Dialogue from a Sci-Fi Narrative

Seen anything like that? We should run, right? Run?

See you soon.

Yeah.

How long did they say?

What?

Downtime. How long is downtime?

What is going on? What is wrong with you people? Officer!

Officer, can you help me? What is that?

It's just some world maintenance. It was scheduled.

What, what, what, what are we supposed to do?

Just wake up.

Oh, no, no, no.

Carl! Carl!

Hey, hey. I thought you said nine.

Oh, thank God you're okay.

Hey, I'm here, I'm here.

You see that thing?

What thing?

The, the red thing.

What?

It's doing weird things to people. It's putting them in a trance

or something.

What? Trance? What-

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It's the bloody downtime signal.

Why are you talking like that?

How'd you forget a thing like that? It's completely slipped my mind.

It's been scheduled for a while now, too. Issue with the birds or something.

I don't know what's wrong with me. Must be losing my mind.

Carl, stop. Stop playing.

Yeah, sorry. Danny. Name's Danny.

Wait, where are you going?

Where do you think? I'm going to wake up.

Wake up? Wake up from what?

Are you having a laugh? You can drop the character, mate.

You're starting to scare me.

You don't remember who you really are, do you?

I am Michelle.

No, I mean before Michelle.

Stop. You're Carl Weaver. You're my husband and my best friend.

You have a crooked big toe and you like to hide little strawberry

candies in the

bedside table.

You might want to wake yourself up.

What are you talking about? Are these people awake? They're not awake.

I wish I could help you. I really do.

Wait, no, don't leave. I, I need, I need you.

I'll contact them. Make sure they send help.

Who's them? Carl! No, no, no, no, Carl, Carl, no!

Carl, please don't leave.

Don't, don't move. Who are you?

We understand you're experiencing an issue.

Get the fuck out of my house.

We're customer service.

I am not joking.

She doesn't remember anything. What do we do?

I don't know. I've never seen this before. Do you know who you are?

Why does everybody keep asking me that?

Gotta be sensitive to whatever she thinks she's going through right now.

I got this. Let's lose the knife.

What?

Ma'am, I know you're scared, but you can trust me.

Look, can I play something for you on your TV?

Hello, dreamer, and thank you for purchasing the Sleep

Away package, the newest in

identity tourism.

This doesn't make any sense. So what you're telling me is

that none of this is

real, that I am a character played by somebody

else?

S. Phineas Lowell.

S. Phineas Lowell. Is he a man?

Yes, you are a man.

Okay, even if what you're saying is true, how come I don't remember any of that?

Truth is, you synced up to Sleep Away last night at

your house around eleven

fifty. You played for a few hours, and then you had a heart attack.