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CLEOPATRA Vs FRANKENSTEIN - SCENE 1
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SCENE - 30BC CLEOPATRA'S SUICIDE PACT: 365AD TSUNAMI SINKS HER MAUSOLEUM
On an overcast August day in 30 B.C., sun streaming through the clouds to strike golden relief on Palace architectures, the Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra VII locked herself in a mausoleum that she’d built on the palace grounds in Alexandria, grief stricken.
Whereupon
a rumor spread about the Palace of the mood of the queen, that all therein
supposed she had gone to kill herself. Horrified at such news and not
thinking to give weight to such whispers, Mark Antony immediately tried to follow
suit, stabbing himself with his own sword, but then learned the messages
were greatly exaggerated; his dearest was alive. Managing then to survive long enough to
struggle to her side.
Though Cleopatra had shut herself in her mausoleum with two handmaidens, Iras and Charmion, he gained access.
There, Antony found Cleopatra drugged and intoxicated, but still alive. He read her letter, took a dagger and plunged it into himself, then staggered to his lover and died in her arms.
With Antony in her arms, and dressed in her formal robes and jewels, the queen grasped a writhing asp that had been smuggled to her, bringing the serpent to her bare breast, the Egyptian cobra administered the fatal bite, missing the intended target and biting her on the arm. The 39 year old queen had killed herself. The mischief had been swift.
The queen died in an honorable way according to Roman standards. Cleopatra’s final act was her finest one.
After,
a note was delivered to Octavian about her burial requests.
The
Egyptian Queen had made her preparations for death well in advance. These
were carried out, but did not include Mark Antony, whose remains to be
treated according to Roman tradition, but could not be begun, because
Octavian had a change of heart, and wanted Mark Antony's body for political
purposes. Thus, the Queen's mummy and Roman general were hastily moved to
another location, along with a carved wooden box containing a letter written
on special velum, having been read by Mark Antony.
A tragic end to a golden reign. A magnificent departure, in preparation for her rebirth, as it was prophesied. Isis would be reborn among generations to come, to be united once again with her true love; Marcus Antonius.
Alexandria and Thonis soon fell into ways unbecoming their former glory.
For nearly four hundreds years after the death of the last Queen of Egypt, Alexandria and the slowly submerging, Thonis-Heracleion, plied a sea trade, tumbling to new lows of corruption and immorality, until around 365 AD, when the Gods were angered sufficiently to summon a dreadful cocktail of high winds, shifting plates and giant waves to wash the offending city and it's satellites under the sea - sending all those within to a watery grave. So protecting the Egyptian queen from potential desecrations.
Alexandria was hit by shock waves that stuck down buildings, shaken to their foundations, followed by waves fifteen meters in height that dashed onto the rubble with great force, submerging the city, dragging it down into the depths of a stormy Mediterranean, followed by high winds that sealed the fate of those within. Thonis-Heracleion suffered the same fate. The Gods did not reward defilement, misbehaving or unnatural mismanagement on such a scale, threatening the sanctity of Cleopatra's last resting place.
EXT. CLEOPATRA’S PALACE - ALEXANDRIA - DAY
(SCREENPLAY VERSION)
ON THE ESPLANADE -- Merchants trading bids...
MERCHANT#3
Out here too, the GREAT COLUMNS OF THE PALACE SHUDDER AND
So ended the governing, as had wrecked the rulings of many unjust kingdoms. With the storms subsiding, the waves returning to the former bright green-blue clarity, lapping the sandy shores - and the sun shining forth - as though nothing had taken place.
Save for the rapid cleansing, washing the blighted city from sight and memory.
Cleopatra VII's tomb was taken down in the striking, to be buried for at least sixteen hundred years more, until fresh movement of the earth's crust from anthropogenic warming of the planet, signaled clues as to the whereabouts of her sarcophagus, the mummy inside tightly wrapped to contain preserving, oils, spices and herbs. Fortunately, well enough conserved, but newly in danger from increasingly potent acidic seas, encroaching peaceful inertness - and in need of further acidity protections.
It was time to effect a rescue. The Gods would once more smile on the last Pharaoh queen, rewarding her for her suffering and bravery when alive, as a revered Goddess in her own right. That she might join in the struggle to save the planet from over exploitation, and help restore a more natural order. Technology would come to their aid, in the capable hands of a brave band of scientists, operating in Zurich, Genoa and Rome.
It
was thought by UNESCO
and Blue
shield, that the underwater remains were safe from
looters. But the further tremor shocked them into action, and they implored John
Storm to do their bidding, since he was possessed of the most advanced
survey ship in all the world. The renowned Elizabeth Swann; held to be a
floating laboratory.
Cleopatra reborn was a curvaceous, charming young woman with an extremely high IQ. She looked exactly like Cleopatra VII in her prime, and dangerously seductive. She had inherited her personality and talents as well. She was curious, adventurous, ambitious, and fatally attractive. She wanted to see the world for herself. She wanted to visit Egypt and see its pyramids, temples, and tombs. She wanted to meet other people and learn from them. She wanted to experience life and love, and find out about herself.
3RD DRAFT - SAMPLE: THE PERFECT PLOT (SHORT STORY)
SCENE 1. Cleopatra's tomb lay lost for centuries. Then one day a shift in the tectonic plates triggered a tremor off the coast of Alexandria, causing alarm in Paris. (Flashback: The destruction of Thonis & Alexandria by a tsunami, sinking the great civilization and port in 365 AD.)
SCENE 2. As an agent of Blue Shield, John Storm, surveys Egypt's coast off Alexandria, finds Cleopatra's tomb, verified using the Ark and Hal, keeping location a secret, pending salvage and Blue Shield site protections.
SCENE 3. John reads a letter from Cleopatra to Mark Antony from Cleopatra’s mausoleum, 30 BC, the combined suicide of Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra, a death wish love pact.
SCENE 4. William Bates auctions his CyberCore Genetica nano-super computer. Secretly purchased by the wealthy Professor Krafenstein, via an anonymous sealed bid.
SCENE 5. A team of European scientists, including Franco Francisco, are gathered together and funded by the wealthy Baron as cloning technology champions, regardless of potential illegality or ethical consideration. Though, Replication and gene manipulations treatments are held to be legal by the cohort.
SCENE 6. As part of their human enhancement regime, ingredients of the CRISPR virus, a bacterial DNA Cas9 enzyme delivery system, that allows precisely targeted DNA enhancement in adult subjects, is developed as cousin technology. The team realise that this could form the basis of a cure for cancer.
SCENE 7. Charley Temple alerts John Storm to the consequences of the joining of dots of the technology that Professor Krafenstein and his partners are working on. She is being fed information from, and nurturing contacts at the ETH university in Zurich. With Sam Hollis being in contact with Colonial athletes in attendance. Some of which have given blood samples, in connection with the Baron's research.
SCENE 8. John is courted by Jack Mason, purporting to represent the USA, asking for his help in their investigations into cyber crime, and technology that might one day pose a threat to international stability.
SCENE 9. Storm is asked by Professor Krafenstein to relinquish a small Cleopatra tissue sample. The carrot is that their cohort will share their DNA archive, to add to John's collection.
SCENE 10. John relents, persuaded by Blue Shield. The knowledge transfer (swapsie) proves to be irresistible to John.
SCENE 11. Having taken delivery of a sample of Cleopatra's DNA, Professor Krafenstein perfects his replication technique, after one or two costly mistakes.
SCENE 12. The scientists develop a prototype biological implant, an interface for the human brain, which they call BioCore™. This flexible microchip communicates wirelessly with the CyberCore Genetica, and from there to the internet. They are streets ahead of a system developed by Elon Musk, some years earlier.
SCENE 13. The Birth. Replication work proceeds, with Cleopatra grown and her brain programmed (conditioned) with her past, to include simulation of her synapse firing sequence, based on the fact she spoke nine languages, and was a mathematician and an accomplished political and military strategist. Other elements are included to soften the culture shock, as the reincarnated queen re-enters life in the 21st century, the prophesy comes true.
SCENE 14. John requests a visit to see the progress for himself, but is given the brush off, and shown a facility that does not seem to have all the equipment necessary to have recreated Cleopatra. Then he is denied access to the subject with various excuses, that do not gel. His suspicions are aroused, and he investigates further with help from Dan (hacking) and Hal.
SCENE 15. Charley persists with her own investigations, agreeing to meet with John, where she thinks the real work is going on convenient to the ancient port of Genoa, Italy. She is captured, and John has to effect a rescue, with some background help from the CIA's Jack Mason. During the struggle to overpower Charley's captors, John is injected with an experimental CRISPR virus. Dan manages to make off with the CyberCore Genetica and Biocore, equipment, plus a download of all the experimental files. Jack Mason turns a blind eye, at the time, biding his time.
SCENE 16. From the recovered data, Dan and Hal work out that Cleopatra is being repatriated in a secure facility in Rome, where the former queen had visited with Julius Caesar in 46BC. John raids their sanctuary just outside the city, rescuing/freeing Cleopatra in the process, with Interpol questioning all the wrong people, on suspicion of kidnap. Cleopatra expresses a wish to be with John Storm, who she instinctively trusts implicitly, leaving Interpol and Blue Shield, little choice in the matter. And Jack Mason with a problem. He was hoping to acquire Cleopatra in all the confusion. But Cleopatra reveals that Dr Krafenstein had given her, her freedom. She was free to leave when she felt ready.
SCENE 17. Jack Mason continues to plot to part John Storm from the CRISPR technology, and kidnap Cleopatra on grounds of homeland security, looking to take control of the replication technology. As the US representative, he talks John and Cleopatra into the replicant queen having a check up at Uncle Sam's expense at a private hospital in Egypt, to coincide with the unveiling of the Cleopatra VII mummy exhibits in Cairo and Giza. Though a disingenuous ruse, Cleopatra agrees, just to please John. She is curious to see what her own mummy looks like as an exhibition of her past glory.
SCENE 18. Storm is double crossed by Jack Mason, who spirits Cleopatra overseas to the secure US facility at Guantánamo Bay. Way off the beaten track, and extremely well guarded. Such military location eliminating any chance of a rescue.
SCENE 19. Despite the obstacles, John rescues Cleopatra from Guantánamo Bay in a daring night raid.
SCENE 20 CIA, covertly try to terminate the Swann and crew, including Cleopatra, who is now a witness to their evils.
SCENE 21. John does a deal with US President Lincoln Truman, Jack Mason is chastised.
The cure for cancer is the Holy Grail of medical achievement, a Crusade that is within our grasp.
M O V I E P L O T O U T L I N E
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