Episode 98: "On the Strangest Sea” – The Sheridan Tapes
CONTENT WARNING: Strong existential dread, despair, and unreality, character betrayal, gun violence, character death, doppelgängers, pyrophobia, depictions of loss and grief, mentions of a child drowning, character injury, and loud noises including explosions and screams
????2020_07b: Sam and Anna attempt to navigate the infinite chaos of the Source and find their way home…
Starring James Cain as Peter Slate, Van Winkle as Sam Bailey, Airen Neeley Chaconas as Anna Sheridan, Mike Kennedy as Edgar Morrison, Clayton Currie as Andrew Sheridan, Josh Rubino, Marcus Rothenberg, and Phillipe Bosher as the scientists, Sarah Karnes as Lara Smith, Meredith Nudo as Amy Sterling, Virginia Spotts as Kate Sheridan, Amitola Lomas as Maria Sol, Sam Taylor as Ren Park, Maurice Cooper as Jerry Price, Jesse Steele as Bill Tyler, Chris Martin as Robert Quincy, Ezra J. Wayne as Ned Leroux, and Adrian Gibbs as Adrian Briggs, with original music by Jesse Haugen. Written by Van Winkle 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: Strong existential dread, despair, and unreality, character betrayal, gun violence, character death, doppelgängers, pyrophobia, depictions of loss and grief, mentions of a child drowning, character injury, and loud noises including explosions and screams
[The waves of Agate Shore]
[Cold wind blowing]
[Peter shivers and zips his jacket tighter]
Peter Slate
I don’t care how cold it gets, I’m not leaving… Katey needs me here. I’m not leaving… not until this is over.
[A raven is scared into flight]
[Distant rumbling]
[He remembers a poem, and recites]
“Hope” is the thing with feathers —
That perches in the soul —
And sings the tune without the words —
And never stops — at all —
And sweetest — in the Gale — is heard —
And sore must be the storm —
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm —
I’ve heard it in the chillest land —
And on the strangest Sea —
Yet — never — in Extremity,
It asked a crumb — of me.
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Main Theme]
Recording Begins
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static fades]
[The eerily echoing waters of the Source]
[Sam’s voice fades back in, where we left them last time]
Sam Bailey
[The only thing the loop required was that I pull you] out of time at the right moment. Now that you’re here… the loop is closed. We’re on our own.
Anna Sheridan
What does that mean?
Sam Bailey
It means that unless I can find a way out…
…Then we’re trapped in here. Forever.
[Brief pause]
Anna Sheridan
…what do you mean, we’re trapped?
Sam Bailey
I mean we’re trapped, Anna. Without a guide, there’s no way we can find our way back to the right time.
Anna Sheridan
But you’ve done this before, right?
Sam Bailey
I mean… I’ve gone into the Source before, but…
Anna Sheridan
So you’ve been able to get out those other times, right? How did you do it then?
Sam Bailey
Well… those other times I basically… astral projected into this place, I guess. I just returned to my physical body where I left it, but I can’t really do that—
Anna Sheridan
So why can’t you just get us out of here that way?
Sam Bailey
Because, the last place I existed physically was in Morrison’s tunnels, right before he was about to shoot you. You want to go back there, huh?
Anna Sheridan
Listen, dickhead — I’m just trying to find a solution here, unlike some people.
Sam Bailey
Right… right. I’m sorry, that was out of line. It’s just… we need to be careful in here. It’s… well to be perfectly honest, it’s about the most dangerous place we could possibly get lost in.
Anna Sheridan
Doesn’t look that dangerous to me… at least, not compared to the tunnel with the murderous police chief.
Sam Bailey
That’s why it’s dangerous. The Source plays tricks on you… Distorts your senses.
Anna Sheridan
Like… how that door just seemed to appear out of nowhere?
[Sam takes a few steps in the sand to look]
Sam Bailey
Oh. No, that’s actually pretty normal in here… they’re weak points in the veil, places and times where the Source starts to… leak through into other universes.
Anna Sheridan
So… there’s a chance one of them might lead back to our world?
Sam Bailey
A snowball’s chance… there’s a lot of universes out there.
Anna Sheridan
But I mean… there’s no harm in trying, right?
Sam Bailey
Not… exactly. But still, just be careful… There’s no telling what could be on the other side.
[Anna moves towards the door]
Anna Sheridan
Well if it’s dangerous, I’ll close the—
[Anna opens the door and immediately cries out]
[A swirling, roaring vortex of energy pours through the open door, pushing the handle out of her hand]
Sam Bailey
Anna! Anna close it! Close it, NOW!
Anna Sheridan
I’m trying! I can’t get to the handle, it’s not…
[She tries and fails to get up]
[Another wave of energy, Sam gets knocked off his feet]
[The grunt of other people grunt as they tumble through the door]
[The sound of falling on sand]
[Anna struggles]
Sam Bailey
[Voice distorting slightly] Anna, close the door!
[Anna struggles to her feet, reaches the door, and stops when she hears the voices beyond]
Edgar Morrison (from the past)
Goddammit Sheridan, shut it down! Shut the fucking thing down!!
Andrew Sheridan (from the past)
I’m trying! The controls aren’t responding!!
Anna Sheridan
…dad?
[Sam rushes up, grabs the door, and shoves it closed with a pained grunt]
[The wind and chaos stops]
Anna Sheridan
What are you doing?
[Anna pushes Sam to the ground and pulls the door open again]
[The hinges creak, nothing is there]
Anna Sheridan
Where… why did you do that? That was our way back!
[Sam rises again]
Sam Bailey
No, it wasn’t.
Anna Sheridan
What do you mean? I saw my dad — I saw him!
Sam Bailey
You’re right… that was your dad. That was our universe. But it wasn’t the right time.
Anna Sheridan
What the fuck are you talking about, Bailey?
[The people who fell through earlier are heard subtly, rising and shifting]
Sam Bailey
You three. Who are you? Where did you come from?
Scientist 1
I could ask you the same question, sir.
Sam Bailey
You first.
Scientist 2
That information is classified, friend — unless you’ve got clearance, I suggest you stop asking questions.
Sam Bailey
I’m sorry, my mistake. Could one of you at least be kind enough to tell me the date? I’m afraid my friend and I have been… away for a while.
Scientist 3
It’s July 12th.
Sam Bailey
…and what’s the year?
Scientist 3
1978. Who are you?
Sam Bailey
[Distortion rises] No one. Forget you even see us.
[Distortion falls again]
[Sam turns back to Anna]
Sam Bailey
Do you get it now? Do you understand what I’m saying?
Anna Sheridan
Who are they? What did you do to them?
Sam Bailey
They’re the scientists your father worked with in Nevada. The ones who disappeared under mysterious circumstances during one of their experiments.
Anna Sheridan
They’re… but that means…
Sam Bailey
Congratulations Anna… you just made history.
[Low, moaning roar from afar]
[Thundering footfalls from afar]
Scientist 1
What in the blazes is that?
Scientist 2
Sounds like it came from that way.
Anna Sheridan
What’s happening?
Sam Bailey
The Guardian… it’s like an immune system for the Source. It hunts down things and people who aren’t supposed to be here and destroys them. It must have caught our scent when the door was opened — come on!
Anna Sheridan
Listen, guys.
Scientist 3
Whoa, easy there kid — keep your distance.
Anna Sheridan
You need to come with us… there’s something hunting you, and we need to stick together if we want to—
Scientist 1
He told you to stay back, miss… and we’re not going anywhere with you, not unless you show some identification.
Scientist 2
We need to get moving, Doctor… come on.
[The three scientists turn and begin walking quickly down the black sand beach]
[Their footfalls fade in the distance]
Anna Sheridan
Wait… wait!
Sam Bailey
Don’t bother, Anna.
Anna Sheridan
But they’re going straight towards that thing!
Sam Bailey
I know.
Anna Sheridan
Then why the hell don’t you do something—
Sam Bailey
Because they’ve been missing for close to 40 years, Anna. Even if we bring them out of the Source with us… even if we could, they wouldn’t have a life to go back to. Right now, we need to focus on getting ourselves out of here.
[Brief pause]
Anna Sheridan
…shit.
Sam Bailey
Yeah. That about sums it up.
[Sam and Anna turn and begin running in the sand]
[Click]
[Silence]
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static recedes]
[Battle chaos]
[The 1812 Overture is heard on the street speakers]
[Officers being taken down with hisses as they fall]
[Lara fires her rifle from the top of a building]
[Marching]
[The sound of Amanita’s soldiers, distantly, turning Morrison’s officers]
[Lara ducks]
Lara Smith
Shit, I think I hit one of Amanita’s boys… hard to tell them apart up here…
[Lara swaps out the clip on her rifle, racks the charging handle, then stands and fires, hitting her targets]
[She cries out]
[She ducks again]
Ammo’s running low… gonna need to make a run for the cache real soon… Bombs are still there, that might just even things up a—
[The door on the roof flies open, officers pour out]
[Lara cries out]
[She fires on them]
[Calling down to street level] Amanita! Amanita, I need a little help up here!
[Officers advance on her]
[Calling down] Amanita! Amanita, where are you—?
[The battle below has quieted]
[She hears metal squeal and creak as manhole covers below close back up, the Oraculites retreating]
No no no… where are you going, you can’t just leave me up here?!
[Officers continue to advance on Lara]
[She finally fires back at them, hitting a few]
[Out of ammo, she pulls a Molotov cocktail off her belt and lights it]
You want me? Come and get me you fuckers!!
[She throws it, the flames erupt on them]
[They burn, the fire starting to spread to the building]
[Footsteps from below, coming her way]
Damn you, Amanita… damn you.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Sam and Anna’s running footsteps on the beach slow down]
[They’re out of breath]
Anna Sheridan
Wait… hold on, just give me a second.
Sam Bailey
We need to keep moving, Anna.
Anna Sheridan
Just — let me catch my breath… fuck, it feels like I’ve been running for hours.
Sam Bailey
Does it?
[Brief pause]
[Anna and Sam both sound normal now]
Anna Sheridan
…no — no, actually I… I can’t tell how long we’ve been running.
Sam Bailey
Sounds like you’re not as out of breath as you thought you were, either.
Anna Sheridan
Neither are you. [Pause] What’s going on, Bailey? Is something wrong?
Sam Bailey
Anywhere else… yeah. But in the Source? Time doesn’t really exist — it just feels like it’s passing because our brains are trying to put these events in a logical order. And it’s not your lungs or your legs that move you around in here, it’s more… intention. Energy. Focus.
Anna Sheridan
So it’s all just… psychosomatic?
Sam Bailey
Huh. Yeah, I guess that would be the word for it.
Anna Sheridan
So… if time doesn’t actually pass here, then why the rush?
Sam Bailey
It’s… it’s complicated. The more you… touch the Source… the more contact you have with it, the more you seem to lose… parts of yourself. Your energy. It wears away at your mind, your identity, and… Eventually, you just stop existing in any world… that is, unless you’re very lucky and have enough people who remember you on the other side of the veil.
[Pause]
Anna Sheridan
Hey… [Anna takes a few steps forward] Look at this.
Sam Bailey
Look at what? It’s just another door.
Anna Sheridan
I know, but… it feels familiar, somehow. I think I’ve seen it before.
[She continues moving towards it]
Sam Bailey
Anna… Anna, wait — you know what happened last time.
Anna Sheridan
I’m not going to open it, Bailey… I’m just getting a closer look.
Sam Bailey
Just… be careful. Please.
[She takes a few more steps, then stops at the door]
[Muffled voice beyond]
Anna Sheridan
Holy shit.
Sam Bailey
What is it?
Anna Sheridan
It’s one of the doors in my house… the one to the closet in the upstairs hallway.
Sam Bailey
The linen closet?
Anna Sheridan
I… I guess. [She listens closely, we hear the voice a little clearer] Oh my god… I think I can hear Kate.
[Sam rushes to her]
Sam Bailey
Anna, listen to me — you need to answer her. She needs to see you, and you need to tell her to find me and Maria.
Anna Sheridan
What? Why?
Sam Bailey
Because it’s already happened, and that’s how she started looking for you. If this doesn’t happen, then I don’t make it here… none of this happens without her.
Anna Sheridan
Well… okay. [She places her head against the door and listens, repeating Kate’s words] “…There are some places better left alone, some doors better left unopened — But I’ve never much cared for other people’s advice. I’d rather see for myself.”
Kate Sheridan (very muffled)
Hello? Is someone there?
[Sam backs away from Anna]
Sam Bailey
Sorry about this.
Anna Sheridan
Wha—?
[The door opens]
[A wave of energy throws Anna backwards, where she lands amongst the waves]
[Kate’s voice continues in the background]
Sam Bailey
Shit… Anna? Are you alright?
Amy Sterling
Don’t worry, Sam… she’s exactly where she needs to be.
Sam Bailey
Amy? What are you doing here?
Amy Sterling
Hm. I could ask you the same question. This is Anna’s moment with Kate. Seems to me like your presence would… needlessly confuse things.
Sam Bailey
Shit.
Amy Sterling
This way… let’s get out of their hair before Kate notices us.
[Sam follows Amy down the beach]
Kate Sheridan (from the past)
…I’d swear this was the ocean, but there’s something about it that’s… Anna?
[The sounds of their conversation fade beneath the quiet sound of waves]
[Sam and Amy stop]
Amy Sterling
There we are… we should be out of earshot, and I think Kate will be too preoccupied with her vanished sister to notice us.
Sam Bailey
She should be… Kate didn’t mention seeing anyone else on that tape.
Amy Sterling
And her history remains unblemished. How privileged she is.
Sam Bailey
Wait… how do you know my name? You said you met Anna before you spoke to Kate and I, so how do you already know who I am—?
Amy Sterling
Oh Bailey, Bailey, Bailey… stuck in your old linear conception of time yet again. Everything that has occurred has already happened, and will already happen, and is already happening again.
And to be perfectly honest, I knew who you were before we met. I’d already been watching you for a long time, Bailey… observing your timeline, and waiting for just the right moment.
Sam Bailey
…the right moment for what?
Amy Sterling
Please, try not to take this personally.
[Amy grabs Sam’s collar and drags him away from Anna]
[Sam struggles against it]
Sam Bailey
What the—let me go Amy, let me go! Anna! Anna, help!
Amy Sterling
She can’t hear you, Bailey… it’s already happened, and she doesn’t save you.
Sam Bailey
Amy, what the hell are you doing—?.
[Sam stops thrashing as Amy pulls another door open with a creak]
Sam Bailey
Amy, you can’t do this, I need to get Anna out of the Source, and I can’t find her again if you—
[Amy throws Sam through the door, and he lands with a grunt]
[The door shuts behind him]
[He stands and bangs at the door]
[The sound of a small desert town at night]
Sam Bailey
Amy! Amy, open this door, you don’t understand! Amy! Amy!!
[He pounds on it again, then tumbles forward as the door dissolves with a sound like hissing air]
[Sam stays on the ground for a moment]
…shit.
[He stands with a grunt, then looks around, confused]
I’m… I’m back in Oslow. This is my old apartment building.
[He walks on the dirt, then climbs the metal stairs up to his door, moving slowly for a long time]
[He begins to hear someone through the wall, then stops with a gasp at the faint sound of a gun being cocked]
[He moves cautiously]
[His nerves catch up with him, and he backs down the stairs slowly and cautiously]
[He reaches the ground again]
Sam Bailey
Shit… well, at least I know when I am. Makes sense Amy would send me here… this is the night I first listened to the tape about her. [Pause] And she’s still in there. With Anna. [Longer pause] What the hell do I do now?
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Kate crying in panic]
[Maria working rope around Kate’s arms and legs]
Kate Sheridan
No, no Maria, please… please, he’s drowning, you can’t do this…
[Kate occasionally tries pushing against the ropes]
Maria Sol
Yes I can Kate… thankfully my dad’s training included learning how to tie knots as well as how to get out of them.
Kate Sheridan
You need to let me save Andrew, he can’t swim, he’s going to die if I don’t—
Maria Sol
—For the last time Kate, Andrew isn’t here. He’s in Toronto, with your family. What you’re seeing out there is a trap from Morrison.
Kate Sheridan
[Sobbing] No… please… let me go…
[Maria stands and looks around]
Maria Sol
Ren? Ren, where are you?
Ren Park
I’m here Maria, I’m right here!
Maria Sol
Ren!!
[Maria walks away, unable to see or hear him]
Ren Park
What the fuck is happening?
[Another version of Ren appears, his voice echoing unnaturally]
Ren Park (Other)
A test, Doctor Park — an assessment of our fitness for life in the god-king’s new world. Surely, you must be used to those by now.
[Ren scoffs]
Ren Park
Really? A doppelganger? You think that’s what’s going to scare me, after everything I’ve been through?
Ren Park (Other)
Not really. But it was the best he could do at short notice. Anna and Kate both have histories in Agate Shore to pull nightmares from… you brought only yourself. Although… in your current state, that’s probably more than enough to break your spirit.
Ren Park
What about Dana? Why didn’t Morrison conjure up a specter of my guilt wearing her face?
Ren Park (Other)
…our lord is somewhat… hesitant, to be reminded of that woman.
Ren Park
Understandably so.
Ren Park (Other)
In any case, the god-king didn’t need you broken… not yet, at least. Just… out of the way, while he plays out his torments for both of your companions.
Ren Park
…What do you mean, both of them?
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Maria’s footsteps, still searching for Ren]
Maria Sol
Ren! Ren, talk to me buddy — where are you?
[Foliage ahead of her rustles as someone steps out]
You… no, it can’t be you… Sam killed you, you’re not real—
Anna Sheridan (Other)
Oh Maria… I’ve missed you so, sooo much.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[The waves and wind of the Source]
[Waves crash on the shore, tossing Anna back to dry land]
[Anna groans]
Anna Sheridan
Goddammit Bailey… I’m going to kill you for not warning me about this…
[She gets to her feet]
Anna Sheridan
Bailey? Bailey, where are you? Bailey?
[Footsteps approach her slowly]
Anna Sheridan
S-stay back!
Amy Sterling
[Laugh] Now now, Anna… no need to be afraid. I’m an old friend.
Anna Sheridan
Don’t come any closer — I’m not alone in here… I’m warning you!
[Amy stops in front of her]
Amy Sterling
Oh Anna… I’m disappointed in you. I knew Kate wouldn’t be able to recognize me after all this time, but I thought you might still be able to.
Anna Sheridan
Wait… your face… why do you look… familiar?
Amy Sterling
Yes, Anna — you know my face. Granted, it’s not the one I wore in the land of the living, but it’s closer than you’d think… and you’ve seen it many times in your nightmares since then.
[Pause]
Anna Sheridan
…Amy?
Amy Sterling
Hello Anna. It’s been a long time.
Anna Sheridan
It… it can’t be… Amy… she’s gone.
Amy Sterling
And where do you think she went? Where do you think those dark and oily waters you saw at the bottom of that well led? The same place all dark and deadly waters lead, eventually… the Source of all that was and was not and will be again.
Anna Sheridan
Holy shit… you’re alive.
Amy Sterling
If you call being trapped in this hell living. But yes… I still exist. Thanks, in no small part, to you.
Anna Sheridan
What… me? What did I do?
Amy Sterling
You remembered, Anna. Remembered me when no one else did, and those memories pressed themselves into the veil and let me keep my shape… at least, most of it.
[Brief pause]
Anna Sheridan
Did you see anyone else on the beach before you got here?
Amy Sterling
Why? Have you lost someone?
Anna Sheridan
The person who brought me here… he was trying to save me, but I… I don’t know where he went. He’s about… [Anna gestures] yea high, bit of a scruffy beard, long hair about—
Amy Sterling
You mean you’ve lost the person who was guiding you out? Do you know how dangerous that is in here?
Anna Sheridan
I mean, it’s not like he was doing a great job of it anyways… he said he’d completely lost the way back.
Amy Sterling
That is… concerning.
Anna Sheridan
Tell me about it. Honestly… I don’t really think he knows what he’s doing.
Amy Sterling
Hmmmm. [Brief pause; then cry of pain] Oh god… something’s wrong.
Anna Sheridan
What is it? What’s going on?
[Amy continues to act like she’s in pain]
Amy Sterling
The well… the way I came to be here, it’s… it’s merging with another power — the one that created Sam.
Anna Sheridan
The one that… what are you talking about?
Amy Sterling
There is a lake, in the town of Agate Shore. A child drowned there a long, long time ago… and that child made a deal with one of the powers of the Source to ensure their own survival. Sam Bailey is what came of that deal. And now… now the well is being drawn to that lake. History is broken… the city of Oslow has been pulled out of time, and Morrison… Morrison has changed.
Anna Sheridan
Morrison? What are you talking about, why would the well be drawn to Oslow?
Amy Sterling
It plucks the remnants of broken time from the world — memories, physical traces, historical records… it’s what pulled me out of your life, and now it’s removing all traces of Oslow from the world you knew. Trying to fight off Morrison’s meddling with time and keep the world from breaking… but time has already gone askew…
Anna Sheridan
I… I need to get back… I need to stop him!
[Amy slightly recovers]
Amy Sterling
You really, really do, Anna. They need you out there… Maria and Kate and Ren and all the others that are counting on you.
Anna Sheridan
Can you lead me back to where Sam came from?
Amy Sterling
…unfortunately no. I have no anchors left in the world to follow, so I can’t find my way with any real certainty.
Anna Sheridan
Shit…
Amy Sterling
But… there are some benefits to being a half-alive thing in the Source. I can see many different points in space and time, and with the right application of willpower I can… push things through the veil. Deliver messages to those who need them.
Anna Sheridan
What about Maria? Can you find her?
Amy Sterling
Hmmm… perhaps. Or at the very least, I can find a way to get a message to her.
Anna Sheridan
Well, then do it! She needs to know how to find me… how to make sure Sam can find me again and get back to Oslow.
Amy Sterling
That’s… a rather tall order, Sheridan. Who knows what she’ll actually need to find the right answers?
Anna Sheridan
So you can’t do it?
Amy Sterling
I didn’t say that. Just that it will be a… slightly more complicated process. I’ll need to make an imprint of your mind… a copy I can send through the veil at the right moment, with all the answers that dear Maria might need.
Anna Sheridan
Then do it! We don’t have much time.
Amy Sterling
Oh, we don’t have any time, Anna… such is the way of the Source. [She steps forward] Come closer. I need to make physical contact for this to work.
[Anna steps up to her, Amy places her hands on Anna’s temples]
[Static begins to rise]
Amy Sterling
Now… take a deep breath. Calm your spirit as much as you can. I must warn you… this will not be a painless process. My mind will touch every part of yours, and to be perfectly honest… you may lose some of yourself in the process.
Anna Sheridan
Just do it, Amy… I’m used to pain, I can take it.
Amy Sterling
I certainly hope so… this is my first time doing this.
Anna Sheridan
Wait, what do you— [She screams in agony]
[Anna’s screams distort and echo]
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Jerry dives for cover from a roar of flame]
[Morrison laughs]
Edgar Morrison
You come into my throne room unprepared and unarmed, and expect to survive? I’m almost insulted!
Jerry Price
Bill! Rob! Ned! Over here!
[Bill rushes over and ducks, crying out as he avoids a jet of fire]
Bill Tyler
I’m okay, I’m okay… Ned! Rob! Get behind this pillar!
[Rob and Ned begin running to him]
Edgar Morrison
Not so fast, you two.
[Morrison rips a portal open to the other side with a tearing noise, right in front of Rob]
[The Source beyond whirls with energy and distortion]
[Rob cries out]
Edgar Morrison
Ah yes… you know that darkness all-too-well, don’t you Robert? Maybe I should return you to the embrace of the abyss… sunder you from Bill and break both your spirits all over again—
Ned Leroux
Morrison! [Ned’s voice warps and distorts] Look at me.
[The rip in space/time slams shut in front of Rob, who runs and hides near Bill]
[Morrison turns to Ned]
Edgar Morrison
You dare push thoughts into my mind? If it weren’t for me, you’d still be stranded on the side of the road with both of your legs ripped off. You’d still—
Ned Leroux
If you hadn’t found me, you wouldn’t have been able to get the psychic wheel working in the first place. You wouldn’t have captured all those monsters, and… honestly, you probably wouldn’t have turned into whatever the fuck you are now.
Edgar Morrison
Well if you regret it so much… [He raises his arm] allow me to fix that mistake.
Robert Quincy
Ned, duck!
[Ned ducks, and Rob hurls his baseball bat at Morrison]
[It hits him, Morrison gets knocked back with a cry of pain, and the bat clatters on the floor]
Bill Tyler
Ned, RUN!
[Ned rushes over to them, ducking]
Ned Leroux
Nice throw, Quincy!
Robert Quincy
I hope so… I’m going to be feeling that for a while.
Bill Tyler
Dammit, what’s taking Sam so long?
Ned Leroux
I don’t know… maybe he got lost on the way back.
Jerry Price
Or maybe he didn’t make it into the lake at all.
Robert Quincy
What are you talking about, Jerry?
Edgar Morrison (distantly)
Ah, Jerry… still trying to run away, I see. Trying to escape your problems instead of solving them. How has that worked out for you so far?
Jerry Price
How about I show you, you fascist prick—
Ned Leroux
Jerry, don’t. Don’t let him goad you. This isn’t a fight we can win head on… maybe not at all, come to think of it.
Bill Tyler
What are you saying, Ned?
Ned Leroux
I’m saying that… if Sam can’t fix the timeline, there’s no point in all of us getting ourselves killed. Even if Morrison just resets us… there’s no reason to keep fighting.
Robert Quincy
I… I don’t know…
Bill Tyler
No.
Ned Leroux
No?
Bill Tyler
If you’re right, then there’s no point in running either. If Morrison wins here, then sooner or later there won’t be anywhere left to run.
Ned Leroux
…it could buy us a little bit more time.
Bill Tyler
Maybe. But I’ve spent too much of my life letting people like Morrison win. I’m not running anymore.
Jerry Price
And neither am I.
Robert Quincy
Me neither.
[Ned looks at them, then sighs]
Ned Leroux
Hell. Figure I’m not running either.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Cold, starry night in the desert]
[Crickets chirping]
[Some footsteps in the desert sand before he stops]
Sam Bailey
Sam Bailey, personal investigation. Time and date unknown, but presumably prior to 2020. I think I’m pretty close to Jerry’s house, but I’m not sure.
It’s been a while since I last recorded. I can’t know how long, but going by how much the scar from my gunshot wound has faded, I’d guess it’s been several days… Possibly weeks. I’ve been skipping in and out of the Source, trying to stick to the shallows, but… I still haven’t been able to find Anna. I think I’ve gotten close a few times, but… I don’t have enough of a connection to find her in there. Not without the Echo.
I also haven’t slept since this whole thing began, which I’m unfortunately still human enough to actually feel. I know I don’t actually need it to survive, but… Ned doesn’t need to eat either, but he still gets peckish from time to time. I guess I’m… hungry for sleep. For rest. But I can’t… not until I get back to Anna.
[He clears his throat]
I’ve been sticking close to Oslow when I can. Sure, it’s dangerous to be hanging around a place with so many people who know me, but I’ve managed to fly under the radar so far. I obviously can’t go anywhere near it after February 2020… Morrison’s blockade of the Source goes both ways. But at the very least, I have a relatively safe place to return to between trips. Especially since I found the burrower tunnels.
I first ran into them last year, while I was staying at Jerry’s. They’re a kind of… wormlike Source-creatures that live in the deserts outside Oslow. They usually mind their own business unless provoked, so most people don’t know about them… Although I guess I provoked them when I discovered the entrance to one of their tunnels. I was still recovering from getting shot so that got a little dicey, but I managed to push enough thoughts of calm into their minds to convince them we weren’t actually enemies. I’ve been using the tunnels as a way of moving around Oslow unnoticed, and so far…
[Sam trails off; static rises on the tape]
What the hell? Someone… someone’s reaching out through the Source. Are they… are they looking for me?
[Sam hesitates, then takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly]
[Distortion rises]
Huh. Whoever it is, they don’t know what the hell they’re doing… just opening their mind up to anything and everyone even vaguely linked to the Source. And they’re scared too. Scared, and… trying to push me away. Huh… Guess they realized what danger they were putting themselves in— [he cries out at a sharp pain in his head]
Okay, ow… no need to give me a migraine, I’ll stop.
[He exhales, distortion releases]
[He groans, rubbing his temples]
Fucking amateur… you’d think someone would have taught you how to do…
Sam Bailey (from the past, distantly and muffled)
[…get back to the house, just try to get some sleep. I don’t know [Muffled] rest I can get after… [Pause] There’s, uh… There’s someone else out here. I can see them… They’re just standing there, a little ways down the hill. I think it might be…
Sam Bailey
Shit… it’s another causal loop. God I hope I can remember what I did before.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Kate rolls on the sand, crying, straining unsuccessfully at Maria’s ropework]
Kate Sheridan
Please… please, anyone… let me save my son… let me…
[She cuts off and stares out at the water]
He… he’s gone. Andrew… no… [her tone changes] no that couldn’t have been Andrew, why did I think… [pause] Morrison. It was one of his illusions… how did I not see that?
[She struggles, gets to her side and sits up]
[calling out] Maria? Maria, it’s okay — I know what you were trying to tell me, I’m not going to try to get back in the water. Can you untie me now? [pause] Maria?
[Silence except the waves]
[A pair of booted feet walk towards her on the beach]
[Kate gasps, Morrison laughs]
You…
Edgar Morrison (Other)
Me. Hello, Kate. Nice to see you again. Especially without your gun.
Kate Sheridan
You can’t be here… Bill and the others — they attacked the palace.
Edgar Morrison (Other)
Maybe I’ve already dispatched of them. I mean… what kind of fight could three humans and a tar man put up against the god-king’s armies, really? Or maybe I can be in more than one place at a time now. None of you really know what I’m capable of, do you?
Kate Sheridan
I don’t know what’s going on, but I know they aren’t dead.
Edgar Morrison (Other)
Oh, Kate… you let go of your parent’s faith so long ago, and yet you still can’t resist the siren’s call of that old unfounded hope. It’ll get you killed someday, you know.
Kate Sheridan
Wait… your chest… there’s no wound there…
Edgar Morrison (Other)
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Kate Sheridan
Sam and Ned said you still had the wound in your chest from where the mine monster tore your heart out… but if it’s not there… [pause] You’re not really Morrison, are you? You’re just another image. Just another way of toying with us.
[Morrison laughs softly]
Edgar Morrison (Other)
Oh well. I had you going for a minute there, didn’t I? Guess the apple really doesn’t fall too far from the tree… your father was brilliant too.
Kate Sheridan
Don’t you dare talk about my father.
Edgar Morrison (Other)
Why not? I’m just saying that he was one of the smartest men I ever met… shame he was too obsessed with his own peace and quiet to ever do anything remarkable with that intelligence.
Kate Sheridan
Stop it.
Edgar Morrison (Other)
I do wonder if you’ll end up running away from Oslow too. I wonder if you’ll ever tell little Andrew what you did here. Who knows… maybe he’ll come back here someday too, looking to figure out just what happened to his mother. I do hope so. The sins of the father must be laid upon the children, after all… to the third and fourth generation.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[The swirling energies of the Source, quieted]
[Anna staggers on the black sand beach, out of it]
Anna Sheridan
The well… the well… the circled stones, and the waters beneath… the well is the key and the door and the gate, the well is the light and the dark and the…
Sam Bailey (from the past, muffled)
Piece of junk…
Anna Sheridan
Who… who said that?
[A wave crashes and rolls on the beach, carrying Sam’s voice]
Sam Bailey (from the past)
Jesus, when’s the last time they cleaned this place? No wonder I never stopped here before.
Anna Sheridan
That voice… I know that voice…
[She wanders to the edge of the shoreline, and gasps]
Anna Sheridan
It’s Bailey… he’s… I can see him in the tidepools, he’s… Oh my god… there’s someone coming towards him… it’s… it’s the Echo…
Sam Bailey (from the past, muffled, under Anna)
Don’t think you want to hear this — I’ll restart the recording in a minute. I mean, if I’m not murdered before then…
Anna Sheridan
Bailey! Bailey!
[Pause]
Sam Bailey (from the past)
Hello? Who’s there?
Anna Sheridan
Bailey! Bailey! Run! Hurry!
Sam Bailey (from the past)
Sh… Sheridan?
[Another wave washes over the image, and Sam disappears]
Anna Sheridan
No no no no no… bring him back! Bring him back!
[Another image arises]
Amy Lousie Chen (in Wellington)
…windiest city in the world!
Anna Sheridan (in Wellington)
I thought that was Chicago?
Amy Louise Chen (in Wellington)
Common misconception. It depends on how you measure it, but I think if you’re going—
[Anna pushes her hand into the tidepool with a splash]
Anna Sheridan
LISTEN!
Anna Sheridan (in Wellington)
Wait — do you hear that?
[Anna gasps and pulls her hand back out of the tidepool, and the moment fades away]
Anna Sheridan
No… no no no, wait — where did it go?
[She moves around, then hears another voice in the water]
Sam Bailey (from the past)
Echoes. Ghosts. Mirrors. Caves. Hellhounds. Fire. Black Holes, snow demons, and evil wishing wells.
WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT MEAN?
[Clattering]
What’s the point, huh? What’s the point of any of this? Just to screw with me? Make sure my life’s more of a goddamn nightmare than it already is? Because I’m done, I’m done, with this bullshit.
[Anna shifts]
Anna Sheridan (over Sam)
I can’t see him… all I can see is… it looks like a door in the water.
[She reaches into the water and knocks at the door]
Sam Bailey (from the past)
Oh for godssake — Piss off…!
[Footsteps, the door opens, Anna jumps back with a gasp at the look on Sam’s face]
Anna Sheridan
Bailey, Bailey, can you hear me? It’s me, it’s Anna—
Sam Bailey (from the past)
What the hell?
Anna Sheridan
Bailey, listen, you need to hear me—
[The phone behind Sam rings, he closes the door and answers it]
Anna Sheridan
No no I can’t see you there Bailey, I can’t…
Sam Bailey (from the past, echoing in Anna’s space)
Do you have any idea what time it is…!
Anna Sheridan
Bailey! Bailey, can you hear me!?
Sam Bailey (from the past, echoing in Anna’s space)
What? Hello? I can barely hear… Who is this?
Anna Sheridan
It’s me, Sam… it’s Anna! Please, you need to listen…
Sam Bailey (from the past, echoing in Anna’s space)
You… It can’t be… You’re…
Anna Sheridan
Bailey, please…
Sam Bailey (from the past, echoing in Anna’s space)
Sheridan?
[Another wave rolls over her, knocking her back with a groan]
[She pants for a moment, trying to recover]
Anna Sheridan
Oh, goddammit!
[Her breath is shaky]
[Another voice drifts from the waves]
Maria Sol (from the past, distantly)
Oh. There it is. Uh, I guess this is Rue’s grave. That was easier than I thought it would be.
Anna Sheridan
Maria?
[Anna stands and makes her way to the water]
Maria Sol (from the past, growing clearer)
It’s about — Eighteen inches tall and eight wide. Unmarked as far as I can tell, and standing mostly upright over a small mound that looks—
Anna Sheridan
Oh god Maria… what’s happened to you?
Maria Sol (from the past)
It’s… No. It can’t be, it has to be a trick of the light. It’s blank — I can see it’s blank when I—
Anna Sheridan
Maria…
Maria Sol (from the past)
It’s — It’s my name. The grave has my name on it. [Maria’s voice begins to echo nearby] How is that possible?
[Anna reaches through the waters]
Anna Sheridan
Maria, please just hear me… you’re not alone, I’m right here…
Maria Sol (from the past, echoing)
No, no, no — you don’t get to take that night! You don’t get to go there!
Anna Sheridan
Maria, I’m not doing anything, I’m just trying to reach you… please trust me!
Maria Sol (from the past, echoing)
No, please not then…
Anna Sheridan
Maria, please don’t go…
[Maria rushes to the cliff edge in the vision]
Anna Sheridan
Maria! Please just hear me, just listen to my voice, I’m trying to help you, I need to find my way back to you and I can’t if you—
Maria Sol (from the past, echoing)
Shut UP!
[In the waters, Maria falls to her knees and begins weeping]
Anna Sheridan
Oh god… Maria…
[Static rises]
[Anna wades into the shallows]
[Maria sounds like she’s right next to her]
Maria Sol (from the past)
I can’t do this, Anna. I can’t. I miss you, and I can’t do this alone.
Anna Sheridan (echoing)
Yes, you can. I know you can. And so do you. But you don’t have to be alone.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Oslow rooftop at Lara’s outpost]
[The building is in flames]
[Lara fires shots at the officers advancing on her]
[The 1812 Overture reaches its final crescendo]
Adrian Briggs (through the speakers)
Lara, Ned — I don’t know if anyone’s alive out there, but… I might not be here for much longer. There are officers outside, and they’re going to break through the door any second now. I don’t know what you’re planning, but if you’re going to take out Morrison, now would be a good time to get on that.
[He yelps in fear as the door begins to break]
This is Adrian Briggs, signing off. Good luck.
[The door shatters, Adrian cries out, and his mic cuts]
[Lara’s rifle jams]
Lara Smith
Fuck, don’t jam on me now…
[Officers pour towards her]
Goddammit — you want to take it? Then come and fucking get it you—
[WHACK; an officer strikes her with a baton, killing her instantly]
[Her body topples from the roof, landing on the street below with a distant thud]
[The 1812 Overture reaches its climax, and explosions rock the building as the flames reach Lara’s cache]
[The building shakes and collapses with hundreds of officers in it, hissing as they are crushed]
[CHAOS, Lara’s recorder surviving long enough to capture it]
[The 1812 Overture plays out to the end as the scene fades out]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Anna takes a few steps on the beach, and pauses]
Anna Sheridan
“In the bitter waves of woe,
Beaten and tossed about
By the sullen winds that blow
From the desolate shores of doubt,
[Thunder rolls]
When the anchors that faith had cast
Are dragging in the gale,
I am quietly holding fast
To the things that cannot fail.”
[She takes a moment]
[A door is flung open behind her, and Sam stumbles onto the beach]
Anna Sheridan
What the… Bailey?
Sam Bailey
Anna? Is that you?
[He closes the door and steps towards her]
Anna Sheridan
Yeah! I mean… I think so…
Sam Bailey
Oh thank god, I’ve been trying to get back to you for months now.
Anna Sheridan
Months?! How long have I been in here?
Sam Bailey
I don’t know, but we need to get back to Oslow, now… I have a feeling we’ve been stuck here for too long.
Amy Sterling
Yes, I rather think you have.
Sam Bailey
What—?
[Amy quickly grabs Sam and throws him in the waters of the Source, where he lands with a splash]
Anna Sheridan
No!! Bailey!? Bailey, are you still there??
[No response]
Amy Sterling
Aww… Don’t worry about him, Anna… He’s not dead, just… elsewhere. I’m honestly surprised he found his way back here in the first place. But trust me… there’s no way he can do it a third time. Not in the cards… not for either of you.
Anna Sheridan
Amy, what the hell? What are you doing, we need to—
Amy Sterling
What am I doing? I’d have thought that was obvious enough.
Anna Sheridan
But I can’t get out of here without him! Why would you help me and then attack Sam?
Amy Sterling
I helped you bring Sam to this place because I knew it was the only way to get you into the Source to begin with. Do you have any idea how long I waited for this moment, unable to return to my life because I needed your memories to survive here? Now that you’re trapped on this side of the veil though… I can finally return to the world I lost and get my old life back.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Sam stumbles through the veil, landing with a grunt in a quiet forest clearing]
[He growls in rage, hitting his fist on the soft ground]
Sam Bailey
Goddamn you Amy… I was so close that time…
[He goes quiet]
Wait a second… why does this place look… familiar?
[He rises to his feet painfully]
This is… why do I feel like I’ve been here before?
[He breathes deep, static rising, and exhales]
No powers here… at least, not any Source-beings. God, I don’t feel anyone, not for miles. But this place… [Static fades] No… it can’t be…
[He walks forward slowly, leaves and dirt crunching beneath him]
These trees… they’re older than the ones I know… but the earth is younger. And one very particular tree is missing… or rather — I haven’t planted it yet.
[He reaches into his jacket and pulls out the package from Amanita, unwrapping it]
So that’s what you meant, Amanita. You gave me this to point the way. Hundreds of years from now, you’ll spend the night terrorizing us in this exact spot, but now… now, you’ve planted the seeds of our survival.
[He kneels, digs a small hole with his hands, and drops the cone into it, burying it]
[He pats the dirt down]
[A faint static rises; Sam senses the power]
Yes, yes… I know, I’m not supposed to be here. [He stands] Don’t worry… you don’t need to yank me out of history. I’m just closing one more loop… and I think it’s the last one left unanswered.
[Sam walks to the edge of the well, sits, and prepares to jump]
And my grandma always told me to be careful around wells. [Deep breath] Alright. Time to go home.
[He pushes himself off the edge, falls a short distance, and splashes into the waters of the Source]
[He is submerged, distortion rising]
[He begins to rise somewhere new]
[Splash as he emerges into a quiet living room]
[It’s raining outside]
Sam Bailey
What the hell? Where am I, this isn’t—
[He looks around, recognition dawning]
Sam Bailey
Oh god.
[Russel races around the corner, barking defensively]
Sam Bailey
Russel! Russel, shhhh, it’s just me, it’s Sam, you need to keep quiet before—
[The front door opens]
Allen Gott
Goddamn, it’s raining like the dickens out there. [He closes the door, and looks at Sam] Sam? What are you doing sitting out there in the dark? [His keys jangle] Come and help me with the groceries, space cadet!
Sam Bailey
A-Allen?
[Clack]
Homestead on the Corner 