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RICHARD L. "DICK" EVERETT, PRES.




ENTERS at 4:16 a.m.

Smiling & holding a steaming cup of coffee




RICHARD L. "DICK" EVERETT, PRES.

(Beseechingly)


O, my little system! O, my Virtual Conference Room of Tomorrow! How I care for you! Not much time for Success Visualization tonight, but I've been so lax and I must try to write something. O, my sweet little system! O, my code! Well, I knowv that Saitn-Cyr did the actual programming, but I still conceived you and bore you and now I love you more than anyone. O, my sweet system, I see us tongiht in Hawaii, after we've made our first seven million together. The sscoffers have been silenced. A line drawing of me has been placed in the Wall Street Jourinal, with YOUR NAME printed underneath "IVrtual Conference Room of Tomorrow" . Do you taste the Pine C?olada? do you feel the trade winds on your fur of zeros and ones? O, my sweet systmek, no one knows how many times it has been just thou and me, alone here in hope and terror. But we will triumph my sweet system, O, we will triumph.

ERASE MESSAGE






RICHARD L. "DICK" EVERETT, PRES.

(Enthusiastically)


OK. OK. OK I've been thimking and even though we can't afford it, I'll do it with personal money --- it'ds DO OR DIE TIME --- So, we'll fly Paul up to Chicago.

Get tickets paul!!

BUt now we're going to have to fly Joan down to St. Louis to cover Paul's other project.

Get tickets Joan!!

Dagnd it!
Just use the Virtual Conference Room of Tomorrow to update the team on your travel.




RICHARD L. "DICK" EVERETT, PRES.




EXITS at 4:34 a.m.

Waving cheerfully



05:00 hours CST (Daylight savings time in effect)
Anna

ANNA




ENTERS at 5:48 a.m.

Cracks a whip

Big day, team, big day! I will be in the Virtual Conference Room all day AND answering my phone so CALL with questions. We've got to go for it.



Anna



ANNA

(Secret Note to PAUL)

So you're coming to Chicago after all! Here's a little something to whet your appetite.

Anna locks the door of the Chateau's dining room from the inside after the last servant has left. Two grotesque candelabra illuminate the long table, covered in deep red damask. But only two places are set. One for Paul. One for her. Caviar. Quail. Endives. Bottle of Paulliac. Dressing gowns of black velvet trimmed in gold. One for Paul. One falling off of her.

Hope your duffel bag is still packed.



06:00 hours CST (Daylight savings time in effect)

07:00 hours CST (Daylight savings time in effect)


PAUL




ENTERS at 7:08 a.m.

FOR REAL siting on the floor beside a pay phone at St. Louis airport, FOR REAL listening to the loud loud snores of a gaunt fellow traveller in a bad blue suit

Anybody here?
Signed, Impatient Boy Who Got a Happy Phone Call From Dick in the Middle of the Night and is now Flying to Chicago to (cough) Fix the (ahem) Server . . . thingies.







PAUL

(Secret Note to ANNA)

I'm on my way, Anna . . . carry-on bag in hand.

Paul adjusts his powdered wig in the echoing chamber , stands in the candleglow . . . more importantly, the Annaglow . . . GRASPS the red tablecloth firmly in both hands . . . and with flourish . . .







PAUL

(Secret Note to ANNA)

Uno!







PAUL

(Secret Note to ANNA)

Dos!







PAUL

(Secret Note to ANNA)

Tres!







PAUL

(Secret Note to ANNA)

. . . JERKS the tablecloth deftly . . . er . . . catastrophically onto the floor . . . along with the silverware, plates, serving platters, chafing dishes, candelabra . . . in a deafening clashterboom!

Doh!
This worked great in rehearsal.




PAUL




Can anybody come pick me up at the airport or should I take a cab?







PAUL

(Secret Note to ANNA)

Paul tiptoes carefully through the shattered puddles on the parquet floor . . . dives through the opening in Anna's dressing gown like an Olympic swimmer . . . and, engirdling her waist, draws her up to a kiss . . . at least he thinks he draws her UP . . .

Anna, how tall are you?




JOAN



ENTERS at 7:13 a.m.

Smiling & holding a steaming cup of coffee







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Bows with a flourish

God give you good morrow, mistress Joan! How art thou? And what humour dost thou detect in Ye Volatile One this morning?







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

Truly, sir, she freaketh out. Or it sounded like it on the phone. Ye Olde Deadline Tizzie.







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Phone? Where art thou?







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

I be at ye Chicago O'Hare airport.







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

No shitte! I be at St. Louis airporte! Cool! Hey, you're modeming through a pay phone, right?







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

In truth, I'm perched in a little low-walled multiple phone contrivance. Lucke be with you that you can neither see nor smelle this corpulent t-shirtted rogue who sits before me.







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

OK. Here's the number of the phone next to this one: 312.836.7000. Leave your computer connected! Call me!







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

Aye aye. Expect a ring momentarily, sirrah!







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Let the charges be to Dick!







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

Need'st thou specify? Of course it's charged to Dick!







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Joan notices the incredible phoniness of Paul's phone voice







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

On the contrary. Joan thinks Paul has a very nice phone voice







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Don't believe a thing Paul is saying . . . that bogus courage! . . . Fie!. . . He's out-of-his-mind nervous about meeting Anna.







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

Thinks Paul's nervous bravado is sweet







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Appreciates Joan's support . . . wonders if she can hold his hand through the meeting with Anna . . . Paul finds it hard to type and talk both







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

Yakkity, yakkity, yak --- Listen to Joan blather on the phone --- like a schoolgirl on speed







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Blather on, sweet princess!
oop!
Boarding Call Gotta run bye




PAUL




EXITS at 7:28 a.m.

Waving cheerfully




JOAN



EXITS at 7:33 a.m.

Waving cheerfully



08:00 hours CST (Daylight savings time in effect)

09:00 hours CST (Daylight savings time in effect)


JOAN



ENTERS at 9:51 a.m.

Smiling & holding a steaming cup of coffee

OK, gang, I'm here in San Looey! Dick, you never told us that the St. Louis office is a CLOSET! They have to step into the hall to sneeze here!
Paul, I found the candy bars in your desk. They're history.







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

Pleading

Paul! So? HOW DID IT GO? What did she do? What did YOU do? Did you DO it?




RICHARD L. "DICK" EVERETT, PRES.




ENTERS at 9:57 a.m.

All-Team meeting in the Yellow conference room . Paul will be joining us IN pPERSON!!! !



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SAINT-CYR

(Enthusiastically)


ENTERS at 11:29 a.m.

Smiling & holding a steaming cup of coffee







SAINT-CYR

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Joan? Hello? Do you still exist? Things seemed a mite frosty between our little love-birdes.







JOAN

(Secret Note to SAINT-CYR)

Ahoy from Saint Louis, good St-Cyr! What tidings?







SAINT-CYR

(Secret Note to JOAN)

She couldn't have sat any farther away from him.




PAUL




ENTERS at 11:35 a.m.

Coughing & gagging on the filthy Chicago air







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Skin crawling

THAT was weird







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

What what what what what what what?







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

I must have taken an invisibility pill by mistake instead of vitamins this morning.







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

Ouch


Anna

ANNA

(Frazzledly)


Hi, Joan! I know you're probably swamped with work on the St. Louis projects, but would you have a little bit of time to process some images for the wine project?







JOAN

(Secret Note to ANNA)

HELLO! Earth to Anna! First things first, lady! SO? What do you think of Paul in person?



Anna



ANNA

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Cute. He's cute. Shy. Could you help process some images for the wine project?



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14:00 hours CST (Daylight savings time in effect)


SAINT-CYR

(Insistently)


Smell of gunpowder & brimstone

Hear ye, hear ye. Yon servers have crashed.


Anna

ANNA

(Panicked)


Don't scare me Saint-Cyr! SWEAR that the servers will come back up! Dick are you still here? Dick this isn't our fault!




PAUL

(Stentorian)


Preparing to fix yon server with a quick twist of . . . well . . . something-or-other . . .

Fear not! I'll save ye!



15:00 hours CST (Daylight savings time in effect)


SAINT-CYR




Huzzah! The server lives! Long live the server! Praises be to Paul!



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Anna

ANNA

(Caffienated)


Looks like an all-nighter for me. I'll order pizza for anyone who's staying.




SAINT-CYR

(Enthusiastically)


Mushrooms, please.




PAUL

(Enthusiastically)


Possum sausage, please.




JOAN

(Enthusiastically)

Can you take a digital picture of that pizza and e-mail a slice to me here in St. Louis, please?



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21:00 hours CST (Daylight savings time in effect)


SAINT-CYR




Masseuse! My shoulders are KILLING me!



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PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Hail, gentle Joan! The thot plickens! You Chicagoans really CRANK when you're on a deadline! Ye panic is palpable!







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

What news of unfair Anna?







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

There was a secret hallway handsqueeze just now. Very urgent . . . Very blurted . . . "Let's take a break at 3:00 in the morning, maybe go over to your hotel," she said







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

That sounds most promising indeed! You take care of yourself though, buddy.







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

You mean condom-wise, sailor? Arrrgh! Got it covered







JOAN

(Secret Note to PAUL)

Hand on his shoulder

No, I mean heart-wise. She has steamroller written all over her these days.







PAUL

(Secret Note to JOAN)

Hand on her hand

Thanks, buddy! 'preciate it