Brevity
Charcoal City... a bustling metropolis to most... but to Dioptase, the world renown and anonymous street artist... a canvas.
When a painting bought by a local tattooist is revealed to be of incredible value, the procurer and her friends find themselves targeted by the corrupt parties that want it for themselves.
In order to preserve the message and keep the painting out of the hands of a villainous mob family, the mysterious creator must intervene while circumnavigating their own complicated connections to the predicament.
Brevity is a mini-series saga of art, crime, family, friendship, labor, and hidden identity.
Brevity
Episode 4
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Negotiations... A Savior to the Rescue... Chance Crossing of Paths...
Voice Actors: Melissa Jones, Tara Kempton, Amber Aubin, Anthony McMorris, Joe Valdes, Sam McMorris, Dan Paragon, Scott Wike, and CJ Cinco.
Written, Narrated, and Produced by Mark Johnston
www.constellationaudio.biz
Photo Credit: Seth Steward
Music by Mark Johnston
Constellation Audio properly presents by Mark Johnson. Episode four. As the two friends round the corner onto Fourteenth Avenue, they both slowly cranked their necks up to look into the sky at the flickering iridescence of the enormous skyscraper across the street. The Opal Tower. Technically it was mostly pearl-white, but the glass windows had a special treatment that created various radiant flame-like colors of blue, green, and orange, depending on how the light danced across the panes.
SPEAKER_05Okay, the article says to contact Archambo Industries on the 55th floor.
SPEAKER_06Archimbow? Like with an X? Where have I heard that name before?
SPEAKER_05I think it's some kind of important business family in the city. Come on, let's go.
SPEAKER_07Once reaching the 55th floor, they walk up to a receptionist and show her the article on Jem's cell.
SPEAKER_05Hi! We're here regarding this article about a potentially interested party and purchasing a rare art piece. I see. Go ahead and sign in here while I check on that for you.
SPEAKER_07The front desk attendant hands them a clipboard, then picks up a phone and begins speaking quietly to someone on the other line. Hi, can you come take the After about 30 seconds? She hangs up and waves to two nearby men in suits to come escort the visitors. Without saying a word, the men motion for Coral and Jem to follow. At the end of a long walk down the hall, a giant bodybuilder in black stands firmly, waiting for them with a hand to his earpiece, listening to a message.
SPEAKER_00Hey Lefty, Linda said to take these two girls back. Ooh, twins. How interesting. I got her message. I'll take them from here.
SPEAKER_07Coral is instantly creeped out by this behemoth of a man. They were obviously not twins, but she understood why people would say that at first glance. Both of them wore a multitude of tattoos and had colored highlights in their hair. Corals brown with violet, gems black with blue. Other than that, in her mind, they looked absolutely nothing alike. The way in which the giant man dismissed the guards indicated that he was most likely their superior. He walks the women a little further down the hall and opens the door to a mostly empty office with a table and four chairs. If not for the nice carpet and incredible city view, the space would have felt like an interrogation room.
SPEAKER_00Go ahead and wait here. Can I get you guys anything? Maybe a diet soda or a Shirley Temple?
SPEAKER_07Coral notices Jem swing her head around to look at the man suspiciously.
SPEAKER_06No, we're fine, thank you.
SPEAKER_05That's so weird. I feel like I know that voice from somewhere.
SPEAKER_06Why can't people open their eyes just a little further than a squint to see that we actually look nothing alike?
SPEAKER_05You wish you were my twin.
SPEAKER_07At that moment, Coral and Jim are joined by a polished and professional woman in a dark silvery pantsuit. She enters through a different door on the side wall, holding a shiny dark phone to her ear.
SPEAKER_04I'm gonna have to call you back. No, don't move forward until I say so. I'm hanging up now. Ladies, thank you so much for being here. We're so happy that you came to us.
SPEAKER_07Coral is shocked at how quickly the woman flipped from ferocious to friendly.
SPEAKER_04Who is we? Are you the buyer? I represent the buyer, yes. I have full negotiation powers on their behalf.
SPEAKER_05We want to talk to the buyer. Sorry, no offense. It's just that this is a delicate deal for us, and we would like to know who we're dealing with.
SPEAKER_04Yes, of course. Give me one moment, please.
SPEAKER_07The representative takes a sharp breath to suppress her annoyance and heads back toward the door she arrived through. This time only opening the door enough to poke her head in and summon another person to join them. When the businesswoman leans back into the negotiating office, she is followed by a large bald man in straining suspenders. He enters the room with a stern look of determination, sizing up the two hipster-looking women standing across the table. He takes the final bite of what appears to be a doughnut and chews it slowly while continuing to look them over. He carries the energy of a man who has intimidated his way through hundreds of mismatched parlays with submissive and inferior opponents. After what felt like an eternity of silence, he finally breaks the ice. So which of you has the painting? Before Coral has even a notion to answer, Jem pipes in.
SPEAKER_05I do.
SPEAKER_07The bald man takes a moment to ponder his next action. So where is it?
SPEAKER_05We didn't bring it with us, of course, not until an agreement is made. And we're definitely not making any deals about knowing the name of the person we're selling it to.
SPEAKER_02Excuse me, where are my manners? Ruben Archambeau, president and chairman of the Footman's International as well as Archambeau Industries. Now, normally I would require confirmation that you even have possession of the item. But based on the description from the squeaky news witness I saw on TV, I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume it is one of you two ladies. If a deal is made, we will of course need to do our due diligence and receive verification. This better not be a waste of my time. So what do you want for it?
SPEAKER_05You can just call me Jem for now. And we never said it was for sale. We just came to hear your offer.
SPEAKER_02I see, I see. You ladies are playing hardball. Okay, I get it. I'm gonna make you an offer, and I sincerely suggest that you take it. You don't want to end up paying all those outrageous percentages to the Godforsaken auction houses, do you? Let's close the deal now. Trust me. This is the best offer you're gonna get. $750,000. Don't answer right away. Take a beep, take a second, discuss it amongst yourselves if you must. That amount of money will buy you a whole lot of makeup and punk records. I'm kidding, of course. I'm gonna leave the room and attend to some other business. My lovely daughter here runs the day-to-day and has full bargaining power on my behalf. I'm certain that we could all come to a fair, equitable agreement.
SPEAKER_07The blowhard businessman turns away and exits through the door, leaving the three women to work out a deal. Coral and Jem quickly huddle up and turn away from the icy woman still posturing on the other side of the room.
SPEAKER_05What do you think?
SPEAKER_06That's an awful lot of money. That guy is a dick. Fuck this, let's go. We came and got our number. That's all we wanted, right? I don't like this at all. For sure. I got you.
SPEAKER_07The huddle breaks, and Jem politely responds to the proposition.
SPEAKER_05Thank you, but I think we're gonna take our business elsewhere.
SPEAKER_04Ladies, hear me out. This is a generous amount. We just paid 2.5 for another auction that was twenty times this size. How do you know what size it is? We had our quant team run an analysis on the mosaic photo, comparing it to the easel and the other visible items in the room.
SPEAKER_07The two friends look at each other and share an apprehensive look without exchanging any words.
SPEAKER_05Well, small it may be, but our decision stands. We have your phone number in case we change our mind.
SPEAKER_04I can offer up to 850,000. We are very interested in doing business with you, Miss Jim.
SPEAKER_07The girls huddle back up and begin to whisper once more.
SPEAKER_06I still don't like it. They seem pretty desperate. We can always reconsider and come back later. I'm getting a bad feeling about this.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, to hell with this place. Let's get out of here. We'll think it over and get back to you. Thanks for your time.
SPEAKER_07The unmotivated sellers head for the exit with confidence. They reach the door and begin to open it.
SPEAKER_04One million dollars. That's the best I can do. Come on now, let's get this done.
SPEAKER_07Coral and Jem look at each other for a brief moment. Without speaking a word, they already know what each other is thinking. Both women continue opening the door and head down the hallway. Jem shouts back over her shoulder.
SPEAKER_05We'll be in touch!
SPEAKER_07The girls move quickly toward the elevator, passing the giant security honcho without a glance. He shouts after them. Leaving so soon? Without reply, they rapidly continue their march down the hall.
SPEAKER_06Oh my god, that was nerve-wracking. Totally. But a million dollars? Holy crap. I don't want to talk about it right now. If anything, that just reinforced my feelings on not selling it at all. There's no way I would let a goon like that have it.
SPEAKER_07As they enter the lobby, just before reaching the elevator door, a stunned voice from the waiting area calls out, Coral? Caught by complete surprise, Coral turns to see a familiar and comforting face.
SPEAKER_06Oh my god, Freddy! What are you doing here?
SPEAKER_01Oh, just spending my day corroding away in this waiting room. My dad is set to retire next year, but he hurt his back on site a couple weeks ago, and we're still waiting to get approval from his workers' comp. He can barely move, so I'm here trying to sort it out. This place sucks. They just pass me around and never give straight answers. It's a nightmare.
SPEAKER_06Damn, Freddy. I'm so sorry. That's terrible.
SPEAKER_01Thanks, I know. At this point, I'm starting to get nervous that he'll ever even see his pension. Guy does nothing but work his ass off his whole career and pays union dues every month. I'm sorry. That just gets me worked up. If they don't know by now, they're gonna find out the hard way. There's dissent among the members, and we need a change in leadership. Anything would be an upgrade from this shit show. Wait, s so what are you guys doing here?
SPEAKER_07Oh, just meeting with uh Coral looks over her shoulder and sees the giant grinning security boss whisper something into the ear of his subordinates. The two sharp-suited guards begin to move across the room towards them with blank faces. She takes a few steps back toward the elevator and begins to push the down indicator rapidly.
SPEAKER_06Actually, we gotta go. Let's catch up soon over lunch. Good luck with everything, Freddie. I'm so sorry to hear about your dad.
SPEAKER_07Picking up on the distress in her voice and her worried glances at the approaching security guards, Freddie decides to take action. He instantly moves toward the front desk with his arms dramatically outstretched and his voice raised.
SPEAKER_01This is absolutely ridiculous. When the hell am I gonna get any service around here? I swear to God, I'm about to lose my fucking mind.
SPEAKER_07The security guards are forced to alter their path and address the ranting lunatic, frightening the entire lobby. Just as they reach him and put hands on his shoulders, the elevator doors finally open. Coral and Jem both turn to eagerly step in and rapidly press the closed door button. After the doors mercifully close, both women take an exasperated breath. Once the frantic moment has passed, Coral looks to her right and realizes they are not alone. Standing tall at the other side of the elevator is an alluring, leather-clad character with a sleek and sturdy motorcycle helmet propped directly under his arm. He appears to be cooling his own jets from something unrelated to their fiasco, slowly and calmly drawing breath in and out of his nicely shaped nose. The awkward elevator music plays for about a 20-floor descent before Jem blurts something out.
SPEAKER_05Oh my gosh, is that Marty Magpie?
SPEAKER_07She is pointing to the stranger's left arm. When Coral turns to see what she's referring to, she notices a small cartoon bird tattooed in black and gray on his lower hand near the base of the thumb.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's kind of embarrassing. I got it when I was like 17.
SPEAKER_05That's hilarious. I definitely loved that cartoon when I was a kid. Don't know if I would get it tattooed on me, though.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, not my best decision. I'm sure it won't be my last either. Looks like you made some better ones. That's some quality work on yourself.
SPEAKER_05Thanks! She did them all. Best tattoo artist in the city.
SPEAKER_03For real? Wow. I'm very impressed.
SPEAKER_05Thanks. Do you live in the building?
SPEAKER_03No. Just stopping by to sign some paperwork for my dad.
SPEAKER_07Just then, the elevator finally reaches the ground floor. The stranger motions for the ladies to exit first, then follows them out. It was a pleasure talking with you guys. Have a wonderful day. The handsome man walks toward the exit while dialing a number on his cell. He puts the phone to his ear and hurriedly leaves the building. Through the glass, Coral watches as he quickly finishes his conversation, puts the device back in his pocket, throws the helmet on, and straddles a sleek, spaceship-looking motorcycle. The engine comes to life and revs three times before he speeds away on his purring two-wheeled road rocket. Coral and Jem make their way to the tower exit and onto the street. As soon as they walk out of the building, Coral notices two oddly dressed men lingering by the plaza fountain, instantly side-eyeing the women. One man is wearing a 19th-century bowler hat and a vest. The other is head to toe in a side-striped red tracksuit.
SPEAKER_06Let's go. Wanna take the metro? Sure.
SPEAKER_07The two friends move quickly toward the subway entrance near the approaching street corner. After a dozen paces, Coral looks over her shoulder and observes the strangely dressed men following them with noticeable determination. Voice acting for this episode provided by Melissa Jones, Tara Kempton, Amber Ovin, Anthony McMorris, Joe Valdez, Sam McMorris, Dan Paragon, Scott White, and CJ Cinco.