, Cat, we can always come back...

Harlan:
(Into the game) Almost there...allllmostt...

Catalina quickly crooks her finger to Rosie and kneels. Puzzled, Rosie kneels next to her and then Catalina quickly pulls Rosie's right glove off her hand.

Rosie:
Hey! Cat, what are you do--

And gripping Rosie firmly by the sleeve, she presses Rosie's hand against...

Close-up:
Tight shot of Harlan's foot. Rosie's hot hand is against it. An aura of red promptly enveloped Harlan's foot.

Rosie:
Cat, stop!

Harlan:
(Still into the simulation) This is it...I'm gonna...(suddenly feels the heat) Yaaaaaaa!!!

Harlan jumps around, dropping the control sticks. He hops around like mad and then suddenly realizes...

Harlan:
Aw, no -- the ship --

He tries grabbing at the control sticks, which are dangling. He grabs left and right as they swing out of his way, moving past Bova, Rosie, and Catalina. Rosie is pulling her glove back on, looking chagrined.

Harlan:
(Freezes, "seeing" the end of the game) No!

Bova:
Wow. I've never seen your ship go up in that big ball of flame before.

Harlan:
It's not my fault!

Bova:
Make sure my dishes are extra clean.

Harlan yanks off visor.

Harlan:
Rosie, this is your fault!

Rosie:
No, it's not! Catalina made me!

Catalina:
It's your own fault, Harlan. You were hogging the game.

Everyone starts talking at once.

Harlan:
That doesn't give you an excuse to hotfoot me! I am so sick of you acting like you own the place --

Catalina:
You think you can do whatever you want to -- and I'm fed up with it. I'm not taking it any more.

Bova:
(Pretty much to himself) Clean, but not shiny. I don't like seeing myself in my plate. It's like eating food off my face.

Rosie:
Just because I try to be nice to everyone, people take advantage of me. And then I get blamed. Is that fair? Is it?

Radu enters the room.

Radu:
Hi, what's going on?

All:
Nothing!

Radu:
Don't yell at me! What did I do?

Harlan:
What didn't you do? Always whining about how you're treated --

Catalina:
You're as bad as Harlan -- the two of you arguing all the time --

Bova:
Nothing, really, except that time you blew steam in my face and I couldn't see for a day --

Rosie:
Hey, I'm always trying to be nice to you! I'm getting blamed again --

All ad-lib as Radu argues back and as the volume rises...

Exterior:
Space -- Focus on the Christa cruising, when suddenly it blows up.

Fade out

END TEASER

Special thanks to ZaBaGaBe@aol.com for reproducing this story from the issues of Comics Buyer's Guide in which the story originally appeared.