Act I Scene II

ACT I SCENE II

DALTON and CLIPS are sitting across from each other on fold out chairs, it has been about twenty minutes since SAMIR left.

CLIPS: Yo, D, what time is it, man?

DALTON: 8:30, cuz.

CLIPS: What the fuck’s taking Sam so long, man.

DALTON: Bun that for now. What took you lot so long to get here earlier?

CLIPS: D, you never let shit go, init?

DALTON: Just tell me, man. You man are always late, bruv.

CLIPS: Name one other time, fam?

DALTON: Okay, cuz. That time you man got high and forgot about that deal we had in Stonebridge. I nearly got wrapped by them breddahs outside Tesco.

CLIPS: We apologised for that, man.

DALTON: Nah, Sam did. You said ‘’Suck it up big man you were tooled up anyways’’ then you backed the rest of the E&J.

CLIPS: (Laughing) Sorry, init, fam.

DALTON: Fam, just tell me why you were late, man.

CLIPS: Cool, then, man. Sam was getting brain off that Yasmin ting init, that Arab ting from Finchley, you know Sam only deals with Arab tings.

DALTON: Fucking idiots, man. Whatever, init.

CLIPS: You’re just mad cos you don’t get tings, man. In some wack relationship like you shouldn’t be pressing on a daily, you’re a faceman you know?

DALTON: Mans happy with Emily anyways, man. She’s buffer than any yat you’ve ever dealt with.

CLIPS: Whatever, bruv. Keep telling yourself that. (Short silence) Where’s Sam anyways, man?

DALTON: Chill, man. He’ll be here soon he messaged man a bit ago he’s already got the ps.

CLIPS: If I don’t beat this Nora ting tonight, D, I’m slap you up, I swear.

DALTON: You ain’t gonna do me nuttin, man, shut your mouth, man.

CLIPS: We’ll see about that, bruv. Dickhead, man.

TERRY: Is this all you guys ever do? Just sit around and talk shit? (CLIPS and 

DALTON turn around to TERRY in confusion) Well? Is it?

CLIPS: Oi, fam, shut your fucking mouth.

DALTON: Who even said you’re allowed to speak, fam? You better just pray Sam found all fourteen bags, you know

TERRY: They money is there, it’s all there.

CLIPS: Good, now shut up, man.

TERRY: The way I see it, the only thing that’s keeping you little shits safe right now are these ropes on my wrists.

CLIPS: What the fuck you gonna do, bruv? Do you know who man is?

TERRY: You’re a little runt. Some idiot that Bennett can bend to do whatever he wants.

CLIPS: Are you fucking mad, fam? Oi D, untie this dickhead lemme show him wagwarn, fucking prick, bruv, is man mad?

DALTON: Clips, chill, man. Chill.

CLIPS: D, bruv, I’m tired of you calling shots, you think I’m gonna chill here and let this wack Danny Dyer chat bad to man?

DALTON: Clips, fam, focus on the task at hand, fam. Focus, fam, fucking focus.

CLIPS: Mans not smart, D, bruv, you're the intelligent one, you know man can only focus on one ting at a time and I was focused on blowing Nora’s back out but you got in the way with this ting. Now I’m focused on splitting this boog Grant Mitchell’s wig, that’s what I’m focused on now, D.

DALTON: Like that, yeah?

CLIPS: Fam, just like that, fam.

DALTON: You sure you wanna do this?

TERRY: HE AIN’T GOT THE FUCKING BALLS!

CLIPS:  Fuck you, bruv! (CLIPS scans his immediate surroundings and finds a stray bottle. He quickly picks it up and throws it towards TERRY’S head as he barks at him. TERRY manages to move his head enough to avoid the impact)

DALTON: Clips, man. (shoves CLIPS firmly)

CLIPS: What, bruv?!

DALTON: You need to chill, bruv, just fucking chill out, like.

Before CLIPS gets a chance to reply, SAMIR  re-enters the warehouse carrying a rucksack. He walks over to the three of them.

Enter SAMIR who shows the two boys the contents of the rucksack, fourteen thousand pounds in pink notes.

DALTON: All there, yeah?

SAMIR: Yeah, it’s all there, D, man counted it like three, four times, still.

CLIPS: My guy, Sam. (They hit fists)

SAMIR: This is what I do, fam. Best in ends.

CLIPS: Course, course. Now, D, set me the tool, fam. Lemme shoot this dickhead, man.

DALTON: Clips, man, I done already fucking told you no, bruv.

CLIPS: You know Bennett won’t even care if we dead him you know? If anything he’ll rate us man for it.

TERRY: You don’t need to kill me, I gave you your money, let me go.

CLIPS: Oi dickhead, I thought I didn’t have the balls, fam? What’s changed why you suddenly begging for, you pussy?

DALTON: Listen, we’re not deading man, init.

SAMIR: Fuck it, man. Just bell Bennett and see what he wants us to do.

CLIPS:  Fuck Bennett, man, fuck sakes, bruv. Let’s just fucking dead him, man!

TERRY: Bennett will just tell you to let me go, he’s got his fucking money!

CLIPS: Oi, Max Branning, shut up.

SAMIR: Yeah, D, this guy is mad annoying I say let Clips dead him, still.

DALTON: Mandem, listen to me one more time, no one is getting deaded off today.

CLIPS: D, bruv, you’re -

DALTON: FUCK IT, COME HERE, NOW, INIT! (DALTON grabs the two of them and takes them aside, away from TERRY and talks quietly by firmly) Listen, really fucking listen to me, mandem. No one is deading anyone today, you fucking get me? Ima go over to my man, I’m gunna chat to him and Ima let him go, if he pipes up, we rush him and spin out. Cool?

CLIPS: Look, fuck it. Whatever works faster, fam. I just wanna beat Nora, bruv, but still say we dead –

DALTON: Thomas, what did I say, what did I literally just fucking say, fam? What?

CLIPS: No one is deading anyone today, init.

DALTON: Sam. Sam, what did I just fucking say?

SAMIR: No one’s getting deaded.

DALTON: Now that we’ve blessed that, I’m gonna go over to my man and untie him, is that bless with you, yeah? Yeah? Safe. (DALTON walks over to TERRY, squats so they’re face to face)  Fam, Terry. I done told you already that I DON’T WANNA DEAD YOU, INIT. So mans gonna untie you and you’re not gonna try anything stupid or – (DALTON’S phone rings) Hold that thought, cuz.

DALTON answers the phone to Bennett, they go back and forth and when the call finishes, he goes back over to CLIPS and SAMIR

SAMIR: Who was that?

DALTON: Bennett, fam.

CLIPS: What did he say, bruv? Did you tell him you got the ps?

DALTON: Yeah

SAMIR: And what did he say, bruv?

DALTON: (Sighs deeply) He said dead Terry, fam.

A Tough Task by Robin Medina

ACT I SCENE I
The play starts in a dingy, rundown warehouse in North London. DALTON sitting on a fold out chair, across the room from him is a man tied with rope to another fold out chair, bruised and gagged with a sock and duct tape.



Enter CLIPS and SAMIR

DALTON: Fam, what took you man so long? (Hits fists with both of them)

CLIPS: What you on? You belled us and we came straight here, bruv.

DALTON: I belled you man an hour ago, cuz. Where the fuck were you man?

SAMIR: My yard, init.

DALTON: Your yard? You live fifteen minutes away on train, bruv.

SAMIR: I know, bruv. It’s my yard you know?

DALTON: So what took you man so long, you dickheads?

CLIPS: There was traffic, init.

DALTON: Traffic on a fucking train?

SAMIR: D, chill, man. We’re here now, init.

DALTON: You should’ve got here sooner, bruv, were you sucking Clips’ dick or suttin? Fuck sakes, bruv.

CLIPS: D, allow it, the mandem all know that’s your sister’s job. (Laughing with Samir)

DALTON: Ha, ha, ha. Keep making wack jokes and I’ll give that yout the strap and tie you to that chair, bruv. Come, man.

ALL THREE characters walk over to the tied up victim, TERRY

SAMIR: Who’s this breddah, fam?

DALTON: Terry suttin, dunno his full name like that.

CLIPS: Where’s he from?

DALTON: Round here init.

CLIPS: Never seen the breh before.

SAMIR: So wagwarn why’s man here anyways?

DALTON: He owes Bennett like twelve bags, init. He’s taking mad long to pay so Bennett’s man napped him and left him here.

CLIPS: So why are we here, bruv? Why didn’t they finish him?

DALTON: Bennett’s giving us a chance to move up, init. So we got 48 hours to get the twelve bags off him.

CLIPS: Oi, how the fuck are we supposed to get twelve bags off a guy tied to a chair in his boxers, man. Big man ting, Bennett always has us on some nonsense.

SAMIR: Fuck that, what does Bennett even want us to do if we can’t get the ps?

DALTON: We dead him, init. (TERRY begins to moan and scream muffled, but the boys ignore it for now)
CLIPS: Oi, bruv let’s just fucking light man up now, man. Who’s got time, about 48 hours, man? Bennett is moving drunk, like mandem ain’t got lives.

SAMIR: Real talk, bruv.

CLIPS: D, you’re a dunce for agreeing to this, as well, bruv.

DALTON: Why you man chatting like you actually have lives, cuz? All you man do is bun and play Fifa, bruv, shut up.

CLIPS: D, don’t even talk like that bruv, I’m supposed to be beating that Nora ting tonight, man.

SAMIR: Nora? What that ting from Brunel with the back?

CLIPS: Yeah, bruv, that ting, with the long hair and that.

SAMIR: Shit… yeah, D, you can’t even bump like that, this Nora ting is different, fam. She has like twenny k followers on insta.

DALTON: Man’s not tryna get Bennett mad just so this dickhead can go get his piece wet, chill with that, cuz. (TERRY continues to moan)

CLIPS: Fam, someone tell this prick to shut up, bruv! (CLIPS strikes TERRY)

SAMIR: D, give him the tool, man. Let him dead him.

DALTON: Mandem, chill, man.

CLIPS: Nah, D, you chill, man. I’m belling Bennett and telling man –

DALTON: Telling man what?! You’re gonna tell the biggest G in north, what? You can’t be asked for this job cah you wanna beat some Brunel ting? Allow it, Thomas, man’’

CLIPS: D, what have I done told you about using my government, man?

DALTON: Then stop waffling, cuz. You know we gotta do whatever he says.

CLIPS: Bruv, come we just fucking this breddah, man.

SAMIR: Nah, Clips, fuck it. D’s right, init. Do this Bennett’s way.

DALTON: Yes, bruv. Bennett’s way. Did you man even give man a chance to explain that Bennett says we can split the ps.

CLIPS: What? He’s letting us split the twelve bags?

DALTON: Yes, bruv, if you man weren’t chatting so much shit I would’ve had the chance to fucking explain.

SAMIR: Four bags each? Can’t lie that’s sounding healthy, still.

CLIPS: Mandem, nah, man. I need to go beat this Nora ting, man.

DALTON: Oi, fuck this Nora yat, man.

CLIPS: That’s what I’m tryna do, you dickhead.

DALTON: Stop being a prick, bruv. Why can’t you beat tomorrow?

CLIPS: Her parents ain’t at yard for tonight, tonight only, bruv. You think I’m a savage like Samir to be beating tings in parks and that. (SAMIR punches CLIPS on his arm as CLIPS laughs)
DALTON: My g, you are getting four bags off this job if it goes to plan, when that happens just book a hotel or suttin, bruv, stop pissing man off.

CLIPS: Fuck it. (CLIPS walks over to TERRY removes duct tape from his mouth)
TERRY: Listen, tell Bennett –

CLIPS: Oi, shut up, man! I’m tryna beat a ting tonight, init. Tell us where you’re keeping the ps so we can spin out bruv.

SAMIR: Clips, chill, man.

DALTON: Fuck this, lemme get the ps off this guy, man. Clips, move for a sec. (DALTON withdraws pistol from his waist, approaches TERRY and squats down so he is face to face with him)

TERRY: Listen, look, I have Bennett -

DALTON: Shh… shh. I’m talking here, big man. I don’t even wanna dead you, but these man feel different, you get me?

TERRY: I have his money, it’s in my safe at home.

DALTON: That don’t work for us, we need the ps here, b.

TERRY: I can give you the combination, there’s thirteen grand in there, Bennett can have the lot. (SAMIR pulls out his mobile phone)

DALTON: Yo, take this down. What’s the combo, cuz?

TERRY: 0161.

CLIPS: And your address, fam?

TERRY: N8 9DG, number 28.

SAMIR: Oi, you pussy. You live with anyone?

TERRY: I live alone, I’ll be just as surprised as you if there’s someone there.

SAMIR: How am I getting in, fam?

TERRY: My keys, there in my jeans over there. Look just tell Bennett to allow me, man. Please!

CLIPS: Oi what, you’re a big man you know, begging man and that. Shut up, man.

DALTON: Clips, chill, chill.

SAMIR: I got all the shit down, should I go grab the ps?

DALTON: Yeah do that, cuz.

CLIPS: I’ll go with him.

DALTON: You think I’m gonna let you go? Sam works better alone bruv, you’re a distraction.

CLIPS: D, fuck off anyways, man. always tryna call shots.

SAMIR: He's got a point, Clips, can't even lie. It'll be a quick ting though, fam.

DALTON: Exactly, fam. Listen to your boy.

CLIPS: Whatever, man. 

SAMIR: Yeah, yeah this guy’s yard is local still, I’ll be back in like half an hour. (SAMIR goes over to Terry and rummages through his removed clothes on the floor for keys, and finds them in his jeans pocket)

These will make it easier, init. Catch you man in a bit. D, ima bell you when I land there.


DALTON: Yeah, go quick fam, keep your head down, mind out for fed.