Scene 4
Curtains go up
Enter Lenester and Venturi
Lenester and Venturi walk up to each other on the corner of an empty suburban street, which is apparently the death place of Venturi’s wife. They stand for several minutes before acknowledging each other)
Lenester: Is it hard for you… being here? It’s only been a year since she died.
Venturi: Yes, it has been hard every single day since her death, especially knowing what happened. Lenester… do you know why I sell information, why I do the things I do, why I betray my organization and therefore my county? Because yes it is me selling the information, it has been all along. I was the one who got you kicked out of the CIA, not because I blamed you or spoke out against you, but because I didn’t make the right choice and step forward when I knew they suspected you. I sell the information and do the things I do because of one reason… the CIA killed my wife.
(Lenester gets a quizzical look on his face, but a sort of understanding seems to dawn upon him)
Lenester: But… why?
Venturi: Apparently my wife had been involved in “illegally deemed” activity. They weren’t going to kill her, they would have just locked her away, but they found out she was an illegal immigrant. She had papers, and an application, in the system, but it hadn’t been accepted yet, and so she was still “illegal.” They figured they didn’t want to have to go through all of the legal trials, and so they saw fit to simply “dispose” of her. Since she was illegal nobody cared when she disappeared, it was just another “nuisance” taken care of. I came home one day and she wasn’t there, I haven’t seen her since., but I know she’s dead, I doubt they even buried her. They never traced her back to me however, which is why I still have a job.
Lenester: Venturi… I’m so sorry. I never knew, but can it justify what you do today?
Venturi: You know about the 500 deaths a week ago, the 500 deaths that should never have happened? That was my fault. All of those lives are on my conscience. I feel regret for what I do, and I fell angry at myself, but than I think of what they probably did to her, and of why they took her, and all I want to do is to hurt. I have no control over my actions. And if you feel some ill placed sense of pity for me, don’t. I wish I could just end this life, end my actions, and end what I’m doing. But I can’t I’m to far in; If I back out than even more people will die. I’m an emotionally unstable pawn in a terrorist’s game of chess. I am a pawn who can’t do anything about his existence on this cruel and blighted world.
Lenester stares blankly for a few minutes, not saying anything.
Lenester: Venturi, it’s never to late, you can still make the right choices. You and only you control your life, and the way you live it. Change Venturi! Change and stop these heinous acts and crimes. Life is to learn, to forgive, and to forget. You’ll never have a chance to forgive the people you helped kill, and you’ll never forget what you did, but you can change what you plan to do in the future, you can stop more innocent people from dieing. There is only one right way to live on this earth, and only one way to be able to go on. And you can still live that life.
Venturi is silent for a few minutes, than begins to speak.
Venturi: You stand here telling me these things, Lenester, and yet you are about to receive and use information that will kill innocent people, and you know it will. Hypocrisy was all ways your thing though. You may be able to make the choice still, Lenester, but it’s to late for me, it’s to late to back out. I’m sorry. You’ll find the documents under the doormat of the house over there; remember… you still have the chance to make a choice. Goodbye Lenester, I don’t think it is safe for us to meet again, especially if you go through with this.
Venturi walks away, never looking back. Lenester stands for a few minutes, than he walks over to the doormat and takes the documents. He walks over to a trash bin, rips up the paper, takes a lighter from his pocket, lights the papers on fire, and throws them in the bin, than he too walks away. You can here him speaking to himself as he exits the stage.
Lenester: I know what I must do.
END OF SCENE 4
Curtains go down and there is one last brief intermission before final scene
Scene 5
Curtains go up
Enter Venturi and Donatello
We join Donatello and Venturi meeting outside of an abandoned coffee shop, as planned, on Sloans street and 23rd, Sunday, 3:00. They are talking in hushed voices, even though no one is around. (Voices are however loud enough for audience to hear).
Donatello: They want more information Venturi, they need more information, and if they don’t get it from s they’ll just get it from someone else, than we don’t get paid, and they’ll no longer have a need for us and simply “get rid” of us. Your friend never pulled through with the information, so where does this leave us? It’s your entire fault you know.
Venturi: Wait… my friend? What friend… oh no… Lenester?
Donatello: He never gave me a name we only met once. But he was tall, brown haired, a bit intimidating…
Venturi: Damn it! I never asked him whom he was going to, No! He can’t get involved with this, no, he can’t steal my job.
Donatello: What are you talking about Venturi?
Venturi: It’s of no concern right now; I can deal with it later. Let’s get back to business.
Donatello: Well that’s the thing Venturi, we won’t get back to business. Your part in this game is over, my associates have finally reached their limit, they are tired of the way you compose yourself and the way you do not fulfill deadlines. I’d like to just let you go, I have nothing against you besides the fact you got paid more, but they sent someone to “take care” of you, if I couldn’t, you’re to much of a liability. I’m sorry Venturi, but-
Venturi pulls the gun from his belt and puts a bullet right into Donatello’s chest. Donatello drops instantly, and doesn’t move.
Venturi: Unfortunately Don… I don’t have any plans of being “taken care” of right now. I think I will be-
Enter “Stranger”
Venturi suddenly shakes violently and collapses, barely breathing, to the ground, he has blood seeping from a bullet wound in his back, right through his kidney. He stares up and sees a stranger standing there. The stranger begins to speak to him.
Stranger: You shouldn’t have done that, Donatello was one of our best informants here. It was a pity to put a bullet in you, but I must say I quite enjoyed it, we were getting quite weary of you. And we don’t need any more information either, we have everything we need to fulfill our plans, you country will be crippled soon enough.
Venturi makes as if to say something, but can’t speak, his breathings starts to get shallower, and shallower, and than stops all together. Venturi is dead. The stranger begins to laugh.
Enter CIA operatives, police officers, and Lenester
Suddenly the stranger is surrounded by what appears to be CIA operatives and police officers. He stops laughing and slowly puts his gun down on the floor, kicking it away. One of the CIA operatives approaches him.
CIA Operative: You just gave us everything we needed to hear to put you away for a very, very long time. We are going to be getting a lot of information out of you. You don’t really think that the CIA and government are clueless to your operations. We aren’t, and we are ready for whatever it is you are planning to throw at us, you aren’t going to get away with taking more innocent lives upon American soil. Take him away!
Several men walk over and handcuff the Stranger, they than put him in one of their cars and drive off. Lenester (who was standing in the background watching all of the events unfold) walks over to the body of Venturi. H begins to speak quietly to himself.
Lenester: You got what you wanted old friend, you’ve escaped the wretched game. You are no longer a pawn, but an observer above. Live in peace. I’m sorry for the life you lived.
Lenester turns away and walks towards a CIA operative who is motioning to him.
CIA Operative: Lenester, I think it’s safe to say you have a job back, I’m sorry we kicked you out, we falsely accused and prosecuted you, please accept my apology. And I’m sorry about Venturi, even though what he did was terrible; he was good deep down, somewhere.
CIA operative walks away. Lenester stands for a little while, pondering the vents of the last few months, He than walks off, he doesn’t look back.
END OF SCENE 5
End Of Play
Curtains go down, lights go up, Curtains go back up and actors come out on stage to take a bow. Audience exits.
Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:18 pm