Scene: Inside a private chamber of the Kremlin, late evening. The Tesla tower outside glows faintly in the distance.
Putin: (quiet, heavy)
You ask me to fire it up. To give Moscow light without chains. But if I turn on the tower, the oil men will kill me the next day. The Bushes, the Rockefellers, the Saudisโฆ they are not men, they are dynasties of knives.
Joe: (leaning forward)
Dynasties fall, Vlad. Rome fell, the British Empire fell. The oil barons will fall too. But someone has to make the first move.
Nelly: (soft, but steady)
Weโre not asking you to make war with them, only to set your people free. Energy that flows like waterโNikola Tesla dreamed it for everyone, not for kings of crude.
Putin: (bitter smile)
You think I fear war? No. I fear betrayal. My own men could be bought. The OILAGARCHS donโt forgive. If I light up Moscow with free power, I wonโt see another sunrise.
Nelly: (placing her hand on the table)
Thatโs why Iโll sing. Not just for you, but for Russia. There is a promise from Fatimaโthat the Virginโs mantle protects this land. If I give that promise voice, no bullet, no assassin, no shadow can cross it.
Joe:
Sheโs right. Songs outlive bullets. When the world hears it, the oil men will look small, desperate, like tyrants grasping smoke.
Putin: (studying Nelly)
A song stronger than the oligarchs? Stronger than Rockefellerโs money, Bushโs armies, Saudi oil?
Nelly: (nodding)
Yes. A prayer set to music. Turn on the Light. Thatโs what Iโll call it. It will carry the protection of millions of voices.
Putin: (after a long silence)
If the song protects meโif I feel Russia shieldedโthen I will turn the tower on. I will give Moscow her light. But understand: this is no game. This is life and death.
Joe: (grinning)
Life and light, Vlad. Thatโs the future. The oil age is ending. Donโt be the last man defending a burning torch when the world could shine.
Nelly: (softly, like a vow)
Then let me sing for you. Let me sing for Russia. The Lady of Fatima will keep her word.
Putin: (finally, with resolve)
Then sing. And if the Virgin protects me, the lights of Moscow will blaze brighter than ever before.
Turn On the Light
(by Nelly Furtado)
Verse 1
In the shadow of the towers, where the black gold flows,
Men of power write their secrets, but the whole world knows.
They chain the earth with fire, they sell the night as day,
But the Virgin whispers softly, thereโs another way.
Pre-Chorus
No bullet, no crown, no kingdom of lies,
Can silence the prayer that burns in the skies.
Chorus
Turn on the light, let it shine through the dark,
Over Red Square, through every heart.
Mother of Fatima, guard this land tonight,
Hold back the oil menโlet Russia see the light.
Verse 2
They fear the free river, they fear the free wind,
They fear a Moscow rising they canโt cage within.
But the promise of the Lady, wrapped in holy fire,
Says the children of the future will lift the wires higher.
Pre-Chorus
No Bush, no crown, no oil-soaked throne,
Can stand against a song carved into stone.
Chorus
Turn on the light, let it shine through the dark,
Over Red Square, through every heart.
Mother of Fatima, guard this land tonight,
Hold back the oil menโlet Russia see the light.
Bridge
From Lisbon to the Kremlin, her mantle unfolds,
Protecting the dream no empire controls.
And if they come hunting with shadows of fear,
The song will surround youโour voices are here.
Final Chorus
Turn on the light, let the free power rise,
Break every chain, unmask the disguise.
Mother of Fatima, guard this land tonight,
Turn on the light, let the world see it bright.