Chapter 19 of 26 · Book 2, Carl's Doomsday Scenario
Chapter 19 — Danger Zone
Book: Carl's Doomsday Scenario · Previous: Chapter 18 — Miss Quill · Next: Chapter 20 — Manasa's last song · Floor: Floor 3 — The Over City · Series: the series
Opening
This was a different production trailer than the one we’d used for the Maestro’s show, but
Summary
A rental trailer with a cat-washing machine and a robot called Donna; Mongo shrieking through a lavender rinse. Danger Zone with Ripper Wonton: a quokka host, a Soother director who puts the abductions down to Soother oddsmakers and the probes to the Null, Earth's Grays, a Sac princess, a cobra-headed Valtay-run pop star, a comedian, and Hekla, live, asking Carl to help a Daughter who is near him.
Donut destroys Tucker ('Bless your heart'); asked about King Rust, who has disowned the Maestro, Carl gives the boiling-frog speech and tells the Skull Empire's subjects to kick out their king — 'What are they gonna do? Throw me in the dungeon?' Two minutes later a trailer is pulsed from orbit. The show goes on to audience questions (Ferdinand is really Gravy Boat, Marjory's yellow tomcat; would Donut leave Carl for Bea?) until Ripper breaks the news, and Prince Stalwart announces Carl and Donut's execution, from the ninth floor by Carl's reading of the window; it was Manasa's trailer, swapped so they could shower. The Valtay claim to have destroyed Stalwart's yacht, the queen consort and the Maestro rumoured aboard. Hekla: 'Scorched earth?' 'With a little bit of chaos thrown in.'
Characters
- Ripper Wonton — Host, and Evo the director.
- Princess D'nadia — Keeps reaching for Carl's hand through the hologram; weeps for Manasa.
- Manasa — Killed in their place.
- Tucker — Butler.
- Hekla — Live; asks a favour for an unnamed Daughter near them.
- Prince Stalwart — The execution statement, from floor nine by Carl's guess.
- Prince Maestro — Reported dead on the yacht.
- Carl — The speech.
- Princess Donut — 'When are you going to say something funny?'
Locations
- Production trailers — A rental with a Jetsons shower.
Motifs
- The boiling frog — The metaphor.
- The Skull Empire — Attempted assassination; the yacht destroyed.
- The Valtay Corporation — Manasa's owners; the dreadnaught.
- Seeds — 'All it takes is a little seed' Hand on Donut, then the speech.