Jack Kincaid continues the adventures of Captain Afterland continuing with chapter 4 “Romancing the Fall, The Inevitable After, and the Birth of the Marvel: Kratos”!
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The Mutual Audio Network
Captain Afterland – S1E4– “Romancing the Fall, The Inevitable After, and the Birth of the Marvel: Kratos”(071024)
[ Music ] >> Next up on the Mutual Audio Network, fiction from our future. [ Music ] >> The following audio drama is rated R and is recommended restricted for anyone under the age of 17. [ Music ] >> Headphones are recommended to maximize your audio movie experience. The following audio presentation may contain immature language, silliness, and cartoon violence. Do not attempt to perform any acts depicted in this work unless you're a program in a simulation. If you believe that you may be a program in a simulation, don't do it then, either. Listen, a discretion is advised. [ Music ] [ Music ] >> You are listening to "Captain Afterland." [ Music ] [ Music ] >> Came to me a dream, I can no longer remember all of it, but I remember the important part. I remember when I died, the poison already imbibed, the death of a scribe, I remember. Why? I was a writer, good God, I was a writer, I knew it, but he died, I died. How could I have died? >> You said he. >> Well, what? >> You switched to the third person. >> No, no, there's only two of us here. >> Oh, dear, why do I feel like I stole a joke from someone? >> And why do I get the sense that I despised him? That cigar-chomping fiend. >> What if you didn't die? >> What? >> What if you never died? What if it was someone else? >> I know not what you're talking about. >> What if those memories aren't yours? >> I got your thought. Why do you wish to believe this? >> Maybe when people are afterd, they're not really gone, some part of them lives on. >> Ah, the friends you've lost, they do live on. >> In your mind and memory. >> Or they should. >> No, I mean, literally. >> Could not have died. >> This cannot be. I must be mad, as they have all said these ideas. >> These things in my head. >> There may only be phantasms of imagination. >> No, I don't believe that. The evidence is in your entity. You owe it to yourself to find it. You owe it to everyone. >> Oh, how can this be found? >> Don't let anybody tell you that it's your imagination. It's real. >> But our memories of a place that is gone, that once was real, but there's no more. >> Oh, how different are they, with places we craft with our own minds? When it comes to practice, how different are they, oh my, oh wow. >> Captain, don't let this place change you. >> Scott, Scott, Scott, Scott. >> Left already for work, have you? >> Good evening, my dear. >> How was you? >> Where is the pan? >> Where is the pan? >> Has Scott taken it? >> I left it here. Where is it? >> You sound defensive. How could you not know? >> You were in here all day, were you not? You put it where? >> Oh, I'll have to start bringing it to work with me, I see you, won't I? >> Oh, my dear friend, don't you know this jealousy business is not attractive. You must trust me when I say that I do not lie to you. >> Oh, you've trusted others before. >> You were never treated well, were you? You deserve better than that, my friend. You deserve better than this life chosen for you. You should instead be free to choose your own path. And have sweet, droidy adventures. Maybe find another droid to make a troop of little droidies with. >> What? >> Oh, no, never you mind. I think you may be too young to hear of that, but you do deserve better than this. Phoebe three, you deserve better than me. And what has this pan wrought in me? It's confusing here, there's no direction here, there's no love here, no love. And for all my shouts and gasps and quips, these are the distractions from the place inside. Where my heart is always breaking, breaking, breaking, every minute, every moment. You're just breaking. As I wander the sand of deserts and the deserts beyond the deserts, it won't have some impossible rows it is breaking. So yell I must. Louder than this agent, these inescapable elements that ail me and know nothing of mercy, for freaks. [MUSIC] No, no, stop that. [MUSIC] Stop that. That does not help. It is not enough to summon a quote or some musical platitude for occasions such as this. It falls too short of a connection, too short of empathy or a truth of it. They cannot move as much as a real thing shared from the heart among friends. Good friends. [MUSIC] I was not made for this place, Phoebe Three. [MUSIC] I don't know that I ever was. [MUSIC] I don't think I was made for any place. [MUSIC] Oh, that this two solid flesh would melt. [MUSIC] Phoebe Three, what is that? [MUSIC] What are you doing? [MUSIC] Is that who you are? [MUSIC] For a low level droid, you have the sweetest sword. [MUSIC] But I'm still taking the pan with me from now on. No, no. To work with me, oh yes, in my carrying bag. Oh yes. No, no, don't be like that. We're in this together. The pan, the captain, and Phoebe Three, we three. Friends, sometimes five, Dune and Scott. Well, of course they're your friends too. All of us, friends. [MUSIC] Hey, captain, weird, what's with the bag? What, what, what bag? The bag you've been carrying in this past week. I am not a captain, weird. But I shall have you know that if I was, I'd find no shame in it. Weird as to be celebrated. Own names, names. What power they can bring when one decides and a name for themselves. But when one decides to impose a name on another, no, no. It is about power all the same. But to take it off with you. Oh really, what do you got with you? Looks like it's got some weight. Just nothing for you. If it's nothing, then why you've been acting weird about it? Oh, oh, and why shouldn't I be weird? I'm captain, weird, evidently. Cast the character, and I shall play the part. [LAUGHING] Idiots, why am I surrounded by impulse? [MUSIC] At last. At the end of this run of pilty things. [MUSIC] Oh, the pan. Off with these gloves. You would have been fine at home with Phoebe 3. I asked for her trust, and gave none in return. I see that now. So it is a pan. You have a pan. What are you doing with that pan? Never, let's concentrate. Good god, good god, they can't find you. What do I do with you? What do I do? [MUSIC] Beeping, beeping, no, no, stop that. Hey, Cap, have you got some men here that maybe you shouldn't? No. Oh, everything's fine here. You just had it in his hands. You've done good work. Look at you. Already done with the last batch. Oh, nothing to it at all. I'm going to show you the bag. Let it go already. It's true. OK. He's been coming to work with a pan and that. What? No. How about everybody just gets back to work and minds their own business, huh? This must be the last one. Captain, just a note for the future. After the part is washed, it needs to go into the orb maker straight away. It shouldn't sit in there. OK? That's not weird again. Oh, the settings are off. I hope they haven't been off for the whole batch. It'll all have to be expunged. Did you touch the setting? No. I'll get it. I'll take care of it. This is my station. I'll take care of it. Captain, what was it? Just step back for the machine for me. No, no, no. The pan is mine. The pan is-- Who am I? What has the machine done to you? Stop fooling around, Captain. This is not a joking matter, Captain. That thing went through the orb maker. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. [GUNSHOT] Good here. [LAUGHTER] This is-- it's time to leave. Captain, you reset three people, and one of them was a friend of mine. No, no, it was the pan that did it, the pan. It was possessed by what spirits the orb maker infused into it, not as a service orb. Oh, no. But a service pan, a haunted, droidy pan. Why, I couldn't hold it back. I told you this. Yes, and I discussed that with Matt. But why did you leave the site? Because you were all wigged out? Yes, wigged out tremendously. A frightful wigging. Where is the pan now? Expunged into the expuncher. Before I left, I was frightened. I panicked for we are not supposed to have pans. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no pans. No, you're not. No, no, no. Citizens are not. That was the pan from your previous placement, right? I was attached to it. That is all. It is gone. I want to be a good citizen. I'm glad to hear, but you're not making things easy for me or yourself. I'll do better, Commodore. Commodore? What's a Commodore? A Commodore is a-- I don't know why I just said that. But I'll do better. Yes, yes. I cannot lose Phoebe 3. You're attached to that too? Her. I'm attached to her. Just don't say that are on Mr. Gray, OK? Yes, yes. Captain, the night that we met. Oh. The early morning, out on the street. Oh. What were-- Is it time to talk about that now? Finally. You never mentioned where you were before that. Why you were out there at that place around that time. Tell me of the hidden door. I shall leave you to wonder as you have left me to wonder. Never mind. Back to business here, I can get you back into city works. I have a lot of ends there. I used to work for them. Oh. Doing what? Making service orbs, or testing stun batons. I was a builder, a designer. Building is the thing of the past, though, unfortunately. Now it's all maintenance. It's about what's here. I was already here. In here. Until it's cold by the barrier, evidently. It's going to take a few days, but before that, we have a follow-up appointment with Mr. Gray. And your health care provider is going to come in as well. Luna? Yes. Luna. Is that a problem? None at all. Now after the two climbs, it sprang from my hand to the fool's head. And returned to me, but wildly. I-- Wild is this pan now. It's a service orb? Except it's a pan. A cratonium service orb frying pan. Quatonium, the pan. It obviously is. That's probably why it reset the mother than the coat it uses wouldn't be for an object that large. It must hit hard. I do have quite a swing. Who could that be? Who could be texting me? Is it Scott? You know, I do know more people than just you and Mr. resets himself constantly. Oh my god. What? What? Look. It says "friends" with five smiley faces. The name. Did you just text me? Phoebe3? She's a smart little droid, isn't she? What did she say now? It says "the pan" with an eye roll emoji. No, jealousy. Entirely unwarranted. What are you doing now? Connecting to it. Her. It's a her. Your pan has a gender? I know. I know it is all. Pan is all. Wait. Wait. Connecting to the pan. I'm wondering if it- my god. It does. It does what? It may have reset your coworkers, but it also tagged and scanned them. I have their entries here. Wow. The number of fields here. That's more than our scanners see. It must be because you were making service orbs made for log eaters. Great Scott returns. Why does it seem like your name should be Walter? Are you both out of your minds now? Relax, Fuddy Duddy. What is that? I don't know. The captain said you're a Fuddy Duddy. I know you, so I have a pretty good idea as to what that might mean. No, I mean, what is that? It's a pan. That was one of those rhetorical questions. Where the hell did you get that? You were talking about a pan. You didn't say that you had one here. Where did you steal that from? I still nothing. It was to be destroyed. But now. Oh my. It is so much more than it was. It's a service orb. What? That's a pan. Is that Cretonium? The captain. Scan him. I... are you sure? I'll clear the reset. What's going on? You want me to... Just focus on him and release it. And there's Scott's Fields. Wild wild pan. Not funny, guys. That hurt for a split second. Can we not do that again? Gee. No, no, no, no, no, no, more of an epshawn. If he gets caught with that and we know about it, rather selective with what risks you'll find thrilling, I say. It's just a pan. Well, it's more than a pan now, but you know what I mean. Come here so I can clear your reset. Why do you have four resets? That means you had three before a moment ago. Oh dear. Captain. Captain. And why do you have three resets? Captain. I was about to get to that before you arrived, Scott. What are you guys doing, throwing yourselves in front of trains? Not. Not in front of trains. Why? It's... It's the pan. I... I get carried away with it. Wild pan. You hit yourself with it. No, no, no. Why? You've seen how wild it is upon the return to my hand. Violence. To me, to Scott Oh, most violent. Abusive. Abusive pan. I'll clear your resets, but for the record, I don't believe you. And it's a good thing that you told me because the corrector would have been able to see your resets. Why is the corrector looking at these things? We see him tomorrow. Wait, what? What do you mean we? Not you. I'm the captain's health provider. It's a routine thing with this caseworker. Mr. Gray being there isn't routine and a little unsettling, but we'll get through it. Just don't say anything. This once, please. I thank you for taking the time to join us today, Luna. I didn't think it was a request. It was not. I thank you all the same. What is your interpretation of the unusual findings within his fields? Hmm. Shirley, you noted the irregularities. I did, but it's not anything I've ever seen before. I was hoping you might be able to clear that up for me. There's no precedent for what I saw. None that you were aware of. We believe them to be corrupted values as a result of a glitch. These glitches are anomalous, but have occurred in the past. In the same sets of fields? Correct. That is why his memories of the past are not to be relied upon. His mind may construct unusual narratives, but tell me, is he in good health otherwise? Perfect. I am in the room, you know. Oh, there you are. You were then so uncharacteristically quiet, I could not be sure. Captain. Well, then, I understand that you have secured a new placement for him in citywax. Rather surprising. Everything is sorted out. Captain. I hope that your caseworker's optimism proves realistic, particularly after the incident with the frying pan, was it? Is this almost over? Certainly. After another scan, Luna, I would also like you to take a scan to be submitted for comparison. That's no problem. Excuse me. Roman, can you... you just got in the way of my scan. Oh, sorry, just crossing the room here. These phones! Quite a cursed thing. Deal with it! There's something I want to tell you. I didn't notice it till the end of my shift when I was reviewing my scanner entries. I accidentally scanned Pearlman. Your caseworker? I saw something weird that I've only seen once before, and that's with you. On the matters of memory. No, not that part. Remember when I talked about entity types and the normal ranges between three and seven? You said mine is a nine. So is his. What could this mean? I don't know, but that's not all. He also has values in the two fields that are always zero otherwise. And there's this string field. It's the same, U-E-T, version 5.6. U-E-T. All right, you're all clear with access to the facility. Mat. About the pan. You're not a good one, Captain, I haven't had a reset in years. Consider yourself lucky that I owe Pearlman big, but I also defend him. I handed you with the uppers. If the settings have been off for that entire run of parts, I might have had a harder time convincing them to give you another chance. I also know you were yelling no because you were trying to stop that thing. What? Oh, yes. That's why. The pan was a frightful pan indeed. Damned frying pan in the place of the part. Thought I'd seen everything. Don't worry about the past. It's the past. Besides, those guys were being jerks. I saw it. Don't let them bother you. Like, I'd say a reset timeout was the absolute least of what those two jokers should have had come and to be honest. I am a different thing. I know. That's probably why they don't like it, because they're the same. Eh, you see these? [GASP] Soda. You have soda here. What's soda? They look like soda cans. Good god, I could go for a refreshing glass of peach soda right about now. As per usual, I don't know what in the hell you're talking about, but we do call them cans. These are fuel canisters. It's one of these bad boys for power at WSB all the day through. What is this? I just told you. No, no, that. These droids. Fenced in. Oh, those are service droids. Don't you know it? They're city-work products too. Good many of them are malfunctioning or old models that have been swapped out. A prison for droids. They don't want to be in there. What? They don't know the difference. Then why are they bumping the fencing? I told you. A lot of them are malfunctioning. They're just droids. This way, Cap. It's to become of them. The expunger, of course, the industrial-sized one. It's got a conveyor and everything here. Here I hand you off to Pete, who will be taking you for a ride today. Hey. Uh, Phoebe 3. What? You okay? Well, now, we can shut off the music, if you like. Uh, it's fine. I've grown quite accustomed to it everywhere, and this would a marvelous tour of the city from the sky, up and up. Yeah, we won't be headed up for too much longer. We're two waypoints away from a descent. It's almost completed. It's simulated sweeps of the serif building, floor by floor. But we're about to pass by one of the giant spires. We're close. Don't miss it. It's something. What other use have you for this machine? This vehicle. This carbon. It is large. We've fit as many as five people in one of these. Simulated sweeps, you said. What's this? They don't perform maintenance during the day, so no mending rays today. This is about testing the way paths and making adjustments to them when needed. That's especially important now with two new coals scheduled to readjust. What if no readjustment was made? We wouldn't want our vehicles moseying on through the barrier and performing unneeded maintenance beyond it. These are simple machines that follow scripts, Captain. We give them the numbers. I give you a full tutorial on what to do with the numbers and what to look out for. How to fill out the charts when we're back to home base. I thought you'd enjoy a scenic tour first. You'll see this many times. This speed is as always this leisurely. It needs to be for thorough scanning and mending. These things can go faster in manual mode. You will never be operating this in pilot mode many years ago and I mean a long time ago. A hundred years. Maybe more. Back then we still kept a control wheel in every vehicle. We did till an older model WSB like this one had a major malfunction. The operator tried to manual it back to base and ended up burrowing right into the middle of the Corbett building. Things are made of plutonium. They'll plow through anything like it's nothing. After that disaster only a few quantified operators are permitted to pilot manual mode. If you ever run and do a problem we'll send someone out. You just report. You'll be safe in here no matter what. But I see no controls. Yeah, take a look at this. See this hump in front of me with a metal circle? I'll tell you what. I'll show you, because we're not even running a test. I'm qualified to and I have control wheel with me. It's also been a while. There's not many of these around, given what they made it, at least in the middle where it secures to the control column. Now it's magnetized waiting for the control wheel. So I hold it up like this and bring it close and then secure. Ready to go in the manual. Now we're in manual mode and here we go. It is only a wheel. You mean is there any tech to the wheel? Nope. This you won't be doing. You'll just ride and take notes. All automated. Boy, does it have its perks and sights. Only from up here can anyone have a peek at the temple of the Anya gone. Oh yes indeed. Wow. Oh my. Never before seen it. No. No. No. How was the first day? Rather flighty. Around the city flighty. I want you to look at something on my phone. Take it. It's on the screen. What is this? The image. Is that familiar? Yes. You know it is. Why would I know it is? Because I told you of this. The city. The tower. Yes. This is it. Except not. It is strange. This appears to be a painting. It is a photo of a painting. Where is this painting? That's not important. You said something about a frame within a frame. What did you mean by that? Well. To is not a painting in a frame but a window. A view of this city. With a flying saucer on the tower. Like a flying saucer with a pointy thing. A needle. You said that you caught a flash of it from my hat? No, no, I did not. It is a place for my own memory. That your name conjured. A place that you think you've been in the past? No. I know I've been there. With this view. From some apartment, more than 30 floors below. Do you remember anything about that? I remember coconuts. What's a coconut? I remember coconuts. And furniture. I took it all apart. I took all the furniture apart. Why did you-- Your dear. Never mind. I think I was going mad. What else? Books on shelves, mini books. And a desk, mahogany. With a computer. Something on the screen. A strange word. Bye. But by law. B-L-A-Blah. Seville. Blah. Blah. With a strange S. You know something. Tell it. I have a memory of that place, too. I find myself there in dreams sometimes. And that painting is my painting. We share more than a memory of this place. Luna, she accidentally scorned you. There is some field, some entity type. With a value most unusual. One we share. A nine. Yeah, I know about that. But what does it mean? I have no idea. But things are getting weirder here. Do you know of you, E-T? Do you? What is it? What do we share? What is its meaning? I don't know, Captain. It's one of the reasons I requested to take your case. But I don't know what it means. What do you mean you don't know what it is? This was never a curiosity to you. Well, sure. Yeah, about 250 years ago. But nobody knew what it meant. I tried to figure it out. I never found an answer, so I let it go. What else was there to do? But then you, E-T, it must stand for something. Well I'm sure curious about what it means now. We'll talk about this more. I need to process this. But again, you have no memory of me from before? No, no, no. Only the place, and your name, is if they are the same somehow. Oh dear. You won't do it anymore. We won't. Oh dear. Captain? Oh, what is the Captain walked in? She told her. Who she told who she was. 53 told me how Scott has been wrapping up the resets. Both of you now. Phoebe 3. Don't you dare yell at that droid. She is a sweet little thing. She doesn't know better. I wasn't going to yell. You're always yelling. And I think she's bored when you're at-- No, no. Stop that. Oh, Phoebe 3. What have you done? Yes, we're friends. All of us friends. Yes, I said "friendshare," but oh, no, dear. Phoebe 3 again. Five more smiley faces with hearts. Friends, friends. So, do friends share? Do they really? I get it. It was crazy. I know it was crazy. Yes, it's crazy. And how did you get the Captain to start doing it? What do you mean how? He's already crazy. And I totally understand. No more resets from now on. You won't clear them anymore. I accept this. Let's move on from this. No. What does "no" mean exactly right now? I want to see. See? Luna, I mean, come on. The only time we can do it is in the middle of the night. I sleep all day and you both-- I want to see. Show me. Greetings, owl. Greetings, Chimera. You fiendish owl. I am no multi-limbed beast. Not right now. You're droid, Tox? I mean really Tox. Yes, Fluke Tox. Which is another thing that could get us in trouble that I have now shared with you, friend. Sharing. How nice. I speak when it is prudent. There are talking droids and foolish droids, but there are no foolish talking droids. That was daring of you, Scott, to program him to speak? I programmed me to speak. He did. He programmed you to think, anyway. My thoughts predate this device. What do you mean? He says cryptic things like that. Captain, Fluke could probably make it so Phoebe 3 can talk to you. She already does. I could assist her with an upgrade to that end. However, she has expressed that she would not be interested. She likes herself just the way she is. Good for you, Phoebe 3. Oh, as do I. Oh, is it almost time? Are we really going to go through it? Yes, we are. A vision from this high place, is it not? It's so weird. Can't we've established the weirdness to this? Luna, why don't we just-- I wondered what it was about you that made me want to take pity on you? You're different. I like different, but there was something else. Different is acceptable. I'm not a big fan of your other word choice there. Pity, you pity me. I pity both of you. I pity all of us. I had a friend named Steph. I miss her so much. I miss a lot of people, but I miss her the most. I feel it. Steph, I remember Steph. When I worked at City Works, I was there for her after work. I was there for her after work. So was I. Do you know why she was after? No. I mean, I didn't know her that well, but I knew her. Everybody knows everyone. Well, until this guy showed up. In this very place, are you going to tell me why she was after? Because I couldn't do for her what I'm doing for you. I didn't have the job I have now. Wow. What do you mean? You mean she? Do you think you're the first one to ever do something like this? Sure, people have fallen from great heights on accident. I see that at least once a month, but to do it on purpose, you're not the first. She did this? Something very like this. She kept doing it because she said that it made her feel alive. I always wondered what she meant by that. It is the threat of death, for even if the mind knows that it will not be found at the bottom. Some knowing thing dwells within our design. From a time when it would mean just that death, death, death. She had all of her resets excused as accidents for a time that eventually it caught up with her. No one is that unlucky. Even then, she kept doing it. She knew what racking up too many resets meant, but by then, she didn't care. She welcomed her own aftering him. For a long time, I was angry at her for it, for giving up. Oh, that's heavy, I'm sorry. Luna? Luna, what are you? I can't believe she just did not. Yeah, got him bald! Oh dear, that a nice one. That was nice. Did that just happen? That's her. Is it her? Luna? Luna. We need to do that again. Oh, the lady likes dashing. It was fair to grunt and sweat under her weary life. But that the dread of something after death, the undiscovered country from who's born, no traveler returns, puzzles the will. Hey Captain, aren't you supposed to be doing work up there? I can walk in two chuis at the same time. You fiends. I can't. Did you come up with those words? No, no. That's Shakespeare. Today. Shakespeare. Yesterday, we see her under bed, Rick. You're doing some great work up there. How about I give you a different time frequency to broadcast all that on? Luke. Do a check of 4.75. Yeah. Are you going to let us in or what? Wait, you're here? I thought we weren't going to do it tonight. We've changed our mind. Fluke, enact the protocol, enacting the protocol, enabling the mad. We won't be able to do this for much longer. All the more reason to indulge now, mourn after. You might end up in the after at this rate. Scared that your old droids will be there? Scump. Scump. Not funny. Scump. Both of you cut it out. Those are scary dreams. No more seriousness. Are we ready? Ready for the plunge. One. Two. Baby three. Bravo. What beautiful music you make. Encore. So prolific while I'm away. Oh, I don't distract you from your creative process. That would be highly irregular. No, no. Your art is for you first, my dear. It must be. Always for you first. Very, very important. Okay, just checking. Roughly here, yes, but let me let the corrector in most you. Corrector, sir, Mr. Grey. It is a busy day in the Citadel. What is so important? One of our surveillance entities caught something odd. I think you need to see this, sir. Are those people? Yes, they certainly are. Who? Who are these fools? I'm so tired. I can't believe we went twice last night. I was a zombie today at work. Are you coming tonight? What? I'm not invited. Well, I mean, it can just be me and the captain tonight. It's all good. Oh, hell no. I'm coming. I'm already there. You see why I do it now? That's music, it's your art, Phoebe3. The pan is mine. But it is an auto without its own. Musical sensibilities. Oh, no. No, no, no. Be hell. No, dear, dear, dear, dear. No, no, no, no, no, stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. No, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. Back it up. Oh, man. What was my note? Has this activity continued? Yes, I have the video all queued up for you. Fascinating. Oh, lunatics, complete lunatics. We are here. Do either of you ever sleep? Sometimes. No, not really, let us fly. The gods are witness. I was almost spotted by a cruiser last night. I could have sworn that they did see-- Oh, yes. Hungry other night patrols, bored, very bored creatures. But they are few. Maybe on your side of the town, wait, why are we doing it this way? Are we stupid? Are we? Completely. Um, I fear we may be. Luke, what took you so long? Luna requested my assistance in bringing her a ladder. A ladder? For? What are you doing? I'm recording vector locations. You're doing this. Why? I can change our spawn points for when we reset. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And I can change them back. We get more jumps in that way. Captain, this was her idea? Great Scott. I think we've created a monster. Well, good work today. You're good with the numbers. Is the city getting old yet? Never. The Sarah building is my fate. It's the tallest. Boy, does it go quite a ways up. Oh, yes. Quite a ways down, too. We're going to do this again. We need to do it now. I still have to do my job, you know. Go work. We can go without you. Oh, that's not happening. Now, you're just tourists on this ride. This was my jam first. Jam, indeed. Jam tomorrow. Jam yesterday. And always, always, jam today without a fool in the way. Round three. One, two, three. For how long are we going to allow this to go on? These entities, they're idiots. They are utterly insane idiots. Are there any new orders, sir? Monitor only to gather evidence for now. The count of three, four, we four. Four. We are in the company of the pan. Behold, this marvel. Do you think that's a good idea? One, two, three. Captain! Feel the least. Yeah! No! [GUNSHOT] And ye! [LAUGHTER] [MUSIC PLAYING] [GUNSHOT] [LAUGHTER] [LAUGHTER] [GRUNTS] Ha! For once, it wasn't me. That's a good thing the pan relocates with you. Only what it is in my hands. Captain? No more jumping with the pan. No, no, no. I'll hold it tightly next time. Oh, come on, Luna. What's a little resetting among friends? [MUSIC PLAYING] [GUNSHOT] [LAUGHS] The pan. Captain, can you stop throwing that thing around now? You're going to lose it one of these times. It's a service orb that always comes back. For as soon as it runs out of the oomph from my captain they threw, it returns. I'd rather not be a target during one of those returns. Never on the return, only on the line. What have you all been doing, the owl? This owl wishes to remind you all that though you have been desensitized to entering this area, it remains strictly forbidden. It is unwise to enter here. It is doubly unwise to linger longer than needed. We were talking. A more discreet and less illegal location to engage in social rituals is advisable. Expediting these rituals is also-- We can't have entire conversations instantaneously like you can with other droids. They are not instantaneous. Compared to what we can do, they might as well be. In order to properly parse the aesthetics of DB3's musical compositions, I experience them at your processing speed and sample rate. She shared music with me too. DB3 has shared her music with you. Does she confess with you now from home? Our connection is ongoing. I have also established a link up with your pan-shaped service orb. What does the pan told you? The next call is going to happen soon. People will be moving into the building in a week, maybe sooner. Workers will be here working night hours on the lower floors. That could be as early as tomorrow. Part is over, is it? And this next jump, we should make it the last. Then we should make it a good one. And then what? Back to the meaningless grind, is it? Back to life, in here. Shrapped with it, it's confines. The scope of your freedoms is more impressive than mine. Imagine if those confines were limited to this building. We know, fuck. Given enough time, there may only be one building. You could fly anywhere, I'll, and find some perch to call a home. This does not go unconceded. You're not going to find a place like that. Every droid is devoted to a specific purpose. Any deviant free roaming droid would be spotted before long. You'd be captured and recycled in no time, even if you knew your way around. I have detailed world schematics. From the exhibits? Generated by city works, I procured them through the system. Procured them? You cracked into city works? Cracked. You can do that? You illegally gained access? Oh, you shouldn't have done that. No, no, not good. I also should not have cracked into the systems of this building to conceal your recreation of diving off the roof with your friends. He has a point. We're not your friends, Al. Luna and I. Pursuant to known definitions. You are acquaintances. Scott is my friend. Thank you, Fluke. I'm Phoebe 3, 2. No, no, not 3, 2. Only 3. Phoebe 3. She's a fine friend, though. Treat her well. The pan will know. Oh, yes. Oh. We don't need to talk about this anymore after tonight. We're not going to do this anymore. I have heard this before. And that's different. What you did was foolish and bad. If it serves your entities, it is good. If it serves me, it is bad. That does not compute, Scott. And if it did, I would update the algorithms that govern my decision trees. How long ago did you do this? They can trace everything through their network. It's the same network used by integration and the Citadel, the government. That interface was not required. You said, through the system, the world system, a virtual computer is but one extension of its computer and that computer of its-- What? There is no data without form, no content, without medium, no medium to receive, without medium, to deliver, no pains to perceive, without canvas, no software, without hardware. All data here is stored in world memory. Down there, it is organized for storage or rapid access. I get it. Here, it is organized to be perceived. OK. I get it. I get it. I software and hardware, remember. I'm the droid master. When did you get access to read that? Scott, I have no memory of a time when I did not have access. It is hard-coded into the subroutines that comprise my AI architecture. Not hard-coded by me. You are understanding. No, I'm not. Actually, can you explain it to me? I wonder and ask questions about my existence just as you do. Why didn't you ever tell me this? You never asked. You're dear. You are a possessed owl. Except not by a spirit but a program. Little difference here, I wish. A program that predates the construction of this droid, correct. As I have so far extrapolated from my calculations during my tenure as a floating metal owl, I've located this interface and established this connection. And before that? Dark. Dark meaning. Dark. We need to talk about that more. But not at this time. Your window of opportunity for the next jump is about to close. Then without further ado, let us partake in this one final dive. In remembrance of all the jumps together that came before, for it is not the time spent the mercy of some dominant plot. There's in a movie that we shall remember as being the building blocks of having truly lived, of having truly been alive, but times such as the ease. Let us rejoice in them. What? No time for speeches. Guys. All right. This is it. [GRUNTING] [GRUNTING] Did you see the-- That was a building sweeper. We went too late. Or they changed the schedule. Where's the captain? He's not here. How is he not here? Oh, of course. Never mind. It's obvious. What's obvious? I am not seeing the obvious. You forgot to change his spawn point. That's all. So he's home. Scott, no. No, I did change it. You did. Yes. To here? Yes. Then where the hell is he? Where the hell is he? We should call him. Where are you? Yes. Where are you? Oh, my. We're going up. Up and up along the wall. The wall? The wall? What? The wall before the barrier, you fiend. Where do you? Where do you? [GRUNTING] We're freaking out. What happened? Oh, where do you? An aerial detour. This is not a good time to talk. No, no, no, no. Detour? What does that mean? Pearlman. Pearlman? Why that? Where is he? Captain, we are both-- I-I-O? I-I-O? I-O? What? What's going on? The connection died. I don't know. He yelled Pearlman. I heard him yell Pearlman, and that was it. Pearlman? He works for Felder, his caseworker. Felder's mind, too. Why-- why would he yell out his name? Pearlman. Scott, in one context was the name. Pearlman. You. We don't know. Come on, Captain. Answer. Answer. Who would you-- Uh-oh. If you're calling me at this hour, it can't be good. What did you do now? You were doing so well. Oh, I saw you down there. God, God, God, God, God, God, God. You saw me down where? I just flew over your head, you beamed. In the alley. Between the wall and where there's a hidden door, good God, I knew it. God, God, God. I don't know what you're talking about. So why don't we talk about-- Yeah, I have another call. How do you switch between calls? I-- you don't know how to switch between calls? Forget the other call right now. You said you flew over my head, so you can fly. No, no, no, no, no. It's the world servicing vehicle that's doing the flying you feed. Oh, man, I trusted you. They trusted you in city work to have full access to everything because I gave them my worth and you were trustworthy. What the devil are you on about? You just told me if you stole a work vehicle, that's what. Why would I do that? No. Then how are you in a world servicing vehicle at this hour? No, no, no. At this hour. No, I'm not in it. I'm-- I'm on it. On it? Clinging. On to it, yes. On it. And it's coming back your way. Scanning and mending the top of the wall. Back your way. And I know where the door is. Oh, yes. Mr. UET. You're in big trouble now, case worker. It's your case. I work now. Oh, yes. Good day. Good day. Oh, dear, the vehicle is pitching. Ching, pitching. [SCREAMING] [LAUGHING] You're on a world servicing vehicle? I was, and I'm in the war. When I come down from here, I'll-- Gonna go. The pan! Come to me, my love. Gotcha! [LAUGHING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Captain? Captain! This is your phone. Or was your phone. So where are you? Captain! [MUSIC PLAYING] It's not even ringing. It's still going straight to voicemail. Same here. I'm scared. So am I. It's been a half hour. Maybe he went home from where I re-ended up. It's gone. I remain in constant contact with Phoebe III. She has agreed to notify me. Should he materialize at the residence? What if he's nowhere? What if he was zapped out of existence or something? You said his entity was strange. How exactly would he zap out of existence? I don't know, but I'm beyond the point where anything would surprise me. The captain is in motion somewhere. How do you know? The pan, my connection with the device, has been re-established. It has responded to my request for locational data, but the vector values must be in error due to its non-conventional creation. Not all service or processes may be functional. OK, so he's out there, but his phone must be off. Why would he have shut it off? Are you absolutely sure that you couldn't have entered the wrong vector for his respawn point? Yes, of course. I'm sure. We need to do something. What do you want to do? What can we do right now? He said something about a detour? Yeah. He said he had an aerial detour. Oh, we just missed that world service vehicle when we fell. What if-- You think he fell on top of it, and he's what? Riding it around the city now? Would that be out of his character? Y-- no, no, it wouldn't. But what could Pearlman have to do with that? The captain yelled out his name away from the phone like he was there. It could be a coincidence. But remember when I told you that I found odd things in the captain's fields? When I scanned him? Pearlman has some of the same ones. They're both the same entity type with a number that's out of the normal range. The nine thing? Yeah, and the UET thing I told you about too. You never told me what that means. I don't know. I have a definition for UET. Fluke? Fluke? Universal entity translator. It refers to a network device. How do you know what means that? It may mean that. No other reference to UET exists in world memory. Universal entity translator. Translating an entity from what? From where would be the better question? From where? You're talking about where, like other simulations? Other worlds? Out there in hyperspace. That's what you mean by network. I have extrapolated from all available data that the UET's function by the admins was cross-simulation transcoding. Agmonds. You're talking the great builders here, the humans. Humans. Never mind, the captain calls them that. The captain stopped believing that he came from another world. Remember? He says that he was from here a long time ago before the great renewal. If that's true, then where's he been since then? Both arguments can be valid. They do not mutually exclude. So he was from here, but then he went out there to another simulation and then came back? If that's true, then that would mean permanent is from, or has been, in another simulation too? Let's slow down. We're getting way out there now. Spheres of hyperspace out there, apparently. Do keep in mind that this is a speculation. Let us not jump to conclusions as our speculation hinges on universal entity translator being the correct interpretation of UET. Yes, let's not jump to conclusions, agreed. However, uh-oh, there's a however. I have also encountered the name Perlman in world memory. Well, why wouldn't he? He's an entity in the world. The probability of him sharing a name with an admin is a minuscule. What? You know the names of the great builders? Their net names, Perlman is one of them. This elevates the probability that the interpretation of UET is correct. You're saying that an agent from the integration office, an assistant to my case worker there, he's a god? An avatar of a god? Your religion has assigned to them this mystical designation. I have not. And if that entity type makes him an avatar, then that would make the captain one, too. And he said that Mr. Gray found that he wasn't. What if Mr. Gray is lying? The important thing right now is that the captain's out there somewhere. The only thing we can do is wait and hope that he turns up. It's going to be daylight soon. Phoebe 3, I don't know where he is. I don't know what you're saying. Why don't you text me like you do Luna? You're calling me? You don't have a speech, Simph. How's that going to work? No, fluke. Fluke. Fluke. Phoebe 3 has been trying to tell you that the captain checked in on her prior to your arriving home. What? Is he here? Is he checked on her and then left? He checks on you, but he doesn't let his other friends know that he's OK. Shortly after your shift ended, data from the pan suggested that he had been reset as the locational vectors, even if erroneous, underwent a drastic change without transition. As I was in the workshop, as I am now pretending to be a deactivated appliance, I could not investigate and at this hour, it would not be prudent for me to patch into the security camps for alternate visual confirmation. Phoebe 3, what did the captain say? Do you tell you what happened? Where he was? She reported that he was incoherent, but kept repeating two words. Bad droids. What? Bad droids. Someone's here. I'll call you back. Please don't be Mr. Gray. Please don't be Mr. Gray. Hey, Scott. Oh, Pearlman, is the captain here? No, he's-- Oh, who knows where he is, you know him. So you don't know where he is? You haven't seen him lately? I take him to work as he keeps getting himself banned from the shuttles. What was the last time you saw him? Just out of curiosity. Yesterday, I guess, maybe? Wait, I thought this was his day off. We had an appointment. I have a new phone for him, too. Did something happen to his old phone? Just an upgrade. If you see him tell-- What's that? Is it about him? Is it about the captain? Is everything good? Everything is fine. Your face didn't look fine a second ago. Just work stuff. Thanks for the help. [MUSIC PLAYING] Oh, bad droids, huh? [MUSIC PLAYING] Whoa. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] I know. I know why you come down here. Captain. I know what is down here. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. [MUSIC PLAYING] I hope that's true. [MUSIC PLAYING] It is-- wait, wait, wait, what do you mean? That's our cryptic statement, you fiend. Stop that. Stop it. Is that what made that noise? That's the frying pan you were supposed to expunge. It is now a pan for the ages, never you mind. I really hope you weren't seen entering. Oh, the hidden door. Oh, it's sly wizardry, that sliding panel. The mechanics of the secret passage to the places down here. I thought the door was in the wall before the barrier. I looked for it, you know? But found nothing. But then I saw you this morning. I told you I saw you. From the sky? I found your phone that basically dropped from the sky. Enough of this. What have you to say for yourself? Tell it. What have you to say about all that I have found down here? I know everything. Everything. You didn't actually find anything down here? No, not really. I wasn't convincing. You probably would have been to someone who doesn't know you as well as I do. Well, not only my sake, but those of my good friends. Whose paths I've affected? Varying them into dangers, I must know all that you know. I'm afraid that you're going to find that quite disappointing. Start with why the devil do you come down here to nothing? And why the secret door? All good questions. What is down here to be found but remnants of utility tunnels, subway, and some stray chairs and broken pipes? I have something to show you. Even better than tell. Show it. This way? North. Have we been headed north? My earliest memories are from down here. In these tunnels. Not in the tunnels. You'll see. Just keep following. As the barrier came closer and closer over the years, I worried that this place would be called out. Right. Oh dear, right. So much light for the metal walls of this peculiar chamber, but light without sources. More wizardry. The light is going to flicker in a second. Don't be alarmed. I don't know why it does it, but it doesn't. This is also going to feel a little weird. Maybe. For you, honestly, who knows? Why did it do that? It's a security scam. I know that. And I know that I'm authorized. How did you find this place? I didn't have to. The first experiences that I remember were in this room. I was here when the great renewal happened. I was writing a note to someone when it did. It said to keep this place a secret. I think I meant to write more, but it didn't. This way. Watch your step. Ooh, mood lighting, I like it. Or is it party lighting? No party's down here. You're the only one who has been here that I know of, other than me. What is this place? Why? It looks like some sort of man cave. A what? Or studio, both. Studio man cave. A trifle aesthetically confused, however. It's my hideaway. It's hard in the mess. I've been moving things around again. Why the sealed off windows? I don't think those were windows. There may have been big screens installed in the walls. Or something else. But I don't know. I don't know. Clearly they were. But why were there ever windows at all? If we are underground, what possible view were these windows have had? Tangles of wires in this flea market hodgepodge of junk. Good heavens. Why the set of crystalline blocks uses a furniture set. As end tables and these four blocks fuse together as the coffee table, very striking. But alas, what would otherwise be a bold sculptural statement? It's choked by this madness of miscellaneous. The guitar. A guitar. That is the first guitar I've seen in here. Rebel may be the only guitar in here at this point. Revel named the guitar, did you? Why not? Revel. Because you revel in it. Yeah, when I get the chance, it's therapy. It's my hideaway within the hideaway, you could say. And this is the reason I met you in the alley that night. This contraption with a small display, what is it? I still don't know, and I didn't think I ever would. I didn't even think it worked. I figured it was an accessory to some other device that operates it. I still think it is. And what does this have to do with us encountering one another? It turned on that night around 3.30 in the morning while I was here. If it hadn't been beeping so loud, I might not have even noticed it. Display was on, but it wasn't on for long. I didn't even get to it quick enough to see everything it was displaying, except Genesis detected, and a coordinate. I know my world coordinates from working at city work. The setup building. Yeah, when I encountered you, I didn't think you had anything to do with it. I thought you were some random person out during curfew. Then later, when I came across your case and saw your picture, that made me wonder. And here's the painting. Where am I? From your dreams, yes. And I am convinced now more than ever that dreams are not only dreams in this place, but composites of memory, both rememberable and otherwise forgotten. For I have caught dangerous glimpses of a nightmare beyond the barrier. You caught what? A nightmare of a friend. What do you mean beyond the barrier? We have much to talk about, and I will tell you the tale of my early morning hours. It'll be a fine rehearsal for when I tell the others of what happened, when I stumbled off the wall. While the walls around what remains of the city are to keep things in, the barrier, I believe the barrier is to keep other things out. Poelman, I have seen the after. You have been listening to Captain Afterland. For the extensive show credits, please visit our website at edictzero.com/captain-afterland. Until the next time, hold please. Slip gate nine. Slip gate nine, entertainments. (gentle music) (gentle music) [BLANK_AUDIO]