27: Breach

written by Tau Zaman
directed & sound design by Mischa Stanton
[back]

[[SFX: tape recorder starts]]

HANK CORNISH (HC): This is ridiculous; you run this place, you can put down any protocol number you want!

CHET WHICKMAN (CW): It doesn’t work that way; I can’t just make up a number.

HC: Why not?

CW: One, because your people investigate organizations that do that. Two, no one here would know what it means! With all due respect, this is already a big ask. My people have been burning the candle at both ends to gather these files for you and send them to your people. There are protocols for these kinds of document transfers, Hank! It takes time. And to be perfectly frank, I don’t see any relevance now that the trial’s over.

HC: It’s not your job to see the relevance. It’s your job to hand over the files we asked for.

CW: But of all things, the Plasticity reports? We don’t conduct those trials anymore!

HC: We’re going to need to review all of Ms. Roberts’ experiments for the period of time called into question at her trial.

CW: I don’t remember the court ordering any such thing.

HC: ...Director Whickman, with all due respect, you may not have been on trial, but you did not emerge from it unscathed. I wouldn’t be surprised if they put you in the ring for the next round.

CW: I already testified in exchange for my immunity.

HC: You’re running on borrowed time, Director. This whole debacle does not paint a pretty picture of your leadership skills. I imagine it’s only a matter of time before you’re replaced.

CW: They wouldn’t replace me unless... unless they had a recommendation from their only liaison on the ground.

HC: That’s right. I’m glad you’re learning quickly. Now: The protocol numbers.

CW: ...Give me a day. I’ll track down the number, I’ll even ask everyone to hurry.

[[SFX: Hank goes to leave; opens the door; stops]]

HC: ...You don’t know, do you? You don’t even know any of the protocol numbers.

CW: Well I never had to! Esther used to sign off on all of that.

HC: [under his breath] Guess she really did run things around here. [to Chet] Have a good day, Director.

[[SFX: radio tuning; Petra leads Ida down a hallway in ODAR]]

IDA: You are all so paranoid about Soviet spies infiltrating your operations, and yet here you are, walking me into your base as if I were a guest.

PETRA MARQUEZ (PM): Please stop talking.

[[SFX: boots of an ODAR guard pass by]]

PM: Hi, hello. 

[[SFX: Petra waits for the guard to pass.]]

PM: And you are a guest.

IDA: You know, I really could’ve killed you back there. I was going easy.

PM: No you weren’t. You’d never let yourself get dragged into ODAR otherwise. At least here nothing can go —

[[SFX: an alarm blares]]

PM: ...Fffffuck.

IDA: What were you saying about — ?

PM: Shut up. We need to move.

IDA: By all means, I’m your hapless prisoner. Lead the way.

PM: We can't just stand in this hallway. Here! We'll go in here.

[[SFX. Petra opens a door and ducks into an adjacent room–the archives where Sally and Bridget have been talking.]]

PM: What’re you two doing in here?

BRIDGET CHAMBERS (BC): We’ve been here, what are you doing? What the hell’s going on?

SALLY GRISSOM (SG): It’s the lockdown alarm. Petra, hurry and get in here. That door’s gonna slam shut any—

PM: Wait wait wait Ida!

[[SFX: Ida runs off; the door slams shut; the alarm stops]]

SG: –second... Wait, who were you reaching for? Did you say Ida?

PM: Ida... I’d’ve... grabbed something from my quarters if I knew were gonna get stuck in here... [under her breath] Shit shit shit shit shit...

SG: Woah, relax, it’s gonna be fine. You can probably grab it in five minutes. We used to have these lockdown drills all the time after Sharma.

BC: And these lockdown drills are for...

SG: Whickman’s paranoia. But it’s always been drills, no one’s ever actually gotten in here.

PM: [high-strung] Nikhil Sharma got in here.

SG: [sigh] Okay. Fair. But I brought him in here, and we started having these lockdown drills because of that incident. I don’t think anyone’s gonna be bringing Soviet spies into ODAR anytime soon though.

PM: Of course... [muttering]

BC: Alright, so we just sit here, and wait it out?

SG: Pretty much. In fact, doors should be opening right about...

[[SFX: pause]]

SG: Okay maybe not right now but, pretty soon.

[[SFX: tape fast-forward]]

PM: It’s been hours.

SG: It’s never gone on this long. Comms are down, no announcements, no nothing.

BC: Something has to be really wrong.

PM: How... how fast does this lockdown protocol go off?

SG: What do you mean?

PM: Well let’s say a...”foreign” agent does walk into here. Does someone have to notice? Run over to a switch, and push a button?

SG: Maybe? I... I don’t know. Lockdown drills were always pretty quick and painless. No one ever trained us on how to activate a lockdown.

BC: It has to be Director Whickman. Why hasn’t he said anything over the intercom yet? You’d think for something this major they’d wanna make announcements.

SG: “This is not a drill!”

BC: Exactly.

PM: And it’s too quiet.

SG: Yeah. If this were an actual lockdown drill, we’d have guards running around the campus. It’d be livelier than... this. It’s too quiet.

BC: Well, it happened pretty suddenly right? If they weren’t at their posts, they’d be—

PM: –Locked in wherever they are.

SG: So much for protocol. Hm... maybe it means he didn’t set it off. Maybe he’s locked somewhere too.

BC: But then who could set it off?

SG: Maybe it’s activated automatically.

PM: That, or someone activates it externally.

SG: You mean like... a hacker?

BC: What do you mean by hacker?

SG: It’s like... a bank robber, I guess? But with computers? Someone help me out here.

PM: Question is, why would someone do that?

SG: Locking everyone in their rooms seems like a smart move if you wanna get the jump on them.

BC: It means they could move about with impunity.

SG: But...really? You think ODAR’s actually under attack?

BC: It’s a war, cold or not. I don’t see why we’d rule out the possibility. We have guards for a reason.

SG: And here I thought we had enough.

BC: Right. Given that we’re arguably the most powerful organization in the country, possibly even the world.

PM: Can we... can we please not?

BC: What? We are. That’s an objective fact. Doesn’t mean I like it.

PM: I know. I’m just not... thrilled at rehashing the obvious, especially when it’s about how all-powerful uncle Chet is.

SG: Damn. That’s... valid. What made you wanna come back to ODAR anyway? I thought for sure you’d finally be... gone.

PM: Carmen and I... we communicate a lot using the Blackroom computer system. There’s a backdoor in the software that we can pass little notes through, as long as we’re in an iteration of time where they haven’t patched it yet. When it went down I went to investigate, and that’s how I ended up in Moscow. When this whole thing kept getting weirder, I decided to stick around a little while. Better question is why wouldn’t you ever really leave–

BC: –Okay everyone, now that we’re all feeling the pressure cooker heat up a little bit there’s no need for us to get snippy.

SG: It’s fine. You know why I couldn’t Petra. Probably for the same reason you’re here. I’m responsible for this—

PM: –That’s not why I’m here. I’m not responsible for any of this at all. Nothing about ODAR—

SG: —If you’ll let me finish: I’m not blaming you. I’m just saying... when you see what people are capable of, sometimes it becomes your responsibility to keep them in check. Even if you didn’t do anything to make them one way, you can still be responsible for how they turn out.

BC: Inaction, after all, is in itself a choice.

PM: [scoff] After the trial I bet you’d know a thing or two about that.

BC: What is that supposed to mean?

SG: Petra, what’s gotten into you?

PM: I’ve gotta get outta here.

SG: Yeah, me too. I have to use the bathroom very badly. But Petra, you’re... different. You’ve gotten dark.

PM: And what about you Sally?

SG: What about me?

PM: Can you name a single good or useful thing you’ve done in ODAR in the last several years?

BC: Okay why don’t we all just calm down, and—

SG: I don’t know what you’ve been up to Petra, but science takes years. Decades. And I already invented time travel, albeit accidentally, but you know what? Most of the scientific community would chalk that up as a lifetime achievement. So I’ve been working on... slower science since then. And trying to take care of myself. And I’m not ashamed of that. So could you cut me some fucking slack?

PM: Yeah so you accidentally invented the technology that destroyed my life!

SG: I’m gonna let that one go because I’ve spent the last several years thinking very long and hard about the consequences of that, but saying I ruined your life is not fair and you know that!

PM: Oh I think it’s quite fair. Didn’t you just say, even if you didn’t do anything to make me one way, you’re responsible for how I turned out?

SG: ...Yeah.

PM: You said you’ve kept ODAR in check. But you obviously didn’t go through with it. Because I’m still from that future. I’m still me! You didn’t do it. You didn’t keep ODAR in check. You failed. At least so far. So don’t fucking tell me you didn’t ruin my life. You invented time travel. But you also made sure these people could use it on little kids! And that’s why I have to be here today.

BC: You’re a real hero, Petra. Dare I ask what you’ve been doing to save ODAR from itself?

PM: You have no idea.

SG: Well, we’re asking.

PM: ...

BC: [exasperated sigh, then relents] Drop it, she won’t answer. I really think we’re all saying things we don’t mean just because we can’t walk out of that door.

SG: You’re right. But I’m getting out of here somehow.

[[SFX: Sally drags a chair to underneath a vent, climbs the chair, unscrews the ventilation grate, and hoists herself inside]]

BC: Sally, what’re you doing?

SG: [inside the ventilation shaft] The thing from Die Hard, I’m pretty sure!

BC: It could be dangerous! We’ve been locked down for hours, something serious has to be going on!

SG: Sorry, can’t hear you, really gotta pee, bye!

[[SFX: Sally crawls into the vent; radio tuning; Sally inside the vent]]

SG: Wow, it is toasty in here. Please don’t let me die in here.

[[SFX: Sally crawls, and brushes past a recording device; she pulls it away from the wall of the vent]]

SG: ...Holy fucking shit. Whickman, you are really something else. Just... look at this! Look at all of this! Microphones in the vents? In the walls? This is just like Polvo. This is what Donovan did. He's been recording...everything. Probably for years. Well. Since you can hear this. Fuck you, Chester Whickman!

CW: [outside the vent] Hello? Did someone say my name?

SG: Whickman, you fucker, I’m coming for you!

[SFX: Sally struggles to push herself through the vents until she can get to Whickman’s room]]

CW: Sally? Is that you?

SG: Just... gimme a... minute... aaaaaah!

[[SFX: Sally falls through the vent and hits the floor with a bone-popping thud]]

CW: Sally, are you alright?!

SG: I’ll...be fine.

[[SFX: Sally goes to stand, and her bones grind against each other unhealthily]]

SG: Nope! Not fine. Ow, that really hurts!

CW: Let me take a look at it.

SG: Wow. That was a steep drop. This vent was way higher up than the one I got into. Hey this is the dining hall! Score.

CW: This is not a...”score,” Sally. There’s no intercom here. I can’t reach anyone. What happened?

SG: I don’t know, it’s a lockdown, I thought you might’ve called it—

CW: Also, what did you call me in there?!

SG: Oh yeah wait, Whickman, what the fuck! You’ve been bugging all of ODAR? Putting mics in the vents?

CW: You know, I didn’t feel such a measure was necessary until all of my top agents decided to entertain an open revolt!

SG: This is beyond twisted.

CW: I think your whole arm is twisted.

SG: Yup, that would explain the perpetual, agonizing pain.

CW: I can fix it.

SG: Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Whickman?

CW: I have some field training, Sally. More than you do.

SG: Oh god, this is gonna hurt, isn’t it.

CW: Quite a bit. One... Two...

[[SFX: Chet forces Sally's arm into another configuration]]

SG: AAAAAAAAUUUGH BUTTSTICKS.

CW: Did it... Did it work?

SG: NOT AT FUCKING ALL, WHICKMAN. It hurts even worse now!

CW: Really? That’s exactly how they did it in the...

SG: In the what?

CW: Never mind.

SG: Were you gonna say... the movies, Whickman?

CW: So you broke out by moving through the vents. Smart.

SG: Not so smart: crashing and immobilizing myself. Ow!

[[SFX: they stand]]

CW: If I can get outta here through those vents... How can I get up there?

SG: Why not just hop on my totally uninjured shoulders?

CW: Really?

SG: NO!

CW: Alright, alright!

SG: Grab a chair or something.

CW: All these benches are bolted down.

SG: Oh god. I’m stuck with my boss and a broken arm.

CW: [sarcastic] I’m thrilled.

SG: At least there’s gotta be food around here.

CW: Probably. I didn’t even think to look for food.

SG: ...You’ve been sitting in a dining hall for hours and that didn’t cross your mind?

CW: Do you think I spent my time in a lockdown fishing for a turkey sandwich, Sally?

SG: Fair point. So have you figured out what’s going on?

CW: Not a clue. But ya know what? I’m not gonna have this job much longer anyway! Someone else can agonize over getting this machine running. So yeah. Let’s eat.

[[SFX: Chet storms into the kitchen and rifles around the cabinets; Sally follows]]

CW: Let's see, what do we have here...

SG: What do you mean you won’t have the job?

CW: I’m on the outs, kid. Cornish is already gunning to replace me. Could be worse... Esther had it worse. Then again she’s why I’m losing this job.

SG: You know you don’t mean that.

[[SFX: Chet opens the refrigerator]]

CW: How do ya like your eggs?

SG: Scrambled. Wait, are you seriously making eggs right now?

CW: Why not? I’m stuck with you, neither of us can reach the vent to get outta here, and ODAR is either being invaded, occupied, or otherwise infiltrated as we speak, under my watch. So why, Sally, the hell not.

[[SFX: Chet prepares scrambled eggs throughout]]

SG: Uh, ‘cause my arm is twisted and I’d like to find a doctor? This is so unlike you. I’ve just never known you to... quit.

CW: Sally. I’ve given everything for this job. For this country. Whichever sorry sucker tries to fill my shoes... let ‘em try.

SG: I think you just need, like, a vacation, Whickman.

CW: I’d be lying if I said I never thought about just being a civilian.

SG: You know you can’t be one. For the same reason the rest of us can’t. Now that you know this exists, there is no normal life to go back to.

CW: You sure? You don’t think Jack Wyatt’s out on some beach sipping a rum and coke?

SG: He could be. Dude knew how to cover his tracks I guess.

CW: He was always...

SG: Neurotic. Yeah.

CW: He was hardly the most anxious person in here.

SG: I’m pretty sure paranoia’s a requirement for recruitment.

CW: Uh, no, that’s not in our desired personality profile per se—

SG: Whickman, that’s called passive aggression.

CW: I don't–

SG: The fucking wires in the walls, Whickman?!

CW: Oh, that, I mean, we never really planned for anyone in here to really need to crawl through the vents.

SG: That explains how you thought you could get away with it. Not the why would you pull that big brother shit.

[[SFX: Chet turns off the stove]]

CW: Dinner’s served.

SG: I’m not letting this go Whickman. I may not have eaten for... several hours, but you’re not gonna distract me with dinner!

CW: Salt and pepper?

SG: Please, thank you.

[[SFX: tape fast-forwards]]

CW: And the verdict?

SG: Compliments to the chef.

CW: What do you say we make it a dinner and a movie?

[[SFX: Chet rolls out a projector on a cart]]

SG: No way.

CW: Take a look at this!

SG: Oh man, I can’t believe we’re this lucky!

CW: Not having room for an auditorium paid off, apparently. I present to you: a movable feast!... for, um, the eyes.

SG: What movies do we have in there? The Day the Earth Stood Still? North by Northwest?

CW: Hm, no labels on these things. Let’s just fire one up. Wanna use that wall over there?

SG: Let’s do it!

[[SFX: Chet fires up the projector; the "ODAR & You!" recruit training tape begins to play]]

CW: Oh Jesus...

SG: Oh god no I immediately regret this decision.

CW: I can’t watch this even one more time. Even just passing through when the new recruits are watching it is so depressing.

SG: I’m kinda surprised you don’t just eat up all things ODAR, corny training videos and all.

CW: They have their purpose, I’ll give them that.

SG: Please just shut it off already!

CW: Alright, alright!

[[SFX: Chet turns off the movie, then rifles for another]]

SG: Try the next one. I wonder what it is. I’m guessing you guys don’t have sexual harassment lectures yet.

CW: Harassment lectures??

SG: They’re these videos people watch from my time about how to not be a jerk, and all that. They’re required, most places.

CW: Well we don’t have any sort of harassment here.

SG: [snorts]

CW: What, you really think there is?

SG: If it exists in 20█, you can bet it exists now. Pop the next one in.

CW: Alright then.

[[SFX: Chet puts in another movie; bright cheery muzak plays, the start of the film "Reefer Madness"]]

SG: Holy shit, Reefer Madness!

CW: We won’t be needing that.

SG: Nah, leave it on! I could use a laugh.

CW: I think this is meant to be more instructional, Sally.

SG: Trust me, with me it’ll be a hoot.

[[SFX: they watch in silence for a moment]]

CW: How’s the arm?

SG: A lot better, actually. I don’t think it’s ready to hoist you up onto my shoulders for ventilation-shaft spelunking yet.

CW: That’s fine. It’s... the middle of the night. I doubt I could get ODAR up and running even if I could get out of here.

SG: I’m surprised you’re not in a bigger hurry to get out of here.]

CW: Me, too.

SG: What changed?

CW: I don’t know if I changed. I just think... maybe not being in control feels kind of nice.

SG: A lockdown is definitely not supposed to go this long. Something’s very wrong, Whickman.

CW: I know. But I also know when I try too hard to control things, I just...

SG: Kill people?

CW: Sally.

SG: Okay that was low. But we never really finished our talk from that night—

CW: But that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about it Sally.

SG: Well nothing about how ODAR runs has changed, Whickman!

CW: You’re right. But, everything’s about to. A lot.

SG: You seem really convinced you’re getting canned, huh.

CW: You didn’t see the look on his face...

SG: Whose?

CW: Never mind.

SG: Here I thought we were getting somewhere. [winces] Ah...

CW: You alright?

SG: Just... it’s better, but it hurts... I’d kill for a joint right now.

CW: ...

SG: What? Listen, I haven’t had one in years. Plus it’s not like I could find one in the middle of nowhere.

CW: [chuckles]

SG: What? What’re you giving me that look for?

CW: That’s where you’re wrong.

[[SFX: Chet pull a joint out of his pocket]]

SG: Ho... Ly... Fucking... Shit. The Golden Boy smokes the devil’s lettuce?!

CW: Keep your voice down!

SG: So this is what you do when we all go to bed, you reach into your secret stash of earthly delights and pull out a heckin' blunt?!

CW: N-no! It’s nothing like that.

SG: Just an old habit from your petty officer days?

CW: This is a high stress job, and also, you know what, I pulled it out ‘cause I thought—

SG: Thought what?

CW: I don’t know, it was stupid. I have zero need to impress you.

SG: ...Aw, ‘cause we were having a moment!

CW: [annoyed, embarrassed] It was an exercise in trust.

SG: Your secret’s safe with me. IF you pass it to me.

CW: Oh, you’re greedy.

SG: Hey. I’m the one with the broken arm.

CW: Fair enough.

[[SFX: tape fast-forwards; later in the movie, Sally is laughing as though intoxicated, which she is]]

SG: So what do they say about you?

CW: I don’t know what you mean.

SG: Oh come on, you’ve been recording us all these years. What’s it like hearing everyone talk shit about you?

CW: They say more about you, actually.

SG: ...Yeah, I believe it.

CW: But. I don’t know, I hear what they say, and... [[puffs the joint, holding in smoke]] ...it really doesn’t matter. [exhales] At the end of the day, that’s the very small price of entry for getting to call the shots.

SG: So you just let it roll of your back?

CW: The old "Devil’s lettuce" helps.

SG: Doing what you have to do. I respect that. Doesn’t mean I’ll ever really forgive you for what you did...

CW: Huh?

SG: ...Killing Nikhil.

CW: Oh. Right.

SG: But. I get having to make hard choices.

CW: When you get to where I am, they don’t even feel like choices. We’ve already corrected a thousand times for every choice. The Blackroom tells us the right choice. Or. It used to. I mean sure, carrying out those choices is hard, but they’re really not hard to make.

SG: I get that. I could’ve taken a vacation too. A longer one, anyway. But. I just know this is where I have to be. And, it kinda sucks. But when you’re born with a chance to change the world on this scale... it’s not even a choice anymore. I feel like I got on this train and it’s just got this one track to wherever it’s going.

CW: [sleepily] Ironic.

SG: Given the branching possibilities of time travel, yeah. But it really doesn’t matter. In any timeline I feel like this is the only place I ever could and would be. There was no choice. Not really.

CW: [dozing off] Counterpoint. Jack Wyatt.

SG: Counterpoint, I find it extremely hard to believe ODAR can’t figure out where he is. You’ve gotta know where he is. Right? And I know you’re just not telling me.

CW: ...

SG: ...Or telling anyone. [a moment of realization] An act of mercy on your part, I guess.

CW: ...

SG: Whickman? Whickman.

CW: [snores]

SG: [sigh] I’ll see ya in the morning.

[[SFX: radio tuning]]

PM: I mean. Listen. I’m not her biggest fan but she obviously doesn’t work for communists. She literally invented the technology they stole.

BC: Or she gave it to them.

PM: You know she didn’t.

BC: Ettie got put away for far less.

PM: True. She could’ve... given it to them by accident?

BC: That is how she tends to do things. [groans, exhausted] I’ve had it with this place!

PM: You’re telling me.

BC: It’s like... you can’t trust anyone. Not even people you thought you knew.

PM: Nope. On that note: don’t pay any mind to me.

[[SFX: Petra climbs up into the vent]]

BC: What! You can’t just leave me here!

PM: [inside the vent] You could always climb!

BC: It’s a lockdown! We’re not supposed to be going anywhere! Petra? Petra? Goddamnit.

[[SFX: Petra shimmies away; outside the door, footsteps pass by]]

BC: Hello? Is anybody there?

[[SFX: the footsteps stop and circle back; radio interference, then the door unlocks itself and opens]]

BC: What’re you doing here?

HC: Ms. Chambers! Exactly whom I was looking for.

BC: And how did you get the door open? There’s a lockdown going on, you know.

HC: I’m going to need you to come with me.

BC: Why? There’s literally nothing I know that you could possibly want to ask me about.

HC: Actually we’ve been waiting on a document transfer for sometime. The Plasticity reports?

BC: What about them?

HC: You pulled them before the trial. They’re still marked as checked out.

BC: I... don’t understand why you could possibly need them. Also, how are you out here whenever everyone else is locked down?

HC: Right place at the right time. Now, Ms. Chambers: the reports.

BC: Well, the whole place is locked down, I can’t retrieve them!

HC: I got this door open. I can get others open.

BC: This isn’t exactly protocol, I think Director Whickman would prefer—

HC: I’m asking nicely exactly once.

BC: Nicely? When?

HC: Alright, that’s it.

BC: Let me go!

[[SFX: Bridget struggles as Hank drags her into the hallway; Lou Gaines approaches]]

LOU GAINES (LG): Hey!

BC: Lou!

LG: Mr. Cornish, you’re going to let go of her this instant!

HC: [laughs] I can’t believe they didn’t disarm you after your last insurrection, Agent Gaines.

LG: Oh, they took that gun away. This one’s extra for a rainy day.

HC: You’ve just pulled a gun on a supervisor and this is not going to pan out well for you. We wouldn’t want our friend Ms. Chambers here getting caught in the crossfire, would we?

LG: What do you want with her?

HC: I have reason to believe has been requisitioning restricted files from the US government to copy into the ODAR archives.

BC: That’s ridiculous. He told me he wants reports. He’s lying!

HC: Oh it’s quite true. I’ve been tracking your activity for weeks. You’ve requisitioned one too many flagged files, Ms. Chambers. This whole facility was set to lock down on my order.

LG: Or did you lock the place down so you could go searching yourself?

BC: Couldn’t find them on your own?

HC: ...Well they weren’t in the archives. Because you pulled them. At the very least locking down the place made sure I could get ahold of you. You know, it made perfect sense that the best person to hand over classified files to the Soviets would be someone as unassuming as ODAR’s librarian.

BC: I’m not a librarian! Lou! You don’t believe him, right? I have no idea what he’s talking about.

HC: And now we need to be going. Once again Mr. Gaines, you’re making a foolish mistake. I’ll consider recommending a lighter sentence for you if you back down this moment.

[[SFX: Ida rounds the corner]]

IDA: Cornish!

HC: Ida! Right on time.

IDA: I’ve got the reports. And much more.

LG: Let her go or I will shoot! And I’ve got very precise aim.

HC: That precise, at this distance? I’d be surprised.

[[SFX: Hank takes a few steps, dragging Bridget with him]]

LG: Don’t you back away from me!

HC: Oh I think I will. Because you know what your mistake is, Agent Gaines? You’re actually a good person. You wouldn’t take the shot. Huagh!

[[SFX: Bridget elbows Hank in the chest; she is free]]

BC: The next time you put your slimy hands on me, I’ll hit ya where it really hurts.

[[SFX: she hits him again for good measure; he falls]]

HC: Ida! Little help!

BC: Lou! A hand?

[[SFX: Ida drags Cornish away; Lou rushes to Bridget]]

IDA: Cornish look out!

[SFX: Lou fires at Hank; he hits]]

HC: Augh!

IDA: I’ve got you. Let’s go.

LG: Bridget, you alright?

BC: I’m fine.

HC: I’ll see you all rot with Ms. Roberts.

BC: Quick, don’t let them get away!

[[SFX: Ida and Hank run down the hall; Lou chases; tape recorder stops]]

ars PARADOXICA was created by Daniel Manning & Mischa Stanton. Season 3 was also written by Eli Barraza, Julian Mundy, Danielle Shemaiah & Tau Zaman.
Episode 27: Breach features –

Kristen DiMercurio (Sally Grissom)
Lia Peros (Petra)
L. Jeffrey Moore (Lou Gaines)
Preston Allen (Bridget Chambers)
Reyn Beeler (Chet Whickman)
Dan Anderson (Hank Cornish)
Maxximillian Dafoe (Ida)
with special thanks to Isabel Atkinson

Production help from Dennis Connors. Original music by Mischa Stanton and by Eno Freedman-Brodmann.
ars PARADOXICA is brought to you by The Internet: Based on the television program Black Mirror.