Here, Alcibiades' hostile takeover of Athens OS is eminent. I tried to stave off a little of the dourness of the ending by extrapolating out a little bit.
I hope you have enjoyed this experiment!
INT. TIMON'S OFFICE (HALLWAY) -- LATER
We see Isidore and Titus coming down the hallway, looking grim. Hortensius joins them.
ISIDORE
Thou hast painfully discovered; are his files as full as thy report?
HORTENSIUS
I have spoke the least; besides, his expedition promises present approach.
TITUS
We stand much hazard, if they bring not Timon.
HORTENSIUS
I met a courier, one mine ancient friend, whom, though in general part we were opposed, yet our old love made a particular force, and made us speak like friends. This man was riding from Alcibiades to Timon's cave, with letters of entreaty, which imported his fellowship in the cause against your city, in part for his sake moved.
Varro, Demeas, and Caphis come storming down the hall.
ISIDORE
Here comes our brothers.
VARRO
No talk of Timon, nothing of him expect. The enemy's drum is heard, and fearful scouring doth choke the air with dust. In, and prepare. Ours is the fall, I fear; our foe's the snare.
EXT. TIMON'S OFFICE BUILDING -- CONTINUOUS
We see Alcibiades' car pull up, and he and Phrynia climb out. He looks at the building, taking its measure, eyes narrow. Then he leans over to Phrynia and mutters something in her ear. She nods and gets back behind the wheel. As she pulls out, Alcibiades stalks inside.
EXT. STREETS -- MOMENTS LATER
We see Phrynia tooling out of town.
EXT. WOODS -- LATER
Phrynia slows, watching the side of the road.
INT. TIMON'S OFFICE (HALLWAY) -- MOMENTS LATER
Alcibiades strides down the hall, looking at the empty desks and general clutter, his face a mask.
Caphis pops out of a doorway, and Alcibiades stops him cold with a glare.
ALCIBIADES
Sound to this coward and lascivious town our terrible approach.
Caphis lopes off down the hall.
INT. TIMON'S OFFICE (BOARDROOM) -- MOMENTS LATER
Caphis bursts in and takes a seat in the back, as the others exchange glances.
Alcibiades slips in behind him, and looks around. He moves to the head of the table, and leans on his knuckles.
ALCIBIADES
Till now you have gone on and filled the time with all licentious measure, making your wills the scope of justice; till now myself and such as slept within the shadow of your power have wandered with our traversed arms and breathed our sufferance vainly. Now the time is flush, when crouching marrow in the bearer strong cries of itself 'no more.' Now breathless wrong shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease, and pursy insolence shall break his wind with fear and horrid flight.
Varro wipes sweat.
VARRO
Noble and young, when thy first griefs were but a mere conceit, ere thou hadst power or we had cause of fear, we see to thee, to give thy rages balm, to wipe out our ingratitude with loves above their quantity.
DEMEAS
So did we woo transformed Timon to our city's love by humble message and by promised means. We were not all unkind, nor all deserve the common stroke of war.
EXT. WOODS -- CONTINUOUS
Phrynia scans the woods.
PHRYNIA
Who's here? Speak, ho! No answer?
She stops short, seeing a mound of dirt. On it is Timon's note, pinned down by a rock.
PHRYNIA (CONT'D)
What is this? Timon is dead, who hath outstretched his span; some beast reared this, there does not live a man. Dead, sure; and this his grave.
Wondering, Phrynia slips the note out and reads it.
INT. TIMON'S OFFICE (BOARDROOM) -- CONTINUOUS
The boardroom is tense.
VARRO
Those walls of our were not erected by their hands from whom you have received your griefs; nor are they such that these great towers, trophies and schools, should fall for private faults in them.
DEMEAS
Nor are they living who were the motives that you first went out; shame that they wanted cunning, in excess hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord, into our city with thy banners spread; by decimation, and a tithed death--if thy revenges hunger for that food which nature loathes--take thou the destined tenth, and by the hazard of the spotted die let die the spotted.
Alcibiades stands, arms crossed.
EXT. WOODS -- CONTINUOUS
Phrynia bursts from the woods, paper flapping, and gets in the car.
INT. TIMON'S OFFICE (BOARDROOM) -- CONTINUOUS
VARRO
All have not offended; for those that were, it is not square to take on those that are, revenges; crimes, like lands, are not inherited. Then, dear countryman, bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage. Spare thy Athenian cradle and those kin which in the bluster of thy wrath must fall with those that have offended. Like a shepherd, approach the fold and cull the infected forth, but kill not all together.
ISIDORE
What thou wilt, thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile than hew to it with thy sword.
VARRO
Set but thy foot against our rampired gates, and they shall ope; so thou wilt send thy gentle heart before, to say thou'lt enter friendly.
EXT. TIMON'S OFFICE BUILDING -- MOMENTS LATER
Phrynia pulls up and jumps out at full throttle.
INT. TIMON'S OFFICE (BOARDROOM) -- MOMENTS LATER
All eyes are on Alcibiades.
DEMEAS
Throw thy glove, or any token of thine honor else, that thou wilt use the wars as thy redress and not as our confusion, all thy powers shall make their harbor in our town, till we have sealed thy full desire.
Alcibiades removes a thick file from his briefcase, and slaps it on the table.
ALCIBIADES
Then there's my glove; descend, and open your uncharged ports. Those enemies of Timon's and mine own whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof fall and no more. And, to atone your fears with my more noble meaning, not a man shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream of regular justice in your city's bounds, but shall be rendered to your public laws at heaviest answer.
VARRO
(woodenly)
'Tis most nobly spoken.
ALCIBIADES
Descend, and keep your words.
Suddenly Phrynia bursts in, gasping.
PHRYNIA
My noble general, Timon is dead; entombed upon the very hem of the sea.
Alcibiades reels, steadies himself on the table.
Phrynia, hand shaking, gives him Timon's note. He takes it, and reads.
ALCIBIADES
"Here lies a wretched corse, of wretched soul bereft; seek not my name; a plague consume you wicked caitiffs left! Here lie I, Timon; who, alive, all living men did hate; pass by and curse thy fill, but pass and stay not here thy gait."
(beat, to himself)
These well express in thee thy latter spirits; though thou abhorr'dst in us our human griefs, scorn'dst our brain's flow and those our droplets which from niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye on thy low grave, on faults forgiven.
(beat, looks around)
Dead is noble Timon, of whose memory hereafter more. Bring me into your city, and I will use the olive with my sword, make war breed peace, make peace stint war, make each prescribe to other as each other's leech. Let our drums strike.
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. TIMON'S OFFICE BUILDING -- DAY
THEME MUSIC UP AND UNDER as Alcibiades comes out and addresses the assembled press from a podium. It is shot as if on a newscast, as below a CG reads: NEW CEO OUSTS ATHENS-OS BOARD.
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TIMON'S OFFICE (HALLWAY) -- DAY
We see Caphis, Hortensius, and Titus in a cluster, talking in low tones, files and personal effects tucked under their arms.
They look up and see Servilius and Flaminius carrying their boxes back in.
The groups exchange glances, then Caphis turns aside as Servilius walks past. A smile plays on Servilius' lips.
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TIMON'S OFFICE (ANTEROOM) -- MOMENTS LATER
Flavia is arranging her desk as Alcibiades pops his head out with a sheaf of papers. She takes them with a nod and a brief smile and puts them on the corner of her desk.
She has set the papers next to a newspaper whose headline shouts: "CAPTAIN AL" REVIVES ATHENS STOCKS.
We see her unpacking her pens, pencils, and a little picture frame.
Cut close to see a candid photo of a smiling Timon looking out.
Flavia sits it by the phone, and adjusts it with a tiny nudge.
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
INT. APEMANTUS' APARTMENT -- DAY
Apemantus is sitting on the edge of a futon in an untidy studio apartment of posters and beaded curtains and leaning stacks of LPs. He is staring at a long, thin box that appears to have been recently delivered, noted by the scraps of brown paper on the floor by his scuffed shoes.
Apemantus lifts the top and sees a red-and-navy-striped power tie nestled in the box.
He looks at it for a long moment.
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. TIMON'S OFFICE BUILDING -- DAY
We see a spruced-up Apemantus emerging from a car in front of Timon's building. Again we see through a photog's eyes, as if it were a breaking news event. A CG CRAWL READS: APEMANTUS NAMED V.P. OF PHILANTHROPIC GIVING.
Then we cut back to Apemantus live, working his way upstream through the press.
Once more he stops, looking up and up and up, at Timon's building.
We see the shining building, from Apemantus' POV, tall and majestic.
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. WOODS -- CONTINUOUS
We track past the grass, the trees, catching flashes of clear blue sky.
FADE TO BLACK
CREDITS
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