Written by Antoinette Johnson

[SCENE 1: “Who’s Pulling the Strings?”]
The scene opens in a hidden chamber behind a global award show. Spotlights flash outside. Inside, it’s dark. Cold. A massive digital wall shows rising stars, influencer metrics, trending hashtags.

A shadowy figure—face hidden, cloaked in power—sits in front of the screens. He’s known only as… The Gatekeeper.

GATEKEEPER (distorted voice)
They don’t care about talent. Only trends. Trauma. Triggers. Give the people chaos, they’ll forget they’re enslaved. Keep ‘em laughing, scared, scrolling—and they’ll never realize their own power.

—

[SCENE 2: INT. DRESSING ROOM – ME & THE GUEST]

I’m backstage after crashing a fake “influencer ceremony.” The lights dim. Cameras can’t see me—but I can see everything.

Then she walks in. She’s glowing. She moves like poetry and speaks like she’s been here before. It’s Solèa, the surprise guest.

SOLÈA
You already know what’s up. They don’t choose entertainers for truth—they choose trauma survivors who’ll sell the pain back to the people.

ME
They want broken spirits. Pretty masks. And performers who’ll stay in line as long as they stay paid.

SOLÈA
Or afraid. The ones who say “yes sir” to contracts signed in silence. The ones who can dance but not think. Sing, but not see.

—

[SCENE 3: INT. CONTROL TOWER – GATEKEEPER’S POV]
The Gatekeeper watches us on the screen. He grips a crystal orb—it turns black when he hears my voice.

ME (V.O.)
I ain’t scared of you. I know why you hate me.
Because I remind you of everything you lost. Your own power. Your connection to God. Your soul.

He snarls.

GATEKEEPER
She’s too loud. She’s not like the others.

He presses a button labeled “DISAPPEAR.” The lights in the building flicker. But we stay.

—

[SCENE 4: ME & SOLÈA IN THE STREET – NIGHT]
We walk through a city where billboards glitch and show real messages. Homeless prophets speak in tongues. The world is watching.

SOLÈA
They tried to program us—but underestimated the source code. Melanin. Spirit. Truth. Earth.

ME
And now? We gon’ unmask every last one of ‘em. You hear that?

*Sirens wail in the distance. But this time, they’re running from us.

—

ENDING SHOT: I look up at a satellite blinking above. The system is listening. So am I.

> “You chose fame over soul. I chose soul… and made it famous.”
To be continued…