CATARACT Issue 5

Previous | Next

CATARACT Issue 5: Scene 1

	[Egyptology Office. TAFFY is already present, doing her hair. JOE enters, looking tired.]
TAFFY:	[Perking up a bit.] Good morning!
JOE:	Not a bad morning, anyway. [Takes a package out of her backpack.] I got the copies on my way in. [Checks around while AM-BAIU appears from under the desk to investigate the backpack, which JOE has put on the floor.] Are we out of campus envelopes again?
TAFFY:	I’m sorry . . .
JOE:	[Sits.] Never mind. I’ll snag some from Prof. Fustering’s office during lecture.
TAFFY:	But then you’ll miss it.
JOE:	[Stretching.] Just as well. He’s doing Alexander today, and the last thing I want to hear about right now is the triumph of Greek culture!
	[TAFFY giggles.]
JOE:	Anyway, Pun’s in charge of this part of history, I’m sure he can tell me anything I need to cover in section.
	[The girls get up and prepare to leave. AM-BAIU trots over to them.]
JOE:	No, you stay here.
	[AM-BAIU turns to TAFFY.]
TAFFY:	[Squats down and pets it.] You wouldn’t have fun at lecture, anyway. [Shoos AM-BAIU back into the office.] You can stay and guard the office!
	[AM-BAIU looks sulky but backs up. The girls quickly duck out.]

Grad Student God Wars CATARACT

Issue 5

In which powers are brought under control and situations are not.

CATARACT Issue 5: Scene 2

	[Egyptology Office.]
	[The TRIAD enter and go to their respective places. JOE finds AM-BAIU asleep on her chair.]
JOE:	So much for guarding the office.
	[Pushing the chair out of the way, JOE drops the envelopes she is carrying onto the desk. She then notices the copy package is missing.]
JOE:	Well, I’ll be . . . . [Checking around the desk to make sure.] They did it again!
TAFFY:	[Coming over and picking up AM-BAIU.] What?
JOE:	The Greeks stole all the copies of the petition. [Half-sits on the desk.]
PUN:	Hermes is the god of thieves.
JOE:	Hmph. Their god may be sneakier than ours, but they’ve gotten pretty predictable.
TAFFY:	You knew they’d steal them?
JOE:	Let’s just say I’ve got a plan.
PUN:	The last plan didn’t quite work out . . . as planned.
JOE:	All right, so we need to work on the magic bit. Research is your department.
PUN:	Well, I do have some thoughts about it . . .
JOE:	[Grinning.] Well, then, let’s get to it!

CATARACT Issue 5: Scene 3

	Notes
	[The Quad. It is afternoon.]
	[Pan from a shot of the grad library to show the general location. In the background, an offering has now been laid by the herm. JOE is sitting toward the middle of the Quad, leafing absently through some papers. TAFFY appears and rushes up.]
JOE:	[Checking her watch.] No need to hurry.
TAFFY:	[Half-collapses next to JOE, then holds up a beaded necklace.] Will this do?
JOE:	Just fine. Did anyone follow you?
TAFFY:	[Looks around, startled.] I don’t think so . . . [Sees PUN coming and waves.] Pun!
	[PUN approaches more slowly, carefully carrying a large sports bottle. JOE and TAFFY get up.]
JOE:	Then we’re ready. Might as well start.
PUN:	[Hands JOE the bottle.] From above the Arbors, as requested. What do you have?
JOE:	[Grins.] Seven pages from the Book of the Dead.
TAFFY:	Really? [Peeks at the pages.] Oh, there’s Ambie!
PUN:	Are you actually going to try to cast a spell?
JOE:	[In a stage-whisper, winking at PUN.] Satis was identified with Isis, you know.
	[PUN frowns, but doesn’t argue.]
JOE:	[Checks her watch again.] OK, let’s go.
	[Putting their respective parts down in the middle, they back up a pace or two.]
JOE:
PUN:
TAFFY:
	[The TRIAD transform. Other students notice as they pass by and begin to gather. JOE-Satis looks around, but failing to find what she’s looking for, moves to the center, picks up her papers, then resumes her place. PUN-Khnum and TAFFY-Anukis follow suit. There is a brief pause.]
TAFFY:	Hey!
	[Everyone looks at TAFFY-Anukis, who is in an inexplicable tug-of-war over the necklace. JOE-Satis grabs the water bottle from PUN-Khnum and squirts it at the invisible opponent as TAFFY-Anukis loses her grip. The water bounces; there is a gasp.]
JOE:	Ha!
	[While JOE-Satis is thus occupied, her papers are also snatched.]
JOE B.:
	[The SEVEN, sans PANDORA, appear around the TRIAD and move into defensive postures. ROMAN-Parthenopaeus is wet and has TAFFY’s necklace. WALLY-Capaneus is holding JOE’s papers. JOE-Satis looks around the circle then turns to PUN-Khnum.]
JOE:	They’re down to five now . . . . Who’s missing?
PUN:	The little one.
JOE:	[Considering.] Hm . . . .
JOE B.:	[Annoyed.] We’re quite capable of handling you. Wallace!
WALLY:	[Hesitantly, holding the papers far away from himself.]
	[The papers burst into flame. The student audience starts to back away. TAFFY-Anukis ducks behind JOE-Satis, who frowns but doesn’t move.]
JOE:	Fire, is it? [To the audience.] OK, everybody, get back. [When they do not promptly respond.] Back, back!
	[JOE B.-Eteoclus watches narrowly. Once the audience is at a satisfactory distance, JOE-Satis lines up the TRIAD as they were at the rally.]
JOE B.:	[Obviously recognizing the move.] But that—
JOE:	Everybody!
TRIAD:
	[As expected, fountains shoot up between the TRIAD members. This time, however, JOE-Satis directs the water, which obediently floods in JOE B.-Eteoclus’s direction, pushing him across the Quad.]
SEVEN:	Joe!
	[JOE-Satis nods at TAFFY-Anukis, who stops the water, leaving JOE B.-Eteoclus lying some distance away. QUINCEY-Hippomedon goes to JOE B.-Eteoclus’s assistance while DORCAS-Amphiaraus, ROMAN-Parthenopaeus, and WALLY-Capaneus move to stand between them and the TRIAD.]
DORCAS:	All right, guys, we should—
JOE:	Hold on a minute!
	[Startled, everybody pauses. The clock tower is chiming; JOE B.-Eteoclus and QUINCEY-Hippomedon join the rest of their team, but all wait until the clock finishes ringing four o’clock.]
JOE:	Yes!
TAFFY:	What is it?
JOE:	[Triumphantly.] It’s the end of Prof. Fustering’s meeting with the Dean. [To the five members of the SEVEN.] Which means our petition is safely in the Dean’s Office. All you got were the copies!
PUN:	[Finally understanding.] And this was all a diversion.
	[JOE-Satis grins. TAFFY-Anukis hugs her. The five members of the SEVEN react with various degress of annoyance.]

CATARACT Issue 5: Scene 4

	[Hallway outside of Egyptology Office. The TRIAD are all coming down toward the office.]
TAFFY:	So things worked out pretty well, didn’t they?
PUN:	We did get a good number of signatures. Even a few more during today’s lecture.
JOE:	As long as it was worth the trouble . . . !
TAFFY:	The University wouldn’t ignore that many students, would they?
	[They open the door to the office. AM-BAIU is happily chasing a piece of campus mail around the floor, but stops to leap at TAFFY.]
TAFFY:	Ambie! What are you up to?
JOE:	[Picking up AM-BAIU’s toy.] Chewing on the mail, apparently. [Looks at it.] It’s from the Dean’s Office!
TAFFY:	Oh!
	[PUN and TAFFY crowd close as JOE opens the envelope and they all start reading it at varying paces. PUN finishes first and looks worriedly at JOE. JOE looks like she’s about to have a stroke. TAFFY finally gets to the bottom and also turns to JOE.]
TAFFY:	[When there is no immediate reaction.] Joe . . . ?
	[JOE suddenly turns and storms out of the room. PUN and TAFFY stare after her a moment and then follow.]