CLEOPATRA Vs FRANKENSTEIN -  SCENE 2

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The original Frankenstein novel was created by the English writer Mary Shelley

SCENE  - JOHN DISCOVERS THE TOMB OF CLEOPATRA (FLASHBACK) READS LETTER

John Storm is an amateur archaeologist who has a lifelong interest in human development, and Cleopatra, the last pharaoh queen of ancient Egypt. He had read every book, article, and document about her life, death, and legacy. He had visited every site, museum, and monument related to her. He had searched for her tomb for years, but he had never found it. Nobody had. It was one of the great modern mysteries. Most archaeologist had concluded that Cleopatra had deliberately set out to fool them. Archaeologist being grave robbers by another name.

John believed that her tomb was hidden somewhere in or close to the sunken city of Alexandria, where she had ruled and died. He had studied the history and geography of the city, which had been partially submerged by earthquakes and tsunamis over the centuries. He had mapped out the possible locations of her tomb based on clues and evidence.

He had been commissioned by Blue Shield who working to protect the ancient underwater remains, with an anonymous grant from a wealthy sponsor, was asked to conduct an underwater expedition to survey and explore the sunken city. No expense spared. John is an experienced sub aqua diver, and is the Captain of the Elizabeth Swann, an amazing ship that he inherited from his Uncle Douglas, who had vanished in mysterious circumstances. John had a crew that consisted of Hal, an AI computer onboard the Swann, Dan Hawk, a computer genius, and Katie, a tabby cat descendent of the revered ancient Egyptian Mau temple cats.

John and his crew arrived in modern Alexandria, north Africa, to get their bearings and stock with food for the expedition to the sunken city. Fully provisioned again, he was determined to find the lost tomb of Cleopatra. Dan with him all the way, as he too had a fascination with Ancient Egypt and the Pyramids.

They conducted a detailed survey of the area, which took a few days to complete, during which they attracted a shadow of boats various, some curious fishermen, some customs launches, and the occasional helicopter. Many archaeologists, some marine, were searching for Cleopatra's last resting place more or less continuously, and were dumbfounded.

Despite being spied on, John continued with his calculations, and completed the occasional dive in deliberately random fashion, to confirm the findings of Hal and Captain Nemo, working together to piece together this historical puzzle. The seemingly haphazard pattern of search, kept the media and other archaeologists confused. It was like a game of Battleships.

Then, more or less certain, and following a gut feeling hunch, John motored the Swann out to sea at dusk, returning many hours later in stealth mode, lights off, using only infra-red vision. To make the Elizabeth Swann invisible to radar, and the casual onlooker. Doubtless, spotted by satellite or heard by hydrophones set to detect hostile submarines.

He entered the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, on a pitch black night dive, guided by Hal, Dan and a digital compass. When he saw the ruins of part of the city emerge from the darkness, his hopes were raised. He saw columns, statues, part of what looked like a temple or palace, and small sphinx statues, with Isis carved on the side of one monolith. He saw the remains of a civilization that had once been glorious and powerful.

John remembered when he first began this quest, many years before, he had directed his searches, using a small open boat, to his first target: the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. He believed that Cleopatra’s tomb was near the base of the lighthouse, where she had allegedly committed suicide by letting an asp bite her.

He reached the lighthouse and dived its surroundings. He saw a large opening in the wall that led to a tunnel. He decided to investigate it.

He put on his diving suit, flipping backwards into the water. He took a flashlight, a camera, and a metal detector. He entered the tunnel and followed it for several meters.

He reached a chamber that was filled with debris and sediment, but was bitterly disappointed to find no trace of Mark Anthony or Queen Cleopatra. Though, this could have been their mausolem, it appeared to be a feint. A ruse, to throw the many grave robbers of the day off the scent. And he was one of them. He should have known better, he had no real hunch about this location. More, ticking off a list of possibilities.

Fast forward to today. A different location, the most advanced survey equipment and an AI system to help colate the data. And, a hunch, the sent a tingling down his spine. Just a feeling, that he was onto something. The feeling that drives office researchers and field archaeologists on, even when they are on the wrong track.

Wary of that, John cleared some rubble from an insignificant looking mound. And there he saw a lintel with hieroglyphs on it. He recognized them as symbols of royalty and divinity. He felt a surge of excitement.

The ocean conservationist dug away with increased fervour, and uncovered a stone door. He pushed the door hard, but it would not budge. More excavations, and finally John opened it. He entered another chamber that was eerie dark and silent. He turned on his flashlight and saw something that made his heart stop.

It was a sarcophagus inlaid with gold and decorated with jewels. It had a lid that bore the image of a woman with a crown and a snake. It was Cleopatra.

He approached the sarcophagus and touched it. It was cold and solid. He wondered what was inside it.

Most carefully, he wrested the lid a little and looked inside.

He saw a mummy wrapped in linen and adorned with amulets. The face had a gold mask covering, painted, with blue relief's. The corpse was well preserved by ancient embalming techniques. John slowly lifted the mask to reveal the face of the mummy. It had eyes that were closed and lips that were curved in a smile.

It was Cleopatra VII.

He gasped, lowered the mask and replaced the lid. He backed away from the sarcophagus and stumbled on something.

He looked down and saw a skeleton lying on the floor. It had a hole in its chest and a dagger in the bones of its hand. It was Mark Antony, Cleopatra’s lover and ally.

But why were his remains so unceremoniously unpreserved?

He realized that he had found not only the tomb of Cleopatra, but also the final resting place of Mark Antony.

He had found the tomb of history’s most famous couple, in a telling state.

He felt a mix of emotions: awe, joy, shock, sadness.

He reached for his underwater camera and took pictures of everything he saw. A photographic survey in stills and video.

He then took out his metal detector and scanned the chamber for any other objects or clues.

He heard a beep from his metal detector.

He followed it to a corner of the chamber where he saw a small box made of wood and metal. It had a simple lock on it.

He gently forced the lock and opened the box. A cloud of sediment obscured his vision for a moment.

He saw a scroll made of parchment inside it. Incredibly, it was in one piece, presumably starved of oxygen.

He took out the scroll and very gently unrolled it. It did not disintegrate, or he would have stopped immediately.

He saw writing on it in Greek, Latin, and Egyptian languages. John could understand Latin.

It was a letter from Cleopatra to Mark Antony.

Cleopatra was a curvaceous, charming young woman with an extremely high IQ. She looked exactly like Cleopatra in her prime, and dangerously seductive. She had inherited her personality and talents as well. She was curious, adventurous, ambitious, and fatally attractive. She wanted to see the world for herself. She wanted to visit Egypt and see its pyramids, temples, and tombs. She wanted to meet other people and learn from them. She wanted to experience life and love, and find out about herself.

3RD DRAFT - SAMPLE: THE PERFECT PLOT (SHORT STORY)

SCENE 1. Cleopatra's tomb lay lost for centuries. Then one day a shift in the tectonic plates triggered a tremor off the coast of Alexandria, causing alarm in Paris. (Flashback: The destruction of Thonis & Alexandria by a tsunami, sinking the great civilization and port in 365 AD.)

SCENE 2. As an agent of Blue Shield, John Storm, surveys Egypt's coast off Alexandria, finds Cleopatra's tomb, verified using the Ark and Hal, keeping location a secret, pending salvage and Blue Shield site protections.

SCENE 3.  John reads a letter from Cleopatra to Mark Antony from Cleopatra’s mausoleum, 30 BC, the combined suicide of Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra, a death wish love pact. 

SCENE 4. William Bates auctions his CyberCore Genetica nano-super computer. Secretly purchased by the wealthy Professor Krafenstein, via an anonymous sealed bid.

SCENE 5. A team of European scientists, including Franco Francisco, are gathered together and funded by the wealthy Baron as cloning technology champions, regardless of potential illegality or ethical consideration. Though, Replication and gene manipulations treatments are held to be legal by the cohort.

SCENE 6. As part of their human enhancement regime, ingredients of the CRISPR virus, a bacterial DNA Cas9 enzyme delivery system, that allows precisely targeted DNA enhancement in adult subjects, is developed as cousin technology. The team realise that this could form the basis of a cure for cancer.

SCENE 7. Charley Temple alerts John Storm to the consequences of the joining of dots of the technology that Professor Krafenstein and his partners are working on. She is being fed information from, and nurturing contacts at the ETH university in Zurich. With Sam Hollis being in contact with Colonial athletes in attendance. Some of which have given blood samples, in connection with the Baron's research.

SCENE 8. John is courted by Jack Mason, purporting to represent the USA, asking for his help in their investigations into cyber crime, and technology that might one day pose a threat to international stability.

SCENE 9. Storm is asked by Professor Krafenstein to relinquish a small Cleopatra tissue sample. The carrot is that their cohort will share their DNA archive, to add to John's collection. 

SCENE 10. John relents, persuaded by Blue Shield. The knowledge transfer (swapsie) proves to be irresistible to John.

SCENE 11. Having taken delivery of a sample of Cleopatra's DNA, Professor Krafenstein perfects his replication technique, after one or two costly mistakes.

SCENE 12. The scientists develop a prototype biological implant, an interface for the human brain, which they call BioCore™. This flexible microchip communicates wirelessly with the CyberCore Genetica, and from there to the internet. They are streets ahead of a system developed by Elon Musk, some years earlier.

SCENE 13. The Birth. Replication work proceeds, with Cleopatra grown and her brain programmed (conditioned) with her past, to include simulation of her synapse firing sequence, based on the fact she spoke nine languages, and was a mathematician and an accomplished political and military strategist. Other elements are included to soften the culture shock, as the reincarnated queen re-enters life in the 21st century, the prophesy comes true.

SCENE 14. John requests a visit to see the progress for himself, but is given the brush off, and shown a facility that does not seem to have all the equipment necessary to have recreated Cleopatra. Then he is denied access to the subject with various excuses, that do not gel. His suspicions are aroused, and he investigates further with help from Dan (hacking) and Hal.

SCENE 15. Charley persists with her own investigations, agreeing to meet with John, where she thinks the real work is going on convenient to the ancient port of Genoa, Italy. She is captured, and John has to effect a rescue, with some background help from the CIA's Jack Mason. During the struggle to overpower Charley's captors, John is injected with an experimental CRISPR virus. Dan manages to make off with the CyberCore Genetica and Biocore, equipment, plus a download of all the experimental files. Jack Mason turns a blind eye, at the time, biding his time.

SCENE 16. From the recovered data, Dan and Hal work out that Cleopatra is being repatriated in a secure facility in Rome, where the former queen had visited with Julius Caesar in 46BC. John raids their sanctuary just outside the city, rescuing/freeing Cleopatra in the process, with Interpol questioning all the wrong people, on suspicion of kidnap. Cleopatra expresses a wish to be with John Storm, who she instinctively trusts implicitly, leaving Interpol and Blue Shield, little choice in the matter. And Jack Mason with a problem. He was hoping to acquire Cleopatra in all the confusion. But Cleopatra reveals that Dr Krafenstein had given her, her freedom. She was free to leave when she felt ready.

SCENE 17. Jack Mason continues to plot to part John Storm from the CRISPR technology, and kidnap Cleopatra on grounds of homeland security, looking to take control of the replication technology. As the US representative, he talks John and Cleopatra into the replicant queen having a check up at Uncle Sam's expense at a private hospital in Egypt, to coincide with the unveiling of the Cleopatra VII mummy exhibits in Cairo and Giza. Though a disingenuous ruse, Cleopatra agrees, just to please John. She is curious to see what her own mummy looks like as an exhibition of her past glory.

SCENE 18. Storm is double crossed by Jack Mason, who spirits Cleopatra overseas to the secure US facility at Guantánamo Bay. Way off the beaten track, and extremely well guarded. Such military location eliminating any chance of a rescue.

SCENE 19. Despite the obstacles, John rescues Cleopatra from Guantánamo Bay in a daring night raid.

SCENE 20 CIA, covertly try to terminate the Swann and crew, including Cleopatra, who is now a witness to their evils.

SCENE 21. John does a deal with US President Lincoln Truman, Jack Mason is chastised.

The cure for cancer is the Holy Grail of medical achievement, a Crusade that is within our grasp.

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  CLEOPATRA'S DYING LAST WISH IN A LETTER TO MARK ANTONY, A SUICIDE PACT TO JOIN HER IN THE AFTERLIFE

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