a conversation between an eagle, an angel and the HSBC building

it is not easy to write a play......

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it is in hong kong, of coz. a hot sunny day.

enter the eagle. after circled a couple times he landed on the centre of the stage and took a big pile of liquidy shit. then he was brushing its feather with it's beak. a rectangular area of the stage rised one level.one can see the neon light HSBC sign .

HSBC building: what the fuck do u think u are doing?
Eagle: (startled, looked around) who the fuck is talking?

HSBC building: The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Co-operation building, whose head you are stepping on, you fucking brainless piece of crap.

Eagle: how rude! I thought Hong Kong people is notorious enough in that aspect, but their buildings are worse!

HSBC building: this is unbelievable! who's the rude one here? you just took a shit on my head!

Eagle: let me explain it from the start, then u'll understand. As everyone in Hong Kong is picky about everything--i, have to pick the best building in town to rest on. With an eagle's eyesight i have scruntinised all buildings, compared their architectual style, height, building date, material, location, occupants....i needed only 3 s then i came to my conclusion. i've chosen you! aren't u happy to hear that? (continued speaking without waiting for an answer) Everything about you, suit me perfectly. It is so comfortable here. When I feel confortable I took a shit. Ain't you glad that me, such a majestic creature, rest on your head? everything about me is majestic, even my shit. u can keep it. it's a gift.

HSBC building: don't make me laugh! you are so ordinary, there is nothing great about you! I hate when someone is so full of himself. filthy animal. who wants you and your shit? why don't you go back to your bloody forest? that's where you belong!

Eagle: who wants to stay where one belongs? no one does. home sucks. cities are different. they are exciting. they offer hope--you will turn into something you are not. though it never actually happens, hope, is what matters. i love city. i like to be seen. this is my nature--and the city, is the best place to get attention. Appearance, it is the only thing that counts. depth and substance are so out. who can see me if i stay in the forest? my beautiful feather, my elegant figure. nothing can compare to the sensation when all eyes are on me. in fact, i feel uneasy when the fog is on, no one can see anything. i'd have no appetite and feel restless constantly. don't u like being look at?

HSBC building: yes i do. but i m different. i m a commercial skyscraper. i m meant to be looked at, to make an grand impression with my exceptional height, to dazzle them with my light. this is my purpose. this is the meaning of my existence. u, however, have no purpose. i don't see any reason you should exist. i wish you would vanish from this world. if i have that power, i will certainly do so.

Eagle: (laughing) I am glad you don't, and you never will. You are nothing but a bulky pile of concrete, metal and glass. You can't even touch a feather of mine. You have a good look, and that's it. The people inside you, some of them at least, are moving money around at an amount that their brain cannot comprehend. They think their power is without limit. But it is not true for them, neither is it true for you. You cannot do anything to me. I can come whenever I like, take a shit whenever I want. (HSBC building shakes and groans indignantly.) Are you afraid? And your ridiculous little speech about meaning & purpose and all that crap. Don't make me laugh. Human beings, created you to serve their purpose. After they used you they will destroy you---ungrateful things they are. What happened to the previous HSBC building at this spot? Without a trace now. We living things have no purpose. Life creates itself. We live for the sake of living, and nothing more. Who need a purpose? Only slaves like you. I am free. You aren't.

HSBC building: Idiot! You don't know shit! You have no idea how powerful I am! You will regret what you said, very soon.

Music. Enter Angel from above with golden light.

HSBC building: What the hell is that? I have enough fleas on my head today. I should definitely try that new medical shampoo. If it doesn't work, I shall switch to industial pesticide.

Angel landed on the HSBC building. Flapping her wings gracefully

Eagle (approaching curiously): Hi there. I like your wings. They look so white and soft. (thinking aloud) I doubt if she can fly more than 100ft with those fragile things.

Angel (politely): I like yours too. They look so strong. (thinking aloud) they look so dirty...animal. gosh I wil never touch'em.

Eagle: You look kind of...funny. Which kind of bird are you, may I ask?

Angel: I am not a bird. I am an ANGEL. (flashing her long blond hair) I am here to carry out a mission. What my mission involves is highly confidential. If anyone, happens to hear something one's not suppose to, he will be in immediate and personal danger.

Eagle: You speak like you are an offical government spoke person, while your speech is full of elegant words but the sole purpose is to confuse the audiences. Can you speak plainly, what will happen if someone know something he shouldn't?

Angel: (holding a lightening bolt. Thunder strikes. Made a grimace) I will kill him.

Eagle: (yawning, unimpressed) If you won't tell anyone what's your mission, what's the point of mentioning that you have a mission at all?

Angel: To let people know I am deadly important. If not they will think I am no different from all those stupid Mainland Chinese tourists in town for a shopping spree. What i will do for my mission is highly confidential. But the long term goal, I can tell you and don't have to kill you. Do you want to hear it?

Eagle: why not. I hope it's interesting.

Angel: (proudly) To make this world a better place.

Eagle: My god, this is the most frequently used, or abused, excuse for...almost anything. One can do anything with this, you may call it excuse or belief or reason. In fact, people start most of the war with this. I would say, people who want to make the world better are the most dangerous people ever.

Angel: But I told you I am dangerous. That was my point.

Eagle: I can never understand you people. This world is not good enough for you?

Angel: You don't understand human nature do you? One may never satisfied. Never ever.

HSBC building: (interrupting angrily) I am not human but I am not satisfied either! Who permits you to land here?

Angel: (innocently) someone's speaking?

Eagle: (yawn) Here he goes again.

HSBC building: You just landed on my head! I've never said you can! I should turn my rooftop into a gigantic highly concentrated sulpheric acid pool. I will do it. This is a private space! No one can enter without permission!

Angel: Private space? Oh I can never understand all these human concepts after so many years. I go wherever necessary for my mission. Normal human eyes can't see me. There were several times a few people saw me accidentally and the spots immediately became the hottest tourists attraction. Ain't you glad to see me? And you're not human I suppose? Why do you care so much, private or public space all that crap?

Eagle: He is not human. He is a slave of them—which is much worse. He guards all those stupid human concepts like treasure. Like a mad dog chained at the door, he will bark at any passerby. He despises what his masters do, only tripling the effort. He does not have his own mind. Private properties— human beings divided space—any space they can get hold of, which is, the whole world. This is mine and that is yours and those're his 'n hers. I can't go into your space if you don't want, and you shouldn't enter mine if I say so. Private property is what makes human human and it is also their biggest tragedy. Most of the time they don't think about it. It's a habit. Entering other people's property will cause a scene. Our HSBC building here, would love to have the top of his head bare and bald instead of having us magnificent creatures around!

HSBC building: You calling me a slave! Look at yourself before you open your mouth! You are nothing but the slave of your instincts! You eat when you're hungry, mate when it's the season, shit when it's time. What's more do you do? You are not capable of breaking free from your instincts ever. Your whole life is programmed, to every single detail, before you were born. Insignificant animal! You think you are strong and you can fly high. But your strength is nothing comparing to mine. Don't forget you're made of flesh and blood! I can kill you in no time dropping a small concrete slap on your head!

And you! (to the Angel) If you want to make this world a better place, go get a job in Red Cross or something like that! Why are you here?

Angel: My approach is quite different than those of Red Cross. You are the HSBC building, right?

HSBC building: (flashing his sign) Unless you are blind, there is nothing more obvious than that. One of the biggest and the most successful banking co-operation in the world.

Eagle: That means, he produces nothing and he sits around all day messing with numbers electronically. Strange that people who produce nothing generate much more wealth than people who actually produce something—this is the modern way. The super rich, suck up the wealth of the whole world and left the poor starve. Or they give out a teeny tiny bits of money to charitable causes, then they think they are so generous. Well, if one is truely generous, one cannot be truely rich. Basically they are all fucking stingy bastard with no conscious who will do whatever it takes to get what they want. Our HSBC building here is such a fool—

Eagle cannot finish the sentence. The tile which he is standing on suddenly breaks & falls into the level below. Eagle raises his wings in time and flys over to the steel fence nearby

Eagle: (triumphantly) You think I will fall for that? Not so easy! Naive little—

The steel fence buzzes. A strong electrical current is running through. This time the Eagle does not escape in time. He is caught in it and plunge into a violent tremble. He looks disbelieved. A moment later the current stops. Eagle is stiff, falls to the floor. Pang. His eyes stay opened. The Angel observes coldly. She moves out of the way when the body falls.

HSBC building: (relieved) Finally!

I can't believe I've been listening to all his bullshit for a whole day. fucking cunts. Why the hell should he come to me, if I am so full of sin and all that crap? The truth is I am a godamn gorgeous building, tall and all, and he likes to show off himself here. If he really detests me, he shouldn't use me —but he is too vain. He just can't do what he preaches can't he? What a hypocrite—just like everyone else in the world. He thought I can't touch him! Me! The mighty HSBC building! I have so many tricks that his little birdy brain can't even imagine. At the end, I ALWAYS get what I want. How do I get to be one of the worldwide biggest banking co-operation? He's going to stink. I need to send someone to clean up this mess. (to Angel) You should leave now! You haven't got a big mouth like that damn thing. I would let you live. But if you dare to stay any longer, I will strike you down too!

Angel: I still have things to do. I can't go yet. Would you mind me going in? It will only take a minute. Well, actually I know you will mind. But I have to do what I have to do. You can't stop me.

HSBC building: No you are not coming in!

The sound of door slaming consequetively. Angel lets out a shrill laugh. The whole stage goes dark for a second. Lights on again. The Angel is no longer on the rooftop. HSBC building is shaking & blinking its neon lights. Suddenly one room at the top floor lit up. Angel is sitting in front of several computer screen typing something. Then the room goes dark again. Angel exits, flying through the rooftop door.

Angel: (in a hurry) It's done. Goodbye!

She spreads her wings and about to fly away. A dom shape electrical net bounces her back. She tries again. But she burns the tips of her wings this time. they are smoking slightly.

Angel: (angrily) How dare you! My father is the almighty god! Let me go, now!

HSBC building: (mockingly) My father is the king of high finance and he fucks your father like his bitch. I thought you are always so elegant and calm? Not anymore? I've changed my mind. Now I sincerely wish you can stay. It won't be long. It should be no more than a minute—if you behave yourself. Tell me, what have you done? I've never done anything wrong to you. In fact, I've never met you before this morning. Don't you hold back. Tell me everthing, at once.

Angel (holding her injured wongs, resumes her composure): Well, you can't do anything about it now. it's already too late. I planted a bug in your system. It will spread from system to system and eat any number it can find. It is a simple bug, a bit old-fashion. Yet the most simple thing is often the most efficient. No firewall can stop it. It will eat the firewall too. Not only your bank will be effected, but also anything conneted to a network, which is, pretty much EVERYTHING. I will say, the whole human economy will collapse in no time. It will be chaos never known of. That will be so much fun to watch! I am excited.

HSBC building: (panic, but trying not to let his voice shake. on the electronic display board blinking in red bold letters: damage control! damage control!) Why the fuck would you want to do something like this? What can you get?

Angel: To change the way how the world economy is run, obviously. My approach is quite radical. but i believe any approach which is not radica has no effect. Everything is so light and correct and mild in this time. I hate time. The world needs change. Dramatically. You see how the economy is run—by encouraging endless consumption. Greed and forever discontend. In the mean whole all natural resources are going to be depleted, environment totally fucked up, the poor poorer and the rich richer than ever. They need the plate swipe clean and start everything from scratch again. The change may be painful, any change is. But it is only for now. In the long run the human beings will have better lives. at the end they will thank me. As for you, I am sorry that I have to destroy you. I have nothing against you personally. You just stand in the way. I don't know if this will make you feel better, not only you, but most of your peers big co-operations will be destroyed as well. The higher you fly, the worse you fall. Do you still think there is hope? Don't waste your time trying to locate the bug. It is spreading. Surely you can feel it by now?

On the electronic display borad, the stork market index for different parts of the world are all going down until the numbers just disappeared . Inside the HSBC building, people running around franactically. Telephones keep ringing and everyone is yelling at each other. someone is pulling his hair while another jumps out of the building screaming and disappears into a hole in the stage floor.

HSBC building: holy shit. You must be from the Marxists school in hell. they never learn from their mistakes. Can 't you understand? Life is not a fairy tale. The big revolution won't make everyone live happily ever after. what u've done, brings nothing but misery and suffering. Now all hell breaks lose.

Angel: Hell for you. I want to create heaven. Everyone will be truely equal. It will work. I know it. too bad you won't live til that day to see it. you are finished. For me there's still a lot more to do. (spreads her wings and rising slowly)

HSBC building: (quietly) not so soon.

thunder strikes. The dom shape electrical net appears again. The angel is caught in the middle. this time she doesn't get a chance

Angel: (screams in agony) no!

she collapses on the rooftop floor

HSBC building: If I have to go down, as long as I still haven't had my last breath, I will bring you with me. I hope it hurts a lot.

Angel: (feeblely): You dare striking me down! No one on earth dare to kill an angel. there will be all sorts of horrible thing that u can't even imagine waiting for you in hell! you will be tortured eternally!

HSBC bulding: You are not as invinceble as you thought? That is usually how pompous people meet their inevitable doom. As for me, I will come back. I may be down for now, but I won't die. Yes, I will come back. I am resilliant. though it may not be tomorrow, or next week, or next month. I swear, I will get myself together. I will come back one day. the world will be back to normal. I will be more successful than ever. yes. the biggest bank in the world. no. the biggest in the universe. nothing is impossible. as long as you are ambitious...

his voice fades. the angel lies still along side the eagle and does not answer. she's dead. the index on the electronic display board become unintelligeble symbal. soon all lights of the HSBC building dim out.

The End