TC Ep 261 Script

261

dove girl locked in sleep cabin on ship. lyr opens the door, bringing her food.

L: here. 

dove: how long…will you keep me here?

L: oh, so you do feel like talking today. 

d: it is you all who have refused to cooperate

L: you can go back to your friends when it’s safe for us to return to Kooup. We’re currently in talks to offload those hybrid chicks onto someone who can rehome them, away from kooup government and your sick asses. 

d: and the chimeras?

L: oh, they’re going too. you’re not getting your hands back on your twisted little science experiments. 

d: it…I wasn’t conducting the miracles. I looked after them once they hatched for a time, is all. 

L: (spits) miracles. Your Dole is creating freaks of nature, and for what? 

d: you don’t know anything. 

L: no, none of us do, i reckon. You Doves like your secrets. 

d: i am surprised, that you have not offered me my freedom in exchange for them.

L: is that what you were hoping? that we’d want to know the inner workings of your sick little minds so badly we’d offer anything you wanted in exchange for them? I’ll tell you this for free - (leans in) it doesn’t matter how you justify it to yourselves, the Dole won’t be around for much longer anyway. If I were you, I would have a think about which side you’d rather be on. There’s not really time left to have any kind of last-minute epiphany, but, you know, it probably wouldn’t hurt.

(leaves. dove left sitting in darkness, a small porthole allowing in some light)

tiraa, neekia+co staking out a dove temple in a semi urban area. all hiding on nearby rooftop, all eating snacks including del. del hands cris one.

T: it’s been the same as the others - no sign of any Doves heading in or out for 24 hours. do we wait longer, just in case?

Cris: I’m telling ya, all these outskirt temples are empty, the bastards are congregating closer to the City, gearing up for the big anniversary event.

Del: any idea on what that’ll be, now we’ve freed your Murder?

N: (glances at tiraa) we can speculate. (tiraa looks away). 

T:...what makes this hub so special, then? If they’ve just abandoned it like this. 

N: Cyras had Deacon in charge of chimera extraction, our intel told us this building was one of their branch research facilities. We’ve never been able to get this close to it before, and if everyone’s skedaddled now’s our chance to see if they’ve left anything interesting behind.

lulu: how will it be different from those random documents we’ve found at the other sites?

N: it might not be, but it’s always worth a look. c’mon, we’ve fannied about long enough. If there are guards still inside, that means they might actually be guarding something worthwhile. stay on alert, just like we’ve been doing.

(all sneak to building, neekia quietly breaking upstairs window, all enter dark room.)

N: the labs are always underground, look for stairs. 

(creep down corridor, peering in rooms that look like staff rooms and bunk houses)

rhaast: (opens door to stairwell) here. 

N: stay close. 

(scenery starts looking more high-tech and sterile. green emergency lighting. reach steel door at bottom, peer through glass to see a few doves doing vague lab things)

T: skeleton crew? no armed guards.

N: so arrogant. on the count of three. 

(burst through door, guns aimed)

N: drop everything. hands up. that’s it. get in that corner. Rhaast, guard ‘em. The rest of you, start searching. 

(start rifling through drawers and cupboards, shoving things in bags. Tiraa finds a door at the back, opens to see cages with threadbare bedding, lab equipment and broken egg shells.)

T: what. the fuck. (del enters) they were…keeping chicks in these. 

d: (sneers) fuckers. 

(T looking through files. finds one with a headline about “external intracytoplasmic egg fertilisation” takes it)

(N calls from other room, is one computer): since these doves are here, they very kindly left their computers logged in, connected to their servers. instant access to all their little documents and blueprints

T: this is a goldmine. flashdrive?

N: copying now. 

dove from corner: those are private corporation files, you willk be prosecuted for -

N: mate, you lot prosecute me just for being a Crow, a little bit extra ain’t gonna do shit. Rhaast keep those fuckers quiet, thanks. (computer pings) transferred. let’s get out of here.

Lulu: what’s prisoner protocol?

N: we’ll have to drop them at a checkpoint to be processed, central command can deal with them.

cris: i can take them, so you all can go straight to command to hand over that (flashdrive). 

N: you dont mind?

C: i want to see my squad anyway, make sure they’re being treated well and settling in.

N:...alright. you’re fine handling them by yourself?

C: oh…i’ll have no trouble i’m sure (smiles).

N: (to tiraa) c’mon. there’s a safehouse nearby we can rest up before heading to Deacon.

everyone asleep. Neekia’s cot next to tiraas.

T: (whispers)...back when you said cyras…wanted me.  i…need you to elaborate on that.

N: (turns to her, sighs) it was…the way he looked at you, sometimes. he’d squint his eyes, like it hurt. You were so naive, i think it shocked him that someone could still be innocent like that.

T: oblivious, you mean

N: we’d all seen so much shit from such a young age, you were that window into a childhood that we could’ve had, if we hadn’t been forced to grow up so quickly.

T: so i was childish, to him.

N: you were pure. so when he saw your rage at what was happening, he knew that was real. Cyras was a liar amongst liars. I think someone who stood for truth was addicting to him. I can see it. 

T (blinks, blushing in confusion. turns away.) do you think…we’ll be able to get him back?

N: no, princess. i dont. 

cyras/tiraa/neekia will never not equal pain to meeeeeee