Rise To Stardom - Chapter 125

Chapter 125: City of Lights
{The Curator – Tenth Season | 30th April 2020 | Act 5 | Scene 3 | Take 1}

“World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893…” The Curator muttered audibly as he gazed at the flyer in his hands.

Raising his gaze to check his surroundings, especially with people casually making their way around the fair, he soon tucked the flyer into his pocket.

There was a feel of super-charged excitement in the air as people watched the sun slowly set, waiting for all the lights to come on.

It was the one thing almost everyone was looking forward to because, apparently, it was going to be an all-electric fair…

The world’s, first, all-electric fair.

Considering how they were celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America, almost everyone attending the fair, were honestly, pumped.

Moving along with the crowd, The Curator blended in and headed towards where President Grover Cleveland was giving a speech.

It only took a few seconds later before said president, before everyone’s very eyes, pushed a single button and instantly, a hundred thousand plus, incandescent lamps, illuminated the neoclassical buildings of the fair grounds.

“Wow…” a young lady said as she cuffed arms with her husband.

“This is amazing…” an old man with his walking cane, gazed at the sight with joy on his elderly visage.

“It’s like my story book Dad! Like a ‘A City Of Lights!'” a young boy, sitting atop his father’s neck, excitedly pointed to the incandescent lights illuminating the buildings.

“Ha! Edison can go stick a twig up his arse! The future is here!” a middle-aged bloke, who was also an electrician, took a swig of his bottle of alcohol with a smirk on his lips.

As everyone marveled at the magnificent sight before their eyes without realizing just yet, that asides history been made, a new era for the future of electricity for planet earth was also being pioneered and ushered forth, The Curator smiled warmly and then, made his way over to the Hall of Machinery.

Sitting by the staircase, watching the illuminated fairgrounds with a warm gaze, he soon spoke, almost as if he wished for some company;

“Wish Kiera was here to see this…”

Yet, almost immediately, as if trying to make himself feel better, he countered in a manner that was typical of his iteration;

“I’m a time traveler. You’re a time traveler! You can always bring her back later…” he face-palmed with a slightly disappointed expression, directed at himself.

They’d only been travelling together for a month or so and he was already getting attached… in a good way.

“Have you started running with another companion?” a certain, modest, casual voice, soon reached The Curator’s ears as he engaged in his monologue.

Donning a light smile, The Curator, casually replied without turning around;

“I have, actually…”

“She’s a brave, brilliant girl. Too brave at times even…” he continued with a slight tilt of his head, a bit of concern on his features.

Casually sitting down beside him, the Serbian-American looking man, chuckled a bit as he continued, his tone questioning yet curiously amused;

“Curator, you’ve done it again, haven’t you?”

“New face, I know. Young too so I don’t like it. Unfortunately, you can’t ever really choose what happens with Metamorphosis. It’s as random as it gets so I just take whatever I get…” The Curator, responded with a small sigh of resignation, after which he then asked curiously;

“Shouldn’t you be at the Great Hall of Electricity with Westinghouse though? Also, how’d you know it was me?”

“Has anyone ever told all of you, that you have distinct fashion senses?” the man replied with a casual glance, his slight foreign accent, a bit sarcastic.

“You wouldn’t be the first…” The Curator, grinned proudly in response.

“That takes care of the second question then.” the man responded with a light smile, slowly getting up as he did;

“As for the first, I’d rather be in my laboratory, working on a new invention…”

“Of course you would.” The Curator smiled genuinely, one to which the man responded;

“Well then, I’d best be on my way. I wonder when next I’ll get to see this new you again though…”

“You’re quite the busy man, you know. I’d advise you to take care of yourself.” he added, a genuine hint of care in his tone.

“As should you. Edison’s, not the kind of man to sit back and watch.” The Curator responded as he also got up from the staircase with an advice of his own.

Turning around to face the Inventor, Engineer and Futurist, The Curator extended a handshake with a warm smile while adding;

“Stay safe, Tesla.”

“You too, Curator.” Nikola Tesla, returned the handshake with a warm smile of his own.

“Cut, Print. Check The Gate.”

– – ­-

“You’re quite self-aware, aren’t you Kyle?” Collins said to Kyle as he walked over, lightly grinning at the young lad who reciprocated the grin while asking;

“Whatever do you mean?”

“And you’ve got a nice sense of humor too. I’m a bit concerned that you’re going to get more popular than Collins here…” William, glanced over to Collins who simply started laughing in reply;

“That would be, fantastic!”

‘Fantastic… I grew up, loving that word…’ Kyle mused to himself as he watched Collins laugh heartily.

Whereas he, as the 10th Curator, used the word ‘Brilliant!’ frequently, Collins’ 5th iteration of The Curator, used the word ‘Fantastic!’ extensively.

That said, what both were previously hinting at, was the fact that Kyle had improved an almost insignificant part of his script and made it far better.

The part where he was explaining to Tesla that Metamorphosis gives him a random face, should’ve simply been;

– New face, I know. Metamorphosis happened again, as you may have expected…

Yet, Kyle, knowing fully well that many fans of the show, weren’t exactly certain that he was right for the role, snuck in his own improvised lines by saying;

– New face, I know. Young too so I don’t like it. Unfortunately, you can’t ever really choose what happens with Metamorphosis. It’s as random as it gets so I just take whatever I get…

As Brad also moved towards the trio, Jasmine, swiftly walked up to all three and quickly requested for an autograph from each of them with giddy excitement, a sight Kyle couldn’t help but find amusing really.

The sexy actress that he knew was nowhere to be found.

Jasmine had gone, full-on fan girl!

But then again, who was he to talk.

He also, swiftly, whipped out the flyer he had tucked into his pocket and requested for an autograph from all three.

Kyle was an unabashed fan of the show and the older Curators!

This much was expected from a fan boy like him!

Tiana on the other hand, checking the cameras and replaying the scene to check if there were no issues, soon gave an ‘ok’ sign to signal to everyone that the shot came out great.

To that, everyone on set, simply nodded and started prepping to have a few other scenes shot.

Considering the rest of the major scenes, needed to be shot back in New York and Canada, only a few, very short, flashback scenes involving Nikola Tesla and the 5th and 6th Curators, required shooting.

All of these scenes as one would expect, involved Collins, William and Brad of course.

…

…

…

(Two days later…)

Some of the scenes that had been shot two days after the one in Chicago, Illinois, individually involved more flashback scenes of both the 5th and 6th Curator, going at random intervals in Nikola Tesla’s life to check up on him and ensure the Kalis weren’t up to no good.

As for the 10th Curator, he had found out that there was some reconstruction of the debilitated Wardenclyffe Tower going on after The Horologium brought his attention to it.

Considering that exact point in time was a fixed event that should never be re-written, he had made his way over, only to realize, that once again, just as he had expected, the Kalis were the masterminds.

Unfortunately, the moment he had arrived, they had bolted in an instant with a spatial jump, leaving The Curator to deal with another mess of theirs.

As a result, he had ended up deconstructing said tower, back to the way it was meant to be with his construct gloves before it released a disastrous electric pulse that was akin to a nuclear bomb.

Considering, that over the course of the series, The Curator, had been shown to know a crap ton of important, historical figures, it wasn’t anything particularly shocking that he would’ve also known about Tesla and his greatest inventions.

That said, this particular plot point, was one that Jon had started from the era of the 5th Curator but purposely left uncompleted to at least, give the future Curators, some sort of extra material to work with, even after he went on his long hiatus.

However, Jon would’ve never expected for the newer showrunners after him to never really tap into it fully, save for the 6th season of the show that expanded upon it by just a tiny bit.

Now that he was back though, he was ready to tie off this particular loose end with Kyle’s iteration of The Curator.

In fact, this particular episode, was one that was penned down, solely by him.

So, after sorting out the Wardenclyffe Tower incident, The 10th Curator, finally decided to do something he had been putting off for the longest time due to a bit of cowardice.

It was frankly, a rare emotion he loathed himself for having.

Yet, it had never gotten any easier over the years…

Still, The Curator was determined to face it, his decision to meet with Tesla, one last time and close to the tail end of his almost, unrecognized, forgotten life, unchanging.

Despite Nikola’s ingeniously brilliant mind and the amount of good he wanted for the world, The Curator, already knew full well, how the man’s story was going to end.

Life unfortunately, every now and then, never really seemed to favor those who really wanted to make the world a much better place.

So, with a sad heart, The Curator, along with Kiera who was now back to The Index for more adventures, made their way over to the New Yorker Hotel, January 6, 1943.

There was also, a wheelchair with them.