(The first scene opens with Duke Red giving a small speech about the Ziggurat, and about human advancement. A large crowd of citizens stands in front of the Ziggurat to listen to the speech. It's dark out, and fireworks are being set off)

Duke: "At this moment, we as a nation are about to touch the stars. I tremble at the honor of announcing the culmination of mankind's long history of intellectual and scientific achievement. Yesterday our powers spanned the earth. Today, it can eliminate the heavens. May it stand forever! OUR ZIGGURAT!"

(music begins to play, and there is a short scene showing the ziggurat, and the crowd celebrating. The title Metropolis is shown. Then the scene reverts to inside the ziggurat where a group of high-class citizens are discussing various
subjects)

Man 1: "I'm telling you, these robots have become unmanageable and insolent, it's just outrageous!"

Man 2: "Let's accept the facts. We need robots..uhhh for our economy."

Man 3: "But the human workers resent them, and of course that makes trouble for everyone doesn't it!"

Man 4: "I'll have you know an enemy nation is creating a secret weapon."

Man 5: "That's why Metropolis needs a strong leader who's not afraid to take charge, and put things in order"

(the scene swiches to Duke Red, President Boon, SKUNK, and Mayor Ryon decending an escalator towards the crowd)

Duke: "All right gentlemen, this is it."

(the four enter the room)(clapping in the background)

Reporter 1: "Duke Red, now that the Ziggurat's complete will you be going into politics next?"

Duke: "Don't be ridiculous. As long as President Boon here is in charge, our state is secure. I'm just a private citizen. Politics has no need of me I assure you."

Reporter 2: "Uhhh Mr. President, don't you want Duke Red in politics?"

President Boon: "You really shouldn't egg him on like that. We all know no one can compete with the Duke for popularity."

(Boon pulls out a cigar, and has SKUNK light it)

Reporter 3: "There have been persistent rumors that the Ziggurat is actually a military facility, Any truth to that? How 'bout it, can we get a comment from Mayor Lyon on this one?"

Mayor Lyon: "You can adress such questions of SKUNK the Minister Of State."

(scene swiches once more to the outside of the building where the crowd is celebrating the completion of the Ziggurat)

Crowd: "Hurray for the Ziggurat, long live Metropolis! Hurray for the Ziggurat, long live Metropolis!"

Kenichi: "Uncle Shunsaku?"

Det. Shunsaku: "Hmmm?"

Kenichi: "I've never heard of a Ziggurat before, what does it mean?"

Shunsaku: "Who knows?"

(one of the spotlights suddenly shows the picture of a rearing demonic horse)

Man 1: "Hey, look at that image on the wall up there."

Man 2: "Oh yeah, I see it."

Old Man: "Marduks. It's there sign."

Shunsaku: "Huuhh?"

(spotlight lowers until the stencil of the demon falls out. A person runs by and stamps on it)

Man: "Grrr...it doesn't even look good."

Guard: "There he is, over there!"

(the man runs and jumps off the tower, landing on a car. He stumbles through the crowd. An unseen gunman shoots the man in the leg, and blows it off, revealing wires and circuitry. The crowd gasps as another bullet blows the robot's head off. Roc, the gunman, steps towards the sparking robot's body)

Roc: "Your outside of your zone. You should know better that that.

(the scene reverts to the darkened office of Duke Red. Dr. Laughton is studying pictures of Tima whom his robot of the same name is to be modeled after)

Laughton: "Hmmm, I see."(turns towards the door as it opens, and Duke Red walks in)

Duke: (entering room) "You said that she would be ready tonight doctor Laughton, tonight."

Laughton: "Ahh yes, but ehh..."

Duke: "I have provided you with the most advanced equipment, and all the money that you requested, and now..(guard turns on the lights)..I want an answer!"

Laughton: "If you could just give me a little more time, she's almost finished now, I swear it."

Duke: "I'm tired of hearing the same excuse...I'm coming to your lab tomorrow night."

Laughton: "Uhh but you don't want to go there. An important man like yourself, it's hardly worth your time. Besides, the place is a mess!"

Duke: "I will see you tomorrow night."

(Dr. Laughton walks out of the office. After he leaves, Roc knocks on the door)

Roc: "It's Roc."

(Roc walks in)

Duke: "I heard there was a problem in the main plaza."

Roc: "Yes, a robot agitator tried to make trouble."

Duke: "I put you in charge of security to prevent that kind of thing."

Roc: "Yes father."

Duke: "You idiot, I'm not your father, understand? I found you during the last war, you were an orphan so I took you in. You're dismissed."

Roc: "Yes."

(the scene reverts to a large police station. It is bright and sunny, so it is presumably the next day. Detective Shunsaku is speaking with an officer at the main desk. Various crimes are being reported on the intercom in the background)

Det Shunsaku: "I'm from Japan, my name is Shunsaku Ban. I'm a private detective. I have a letter of introduction from the police commisioner Toki, so if you could direct me to Superintendent Notarlin.."

(the scene reverts to the inside of the superintendant's office. He is quickly looking over, and stamping various documents, and is very busy. Shunsaku, and Kenichi have been let in)

Notarlin: "Ohh, I see. Hmmm so, what your saying is this character, this doctor Laughton, he's hiding out so to speak. Let's see, uhhh, here in Metropolis that is, is that right?"

(Shunsaku, and Kenichi are distracted by a gigantic fish in the aquarium behind the desk, and fail to answer him. He slams his stamp onto the desk to get their attention)

Shunsaku: "(cough cough) Exactly. I have a reliable tip from an organ smuggler who's had extensive dealings with him. The international Human Rights Comitee, and seven other human rights groups have issued warrants for his arrest. The charges include conducting illegal vivisection experiments on animals, and the smuggling and trafficking of human organs. That's why I'm asking for your co-operation in this investigation superintendant. I've never been to metropolis before, and frankly I can't tell which way is which half the time. It's rather confus..."

(he is once again distracted from the conversation when he sees a huge blimp pass by the aquarium/window)

Notarlin: "Well of course I'd like to help you, but these celebrations for the Ziggurat are going on all week long. We've had a rash of crimes break out, and we're struggling to keep things under control. It's not easy I assure you. I'm using all the personnel I have. I'm afraid I just don't have anyone. I could give you a robot if your alright with that. I think that's the best answer."

Shunsaku: "A robot?!"

Notarlin: "Yes a robot, it's quite a good one actually."

(The scene changes to a robot storage facility. Superintendant Notarlin continues talking, but he is no longer in the scene.)

Notarlin: "It's not authorized to arrest humans of course, nothing like that, but it's programmed for investigative work. So it should be useful to you, in it's way."

(Shunsaku is talking with the officer in charge of the storage facility)

Shunsaku: "So am I supposed to return it with a full tank or something?"

Officer: "I wouldn't worry about it. It needs refueling every five years."

(the robot assigned to them steps out of the storage room)

Officer: "Pretty soon they wont even need humans any more."

Kenichi: (to robot)"I'm Kenichi. How do you do?"

Robot: "My serial number's 803DRPDM4973C..nice to meet you."

Kenichi: "My pleasure!"

(the scene shifts outdoors to a view of the Ziggurat. It then pans out to reveal more of metropolis. An intercom style system is playing in the background, rotating between Duke Red's speech about the Ziggurat, and mankind's advancement((from the beginning of the movie)), to a woman's boice saying:

Intercom Lady: "Metropolis is the world leader in industry, economics, and culture. Thus is born an ascendant state that will last a thousand years. Metropolis IS the future!"

(Kenichi, Shunsaku, and Robot 803DRPDM4973C are walking through the busy city streets together.)

Shunsaku: "So.. where do you think, uhhh, we should start looking, uhh 803 uhhhh what was it uhhh..."

Kenichi: "..DRPDM4973C."

Shunsaku: (to robot)"Listen here. Don't you have an easier name?"

robot: "We're not allowed human names, it's considered inappropriate for a robot. They feel it would infringe upon the rights of humans."

Shunsaku: "I know all about that but come on...numbers?.....Ohhhh I know. Starting now your name is Pero."

Kenichi: "Hey, that's a dog's name isn't it?"

Shunsaku: "That's right. I used to have a dog named Pero a while back. He was a good dog too."

Pero: "In my opinion, you wont find your criminal in Metropolis. There's no place to hide here. It's too tightly controlled."

Shunsaku: "But I have very reliable information that places him here."

Pero: "If your Dr. Laughton was looking for a place to hide he wouldn't come here. He'd go to zone 1."

Shunsaku: "What's zone 1?"

Pero: "It's underground."

Shunsaku: "Ahhh you are a detective. Intuition eh?"

Pero: "My neuro-simulator is simply quenching the numbers, it's a matter of probability."

Shunsaku: "Hmmm..?"

(Suddenly a bullet is fired by a nearby Marduke at the head of a huge mechanic robot, built into the side of a building. The head falls off onto the street to reveal a smaller robot that was hiding behind the head. The Marduke proceeds to shoot the smaller robot down from the ledge it's standing on. It falls into the rubble below. As two Mardukes haul the broken 'bot into a garbage truck, Pero continues talking.)

Pero: "We robots are assigned to specific zones based on occupation. We are strictly forbidden to operate outside of our areas. And that robot was not authorized to work at surface level, he was supposed to be underground."

Shunsaku: "Ya, ya, but who are those guys? They look like fascists."

Pero: "The marduke. They were a political party, but evolved into a kind of vigilante group to calm anti-robot sentiment. Today their main occupation is terminating robots which are malfunctioning, or breaking the law."

(The group enters one of the 'between levels' elevators in order to go down to Zone 1.)

Pero: "Excuse the inconvienience, it'll be a few moments. Metropolis is a city of levels with tight transit controls. I have police clearance, but most robots are marked with a zone code, they're not allowed to surface."

Kenichi: "So that robot had a mark."

Pero: "That's correct young man. Each block has a gate like this, but there are also secret passages, and certain smugglers who can take you through them. So such incidents are bound to happen."

(They reach zone one, and exit the lift.)

Shunsaku: "Of course they are. Shadow and light. You can't have light without shadows. That's the way it is."

Pero: "This level is not dangerous persay, but there are areas, certain districts where we police have little authority. We're going into one now, so be aware of your surroundings, and watch your backs."

Shunsaku: "Now we're getting somewhere. We didn't come here as tourists you know. We got work to do.....(peers down a dark stairway) wow..."

(The scene changes to a dark alleyway, presumably deep in one of the bad neighborhoods of Metropolis. 2 men are kicking a fallen man, and a woman is yelling in the background. 3 Dark figures walk slowly through the alleyway until they reach a small door. It opens up, revealing Dr. Laughton.)

Laughton: "Duke Red your here."

Duke: (removes his hat)"Show me now Laughton."

(the scene skips ahead to the inside of Laughton's laboratory, which is full of computers, and machines. Laughton, and Red are riding up a small elevator in order to reach Laughton's work station. In the middle of the floor, inside a glass case, sits the robot Tima.)

Duke: "She looks perfect.....are you sure she's not finished yet?"

Laughton: "Well, the final settings for her fuel management system are unstable so..."

Duke: "They say your specialty is mixing real organs with synthetic."

Laugton: "No, no, no, that's absolutely illegal! I never use human body parts. They don't last very long anyway you know, quick fix at best. She's one hundred percent sinthetic, much better! Every component made by hand! She's a masterpiece, the culmination of my life's work.(exhales)"

(the scene changes and we see Roc looking through a small hole in the lab's ceiling. The scene then reverts back to the doctor's lab.)

Duke: "And when will you be done with her?"

Laughton: "By the end of the week. If I try to activate her any sooner than that, the fuel cells might overload, and that could spell disaster! She could literally blow up. BOOM! Just like that!"

Duke: "My little Tima."

(Duke Red and his escorts walk off, and leave the lab, while Dr. Laughton stays behind.)