Finding the Truth
by Stephanie P.

Characters
Charlie- Charlie is a 34 year old man who works for the magazine called Scoop and is at the peak of his career. He is 5’11 with short, straw colored hair and olive green eyes. He is fit for his age and has a young and ambitious look in his face and his step. He is a well known in Superville as the young reporter who always gets the story. His only love is his job.

Superdude- Superdude is a superhero with black hair, and blue eyes. His true identity is a man named Clark Pent who is so absorbed in justice, that he often misses it when it is there. As a hero, he spends so much of his time preaching about righteousness, that he makes dumb mistakes and acts like a fool.

Batguy- Batguy is a filthy rich man with steely blue eyes and jet black hair. His real name is Bruce Kayne and the best word to describe him would be a ‘ladies man’. Even though he is a master at the martial arts and a genius, he spends all his time out on the town with at least two ladies on each arm. As a superhero, he is self-absorbed and only wants to look good for the public.

Spiderkid- Spiderkid is an awkward teenage boy with acne and glasses too big for his face. He has brown hair and eyes, and a skinny, undeveloped body. His human name is Peter Stalker and he constantly follows his pretty neighbor around, Mary Bane. He cares about saving lives but might be absent during a few burglaries in order to watch his favorite Sci-Fi shows.

Ethan- Ethan is the editor of Scoop and a good friend of Charlie’s. He is a short, stocky bald man who has a hardened face that matches his character. He only wants the truth in the stories he edits and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. He is Charlie’s backbone in a tough situation.

Scene 1

(The curtain opens and the lights slowly come on. The scene shows a small room with white walls and a fan on the ceiling. There is a door to the left and two windows in the room and beyond them are blue skies and other large buildings. The room contains a large wooden desk with papers scattered all over it and a small reading lamp. In front of the desk are three blue cushioned sitting chairs. In the corner is another chair with a small table and sitting on top of that table is a fern. The room has a blue carpeted floor and the only other decoration in the room is a quote in a picture frame on the wall stating, “Ambition should be made of sterner stuff”. Sitting at the large desk in a cushioned chair matching the others is Charlie. He has a perplexed look on his face and is concentrating on a piece of paper on his desk. In the corner of the room sits Ethan who is silently waiting for Charlie to speak. After a couple minutes, Charlie finally complies.)

Charlie- This is no good. Who is going to read a story with an end like this? (He leans back in his chair, tossing the piece of paper on the desk.)

Ethan- No one I guess. But then again, that’s why we are here in your office this very minute waiting for the three ‘heroes’ to show.

Charlie- (Chuckles at his friend’s sarcasm.) They’re not exactly model citizens, are they?

Ethan- If you consider a geek, a justice fanatic, and a so-called ‘ladies man’ citizens, then sure, why not. (Silence ensues.)

Charlie- It just gets me that I was so close to getting the top story of the year, and a stupid technical malfunction got in the way.

Ethan- So, let me get this straight. You were following the battle in the streets getting a good view of everything, and then…?

Charlie- (Charlie finishes his sentence.) And then those superheroes took the battle up to the roof, leaving us normal people behind with no shot.

Ethan- And then you go inside a nearby building, thinking you can get up to the roof and the battle scene. And here goes the fun part. (He smirks.)

Charlie- Ha! If you think running up flight after flight of stairs because the elevator is broken is fun, then I don’t want to know what you consider a bad time.

Ethan- A little exercise will do you good, live on the optimistic side of life.

Charlie- Ya, I’m talking to a real saint here. Anyway, I finally reach the roof level and as I rush through the door the battle is over. They are all standing over the unconscious villain, arguing over who took him out.

Ethan- You think they would be happy that they defeated the moron, but instead they sit there fighting over who did the most work. Typical heroes.

Charlie- Well, that’s why we are here today. To find out the truth about what really happened on that rooftop. Hopefully they will push aside their egos and tell me what really happened, so I can get a good ending to my article.

Ethan- That’s wishful thinking.

(The conversation is interrupted by the entrance of three characters into the room. Superdude enters proudly, eyes full of determination and his chest puffed out. Batguy walks in with a cocky swagger and holds his nose high. The last to enter the room is the skinny teenage boy, or Spiderkid, constantly pushing his sliding glasses back onto his nose.)

Charlie- Hey guys, thanks for coming. (He stands up and shakes the hand of each of the newcomers.) Go ahead and take a seat. (They all sit down in the blue chairs in front of Charlie’s desk.) So you all know why you are here today and I don’t want to waste time with pleasantries.

Batguy- Good, because some of us don’t have the time for petty interviews, when the truth is obvious.

Superdude- If by that you mean justice is the truth, than indeed you are correct Batguy.

Batguy- Give me a break. I don’t know about the rest of you but I am getting so sick of hearing about justice. The truth I am talking about is the fact that I saved the day from our evil arch nemeses, Dr. Evil.

Charlie- So you say that you saved the day!? Finally we are getting somewhere. (He takes out a pencil and paper and starts scribbling down notes.)

Spiderkid- Um, excuse me; sorry to burst your bubble Batguy, but I believe it was I who felled our mighty foe. (As he says this, Spiderkid pushes his glasses farther up his nose.)

Batguy- Oh please you little punk, don’t you have a Star Trek meeting to go to? (Spiderkid starts stuttering a response when Superdude comes in.)

Superdude- Now, now Batguy, there is no need to get nasty. We can all settle this like reasonable superheroes. Now let us think back to the point of the villain’s demise. I think I recall myself being the one who stopped him in the end. (Before the other two could protest he continues hastily.) Now I am not saying you guys didn’t help. I am just saying that I gave him the final punch of justice to send him to jail where he belongs in.

Ethan- Oh Lord, this is going to be a long day. (He mutters under his breath.)

Batguy- This is outrageous!

Spiderkid- Ri..rii..diculous! (He sputters.)

Charlie- Guys please. (The others start to bicker loudly back and forth, drowning out the noise of Charlie’s pleading.) Come on, stop this, we are all adults here! (Charlie tries in vain to reach them. They are all standing out of their chairs now, yelling meaningless things back and forth.) Everyone just…(Charlie tries one more time but this time he is cut off by a different noise.)

Ethan- SHUT UP!!!! (As his scream echoes through the room, it sends the heroes into silence. They are all furious at each other, but are sent into silence by the imposing figure rising out of his chair.) You guys are a bunch of babies! You sit there fighting back and forth and back and forth about what justice is, or who can stomp who!? If you three don’t sit down right now, you’re going to have a lot more to worry about than the color of tights you are going to wear tomorrow! (With that last statement, each hero reluctantly sits back down.)

Charlie- (He speaks as though nothing unusual has happened.) So, where was I? Oh yes, I want each of you to take your turn telling your side of the story with no interruptions, or you can answer to my friend here. (He points behind him at Ethan, who eyes each hero with a cold, sharp stare.) Let’s start with you Superdude.

Superdude- As you wish. As you all know, our evil enemy Dr. Evil starts to wreck havoc on our innocent city Superville. Such a sight brought a tear to me eye, for true justice is not obtained through violence. (Batguy snorts at this, and Superdude gives him an angry glare. After a few seconds, he continues.) Of course, the three of us superheroes were drawn to the area of destruction, in order to save our beautiful city.

Batguy- Enough with the theatrics; just tell the story.

Spiderkid- I second Batguy’s request.

Superdude- A true story of justice cannot be rushed. Now, as I am the first to come upon the battle scene, I swoop right to the source of evil.

Charlie- Swoop?

Superdude- Yes, swoop. You know, fly. (Batguy and Spiderkid giggle behind their hands and Superdude continues, ignoring them.) I take him by surprise and send him flying into a building, with a power only strengthened by courage. Glass shatters everywhere, as I watch justice being done.

Charlie- So you admit to being responsible for shattering thousands of dollars worth of glass on the surrounding buildings? (Charlie asks slyly.)

Superdude- Well I…I guess you could say…that is beside the point. I think my service to this city as a superhero will cover the damages.

Ethan- I guess that means it is time to get some superhero insurance. (He says this sarcastically and Superdude blushes furiously and continues.)

Superdude- After a few blows are exchanged, Spiderkid shows up, late as usual.

Charlie- (Turning to Spiderkid in surprise.) And why is that?

Spiderkid- Well…I was, uh…busy at the moment. Very important business to attend to.

Batguy- Oh definitely, I understand how important your Sci-Fi television shows are to you. (At this he starts laughing cruelly.)

Spiderkid- That’s not true! Not all of them are that important, it’s just that it was the season finale and they don’t do reruns! (At this Batguy starts laughing uproariously and leans over in his chair.) Stop that! Stop laughing! At least I don’t spend my time loving women who just want me for my money!

Batguy- (Silencing quickly and growing defensive.) What do you know about love twerp!? You couldn’t get a quarter of the women I get in one night, your whole lifetime!

Spiderkid- No, I have higher standards than that. I can get a woman who loves me, which is more than I can say about you!

Ethan- Wow, way too much information.

Charlie- That is where you are wrong my friend. This is all the good stuff right here. Jerry Springer for superheroes we’ll call it. (Spiderkid and Batguy shut up at this statement, realizing they are bringing their personal lives to the magazine Scoop, which isn’t smart.)

Superdude- Now that you guys are done with that vile conversation, I shall continue. So Spiderkid contributes to the fight and then Batguy comes along, taking his sweet time to get here.

Batguy- Hey, sorry I can’t fly or use my sticky webs to get to where I need to go. It takes a little longer when you actually have to grapple from building to building.

Charlie- Continue Superdude.

Superdude- As Batguy arrives, we all combine our forces to defeat our foe and the battle moves to the rooftops.

Charlie- Finally we’re getting there!

Superdude- (Superdude gets a nervous look on his face and rushes the end.) And then I take the final blow and the villain is vanquished.

Charlie- And…that’s it? That’s the end. No more details or anything?

Superdude- None that I can recall.

Batguy- Wow, you seem to have left the most important part out Superdude.

Superdude- And what is that might I ask? (He is perspiring now.)

Batguy- Oh, just the tiny fact that…you just lied! I was the one who took him out you liar!

Charlie- Ok ok guys, lets not start this again. Batguy, it’s your turn to tell the story.

Batguy- It’s about time. I thought the truth would never be told.

Spiderkid- Ya, because all you care about is the truth. Ha, please. You just want to look good to your adoring lady fans!

Batguy- There is nothing wrong with wanting to please the ladies.

Ethan- Just get on with it!

Batguy- Fine. Well, I admit I show up at the battle late because of the difficulty of grappling. As I arrive, I see the pitiful attempts by Spiderkid and Superdude to kick some butt. So I step in and give them a hand.

Spiderkid- I’m sure you consider giving us a hand just standing there and waiting for everyone to get tired so you can do the easy part at the end.

Batguy- (Ignoring him.) As Superdude was saying, the battle moved to the rooftops and I took him out because the other two were too exhausted from the easy workout to continue. (He finishes smugly but doesn’t quite look anyone in the eye.)

Spiderkid- You lying fiend! It is so obvious you are fibbing by the way you avert your eyes from our glances!

Batguy- Just because I prefer to not look at you, doesn’t mean I am a liar!

Charlie- (Sighing.) Well, if the first two are lying, then it is time to prove yourself worthy Spiderkid. It’s your turn.

Spiderkid- Of course I will uphold my honest record. Now, I admit I was in the middle of a show when I heard about Dr. Evil in our city, but I promise as soon as the episode was over I sped away to the battle scene.

Superdude- A superhero with true intentions in his heart would have taped the episode and went to do his duty to humanity.

Batguy- Give me a break Superdude; the only reason you were there on time was because you have nothing better to do with your time. In case you’re wondering why all your friends have left you, it’s because no one wants to hear you preach about justice and all that stuff.

Superdude- That’s appalling! Who wouldn’t want to hear a heartwarming tale of good prevailing above all else?

Charlie- (Rolling his eyes.) I know I know it’s a mystery to us all. Now keep going will ya?

Spiderkid- As I was saying, I sped away to the battle scene, only to find Superdude ‘attempting’ to fend off our foe.

Ethan- Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?

Charlie- (Charlie snorts.) I wouldn’t be surprised if you did, you are the king of sarcasm.

Spiderkid- (Continuing.) I chose to use sarcasm at that particular moment because of Superdude’s pitiful display of ‘super power’ in the battle.

Superdude- Excuse me? (Bewildered) You need to get a better lens prescription Spiderkid, for I was doing credit to superheroes all over the world with my dazzling display of super power.

Spiderkid- (Pushes his glasses farther up his nose, suddenly self-conscious.) M…mmyy prescription is just fine thank you! And I wouldn’t exactly say you were crediting superheroes everywhere by completely missing the villain with you laser beam eyes and hitting the surrounding buildings! It was almost impossible to dodge around all the falling glass, but luckily, I am so agile that I managed it without a scratch. (He folds his arms and raises his nose in the air.)

Superdude- (Superdude’s face first turns red and then a dark purple. His eyes start to glow a bright red and he rises out of his chair. Spiderkid gets up also.) You little creep! I have never heard such lies in my life! I ought to laser your little spider a…

Charlie- (Charlie cuts in at the right moment, for he notices that a superhero battle is about to go down.) Aaanndd this is where we digress. I don’t want to have to write a story about you two killing each other during an interview. Do you really want to leave Batguy with all the credit? He already gets enough publicity as it is.

Batguy- Hey! I can’t help it if the public adores me! (Spiderkid and Superdude turn their angry glares away from each other and towards Batguy.)

Spiderkid- Shut up! (In unison with Superdude.)

Superdude- Shut up! (In unison with Spiderkid.)

Batguy- Hmf! (He slouches back into his chair, pouting. The other two heroes slow sit back down, holding their death stare all the while.)

Ethan- (Ethan looks up at the ceiling, his hands in prayer.) God, I promise if you get me through this interview I will never sin again!

Charlie- Amen. (The room has gotten deeply silent, and the stare off carries on for a couple more seconds and then Charlie interrupts the silence.) Can we please proceed? (He asks Spiderkid pleadingly.)

Spiderkid- (He stares at Superdude menacingly for a few seconds longer and then looks back at Charlie, continuing the story as if nothing has happened.) Well, I arrived at the battle scene and……Superdude and I fight off the villain. As the battle starts to get good, Batguy strolls along, taking his sweet time.

Charlie- (Turning to Superdude.) Now, I thought you said Batguy grappled to the battle scene!?

Superdude- Stroll, grapple, does it really matter? They are both just a slow.

Batguy- Ha! No slower then your dim wit during a tough situation!

Charlie- (Before Superdude can reply, Charlie cuts in, truly exhausted from the interview.) Enough. Look, I brought you guys here today to try and get the honest to God truth about the battle but it looks like we are getting absolutely nowhere. Why don’t you guys go home and cool off. Then come back tomorrow when you are ready to act like adults.

Spiderkid- Bu..but I never got to finish my side of the story!

Ethan- Give me a break, it probably would have been just another farfetched ending about you giving the villain ‘the final blow’. (Spiderkid lowers his head and blushes under his mask.) Now get out of here. I’m sick and tired of hearing about superheroes. (Batguy is the first to stand, muttering about better things to do as he stomps out of the room. Spiderkid quickly follows but stops abruptly as Batguy slams the door in his face. Spiderkid opens the door, and walks out embarrassed. Before he goes Superdude’s eyes brighten and he starts to say something when he is cut off by Ethan.) Save it. (Superdude looks crestfallen as he sulks out of the room and shuts the door.)

Charlie- Now what? These guys are so caught up in making themselves the hero of the hour, that they are lying themselves into circles. I don’t know who to believe. At this rate, I will never get my story. (He leans forward in his chair and puts his face into his hands.)

Ethan- Hey come on, this isn’t the rock solid reporter I know. That guy would have made it through any situation with a smile on his face. You just have to look at this from another perspective.

Charlie- The only perspective I’m getting right now is that this was one big waste of ti…(He stops suddenly, raising his head with hope on his face.) Say what you just said again.

Ethan- (Confused.) Uh, this isn’t the rock solid reporter I know?

Charlie- No no the thing after that!

Ethan- You could have made it through any other situation with…(He is cut off as Charlie finishes for him.)

Charlie- All I have to do is look at this from a different perspective! Genius! No wonder I keep you around!

Ethan- (Clearly lost.) Yep, I’m a big help even when I don’t know it.

(The scene fades out with Charlie still speaking to Ethan, enlightening him. The two men continue the conversation as the light fades and the curtain falls.)

Scene 2

(The curtain rises and the scene starts in the same room on the next day. Charlie and Ethan sit in the same spot as before and the three Superheroes are also present, sitting in chairs, each hero curious to the new surroundings. An object rests on Charlie’s desk and a Television along with a VCR has been wheeled in. The object on Charlie’s desk is a tape which he holds onto smugly.)

Charlie- Thank you all for coming again. I really appreciate your help with this interview.

Ethan- You don’t have to lie to them Charlie. They know they have been nothing but a headache since they arrived yesterday. (Each hero looks guilty in their own way. Spiderkid fiddles with his glasses, Superdude blushes slightly, and Batguy acts like he doesn’t care, which is the most obvious guilt of them all.)

Charlie- Yes, but I don’t get paid to yell at the people I interview.

Ethan- That has never stopped me.

Charlie- You know you’re a special case Ethan. (Charlie smiles slightly.) Anyway, I brought you guys here again because, as you already know, the interview yesterday didn’t get us anywhere with this story. (Charlie sees protest start to rise and raises a hand up, stopping them.) I don’t want to hear it. All you guys have to do today is sit back and relax. I have a little tape for us to watch. (Charlie gets up and starts to set up the tape. Each hero has a look of curiosity on his face and they all edge forward in their seats, a little nervous.)

Batguy- (Suddenly nervous.) What is this all about? I have very important things to do today.

Spiderkid- I must agree with Batguy, I have very important shows to watch…I mean things to do.

Superdude- Yes, do tell us why you brought us back here.

Charlie- (Sitting back down in his chair, a remote resting in his hand. The television screen is blue, the tape is stopped.) Don’t you guys worry one bit, this will only take a second, and then you all can be on your way to do all those very important things on your schedules. But for now, we are going to watch the surveillance tapes from the roof tops on the day of the battle. (Each hero gets very quite, and surprisingly, there is no protest. Charlie sits back happily and starts the video…)

(The video shows the view of the rooftops and the door entrance to the building. It is blank for a while but sounds can still be heard of a great battle occurring. The first view of any life is the villain, Dr. Evil, landing on the roof and looking around wildly. Superdude then comes from behind but Dr. Evil senses him and spins around. He sends Superdude flying with a powerful electric ray. A blur is seen going past the camera and Spiderkid lands on Dr. Evil’s shoulders, webbing his face. They struggle for what seems like hours when Dr. Evil releases a sonic boom and Spiderkid is blown out of sight. Dr. Evil is panting and out of breath, when Batguy grapples into the scene. They fight hand to hand combat for a while and Batguy is soon karate chopped out of the scene by the villain. When it seems as though Dr. Evil has won, all three heroes come back into view. Seeing he is surrounded and outnumbered, Dr. Evil sends a strange light out all around him. When the light clears, all three heroes seem to be blinded. They each shoot blindly at the last spot they saw Dr. Evil, but he is already running for the rooftop door, hoping to escape through the building. Right when he reaches the door and is about to open it, it opens from the inside, taking him by surprise and knocking him unconscious. He falls back and at the same time all three superheroes get their vision back and run down to the villian. The person from the inside runs out, unaware that he has just taken down the villain and sees the heroes arguing. That person is Charlie, the reporter.)

(When the video finishes the room is dead silent, and each person has a look of bewilderment on his face. The silence is finally broken by a loud sound.)

Ethan- Hahahahaha, you fool’s! All this time you were fighting over who took out Dr. Evil, and it turns out none of you did! (He continues laughing and speaks again with effort.) And the best part of all is that a normal human being, not a superhero, saved the day! (He stands up and walks over to the still confused Charlie.) Congrats man, you’re a real hero! It looks like you finally got your story!

Charlie- (A smile slowly grows on Charlie’s face until both he and Ethan are laughing crazily, leaning over, at the ridiculousness of the situation. When finally able to control himself, Charlie speaks.) Man, this is going to be the story of the year, I tell ya.

Ethan- I can see the headlines now, ‘Young reporter thwarts evil foe while heroes fight with each other’. This is going to make history!

Superdude- (During the whole conversation between Charlie and Ethan, the heroes remain silent. Superdude is the first to speak up, with a fake laugh and a nervous tone.) Ha, I guess that settles everything. What a story. Congratulations Charlie. I knew it all along.

Batguy- (Incredulously.) You knew it all along!? YOU KNEW IT ALL ALONG!???? You lying sack of sh…

Ethan- Shhhh! You two shut up, no lies or fighting can get you out of this one.

Spiderkid- I agree completely. You two shouldn’t have been so untrue.

Everyone- (Turning to Spiderkid.) What!?

Spiderkid- As you all recall, I never got to finish my story. So you don’t know what I was going to say happened. But just to let you in on a little secret, I knew it all along that…. (Before he finishes his sentence Batguy leaps out of his chair and starts to strangle Spiderkid. Superdude also jumps at them, but goes for Batguy’s neck. With no other neck to grab, Spiderkid goes for Superdude’s neck. They all stand there cursing and choking each other to death. Ethan sits down and leans back in his chair.)

Ethan- Now this is a show I would watch. All I need now is a bowl of popcorn.

Charlie- Shouldn’t we try and stop them. (Charlie says without much concern.)

Ethan- Naw, if we stop them now, how would we ever get our show started?

Charlie- (Puzzled, looks over at Ethan.) What show?

Ethan- Jerry Springer for superheroes of course! (At this statement, both Ethan and Charlie start to laugh. The scene fades out with the sound of laughter and fighting. The lights fade and the curtain drops.)

The End