SOMA | The Meme Dump
Nick pokes redial on his phone.
NICK
Oh, yeah?
LEONARD
The mycelium forces the infected ant to climb to the highest point in the colony. Once there, a giant mushroom explodes out of the ant’s head and rains spores all over the colony.
NICK
Jesus, LeoNard!
LEONARD
The spores infect other ants and the cycle continues.
NICK
Why is that pertinent at this juncture?
LEONARD
I’m worried about Levon, Nick.
NICK
Well, he’s not a mushroom zombie! He’s just a flake. Keep that story to yourself. I won’t let this mess ruin our Dog Day.
Primordia (Act III)
12. Interior. Subway tunnel / Industrial warehouse near railroad tracks. Sunset.
Characters: LEVON, JEREMY. Props: Animal snares, amplifiers, a sniper's nest, dried meat, bags of mushrooms, prescription medication, a slingshot.
Levon awakes inside the snipernest dugout. He is bathed in the light from hundreds of blinking components on a large mixing board Jeremy has constructed in the bunker. Levon lies wrapped in knitted blankets on a cot behind the mixing board. The dugout is littered with 76
SOMA | The Meme Dump
hotwired microphones, amps, pill bottles, hunks of dried meat and LCD screens.
Jeremy is sitting on the corner of the cot near Levon’s feet.
Jeremy’s clothes are soiled. His greasy hair is poorly cut, but fastidiously parted. He is listening intently to music in his headphones. He holds his violin under his chin as if waiting for a cue from an unseen conductor.
Levon hears the rumble of an approaching train. Jeremy begins to play. The amplified violin music aligns with the pounding rhythm of the train perfectly. He seems to be using the train as a huge metronome.
Levon’s face is covered in dried blood. He touches his injured head.
A maxi pad has been affixed to his wound with duct tape.
The train rumbles off into the distance. Jeremy continues to play until he is interrupted by a loud bang and a shower of sparks elsewhere in the yard. Jeremy plays an off note and curses. One of his amplifiers has been knocked over and damaged.
JEREMY
Goddamnit!
He takes a deep breath. Jeremy presses a few buttons on the mixing board. A recording of the train and violin begins looping. It sounds beautiful.