Episode 50: Bible and Verse

Interview 1

I think my favorite Red Line station, it’s probably Charles/MGH. I like the bridge. I also prefer the stations that are aboveground. [Static] I like feeling the fresh air.

 

Also, just, like, the—

 

Leon Stamatis—Braden Lamb [fragmented, through static]

I can do this. 

I can do this. 

Gouda.

You can’t just peel my mind—

Dutch origin.

Andrew. Who’s Andrew?

Andrew. Who’s Andrew?

Andrew. Who’s—

Stop.

[Static stops.]

Focus.

[Static.]

You can’t stop it.

Surrender.

Verdict: checkmate.

Surrender.

No, [static briefly cuts, then resumes] I—I can do—

 

[“Charlie on the MTA” plays.]

 

Arun Sannuti

Previously, in Greater Boston.

 

Louisa Alvarez: Julia Propp

I just want to know what’s up with your supersonic mailman powers.

 

Bernie—Josh Rubino

Bye now.

 

Michael Tate—James Oliva

He is the fastest mail carrier I have ever seen, like, cross paths with magic and the form of your brother.

 

Gemma Linzer-Coolidge—Lydia Anderson

And he showed me I could be something else and that’s what he, and I, want to show you.

 

Nica Stamatis—Kelly McCabe

It’s too late for me. I’m here. I’m stuck. I can’t.

 

Gemma

But what if you could?

 

Dimitri Stamatis—James Johnston

I finally understand what she’d been trying to tell me weeks ago about staying in her cell. And I think of Leon and the fact I just learned he was stuck in his own cell.

 

Isabelle Powell—Jessica Washington

You now want to risk your life, busting out the woman who got you framed.

 

Isaiah Powell—Mario Da Rosa Jr. 

Abolition isn’t only for the people we love.

 

Isabelle

I’m gonna think about it and talk it over with the key members of the council.

 

Valiance Johnson—Jordan Cobb

You know how someone’s been vandalizing Red Line cars?

 

Nichole Fonzarelli—Kristen DiMercurio

Wasn’t that a promotional thing by the city?

 

Valiance

That’s what they turned it into.

 

Nichole

How do you know?

 

Valiance

I’m the one who’s been doing it, and I would love to tell you all about it.

 

Bernie

Anywho, I have a letter for you.

 

Oliver West—Mike Linden

“Got, you.” Got you?

 

Title Sequence

This is, this is, this is: Greater Boston

 

Narrator—Alexander Danner

This week in Greater Boston, Episode 50: Bible and Verse.

 

The Genesis

 

[Peaceful bird noises/nature sounds.]

 

Isabelle Powell—Jessica Washington

Walking through the grounds, Wonderland feels different today. People feel… looser. There’s more cooperation, more easiness with each other. The threat to the community is gone. The land is ours. But we got a big ask for them to follow-up on. And given how they backflip in anger about food trucks, God only knows how they’ll feel concerning a prison break. Not even sure how I feel about it, tell you the truth. Raising that boy right sure pushed me into some uncomfortable places.

 

[Knock on the door. Door opens.]

 

Melissa Weatherby—Tanja Milojevic

Come on in. Omi was just catching me up on the latest. 

 

Isabelle

You look tired.

 

Melissa

Par for the course. 

 

Isabelle

You can rest a little knowing we’ve got the deed now.

 

Melissa

One would think. But in response to that, you want me to suggest to our community that we commit a major crime? 

 

Omi Ogawa—Julia Morizawa

I gotta say, this does not seem wise from any legal perspective what-so-ever, but especially as an immediate response to miraculously securing the land. I mean, hell, if we do this, Bespin could appeal to the Commonwealth, who could send in the Staties—or even the Feds—and we could jeopardize everything we just got! And for what? And for who?

 

Isabelle

What did you say to that girl when you took her case?

 

Omi

I told her she couldn’t win.

 

Isabelle

And why did you say that?

 

Omi

Isabelle. This is me. You know me.

 

Isabelle

So what’s my point?

 

Omi

It was rigged from the jump. My sources say the jury was even going to go for Nica, but— 

 

Isabelle

But they didn’t, of course. And you did good, Omi, and I thank you for taking this case and pulling off one hell of a triple double in the midst of a setup, but I need to remind you both that we are all here—on this land—all of us—for doing something right that was legally wrong. That’s the genesis of this so-called Wonderland. And we can’t let go of that no matter how hard we try.

 

Melissa

Isabelle, you’re not wrong, but on one level, Nica Stamatis was! She openly admits it. And I can’t go to the town and ask our citizens to not only take her in, but help break her out of a Red Line jail when it’s a known fact that she was involved with the Lottery, that some of her actions jeopardized and terrorized the people who live here now. 

 

[Pause.]

 

You wanted me to lead. I’m sorry. I can’t bring this to the council, or to the city. I just can’t. 

 

Isabelle

[Sighs.] You’re right. You’re both right. I’m proud of you for standing up to me.

 

Omi

You’re still going to do it, aren’t you?

 

Isabelle

Of course. Y’all know me. 

 

Omi

Okay. I’m in. Don’t argue! Sometimes… the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many.

 

Isabelle

Don’t get smart, Tiny. 

 

Omi

Don’t call me Tiny.

 

Melissa

Uhh?

 

Isabelle

Inside baseball, Melissa. Project Genesis. One day we’ll show you. 

 

Melissa

Can’t wait. So what do we do?

Isabelle

Let’s make some calls and rally the troops. We can plan from there. 

 

BOOK OF JOB

Louisa Alvarez—Julia Propp

Got you!

Oliver West—Mike Linden

AHHHH!

Bernie—Josh Rubino

Oh! Ms. Alvarez. What are you—did you—you followed me, didn’t you?

Louisa

Uh-huh!

Bernie

Huh. Well. Remind me to give you a stern lecture about abusing the power of the United States Postal Service at a later date. Right now, I have important deliveries to make. Take care!

Louisa

Congratulations. Your myriad of fake documents sent me in circles. I had my suspicions when I overheard Chelmsworth and that chip off the old asshole say they got evicted, but that magic mailman just confirmed it for me.

Oliver

Uhh—Louisa, is it?

 

Louisa

You remember me. Good.

Oliver

Of course I do. I hand selected you as a weak point to retrieve information.

Louisa

That was all your idea? Not Phil’s?

Oliver

Phil just does as he’s told. Or at least he used to.

Louisa

Why did you select me?

Oliver

If I recall, my reasoning was twofold. One, you were newly acquainted with RLPD Special Liaison Gemma Linzer-Coolidge and her interim mayor wife, Charlotte. That meant information would be coming by you one way or another. Information we could use. Plus, you were single. And… well… Emily didn’t like you.

Louisa

What?

Oliver

You used photos of her wedding in Red Line to advertise other Red Line weddings. Plus she described your disposition at her wedding festivities as, and I quote, “glum”. 

Louisa

Huh. You’re being awfully forthcoming about all this.

Oliver

I suppose I am.

Louisa

I’m not going to let you get away with whatever you’re planning. 

 

Oliver 

[Bitter laugh.] My planning.

Louisa

You’re up to something. You’re always scheming. But it’s finally come to an end. It’s finally—

Oliver

Your boyfriend. The Singing Smurf-man or what-have-you. He’s been looking at engagement rings. I’m sure you suspect this by now. He’s come damn close to putting a deposit on one. But he’s been backing off as of late. He’s not sure it’s a good idea. He’s not sure you want to marry him. Marry anyone. 

 

Louisa

How—how do you know this? Are you keeping tabs on me?

Oliver

You? No. Him? Yes. Because he lives in Red Line, and Red Line rail-homes come fitted with Legion Assistant. Every single one of them. And this is the extent of my glorious scheming. This is where my planning has led me. I’m an information errand boy for Legion special orders. I’m a wiretapping warehouse manager, a surveilling salesman.  

[Pause.]

I did dangerous things that harmed people. Harmed you directly. And all that got me was a basement office in a decrepit building where I could spy on people to suggest which Legion owned product they purchase. I’m little more than an algorithm.

[Pause.]

I gave up my family for this. I gave—I gave up…

Louisa

Yeah, okay, I get the play. World’s tiniest violin for the evil misunderstood villain. You’re not going to get my sympathy at this point.

Oliver

No, of course. I am a villain. And a pathetic one at that. But there’s a much bigger villain at play, and more lives are at stake. I’ve learned my lesson and I want to stop it. I was heading out to stop it right now. But if you don’t let me—

Louisa

Not buying it.

Oliver

Lives are at stake.

Louisa

Prove it.

Oliver

Very well. I’m going to ask the assistant to play something back for you. It may take some further explanation. But Louisa, if you don’t believe me… I…

 

[Drops fake voice.]

Look. This is me. No pretense. No nothing. I don’t have anything left in me to fake this anymore. People are going to die if we don’t do anything about it.

Louisa [starting to be convinced]

Okay. Play what you need to play and I’ll decide.

Oliver [real voice]

Legion Assistant? INFERNAL MACHINE? [Machine wake chime.] Replay last intercepted transmission from Ethan Bespin.

Infernal Machine—Bonnie Bogovitch

I’m sorry, I do not recognize the voice as Olive–

Oliver [fake voice]

REPLAY THE MESSAGE, INFERNAL MACHINE! 

 

[Machine chime.]

Ethan Bespin—Jordan Higgs [message replay]

The infused memories are connected across synthetic brains, which likely could manifest into a widespread system collapse. 

 

Mayor—Rick Zieff

Widespread…?

 

Ethan

Trains go nope, trains shut down, trains go crash, trains go boom. 

 

Letters to the Colossians

 

Charlotte Linzer-Coolidge—Summer Unsinn

You can’t just run off like that.

Gemma Linzer-Coolidge—Lydia Anderson

I’m sorry.

Charlotte

It’s been days. No texts, no calls. I was really worried about you, in a completely different way than usual, and that’s too much goddamn worry to stand. Where did you go?

Gemma

I walked. For a long time. Then I rode around in Red Line for a while. It kept bringing me back to the same place in my mind. So then I went there. Visited Nica. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the ball.

Charlotte

The day you first told me about it, your connection to it, you had such clarity. Which was impressive because you’d just lost your job and discovered you had psychic stomach gas powers. You asked me to believe in you, believe in that ball. It was about us. Our family. Monty. But here you got it back and you kept it like a secret. After so much division already, why didn’t you tell me?

Gemma

Because. I knew. The whole time. I knew it was wrong. And I rolled right along anyway. Telling you would have meant owning up to that. 

 

[Footsteps catch up with them.]

Dimitri Stamatis—James Johnston

Gemma?

Gemma

Oh. Hey, guys. Were you all off sneaking Phil out?

Isaiah Powell—Mario Da Rosa Jr.

Just me. We met up on the way back with new recruit Yelena here.

Yelena—Tanja Milojevic

I am ready to fight and die for cheese land.

Gemma

Really hope that’s not necessary.

Charlotte

You must have visited Nica.

Dimitri

Uh, no. Not exactly. 

 

Mallory—Johanna Bodnyk

We went rat tracking and met a ghost. Scent Wipe set its spectral ass the fuck free with a tiny T token. 

 

Charlotte

Uhh— 

 

Gemma

I’m sure that makes sense somehow.

Dimitri

Can you all head to the meeting without Gemma and I for a minute?

Charlotte

I think we can do that. Gemma?

Gemma

Please.

Isaiah

See you all in a sec. 

 

[They walk off.]

 

Gemma

I went to see Nica to tell her. To apologize, of course. But she knows. It was nothing but selfish, keeping this from you. Having this power to understand more? It felt like—it felt like it gave us the advantage for once. We’ve helped more people this past month and a half than I have in the last year. But that’s just window dressing. It made me feel special, knowing I’m the only one who could use the ball. Not use Leon. Work with him through the ball. And… I didn’t want that feeling to end. It was wrong. I am so sorry. 

 

Dimitri

Thank you for telling her. I’m glad one of us did. Leon. How—how is he?

 

Gemma

He’s not good, Dimitri. And this is the other thing. We made a deal to help each other. He helps me with Red Line, I help him…

 

Dimitri

Go. Again.

 

Gemma

He’s still here, but doesn’t want to be. I—I know how hard—I know— 

 

Dimitri

Go on.

 

Gemma [quietly]

Augustine dreams of Jerome. 

 

Dimitri

You saw. 

 

Gemma

I felt. Because he felt. He was there for you. You weren’t alone. 

 

Dimitri

I’m honestly not sure how to feel about that. But thank you. Thank you for telling me. 

 

Gemma

Can you forgive me?

 

Dimitri

I think I can. Eventually. 

 

Gemma

We’re going to free them. Both of them. 

 

Dimitri

The important thing is that we try. Let’s head inside. 

 

[They open the door to the meeting.]

Isabelle Powell—Jessica Washington

Good. Everyone is here.

 

Omi Ogawa—Julia Morizawa

How’s Nica, Dimitri? 

 

Dimitri

Uhh. To be honest, I— 

 

Gemma

She’s really not doing great. But not in the way you think.

Dimitri

I’m not sure she wants to be freed.

Isabelle

You do realize you lobbied us to break her out of jail, right? If we’re really considering that— 

 

Melissa Weatherby—Tanja Milojevic

Maybe we shouldn’t. If she doesn’t even want it then — 

 

Dimitri

We need to. Or, at least, I need to try. I don’t have a choice. The thing is, when push comes to shove, I’m not sure I can convince her to come with me.

 

Gemma

She’s punishing herself. Thinks it’s what she deserves. 

 

Isabelle

You’re not exactly filling us with a lot of confidence about this plan.

Yelena What is plan?

 

Isaiah

We don’t have one yet.

 

Omi

And it makes no sense creating one if our jail bird prefers her cage. 

 

Dimitri

It’s not that she prefers it. It’s that she knows it. [Pause.] I’m sure you all know how quickly our cages can become our comforts. 

 

[Pause.]

 

Isabelle

Yes indeed. But, Dimitri, we’re about to do something incredibly dangerous. We can’t afford any half measures. 

 

Dimitri

I’ll get her out. I have to. If you help me come up with a plan that works.

 

Mallory

If she’s in Shawmut, maybe we can use the Epiphany School. It’s right next door, and there’s bound to be twisty tunnels connecting it all the fuck up. If we get some blueprints, maybe there’s some weak-ass walls to bust through. 

 

Melissa

Who builds a jail next to a school?

Charlotte

Uh, yeah, that one’s on me, sorry. The structural integrity of the— 

 

Isabelle

That’s all water under the Longfellow now. You know this school well?

 

Mallory

Fucking-A. My friend Mako goes there. 

 

Melissa

Goes there? Currently?

 

Mallory

Uh, yeah, bestie. I’m young as fuck. 

 

Omi

High school young?

 

Mallory

I’m in college. Met Mako my last year.

 

Isaiah

There’s the genesis of a plan. What’s our next move?

 

Isabelle

Genesis. Heh. Yes. 

[Pause.]

 

Mallory, why don’t you find out about access from your friend. Omi, look for blueprints for the school and the Shawmut jail. 

 

Gemma

I have the blueprints from my time working with the RLPD. 

 

Isabelle

Perfect! Dimitri, you focus on how we’re going to get Nica out. Everyone else, stay here and strategize. We’ll meet up later and compare notes. 

 

Dimitri

Thank you all. I really can’t tell you how much your help means to me.

 

Isabelle

Don’t thank us until we get Nica safely out. And one other thing to consider.

 

Dimitri

Yes?

 

Isabelle

What we do with her if we actually pull this off.

 

BOOK OF JUDE

 

[Office party—light chatter as people snack on passed appetizers.]

 

Chuck Octagon—Jeff van Dreason

Well everyone, here we are, one year of the Underground! Originally just a brilliant idea tucked safely away in the multi-dimensional mind of yours truly, Chuck Octagon. But as is the case with most great ideas, they must be wrought out into the open with a sense of urgency and purpose, where they roll over the landscape of execution until they gain enough mass and traction to take on a life of their own. You all are that mass and traction, once lying dormant on the landscape of execution. And because the idea was strong enough, you were carried away, stuck and folding in on yourself until the Underground became a giant Katamari of quality reporting, noticeably rolling down the hill of possibility, not dangerous but ready to make a sizable impact impossible to ignore! You’re welcome! And with that, real pain for my fake news friends. Champagne for my real news friends! 

 

[A cork pops and champagne is poured while there’s some muted clapping.]

 

Freed Friend Poletti—James Capobianco

Thank you, Charles. Those certainly were some… words. 

 

Chuck

And that’s not all! I have more words. Words of gratitude. Gratitude, noun, the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

 

[Beat.]

 

Nichole Fonzereli, I am thankful for your excellent reporting. You are a natural newswoman, and your hard-hitting exposes on life in Red Line for the working class could help burst this little speakeasy for news through the concrete of obscurity and into the streets of legitimacy! 

 

Nichole Fonzarelli—Kristen DiMercurio

Streets Legit. That’s what they call me. 

 

Chuck

To our managing editor, Mr. Freedom Friend— 

 

Freed Friend

Freed, Charles. Just Freed.

 

Chuck

If you call me Charles, I call you Freedom. 

 

Freed Friend

Fine. [Struggling] Chuck. 

 

Chuck

To our pain-in-the-derrière managing editor Freed Friend, I give considerable thanks for keeping this news machine running with deadlines as gears and edits as oil. I may have doubted your abilities at first, but make no mistake about it. You are a colossal pain in the news reporting rump. Which is exactly what we needed. And for that, we are all grateful. 

 

Freed Friend

I’ll take it. 

 

Chuck

To Mr. Michael Tate, our financier and writer extraordinaire. Not only has your strangely acquired income kept us in the black, your writing has come a long way since you nearly starved to death and were unable to produce a thing longer than two sentences. Welcome back, Mr. Reporter!

Michael Tate—James Oliva

Hey, thanks!

 

Chuck

To our most loyal interns—first, Penny.

 

Jamie—Rocky Goldman

They’re Penny, I’m Jamie.

Penny—Gaby Hall

How do you still not know this?

 

Chuck You are both the lifeblood pumping black ink from the heart to the circulatory system of this newsroom! To staff photographer Louisa Alvarez.

[Pause.]

Tate, where’s Louisa?

Michael

I don’t know, actually. I’m surprised she’s not here. 

 

Chuck 

Skip! Finally, my thanks to our brilliant caterer and party planner, Tyrell Fredericks. Another excellent decision by double-F! 

 

Freed Friend

I knew Tyrell would deliver. 

 

Tyrell Fredericks—Arun Sannuti

Thank you, Freed. Glad you found your experience Tyrell-iffic!

 

Freed Friend

I mean that literally. The other caterers refused to bring food to Red Line. But also this is quite good.

 

Tyrell

Oh. Well, thanks. The catering aspect is a new one for Tyrell Frederick’s Event Planning. Michael? Would you care for a Manhattan mocktail?

 

Michael

Uh, sure. Thanks, Tyrell. 

 

[Tyrell shakes a drink for Michael while the ThirdSight doors open—Dimitri enters.]

 

Nichole

Hey! It’s Dimitri. [Turns to fake camera.] Therein lies the anticlimactic conclusion to Inexplicable Riddles: The Hunt for Dimitri! 

 

Dimitri Stamatis—James Johnston

Uh, hi… Fake Nica. 

 

Nichole

It’s Nichole. 

 

Dimitri

Right. How’ve you been?

 

Nichole

I’m a journalist now. 

 

Dimitri

Yeah! I watched some of your reports while helping out in Red Line. Really impressive. Whatever happened to that show, anyhow?

 

Nichole

Not sure. After I quit I heard they were optioning a new host. I thought Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were attached to it, honestly. You know, local flavor?

 

Dimitri

Wow.

 

Nichole

Yeah, that still might happen, so if you see those fancy fuckers, you might want to lay low. Because now they’re Good Will Hunting you. And pretty serious about it. 

 

Dimitri

Thanks for the tip.

 

Michael

Dimitri, how are you?

 

Dimitri

I’m okay, Michael; how are you doing? Is that—are you ?

 

Michael

It’s mock. It’s a mock-tail. Mocktail. We’re celebrating our one-year anniversary of the Underground. 

 

Dimitri

That’s fantastic! This might be somewhat awkward, but I have a big favor to ask. Can I pull you away for a second?

 

Michael

Uh, sure. Let’s head over here. 

 

[They step away. The party noise dims somewhat.]

 

Dimitri

It’s about Nica. I appreciate your coverage of the trial, but obviously we know what happened was completely unjust, and Nica doesn’t deserve to go to prison for her involvement with the Lottery. So, as usual, The Red-sistance is planning on doing something.

Michael

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Dimitri— 

Dimitri

Just hear me out.

Michael

You have to tell me this is off the record.

Dimitri

I don’t think Nica is going to want to come because she’s convinced herself she deserves this.

Michael

Dimitri?

Dimitri

But the letter you wrote had an obvious impact on her. You’ve really been on her mind, I can tell, so I was hoping you could—

Michael

Dimitri!

 

[Party noise begins to die down.]

Dimitri

—help us out and maybe say something to her that convinces her to come with us because—

Michael

DIMITRI!

Dimitri

Yes, okay, fine, this is off the record!

Chuck [drunk]

Did someone say ON THE RECORD? 

 

[The party goes completely quiet.]

Dimitri

No. I said “off”. Off the record.

Nichole

What’s off the record?

Dimitri

Well… if I say, won’t it then become… on the record?

Chuck

The whole point of saying it’s off the record is that it’s OFF the record!

Dimitri

But you just said on the record.

Chuck

I misheard you. I thought you were telling Tate about your plan to break your sister out of train jail. ON THE RECORD.

Michael

How did you hear us from that far away at all?

Chuck

I’ve got news ears, Tate! They can pick up a story from a mile away. 

 

[Beat.]

 

A late breaking party news announcement! Wonderland busts jailbird Stamatis out of train jail! Dimitri

Anyway. Yeah. I, uhh—I didn’t mean to interrupt your party with… whisperings of criminal conspiracy. You can all go back to… your merriment.

 

[Silence.] Um. If—if any of you are interested in helping, I’m the awkward off the record guy over here. 

 

Chuck [still drunk]

LIVE NOW from Chuck Underground at headquarters with a fast-breaking news story. Dimitri Stamatis has just announced a plot to break his sister out of Red Line jail. But how will Emily Bespin counter this move? 

 

[Party picks back up as Chuck trails off.]

 

Nichole

Jamie, can you grab a camera and point it at him before he sobers up enough to realize he’s not actually doing what he thinks he’s doing?

 

Jamie

This is the best internship ever.

Dimitri

Anyway. I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important. If it wasn’t Nica. But I’m just hoping you could reach her.

Michael

Even if I could, I’m not sure I should.

Dimitri

I know it’s illegal, but—

Michael

It’s not that. I’m not below doing something legally wrong if it’s actually right. But—but I’m a member of the press, now. It doesn’t feel right to be involved with a story I should be reporting on.

Dimitri

Even if this is off the record?

Michael

That just means we won’t cover it as a story now. If someone breaks a criminal out of jail, we still need to report on it. And at this point, the less I know, the better. 

 

Dimitri

I see. Is there no separation between Michael the journalist and Michael the caring friend?

Michael

Of course there is. And this is one of the hardest… believe me, this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But if I’m going to take the journalist part of me seriously, I have to ask it not to cross any lines that feel wrong to me. And to be clear, I think you’re right, doing what you’re doing for Nica, helping out Gemma and Wonderland. For me though, I’m just—I’m trying a new structure to help me cope, and it involves focusing on my work, and the work is all about integrity.

Dimitri

But you’ve given Gemma, me, Isaiah tips before. People who needed help getting into Red Line or getting out.

Michael

True, but there’s a line that separates that kind of work and a jailbreak.  If I blur that line, we lose all credibility, and that’s after Bespin continues to chip away at what we actually have. 

 

Dimitri Well. I understand. I’m not going to lie and say I’m not disappointed. But mostly, I’m just worried about how we’re going to get Nica out. 

 

Tyrell

Excuse me? I couldn’t help but overhear you. 

 

Dimitri

Oh. Hi! I, uhh—I think I remember you?

 

Tyrell

Tyrell Fredericks. Event Manager, party planner, caterer. More importantly? I owe Nica Stamatis my life. I’d like to help you. 

 

Michael

Tyrell? You sure?

 

Tyrell

I am. I’m not new to planning elaborate criminal endeavors. And I’ve got the balls to prove it.

[Beat.]

 

Err. Stress balls.

[Beat.]

 

Or at least I used to have them. They were for Michael. 

[Beat.]

But then his house was destroyed and they’re gone now.

[Pause.]

 

Um. When do we begin?

 

PROVERB 1

 

[Static. Then a sound like a dial sliding over the radio. But instead of stations, there are different events going on—a train, a buried sound—hard to distinguish—underwater—distant.]

 

Cheese Robot

NEXT STOP: SOUTH STATION.

 

Leon Stamatis—Braden Lamb and Cheese Robot [together]

BISHOP TO C4. SOUTH STATION. EXIT ON THE RIGHT.

 

Leon

Brian Brown was panicking about a final move on the board that would ultimately lead to no way out checkmate—

 

Narrator—Alexander Danner and Leon [together]

It’s coming soon and you can’t stop it. You have. No. Moves Left. 

 

Leon

Surrender. Surrender. 

 

Cheese Robot

Surrender. 

 

Leon

No. 

 

[The distant sound pulls up from underwater—it’s been getting closer to that for some time. And then finally it’s clear and loud.]

 

Cheese Robot

Nope!

 

Leon

Valiance Johnson. Considering calling. Isabelle Powell. 

 

Narrator

All their little scheming won’t save them now. And there’s nothing you can do to help. 

 

Leon

Call, Valiance. Make the call. Make it. 

 

Narrator

How does it feel to know that the moment you willed yourself to die will be the doom of them all? 

 

Leon

No. Gemma. GEMMA!

 

PHILLIPIANS

 

[Phone rings. Voicemail picks up with a beep.]

 

Isabelle Powell—Jessica Washington

This is Isabelle Powell. If you’re waiting to hear back on a real estate call, you might be better off using email or texting me at this number. Ispowell@dotrealty.com – that’s I-s-p-o-w-e-l-l at dot realty – d-o-t-r-e-a-l-t-y .com. Don’t spell out “dot” that time, in case that wasn’t clear. I’m sorry I’m unavailable by phone at the moment, it just turns out that running a town full of refugees is occupying more and more of my time. But I’m still putting people into homes, I just handle it better with less talking. And with that being said, feel free to leave a message. I might respond via email, but I will respond. Take care, now. 

 

[Beep.]

 

Valiance Johnson—Jordan Cobb

Hi Ms. Powell. You don’t know me—or at least I assume you don’t. A friend of a friend—someone related to the Underground—passed me your number recently after my little Yard Goats interview. We’re supposed to have complete autonomy at the Yard Goats, yet somehow I was benched after I confessed to spray painting those trains demanding free transit. Funny how that works, right? But the weirdest thing happened when I got benched. The team actually showed up for me, started treating me like an equal. I mean, I pitched a hell of a game the other day and—and, well—I thought that might do it. I thought after they saw me win against the pros, they’d drop their distant behavior and welcome me as one of their own. Don’t get me wrong, they were always polite, or as polite as baseball players can be. But there was just a stillness in the air whenever I was around. But once I was benched? The tension eased up immediately. It was like going from a brand new glove, all stiff and rigid, to one that’s worn with age and excess oil almost immediately. There was an unspoken ease in the air. They stood by me and asked if they should sit out the next game too. Boycott the injustice of me being benched. Which is why I’m calling. To see what we can do to help out. 

 

I didn’t want them to boycott. I wanted to win as a team, even if I was out. But that same Underground contact reached out to me and let me know about what you’re planning. With the Stamatis woman? Her trial reminded me of your nephew all over again. And… well? I want to do something about it. And—and so does the team. They’re behind me 100%. 

 

Don’t get me wrong. Some of them were less than psyched. But a lot of them felt the same way I did. So we voted. And now even the ones who were on the fence are with us. That’s the special thing about being a team. Even the ones who don’t love the plan will give it their all.

 

But that’s where you come into play. We don’t know what the plan is. We could just boycott the game, but is that going to help you out? We know it’s not just you. You have your team too. Maybe you’ll all vote and want nothing to do with us. And that’s cool. But if our team can join your team? You let us know if we can help, and we’ll have our bats ready to cut deep and swing hard.  

 

Either way. Thank you. Keep fighting the good fight. Play ball!

 

[She hangs up.]

 

PROVERB 2

 

[Static. Then a sound like a dial sliding over the radio. But instead of stations, there are different events going on—Isabelle distantly calling Valiance back—the audio hard to distinguish.]

 

Isabelle Powell

You and your Goats wanna help, huh? I think I have just the idea.

Valiance Johnson—Jordan Cobb

Name it and we’re in.

Isabelle

Yeah, well, you haven’t heard what I’m asking for yet. And do you speak for the whole team?

Valiance

I think I do. [Pause.] Yeah. I do.

 

[This is mixed with Gemma discussing with Dimitri their plans for the breakout.]

 

Cheese Robot

Next stop. Broadway. 6:33 PM. South Boston. Southie. As seen in the movie—

 

Ben Affleck—Briggon Snow [recorded]

Good Will Hunting!

 

Cheese Robot

Starring— 

 

Ben Affleck

Me! Matt Damon’s friend, Ben Affleck! And Matt Damon as Will Hunting, right Matt Damon?

 

[Matt Damon coughs.]

 

Cheese Robot and Leon Stamatis—Braden Lamb [together]

Please exit doors on the right. Next stop: Andrew. 

 

Leon

Andrew. Who is Andrew? Is that a new one I lost track of?

 

Cheese Robot

Followed by JFK/UMASS. THIS IS AN ASHMONT TRAIN. CHANGE AT JFK FOR BRAINTREE. GO YARDS GOATS! 

 

Leon

Wait. Braintree. The—the Braintree line. Take me there.

 

Cheese Robot

Nope! 

 

Leon

Yes. That’s—that’s where— 

 

[A cacophony of Cheese Robot “nope”s.]

 

Leon

No. Wait. Who—who is there? Who is— 

 

Louisa Alvarez—Julia Propp [distorted]

I believe you. How much time do you think we have?

 

Leon

Louisa! 

 

Acts

 

[Sound of Red Line trains.]

 

Cheese Robots

NEXT STOP—JFK/UMASS. 

 

Leon Stamatis—Braden Lamb

I can do this. I can help. 

 

Cheese Robots and Leon [together]

Ashmont train. Next stop—Shawmut. 

 

Leon

Next stop, Nica. 

 

[Distant sound of several of the characters saying Nica’s name—Gemma, Dimitri, Isabelle, Omi, Nichole.]

 

Gemma Linzer-Coolidge—Lydia Anderson

The only way this works is if I turn myself in. 

 

Leon

You can’t do that!

 

Gemma

Oh, you here now, buddy? Thought I lost you.

 

Leon

I keep coming and going.

 

Gemma

It’s okay. I know how you feel. Literally. We’ve got a plan to get Nica out. 

 

Leon

What can I do to help? I feel like—I feel like there’s something I need to warn you about. But I don’t know what it is.

 

Gemma Real fast, here’s the deets. It begins with a distraction. Isabelle is arranging that part. 

 

Isabelle

I can’t believe she got the whole team to sign up for this. But there it is. Biggest game of the year after their surprise Red Sox win. But at 7:00 PM, a half hour before the first pitch is set to be thrown, Valiance Johnson and the entire starting lineup of the Red Line Yard Goats will be pulling a little protest on the tracks at JFK/UMASS station. They’re gonna line up as human walls. Both lines—Ashmont and Braintree. Nobody heads outbound either direction ‘till they get the signal. It’s damn risky. They’re hoping, or maybe assuming, those robots have some kind of safety protocols built in to stop short if they sense people on the rails. 

 

Narrator—Alexander Danner [chuckling]

“Safety protocols.”

 

Isabelle

And just in case there isn’t, I’ll be there with a small team to help pull them up. 

 

Isaiah Powell—Mario Da Rosa Jr. 

Including me.

 

Charlotte Linzer-Coolidge—Summer Unsinn

And me!

 

Omi Ogawa—Julia Morizawa

And me. 

 

Gemma

Charlotte, no.

 

Charlotte

Hey, I’ve got experience! 

 

Gemma

I don’t like you risking your— 

 

Charlotte

If you get to do risky business, so do I.

 

Gemma

Who’s going to watch Monty, Ms. Tom Cruise?

 

Freed Friend Poletti—James Capobianco

Fear not, Gemma. I have volunteered to sit for your progeny. 

 

Gemma

Jesus Double-F Christ. Anyway, our distraction serves two purposes. One, it cuts off train travel to both sides of the outbound lines, Braintree and Ashmont. They can’t send reinforcements to our operation via Red Line. 

 

Valiance

Assuming they don’t just flatten us flatter than home plate. 

 

Narrator

Oh no, that would be AWFUL— 

 

Leon 

What are you— 

 

Gemma

What’s that buddy?

 

[Music cuts off abruptly. Leon breaths. Sounds from all over filter in becoming overwhelming. He pushes a single command—]

 

Leon

Stop. FOCUS!

 

[To Gemma] Nothing. Please, continue. 

 

Gemma

Okay. This also distracts the Bespins and their bots to focus on a station other than Shawmut. 

 

Leon

Why not just focus on the Ashmont line? Why Braintree?

 

Valiance

The stadium is in Braintree. Bigger distraction. 

 

Lily of the Small Urban Community Garden—Ishani Kanetkar

And trust me, a whole bunch of people want to go to that game. 

 

Gemma

Who are you again?

 

Lily of the Small Urban Community Garden

Lily of the Small Urban Community Garden!

 

Gemma

And you’re— 

 

Isabelle

They work at the stadium and have been a big help.

 

Gemma

Cool, great, thanks.

 

Dimitri

Meanwhile, Mallory, Tyrell and I have a passcard from Mallory’s friend Mako, who goes to the Epiphany School.

 

Mallory—Johanna Bodnyk

And we found a weak-as-hell access wall in the basement that should lead to some sick-ass tunnel that will allow us to bust our asses right up to the ground floor of that filthy shit-prison. 

 

Charlotte

It’s not a prison!

 

Isabelle

I think that particular train has already left the station, Charlotte. 

 

Gemma

And that’s where my surrender comes in handy. I show up to Shawmut and announce that I’m responsible for the Yard Goats protest. For smuggling out Red-ugees. For smuggling Red-ugees into work. For stealing the crystal ball. All of it. And they bring me to a specific room for processing.

 

Dimitri

Which is conveniently located next to the closet we’ll be busting our asses up from, as Mallory puts it.

 

Mallory

Fucking-A!

 

Dimitri

Um, question? How are we going to bust our… asses… up there, exactly? 

 

Mallory

There’s a bigass tracked excavator leftover from the Shawmut prison—err—jail conversion. Just sitting there down in the tunnels, close to where we gotta be.

Isabelle

They left an expensive piece of machinery lying dormant in the tunnels?

Charlotte

We got them on loan from the city of Boston. Apparently they’re not the best at keeping close inventory of their loaned machinery.

Mallory

You can say that again. There’s dozens of those big yellow fuckers lying dead-ass dormant all over the tunnels.

Dimitri

And you’re sure you can use it, Mallory?

Mallory

Sure as shit from a diarrhea duck, Scent Wipe. It’s as easy as operating the Whirl-o-Don. 

 

Gemma

Once they’re in, I’ll get the guards to turn over the keys for the jail.

 

Leon

How do you plan on doing that?

 

Gemma

Well? That’s where you come in my man. Former. Man. Ghost. Guy. I’m going to hand them the ball and you’re gonna scramble their brains. 

 

Leon

I don’t love that part of the plan.

 

Gemma

I mean, don’t This is Their Brains on Drugs them, maybe just… lightly poached?

 

Leon

I do not know what that means. 

 

Gemma

Give them a little look at you “Nope”ing out. That’ll kick their butts to sleep, probably. 

 

Narrator

Oh, that’s too perfect. 

 

Leon

What is? What is?

 

Gemma

What is what? You okay?

 

[The noise filters in again—all sorts of them, one for every character involved in this scene and more.]

 

Leon

Stop! 

 

[The noise filters away.]

 

I’m here. I’m okay.

 

Gemma

Okay, great. So we get the keys. We run down to the cell, free Nica, run to the train and jump on board, hightailing it to the Mattapan line, where my friend Rusty will trolley our tushes to safety. Easy-peasy. 

 

Tyrell Fredericks—Arun Sannuti

No backtracking! The first place the cops will look for us is the hole we made for ourselves. No one will expect us to make a jailbreak by mass transit.

 

Gemma

But this also means we need to get this done in five minutes.

 

Tyrell

That… seems tight!

 

Gemma

Yeah. But there’s only going to be three trains between JFK and Shawmut after the protest shuts them down for a while. 

 

Valiance

Assuming, again, we don’t all get hog-tied and railroaded or whatever. 

 

Gemma

Batter up!

 

Valiance

I’m a pitcher. 

 

Gemma

Fast ball, coming in!

 

Valiance

I’m thrilled my impending sacrifice amuses you so. Anyway, if we don’t go down like human bowling pins, the plan is to have the volunteers pull us to safety and hop onboard Braintree before the double-B baddies beat our asses bad. 

 

Isaiah

Double-B baddies?

 

Valiance

Bespin and the bots. 

 

Charlotte

And we’ll all meet up at Wonderland. Safe and protected. 

 

Dimitri

Getting to the trains should be difficult for all of us.

 

Gemma

I’m counting on most of the RLPD and bots being stuck in traffic due to the protest. 

 

Omi

Hopefully that is the case. 

 

Leon

Okay. We can do this. We can work together and do this. When is it happening?

 

Gemma

Well? That’s the thing, Leon. It’s happening now. Everything you just heard? Those are my memories of the planning. And now it’s time to get ready. Because I’m about to turn myself in and I need you to do your thing. Are you ready? Leon I can do this, I can do this, I can— Cheese Robot NEXT STOP! SHAWMUT STATION!

 

Cookie

 

Julia Propp

You remember me? I don’t know what that… [Funny voice] you remember me?

 

James Johnston

Does he have to use the bathroom in the ball? We’re all thinking it! And, and what comes out?

 

Arun Sannuti

No one will expect us to flee a jailbreak by mass transit.

 

Alexander Danner

Nobody! Nobody, nobody will expect that.

 

Arun

That’s for sure.