Arcade

WE WATCH

as a series of dissolves portray the crowd of people leaving, bit by bit,
until only our original group is left.

THE GROUP

as they make their way down the street and away from The Inferno.

    GREG
  So how did you do it, Alex?

    ALEX
  Well, it's a long story...

Alex catches Nick's eye briefly, and he smiles.  Whatever happened between
them is over now.  Friends again.

Suddenly Alex stops in her tracks, a look of concern washing over her
face.

    NICK
  What is it?

    ALEX
  I just thought of something.  If we came
  back from the game...
   (turning to Nick)
  ...what if ARCADE did too?

A beat as the group mulls it over.  Then Greg shakes his head.

    GREG
  Nah.  You won, right?  You played by the
  rules.

Greg's right.  Alex grins and dismisses the thought.

    ALEX
  Okay.  Forget I ever said it.

The group moves away from us once more.

    STILTS
  So start at the beginning...

    LAURIE
  Give her a chance, will you?

    STILTS
  I am giving her a chance.  Why don't you
  get off my back?

    GREG
   (annoyed)
  Guys...

       DISSOLVE TO:

INT.  DANTE'S INFERNO -- DAY

We are moving slowly through the empty arcade, ducking around and between
video machines until we reach the silent ARCADE prototype.

SUDDENLY,

SPARKS appear on the ground nearby, chasing each other around and
coalescing into a ball.  ENERGY crackling. SOMETHING is flickering in and
out at an incredible rate. BUZZING.  STATIC.  And...

WHAM!!!  A FLASH OF LIGHT EXPLODES OUTWARD.

A FORM

rises up from the floor, still trailing tendrils of smoke. It lifts its
head.

THE BOY

stares directly at us, eyes glowing like nuclear reactors. And inside
those eyes we see the swirling fractals.  He grins, flashing a mouthful of
perfectly white teeth.

    ARCADE/BOY
  KISS REALITY GOODBYE, SUCKERS.

And we...

        CUT TO:

Darkness.

       THE END