Scaena Sexta.
Before AETHELRED's castle gate. Hautboys and torches. Enter KING DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, ROSSE, ANGUS, and Attendants, with LADY AETHELRED.
KING DUNCAN
This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air
Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself
Unto our gentle senses.
DONALBAIN
This guest of summer,
The temple-haunting martlet, does approve,
By his loved mansionry, that the heaven's breath
Smells wooingly here: no jutty, frieze,
Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird
Hath made his pendent bed and procreant cradle:
Where they most breed and haunt, I have observed,
The air is delicate.
KING DUNCAN
Enter LADY AETHELRED.
See, see, our honour’d hostess!
The love that follows us sometime is our trouble,
Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you
How you shall bid God 'ield us for your pains,
And thank us for your trouble.
LADY AETHELRED
All our service
In every point twice done and then done double,
Were poor and single business to contend
Against those honours deep and broad wherewith
Your majesty loads our house: for those of old,
And the late dignities heap'd up to them,
We rest your hermits.
KING DUNCAN
Where's the Thane of Cawdor?
We cours’d him at the heels, and had a purpose
To be his purveyor: but he rides well;
And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him
To his home before us. Fair and noble hostess,
We are your guest to-night.
LADY AETHELRED
Your servants ever
Have theirs, themselves and what is theirs, in compt,
To make their audit at your highness' pleasure,
Still to return your own.
KING DUNCAN
Give me your hand;
Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly,
And shall continue our graces towards him.
By your leave, hostess.
Exeunt.
Exeunt.
Scaena Septima.
Aethelred's castle. A room of state. Hautboys and torches. Enter a Sewer, and diverse Servants with dishes and service, and pass over the stage. Then enter AETHELRED.
AETHELRED
If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly: if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice
Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;
And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.
Enter LADY AETHELRED.
How now! what news?
LADY AETHELRED
He has almost supp'd: why have you left the chamber?
AETHELRED
Hath he ask'd for me?
LADY AETHELRED
Know you not he has?
AETHELRED
We will proceed no further in this business:
He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.
LADY AETHELRED
Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since?
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valour
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,’
Like the poor cat i' the adage?
AETHELRED
Prithee, peace:
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none.
LADY AETHELRED
What beast was't, then,
That made you break this enterprise to me?
When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And, to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man. Nor time nor place
Did then adhere, and yet you would make both:
They have made themselves, and that their fitness now
Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.
AETHELRED
If we should fail?
LADY AETHELRED
We fail!
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep—
Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey
Soundly invite him—his two chamberlains
Will I with wine and wassail so convince
That memory, the warder of the brain,
Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason
A limbeck only: when in swinish sleep
Their drenched natures lie as in a death,
What cannot you and I perform upon
The unguarded Duncan? what not put upon
His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt
Of our great quell?
AETHELRED
Bring forth men-children only;
For thy undaunted mettle should compose
Nothing but males. Will it not be received,
When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two
Of his own chamber and used their very daggers,
That they have done't?
LADY AETHELRED
Who dares receive it other,
As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar
Upon the direful springing of the murder?
AETHELRED
I am settled, and bend up
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.
Away, and mock the time with fairest show:
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
Exeunt.
The Chronos Key
Genre: Contemporary Thriller/Drama
Premise: A disgraced historian uncovers a long-lost manuscript that hints at a device capable of subtly manipulating time. The pursuit of this "Chronos Key" forces her into a high-stakes ethical battle against a tech billionaire who wants to use it to reshape the future for profit.
Themes: The ethics of power, the unchangeable nature of history, corporate greed, and the value of truth.
Act I, Scene 1
SETTING:
DR. ELARA VANCE's cluttered apartment in Boston. It is late at night. Books and papers are stacked high on every surface, including a makeshift light table illuminating an ancient, leather-bound book. A laptop sits open, flickering with research data. The room is dimly lit by a single desk lamp.
CHARACTERS:
DR. ELARA VANCE (30s): Intense, brilliant, and weary. A former professor at Harvard, currently marginalized for a controversial theory.
BEN CARTER (30s): Elara’s friend and a pragmatic software engineer. Stressed and skeptical.
(The scene opens with Elara hunched over the light table, a magnifying glass in hand, muttering to herself. Ben stands by the door, holding a coffee cup, looking exhausted.)
BEN
Elara, it’s 2 AM. You said you’d have dinner with me four hours ago.
ELARA
(Without looking up)
Four hours, three minutes, eighteen seconds. Time is relative, Ben. It's almost done.
BEN
Almost done with what? A caffeine overdose? You haven't slept in two days.
(He walks over and leans over the table, squinting at the ancient script.)
BEN
What is this, Latin? This looks like... wait, is that a diagram? It looks like a gear mechanism from the Antikythera device.
ELARA
It’s not just a mechanism, Ben. It's a schematic. The 'Codex Tempus'. It survived the Alexandria fire. It’s real.
BEN
The 'Codex Tempus'. The thing that got you fired? The theoretical time manipulation device? Come on, Elara.
ELARA
(She finally looks up, her eyes wide with frantic energy.)
They didn’t fire me because the theory was wrong. They fired me because they wanted the research. VALERIUS CORP. bought out my entire university department’s archive a week before I was let go. They knew what I was looking for.
BEN
Valerius Corp buys everything. It’s what billionaires do. They buy history, art, even science departments.
ELARA
This isn’t history. This is a blueprint for something impossible. A device that can cause localized temporal distortions. A Chronos Key. I think they're building it.
BEN
(He sighs, running a hand through his hair.)
You're spiraling, Elara. There's no such thing as time travel. It’s physically, scientifically impossible.
ELARA
Not time travel. Manipulation. Shifting the probability of local events. Imagine a ripple in a pond. It changes the direction of a single drop of water. This device is the drop of water.
BEN
(Skeptical)
And this dusty old book proves it?
ELARA
(She points to a passage in the book.)
"By the alignment of the gears and the harnessing of the ether, the moment may be bent, though never broken."
BEN
Poetic. Still impossible.
ELARA
(She grabs her laptop and turns the screen towards him.)
Then explain this. A sudden, unexplained power surge in Zurich. Coordinated to the millisecond with a catastrophic market crash in Tokyo that lasted only four seconds, but cost trillions. It changed the outcome of two major mergers.
BEN
That's... a coincidence. A hacking event, maybe.
ELARA
It happened. And the only people who benefited were Valerius Corp. They have the money, they have the motive, and now, they have my research. They are running experiments.
BEN
(A hint of genuine fear now in his voice)
If they’re doing what you think they are, you need to stop looking at this book and start running.
ELARA
No. The key to stopping them is right here. The original codex is in hand. They only have notes. The countermeasure is known.
(A loud, sharp knock on the front door makes both of them jump.)
VOICE (O.S.)
Dr. Vance? Security detail. Open up.
(Elara and Ben look at each other, horrified.)
(BLACKOUT)
Act I, Scene 2
SETTING:
DR. ELARA VANCE's apartment, immediately following Scene 1. The lights are off, save for the blue glow of the laptop.
CHARACTERS:
DR. ELARA VANCE
BEN CARTER
AGENT 1 & AGENT 2: Valerius Corp Security, professional and ruthless.
(The scene opens in near darkness. Elara and Ben are frozen, staring at the front door. The loud, sharp knocking continues, more insistent this time.)
AGENT 1 (O.S.)
Dr. Vance, we know you’re in there. Open the door now, or we will breach.
BEN
(Whispering frantically)
Okay, okay, this isn't the university security. They’re serious.
ELARA
(Her mind racing)
They must have been tracking online activity. A burner VPN should have been used.
BEN
(Looking around the small apartment)
Is there a back exit? A fire escape?
ELARA
Only the front door and a window that opens onto the street. Second floor.
(Ben moves quickly to the window and looks down.)
AGENT 2 (O.S.)
Last warning, Dr. Vance. We have a legal warrant for your research materials, specifically the "Codex Tempus".
ELARA
(Grabbing the codex from the light table, clutching it to her chest)
A warrant signed by Valerius, it is assumed.
(A loud CRASH as the door is forced open. The agents enter, silhouetted by the light from the hallway. They move quickly to turn on the main lights, flooding the room.)
AGENT 1
(Coolly, spotting Elara and Ben)
Dr. Vance. Mr. Carter. A pleasure. We’ve been trying to reach you.
BEN
(Stepping slightly in front of Elara)
Who the hell are you? You have no right to break in here.
AGENT 2
(Approaching Ben, a hand on his sidearm)
We have every right. Your friend here is in possession of highly sensitive, proprietary corporate property. Hand over the book, Dr. Vance.
ELARA
(Her voice is steady, despite her shaking hands.)
This book is a historical artifact, over a thousand years old. It belongs in a museum, not in some billionaire’s research lab.
AGENT 1
(He takes a step forward, his voice a smooth threat.)
Our employer, Mr. Valerius, believes history can be improved upon. A cleaner future. Less tragedy, more efficiency. But first, we need all the data.
(Agent 1 reaches for the codex. Elara pulls it back instinctively.)
ELARA
You’re not getting it.
(Ben suddenly grabs an ancient, heavy bronze astrolabe from a shelf and swings it at Agent 2, hitting him hard in the shoulder. The agent grunts in pain but doesn't go down.)
BEN
Run!
(Ben tackles Agent 2. Elara sprints for the front door, slipping past Agent 1, who lunges for her but misses. She runs into the hallway.)
AGENT 1
(Shouting into a communicator)
Subject is mobile! Heading for the stairs! Secure the perimeter!
(Agent 1 quickly subdues Ben with a swift blow to the stomach and then chases after Elara. Ben collapses, gasping for air.)
(BLACKOUT)
Act I, Scene 1
SETTING:
DR. ELARA VANCE's cluttered apartment in Boston. It is late at night. Books and papers are stacked high on every surface, including a makeshift light table illuminating an ancient, leather-bound book. A laptop sits open, flickering with research data. The room is dimly lit by a single desk lamp.
CHARACTERS:
DR. ELARA VANCE (30s): Intense, brilliant, and weary. A former professor at Harvard, currently marginalized for a controversial theory.
BEN CARTER (30s): Elara’s friend and a pragmatic software engineer. Stressed and skeptical.
(The scene opens with Elara hunched over the light table, a magnifying glass in hand, muttering to herself. Ben stands by the door, holding a coffee cup, looking exhausted.)
BEN
Elara, it’s 2 AM. You said you’d have dinner with me four hours ago.
ELARA
(Without looking up)
Four hours, three minutes, eighteen seconds. Time is relative, Ben. It's almost done.
BEN
Almost done with what? A caffeine overdose? You haven't slept in two days.
(He walks over and leans over the table, squinting at the ancient script.)
BEN
What is this, Latin? This looks like... wait, is that a diagram? It looks like a gear mechanism from the Antikythera device.
ELARA
It’s not just a mechanism, Ben. It's a schematic. The 'Codex Tempus'. It survived the Alexandria fire. It’s real.
BEN
The 'Codex Tempus'. The thing that got you fired? The theoretical time manipulation device? Come on, Elara.
ELARA
(She finally looks up, her eyes wide with frantic energy.)
They didn’t fire me because the theory was wrong. They fired me because they wanted the research. VALERIUS CORP. bought out my entire university department’s archive a week before I was let go. They knew what I was looking for.
BEN
Valerius Corp buys everything. It’s what billionaires do. They buy history, art, even science departments.
ELARA
This isn’t history. This is a blueprint for something impossible. A device that can cause localized temporal distortions. A Chronos Key. I think they're building it.
BEN
(He sighs, running a hand through his hair.)
You're spiraling, Elara. There's no such thing as time travel. It’s physically, scientifically impossible.
ELARA
Not time travel. Manipulation. Shifting the probability of local events. Imagine a ripple in a pond. It changes the direction of a single drop of water. This device is the drop of water.
BEN
(Skeptical)
And this dusty old book proves it?
ELARA
(She points to a passage in the book.)
"By the alignment of the gears and the harnessing of the ether, the moment may be bent, though never broken."
BEN
Poetic. Still impossible.
ELARA
(She grabs her laptop and turns the screen towards him.)
Then explain this. A sudden, unexplained power surge in Zurich. Coordinated to the millisecond with a catastrophic market crash in Tokyo that lasted only four seconds, but cost trillions. It changed the outcome of two major mergers.
BEN
That's... a coincidence. A hacking event, maybe.
ELARA
It happened. And the only people who benefited were Valerius Corp. They have the money, they have the motive, and now, they have my research. They are running experiments.
BEN
(A hint of genuine fear now in his voice)
If they’re doing what you think they are, you need to stop looking at this book and start running.
ELARA
No. The key to stopping them is right here. The original codex is in hand. They only have notes. The countermeasure is known.
(A loud, sharp knock on the front door makes both of them jump.)
VOICE (O.S.)
Dr. Vance? Security detail. Open up.
(Elara and Ben look at each other, horrified.)
(BLACKOUT)
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