Excerpt: The Motive (Draft)

SCENE #

Open scene in Naomi’s cell.
Naomi sits crossed legged in the middle of the examination table wearing a straight jacket.

Kathy walks through the doors.

Naomi

Hello, Miss Amel.

Kathy

Good morning.

Naomi

Come to check up on me?

Kathy

After your suicide attempt? Yes

Naomi

It wasn’t suicide.

Kathy

Yes because I caught you in time.

Naomi

It wouldn’t have done anything.

Naomi fidgets in the straight jacket.

Kathy

Taking a bite out of your own wrist would have made you bleed to death.

Naomi

Well, it’s not like I had a razor.

Kathy

This isn’t funny.

Naomi

I know it’s not. I’m not making a joke out of it.

Kathy

Yes, you are.

Naomi

I’m not. Because I didn’t have a razor, I took a bite out of my wrist in another futile attempt to try to kill myself.

Kathy

See that’s how I know that you are making this a joke. “Futile”? You were going to make yourself bleed to death.

Naomi

No, I wouldn’t have. My body heals too quickly for that.

Kathy

How do you know?

Naomi

Cause I tried it before. The wound healed before I lost even a pint of blood. I tried deeper, wider cuts and arteries, veins. The worst effect was passing out for nine hours. I had to cut the artery to my head and vein to my heart, even sliced the aorta. Still, I woke up, covered in about six pints of my own blood and a minor headache.

Naomi wiggles her arms in the straight jacket.

Kathy

So you can’t die?

Naomi

I know it’s a shame. Found out when I got shot in the head by one of Patterson’s men. My body pushed the bullet out right there and healed itself. Should have seen the look on that man’s face, before I put one of my own bullets in him.

Kathy

So the first day, when you told me to shoot you, you knew that it would do nothing?

Naomi

Yep.

Kathy

So why tell me?

Naomi

Oh no, just because I can’t die doesn’t mean I stopped trying. Besides I can be killed. You don’t think that Patterson would risk creating a super human without first finding a way to stop it, do you?

Kathy

And what is this way?

Naomi

It’s a special kind of poison. Needs to be injected directly into the heart for immediate effect.

Kathy

Does it exist?

Naomi

Yes. I was supposed to get it in the meeting with Patterson. But I killed him prematurely. He never told me where it was and it wasn’t on his person.

Kathy

Where could it be?

Naomi

I could give you a list of places, but I’m sure that Patterson’s goons already cleared them out.

Kathy

They want you on death row.

Naomi

I will be.

Kathy

What will happen to you?

Naomi

I’d imagine that it’ll be the same way with the bullet. My body will push the poison out before healing what damage was made. It’ll probably be messy,  what with all of the poison oozing out of my body.

Kathy

It’ll have to be brought up in court.

Naomi

Won’t do much. They’ll try every way, multiple times until they realize that they are left with a life sentence. 

Kathy

Does old age affect you?

Naomi

Just like everyone else. Plus a few years.

Kathy

How many?

Naomi

Hard to say, since I’m the only one. Maybe another twenty years.

Kathy

Court won’t be happy.

Naomi slips the straight jacket over her head, removing it.

Naomi

No one will. I’m too dangerous to be kept alive. 

Kathy and Naomi

Silent.

Kathy

What’s going to happen?

Naomi

I don’t know.

Kathy

You have a plan.

Naomi folds the jackets and places it next to her.

Naomi

More of an end goal.

Kathy

How does it all end?

Naomi

With my ashes in the ground.

Kathy

Why?

Naomi

My promise. I won’t break it. It seems that every moment that I am alive is a moment that I’m breaking my promise.

Kathy

What if you talked to him?

Naomi

What for? There is nothing to be said.

Kathy

It might help. You don’t have to die.

Naomi

That is where you are wrong. Every moment that I’m alive is another moment that they can use him against me. 

Kathy

Who are they?

Naomi

Just because Patterson is dead doesn’t mean that his supporters are too.

Kathy

You make it sound like a terrorist group.

Naomi

They are. New York has their very own domestic terrorist group and it's growing.

Kathy

Do they want everyone to be like you?

Naomi stretches her legs in front of her.

Naomi

Your men should stop looking in the wrong place for the enemy. I couldn’t care less about the state of the world. They’re missing the big picture. 

Kathy

Thus is the human race.

Naomi

Careful Miss Amel, you’re starting to sound like me.

Kathy

Minus the self-destructive tendencies.

Naomi

Amongst other things.

Kathy

Is there anyone who knows everything about you.

Naomi

No. That makes myself vulnerable and puts them at risk.

Kathy

How would knowing about you put them in danger?

Naomi

If they were to be found, well, torture is an excellent way of getting information out of someone. Well if they react to the means of torture being used.

Kathy

So no one?

Naomi

You are the one who knows the most about me.

Kathy

I feel so honored.

Naomi

Well, don’t get too excited on me. If the officers see you smiling on your way out it’ll ruin my reputation.

Kathy

And we can’t have that, can we?

Naomi and Kathy

Silent

Kathy

Well, better add this to my notes. 

Naomi

You’re writing it all down?

Kathy

Is there a problem with that?

Naomi

Guard it well Miss Amel and if it gets out, so will I. At the end of all of this, burn it all. Don’t write his name or mine anywhere, and nothing online.

Kathy

Okay.

Naomi and Kathy

Silent 

Kathy

Well, see you later.

Naomi

So long, Miss Amel.

Kathy walks out. 
Close scene.