Dick Spanner: The Case of the Lost Princess

Scene 1 - Introduction and the apartment

#(Opening titles)

We are alongside a street block; bleak, damp, miserable and uninteresting. Our favourite private robot detective is waiting patiently by the door where the titles end.

Dick Spanner:

The name's Spanner. Dick Spanner.

Striding off into the street on an evening walk as the title card flips down, which fades away for the story. Spanner progresses through the street whilst he is on his guard. Along the wall he walks down is a wanted poster of the Thunderbirds character The Hood.

It was a cold night, just another cold night in the city. The perfect time for crime.

Spanner, concentrating hard on his thoughts, passes by another side-alley way and several bins stuffed with litter and filling up its appetite. As he passes it, a gunshot boom and a corpse drop dead to the street, but Spanner just continues walking on.

Murderer:

Ah! It's the wrong guy

Further down the street, Spanner explains to us his latest serial before he reaches a huge block of flats - his home, although this skyscraper seems to reach up into space

Dick Spanner:

I had just completed my most recent case of the collision course of space where I had to... Yeah, but that's just another story.

The robot detective passes through the sliding doors of that huge skyscraper to get to his apartment. Of the huge skyscraper we see are nine by forty-one windows, suggesting that forty-one floors, decorated by lights in random windows, thirty or so. In the middle, at twenty-one, from the bottom, each window lights up and fades three seconds later, this each happens for all the windows as Spanner is travelling up the lift. A sound effect of a lift also plays like all the lifts brighten up then fade up to the top floor.

Something didn't feel right then, I always have that sense of uncomfort when I can feel the electricity in my wires.

The lift stops as we hear the sound effect on the top floor. The robot passes through the corridor to get to his apartment but prepared for action. On the other side of the corridor, Spanner wanders over curiously.

It was kind of strange how nobody was around, not even that kid with the chewing gum who uses it as a weapon for his toy gun that always gives me an inhospitable welcome.

He reaches to his apartment and unlocks the falling - to - bits, the gritty door where it swings open and he enters. Entering his apartment, Spanner shuts his door behind him as it screeches like the brakes of a car before stepping on something and looking down on it.

Another letter through the post, I must have thought it was another bill to pay, but they know I haven't a penny. Anyway, I opened it.

Spanner looks at it for a moment wandering confused and then opens it up to find what it conceals, then picking up the actual letter.

Then I read it, which is as follows...

The letter is also seen by the audience as Dick Spanner reads it.

To Mr. Spanner, think you're so clever don't you, you can solve any case no matter what. To prove your unique expertise, solve this problem I have given you. At 6PM today, Princess Astra was hijacked by guess who, and is in safe hands, for now. If you can track down the lost princess within the next three days, her life will be saved. If not, you and everyone else you love will die the most agonizing ways of torture and execution for this, starting with the most beautiful Princess. P.S, don't just expect this to be a simple hunt for some lost official Spanner, to prove your skills of intelligence and logic, expect the unexpected. Your first clue is the travel agents, a few blocks down from the station, see you there. Good luck Spanner be on your guard, yours sincerely The Ghost!

A scared, confused Spanner doesn't know of his next actions to take as he tightens frightfully his floppy hat on his metallic head.

My God! What the hell was I supposed to do?

He then panickily makes his way to his old-fashioned TV to switch it on the news. It is a well-dressed reporter reporting on the kidnap of the Princess, with a picture of her on the top right of the screen with the words. "Breaking News" flashing at the bottom of the picture in bright, bold red in an electrifying text.

Reporter:

We have just had breaking news coming through that Princess Astra was kidnapped at 6PM earlier today, we are asking anyone if you know anything to help the capture of this case, I repeat, we are asking anyone if you know anything that may help to rescue her.

He thinks to himself very hard and then decides as the reporter continues to blab on.

Dick Spanner:

At the time I had no damn clue on what to do, but this was way beyond just me for once, so I reckoned the best thing to do was to report this to the station, it was my only lead so far. But only to be bullied again by the Hulk monster O'Grady.