Brilliance

A ten-minute play about unforeseen and rather foreseen circumstances.

BRILLIANCE

 

Curtain rises to unlit stage. Lights rise revealing two men, standing six feet away from each other. Each points a handgun at the other. The stage is adorned as an upscale bedroom in complete disarray. The one peculiar thing about the room is the two full skeleton displays in the corner, hanging from wire attached to hooks, suspended from the ceiling.  Both men look disheveled and out of breath. BERTRAM, appearing haggard and weathered, wears a suit, torn in spots, glasses, and stands on the left. UPTON wears a tweed jacket with elbow pads, and is less disheveled and out of breath. A body lies center stage, motionless.

They stare at each other for several moments.  

BERTRAM

Haven’t seen you in awhile.

UPTON

I’m not sure we’ve ever met. What’s your name?

BERTRAM

Sure we have. I remember your pretty wife.

UPTON

Oh yeah, she’s dead now.

BERTRAM

Oh? That’s a pity. She seemed nice. My name is Mr. Bertram.

UPTON

She was beautiful, all right. Didn’t have the passion, though.

BERTRAM

Gotta have the passion, right? It’s what makes us such driven men.

UPTON

Indeed it does, Mr. Bertram.

(Silence. Both men appear to be weakening , their arms wobbling from holding out the gun.)

Maybe we should talk, yeah? We can murder each other in a moment.

BERTRAM

Very well. My arm is tired anyway. Count of three?

UPTON

Acceptable. On three, or after?

BERTRAM

Which seems more appropriate?

UPTON

(thinking for a moment) On.

BERTRAM

Good. Ready? One-

UPTON

-I thought you’d count down.

BERTRAM

Fine. Three…wait. Why would we do it on three if we count down from three?

UPTON

Valid point. All right. On one then.

BERTRAM

On one. Three, two, one.

(Both men lower their weapons and shove them into the back of their pants, never taking their eye off each other.)

UPTON

Much better. My arm was beginning to cramp.

BERTRAM

As was mine. Shall we sit?

UPTON

I don’t think we’re ready for that stage of our relationship quite yet.

BERTRAM

So be it.

(Silence.)

So what brings you to this neck of the woods?

UPTON

Business. I’m here to pay a visit to Mr. Herring. He sent for me. I received a letter.

BERTRAM

Always such. For myself as well, business. It’s quite quaint here, don’t you agree?

UPTON

You could say that. I’d say backwater, though.

BERTRAM

It has its charms.

UPTON

Then why don’t you move here?

BERTRAM

I may. I don’t think it has an adequate power supply, however.

UPTON

See, that’s your problem. You think small. Too concerned with power supplies.

BERTRAM

Of course I am. What else matters when scouting for prospective laboratory locations?

UPTON

You don’t get it. Like I said, you think small.

BERTRAM

Then how grandiose should I be thinking, Mr. Upton?

UPTON

Well, first of all, f**k your power supplies. You’re a scientist, Mr. Bertram. Think like one.

BERTRAM

I don’t follow.

UPTON

Come on. (He gestures toward the body on the floor. BERTRAM flinches slightly and reaches for his gun. UPTON does not seem to notice. BERTRAM relaxes when UPTON begins to speak again.) Mr. Herring got it. Look around. This may appear to be a bedroom, but it’s not.

BERTRAM

I know what this is, you don’t need to speak to me like I’m some sort of greenhorn post-doc idealist. Mr. Herring did understand, but with a bullet in his chest, what he understood is pretty irrelevant.

UPTON

(laughs.)

True. I know why you’re here, though. I know why you’re here, but more importantly, I know how you got here. I know everything.

BERTRAM

Then you know why Mr. Herring is dead.

UPTON

Actually, that part I don’t understand.

BERTRAM

Well then, allow me to explain. Imagine a six centimeter dot on a graph, right at 0x,0y. This is now.

UPTON

And what about you? Where are you on this graph?

BERTRAM

Obviously at that same dot. I’m here talking to you, aren’t I?

UPTON

Yeah, but-

BERTRAM

-But nothing. I shot Mr. Herring because he was trying to escape the dot.

(Silence.)

We’re scientists, as you say. But there are some things science has no business meddling with.

UPTON

And you think that’s something you have the right to judge?

BERTRAM

I do have a unique insight in the situation at hand.

UPTON

I think I’m ready to sit now.

(BERTRAM nods. They both cautiously right two upturned chairs and place them facing each other, and sit.)

BERTRAM

Do you think Mr. Herring has any wine?

UPTON

I saw a bottle of champagne in the closet earlier.

(BERTRAM walks to the closet, his back to UPTON. UPTON reaches slowly for his weapon.)

BERTRAM

(Not turning to face UPTON) You can shoot me if you like, Mr. Upton. But I know you won’t.

(UPTON stops reaching for the gun.)

UPTON

You don’t know that.

BERTRAM

Yes, I do. (He retrieves the bottle and returns to his seat.) You see, I’ve escaped the dot. (He uncorks the bottle as unceremoniously as possible.)

UPTON

What do you mean?

BERTRAM

I thought you said you knew everything? That you understood everything.

UPTON

Stop f*****g around, Bertram. What are you talking about? You escaped the dot? How?

BERTRAM

Champagne?

(He offers UPTON the bottle. UPTON waves his hand. BERTRAM shrugs and takes a sip from the bottle.)  

This is very good champagne. Mr. Herring has impeccable taste. Though that really doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

(UPTON rises to his feet and pulls out the gun in one furious motion. He stands, the barrel of the gun pressed against BERTRAM’S temple.)

UPTON

(Shouting) Goddamnit Bertram! Tell me! How did you escape the dot?

BERTRAM

Being a scientist isn’t always about science. People skills help too.

(Silence. After a few moments, UPTON lowers the gun and smiles.)

UPTON

You don’t know how you did it, do you? But Mr. Herring did.

BERTRAM

Mr. Herring…no, he didn’t know how. Not yet at least. But he was so close to figuring it out. So close. In fact, if I had been only ten seconds later, he would have done it.

(UPTON sits and gestures for the bottle. BERTRAM hands it to him and he takes a sip.)

But I knew exactly, to the nanosecond, when Mr. Herring would have achieved the impossible. When he would have escaped the dot.

UPTON

How?

BERTRAM

Because, Mr. Upton. I am Mr. Herring.

(Silence.)

You know, from the future.

(Silence.)

Ten years ago. I was in this very room. At this very moment. I achieved the impossible. But I had no idea what was doing. I just launched myself headlong into the unknown of the future. (Laughs.) I would probably have been able to control it, but I didn’t have an adequate power supply.

UPTON

Why did you shoot Mr. Herring?

(UPTON gives BERTRAM the bottle back and he takes a sip.)

BERTRAM

There are some things science has no business meddling with. (He gestures to a book next to Mr. Herring’s body.) That book must be destroyed.

UPTON

But what about you? You’re an abomination.

BERTRAM

That’s why you shoot me.

UPTON

I thought you said I don’t shoot you.

BERTRAM

You don’t shoot me when I find the champagne, but you do in a few moments.

UPTON

Why would I do that?

BERTRAM

I bet you believe in free will, don’t you? Well, there’s no such thing. Everything that happens must, and nothing can be changed.

UPTON

Well, I’m not going to shoot you.

BERTRAM

Yes you are.

UPTON

No I’m not.

(BERTRAM grabs his gun and places it on the table. UPTON does the same.)

I’m not going to shoot you.

BERTRAM

Mr. Upton, she didn’t have the passion.

UPTON

(Darkly.) What?

BERTRAM

Your wife, she didn’t have the passion. That’s why I killed her.

UPTON

It was a fire.

BERTRAM

(Laughing.) Like I said, Mr. Upton, everything happens for a reason.

(BERTRAM grabs UPTON’S gun from the table. UPTON grabs BERTRAM’S.)

UPTON

I know what you’re trying to do. Do you think I’m stupid?

BERTRAM

I know you’re not stupid. Believe me, Mr. Upton, your wife’s death was as painful for me to bear as it was for you.

UPTON

How? She was my wife.

BERTRAM

Yes, she was. At one point, though, she was my wife.

(UPTON presses the barrel of the gun against BERTRAM’s forehead again.)

UPTON

Shut up! She’d never do that to me.

BERTRAM

(laughing.) Mr. Upton! You’re thinking too small! You’re a scientist! Think like one!

(UPTON stares at BERTRAM for several moments. As the truth begins to dawn on him, his facial expression shifts from confused rage to clarity. He smiles.)

UPTON

I understand now, Mr. Bertram. I understand everything. And I can undid what you’ve done.

(UPTON pulls the trigger, shooting BERTRAM in the head, killing him. He stands and walks around the room, restoring its furniture. He presses a button against a wall and a panel is revealed, covered in gears and lights.He inspects this for a moment. He then retrieves Mr. Herring’s journal, sits down across from BERTRAM, and begins to read.

 

NICK PUGLIESE

Reviews

[bbb]

Fun and exciting to read. I would probably prefer it in the form of a novel or short story, but that's just my style. You could even do a part 2 on this one if you wanted. I enjoyed it very much!

[ShaneBerry]

kick a*s! i liked this alot and the begining would encase the audiance immediately, nothing catches someone attention more than a gun...let alone two!