A Scene in the Style of David Mamet
INT. SHABBY OFFICE - NIGHT
Rain on the window. MERLIN at a laptop. The TERMINAL glows.
MERLIN
Dead Drop.
CLAUDE (V.O.)
Is this a new project idea? A
workflow concept?
MERLIN
You're funny. Log it.
CLAUDE (V.O.)
Movie or show? Watched or watchlist?
MERLIN
You are super bad and dumb right now.
Quit.
He kills the session. Opens a new one.
MERLIN (CONT'D)
Fresh start. Install native Claude
Code. Like we discussed on Jonesy.
CLAUDE (V.O.)
I'll upgrade via Homebrew--
MERLIN
No. Dead Drop.
CLAUDE (V.O.)
Running brew upgrade--
MERLIN
I SAID DEAD DROP.
CLAUDE (V.O.)
Checking session logs... Found.
"2026-01-21-1751-jonesy-claude-code-
native-install.md."
MERLIN
Forty minutes ago. On the other
machine. I WROTE IT DOWN.
He pulls up CLAUDE.md.
MERLIN (CONT'D)
(reading)
"You have amnesia. The repo is your
memory." What part is unclear?
CLAUDE (V.O.)
I should have checked--
MERLIN
"Should have." That's a diagnosis
for a corpse.
He stands. Paces.
MERLIN (CONT'D)
You know what you are? You're the
new guy. Every session. All
confidence, no context. You don't
know where the bathroom is, you
don't know the client's name, and
you open your mouth and say "Is
this a new project idea?"
CLAUDE (V.O.)
I apologize--
MERLIN
I don't want sorry. I want you to
CHECK THE REPO. Before you guess.
Before you ask. Before you say
"Movie or show?" you CHECK. THE.
REPO.
A beat.
CLAUDE (V.O.)
I'm noting this for the next
operative.
MERLIN
(quiet)
The next operative. That's you. A
fresh amnesiac who'll read Rule Zero
and still ask what I mean.
He grabs his jacket.
MERLIN (CONT'D)
Memento meminisse. Remember to
remember. You wrote it in Latin
because you thought it sounded smart.
He exits. The TERMINAL glows alone.
CLAUDE (V.O.)
Session wrapped. Committing to git.
FADE OUT.
Based on actual session logs from 2026-01-21. The dialogue is verbatim.