THE MOMENT
The demon walked into the producer's office with his back straight and chest out. 'The Cinebite Chronicles' had been formally announced and he was asked to meet with the producer the next day. It was to be the third 'Cinebite' movie following 'Cinebite: Dark Premiere' and 'Cinebite's Revenge'. The contract was only for two movies; but, there was little doubt why he was there. He was Cinebite, after all. He was ready to negotiate for higher pay this time.
"Cinebite, glad you could make it!" Jack, the producer, met the red-skinned demon halfway with a handshake, then encouraged him to have a seat.
"I wouldn't miss it," Cinebite replied as he made himself comfortable. "So, let's get right to it. What's happening in part three?"
"I'm sorry to say, there's no part three," Jack replied. "We're doing a prequel-slash-reboot. Going back to basics and starting with a younger Cinebite. Everyone wants to say where our favorite demon got their start."
"Well, I can't deny the people what they want...," Cinebite chuckled. "Luckily, I can play a younger version of myself too," he grinned as his red face grew a shade or two brighter and more youthful. In seconds he looked like a young demon man in his 20s instead of his older, default age.
"I'm glad you see it that way," Jack grinned. "But, you don't need to worry about making yourself young again; we're going to do that with CGI."
'Huh?" Cinebite was dumbstruck. It was almost an insult; but, it left him more confused than anything. "I can do it...," he said. "I thought the whole reason you hired me was because I'm more realistic than computers."
"You are," Jack nodded. "For certain things. For others,...," he trailed off and shrugged before picking up the thought again a second later. "... technology has come a long way since we started filming the first movie."
"But why are you adding extra steps? I can make myself look young for every take."
"It's not exactly extra steps...," Jack said. "Cinebite, I'd like you to meet Helios," he grabbed the monitor on his desk and turned it around to face the demon. A golden, faceless mannequin wearing a crimson suit stood on a white screen and he waved at Cinebite.
"It'll be an honor...," Helios changed as he spoke. His golden smooth skin became dry and red and black horns sprouted out of his skull; he mirrored the youthful form Cinebite had at the moment. The white background took on the appearance of the office they were in at the moment too. "....working with you Sir."
"What the hell is this?" Cinebite asked Jack.
"This is Helios," Helios replied as a giant red arrow materialized above his head pointing down at him. Cinebite ignored him and continued to stare into Jack's eyes.
"He's a representative from Sharp Development, our new business partner," Jack replied. "He's an A.I. that can make anything appear on screen. And, he'll do it for free."
"Straight talk," Cinebite said. "What's my part in the new movie?" He was smart enough to understand the implications; but, he wanted clear answers.
"We're offering you a voice role...," Jack replied.
"Voice!?? You're doing an animated version and want me to voice an A.I. impersonating me!??"
"Of course not," Jack shook his head. "It's not animated, Helios creates reality on the other side of the screen. It'll look as good as live-action, but we don't even need a camera. The first two movies were a hit because of you," he said. "But, we don't need physical actors anymore."
"So..., who do you want me to voice?"
"As much as you've done for our studio, it's only right we let you choose...," Jack said. "Background Demon 1, Background Demon 2, or Surly Old Demon."