Beyond the Mirror, Volume 4: Dramatic Worlds: Beyond the Mirror, #4

By Blaze Ward

Fixer. Fast-talker. Philosopher. Cisco protects the little people, the ones that the mob and the FBI would just roll over in their eternal war.
 
From capers to courtship, join this modern-day paladin in his adventures, hard-boiled and hard edged, silly and sublime.

Four stage plays starring Cisco and FBI Special Agent Jefferson against mooks, thugs, and Feds.

If you've enjoyed Blaze Ward's other fascinating characters, you'll love reading these plays!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Knotted Road Press
• Release date: Feb 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781943663354

Blaze Ward

Blaze Ward writes science fiction in the Alexandria Station universe (Jessica Keller, The Science Officer,  The Story Road, etc.) as well as several other science fiction universes, such as Star Dragon, the Dominion, and more. He also writes odd bits of high fantasy with swords and orcs. In addition, he is the Editor and Publisher of Boundary Shock Quarterly Magazine. You can find out more at his website www.blazeward.com, as well as Facebook, Goodreads, and other places. Blaze's works are available as ebooks, paper, and audio, and can be found at a variety of online vendors. His newsletter comes out regularly, and you can also follow his blog on his website. He really enjoys interacting with fans, and looks forward to any and all questions—even ones about his books!

Book preview

Beyond the Mirror, Volume 4

Beyond the Mirror, Volume 4

Dramatic Worlds

Blaze Ward

Knotted Road Press

Contents

Copyright

Strangers

Characters

Setting

Scene 1

Appendix: Reference Characters

Sins of the Father

Characters

Setting

Scene 1

Appendix: Reference Characters

Witness for the Prosecution

Characters

Setting

Act 1, Scene 1

Act 2, Scene 1

Act 2, Scene 2

Act 2, Scene 3

Appendix: Reference Characters

Leap of Faith

Characters

Setting

Scene 1

Appendix: Reference Characters

About the Author

Also by Blaze Ward

Performance Information

Copyright

Beyond the Mirror: Volume 4

Dramatic Worlds

Copyright © 2017 Blaze Ward

All rights reserved.

Published 2017 by Knotted Road Press

www.KnottedRoadPress.com

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Strangers

A PLAY IN ONE ACT

Characters

Kathryn Elspeth (Kate)

24. Graduate student. Youngest daughter of a rich and extremely powerful local ex-politician. Clueless but well-meaning. Young woman who is the youngest child of a very wealthy and powerful local politician. Volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. Member of the Junior League. BA/MBA from Stanford. Student at Harvard Law. Will be a very powerful lawyer when she grows up, but will probably decide to turn into a trophy wife instead.

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Frank Slate (Cisco)

28. Kate’s long-past ex-boyfriend who has a shadowy present. Hard but not bitter. Local tough-guy with connections on both sides of the law. Actual employment shadowy at best. Employed by people who want things done with a minimum of noise and fuss. Intelligent, well-read. Bogart fan. Emotionally distant when working, warm and friendly with family, snarky (smart mouth) with the authorities.

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Gavin McCormack

30-something. Local businessman with underworld connections. Dapper. The son of an important underworld family, slowly working his way to the top with brains, planning, and ruthlessness. Doesn’t own a gun, but does own gunmen. Dresses in tailored and extremely expensive suits. Intelligent but not literary. Maintains a very genteel and sophisticated exterior, as compared to the normal dumb thugs in the industry. He will go far, if he doesn’t get killed in one of the ongoing wars.

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FBI Special Agent Jefferson

30. Federal Agent who shares a past with Cisco. Rumpled. Good cop who has investigated everyone else at one time or another. Tries to make friends by being a nice guy, but can still be a velvet glove over a steel fist. An old movie buff, he has more in common with Cisco (class-wise) than any other character does. Both could have been friends if things had worked out different. Jefferson still has hope of making that connection.

Setting

Modern, one-bedroom apartment. Flat in multi-story building. Boston, MA.

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Time

Late night.

Scene 1

AT RISE: Kate’s apartment. Night. Shades open at window. Kate alone on stage in living room area, seated on sofa.

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KATE

(Kate’s cell phone rings. She jumps, lets out a yelp, answers phone.)

Hello? … Please stop calling me. This isn’t funny anymore.

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KATE

(Hangs up. After a brief pause, turns phone off. Moves to kitchen and looks out window. Gets a glass of water. Paces the room looking for something/anything to distract her.)

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CISCO

(KNOCKS at front door.)

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KATE

(Gives out another yelp. Moves to front door. Looks through peephole. Sees CISCO. Opens Door. Pulls CISCO bodily into the room. Slams door. Throws her arms around him, buries her face in his chest.)

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KATE

Thank God you’re here, Frank. It’s been absolutely terrifying, and I didn’t know who to call.

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CISCO

(Attempting to disengage himself.)

That’s what my sister said. What’s going on, Katie?

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KATE

He keeps calling and calling, saying that they’re watching me. He knew what I was wearing, what I had for dinner, even the movie I was watching on the TV.

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CISCO

Who?

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KATE

I don’t know. He just said that they were watching me.

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CISCO

Call the cops.

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KATE

He said that there was nothing the police could do to help. And if I called the cops, they would just disappear and then come back and hurt me the next time.

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CISCO

Call your father. He may not be in office anymore, but you would be safe there.

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KATE

I don’t even feel safe walking alone. Not when someone’s out there watching me.

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CISCO

Katie, who would be after you? Why you?

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KATE

It’s not me they want. They want Paddy.

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CISCO

Paddy?

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KATE

Paddy. He’s my boyfriend. Well, sort of.

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CISCO

So why not call him at one in the morning?

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KATE

I tried! When I saw him on the news tonight, I called, but it just keeps going straight to voicemail. And then I…

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CISCO

Why was he on the news? Who IS your boyfriend?

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KATE

Paddy? Uhm, he’s an investment banker downtown. Padraic O’Brien. They said on TV that the FBI was looking for him, along with a whole bunch of other people.

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CISCO

Let me get this straight, Katie. Your boyfriend is Paddy O’Brien? The Paddy O’Brien? The mobster? How in the world do you know him?

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KATE

He’s not a mobster, he’s a banker. I met him at Father’s New Year’s Eve gala.

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CISCO

Banker? Be just as well to call me a bartender because I happened to be down at Pete’s pub when my sister called.

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KATE

I’m sure it’s all just a terrible misunderstanding that will…

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CISCO

Assume, for a moment, that I missed the news this evening. Explain it to me in simple terms.

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KATE

What? Oh. Let’s see. The eleven o’clock news came on. They talked about the fire on the wharf. Then there was a big story on a new organized crime sweep. They showed pictures of a bunch of scary-looking men and asked for the public’s help finding him. That sort of thing.

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CISCO

And Paddy was on that list.

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KATE

Yeah. How did you know?

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CISCO

Ruckus all over the street tonight. Massive reorganizations taking place as the lights come on and the roaches scurry for cover. Old grudges being settled as well.

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KATE

What about Paddy?

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CISCO

Him, too.

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KATE

But he’s not here.

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CISCO

Someone expects him to be. Listen to me, Katie. The man who called. Did he say who he was?

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KATE

No. Just that they were watching me, and waiting to give Paddy a surprise when he got here. And he kept calling. (Holds out phone.) It got so bad I had to turn my phone off.

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CISCO

(Takes phone from KATE, turns it on while talking.)

Really? Well, then. Let’s talk to him.

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CISCO

(Walks to window while holding phone up and looks out into the night. Phone rings. Cisco checks phone, answers.)

Greetings, asshole. … This is Cisco. … Good. Yes, as a matter of fact, I have heard of you. … No you listen. The lady is under my protection now. You tell your boss that if anyone bothers her again, I will make it personal. … No, I do not care what you think, you stupid mick. Just pass the message along.

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CISCO

(Hangs