Episode 96: "In This Last of Meeting Places” – The Sheridan Tapes
CONTENT WARNING: Existential dread, discussions of war, violence, and murder, depictions of a dystopian police state, and depictions of grief and loss
????2020_06: Facing the possibility of finally rescuing Anna and bringing Morrison down, the Searchers make preparations for whatever end might come.
Starring Van Winkle as Sam Bailey, Ezra J. Wayne as Ned Leroux, Virginia Spotts as Kate Sheridan, Jesse Steele as Bill Tyler, Chris Martin as Robert Quincy, Maurice Cooper as Jerry Price, Sam Taylor as Ren Park, and Adrian Gibbs as Adrian Briggs, with original music by Jesse Haugen. Written and produced by Virginia Spotts, with dialogue editing and sound design by Van Winkle.
This episode was made possible by our supporters at Patreon.com/homesteadcorner, ko-fi.com/homesteadcorner, and our backers on Seed&Spark.
Script
Transcript
CONTENT WARNING: Existential dread, discussions of war, violence, and murder, depictions of a dystopian police state, and depictions of grief and loss.
[Jerry’s quiet living room]
[A heater blows nearby]
Sam Bailey
Ready?
[Squelching and electronic feedback builds to a crack]
Ned Leroux
How do I look?
Sam Bailey
Uh… the arms should be a little bit longer.
[Small squelching]
Sam Bailey
There, spot on. Oh — wait. Morrison’s officers don’t have mouths.
Ned Leroux
Ah, right.
[Another small squelch]
Ned Leroux (deeply muffled)
Like this?
Sam Bailey
Perfect. Although you may have a hard time not being a smart-ass while you’re out there.
[Squelching and ruffling of clothes as Ned transforms back into himself]
[Footsteps, he picks up a recorder]
Sam Bailey
What do you need that for?
Ned Leroux
I’ll transform around the recorder when I head out… hide it in my chest cavity. I’ve got a long walk to Oslow, and who knows… maybe I’ll leave something for you to listen to later.
Sam Bailey
Do you remember where to find Adrian? At the studio?
Ned Leroux
Of course.
[Pause]
Sam Bailey
What’s wrong, Ned?
Ned Leroux
Nothing. I mean… no, it’s silly. It’s just… Wearing the body of an officer… a soldier… it just feels… odd. I never had a problem with it before.
Sam Bailey
Odd how?
Ned Leroux
Like, uh… wrong, somehow.
Sam Bailey
That’s interesting.
Ned Leroux
I guess I just got used to wearing a face that… feels like it’s mine.
Sam Bailey
…yeah.
[Pause]
Sam Bailey
I’m… I’m glad you stayed.
Ned Leroux
Pardon?
Sam Bailey
When… when we were trapped in the rubble at Meriwether… you talked about how living is a choice. For people like us. And how there has to be a reason to stay. I don’t really know your reason, but… I’m glad you stayed.
Ned Leroux
You are?
Sam Bailey
I am, Ned. You’ve really… you’ve opened my eyes to… ugh, god.
Ned Leroux
Might as well say it, Sam. Doubt we’ll get many chances for a heart-to-heart before this thing really kicks off.
Sam Bailey
You’ve opened my eyes to what’s possible. Outside of a… you know, normal, human life. Maybe what’s possible for me too.
Ned Leroux
Damn. [Pause] I’m glad you stayed too, Sam. [Pause] But I think you’re still a god-awful liar. You know exactly why I stayed, don’t you?
Sam Bailey
Love.
Ned Leroux
I think so.
[Pause]
Sam Bailey
You ever gonna tell him?
Ned Leroux
Which one?
[Sam sputters, surprised]
[Ned laughs, bittersweet]
[Before Sam can reply, Ned walks to the door and transforms around the tape recorder]
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Main Theme]
Recording Begins
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static fades]
[Jerry’s quiet living room]
[The heater runs]
Sam Bailey
Thank you all for being here… helping me get a handle on the plan. My connection to the lake still feels strong, so I’m confident that my powers are still keeping Morrison’s prying ears away from this conversation. So… I’ll summarize what we’ve figured out over the past few loops.
One: Morrison’s power is physically growing. This has been confirmed independently by both Amanita and the projection of Anna. By the look of things, his influence will spread over Agate Shore lake by tomorrow evening. We’ve also realized that this will, unfortunately, also give him access to the power of the lake itself.
Two: Once he controls the lake, he could potentially accelerate his conquest with the fresh infusion of power. In the worst case scenario, he could reach Reno in a matter of days. From there, he would gain more and more land under his power, trapping and subjecting the people who live there to endlessly-repeating days and cruel demands of perfection… Unless he’s stopped.
Three: Under no circumstances can Morrison be allowed to continue past Agate Shore.
Four: Thanks to Maria’s tape and the projection of Anna, we also know that the well is currently manifesting in the form of Agate Shore Lake. This link between the two powers, along with my own personal connection to the lake itself, will allow me to bypass Morrison’s blockade and enter the Source. From there it’s up to me to find Anna in the correct time and place and pull her out of history.
Five… We know for certain that I find Anna. At least, based on what we’ve all seen and heard from Anna within the Source. I don’t have the heart to imagine what may happen if… if I don’t.
And finally: once the barrier passes over Agate Shore, Morrison will be able to perceive what’s happening there. As such, he needs to be distracted in order for me to safely enter the Source and retrieve Anna. Ned is taking charge on this point, which is why he disguised himself as one of Morrison’s “officers” to enter the city today and make the final preparations.
Alright. What am I forgetting?
[Click]
[Silence]
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static fades]
[Ned’s heavy footsteps on the streets of Oslow]
[A wind blows in the quiet streets from time to time]
[We hear him speaking internally to the tape recorder, his voice slightly echoing metallically]
Ned Leroux
–did anyone ever ask me if I wanted to do all this shapeshifting still? They didn’t. But “Ooh, Ned’s a shapeshifting monster, I bet he wouldn’t mind abandoning his newfound sense of self to imitate one of Morrison’s butchers.”
Fine. I don’t… totally mean that. Just venting. Sorry, Sam, I know the point of recording this was to make note of any relevant details around me. I’m only just now getting into the city. Haven’t seen any changes from our last visit yet.
But I meant to leave you with something good. For later.
I mean, if me and you are the heavyweights, and you’ll be entering the Source to find Anna… then yeah, that leaves me to deal with Morrison. Which, don’t get me wrong… I’m not complaining. Sure, I’ve been looking forward to getting my pound of flesh from that fucker, but more than that… it feels necessary. Like a way to clear my name. Not for other people, but… for me.
But I’m also the only one here who even can get close enough to him when the time comes, and my shapeshifting is… [he sighs] It’s the key to that.
[Pause, he laughs]
I remember back when I was in France, all those many years ago. Well I should say, the second time I was in France. I was killed in the Revolution, actually. A rather thrilling way to go, although finding my pretty little head after all that mess was a nasty bit of work.
Or, uh, when I joined the Crusades. I was swimming in blood. I died so many times on that battlefield before easing myself back together, it’s a wonder the rumors never really caught on. I suppose too many people were dying back then for a ghost story like that to spread too far.
And then of course, there was that first real cold that I experienced, not long after my birth. When I found myself frozen in ice and snow, unable to move for months on end. I had the body of the hunter then, the first person I’d ever killed. I looked human… but when my skin cracked in the cold, I didn’t have blood to lose to the hungry earth. I simply laid there until I thawed. Even that was a taste of death. A taste of boring, unending nothingness. Frozen there, like the very bottom of Dante’s hell.
That experience hardened me. Made me feel invincible. Un-moveable. If I couldn’t die, I was free to collect experiences like stamps on a passport. I could do anything and everything that a being could ever hope to want. I had the one thing humans had slaughtered each other over the millennia to try and find… just a little bit more time. And yet…
Immortality is miserable. I hate to call the poets right, but they are. The existence of death — of an expiration date for all living things — makes life that much more… potent. Meaningful. And I suppose… in all my near-death experiences… [growing noise of organized boots on the street] all my war, my subjugation, my violence… I kept trying to recreate that awful, beautiful tension.
[In the distance, a citizen cries out in panic]
[The sound of boots fades]
[Ned tenses up in anger]
The sooner we’ve sorted this mess, the better.
I’ve sent people to their deaths firsthand over and over again… but I don’t wish to forget. If I were to forget their deaths, I’d forget the responsibility that I feel now.
Shit, I had a point before, what was it?… [pause as he thinks] I’ve spent so much time around death that it almost became an afterthought… or less than that. I didn’t think of it at all, most of the time. It was enough to dull my horror of the thought of being dissolved back into the Source.
But then, I found myself back in there. With Sam, and Bill, and Rob. The Source of all that was and… all that jazz. And I guess I saw a new side of it. Maybe before, I didn’t have enough me to really appreciate what the Source actually is. Or what it can be.
[slight laugh] Maybe I was literally too fluid, before. I’d never had a face that I actually wanted to stick. But this one… this one is loved. And that’s something new.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[The sound of Jerry’s heater]
[Kate sighs]
Kate Sheridan
Alright… now that we’ve got that figured out, it’s time to decide who’s going where.
Bill Tyler
Rob and I want to go with Ned. To Oslow.
Robert Quincy
We know we can’t do what Ned can, but we can at least be there as backup.
Jerry Price
I don’t know how I feel about you being so close to the action like that. It’s going to be dangerous.
Robert Quincy
It’s gonna be dangerous no matter where we are. I don’t think we’d be able to…
Bill Tyler
Look, this could be it, Jerry. If we don’t stand with Ned now, we don’t get another chance. And after everything he’s done…
Robert Quincy
After everything you all did to get us back… to fix all of this… There’s no way I could just stay behind and wait for a call. Not again.
Bill Tyler
We’re not letting Ned go alone.
[Jerry sighs]
Jerry Price
Fine. Then I guess I’d better not let you go alone either.
Kate Sheridan
That makes sense to me. I know I don’t need to tell you to stay—
Bill Tyler
Stay safe? You got it, Katey.
Kate Sheridan
Thank you. [Pause, deep breath] I want to go with Sam. I want to be there, as a… a marker for Sam and Anna, so they can find their way out.
Ren Park
I’ll go with Kate too. I’m no use in a straight fight, and I can keep a lookout for us at the lake… man the radio and all that.
Sam Bailey
Wait. I just realized… once I enter the Source, I won’t be able to shield the lake from Morrison’s senses anymore.
Kate Sheridan
Well, there’s… there’s no other way, Sam. We’ll just have to hope Ned’s team can keep him distracted long enough for you to find Anna… or… outlast whatever comes our way if not.
Ren Park
That’s all we can do, Kate — Hope.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Footsteps on the streets of Oslow]
[Creak of metal as Ned opens a door, then it slams behind him]
[The buzz of fluorescents]
[Adrian’s muffled voice]
Adrian Briggs (muffled)
—for his streets will be paved with obsidian, silver, and sapphires. And your Lord’s light shall fill the city at all times.
[Ned sighs and slouches]
Ned Leroux
This officer suit is itchy.
[Footsteps approach and stop further down the hallway]
Ned Leroux
Shit…
[Ned stands up straight, breathing hard]
[He talks internally to himself]
Ned Leroux
They know something’s up… what do I do what do I do what do I… maybe they’ll go away if I just… salute them?
[A sharp, fast salute]
[A tense pause]
[The officers leave]
Adrian Briggs (muffled)
And no one shall be in want in this great city, for those who find themselves in want are not fit vessels for our lord’s mercy.
And behold, Oslow, this great city, shall rise from the dust of ignominy to become the capital of his great kingdom to come. Rejoice. Rejoice. Rejoice.
[Adrian’s speech ends, and Ned walks up to the door, knocking quietly]
[Adrian hesitates, then opens the door]
Adrian Briggs
Hello officer, what…
[Ned pushes past him, closes the door, and transforms into himself]
[Adrian reacts quietly in fear]
Ned Leroux
Aaah, that’s better.
Adrian Briggs
What in the—
Ned Leroux
Listen, I don’t have much time, so I’ve gotta cut to the chase. We’re going to be back in the city tomorrow, around sunset.
Adrian Briggs
Is it… is it time?
Ned Leroux
It’s time. Let’s chat.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
Sam Bailey
Well… I think we’ve talked through just about everything we can. Now it’s time to… do whatever you need to get done. Or want to. Whatever you need to prepare for tomorrow.
[Bill and Rob stand]
Bill Tyler
Thanks, Sam. We’ll be in our room, if anyone needs us.
Robert Quincy
Come on, Billy.
[They retreat]
[Jerry stands with a groan]
Jerry Price
Come on, Russel. Time for a walk. [Russel wakes, panting in excitement] Let’s make sure there aren’t any more dumbass “paranormalists” who’ve gotten themselves stuck out here.
[Russel’s panting, collar jingling, nails tapping on floor]
[They leave through the front door]
[Kate whispers to herself]
Kate Sheridan
If things were at all way they should be, this is the time I’d call Peter. God, I miss him.
[Sam leans forward]
Sam Bailey
Listen, Kate… you know I’m not very good at… goodbyes…
Kate Sheridan
Sam Bailey, you will not say goodbye to me.
Sam Bailey
But if it all goes—
Kate Sheridan
No, you will not. Either we survive this and the goodbyes won’t be needed, or we… die… without letting go of hope.
[Brief pause]
Ren Park
I agree, for what it’s worth. And you know, since we’re still stuck in some sort of time anomaly, that “goodbye” couldn’t be held too tightly anyway.
Kate Sheridan
What do you mean?
Ren Park
I guess my ultimate belief in this moment is that… reality doesn’t exist until you measure it. So in a poetic sense, or a quantum one… in this moment, we may really be saying goodbye. But if we never see the end arrive… if we’re erased? Goodbye never has to happen.
Sorry, forgot to mention… I took my last edible about an hour ago.
[Kate and Sam laugh, genuinely tickled]
Sam Bailey
Not the last edible…
[Ren laughs with them for a moment]
[They fall silent again]
Kate Sheridan
That sounds like a dark way of looking at the world, Ren.
Ren Park
Dark isn’t all bad. I’ve spent my career dancing around concepts of darkness. Dark matter… Dark energy… empty space… There’s such a world of mystery in that. I’m in awe of it. I have to believe that when we finally learn what’s hiding at the heart of that mystery, it’ll revolutionize everything… Humanity’s identity. Our collective conscious. Existence.
I believe we’ll get there, someday. That humanity will. That’s what Dana believed, at least.
Sam Bailey
Did you figure out how to access the black box?
Ren Park
I did. It was… [He gets choked up and sighs]
Dana gave her life to try and stop Morrison. He killed everyone in the observation post, but she was the one who blew it up in the end. Tried to take him out with her. And it got me thinking…
Whether we die tomorrow, or 60 years from now… as the particles that make us up dissolve back into the great energy and matter soup of the universe… maybe we’ll get to experience the magic of being understood and witnessed. By other humans in the future, or maybe by other beings. That future may hold a kind of magic… a kind of science… that we could never dream of.
I hope that transition into death won’t come for any of us, not for a long time to come. But the way I see it, it’s all a mystery. And it’s all beautiful. And it’s all neverending.
Kate Sheridan
…Is that your way of saying that you love us?
Ren Park
I suppose it is.
[Kate sniffles, laughing lightly in deep emotion]
Sam Bailey
Thank you Ren. I love all of you, too.
[Sam’s footsteps, leaving the room]
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Strong buzz of fluorescents]
[A clock ticks on the wall]
Ned Leroux
That’s the monitor with the live feed of Morrison’s podium?
Adrian Briggs
It is. I’ve never had any connection issues. Guess that makes sense — if you control the whole city, you can certainly make sure the wifi works.
Ned Leroux
One single clap for our maniacal overlord.
Adrian Briggs
Here here.
Ned Leroux
So you have that feed for…
Adrian Briggs
Cueing music, announcing his speeches… that sort of stuff.
Ned Leroux
Do officers ever accompany Morrison onto the podium?
Adrian Briggs
Usually one or two, at least.
Ned Leroux
Alright. That’s how we’re gonna do this then. I’ll be disguised, like you saw earlier. Take out an extra officer if I have to, then… stand with Morrison on the podium during his speech. Once he’s finished, I’ll follow him off, flash you a signal as I leave, and then… you gettin’ this?
Adrian Briggs
What’s the signal? [Rustle of fabric as Ned does a “rock on” gesture] Rock on. Classic.
Ned Leroux
Wait until Morrison is back in the ziggurat. Then… broadcast some music over the radio for me.
Adrian Briggs
What music?
Ned Leroux
I was thinking the 1812 Overture, if you’ve got it.
Adrian Briggs
I like you man, but you scare me. [brief pause] Are we gonna talk about the shapeshifting?
Ned Leroux
We both make it out of this alive, I’ll tell you anything you want.
Adrian Briggs
Word.
Ned Leroux
So. Once you play that music, that signals the other half of our team to move. It is… vital… that Morrison is distracted at that point.
Adrian Briggs
Hm. What’s your plan for that?
Ned Leroux
I trust you enough to know you want out of this situation and you’re willing to help… but uh, I can’t give you that info. I sense that you would buckle far too easily under, uh… under torture.
[Heavy pause]
Adrian Briggs
Oh.
Ned Leroux
You know, hypothetically.
Adrian Briggs
Of… of course.
Ned Leroux
Not saying it will definitely happen.
Adrian Briggs
Nah, for sure. [Choked laugh; pause] So… what is supposed to happen to… to me, once I play an unauthorized song on Morrison’s radio station?
[Pause]
Ned Leroux
How fast can you run?
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[A nighttime wind blows in the desert]
Sam Bailey
I guess I should probably say something… never turned this recorder off.
You know, I… I don’t know what to add. Not at this point. It’s the calm before the storm. Again. There’s been a lot of storms this last year.
[Pause]
What will I do if this all actually works out? Obviously if it doesn’t… well, that’s that. But if it does…
Finding Anna was my reason for staying.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Ned’s footsteps approach Jerry’s house]
[Bill calls out from afar]
[The desert wind at night]
Bill Tyler
Ned! Rob, Ned’s back! He’s back!
[Squelching and electronic distortion as Ned transforms back into himself]
Robert Quincy
You okay? No issues in the city?
[Ned catches the recorder and embraces them]
Ned Leroux
I missed you two. [He steps back] You both got some rest while I was gone, right?
Robert Quincy
We sure did.
Bill Tyler
Is it all set?
Ned Leroux
It is.
[Slight pause]
Robert Quincy
Ned… what’s going on? Your eyes look…
Ned Leroux
It’s nothing.
Robert Quincy
No. Come on, Ned. I’ve dealt with stubborn types before. If we’re all walking into certain danger and likely death tomorrow… this isn’t the time to keep things to yourself.
Bill Tyler
Listen, whatever it is, we can handle it. We’ve dealt with just about the worst shit a person can go through. We can take it.
[A scared half-laugh escapes Ned]
Ned Leroux
You really wanna know? I’ve known for weeks now. Maybe longer.
Bill Tyler
Look, we can wake the others if—
Ned Leroux
I’m in love with you, Bill.
[Slight pause]
And Rob? I hope you don’t hate me for that, because I care about you, too. It’s different than how I feel about Bill, but… I care.
[No response]
Look, it’s not enough to say I’ve done a bunch of things the wrong way. And not just to you two. I’ve used people, strung people along, been married or pledged dozens of times – sometimes to more than one person, sometimes being more than one person myself.
[Slight pause]
Bill Tyler
So… you’ve sorta… been through this before? This… more than one person thing?
Ned Leroux
Not at all. I’ve… never been in love before I met you.
Robert Quincy
Ned… I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.
Bill Tyler
I… I don’t know…
Ned Leroux
I don’t need you to feel the same way Bill, not really. I certainly don’t want you to pretend.
I don’t know if you remember this, but… when I was… not-Ned… the first time we met, you actually tried to shoot me. [He laughs]
Bill Tyler
[He laughs] Damn. I guess you’re right…
Ned Leroux
But I was so different then. Even when I chose this face and started calling myself Ned, I still felt like that old version of me.
And then I met you. And… we had an immediate sort of bond. You made me feel like… like a real person. And I betrayed that. I betrayed you. And I’ve come to deeply… deeply regret that. So much so that my whole being began to change.
And Rob, you… well, the first thing we had in common was how much we loved Bill. But I recognize a kind of strength in you… a goodness. And it… it made me want to be…
[He tries to find the words, realizes he already has them]
…to Be.
That’s what made it impossible for me to leave you to your fate in the Source. I had to know… even if only for a little bit, what would have become of Orpheus if he’d made it out with his Eurydice. Or… Eurydices? Ah, God, the metaphor is breaking down. Um… uh…
[A hand on Ned’s shoulder, and then another hand]
Bill Tyler
Listen… I don’t know how this works, I… I feel like I shouldn’t but… I love you too, Ned.
[He looks over at Rob nervously]
Is that okay?
Robert Quincy
[He laughs warmly] Ned… I… maybe I don’t feel the same way Bill does about you, but…
Well, Bill, we’re practically at the end of the world. If you want him in your life… in our life, then that’s how it’s going to be. I have to admit that it feels good having Ned around. And it feels good to hear it all said out loud. You two aren’t half as subtle as you think you are.
[Bill and Ned laugh, somewhat uneasily]
Maybe this is crazy, but… but I trust you Ned. I don’t know how I couldn’t, after what you did for us. After how we’ve all seen you change… Ned isn’t just another mask. He’s you.
[Ned exhales in relief and elation, and then cries, turning dark and heavy]
Bill Tyler
Big day tomorrow.
Ned Leroux
It is.
Robert Quincy
I’m guessing we’ve got a little over an hour until midnight.
Ned Leroux
[He sighs] And everything resets.
[Pause]
[Bill leans in and kisses Ned]
Bill Tyler
Not everything. [Thunder rumbles in the distance] Let’s get you inside, huh?
Ned Leroux
[Rapture] …Okay.
[The three of them walk back to the house]
[Clack]
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