CHAPTER 2
“BACCHANALIA”
SPRING
SUBWAY ENTRANCE
Theo approaches the BKLN subway station, checking first that it’s the one listed on the Bacchanalia flyer. He’s put on his best shirt, a designer knock off like the GR€€D bros wear, topped by his leather camera sling. He enters the station, one of those unmanned side entrances with just a full turnstile and a staircase.
He slips the small envelope out of his pocket. On it is scrawled “For the Underground”. He rips off the end and slips a rusted New Amsterdam subway token out into his palm, The “A” a triangular hole in the center. He puts it into the slot and walks thru the gate. A loud clang sounds as the gate rotates once, echoing in the empty room. Theo attempts to wipe the powered rust residue off his hands but only succeeds in smearing it all over the place before wiping his hands on his jeans. A wild eyed homeless man watches from a bench, smiling.
He descends the stairs into the darkness below.
SUBWAY TUNNEL
The abandoned station is a small one, made smaller by the partially collapsed tunnel at one end. He hops onto the tracks and walks away from the rubble, following glowing arrows painted on the walls. His eyes must be adjusting to the darkness in the tunnel as he walks, the arrows getting progressively brighter. A strange red light spills out of the cracks in the tunnel ceiling, casting an otherworldly glow on his hands. He can almost make out traces of red light as he waves them in front of his eyes. His footfalls echo in the long expanse, mingling with drips and a faint repeating thump the distance.
CURTAIN
Around a bend in the tunnel, just past a rivulet in the floor, stands a looming, cloaked farm. They guard a large gateway made of I beams, a doorway covered in industrial plastic freezer curtains. SHARON leans forward, revealing a familiar skull tattoo and a smile.
SHARON
Ah, the trouble maker! Your’e back. Russ told me to expect you.
She gives him a thorough inspection, with much revulsion.
SHARON
Where you coming from, casual Friday at the office? This is you working a look? A striped shirt? Really!? Always black, honey! Black is beautiful.
(beat)
Next time. But I suppose you’ll learn. Come on in.
Theo’s confused.
THEO
Really? I was told in fairly…straightforward terms this place was only for people “Broken.” What changed?
Sharon merely laughs and pulls aside the curtain. Beyond, the bass and lighting get more intense. Broken Land is close.
SHARON
You’re getting there! Follow me.
They step thru the curtain…
FLASH
SUBWAY TUNNEL
…and step out the other side into a much larger tunnel, with two other tunnels merging into theirs just in front of them. From these other feeder tunnels emerge two other versions of Theo, visions of himself at other times in the night, his perception jumping between them. FLASH
The tunnel on the left is covered in glowing graffiti over white tiles, toilets on the wall and ceiling. Theo, with disheveled hair and white dress shirt buttons half undone, is surrounded by red smoke and flanked by two figures, a short muscular unicorn man and a lanky pegasus man. They look at him, and FLASH
He’s suddenly in the right hand tunnel. He’s a mess: he’s lost the dress shirt altogether, just in a gray tee, red writing down one arm. Lipstick is smeared on his cheek, and red powder is caked under his nose. The tunnel, now miraculously vertical, towers above him, topped with a glittering spider web. Slowly descending on a silk thread is a pale-skinned spider / woman hybrid, simultaneously hot and scary. It stops over his head and leans in seductively. Then bites him. FLASH.
He’s back in his body, standing next to SHARON.
THEO
What the fuck is going on??
SHARON
Honey, you’re already Rusted. That subway token was covered in it. You absorbed it thru your skin. You’re “In the Red” now. You wouldn’t have been allowed in otherwise. You gave off a Rusted vibe before, Russ thought so too, but we had to be sure.
THEO
You drugged me?!
SHARON
Don’t worry, darling, you’ll be fine. This is what you were looking
for, after all.
THEO
But what is happening?
SHARON
As you come up, your mind is starting to jump around in time
and space. Strap yourself in, and remember to breath. Your
train is now leaving the… FLASH
THE BATHROOM
Theo is in a large co-ed bathroom talking to the pegasus and the unicorn. Well, a winged man and a horned man. Actually, it’s RUSS and MANNY, the muscular guy he saw outside the club. Russ is decked out in his trademark shoes, black track pants, and a zippered sweatshirt covered in tiny mirrored panels. Manny, short but wide, is rocking a Bulls hat and a My Little Pony shirt, of all things, two sizes too small. Both are surrounded by glowing silver-black Auras, full body halos, as if they were completely natural. Russ’s Aura is a pair of wings that flows up from his ankles and legs, Manny’s a larger muscular form with spikes that undulate languidly. They’re both talking his ear off. But every blink seems to bring a little clarity as Theo fights thru the druggy haze. He’s just getting his bearings when… FLASH
THE DANCE FLOOR
He raises his head from a key on a chain, nose ringed in red powder. He’s in a crowd of revelers, jostled by bodies. Above him, amid the strobing lights, is a spider web of overlapping mirrored triangles with an opening in the middle. Hot spider girl is lowering herself down on a line directly above his head. Multiple arms sway, multiple eyes all locked on his. He’s petrified. He’s in love. As he focuses, she becomes human. She becomes ARIA, the girl who saw him taking photos. She’s an aerialist, dancing in the air above the crowd on a silk sheet. She has that same chrome Aura, evident in the multiple eyes floating around her head, and multiple ghostly arms. FLASH
LOUNGE
He’s back in the tunnel, SHARON leading him along. Their cloak bleeds into that same dark glow. A loud honking blares out of the tunnel in front of them as a subway train comes barreling towards them on the center tracks. It slams on its breaks and screeches to a halt, the first car just inches in front of them. Theo jumps back, and Sharon howls in laughter.
SHARON
Honey you need to get right, that train isn’t going anywhere.
He looks again and realizes that the train was always there, unmoving, and certainly not in working order. He is fucked up! FLASH
THE BATHROOM
The bathroom is filled with a wild mix of people, drag queens in wedding dresses doing their makeup in the mirror, a couple making out, and people going into the bathroom stalls two and three at a time. The subway tiles are covered in glowing red graffiti, neon-like, which is constantly shifting, morphing and seemingly floating two inches off the wall.
Russ smokes his hitter, filling the air with thick red smoke, while Manny scoops bumps of red powder out of a foil packet with his silver horn necklace. Russ adds to the red graffiti on the wall with the tag “Mono No Aware”.
RUSS
You should have seen it Manny, he blew up Minus’ spot Like A Boss! Oh man.
Manny, his sweet child-like demeanor a stark juxtaposition to his wide, muscular form, is chewing Theo’s ear off about his My Little Pony collection. He has marionettes and puppets and the original line. He goes thru all the names and mythology, comparing them to their crew of friends at the club. The Mercury 7 as he calls them. Russ chimes in while continuing to write on the wall.
MANNY
They are so alike, they all have different “cutie marks”…
RUSS
…Like the Serbs planet symbol tattoos…
MANNY
There are unicorns…
RUSS
…Manny’s spikes…
MANNY
And winged ones…
RUSS
…yours truly.
Russ passes the one hitter to Theo, who doubles over coughing after a hit of the red smoke.
MANNY
And they all have different specialties and interests…
RUSS
Yeah, yeah, Manny you’ve said all this before. Just like the Mercury 7’s Auras. Just because we have super powers and tattoos does not make us like your toy horses. LOL. Next you’re gonna say we’re the fucking Care Bears.
MANNY (pouting)
But I don’t collect the Care Bears!
THEO looks on in confusion.
Finally, Russ interrupts Manny one last time, reminding him about the Rust. The loquacious Brony passes Russ a tin foil packet, they hug, and Russ leaves, escorting a wobbly Theo towards the main room. FLASH
THE LOUNGE
The “conductor” leans out the front window, collecting cover charges from people in front of them. Sharon walks him past, nodding.
SHARON
This one’s with me. He’s new to the Red.
CASHIER
Minus said no more comps.
SHARON
Fuck that!
Sharon withdraws a subway token out of her coat and flicks it to the cashier.
SHARON
He wants to second guess us, then he should get up here and work the door.
Beyond, the train has been taken apart somehow and scattered throughout the tunnel like a modernist art project. Bars are set up in open train doors, poles serve as coat racks, and benches are scattered around the tunnel as lounge seating.
Sharon walks him to the next car in the line, the bar car. He goes to order a Vodka Redbull but the guy next to him intercedes.
A VOICE (OS)
I got him. Mezcal please. Three.
It’s the wild eyed homeless man…long unkempt beard and all. The bartender hands him the bottle and he pours three shots, a scorpion floating in the bottle.
HOMELESS MAN
You’re Mexican right?
THEO
Mostly.
HOMELESS MAN
I fell in love with this stuff on my last vision quest to the Yucatan
and now it’s about all I drink.
He hands out the shots to Theo, and then Sharon.
SHARON
I’ll stick to my usual, thanks.
Sharon scoops a bump out of a silver poison ring with a long matching scythe-like pinky ring. The bearded figure toasts Theo.
HOMELESS MAN
Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, también.
They drink, the man drinking Sharon’s as well.
HOMELESS MAN
I’m DEADALUS. Welcome to Broken Man. This is my club.
THEO
Theo. It’s an honor to meet you sir.
DEADALUS
No one’s that formal around here. Besides, it’s like I already know you. You really pissed off our head promoter Minus with that mural stunt of yours. It attracted too much attention from the squares. We had switch to using other entrances and issue keys to the turnstiles, all to protect our secrecy.
THEO
That was kinda the idea, attracting attention. Well, yours anyway. The more someone tells me I shouldn’t go somewhere, the more I want to go, you know. Sorry, I guess.
DEADALUS
Don’t be. You were curious. You applied your art to the quest for greater understanding. That I can appreciate. Plus, it’s kind of fun watching that brat Minus get all bent out of shape, just like his necklace. He makes all our jewelry, sure, but that’s probably cuz he was born with a silver spoon up his nose. He’s not a true artist like a lot of us. Sharon, take care of our new friend. I’ve got to get to the booth.
He chuckles and walks away.
THEO
Wow, this is his place, huh?
SHARON
Top to bottom! A real nut job. But also a true visionary. The creator of Broken Land. And it’s resident DJ.
Sharon begins walking them further down the tunnel.
SHARON
The other big name you need to know is RUST. And this…
Sharon hoovers up the pile of powder in one swift motion
SHARON
…is it. It’s what makes Broken Land tick. It’s the fairy dust of Neverland here. It’ll keep you up, dull the pain, and pull you out of your own head. Most importantly, it puts you “The Red,” able to see and hear music and lights normal people can’t even perceive. But it will burn you, literally, if you don’t do it off something silver, like the right nail polish or one of these.
Sharon hands him a small silver key on a leather cord.
SHARON
And it will fuck with your perception of time in a big way the first couple of times.
THEO
Yeah, no shit.
SHARON (laughing)
Now let’s get you to the main room, Russ is waiting for…
FLASH
DANCE FLOOR
Theo is back at the edge of the crowded dance floor, staring up at the stage. A thin, back-lit curtain hangs across the stage, showing a scene in shadow. A dancer, twirling thread skillfully. A larger shadow, looming over, moving threads, but not as well. Angered, the large shadow points down and lights strobe in anger. Shamed, the better dancer hangs her head, and appears to be fitted with a noose and raised into the air. The lights cut out. When they come come back on, Aria is now outside the curtain, hanging high above the dance floor. Her body is wrapped tight in a series of beautifully elaborate ropes and knots. She struggles seductively, finally freeing her neck and falling upside down straight towards the crowd. They gasp in unison. Swinging mere feet above their heads, the spotlights find her in the darkness. Her ghostly eyes open, a pair at a time, and she begins to her strip tease while swinging mere feet over the crowd. They cheer. Her ghostly arms free themselves one by one, the ropes fall away, until she is revealed, complete. She dances in the air ecstatically before lowering herself toward Theo. FLASH
MAIN ENTRANCE
Sharon and Theo emerge from the tunnel into the subway station proper, the main room of the club. The entire station is visible, three track widths packed with people, stairs leading up on both sides to the platforms, with a full bar on the right and the stage on the left. At the opposite end, jutting out of the dark subway tunnel on a raised dais is the DJ booth, with an ornate mirrored astrological clock taking up the back wall. The domed ceiling of the station soars above them, massive cracks in the walls filled in with a metal. Overlapping, triangular catwalks hang in the air above the tracks, the spider webs of Theo’s earlier hallucination. A pair of massive speaker stacks flank the DJ booth, with the third here next to them by the entrance. The loud music and intricate light show fill the air, fill Theo’s senses, until a sparkling light at the bar catches his eye. He looks to see Russ, disco ball hoodie reflecting the light, and Theo himself, looking a little worse for wear, emerging from around the bar and to the edge of the dance floor.
MAIN BAR
Theo and Russ come out of the bathroom and walk past the main bar and to the edge of the platform, now abutting a long, low set of stairs that descend into the sea of people on the dance floor. Across the way, sitting on the edge of the stage, is Theo, looking ever more frazzled and shirtless. They see him catch sight of something to his right and stand up.
MAIN STAGE
The performance over, Theo sits on stage, in awe. He notices something familiar at the entrance, SHARON and THEO himself, as he appeared early in the night, walking into the main room.
MAIN ROOM
In quick succession, all three Theo’s stare at their counterparts. Seen from above, they form a perfect triangle as their perceptions merge. Understanding replaces confusion as a triangulated 3D image of the club reveals itself to all three: the layout of the room, the dome above, and the subway tunnel at each end: the entrance tunnel to the east and to the west the DJ booth extending back into…
THE STAGE
SLAP! Theo is jerked suddenly out of his trance by a hard, painful, but not entirely unpleasant smack in the face. Aria, still in her arial harness and strategically placed electrical tape, is standing in front of him. The slap has brought him out of the time jumps, grounding him. He sees the other two Theo’s continue their paths that will eventually lead him here.
THE MAIN BAR
Theo shakes off the vision of his past and future. Russ grabs him.
RUSS
Come one, let’s hit the dance floor. Aria should be performing soon.
MAIN ROOM
Theo and Sharon stand at the mouth of the tunnel, as Russ calls down from the light booth above.
RUSS
Hey! You made it. Sharon, thanks for letting him in. I’ll take him from here.
Russ climbs down from the rafters.
RUSS
You look like you’re off to a good start, let’s hit the bathroom. I gotta see a man about some horse. I need to catch up to (gestures to Theo) THIS.
THE STAGE
Normality restored slightly, Theo is still high and starstruck by Aria as she talks.
ARIA
Daydreaming is great, but you have to focus or you’re gonna miss the show.
He nurses his stinging cheek.
ARIA
A little pain never hurt anybody.
She alights a quick kiss on his face, adding some blood red lipstick to the bright pink hand print. She points.
ARIA
See. Deadalus is about to go on.
The club is plunged into complete darkness. A lone spotlight shines down on Deadalus as the crowd erupts in applause. He mixes between three decks of reel to reel tapes, playing melodies on a crazy vintage synthesizer awash in a tangle of wires. Computerized sonic elements begin in three dimensional space, moving about the room before coming together in overlapping harmony. As the beat builds, moving tracer lights outline the bottom edges of the maze of catwalks above them, illuminating the mirrors underneath. Theo looks up, seeing the crowd reflected in the mirrors, with Russ back among the catwalks, controlling the lights. He sees himself in the mirrors above, at the center of the crowd. It is a dizzying experience, as new frequencies of sound and light fire neurons in his brain. The crowd goes crazy, with their hands in the air, moving in unison. Theo yells in excitement, along with the rest of them.
FADE OUT
THE DANCE FLOOR
It’s the end of the party, and the crowd has thinned to just the hardcore, spread out across the dance floor with room to dance. The Mercury 7, as Russ calls them, have filled the DJ booth and stage, having their own party. Russ pulls Theo into the booth as Deadalus ends his set, and reintroduces them.
DEADALUS
Was it all that you thought it would be?
THEO
More. You guys do this every week?
DEADALUS
Yes, but you’re here for one of the big ones. Equinoxes and Solstices have the most mystical energy.
The crowd chants for one more song, but Minus gives Deadalus the wrap it up signal. Aria is smoking a joint in the booth, clipped in to a silver clothespin. She leans over and whispers in Deadalus’ ear. He smiles and pulls out a new tape. Aria nudges Russ, and they both head up to the catwalks. The song comes on, an old favorite remixed in a slow, druggy pace, and the crowd cheers and smiles in recognition. Re-engerized, everyone settles in to their practiced end of the night rituals. As the song plays, Russ turns a crank to open skylights in the dome above. Bright beams of mid day sunlight stream in, silhouetting the catwalks and illuminating the decrepit beauty of the room. Aria dances barefoot on top of one the speaker stacks, eyes closed. Manny pulls out a pair of homemade My Little Pony marionettes, which he skillfully makes dance on the wall of the DJ booth. Sharon and all three Serbians, finally off duty, dance on stage…Sharon doing fierce drag runway, and the Serbs forming his own surprisingly good B-Boy pop-and-lock trio. Even Deadalus and Minus dance, twirling and spinning a pair of twins that look really familiar. Theo takes Polaroids of them all. As the song reaches its climax, Russ drops a sheaf of mimeographs into the air, which float down slowly onto the crowd.
Deadalus flips a switch on his mixer, and triggers a single key on the synth. Blinding strobes pulse from inside the triangular speaker cones aimed at the DJ booth. It’s matched by a single note, beautiful and piercing. It tastes like black and smells like deja vu. And suddenly…
The flyers are sheet music.
The synthesizer is a baby grand.
The red light is the red filter of a viewfinder of a red plastic toy camera.
The flashcube rotates, drawings of the four seasons on each side.
Winter. Spring. Summer. Fall.
The little boy loves watching him play the piano. He wishes he wouldn’t leave.
A flyer lands on Theo’s head, snapping him out of his reverie. A summer-themed haiku is printed on it, with the handwritten announcement for the next party glowing brightly in red ink.
The sang ends and the crowd smiles and cheers. Hugs all around. The party is over. Russ calls down.
RUSS
Hold up! I’ll walk out with you.
SUBWAY TUNNEL
Theo and Russ walk out the tunnel and up the stairs, stepping over party detritus, cups and beer cans and flyers.
Theo is looking at his photos from the booth in confusion. Away from the pummeling overstimulation of the club, Theo is feeling a bit more clearheaded. But the instant photos in his hand still show glowing halos around Deadalus, Minus, Aria and the rest.
RUSS (looking over his shoulder)
Nice, you really captured the Mercury 7’s auras.
THEO
Long exposures. Must be the club lighting. Or I’m higher than I think I am.
RUSS
Oh, you definitely are. But that’s no trick of the light. I thought I told you.
THEO
In the bathroom? Wait, are you telling me you guys have superpowers??
RUSS
Yeah, everyone in the Mercury 7 does. We’re MonoChrome.
They climb up the subway steps, emerging into the harsh morning sunlight. Sunlight bounces off the silvery wings now visible around him. Theo is in shock. Russ deftly slips on a pair of aviator sunglasses, turning to see Theo squinting at the light above.
RUSS (laughing)
Amateur!