(Scene shows the auditorium. Tom and Ben are seated in the audience.)
(The MC walks onstage.)
MC: (moonwalks) Aw, yeah! Does anybody in the house like... technology?!
(The crowd cheers.)
Ben: Oh, I do! I do!
MC: Then let me officially welcome you... to the first annual Con-Compu-Con-Con-Con-Con!
Tom: Wait, what did he say?
Ben: (sighs) Connected Computer Continually Conceptualized Conference and Convention.
Tom: Oh, the Con-Compu-Con-Con-Con-Con!
MC: Who’s ready to have a good time?!
(The crowd cheers.)
MC: Now, let me hear the ladies!
(The crowd goes silent.)
Tom: Oh, my...
Ben: (giggles nervously) They’ll be here.
(Theme song plays)
MC: And now, please welcome our guests of honor... Steve Hobbs and Steve Bosniak!
(Hobbs and Bosniak enter the stage. The crowd cheers.)
Hobbs: Ha, ha! Good to see you guys!
Bosniak: Hey folks!
Hobbs: Good to see this guy!
Bosniak: Look at him!
Hobbs: Steve Bosniak!
Bosniak: Steve Hobbs!
(Scene cuts to a confessional in the living room. Tom and Ben speak to the audience.)
Ben: (gasps) The two biggest tech developers on the planet!
Tom: And they’re best friends who…
Ben: ...started out in a...
Tom: ...garage! Just like…
Ben: ...us!
Tom: Yeah!
(Tom and Ben high-five each other.)
(Scene cuts back to the convention.)
Steve Hobbs: As you probably know, the first computer was a useless box. It had a lot of potential, but we had no way to access it.
Steve Bosniak: Then, late one night, Steve and I were sharing a soda pop in the garage when suddenly, it hit us.
Steve Hobbs: I said, “Bos, what if there was a way to turn this computer on?”
Steve Bosniak: Then, I said, “What if there was a way to turn this computer off?”
Steve Hobbs: Six years and a lot of sleepless nights and a ton of R&D later, we had it: the computer on-off switch.
(The crowd aahs and applauds.)
Ben: Fun fact: It was originally called the off-on switch.
Steve Hobbs: And we did it by following this Pyramid of Friendship!
(A golden, engraved pyramid appears onstage.)
Ben: They really are just like us!
Tom: We’ve gotta sneak backstage and introduce ourselves!
Ben: Definitely! You read my...
Tom: ...diary!
Ben: Wait, what?
(Scene cuts to backstage. Tom and Ben are hiding in a clothing rack.)
Tom: Great hiding spot! I can’t wait to see their faces when they find out we snuck backstage to meet them!
Ben: Oh, yeah, famous people love when fans jump out at them! Are they here yet?
(Tom peeks out of the rack.)
(Hobbs and Bosniak are backstage, but Tom does not immediately recognize him.)
Bosniak: Huh?
(Tom ducks back into the clothing rack.)
Tom: I can’t see, there’s two guys blocking my view.
(Bosniak finds Tom and Ben hiding.)
Steve Bosniak: Who are you guys?
Ben: Sorry. We’re huge fans.
Tom: We wanted to ask if you had any secret advice that you might not tell an audience but you would tell two young inventor friends working out of a garage?
Ben: (giggles) If that rings a bell.
Steve Hobbs: Oh, I get it. You two think you’re just like us. You think you’re me. And you think you’re Bosniak.
Steve Bosniak: Wait a minute, why is that guy me? Why can’t I be the other guy?
Steve Hobbs: Oh, come on, Steve. It doesn’t matter who’s who.
Steve Bosniak: Of course it doesn’t matter, because you get to be that guy! I am so sick of this whole thing!
Tom: Whoa, whoa. What about the Pyramid of Friendship?
Steve Bosniak: Thanks for the reminder.
(Bosniak goes to get the pyramid.)
Steve Hobbs: No, Steve, I just wanted-
(Bosniak smashes the pyramid over Hobbs' head.)
Steve Hobbs: Becoming your partner was the worst decision I ever made! You ruined my life!
Steve Bosniak: No, you ruined my life!
Steve Hobbs: Ugh, Steve, you drive me crazy!
Steve Bosniak: I'm done! I’ve had it!
(Tom and Ben watch in horror.)
(Scene cuts to the garage. Ginger is playing with action figures.)
Ginger: Pew, pew, pew!
Angela: (sings) La, la, la, la, la, la, la! Everyone loves Angela! La, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Ginger: Can you keep it down? I can’t hear myself playing!
Angela: Ginger, the world doesn’t revolve around you.
Ginger: No. No, it doesn’t.
(Scene cuts to a confessional in the living room.)
Ginger: Not yet, anyway!
(Scene cuts back.)
Angela: I’m trying to write a new song, a smart song! One that will make people think! What rhymes with “dance, dance, dance?"
Hank: Um... educational grants? Elephants? Romance?
Angela: That is it! (sings) I like to dance, dance, dance! Educational grants, grants, grants! It practically writes itself!
(Scene cuts. Tom and Ben enter.)
Ben: If we are just like Hobbs and Bosniak, we’re gonna end up hating each other just like they do!
Tom: Oh, uh, Calm down, buddy. We don’t know that for sure.
Ben: But we don’t not know that for sure, either!
Tom: Oh, no, you’re right. What if the future is locked in and we aren’t destined to be friends forever?
Both: To the Future Tron!
(Scene cuts to a confessional in the living room. Ben holds a machine.)
Ben: The Future Tron is an app I’ve been working on that uses metadata to show the future.
Tom: And I came up with the name, Future Tron 6000!
(Scene cuts back. Ben plugs the machine into the television.)
Tom: Hurry up!
Ben: (works machine) Turn this on, and put that in there, and... hold on tight!
(Tom and Ben sit down on the couch and watch the simulation on the television.)
(The simulation shows an auditorium. Ben is onstage.)
Ben (future): Thank you! It is an honor to receive the Tech Star of the Year Award!
(Scene cuts back to the present.)
Ben: Hey, we’re really successful in the future!
Tom: And we’re still best friends! (high-fives Ben)
(Scene cuts back to the future.)
Ben (future): This is a truly remarkable moment for me and the person who inspires me...
(Tom anticipates recognition from Ben.)
Ben (future): I’m talking about the man upstairs, my boss, the CEO!
(The spotlight focuses on the CEO, who watches from the balcony.)
Ben (future): The man who said to me, “Ben, you don’t need a partner. You can be successful all on your own!”
(Tom growls, angry at his lack of recognition.)
(Ben walks offstage with Tom.)
Ben: (to Tom) There, do me a favor. Throw this in the limo with the rest of my trophies, and, uh bring me a coffee when you come back.
Tom: I’m sick of this! We were supposed to be partners, and now, you just take all the credit!
Ben: That’s because I do all the work!
Tom: Oh, yeah? Well, work on this!
(Tom throws the trophy into the ground.)
(Tom and Ben fight. Ben tackles Tom.)
Tom: You ruined my life!
Ben: No, you ruined my life!
(End of simulation. In the present day, Tom and Ben are shocked.)
Tom: It’s even worse than Hobbs and Bosniak! You’re successful and I’m not!
Ben: That’s not a surprise. The scary thing is, we weren’t friends in the future!
Tom: How could this happen?!
Ben: It must be that our future friendship is ruined because our current friendship isn’t strong enough.
Tom: Well, tell me there’s a way to fix this!
Ben: Maybe… nah, it’s too crazy.
Tom: What is it?
Ben: We have to engage in one-on-one friendship-building activities... with music playing in the background.
Hank: Oh, boy! A friendship montage! All the best sitcoms have 'em!
(A montage is shown of Tom and Ben spending time together.)
(Tom and Ben ride their bikes at the park. They crash into a tree but laugh.)
(Tom and Ben go to the carnival. Tom fails at the high-striker game, but Ben rings the winning bell with a kernel of popcorn. They laugh.)
(Tom and Ben take photos at the photo booth.)
(End of montage. Scene cuts to the garage.)
Tom and Ben: Yep, still best friends! (high-fives each other)
(Tom and Ben watch the Future Tron simulation.)
(Tom and Ben are playing in the garage. Angela and Ginger enter.)
Ginger (future): What are you two ding-dongs doing? Get back to work!
Tom (future): Sorry, Mr. Ginger.
Ben (future): Yes, sir, Mr. Ginger!
Ginger (future): Don’t apologize. I should really thank you two. You were so focused on your friendship that you completely mismanaged your company and had to sell it to me.
Angela (future): Sir? You’re late for your two o’clock.
Ginger (future): Now if you excuse me, I have a meeting with a giant pile of money.
Angela (future): Don’t forget to laugh maniacally, Mr. Ginger.
Ginger (future): Oh, thank you, Angela. (laughs evilly)
(End of simulation. Ginger laughs in present day.)
Ben: I don’t believe this.
Tom: The future where we’re friends was even worse than the future where we weren’t friends!
Ben: I don’t even know where to start this time.
Tom: I do.
(Tom picks up Ginger and throws him outside.)
Ginger: Whoa, whoa!
(Tom closes the door.)
Tom: Honestly, I can’t believe you let this happen, Ben.
Ben: Me?! Let what happen?
Tom: You ruined our business.
Ben: I was trying to save our friendship!
Tom: Well, friendship doesn’t pay the bills, Ben!
Angela: All right, break it up! Don’t you see? You’re arguing about things that haven’t even happened yet! You’re letting the Future Tron drive you apart in the present.
Ben: She’s right. Look at what we’re doing.
Tom: But what are we supposed to do? Just sit on the couch, watch TV, and not think about anything except how good our cereal tastes?
Hank: Hey, the crumbs have the same taste as the big pieces!
Ben: The future were we all live like Hank. What would that even look like?
(Tom and Ben watch the Future Tron simulation. In the future, they are both successful.)
Tom (future): Hey, guys, let's try not to forget, we have to go to our book-signing tonight, 'kay?
Ben (future): Right, should we take the supersonic jet or the helicopter?
Tom (future): Let’s compromise and take the supersonic heli-jet.
Ben (future): Oh, that’s why you’re the idea-man!
(Angela enters.)
Tom (future): Angela! Great to see you!
Angela (future): Great to see you, Tom, and you, Ben, and especially you, honey! (kisses Hank)
Hank (future): I missed you more! It’s not easy to go a whole morning without seeing the best wife in the universe!
Angela (future): Oh, Hank.
(The simulation abruptly cuts back to the present.)
Tom: Nooooo!
(Tom destroys the Future Tron with a sledgehammer)
Tom: No, no, no, no, no!
Ben: What are you doing?!
Tom: I’ll tell you what I’m doing. I’m doing you a favor! I’m doing all of us a favor! Everything we did to make the future better just ended up ruining the present and it didn’t even make the future better!
Ben: I think I know what you’re saying here... we need to create a Future Tron 6001!
Tom: No! Enough is enough! Look, maybe we can make the future better, maybe we can’t, but let’s all just enjoy today.
(Tom, Angela and Hank relax on the couch.)
Tom: (yawns) No more trying to change the future.
Angela: So now what do we do?
Hank: Well, sometimes on TV shows, after the characters learned their lesson, the final scene is just dancing and celebrating.
Ben: Really? A big dance scene that just comes out of nowhere?
Tom: Well, that seems a bit ridiculou-
(Festive music plays. The friends begin dancing.)
(credits roll)