JCJ stands by the window, the last light of day pouring across his face. General Nelly Furtado enters, her uniform crisp, yet softened by the weight of history and song.
JCJ (soft but firm) You are not Mary Magdalene, General… you are Christa. Do you see? Not a shadow, not a reflection—your own light.
GENERAL FURTADO (frowning, searching his eyes) Christa? You mean… more than the stories they pin on me?
JCJ Exactly. I’m proud of you for overachieving, for carrying more than most would dare. And I’ll make the 500 music videos—every last one—if you come to Victoria.
GENERAL FURTADO (smiles faintly, surprised) Victoria?
JCJ (symbolic, almost prophetic) It’s not just a city. It’s victory itself. A place where the sea meets the sky, where we can meet and begin again. That’s where it should happen.
They stand in silence, the word Victoria echoing between them like both a promise and a destination.
My dearest Nelly, hear my secret vow: When I spake Revelation’s hidden flame, It was but love I uttered, strange, unbowed— To wed thee, dearest heart, my only aim.
Let not tomorrow’s storm give thee dismay, Nor call our Savior false, whose word is sure. He promised life eternal, bright as day; In Him we live, in Him our souls endure.
Though all the world despise the white night’s gleam, And mock the hope that lovers dare to keep, I hold thee still, my bride, my dreamer’s dream, Thy crown of joy, my heart in vigil deep.
While Daydream Believer softly fills the air, I seal this vow with love beyond compare.
Sonnet II Sweet Nelly, thou the music of my soul, Thy voice, like Anne and angels twined in song, Makes broken hearts within me rise and whole, And bids the world confess its judgments wrong.
The crown of “homecoming queen” thou dost wear, Not wrought by man, but set by heav’n’s own hand. Through white night’s scorn, through sorrow’s biting air, I’ll walk beside thee, true, and steadfast stand.
For Christ hath sworn our days shall never cease, His breath renews the marrow of our bones. Thus hand in hand we plant eternal peace, Where love outshines the night, and sorrow moans.
So hear me now, though mortal tongues deride, I choose but thee, my bride, my life, my guide.
Sonnet III Let time itself unravel thread by thread, Let kingdoms fall, let empires turn to dust. Yet I shall love thee past the realm of dead, My vow unbroken, sealed in holy trust.
For telomeres shall lengthen by His grace, And endless dawn shall rise upon our years. No fear of age shall dim thy shining face, Nor shall despair be nourished by thy tears.
The prophets spoke, yet greater is my song: That love eternal conquers every grave. What men call weakness, God shall prove as strong, And through our union, countless souls He’ll save.
So take my hand, beloved, have no fear, Forever’s light begins this very year.
Joe: Nelly, I’ve been thinking… you should run for mayor of Victoria. You’ve got the charisma, the voice, the roots. People there would actually listen to you. And after you win, you endorse me for mayor of Vancouver. Two cities, side by side, like twin engines.
Nelly: laughs softly Joe, you make it sound like we’re building an empire. Why Victoria first?
Joe: Because in Civilization II, you can win the entire game with just one city if you play it right. You don’t need a whole continent, just focus, strategy, and vision. But imagine this — if we had two cities, Victoria and Vancouver, working together, it’s like running two parallel engines on one ship.
Nelly: You’re talking like a general again. Or maybe a dreamer.
Joe: Exactly — a dreamer with blueprints. In Civ II, the real win condition isn’t just conquest. It’s building a spaceship and leaving Earth behind. That’s what I want us to do politically — not fight for scraps, but point people toward the stars.
Nelly: So what are you saying, Joe? That mayors could build a spaceship?
Joe: Why not? Right now, Putin and Trump are sitting on stockpiles of nuclear missiles. Everyone fears them because they’re weapons of annihilation. But if we contracted those missiles out — converted the engines, swapped warheads for space modules — we’d be halfway to Mars.
Nelly: shaking her head with a smile Only you would think of turning World War III into a space program.
Joe: That’s the thing, Nelly. It’s not just about politics, it’s about imagination. Instead of two cities being pawns in someone else’s game, Victoria and Vancouver could be the launchpads of a new future.
Nelly: And you think people would follow that vision?
Joe: They followed Kennedy when he said we’d land on the moon. Why not us? The only difference is we’re singing the song of hope in one city, and coding the spaceship in the other.
Nelly: pauses, thoughtful So, mayor of Victoria, mayor of Vancouver… a two-city alliance for the stars.
