Characters:

Giovanni Vandalia- Traitor gangster, out to destroy the Syndicate.

Shenaynay- Shadowy figure that heads the Syndicate.

Christiano Mancini- Mafia kingpin ready to serve Shenaynay in any way.

Vincent Carolino- Loyal friend of Giovanni.

Mikey Bennett- Friend of Giovanni. Loyalty questionable.

Thief

Guisseppe Domino-Departed drug kingpin and revolutionary, killed by Giovanni.

Harry “Luggy” Luggio-Departed muscle hired by Guisseppe, killed by Giovanni.

Marty Russo- Muscle man and Captain in the Syndicate.

Frankie Salerno- One of the two Salerno brothers. Smart, cautious.

Paul Salerno- One of the two Salerno brothers. Reckless, cutthroat.

Johnny Zoff- Member of the feared Black Suit Crew.

Billy Copanno- Member of the feared Black Suit Crew.

Dmitri Luco- Member of the feared Black Suit Crew.

“Big” Sal Montello- Aggressive and invincible Syndicate player.

Jimmy Gigante- Loyal servant of Christiano Mancini.

Corbin Malachai- Departed, killed by Giovanni over a personal incident.

Props

Computer mouse

Giovanni’s mini revolver

Phone

Assault rifle

Beretta pistol

Table

Couch

Colt .45 pistol

Shrimp Cocktail

Tray


Scene 1: (Dark house. Night. The camera flies slowly over a quiet, lightless room. All is silent. The camera moves to view the kitchen. It hovers over an empty sink. It then slowly pivots around to show a door. This door is totally silent. It sits still on its hinges. Then, slowly, the doorknob turns. It turns the other way. It’s locked. The doorknob then shakes as tumbler noises are heard. Then the door silently slides open. A foot appears at the bottom of the door. It moves into the house and takes a step forward. He enters the kitchen almost silently. The floor creaks. He stops. Once all is silent and calm again, he continues. He approaches the computer, and lays a hand on the mouse. Suddenly lights go on all around him. He looks frantically. A gunshot cracks the silence of the scene. The man throws himself on the floor and doesn’t move after that. Another man walks forward. His face moves in front of one of the lights, displaying the profile of Giovanni Vandalia. He holds his mini revolver lightly. Giovanni walks forward and kicks the body lightly. The Theif groans in pain)
Giovanni- Hurts, doesn’t it. Big bullets, for a little gun. Makes a nice concealable weapon. Where did I get you? C’mon, let me see…(rolls Thief over) Your arm? I hit you in your arm? (walks away slowly, disappointed) I…I’m sorry I am putting you through all this pain. I…(Thief groans)…I just thought I was a better shot than that…(shoots him again. The Thief is now silent, still and unmoving. An eery silence follows) There.


Scene 2: (Early morning. Giovanni’s house interior. Giovanni is laying on the couch, feet kicked up on the couch’s arm, talking on the phone)
Giovanni- (dial tone…dial tone…dial tone...Vincent Carolino answers)
Vincent- Hello?
Giovanni- Vincent! I believe you called me yesterday.
Vincent- Oh, Giovanni! Yea, uh, I did call you. I was, uh,…well I had some questions.
Giovanni- Go on.
Vincent- Well, Gio, I was wondering…I was on vacation for the past week. And now I return to town, and I see all this commotion. Now, Gio, when I left, the Syndicate was nice and calm. Now there is some sort of uproar going on, and you’re at the center of it. Giovanni, what’s going on?
Giovanni-Vince, I am glad you asked. You are loyal to me, are you not?
Vincent- Well, yea, sure Giovanni.
Giovanni- Well Vince, I will tell you what’s going on. These times are tough. This is a test of loyalty. Of ethics. Vinnie, this is the time that our world is brought into question. I need your full trust. I can’t do this without you.
Vincent- Do what? Do what, Giovanni? You sound like a revolutionary.
Giovanni- (jumps on that) Well that’s exactly what it is, Vinnie. It’s a revolution. I want out of the Syndicate, and I will fight my way out if that’s what I have to do.
Vincent- Whoa, Gio, this is big. And also..IMPOSSIBLE! You know the kingpins will never let you out. They’re going to have you killed. They’re gonna get you, Giovanni. They ain’t letting you out.
Giovanni- I am getting out of the business, my friend. I am ready to deal with Shenaynay’s men. They already sent some for me, eh, recently. But Vinnie, me and you, and maybe even Mikey, we all getting out. I have an FBI friend who helped me-(interrupted)
Vincent- Giovanni! You’ve been talking to the feds? You’ve betrayed, Giovanni. Mancini will have you killed.
Giovanni- Who? (sits up)
Vincent- Christiano Mancini. Shenaynay’s new stooge. He’s just moved up in the Syndicate, and he knows about you. The killing of Corbin Malachai did not fly unnoticed. Mancini was making a pretty penny off of him. And Giovanni, by the way, did you hear about Guisseppe Domino? He was whacked! The Salerno boys think it was an inside job with the feds…
Giovanni- Vincent, Domino was iced by me and my fed friend.
Vincent- Mammamia! Giovanni! Do you know how angry Shenaynay is about that? Do you know how angry EVERYONE is about that? I mean think about it: Domino swoops into town with this promise of a revolutionary new drug with incredibly profitable capabilities. Everyone invests in him, then YOU go and whack him! Where did all the money go, Gio?
Giovanni- Don’t worry about it. Listen…I’m getting out. I am getting into one of those witness protection programs. And Vinnie, you know you’re going to get shot up eventually, so quit out now, while you have the chance, and live. Or stay in, and die.
Vincent- Giovanni, you know what it’s like in witness protection. You’ve got a target on your forehead. I’ve done hits ordered from people like Mancini to kill people like you.
Giovanni- Okay, Vinnie, we’re gonna take this one step at a time. First, you and Mikey are gonna get over here to my new place.
Vincent- Don’t you mean Corbin’s old place?
Giovanni- Not anymore, man. Corbin’s place is mine. You got to get over here and we’re going to crack another operation.
Vincent- Giovanni, as much as you’d like, we can’t dismantle the entire Syndicate. Too many people are involved. The Salerno boys are the first to turn on us. They’re vicious. If we actually manage to kill them, then we’ve go the Black Suit Crew to tear through, Marty Russo, Big Sal Montello…
Giovanni- Vincent, easy, easy. I killed Corbin, I killed Guisseppe, I killed Luggio. I can handle anything this Mancini meat puppet can throw at me.
Vincent- Giovanni, you’re gonna die.
Giovanni- Vinnie, let me tell you something right now. I am untouchable.
(The door busts open. Marty Russo is standing there, letting his assault rifle tear up the couch where Giovanni once was. Giovanni has rolled onto the floor and under a table. He draws his mini revolver. Marty continues firing. Finally, he runs out of ammo and reaches for his pocket. Giovanni seizes the moment, aims, and pulls the trigger. The chamber is empty. He throws it aside and runs for the computer where he grabs a Berretta pistol and ducks for the kitchen just as Marty finishes reloading and fires. Marty steps around the wall to see Giovanni, only he is not there. Marty enters the kitchen and looks around. Giovanni is hiding behind a pantry. Marty continues through the kitchen, oblivious to Giovanni’s hiding spot. Giovanni silently goes back into the living room. Marty rounds the turn back into the living room also. He spins around, expecting to see Giovanni)
Marty- Oh, Giovanni! Time to come out and play! You’re going to pay for what you did to Guisseppe…Where are you, you little snake…
(Marty continues into the living room. He rounds the wall once again into the dining room.)
Marty- Giovanni! Come out, come out, wherever you are. There’s an awful big hit on you’re head….
(Giovanni pops up from the kitchen and puts a bullet into Marty. He falls limply. Giovanni walks over to the body and rolls him over. He raises the phone to his mouth)
Giovanni- Uhh, Vinnie…
Vincent- Giovanni! What in the-(interrupted)
Giovanni- Well, we don’t have to worry about Marty Russo anymore.


Scene 3- (Mid day. Christiano Mancini’s house exterior. Camera looms on the house. Switch to Christiano Mancini’s house interior. Christiano Mancini himself is sitting in a large recliner, feet propped up on the coffee table, watching the news. Jimmy Gigante is serving Christiano a tray with a shrimp cocktail on it. Christiano takes the tray and balances it on his lap)
Christiano- Thank you, Jimmy.
Jimmy- Sure thing, boss. (Jimmy walks away. Christiano begins to eat shrimp while watching TV. A phone rings.)
Christiano- (after hearing the phone ring) Jimmy! Be a good boy and get me the phone!
Jimmy- Yea boss! (Jimmy darts for the phone. He grabs it and answers) Mancini residence. (Jimmy freezes. He’s still. He carefully walks over to Christiano.)
Christiano- Who is it, Jimmy? (takes the phone) Yea?
Shenaynay- (very sinisterly) I’d think you’d show me a little more respect, Mancini. (Christiano freezes. He puts his current shrimp back on the dish and unprops his feet)
Christiano- Shenaynay? Wh-why didn’t you t-tell me you were uh, … you were gonna call?
Shenaynay- Why, Mancini? Is this a bad time?
Christiano- No, no, of course not, Shenaynay. I always, uh, have time to talk to you.
Shenaynay- That’s the way to talk to your superiors, shoe shiner. Now, I have a couple of concerns we need to talk about. First, about your assistant.
Christiano- Jimmy Gigante? Wh-what did Jimmy do that concerns you?
Shenaynay- Oh, nothing in particular…(in the background, an arm holding a colt .45 appears from behind a wall and puts a bullet into Jimmy. Christiano jerks his head back just in time to see the arm retract. He turns back around, picks up the remote, and turns the TV off)
Christiano- Okay Shenaynay, you got my attention. What can I do to serve you?
Shenaynay- I’m glad we have gained this level of understanding. Now, I do have a problem…Its name is Giovanni Vandalia. This man…he is creating trouble within MY Syndicate. My inside men tell me he says he wants out…(chuckles lightly)…can you believe that, shoe shiner? He wants out. There’s only one way out of this business, and I believe Jimmy Gigante has just experienced it.
Christiano- I have not been ignorant of this Giovanni cafone. He killed Corbin Malachai the drug runner?
Shenaynay- Yes. Corbin was a loyal agent of mine. He was making everyone money, especially you. And he was killed over a, uh, personal incident. I have also just received word that Giovanni Vandalia was the man behind the killing of Guisseppe Domino.
Christiano- Giovanni was behind killing Guisseppe? Some of my men were in that neighborhood. They said G-men were there. Is it possible that Giovanni is in with the FBI?
Shenaynay- Not only is it possible but true. An agent by the name of William Jayden is working hand in hand with him.
Christiano- But Shenaynay, I don’t understand. What did Giovanni have against Guisseppe?
Shenaynay- Nothing that I know of. Perhaps the FBI did.
Christiano- Didn’t word leak out that he had a new type of drug? A genetic combination? Something that we could have made millions, billions, off of?
Shenaynay- Exactly, Mancini. He ruined it for all of us. The FBI cleaned out the whole operation, even went back to the fields where they grow it and the labs where they mix it. The Guisseppe Domino legacy is gone. And a fine opportunity to make billions is gone.
Christiano- So, you want me to kill this Giovanni?
Shenaynay- Make him suffer, shoe shiner.
Christiano- Yes, of course. For Corbin.
Shenaynay- For Corbin. (the line goes dead. Dial tone. Christiano hangs up the phone)