Post by trey on Feb 23, 2009 20:56:46 GMT -5
Yes, my school work is continually blocking my memory so I haven't been as disciplined as I should in writing this. This part has the Big Monologue (which was not fun to write) and this by no means a final draft. Until next time my friends.
Alex looks on as the crowd moves around him. The three find a row to sit in. Within a few seconds a deep booming voice comes over a P.A. system.
VOICE
Welcome all. Please find a seat so that we may begin our ceremony. For those who wish for a subtitled translation in Chinese, Hindi, Russian, or Arabic can seat themselves in the east side (shot shows large screen in front of the risers). Those who wish for a subtitled translation in Spanish, French, Japanese, or Subtitled English for the hard of hearing can seat themselves in the west side. (repeats in the various languages)
Rashad (carrying a file) and Eli appear behind the three men as the dialogue continues.
RASHAD
Hey, I have it.
ALEX
Have what?
ELI
(nonchalantly) Our instructions. The whole mission’s genocide.
Alex does a subtle double take. He looks up at Eli who seems to return the worried look. Tariq and Vincent look apprehensive.
VINCENT
How exactly….
Rashad picks his head up to see how much time he has to explain.
RASHAD
I guess I’ll have to explain it more later, but the gist of it is we have to go to Pennsylvania via copter. Break into one of the power plants, shut it down and kill as many people as we can. We have three other teams meeting us there, Marino, Tersavich, and Appiagyei. Supposedly, if everyone is in place, we can run amok and bounce out in under an hour.
Tariq looks at Rashad with an almost hungry look. Vincent fumbles a bit with his hands.
VINCENT
Are they fucking insane? I mean, just how can we get to…
TARIQ
Kill as many people… as what?
RASHAD
(interrupting) Look it’s easy to explain, but I don’t think…
VOICE
The ceremony has now begun.
RASHAD
fuck. Look, just….
Vincent and Tariq both just turn away and look at the stage. Alex looks fearful, but tries to stop his face from breaking. The whole stadium has gone dark, save for a powerful spotlight in the middle of the center stage. Tunde, Ammer, and Skinner can be seen seated amongst various uniformed individuals. Suddenly the crowd erupts into hysterics as a man holding a cane is inching towards the middle of the stage. He is THE HUMANITARIAN, an extremely elderly man in his 80’s-90’s (any ethnicity but maybe not British to avoid any British supervillian comparisons [unless we can cast Derek Jacobi]) in casual tie-less formal wear. He is unresponsive to the almost deafening noise around him and is helped to the center by Arthur McDermott, a well-dressed man possibly in his 60’s who has the air of a self-made billionaire. The camera does cut to Tariq, Vincent and Rashad clapping enthusiastically, if still retaining a grimace on their faces. Alex and Eli clap on the edges of the frame respectfully, but not passionately. Onstage Arthur can be seen trying to bring over a chair, but The Humanitarian rejects it. Arthur joins the other people behind him, and the Humanitarian continues to call for the crowd’s attention. The joyous, noisy cheering dies almost instantly as the people in the coliseum settle in eagerly. The sound of a microphone being fondled with is heard.
BIG H
…Is it on? Is it… (laughs) Artie, am I…?
ARTHUR (faintly)
Just a little higher.
BIG H
(amused by the situation) Alright, letsseehere…. (full volume) Is this good? (gives thumbs up sign)
The crowd breaks out in applause again.
VINCENT (to Alex)
My, he’s a spry fellow, no?
The crowd breaks into laughter as The Humanitarian continues to fumble with his microphone before finally getting it right again.
BIG H
Yes, well I’m glad that you can all be here tonight. Each and every single one of you. Because you are part of the new beginning.
The crowd applauds. Alex looks pained trying to be stoic.
BIG H
We, all of us, live in an age of excess. The whole world levels off forests for our shelter, we poison the air for our transportation, we kill and harvest at a dangerously increasing rate for our food. We are not too big for this world. But, this must not continue. (applause) We….. cannot sit and watch as the world crumbles before us. And it’s not our fault. The masses have decided to sit back and watch as we suck every last drop of vitality from the planet. Not in their lifetime, but soon, we’ll find ourselves with a future devoid of everything that once made this life beautiful. Made it worth living. And they’ve had their chance. For years, when I was far more youthful than I am now (crowd laughs softly) the signs have been there, oh yes. And it’s only gotten worse. We cannot let our planet continue like this. They cannot sit back and let themselves live out in excess and thoughtless consumption, if only to cushion their prison cells and just make it a little more comfortable so we can simply live out the earth’s days in comfort. In my time, I strived to do as much as I could to live in harmony with nature, with society and people. But I’m through. I’m through letting the world around me crumble in a pit of torn forests, undrinkable water, oil and fast food wrappers. It will end! (crowd begins to applause again) It will all end! Humanity’s inaction will finally be punished! The wasteful will be scorched from this earth so that we may never live in a world (crowd is going wild at this point) where sensibility is traded for convenience! Where man will live in tranquility with nature as the makers intended! You will all help bring this world back to peace and harmony! But they must know what it’s like to be torn apart first! Which is why we’ll bomb them in their cozy, two story, air-conditioned homes! We’ll shoot them in their ozone spewing automobiles! Buildings will fall and civilizations collapse! For we will be carved into the books as the liberators from humanity’s sins! We will have brought the balance between man and nature not seen since biblical times! And we’ll have saved our future, and your children’s future! And your children’s children’s future! (last part should be drowned out by crowd’s cheering which should have been getting louder and louder)
Alex looks around at the crowd. Tariq, Rashad and Vincent seemed to have forgotten their last conversation and are cheering enthusiastically for The Humanitarian. Eli is clapping loudly too, but looks pained in the face. Alex looks forward at the sight of the thousands cheering and nearly breaks down, but regains is composure and starts cheering and whooping along with them.
Alex looks on as the crowd moves around him. The three find a row to sit in. Within a few seconds a deep booming voice comes over a P.A. system.
VOICE
Welcome all. Please find a seat so that we may begin our ceremony. For those who wish for a subtitled translation in Chinese, Hindi, Russian, or Arabic can seat themselves in the east side (shot shows large screen in front of the risers). Those who wish for a subtitled translation in Spanish, French, Japanese, or Subtitled English for the hard of hearing can seat themselves in the west side. (repeats in the various languages)
Rashad (carrying a file) and Eli appear behind the three men as the dialogue continues.
RASHAD
Hey, I have it.
ALEX
Have what?
ELI
(nonchalantly) Our instructions. The whole mission’s genocide.
Alex does a subtle double take. He looks up at Eli who seems to return the worried look. Tariq and Vincent look apprehensive.
VINCENT
How exactly….
Rashad picks his head up to see how much time he has to explain.
RASHAD
I guess I’ll have to explain it more later, but the gist of it is we have to go to Pennsylvania via copter. Break into one of the power plants, shut it down and kill as many people as we can. We have three other teams meeting us there, Marino, Tersavich, and Appiagyei. Supposedly, if everyone is in place, we can run amok and bounce out in under an hour.
Tariq looks at Rashad with an almost hungry look. Vincent fumbles a bit with his hands.
VINCENT
Are they fucking insane? I mean, just how can we get to…
TARIQ
Kill as many people… as what?
RASHAD
(interrupting) Look it’s easy to explain, but I don’t think…
VOICE
The ceremony has now begun.
RASHAD
fuck. Look, just….
Vincent and Tariq both just turn away and look at the stage. Alex looks fearful, but tries to stop his face from breaking. The whole stadium has gone dark, save for a powerful spotlight in the middle of the center stage. Tunde, Ammer, and Skinner can be seen seated amongst various uniformed individuals. Suddenly the crowd erupts into hysterics as a man holding a cane is inching towards the middle of the stage. He is THE HUMANITARIAN, an extremely elderly man in his 80’s-90’s (any ethnicity but maybe not British to avoid any British supervillian comparisons [unless we can cast Derek Jacobi]) in casual tie-less formal wear. He is unresponsive to the almost deafening noise around him and is helped to the center by Arthur McDermott, a well-dressed man possibly in his 60’s who has the air of a self-made billionaire. The camera does cut to Tariq, Vincent and Rashad clapping enthusiastically, if still retaining a grimace on their faces. Alex and Eli clap on the edges of the frame respectfully, but not passionately. Onstage Arthur can be seen trying to bring over a chair, but The Humanitarian rejects it. Arthur joins the other people behind him, and the Humanitarian continues to call for the crowd’s attention. The joyous, noisy cheering dies almost instantly as the people in the coliseum settle in eagerly. The sound of a microphone being fondled with is heard.
BIG H
…Is it on? Is it… (laughs) Artie, am I…?
ARTHUR (faintly)
Just a little higher.
BIG H
(amused by the situation) Alright, letsseehere…. (full volume) Is this good? (gives thumbs up sign)
The crowd breaks out in applause again.
VINCENT (to Alex)
My, he’s a spry fellow, no?
The crowd breaks into laughter as The Humanitarian continues to fumble with his microphone before finally getting it right again.
BIG H
Yes, well I’m glad that you can all be here tonight. Each and every single one of you. Because you are part of the new beginning.
The crowd applauds. Alex looks pained trying to be stoic.
BIG H
We, all of us, live in an age of excess. The whole world levels off forests for our shelter, we poison the air for our transportation, we kill and harvest at a dangerously increasing rate for our food. We are not too big for this world. But, this must not continue. (applause) We….. cannot sit and watch as the world crumbles before us. And it’s not our fault. The masses have decided to sit back and watch as we suck every last drop of vitality from the planet. Not in their lifetime, but soon, we’ll find ourselves with a future devoid of everything that once made this life beautiful. Made it worth living. And they’ve had their chance. For years, when I was far more youthful than I am now (crowd laughs softly) the signs have been there, oh yes. And it’s only gotten worse. We cannot let our planet continue like this. They cannot sit back and let themselves live out in excess and thoughtless consumption, if only to cushion their prison cells and just make it a little more comfortable so we can simply live out the earth’s days in comfort. In my time, I strived to do as much as I could to live in harmony with nature, with society and people. But I’m through. I’m through letting the world around me crumble in a pit of torn forests, undrinkable water, oil and fast food wrappers. It will end! (crowd begins to applause again) It will all end! Humanity’s inaction will finally be punished! The wasteful will be scorched from this earth so that we may never live in a world (crowd is going wild at this point) where sensibility is traded for convenience! Where man will live in tranquility with nature as the makers intended! You will all help bring this world back to peace and harmony! But they must know what it’s like to be torn apart first! Which is why we’ll bomb them in their cozy, two story, air-conditioned homes! We’ll shoot them in their ozone spewing automobiles! Buildings will fall and civilizations collapse! For we will be carved into the books as the liberators from humanity’s sins! We will have brought the balance between man and nature not seen since biblical times! And we’ll have saved our future, and your children’s future! And your children’s children’s future! (last part should be drowned out by crowd’s cheering which should have been getting louder and louder)
Alex looks around at the crowd. Tariq, Rashad and Vincent seemed to have forgotten their last conversation and are cheering enthusiastically for The Humanitarian. Eli is clapping loudly too, but looks pained in the face. Alex looks forward at the sight of the thousands cheering and nearly breaks down, but regains is composure and starts cheering and whooping along with them.