Scene: Joe and Nelly after a long night playing XCOM 2
Joe:
You see that motto on the dollar bill? Annuit Coeptis… Novus Ordo Seclorum.
Nelly:
Yeah… Latin class flashbacks. Something about God blessing a new order?
Joe:
Exactly. “He favors our undertakings… a new order of the ages.” After playing XCOM 2, it feels like the Pentagon wrote the game as a training sim for that idea. Humanity united under one command to fight the alien occupation.
Nelly:
So you think the game is like a rehearsal for a future UN space army?
Joe:
Think about it. In the game the resistance builds a global coalition to take back Earth. That’s basically the sci-fi version of the United Nations forming a space defense force.
Nelly:
The UN Space Force… that actually sounds cooler than regular politics.
Joe:
Right? But here’s the twist. In our little conspiracy-theory universe, the med-bed technology — the miracle healing machines — are controlled by that future space command.
Nelly:
Let me guess… and they won’t give one to Trump?
Joe:
Well, imagine their reasoning. If someone is compromised or corrupt, they don’t get access to the most powerful tech in the galaxy. They’d say a leader entangled in scandals like the Jeffrey Epstein affair can’t be trusted with it.
Nelly:
So in your story the space doctors run background checks before letting anyone near the alien healing machine.
Joe:
Exactly. The med bed isn’t just medicine — it’s the symbol of that “new order of the ages.” Only people the resistance trusts get healed.
Nelly (laughing):
Joe… you’ve been playing too much XCOM. Next thing you’ll tell me the aliens are waiting under the Pentagon.
Joe:
Hey, if they are, at least we practiced saving the world. 🎮🚀
Joe and Nelly — Late Night Movie Talk
Joe leans back on the couch, remote in hand.
Joe: Nelly, have you ever seen The Right Stuff?
Nelly: I’ve heard of it. Astronauts, right?
Joe: Yeah. Early space program. Test pilots. Guys who strapped themselves to rockets when nobody knew if the human body could even survive it.
Nelly: Sounds a little crazy.
Joe: That’s the point. There’s this great line in the movie about the pilots. They say when you climb higher and higher, fewer and fewer men can follow you… until you reach the top of the pyramid.
Nelly: The top of the pyramid?
Joe: Yeah. The idea is that only a tiny number of people have the courage to go that far. Faster planes, higher altitude, bigger risks. Every step up the pyramid eliminates the guys who can’t handle it.
Nelly: So the astronauts were the very top.
Joe: Exactly. The absolute peak. The guys willing to ride a missile into space when the odds were terrible.
Nelly smiles.
Nelly: Sounds like your kind of movie, Joe. Heroic lunatics.
Joe: That’s one way to put it. But it’s also about something else.
Nelly: What?
Joe: The kind of courage it takes to chase the unknown. The Right Stuff wasn’t just about flying fast… it was about having the nerve to climb to the very top when everyone else stops halfway.
Nelly nudges him.
Nelly: Careful. If you keep talking like that, people might think you’re trying to climb your own pyramid.
Joe grins.
Joe: Maybe I am. 🚀
Scene: Joe and Nelly in their studio, testing the next-generation game engine for the next XCOM games. The screen loads a hyper-realistic character model.
Nelly laughs and points at the screen.
Nelly (as Lady Jaye):
“Joe… look at this! When XCOM 3 and XCOM 4 come out, the characters are going to look like real people. The AI engine is getting so good it can build faces that look like us.”
She toggles back to footage from XCOM 2 and spins the camera around her character.
Nelly:
“See? This one already kinda looks like me. But the new one… it’ll look exactly like me.”
Joe folds his arms like a proud producer.
Joe:
“So Lady Jaye is officially joining the resistance against the alien occupation?”
Nelly strikes a heroic pose in front of the monitor.
Nelly (dramatically):
“Lady Jaye reporting for duty. XCOM Special Forces. Saving Earth with style.”
She watches her character fire a plasma rifle and laughs.
Nelly:
“GIRL POWER! ✨”
Joe raises an eyebrow.
Joe:
“Is that a battle cry or a music reference?”
Nelly grins and points at the speakers.
Nelly:
“It’s a tribute to the legends.”
She turns up the music and salutes the camera.
Nelly:
“Shout-out to the Spice Girls. If we’re saving Earth from aliens, we’re doing it with proper girl power.”
Joe nods.
Joe:
“Alright Lady Jaye… but remember the motto.”
He points to the XCOM logo glowing on the screen.
Joe:
“Earth is counting on you.”
Nelly looks back at her digital double on the battlefield.
Nelly (smiling):
“Don’t worry. The resistance just got a pop star.” 🎮✨