49. Private Jet
"It's been forever since I watched cable TV," I remark, raise an eyebrow, and lean back into the black leather chair. The air is filled with pink noise and the sound of ice scraping against my glass as I sip my wife's sweet and smoky cocktail and fiddle with a boxy square remote. A red light blinks on and the screen flickers. Nathan is seated next to me while my wife lounges with Judy on the other side of the plane. "Fuck, commercials you can't skip. I forgot about those."
A familiar song begins to emit out the television's speakers. "Oh no, they didn't!" I complain and groan loudly. The inevitable live action remade scene by scene retreads of
The Snow Queen
play out in the film trailer. Another childhood animated classic slayed by the insatiable quest for easy money. Lazy and unimaginative and chock full of shitty CGI, the only difference is now apparently the princess rejects the prince and battles the evil wizard by herself. The actress even winks at the camera like we should congratulate the indolent writers for actually composing something new despite how oblivious they are to just how clichΓ©d it is. "For fuck's sake." I lean towards Nathan, seethe, shake my head, and sigh. "These bastards did it again. Another movie where every single frame was hand drawn by a talented artist and beautiful. Replaced with some lazy garbage shot with a shitty modern video camera and terrible computer graphics. I fucking hate this trash."
"I know Mr. T," Nathan agrees and nods his head rapidly. "There's no magic in the movies anymore. I listen mostly to podcasts. History ones. Y'know, ever since I took your class."
"I swear, if I get any amount of fame in this town," I promise, clench my hands together, set my jaw, and stare intensely. "I'll fix Hollywood. Bring back the romance, the passion, and the sex. No more rehashed watered down garbage remakes and cape shit. We need films full of action, erotic thrills, and brilliant new ideas. Made by adults for grownups."
The trailer ends and it shifts to some old man walking his dog in a forest. He rubs his chin as if dwelling on something deeply profound. "Every day I trek these woods with Spartacus but recently my mind gets all foggy," the old man mumbles. The film shifts to a close up shot of the man's wrinkled face as he squints at some unknown thing in the distance. "Then I asked my doctor about Discentro." A sleek custom font logo superimposes on top of the image including the corporate symbol for the Vanholt corporation as some upbeat melody plays. My nostrils flare and I think of the sadistic shit that sick bastard did to my demonically possessed wife. "Side effects include nausea, constipation, seizures, pulmonary embolism, dissociative thoughts, severe rash, and indigestion."
To Nathan, I comment, "I'd rather fucking kill myself than deal with all that bullshit."
The screen fades followed by a loud chime and shifts to a brightly lit white news desk behind which a female in her young twenties sits wearing an expensive dress, decked out in make up, and face full of signs of plastics surgery. In a deeper than expected voice, she drones, "Rumors tonight that Hollywood heartthrob Heath Halverson has split from his longtime belle, actress and superstar Mia Thompson. Has she really dumped the man voted four years in a row to be the world's sexiest man?" The camera footage depicts muted clips of Heath portraying the super hero/Roman god Mars in the most recent crossover slop hero movie.
The private jet's sole flight attendant approaches me holding the handset of a phone in her hand. "Mr. T-t-tag-lia-cauzy..." the flight attendant struggles.
"Tagliacozzi," I correct.
"Someone's calling for you on the satellite phone," she explains as she hands me the phone handset.
"Teddy, how's it going?" Sammy Shasta's lispy voice sounds through the speaker. Before I can answer, he continues, "I think I found the solution to that little problem you and your wife have."
I tilt my head, raise my right eyebrow, and nod. Surely in a city as big as LA. Someone has to know a way out of this peculiar predicament of ours. "Uh huh?" I ask
"I have a guy who's exactly what you need," Sammy's voice explains through the satellite phone speaker. "They call him the Sexorcist."
"The Sexorcist?" I ask, blink, and rub at my chin.
50. "The Sexorcist" Set - Beverly Hills
"Good on you driving us here but why don't you go catch a flick or something?" I suggest to Nathan with a nod of my head. "Demonic power, perverted sexual urges, and a man who refers to himself unironically as 'The Sexorcist'. I understand you're over 18. But still, none of these things sound like something a young man with a bright future ought to be exposed to. Besides, this demon inside my wife and I. It always seems to lead to violence and ruin. Remy and Troy Daniels bloodied and beaten. Thalsyn tortured and arrested by feds. All the infidelity. It's gotten way out of hand."
"I understand Mr. T," Nathan responds, leans forwards, and nods while grinning. "You're so smart. You and your wife. There's no reason you can't overcome this. As soon as I leave here. I will pray for you and Mrs. T." He offers a smile, leans towards me, and rubs at his chest. His sincerity. Its solemn and well appreciated.
The rental car engine putters, my body turns, upper set of teeth bite down on my lower lip, and my throat clears. "Thanks, Nathan," I say. "This whole situation has gotten out of control. It's now the time when it needs to change. We can't keep careening down this path."
Nathan reaches his arms outside the car, grips my right hand with both of his, and nods. The engine revs and the car drifts away. My left arm wraps around my wife's shoulder and my eyes stare ahead. My wife wears a low-cut black dress and matching heels. Sammy Shasta, dressed as he was in the party we last met, speaks to the people assembled on the front lawn including a camera crew. It's dark outside and slightly windy. This location was described to me as a mansion but the structure looks like it'd be considered somewhat between a small and medium house in Central City. Still, given the cost of real estate around here, it has to be worth a small fortune.
A young woman barely older than one of my students pulls me away from Wendy and begins to apply makeup to my face as another young man does the same to my wife. I guess reality TV isn't much interested in well... reality. My eyes focus on Wendy's fat tits as they jiggle out the front of her black and white dress. She's dressed as she was at the mansion party. At least before she fucked the Central City Rocket in his own football jersey. My stomach knots and body shivers. Fuck, this better be it. The boner inducing demon inside of me. He's long overdue for one. A freezing cold shower.
A bearded man, my age, wearing a ball cap, sunglasses, and hoodie introduces himself to us as the director. "Don't worry about it," he urges. "You do as you do. We shoot the footage. Our editing team creates the magic. So all you have to do is simple.