Lonely No More: Episode 2: “Signals”

As the world reels from the mysterious events on the M4, Nikesh struggles to make sense of what’s happening while grappling with Nina’s sudden absence. A fire alarm forces him and his colleagues onto the street, where unsettling questions about Lucette’s disappearance arise. Meanwhile, cryptic connections between global incidents begin to surface—abandoned towns, strange phenomena, and the pervasive Lonely No More message.

As Nikesh is drawn into an explosive radio interview, tensions mount with conspiracy theorists questioning the official narrative. With whispers of something larger at play, Nikesh finds himself unexpectedly heading to Tokyo. But just as answers seem within reach, a catastrophic event at the airport sends shockwaves through an already fragile reality.

Transcript

LONELY NO MORE

by SEBASTIAN BACZKIEWICZ

EPISODE 2

SCENE 1              THE PARK

SFX                      DISTANT TRAFFIC. NIKESH RINGS NINA, A MOMENT OF RINGTONE, THEN

1. NINA                 (on phone) Hi this is Nina. Leave a message and I’ll call you right back.

2. NIKESH             Hey there it’s me. Brought your phone today in case anyone tried to take it from the flat while I was at work. I know you won’t be hearing this until you’re home reunited with your phone, but anyway, yesterday was crazy wasn‘t it? Really Crazy. Anyway, I know you know I love you and I’m trying, really trying not to worry. Hope you’re OK wherever they took you. How can this be happening to us? You must be asking yourself that too. Anyway, that’s all I wanted say. Oh, and your ex with the pecs Clifton’s left you like a million messages since yesterday. Something you’d like to tell me? See you home and safe very soon I hope.

                            NIKESH HANGS UP AND SIGHS

3. NIKESH             Oh, Nina.

SCENE 2              INT. OFFICE BLOCK STAIRWELL

SFX                      AN ELECTRONIC ALARM SOUNDS REMORSELESSLY AS WORKERS QUICKLY MAKE THEIR WAY DOWN THE STAIRS. AMONGST THEM LIV AND NIKESH

4. LIV                    You think there’s a fire, Niko? You think there’s actually a fire?

5. NIKESH             Let’s just keep moving, Liv.

6. LIV                    I don’t think there’s a fire. I think this is just a drill.

7. NIKESH             After yesterday, I’m taking no chances.

8. LIV                    Yesterday was a traffic accident.

9. NIKESH             It was a bit more than that.

10. LIV                  And you and Nina bang in the middle of it.

11. NIKESH           Bang in the middle of it.

12. LIV                  I mean where the hell is she?

13. NIKESH           What? Nina left for the hospital first thing this morning.

14. LIV                  Not Nina, dummy! I mean Lucette.

                            LIV CALLS OUT TO A WORKER AS THEY RUSH DOWN THE STAIRS

15. LIV                  Hey, Is this a drill would you say?

16. WORKER        Huh?

17. LIV                  A drill. Is this a drill or do you know if there’s an actual fire?

18. WORKER        What?

19. LIV                  I’m just wondering if this is a.

                            THE WORKER HURRIES DOWN THE STAIRS

20. LIV                  Blimey. People.

21. NIKESH           Best we just focus.

22. LIV                  I’m worried Niko. I’m really worried. 

23. NIKESH           We’ll be outside on the street in no time flat, Liv.

24. LIV                  You doing this on purpose? I’m not talking about the drill, dummy. About Lucette. Lucette. About what might have happened to her. I’m really worried.

25. NIKESH           Just take my hand and let’s get out of here.

SFX                      LIV DOES SO AND THEY HURRY DOWN THE STAIRS – THE EMERGENCY BLEEPING AROUND THEM

SCENE 3              EXT. THE STREET.

SFX                      THE OFFICE WORKERS ARE ALL OUT ON THE STREET. 

26. SALLY             Right that’s everybody. There’s nobody from Grainger Grant and Colby still in the building..

27. NIKESH           Offices were all empty when I left, Sally.

28. SALLY             Right. Good. Thanks Nikesh. If everyone could please swipe back in when the all-clear sounds. 

29. NIKESH           Then you don’t think there’s a fire.

30. SALLY             No idea. Oh, did you speak to that woman?

31. NIKESH           What woman?

32. SALLY             She was just standing over there. Said you’d talked last night.

33. NIKESH           Said we? Ah, no. No, I didn’t see her.

34. SALLY             I don’t think she works here.

35. NIKESH           No. No, I don’t think so either.

36. SALLY             Odd she didn’t leave a name. I’ll let you know when we get the all-clear.

37. NIKESH           Thanks, Sally. See you later.

38. SALLY             She was standing just there. Right over by those mail vans.

SCENE 4              CONT.

39. LIV                  (appr.) Well?

40. NIKESH           Huh?

41. LIV                  What did Sally have to say?

42. NIKESH           She’s waiting for the all-clear.

43. LIV                  So you think this was just a drill then?

44. NIKESH           I don’t know what I think. I genuinely don’t know what I think about anything anymore.

45. LIV                  So we’ve got to what? Wait out here.

46. NIKESH           Pretty much.

47. LIV                  Great.

48. NIKESH           Nobody asked after me this morning, did they?

49. LIV                  How d’you mean?

50. NIKESH           Anyone you didn’t know.

51. LIV                  Like a total stranger?

52. NIKESH           Exactly: like a total stranger.

53. LIV                  Nope. Should they have?

54. NIKESH           No. No. It’s nothing.

SFX                      LIV TAKES OUT A PACKET OF CIGARETTES

55. LIV                  Smoke?

56. NIKESH           Liv.

57. LIV                  Not looking for a lecture, Nikesh. Not today.

58. NIKESH           I wouldn’t want to be smelling of cigarettes when I go in to see Grainger.

59. LIV                  Any objection on that front would be pretty darn rich coming from him.

60. NIKESH           Freddy Grainger smokes?

61. LIV                  Like a fucking boiler.

62. NIKESH           You’re kidding.

63. LIV                  I’m not kidding. Should have seen him in Berlin last year at the advertising conference.

64. NIKESH           Was that before Lonely No More became a thing or after.

65. LIV                  Before. Like ages before. Niko.

66. NIKESH           Feels like it’s been around forever.

67. LIV                  Which is precisely why Tucker Lane King wants it so badly. Honestly, Nikesh. The cloud you live on.

68. NIKESH           Freddy Grainger smokes. How could I have not known that?

SFX                      LIV LIGHTS UP

69. LIV                  You know, they asked after you yesterday.

70. NIKESH           Who asked after me?

71. LIV                  Tucker Lane King’s people.

72. NIKESH           At yesterday’s meeting?

73. LIV                  Yes, at yesterday’s meeting. Where else?

74. NIKESH           What did they ask?

75. LIV                  They asked why the hell that Nikesh character is such a goddam square.

76. NIKESH           They did not say that.

77. LIV                  Your face.

78. NIKESH           What did they say, Liv?

79. LIV                  Good job. That’s what they said.

80. NIKESH           They really said that? Tucker’s people.

81. LIV                  What can I tell you they love love love what we’ve pitched. 

82. NIKESH           They do? Because if you’re kidding

83. LIV                  I’m not kidding. Why would I kid about that. My pretty little derrière is as much on the line as yours, y’know.

84. NIKESH           I do know that.

85. LIV                  Tucker Lane King’s greatly looking forward to personally locking horns in Tokyo.

86. NIKESH           He didn’t say that.

87. LIV                  No, he didn’t say that.

88. NIKESH           Liv.

89. LIV                  But he is genuinely very keen to meet me.

90. NIKESH           In Tokyo.

91. LIV                  In Tokyo day after tomorrow.

92. NIKESH           Wow. Great.

93. LIV                  It is great. It’s really great. It really is. It. She really hasn’t spoken to Nina in the last twenty four hours? Lucette. Not even a text?

94. NIKESH           As far as I know, no.

95. LIV                  She walks out of the office at lunchtime and what? Just vanishes? Who just vanishes? And you know how Lucette is. Everything so organised. The lists, the endless lists. Maybe I should try Nina again? I’m trying Nina again.

96. NIKESH           Not a good idea.

97. LIV                  Huh?

98. NIKESH           You won’t get through is all. Not today.

99. LIV                  I’m phoning her now.

SFX                      NINA’S PHONE RINGS IN NIKESH’S POCKET.

100. LIV                You’ve got her phone? Why have you got Nina’s phone?

101. NIKESH         It’s what she wanted.

102. LIV                She wanted you to have her phone?

103. NIKESH         In case she needed to call me.

104. LIV                Why wouldn’t she call you on your phone?

105. NIKESH         Because I’ve got it.

106. LIV                Yes, but why have you got it?

107. NIKESH         Because that’s what NIna wanted.

108. LIV                Nina wanted you to have her phone with you today in case she called it? That’s crazy.

109. NIKESH         It is. It is crazy. 

110. LIV                 Are you two OK? Tell me that you two are OK?

111. NIKESH          We’re fine.

112. LIV                 You don’t seem fine.

113. NIKESH         Listen. Liv.

114. LIV                 Yeh.

115. NIKESH         Nina hasn’t? She hasn’t been?

116. LIV                 She hasn’t been what?

117. NIKESH         Clifton.

118. LIV                 Clifton the brainless bounder.

119. NIKESH         They’ve not been, they’ve not been communicating. You’d tell me if they had, right?

120. LIV                Nina and Clifton? No way. Why?

121. NIKESH         Just asking.

122. LIV                Niko.

123. NIKESH         There was a text.

124. LIV                From Clifton.

125. NIKESH         Quite a lot of texts actually.

126. LIV                You’re kidding.

127. NIKESH         I’m not kidding.

128. LIV                Like one or two?

129. NIKESH         Like fifty. 

130. LIV                Fifty!

                            NIKESH SHOWS LIV THE PHONE

131. NIKESH         See?

132. LIV                Blimey.

133. NIKESH         Why would he be texting her?

134. LIV                Because he’s a brainless bounder who did you a colossal favour by casually dumping your beautiful fiancée three years ago and is not worth a second thought.

135. NIKESH         And if there are feelings?

136. LIV                There are no feelings because she loves you Niko. Loves you loves you loves you. And that’s the beginning and the end of it.

SFX                      LIV’S PHONE GOES OFF

137. LIV                I have to take this. Sorry.

138. NIKESH         It’s not Lucette is it?

139. LIV                No, sadly. Hello. Hi. Speaking.

                            LIV MOVES OFF

140. SAM              (APPR) Hey Nikesh.

141. NIKESH         Sam. Hey.

                            THEY HUG

142. SAM              What about those lonely old cows on the streets?

143. NIKESH         Huh?

144. SAM              On the news. Un-milked. Unloved. Lowing about that abandoned town in Finland. 

145. NIKESH         I haven’t watched the news. Not since last night.

146. SAM              It was straight after the report on the pile up and the jumpers on the M4. 

147. NIKESH         Right.

148. SAM              Crazy, right. Crazy crazy crazy.

149. NIKESH         Crazy.

150. SAM              You think they’re going to let people back in the building soon?

151. NIKESH         They’re just waiting on the fire officers.

152. SAM              Cos I’m supposed to be on air in forty minutes.

153. NIKESH         Definitely looks to me like the emergency’s over.

154. SAM              Not that there was one.

155. NIKESH         Still with the way things are anything’s possible?

156. SAM              Huh?

157. NIKESH         The craziness in the world      

158. SAM              You OK, Niko? Niko?

159. NIKESH         Bit of a day. Yesterday. Yesterday was a bit of a day.

160. SAM              Dedicating the first hour of the show to it this morning. Even found some taxi driver who swears one of the jumpers was in his actual cab.

161. NIKESH         Arsenal fans.

162. SAM              Huh?

163. NIKESH         The cabbie and the jumper.

164. SAM              What?

165. NIKESH         I spoke to that cabbie.

166. SAM              You spoke to him? When did you speak to him?

167. NIKESH         I was there, Sam. At the pile up. Nina too. Jumper landed right on the bonnet of the car in front of us.

168. SAM              Tell me you’re actually kidding. 

169. NIKESH         Nina assisted him before he died. Life’s been pretty ferocious ever since.

170. SAM              You’re booked, Nikesh.

171. NIKESH         Huh?

172. SAM              I need you on the show, bro.

173. NIKESH         I’ve got a really big meeting at eleven thirty. 

174. SAM              Studio’s two floors down. 

175. NIKESH         Not sure I should even be talking about it.

176. SAM              Join me on the show and I’ll DJ your wedding. 

177. NIKESH         For real?

178. SAM              Twenty minutes of your time, Niko. One night of incredible music. Twenty minutes tops.

SCENE 5              INT. STUDIO

SFX                      LBC-STYLE IDENT MUSIC, THEN

179. SAM              Welcome back you’re listening to Sam Butler on JKL and this morning we’re not going to be talking solely about yesterday’s terrifying events on a motorway out of London but what seem to be an increasing number of strange and unexplained phenomena taking place across the globe. With us to discuss this is controversial commentator and former Formula One racing driver Xavi Anderson. Good morning Xavi.

180. XAVI              Good morning to you Sam. Your very own dancing bear is ready to take any questions.

181. SAM              Hah, right. Good, Xavi. Look, if I could kick this segment of the show off by asking you first about your reading of yesterday’s tragic events.

182. XAVI              Well, obviously the news reports we’ve all seen have been extremely distressing and disturbing - nobody would dispute that.

183. SAM              Distressing disturbing and may I say unprecedented. Three unconnected people apparently jumping from a flyover into the moving traffic below.

184. XAVI              Unprecedented as you say.

185. SAM              But you tweeted this morning that you believe there’s more to this do you not? More than is at first apparent.

186. XAVI              What me and my team of researchers – 

187. SAM              Your very controversial team of researchers – 

188. XAVI              - have discovered are a number of shockingly similar global events.

189. SAM              Such as?

190. XAVI              Take the sudden abandonment last month of a tanker which – had the tanker not been intercepted in time - could have resulted in a disastrous oil spill overwhelming the gulf of Bahrain. Reports from China of mass exoduses from cities, villages and towns across that vast country.

191. SAM              Unverified reports, I must say. 

192. XAVI              And then yesterday, along with the terrible incident on the motorway, this abandoned village in Finland.

193. SAM              The cows in the empty town you mean.

194. XAVI              Precisely that, yes.

195. SAM              And you’re saying that there’s a connection. That all these mysterious events are what? Linked in some way?

196. XAVI              These are but a tiny handful of the events we’ve been made aware of.

197. SAM              And you and your followers believe there’s some sort of a pattern here.

198. XAVI              Yes, they do.

199. SAM              People died on the Great West Road yesterday.

200. XAVI              And I pray for the families of everyone affected by this awful event.

201. SAM              But you’re saying ‘hold on, people” we all need to wake up and see this as part of a wider global phenomenon. Right?

202. XAVI              Right.

203. SAM              You’re listening to Sam Butler on JKL the time is just coming up to ten thirty-five and in a moment we’ll be chatting to Nikesh Bhakta the fiancée of the doctor who did her best to attend to one of the individuals who jumped from the M4 yesterday. See you straight after the break.

SFX                      IDENT MUSIC

SCENE 6              INT. THE CORRIDOR

                            NIKESH AND LIV ARE WALKING DOWN THE CORRIDOR

204. LIV                And you’re going to do it?

205. NIKESH         It’ll only take a minute or two.

206. LIV                And Grainger?

207. NIKESH         I’ll be there no problem.

208. LIV                He wants us in his office in forty minutes. We need to be prepared.

209. NIKESH         We are prepared.

SFX                      LIV STOPS FOR SOME WATER AND GETS HERSELF SOME

210. LIV                Water?

211. NIKESH         No thanks.

212. LIV                I really need you on your best game today.

213. NIKESH         And I will be – I really will be – twenty minutes.

SCENE 7              INT. THE STUDIO

SFX                      THE IDENT MUSIC

214. SAM              We’re lucky enough to be joined now by a friend of mine who completely coincidentally works in the very building we’re broadcasting from, and who was actually involved in yesterday’s catastrophic events on the M4. Welcome Nikesh.

215. NIKESH         Hello Sam.

216. SAM              Appreciate you coming onto the show after what you went through yesterday.

217. NIKESH         Yesterday was not an easy day for anyone, no.

218. SAM              So, Nikesh, if it’s okay with you, perhaps we could begin with what you witnessed on the Great West Road.

SFX                      FLASHBACK TO A FALLING BODY CRASHING ONTO THE BONNET OF THE CAR IN FRONT WITH A TERRIBLE THWACK. 

219. NINA             Look out, Niko!

220. NIKESH         FUCK!!

SFX                      NIKESH HITS THE BRAKES AND DRIVES STRAIGHT INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR. THE CAR BEHIND CRASHES INTO THEIR CAR. PANDEMONIUM.

221. SAM              Nikesh?

222. NIKESH         Sorry, yes. Well, it was all pretty horrendous. A man fell or jumped onto the bonnet of the car in front.

223. SAM              Causing the mother of all pile ups.

224. NIKESH         My fiancée who’s a doctor rushed to the falling man’s aid but sadly – despite her best efforts - it was too late.

225. SAM              And I’m sure we’re all very grateful for her efforts. The taxi driver we spoke to on the show earlier said the jumper was chatting merrily about Arsenal minutes before he got out of his car and jumped over the flyover barrier.

226. NIKESH         That’s what I understand happened too.

227. SAM              And your impressions? What were your impressions of the incident itself.

228. NIKESH         Shock. Disbelief. Disbelief that this was actually happening. And then there were the, the other fatalities.

229. SAM              The two other people who jumped.

230. NIKESH         Yes.

231. XAVI              If jumping is what they did.

232. SAM              Hold on, Xavi you’ll have an opportunity to comment on what Nikesh is saying in just a second. So – the authorities arrived quite quickly on the scene I understand.

233. NIKESH         As you would expect.

234. SAM              And they were attending to the injured?

235. NIKESH         And doing their best to manage the situation which was already pretty chaotic as you can imagine. 

236. SAM              And your fiancée?

237. NIKESH         They took over from Nina who had been working to, ah 

238. SAM              To save the life of the man on the bonnet?

239. NIKESH         Yes.

240. SAM              Do you think Nina would be happy to come on air and talk about what happened? We could call her right now, and patch her in. 

241. NIKESH         Um, no. Sorry. That’s not possible 

242. XAVI              Not possible. How so?

243. SAM              Just a second there, Xavi. I’m sure we’d all be very interested in anything she had to say.

244. NIKESH         She’s not available to speak today.

245. SAM              She wasn’t hurt, was she?

246. NIKESH         No. She wasn’t hurt at all. She was assisting. She was just assisting. Doing what she could to help.

247. XAVI              You seem a bit upset, Nikesh. Are you upset?

248. NIKESH         I’m not. No, I’m not upset.

249. SAM              It all sounds very distressing for everyone involved.

250. NIKESH         It was. It really was.

251. XAVI              If I might ask your guest a question.

252. SAM              Go ahead, Xavi.

253. XAVI              When the authorities finally arrived on the scene, did they identify themselves?

254. NIKESH         What?

255. XAVI              Did they identify themselves.

256. NIKESH         They were the emergency services.

257. XAVI              Fire Police and Ambulance?

258. NIKESH         The emergency services, yes.

259. XAVI              Nobody else?

260. SAM              Not sure where you’re going with this, Xavi?

261. XAVI              Footage from the accident shows a number of vehicles arriving with the police and ambulance that we were unable to identify.

262. 2SAM            Nikesh?

263. NIKESH         Who is ‘we’?

264. XAVI              We are the interested public.

265. NIKESH         I only saw the people you’d expect to see at an emergency such as yesterday’s.

266. XAVI              And nobody spoke to your fiancée?

267. NIKESH         She spoke to a number of people.

268. XAVI              And…?

269. NIKESH         And what?

270. XAVI              Is that why she’s unavailable to appear on the show?

271. NIKESH         I,er, I.

272. XAVI              Be great to know who might have spoken to you and your fiancée officially. Seeing as you were both there at the scene. She attending heroically and what not.

273. NIKESH         You’d have to ask her.

274. XAVI              But I can’t ask her, can I?

275. NIKESH         Why are you saying it like that? Why’s he saying it like that?

276. SAM              We really can’t speak to Nina, Nikesh?

277. NIKESH         As I say she’s unavailable.

278. XAVI              She wasn’t detained, was she?

279. NIKESH         Detained. What do you mean detained?

280. XAVI              By the security services.

281. NIKESH         Who is this guy, Sam?

282. SAM              Perhaps we ought to go easy on Nikesh, Xavi.

283. XAVI              He’s obviously hiding something.

284. NIKESH         I thought this was supposed to be some sort of a serious programme, Sam.

285. SAM              It is.

286. NIKESH         Then why are you letting crazy people like him loose on your listeners.

287. XAVI              You see the sort of abuse we truth seekers must endure.

288. NIKESH         Truth seekers? You’re not truth seekers. You’re scaremongers. Scaremongers, frauds and raving lunatics.

289. SAM              You’re listening to the Sam Butler show on JKL and I’d like to thank both my guests this morning. Nikesh Bhakta and Xavi Anderson

290. XAVI              (OVER ABOVE) Time to wake up people.

291. NIKESH         Can’t you shut this freak up, Sam?

292. SAM              We’ll be back straight after the break with a look at today’s controversial announcements from government

293. XAVI              (OVER ABOVE) The Nephilim were on the earth in those days when the sons of God went into the daughters of humans and bore children to them.

294. NIKESH         (OVER ABOVE) This fucking guy. Can’t you shut him up for two fucking seconds!

SWIFT CUT

SCENE 8              INT. FREDDY’S OFFICE

SFX                      NIKESH LIV AND FREDDY ARE ON SOFAS SIPPING COFFEES

295. FREDDY        Now that’s what I call making waves, Niko.

296. NIKESH         Sorry, Freddy.

297. FREDDY        No need to apologise to me, man. Far as I’m concerned you’re a hero. What do you say, Liv?

298. LIV                I say they’re both heroes. Him and Nina.

299. FREDDY        Whose idea was it to invite Xavi One hundred per cent nut roast onto Sam Butler’s show anyway?

300. NIKESH         The producer, at a guess.

301. FREDDY        But you gave him what for and that’s why we love you.

302. NIKESH         I genuinely did not expect to lose it like that. I really didn’t. So if I’ve in any way embarrassed you or the company Freddy I’m…

303. FREDDY        Did you not hear me, Niko?

304. NIKESH         I did and I appreciate it.

305. FREDDY        Then there’s an end to it. So, to business if we may. Take aways from yesterday’s meeting Liv?

306. LIV                Tucker Lane King wants me in Tokyo like yesterday.

307. FREDDY        Bags all packed, baby?

308. LIV                Kinda. 

309. FREDDY        Kinda? What’s kinda? Kinda packed? Kinda not packed?

310. LIV                Kinda not in the best head space for Tokyo Freddy.

311. FREDDY        Not in the best head space?

312. LIV                Lucette’s phone’s been found. 

BEAT

313. FREDDY        Oh. I’m so sorry to hear that. 

314. NIKESH         Me too, Liv. Where?

315. LIV                Just on the wall around the corner. Like she just left it there. Which makes no sense.

316. FREDDY        So it’s not like at New Year.

317. LIV                I don’t know what it’s like, Freddy, but I’m sorry, there’s no way I’m going to Tokyo. I think Niko should go.

318. NIKESH         What?

319. FREDDY        Yeh, what?

320. LIV                Niko has his finger on all the potential Lonely No More branding opportunities better than, well better than me certainly.

321. FREDDY        Tucker Lane King’s expecting you, Liv. You’re the negotiator here.

322. LIV                I am but Tucker Lane King’s all over Niko.

323. FREDDY        Fancy jumping in here Nikesh?

324. NIKESH         I’m not in any position to go either.

325. FREDDY        You’re not going to tell me Nina’s disappeared too?

326. NIKESH         Not disappeared exactly.

327. FREDDY        The fuck does that mean? (BEAT) Niko?

328. NIKESH         I’m. I’m just not prepared Freddy, and Liv’s the one who’s led all the negotiations.

329. LIV                And I’d be there in a shot if it weren’t for what’s happened.

330. FREDDY        But nothing’s happened except Tucker Lane King’s expecting one of our two creatives to meet him in Tokyo tomorrow, and what Tucker Lane King expects Tucker Lane King - what? Anyone?

331. NIKESH         Gets.

332. FREDDY        Boom. The penny drops. Take the afternoon to get packed. Sally will make the necessary adjustments and meet you at Heathrow. That all good with you, Nikesh?

333. NIKESH         That’s all good with me.

334. LIV                Then Niko’s going?

335. FREDDY        Which is both bold and very company spirited of him, I’d say wouldn’t you, Liv?

SCENE 9              EXT. THE BUILDING

SFX                      NIKESH IS SWIPING OUT AS SAM RUNS TO CATCH UP WITH HIM

336. SAM              (APPR) Niko.

337. NIKESH         Got nothing to say to you, Sam.

338. SAM              Thank you, man. Seriously. I know things got a little wild this morning.

339. NIKESH         You ambushed me. You literally ambushed me live on air with that crazy bastard.

340. SAM              I had no idea he was going to go off on all that Bible stuff. 

341. NIKESH         I thought we were friends, Sam. 

342. SAM              Pretty sure you’re not going to hear any more about it.

343. NIKESH         Until you release the podcast and I start getting harassed by cranks and half-wits.

344. SAM              I had no idea things would kick off the way they did.

345. NIKESH         Bad enough my brother lapping all this nonsense up. Then you invite rabble rousers like Xavi Anderson onto your show. Knowing exactly what he’s going to do with the opportunity. 

346. SAM              You’re taking this way too seriously.

347. NIKESH         Am I? People died yesterday. And that’s not entertainment. 

348. SAM              No, it’s not. I’m sorry. Is Haroun still into his crazy conspiracy theories then?

349. NIKESH         You’ll see him at the wedding you can ask him yourself.

350. SAM              So I’m still invited?

351. NIKESH         You’re the best DJ I know.

352. SAM              I’m the only DJ you know.

353. NIKESH         Now, I’ve got a plane to catch.

354. SAM              Fleeing the country?

355. NIKESH         Heading to Japan.

356. SAM              Japan. Amazing.

357. NIKESH         And just about the last thing I need.

SCENE 10             EXT. A PARK

SFX                      CHILDREN PLAYING ON SWINGS AT DISTANCE. NIKESH DIALS NINA’S PHONE. NINA’S PHONE GOES OFF, THEN

358. NINA             (on phone) Hi this is Nina. Leave a message and I’ll call you right back.

359. NIKESH         Hey, Nina it’s me. – again. I’m going to leave your phone in the flat for when you get back but I won’t be there until Saturday at the earliest. Freddy Grainger wants me to go to Tokyo as Liv’s cried off cos of Lucette. Liv’s not going cos they found Lucette’s phone. Just sitting on a wall. Which is very strange, right? 

                            Anyway, really hope you’re safe and being well looked after wherever you are. Can’t lie and say I’m not totally a little freaked out. Cos I am. Freaked out and a wee bit lost in the maze of all this, truth be told. Missing you and really, really hope that Clifton quits texting you. Matter of fact I’m calling him now.

SFX                      NIKESH PRESSES ANOTHER BUTTON – IT RINGS. CLIFTON ON THE PHONE

360. CLIFTON       Doctor Markovic.  Finally decided to get back to me.

361. NIKESH         Nikesh Bhakta.

362. CLIFTON       Nikesh Bhakta. Kings of the airwaves!  You’re through to Clifton Hayes.  

363. NIKESH         I’ll get straight to it if that’s OK.

364. CLIFTON       Sounds super. Shoot.

365. NIKESH         Not sure what it is you think you’re playing at, but I’d appreciate it – really appreciate it - if you stopped texting Nina.

366. CLIFTON       Nina. Lovely Nina. How is Nina?

367. NIKESH         Aside from the fifty-seven texts you’ve bombarded her with in the last two days she’s fine.

368. CLIFTON       Very glad to hear it. Strangely she’s not replied yet. Not ghosting me, is she?

369. NIKESH         What?

370. CLIFTON       Cos a reply would be nice.

371. NIKESH         Nina has nothing to say to you.

372. CLIFTON       Heard you two are getting married in Brighton.

373. NIKESH         That’s really none of your business.

374. CLIFTON       Congratulations.

375. NIKESH         Who told you anyway.

376. CLIFTON       I’ve an ear to the ground.

377. NIKESH         Let’s please just cut the BS shall we?

378. CLIFTON       The?

379. NIKESH         The bullshit.

380. CLIFTON       Rude.

381. NIKESH         What?

382. CLIFTON       With all the good news in the air right now? Again I say rude.

383. NIKESH         The fuck are you talking about?

384. CLIFTON       Lonely no more is the fuck I’m talking about.

385. NIKESH         Are you drunk, Clifton? Like actually drunk.

386. CLIFTON       The very idea. It’s not even three thirty in the pm.

387. NIKESH         Then what are you saying?

388. CLIFTON       Saying? I’m not saying anything. What are you saying?

389. NIKESH         I think you’ve gone mad.

390. CLIFTON       Heard you live on the Sam Butler show this morning. Thought you were great - thought you were really great - aside from all the ugly brouhaha at the end. He’s a man worth listening to you know.

391. NIKESH         Sam Butler?

392. CLIFTON       Xavi Anderson.

393. NIKESH         And what was it that appealed to you about Xavi Anderson

394. CLIFTON       The Nephilim, silly. The men of renown.

395. NIKESH         All right. That’s it. You’ve had your fun. Bother me or Nina again and.

396. CLIFTON       And what?

397. NIKESH         Have a good life, Dr. Hayes.

398. CLIFTON       You can’t ignore it, you know. Not once it gets under your collar.

399. NIKESH         What’s that supposed to? Hello? Hello? Clifton? Fuck.

SCENE 11             EXT. THE ALLEY

SFX                      HINATA IS DUMPING THE TRASH

400. HINATA          Here he is. All time number one customer.

401. NIKESH         (APPR) Hey Hinata.

402. HINATA          No sense in telling you to turn that frown upside down.

403. NIKESH         Can’t stop today, sorry.

404. HINATA          Late for meeting that lady, eh?

405. NIKESH         Lady? What lady? You mean Nina?

406. HINATA          No I don’t mean Nina. As if. I mean the lady who said she was meeting you at the flat.

407. NIKESH         But not Nina?

408. HINATA          Not Nina, no. Some other person.

409. NIKESH         Taylor? Did she say her name was Taylor?

410. HINATA          She didn’t say anything, man. Just ordered some sushi to go and went on up.

411. NIKESH         And you’re saying she’s in my apartment now? This lady?

412. HINATA          Far as I know. Don’t tell me you didn’t know?

413. NIKESH         (LYING) Er, no, yeh I knew. Course. Oh, and I’m going to Tokyo.

414. HINATA          Sweet. Thought you weren’t?

415. NIKESH         Plans changed. You have a great day now.

416. HINATA          Happy trails mister all time number one.

SCENE 12             INT. THE APARTMENT

SFX                      NIKESH SWINGS OPEN THE DOOR 

417. NIKESH         Hello? Taylor? Hello. Its Nikesh.

                            NIKESH MOVES CAUTIOUSLY INTO THE FRONT ROOM

418. NIKESH         Hello? Anyone here with me?

                            THE APARTMENT IS EMPTY.

419. NIKESH         Hello.

SFX                      NIKESH CROSSES TO THE TABLE AND PICKS UP AN EMPTY SUSHI TRAY

420. NIKESH         (quiet) See you didn’t quite finish your sushi.

SCENE 13             INT. TOKYO AIRPORT

SFX                      PASSENGERS MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH TO THE DEPARTURE LOUNGE

421. ANNO            Welcome to Tokyo. Will all passengers make their way to the arrival lounge and be Lonely No More.

                            NIKESH AND SALLY ARE MAKING THEIR WAY 

422. NIKESH         Y’ hear that Sally. Lonely No More.

423. SALLY           All the rage.

424. NIKESH         All the rage is right.

425. SALLY           Can’t go on forever though, can it?

426. NIKESH         Let’s hope it carries on long enough to get this pitch over the line.

                            SALLY TURNS ON HER PHONE, AND A LOAD OF TEXTS/MESSAGES COME THROUGH

427. SALLY           Tucker Lane King’s people request we join them at dinner after we’ve had a chance to freshen up.

428. NIKESH         They want to take us out tonight?

429. SALLY           I’m not about to disappoint Tucker Lane King are you?

430. NIKESH         Let’s just get to the hotel shall we?

                            THEY WALK THROUGH THE TERMINAL. 

431. SALLY           Everyone’s texting about you and that crazy interview.

432. NIKESH         Really don’t want to talk about it, Sally. Now, where’s this car and driver they said they were sending.

SFX                      SUDDENLY THE ALARM GOES OFF.

433. ALARM          Please evacuate. Repeat. Please evacuate the airport right away.

SFX                      THE ALARM SOUNDS BUT A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF PEOPLE RUSH TO THE VAST TERMINAL WINDOWS

434. NIKESH         The hell is this now.

435. SALLY           Look, Nikesh. On the runway. That plane.

436. NIKESH         What plane?

437. SALLY           The one heading straight toward the sea.

438. NIKESH         What the hell’s it doing?

439. SALLY           Looks like it’s, looks like it’s heading right off the end of the runway doesn’t it?

440. NIKESH         That’s because that’s exactly what it’s. Oh, my God.

SFX                      THERE IS A COLLECTIVE GASP FROM ALL THE OBSERVERS AS THE PLANE TUMBLES OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND TOPPLES INTO THE SEA

                            It’s heading straight off the runway and crashing into the sea.

SFX                      THERE IS THE TREMENDOUS AND CATASTROPHIC SOUND OF THE PLANE CRASHING INTO THE SEA. PANDEMONIUM