Деятельность 10 (Activity Ten)

Cillian Dempsey tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear and straightened the collar of his light blue dress shirt. Nodding to the cameraman, he hooked the headset and microphone over his ear. "Alright, people!" The cameraman shouted. "We're live in thirty seconds. Clear the area." Twenty seconds later, the area was cleared but for Cillian, the cameraman, and the director. "Ready," Cillian murmured into the microphone. "All right," the director shouted. "In five. Four. Three. Two." Then he gestured to Cillian.

Cillian smiled into the camera. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I am Cillian Dempsey and this is Public Plebeian Broadcasting, or PPB news." He took a few steps to the right as he gestured to the surrounding area. "The war between Mark Antony and Marcus Brutus is almost over. And why, you might ask? Marcus Brutus has been slain. Or rather, committed suicide. The complete story will come up in the next few minutes, but one of the main questions we've been asked since his death is 'Was Marcus Brutus actually honorable?'." Cillian grinned, his blue eyes giving off a ray of excitement. "The answer to that is simple. Yes, Marcus Brutus was an honorable man. When he killed Caesar, he did it not in a jealous rage. Rather, he did it because he thought it was best for his country. However, this is not a liable argument for killing someone, as he later found out." He nodded, and a man joined him in front of the camera. "Ladies and gentlemen," Cillian Dempsey said, putting an arm around the man's shoulders, "let me introduce to you the only witness of Marcus Brutus' death, Strato!"

Strato reached over and took Cillian's hand, giving it a hardy shake. "It's great to see you again, Cillian," Strato gushed, offering his charming smile to the crowd. "It's wonderful to see you too, Strato," Cillian replied, withdrawing his hand. "It's been a while. We would like to know what your opinion was of Marcus Brutus. Was he a traitor or an honorable man?"

"A bit of both," Strato began, scratching at gash along his hairline. "But he was as honorable as a man can be in the face of death. He knew that the battle was lost, and that he would soon be taken captive and paraded through the streets of Rome like an animal. So, as he and Cassius had discussed, he decided that suicide was the best response to this." "Really?" Cillian gaped, his blue eyes wide with interest. "Tell us more." "Well," Strato continued, "I'm sure you know that when Caius Cassius committed suicide, he had one of his own men kill him. And---" "And he covered his face like a bloody coward," Cillian Dempsey interrupted angrily. "Yes," Strato affirmed with a nod of his head. "But Brutus gave me his sword to hold toward him. Then he ran, literally, into the face of death." "So he ran onto his own sword?" Cillian asked, shocked. "Yes." He nodded again, his curly black hair swaying. "It was his way of escaping humiliation but still remaining honorable and brave in the face of death."

Cillian Dempsey turned back to the camera. "Well, there you have it, everyone. Marcus Brutus was indeed an honorable man." Looking into the camera with his deep blue eyes, he gave his signature closed-mouth smile before murmuring, "This is PPB News and I'm Cillian Dempsey, wishing you all a happy and healthy good night."