The Fly

 

ACT I — PAGES

EXT. CAIRO PORT – NIGHT

Fog thick as wool swallows the harbour. FLOODLIGHTS rake the water, glancing off a tanker’s black hull.

On the quay, ABDUL and his crew move like ghosts with swagger — fake papers, forced smiles, real pistols under jackets. Debt collection, not for banks.

A WOODEN CRATE sits lashed to a HUMVEE roof rack. Plain. Corners scuffed. Steel straps biting into the grain.

One detail: a CURLING GLYPH carved deep into the wood—a symbol of ancient retribution, scarred like an old wound.

A FLY lands on it.

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – NIGHT

Cold blue light. A bunker of monitors and tired people.

ON SCREEN: compound-eye POV of the crate’s surface. A micro-drone “fly” purrs as it digs in, but its feed glitches faintly—battery at 78%, wind shear warning.

LEAD OPERATOR

Visual confirm — asset’s attached. Battery's dipping; we might lose it in high winds.

JULES (OPERATOR #2)

(half-smile, masking worry)

Then let's hope our little spy doesn't get airsick before showtime.

RF TECH

Priorities: plot the route now. Name it if it survives.

The HUMVEE pulls away, swallowed by Cairo’s midnight.

INT. PRINCE KHALID’S PALACE – GULF – NIGHT

Silk, marble, shadow. PRINCE KHALID BIN HAZAR (40s) watches FOUR NEWS FEEDS at once. He traces the GLYPH in condensation on a glass— the same mark that scarred his brother's casket after a U.S. drone strike years ago, a "collateral" error in a forgotten war.

PRINCE

(soft, certain)

One act. One lesson. For what they took.

An AIDE nods from the shadows, handing him a file: redacted CIA reports linking the glyph to his family's vendetta.

INT. OVAL OFFICE – MORNING

The PRESIDENT (60s) stands over a yellow legal pad. The CHIEF OF STAFF waits, glancing at protest alerts on his phone—demonstrations already brewing outside the White House.

PRESIDENT

We open with hope. Always hope.

CHIEF OF STAFF

Hope, then teeth. But the polls are fracturing—unions love the factories, but civil liberties groups are calling for impeachment before you even speak.

PRESIDENT

Troops home. Factories back. Fifty-dollar electric cars. Legal cannabis — districts only.

Beat.

PRESIDENT (CONT’D)

Then we tell them we’re suspending Congress. Live trials. Six months. Clean slate. If they riot, we contain it. No martyrs.

CHIEF OF STAFF

They’ll call it a coup. And the military? Half might stand down; the other half...

PRESIDENT

We bet on the half that remembers why they enlisted.

INT. SUBWAY CAR – MORNING

The PRESIDENT’S DAUGHTER (22), book in lap, watches congressionals argue on phones amid commuters muttering about "dictator talk." She texts: “I got a gallery pass.” A bubble appears: Dad: Proud of you. Stay near exits—and watch the crowds.

She rolls her eyes, but her smile fades as she overhears a heated debate nearby: "He's saving us" vs. "He's ending us."

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – NIGHT

Maps crawl with data. The WIRE TRANSFER screen shows anonymized hops — then a flagged alias: KH. HAZAR HOLDINGS.

LEAD OPERATOR

Payment lives. Prince’s shell. Ties back to that drone op in '18—his brother's death.

JULES

Guilt with a grudge. Explains the glyph.

RF TECH

Focus. Wind's picking up—feed's unstable.

ON SCREEN: The fly rides a gust — the image skews, static bursts, battery drops to 62%.

JULES

(tense, no quip)

Stabilize... please.

The image holds, barely.

EXT. BORDER CHECKPOINT – NIGHT

The HUMVEE slows. Guards circle. Abdul keeps his smile fixed.

A GUARD runs a wand along the crate. It crackles — then quiets. He shrugs, waves them through.

The fly shudders but clings.

INT. SENATE CHAMBER – DAY

A hum of anticipation. Cameras on rails. PACKED GALLERIES, with protesters visible outside windows. The DAUGHTER finds her seat, scans for her father, noting extra security.

INT. OVAL OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

The President straightens his tie. A mirror reveals a farmer’s shoulders in a city suit.

CHIEF OF STAFF

Last chance to dial it back. Protests are swelling—Chicago's on edge.

PRESIDENT

I didn't blink plowing forty acres in a dust storm. Won't start now.

MONTAGE — THE ANNOUNCEMENT

— The President at the podium: plain words, big promises.

— Defense analysts side-eying TVs in windowless rooms, murmuring about loyalty oaths.

— A factory floor lighting up; workers cheer, but cut to riots in D.C., tear gas blooming.

— Commentators frothing; markets jitter; online backlash trends: #AmericanCoup.

— Prince watching, unreadable, fingering a photo of his brother.

PRESIDENT (V.O.)

…not a coup. An intermission. Six months. Then you decide who speaks for you. But know this: sabotage from abroad or within ends today.

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – NIGHT

LEAD OPERATOR

We hold position. No interdiction until the lid comes off. But if the fly fails...

JULES

Then we pivot to backups. Sat imagery's fuzzy in those mountains.

LEAD OPERATOR

Pray we don't need to.

Jules nods, her smirk gone—real fear now.

EXT. COAST ROAD – DAWN

The HUMVEE knifes along a crumbling cliff road. A crosswind hammers it. The fly shudders, peels—battery at 41%—clings by a thread.

JULES (V.O.)

Hang in there. We've got stakes too high for glitches.

INT. PRESIDENT’S TOWNHOUSE – NIGHT

Quiet. The President sits with a cold coffee, stares at a photo of his DAUGHTER at twelve, missing teeth and holding a science fair ribbon. News plays: protests turning violent in multiple cities.

He dials.

PRESIDENT

(soft)

Be proud. Be careful. And if things go south... trust your gut, not the crowds.

He hangs up without a message.

INT. PRINCE’S PALACE – NIGHT

Prince pulls a slim transmitter from a velvet box. A simple button. He does not press it. He places it near an antique mantel CLOCK, whispering to his aide.

PRINCE

My brother died because they played god with drones. Now they learn: every empire has its clock.

EXT. LEBANESE ROAD – NIGHT

The HUMVEE snakes past militia checkpoints. Abdul keeps receipts like a professional, but glances nervously at the crate.

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – NIGHT (LATER)

RF TECH

Supply chain bribes logged. If this goes to court, it’ll be a textbook. But with protests escalating stateside...

JULES

We focus here. No distractions.

LEAD OPERATOR

Eyes front. We break into Two on wheels.

The HUMVEE veers toward a freeway.

SMASH TO BLACK.

— END ACT I —

ACT II — Expanded Connective Scenes

SEQUENCE 6 — PROMISE OF THE PREMISE

(pp. 31–50 — Trials in full swing, political spectacle, operators shadowing Prince’s plan)

INT. SENATE CHAMBER – DAY

GAVEL cracks. The first defendant — a former Senator — shuffles to the witness table. Cameras snap; the air feels like theatre more than justice, with chants audible from outside.

In the gallery, the PRESIDENT’S DAUGHTER scribbles notes. She notices: the Senators aren’t looking at the audience — they’re watching the cameras. Her phone buzzes: anonymous tip about "foreign interference in the trials."

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – SAME

Jules flicks through broadcast feeds, cross-referencing with location pings. The fly’s still with the Humvee, now creeping into mountain passes, feed flickering—battery at 29%.

JULES

They're dragging this route. Stalling for the U.S. chaos to peak, or syncing with the Prince's timeline.

LEAD OPERATOR

We monitor both. Cross-check sat pings if the fly drops.

RF TECH

Already on it. But ground truth is thinning—protests are jamming signals stateside too.

MONTAGE — AMERICA WATCHES (AND REACTS)

— Factory workers clustered around a breakroom TV, laughing at a Congressman’s stammer, but one mutters, "This fixes nothing if tanks roll in."

— A classroom where kids hold up “GUILTY” signs like a game show, teacher whispering about potential school shutdowns.

— Protests swelling: signs reading "Hope or Tyranny?" Clashes with police.

— The PRESIDENT in the Oval Office, watching with a straight face. His Chief of Staff glances at polling numbers climbing—but approval dipping in key states.

INT. PRINCE’S PALACE – NIGHT

Prince’s aides present trade forecasts: oil flows shifting from U.S. to China. He barely glances. His eyes are on the Senate broadcast — specifically, the wide shots that include the gallery clock—and news of U.S. unrest.

AIDE

The riots play into your hand, Highness. Their "intermission" fractures them.

PRINCE

Good. But the glyph demands precision. Not just chaos—consequence.

INT. PRESIDENT’S TOWNHOUSE – NIGHT

The President’s DAUGHTER Skypes her father, screen split with protest footage.

DAUGHTER

It’s addictive, Dad. Like a binge-watch. But outside... it's real. People are scared.

PRESIDENT

It's not entertainment. It's surgery. Messy, but necessary. Stay vigilant—intel suggests foreign eyes on the chamber.

DAUGHTER

You mean like that glyph thing from the old files?

PRESIDENT

(hesitant)

Just... be ready.

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – NIGHT

The fly shivers as the Humvee pulls into a fuel yard. A diesel rig idles nearby — too close. Heat spike—feed warps, battery drains to 18%.

JULES

Optics frying. If we push harder, it cooks.

LEAD OPERATOR

Ride it out. We've lost assets before; adapt.

SEQUENCE 7 — FIRST PINCH

(pp. 51–55 — Surveillance scare, crate swap)

EXT. BORDER YARD – NIGHT

Floodlights cut through dust. The Humvee noses up beside a flatbed truck. Abdul hops out, greets a MAN IN BLACK. They pull tarps.

Two identical wooden crates appear.

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – CONTINUOUS

JULES

Which is ours? Battery's critical—can't afford a misstep.

RF TECH

No trackers. Glyph depth on the original is deeper.

Jules zooms. Confirms.

JULES

That's it. But if they spot the fly...

The crates swap vehicles. The fly transfers—barely. A GUARD idly swats at it. Misses by millimeters. Feed stabilizes at 12%.

INT. PRINCE’S PALACE – SAME

Prince’s eyes narrow at the swap on a mirrored feed.

PRINCE

They cling like insects. Proceed to step two—let their hope blind them.

ACT II → ACT III — INTEGRATED CONTINUUM

INT. DHS LOADING DOCK – DAY (MIDPOINT)

A HUMVEE rolls in under ARMED ESCORT. AGENTS swarm the WOODEN CRATE, crack it open.

Inside: SHIELDED SCRAP METAL. Geiger counters SCREAM… then fall SILENT.

AGENT

It’s junk. Decoy.

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – SAME

Banks of monitors. The “fly” feed POPS to life — no open road now, only VENTWORK. Battery at 8%—final warning.

JULES

We're inside. Not the road—the chamber vents.

She zooms: a HEAT BLOOM behind a BRASS GALLERY CLOCK.

LEAD OPERATOR

The real device's planted. He used the decoy to draw eyes away while embedding it during the chaos.

RF TECH

And with protests raging, evacuation would spark nationwide panic.

JULES

Finale time. But our fly's on fumes.

INT. SENATE CHAMBER – DAY

TRIALS in full roar. The PRESIDENT on the floor; DEFENDANTS blanched under giant screens of their own voices. Outside, sirens wail from escalating protests.

In the gallery: the PRESIDENT’S DAUGHTER watches, jaw tight, texting her dad: "Something feels off with the clock."

ATLAS, Secret Service, leans in.

ATLAS

(low)

Sir— device located. Behind the gallery clock. Protests are blocking clear evac routes.

The President looks up — one heartbeat only — at the clock.

PRESIDENT

We clear quietly? Without tipping the riots?

ATLAS

Risky. One wrong move, and the streets explode too.

INT. OVAL OFFICE SIDE CORRIDOR – MOMENTS LATER

The PRESIDENT and CHIEF OF STAFF walk fast, hushed, dodging aides with protest updates.

CHIEF OF STAFF

Evacuate and spin it as a drill—or keep going and risk it all. Polls say the trials are winning hearts, but a bomb...

PRESIDENT

My daughter's up there. But if we pull only VIPs, the country sees hypocrisy. We lose the narrative—and the streets.

CHIEF OF STAFF

Then we defuse in place. No other choice.

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – SAME

RF bands ripple across screens.

RF TECH

Carrier at twenty-three point five above the audio floor, riding the broadcast. Backup’s the oscillator in the clock. Kill the feed— it arms. Kill the clock— it arms.

JULES

Can't mute the show or stop the ticking. Prince's revenge is poetic.

LEAD OPERATOR

We thread the gap. Engineering over elegance.

INT. CAPITOL — MAINTENANCE ALCOVE – DAY

MARA, bomb tech, kneels by a panel. JOEL hauls a pelican case.

MARA

We feather a null into the carrier. Gentle, or the watchdog bites.

JOEL

And the reed? Fly's barely alive.

MARA

If it holds, we use its wing to short it. Last resort.

INT. SENATE GALLERY – SAME

The DAUGHTER raises her phone, frames the chamber — the CLOCK prominent. She types “Dad, the clock's off-sync?” then deletes. Stays seated, eyes sharp.

INT. PRINCE KHALID’S PALACE – NIGHT

PRINCE watches FOUR FEEDS, including U.S. protest cams. His thumb hovers over a slim TRANSMITTER. The GLYPH inlaid at his feet.

PRINCE

They fracture themselves. Now, the punctuation.

An aide pushes in a wide shot of the chamber; the clock fills the frame.

INT. SENATE CHAMBER – DAY

The President returns to the mic, steady despite distant protest chants.

PRESIDENT

…we’ll not be ruled by money, and we will not bow to shadows from afar.

A faint TICK-TICK swells—or it's the tension.

Atlas’ eyes lock on the clock.

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – CONTINUOUS

Thermal POV from the fly slides behind the grille: STEEL CASING, COIN-CELL PACK, a tiny REED SWITCH lacquered to a board. The GLYPH scratched into the backplate.

JULES

Internals acquired. Battery at 5%—this is it.

LEAD OPERATOR

Mara, prep the null. We carve a window.

RF TECH

Soft entry. Drop too sharp, and we're done.

INT. CAPITOL — MAINTENANCE ALCOVE – CONTINUOUS

Mara plugs a compact JAMMER. Thumb over the dial.

MARA

Feathering in. No shoves.

INT. PRINCE’S PALACE – NIGHT

Prince murmurs his brother’s name, eyes on the feed.

PRINCE

For the silence they forced on you.

He waits, patient.

INT. SENATE CHAMBER – CONTINUOUS

The PRESIDENT glances up at the clock—one more time.

ATLAS

We can extract your daughter quietly.

PRESIDENT

If we prioritize family over fairness, we're no better than them. We stand—or fall—together.

He finds his Daughter in the gallery. She meets his gaze, nods firmly.

INT. OPERATIONS ROOM – CONTINUOUS

LEAD OPERATOR

All stations— set condition COUNTDOWN.

TITLE CARD: THREE MINUTES

ACT III — FINALE (MINUTE-BY-MINUTE)

T-03:00 — SENATE CHAMBER (LIVE)

The room hums amid muffled outside chaos. The brass CLOCK presides. The President speaks; the nation leans in, split between support and fury.

ATLAS gets the whisper from his sleeve: device confirmed, behind clock.

T-02:52 — OPERATIONS ROOM

Spectrums bloom.

RF TECH

Carrier locked. Heartbeat code active.

LEAD OPERATOR

Mara, feather on three… two… one—now.

T-02:40 — MAINTENANCE ALCOVE

MARA

Engaging.

The spike wavers, steadies.

RF TECH (FILTERED)

Solid. Let it settle.

T-02:31 — PRINCE’S PALACE

Prince’s gaze sharpens on protest feeds merging with the chamber.

PRINCE

Deliver your defiance.

Thumb steady.

T-02:18 — SENATE CHAMBER

PRESIDENT

…we pause the rot, but not the people. Not the promise.

The clock’s second hand hitches faintly.

Atlas tenses.

T-01:59 — OPERATIONS ROOM

LEAD OPERATOR

Fly team—scrape the lacquer. Touch the reed lightly.

JULES

Threading it. Battery flickering—hurry.

ON SCREEN: the fly’s CARBON WING edges toward the REED SWITCH.

T-01:44 — VENT / CLOCK

SKRRK—a contact whisper. SPARK. ARMED light wavers.

JULES

It's noticing.

RF TECH

Push once more. Controlled.

T-01:30 — MAINTENANCE ALCOVE

MARA

Backup oscillator heating up.

RF TECH (FILTERED)

If carrier fails, clock takes over.

MARA

Then we steal its rhythm.

T-01:22 — PRINCE’S PALACE

The Prince presses the transmitter.

Pilot light IGNITES—ARMED.

PRINCE

Begin.

T-01:15 — SENATE CHAMBER

Gallery ripples with unease—protest noise leaking in. The DAUGHTER grips the rail. President steady.

PRESIDENT

(quiet, to Atlas)

Her first. Then the rest.

ATLAS

We'll get everyone.

T-01:06 — OPERATIONS ROOM

RF TECH

Arming live. Oscillator pristine.

LEAD OPERATOR

Mara—gas ready. Jules—reed again.

JULES

One last nudge. For all of us.

Fly presses.

T-00:59 — MAINTENANCE ALCOVE

MARA

Mark.

Hand on RED LEVER.

T-00:53 — PRINCE’S PALACE

Prince smiles at captions: “…suspend these institutions…”

T-00:49 — VENT / CLOCK

SCRAPE. SPARK. ARMED light stutters.

RF TECH (FILTERED)

Reed's unstable. Gate faltering.

LEAD OPERATOR

Keep it erratic.

T-00:41 — SENATE CHAMBER

President slows his words.

PRESIDENT

Saboteurs don't dictate our fate. Not with bombs, not with division.

Atlas' hand inches to his sidearm.

T-00:34 — OPERATIONS ROOM

RF TECH

Carrier dipping. Backup imminent.

LEAD OPERATOR

Heavy null in five.

T-00:27 — PRINCE’S PALACE

Prince taps transmitter redundantly.

PRINCE

Your choice ends here.

T-00:22 — MAINTENANCE ALCOVE

LEAD OPERATOR (FILTERED)

Heavy now.

MARA

Dialing up.

Carrier flattens—OSCILLATOR spikes.

RF TECH (FILTERED)

On backup. Clock's in play.

MARA

Breaking it.

T-00:18 — SENATE CHAMBER

INERT GAS whispers from vents. Murmurs rise. DAUGHTER scans, meets her father's eyes—stays composed.

T-00:15 — MAINTENANCE ALCOVE

MARA

Sprinklers in ten. Chaos beats crater.

JOEL

Ready.

T-00:12 — VENT / CLOCK

Fly GRINDS. Reed CHATTERS. ARMED blinks wildly.

JULES

(whisper)

Hold together...

T-00:10 — SENATE CHAMBER

PRESIDENT

To those watching abroad: your vendetta stops at our door.

Sprinklers THUNK. Water cascades. Gas veils.

T-00:06 — OPERATIONS ROOM

LEAD OPERATOR

Atlas—wait for signal.

ATLAS (FILTERED)

Affirm.

RF TECH

Timer hunting clean ticks.

LEAD OPERATOR

Deny them.

T-00:05 — SENATE CHAMBER

President unmoved by the deluge.

PRESIDENT

We write our own endings.

Nods—go.

T-00:03 — SENATE CHAMBER

ATLAS draws, fires TWO ROUNDS into the CLOCK.

CRACK. CRACK.

Glass SHATTERS. Gears GRIND to halt at XII.

Panic surges—shouts, lurching bodies.

T-00:02 — VENT / OPERATIONS ROOM

Oscillator STALLS. Logic LOOPS.

RF TECH

Holding... holding...

JULES

You did it.

T-00:01 — PRINCE’S PALACE

Prince mashes transmitter. Blank.

PRINCE

Impossible—

T-00:00 — EVERYWHERE

SILENCE.

Gas lingers. Sprinklers drip. President stands drenched, resolute.

LEAD OPERATOR (FILTERED)

Negative detonation. Device inert.

Ops Room exhales—relief, no cheers.

T+00:12 — SENATE CHAMBER

President at mic.

PRESIDENT

We're unbroken.

Points to shattered clock.

PRESIDENT (CONT’D)

Question every mechanism—every ritual—that claims to define us.

Finds DAUGHTER—alive, resolute. She nods.

PRESIDENT (CONT’D)

Clear the room. And the streets—we rebuild together.

Atlas escorts.

T+00:40 — OPERATIONS ROOM

Freeze on backplate GLYPH. Overlay: OLD CASE FILE, brother's drone strike.

LEAD OPERATOR

No boom, but he got his rehearsal. Protests as cover—next lesson's coming.

Hallway clocks quietly removed.

INT. PRINCE’S PALACE – NIGHT (LATER)

Prince opens window. REAL FLY escapes.

Sets transmitter down.

PRINCE

Lesson two: resilience is fleeting.

FADE OUT.