Sam Scene 1

Act X, Scene Y

Scene "A game of Chess"

(Somewhere in the Florida Fortress. AVARICE and GREED are sitting at a small table with a chessboard between them. The pieces should be arranged as though a game has been in progress for some time and is nearing its end. AVARICE, who is playing black, is holding the black king in his hand and looking at it closely. Closeup of Avarice staring directly at the camera, his hand in between, holding the king.)

AVARICE

"It all comes down to a game of kings."

(Switch to side shot of GREED and AVARICE, with table between them.)

GREED

"Huh?"

AVARICE

"That’s what the game of chess comes down to. King against king, vying for power. (pauses) And yet… what power do they really have? Not enough to settle their own scores. Two kings can never occupy adjacent squares. King against king would mean stalemate. Infinite stalemate."

(GREED makes a noncommittal, half-interested grunt.)

AVARICE

"So what do they do? They marshal their armies and send them in to do battle. The king itself has very little power. And yet… and yet, it’s all-important. Everything comes down to the king. Once he’s captured, the game ends. It doesn’t matter if he had the advantage of numbers eight to one the turn before. Without his capacity to lead an army, to give it direction, everything falls apart. The other pieces know this, too. To save the king, and thus to save the game, no sacrifice is too small. (Places the king back on it’s square and looks at Greed.) Interesting, no?"

GREED

(Sounding slightly bored) "I suppose."

AVARICE

"Well, listen, because this is important. The rebels have us outnumbered, greatly. We have the power and resources to maintain our position indefinitely, but defense alone will not win this war for us, and it will not make the rebels go away. Sooner or later, we’ll have to make our move. And all we have to do to win this war—"

GREED

(Interrupting)

"--Is capture their king?"

AVARICE

(Leans back, self-indulgent smile)

"Exactly."

GREED

(Puzzled)

"But… what? How?"

AVARICE

"Think on it for a while. Needless to say, tomorrow we can begin to put our plan into motion. Not a big flashy military strike, but a smaller, more precise, and ultimately more damaging maneuver. In the meantime—"

(Picks up his queen and moves it to threaten GREED’s king)

"Check."