Change is not always this noticeable or this quick. Saga has certainly have unfavorable leaders before, evil ones even, depending on who you would ask, but money makes things move quick, and the new mayor has more than anyone within rocket distance. For the first few days, though, everyone who voted against just had a bad taste in their mouth, but kept going about their lives as usual.
However, the construction of the first plate got greenlit and moved up, despite being controversial at best, downright detested at worst, at least on the south side of Articoria, where most of you spend most of your time. Sebastian, I would like to start with you. A meeting, well not just you, a meeting with you and Marek and Winston all together.
There is a recording device in the center of the table, two actually, one recording the conversation of course, as per protocols, and one that plays an audio. Thank you for joining us for this very special ASNC broadcast. A celebration today as the people known as the Ifrit of the planet Erem are welcomed into the galactic community at large.
On the orbiting station Sermay, built for the Ifrit for this express purpose, food and culture were shared amongst various dignitaries from as close as Saga to as far as Janen. Jor Aten, a representative of the planet Kavah stated that the Ifrit are an inviting culture and familial in mindset. Their planet Erem is a mostly volcanic surface, littered with towns and valleys built into caldera and full of natural resources.
Once the grand invitational is completed, Sermay will be opened up to commercial and private travel, although the planet itself has a strict heat advisory. Stay tuned for more grand galactic news here on the Atomless Sea News Corporation. Marek clicks off the recording. So it's just a bit of a promotion. We're trying to get this travel up. It works both ways. You know, we have great people come into Saga.
We want Saga, you know, we want to make travel between our planets, you know, really accessible and interesting. And I'm sure you understand it. We would just love if you could incorporate this somehow, you know, just as like a little advert somewhere within the video. This is this is this is like, like nothing to do with the with the film. You've seen the script. That's what you signed off on. This is, you know, like the only other planet is is Nert Nuan.
We've had to scale all that back to I believe my client's intention with this response is it will be difficult, but not impossible. We might need a little bit extra time if you can afford it to incorporate, you know, this new information to the current timeline. Oh, well, you know, Sebastian, I understand. You know, this is I get that you're an artist. You need time to work. And you know, we are on a time crunch, but hell, I'll give you I'll give you an extra week. You know what? Two weeks.
You've been so good and so collaborative and so understanding with this this project. So I appreciate you. Don't don't even worry about it. We can handle this, Sebastian. OK, we can we can we can figure it out. We figure out how we can how we can put that in. God, a team player again. Always. It's a joy. It's a joy to work with you. I can't wait. You know what? I hope after this you keep my number. We could green light so many other projects of yours in the future.
We're going to have a long, a long relationship. You and I, Merrick, if if we could, if the meeting is over, if Sebastian and I might have the room. Oh, yeah, I don't have another meeting in here for another forty five. Go ahead. Take the space. I need a liquid lunch anyway. And he is going to walk out and head down the hall. Does he take? Does he take any of the recording devices with him? No. OK. I am going to. Motion to Sebastian.
So be quiet for a sec as I reach over and disable any recording device. Now that was a bunch of hooey. It just doesn't that doesn't make it. How are we supposed to? Are we supposed to fit in the documentary section? Are we supposed to be putting it in the in the fiction area? I might have I might have a bit of an idea and you can tell me to shove off if this does not seem feasible to you. But I believe we've been pushed in a certain direction with your film and I do not agree with it at all.
What would you say to using our beneficiaries money and time to create two movies, one that they are asking for and one that not only highlights the story of saga, but also the future that said on Unmentioned is pushing on to the people of Saga. Why can't we just make the movie that I want to make, Winston? I understand, Sebastian. It's been hard with all of the updates and the schedules and new deadlines and. But they've paid for it. And there might be a reason for that.
I'm not quite sure, but something doesn't feel that could be the pedals. We, you know, their own agendas. That's what's weird about it. That's what they're doing. This isn't. Listen, if we start making another movie, they're going to know that and then we're going to be your lawyer. We're going to be in loads of legal trouble. Like I can't handle that. Let me navigate all of the legal troubles here. I will help you make your movie, your movie, the one that you set out to tell.
And I can do all the maneuver and make sure that you can use all of the money that has been given to you, the blank check, right? Let me handle all of that. I want to make sure that you are your artistic vision and the important story that we are telling here is preserved. Can you promise me that we're not going to get arrested? We are not going to get arrested for anything that revolves around this now. And with grist, maybe, but that's besides the point. Fuck it. Gorill filmmaking.
We can do two films. That's fine. We can make whatever they want. And I'm sure I have an earlier draft of my script. All we need to make sure is that anything that we buy and purchase for the film that you want to make is also in turn used for the film that said a unmentioned wants you to make. Okay. Yeah, we can, we can, we can, we can make that work. I can, I can do that.
This gives, I believe this gives us a bit of a advantage because anyone who's involved in the film that said unmentioned wants won't know anything about the film that we're making. But my name is still on it. My name is still, it's, it's still going to be in big bright lights when we give them what they want. This is true. This movie is how I was supposed to be remembered, but now I'm going to be remembered for theirs. Unfortunately, I don't see any way around that.
Like I still, they know the pitch. I still have to tell my granddad story, but it's going to be with Zetta Unmentioned in the title. I'm sorry about that. But we can't know for sure if this is how you'll be remembered. Let's say we make two really, really good movies, but one of them, one of them is, has your soul in it. And just hope that people in the future will realize who Sebastian really is.
Now that's just me being romantic about the future and whatnot, but I really, I really do believe you have a finger on the pulse of saga. Let me help you. I would really like it if you could. Great.
Now for the record, and we need to, for the purposes of this, and I point over to the recording device for, for them who would be listening, we need to come up with some sort of excuse or want some sort of show, some sort of play that where we're actually talking about how to incorporate this commercial into your film. I'm sure we can, we can figure that out. We do have about 40 minutes.
Nim, on this particular day, the last time that we all met, your presence was brought a lot more attention to than you had previously had used to since you and Grist came to saga. Surprisingly, possibly, that has not really been all that big a deal. In fact, there have been quite a few people around town who come to check up on you, say hi when they see you walking around the streets. Most notably, Jim and Kit from Comfort Cups as well, as well as Bernie and Calico from the Lodge.
They, they like to come up and ask you how your day was. They ask if you need anything, sometimes ask you a small favor even. And this afternoon, while Grist is still at work, probably towards the end of day, Kit will come out and she sort of looks more tired than usual, a little stressed. She's old in years, so it's not terribly unsurprising, but the last few weeks just seemed a little more tired.
And as you walk past the shop, she sort of comes out, takes a seat on the bench and waves you over. Hello. Hi. This is a big task to ask you, and I'm sorry, but do you have maybe an hour to spare? Yes, I do. Oh, that's nice. Well, it's just that we've got delivery up across town and, well, I don't feel I have the energy to do it today. I don't mind doing it for you, if that's what you're asking. That would be very, very nice of you. Very lovely. It's been nice having you here.
Of course, people up that way, they tend to tip usually, so keep it. That's obviously yours. Okay. And she hands you a bag of piping hot soups. And you hear just behind her inside the shop, which is still busy. Kit has it under control, it seems, but you can hear the television monitor inside the store kind of blaring with a couple of the adverts that we've already heard before going on cycle.
And after a moment, as you're having this conversation, you hear Kit grab a clicker and turn it off and chuck it to the floor and continue serving, continue doing business. She hands you the bag and thanks you again and again. The address ticket on the bag is an office building in the city proper. It's where Grist works, surprisingly. You've been there, so you know it, at least. Before I leave, I look at Kit one more time and I'm, are you feeling okay? No, I'm doing just fine.
It's just hard days work and stress people are so, people get scared. And scared of what, if you don't mind me asking? Change. And the future. Well, that's just hard. And, well, this is my town and it's hard not to absorb all of that. Feeding people is like loving them, you know, so. I understand why. It kind of comes with loving something very deeply. So I understand and I hope that things get easier for you. Well, that of, oh, this helped quite a great deal already.
And it's just, it's very nice to say it out loud anyway. So thank you. Of course. I'm going to turn around and walk out of the shop. Before Nim would arrive, Grist, I kind of want to give you the opportunity to say what job in the building you're doing today. I feel like you don't always do the same thing. Yes, I think I'm painting this time.
I think there's like a conference room or something that's getting redone with this like new sheen of paint and each gallon probably is like 10 times the cost of my hourly wage. So I'm just sort of like up on a ladder because this is a real tall conference room, even for me. So I'm just sort of like moving the roller all the way up, all the way up.
So as you are rolling the paint and before Nim arrives at the building for any of this, like just on like the cusp of closing time, as you can hear, like some of the big overhead lighting like kind of shuts down down each hall, there is a tall, lanky human gentleman who you've seen around here before, certainly in a suit. He's well dressed. He's very well kept and he walks by in kind of a huff. And instead of his usual corporate posture has sort of a like slink to him.
It looks like he is sneaking about and trying not to be seen. He walks past the room that you're painting in and doesn't notice you, but is looking nervous back and forth as he turns the corner quickly. Can I help you, mister? Stops and backtracks, looks in the window. Don't speak to me and continues hobbling away. It's after hours in this section of the building. You're not supposed to be here. He pulls himself straight up. Look, I'm sorry. I do in fact work here and I have some place to be.
I just was in a hurry. My apologies. Unfortunately, sir, I'm under some pretty specific instructions to not let anyone through these areas. There's wet paint all over the place and they're closing this area down early. I mean, my ass is on the line if anyone treks through here. This facial expression turns to a little bit of a panic. That's nice and I appreciate you warning me and all. Who are you again? I'm no one. I'm just a painter. All right. And you said there's paint this way. Let's paint.
Yes, I painted the walls in the hall. They are heading down. I painted the ceiling, parts of the floor. Weirdly enough, they wanted me to paint the floor. He doesn't even come inside the room, just leans up against the glass and as he gets closer, this is like a handsome young looking dude, but he's looking pretty strained, like some visible signs of stress and wear around the eyes, cracked lips, very, very much more visible up close.
And he leans against the door, says, look, if you just don't tell anyone, I won't go downstairs and ask them to fire you for yelling at employees of this office. Understood, sir. And based on the direction he's headed, can I tell what area of the building he's going to? Absolutely. What department? He's headed towards the research and development wing. Okay. And just because I've seen him around a few times, have I glimpsed his name?
If he wears a tag where people have addressed him in the hallway. Yes, especially when he leans up close and you see it there. His name is Merrick. Okay. Then Grist will put, still carrying the roller, gets down from the ladder and approaches this dude by the door, by the glass. She actually, if the door is closed, just slides it open or opens it further. So she's kind of like towering a little bit over the sky. Her head, I think, even bumps into the top part of the door frame.
So she has to stoop a little to get someone to look down at this person. Of course, my apologies for getting in your way. Mind the wet floor. And she kind of flicks the paintbrush casually and tries to land a few specks on his suit. You flick this paintbrush. It's like a full paint roller. And so there is just across his suit and tie and a little bit up onto his chin is this like eggshell paint color. Or actually, what color was it? I think it's just like gold.
Like whatever, interior director is like, gold walls, gold ceiling. Yes. Money. And it's like real actual molten gold. Money and wealth. Yes. Okay. Gold, sparkly, glittery gentleman. But he just like tries and restrains the seed that you see want to like come out. And he backs away, nods and heads the way he was headed. And Mr. Merrick, mind the sign next time. And Gris taps like a sign that had been taped up with blue painter's tape that says wet paint.
And he like flicks it and continues on his way. Just a few floors down in this megacorp building. I imagine that Apex... You're brought here with Switch, who led you. And right about at the tail end of those 45 minutes that Sebastian and Winston are having their meeting is when the regular nine to fives kind of clock out of this corporate building and go home. There's still a skeleton crew and some offices scattered around are still open. But it's a lot quieter, a lot emptier.
And Switch kind of tugs on your cloak and leads you through the halls where the surveillance cameras aren't. Of course, it's a little bit easier for Switch, who's quite small, to scamp and slither about between those shadows and between those cameras. But come on, it's this way. You realize it's a little harder for me to move through the way you do, right? Ah, gee, yeah. Fine, hold on. And Apex goes into a deep squat and then you hear a popping sound along his back and spine.
And then he goes into an almost feral all-fours. And then steam comes out through the teeth again. Okay, that's better. Whatever you say. And Apex just hops along a little anxiously down a hall, kind of tumbling through as you turn one corner into the research and development wing. This wing is almost fully shut down now. The lights are pretty much off in the halls, but there are some fluorescent lights coming from different rooms. There are rooms that are growing plant life.
There are rooms that have laboratory equipment running around the clock. And as you turn, you turn just in time to see a sort of haggard-looking gentleman in a very nice suit come into one room on a glass door and slam it in the back of him. What does he look like? Human, scruffy, brown hair, tall, nice suit. He's covered in white, sorry, he's covered in gold paint all over his face and one arm. Have I met him before? No, I don't think you have. Okay. I don't believe so.
Apex is going to do that kind of unnerving rise when a bear goes from all fours to their hind legs. So what have you been working on here? Me, nothing. I don't work here. I just thought you might be interested in seeing this because it seems pretty fishy. And also, maybe also might be good for your research. Maybe you want it for yourself. I don't know. You did a good job, Switch. I'm gonna pat him on the head. Thanks. Let's see where this goes.
And there's almost like the steam comes out again, but it's that moment of like someone breathing out on an icy night, but they're panting because they're excited about something. And he kind of watches to see if the man does anything more suspicious than he would consider. You go like up to that window so that you could see in. 100%. So inside, there's like a botany lab, it looks like.
There are plants and other tubes and things that have like liquid coming and funneling into these devices where they're then bubbling going into other devices. There are computers making so many different measurements and noises at the same time. And then there is a freezer. And you see the gentleman like go back to the freezer. Turn it up, reach far into the back and he grabs a file, closes it, takes one more look.
Do you make yourself not seen or do you allow him to turn and see you when he checks his surroundings? I don't want to have to kill someone, so I'm going to hide. Okay. He turns around, you dodge out of the way. He breathes a sigh of relief as he turned back, you see him knock the vial back. Close it, stuffs it into an inside shirt pocket. And you see him just sort of brushes himself off, stands up tall. He looks better, brighter.
And then he looks pissed, looks down at this swath of paint on his hands and his rub some of it off his face. Fuming, pacing. He takes out a phone, first picks it up, calls Winston. Winston, you and Sebastian have probably just left maybe when this call goes through. If we're heading out of the offices, I'll pick it up and, uh, Sebastian, you go on ahead. I'm getting a- Sebastian is like fully jazzed now because now he has two films to make and he's like, right, yeah, so we can do this.
And then he's like, you want to go there? Okay, yeah, sure. And then walks over there. And then we can do that. I'll pick, I'll answer it. Hello? Winston, I know that the artist is having a crisis, but can you please make sure that this goes off without a hitch? I need this to be perfect. I don't care what they want. I want it to be flawless. Okay. And we have a deadline. That two week extension I gave, it's going to be a 24 hour. Okay. Right.
So why, why, if I might ask, sure, of course, but if I might ask, why is this so important to you? Because it's important to the people who pay me, Winston. And those are the people who pay you. I see. And you, you're not in any sort of danger. Blink twice. I don't, I don't know what has gotten into you, Winston. You are making quite a bit of money with this company. Of course. Of course. I just, I just want to make sure that we are both in the same level of understanding of each other.
I'll make sure this happens. Thank you. Thank you. He hangs up. I, I, I wait for, for, um, Merrick to hang up. I close my phone, prick, and put the phone back into my pocket. He's going to turn to start to head out of the door. I look at Switch and very quietly say, do you think he's going to be a problem? I think he might be a problem. Um, already for- Is it worth temporarily neutralizing him now? Um, maybe temporarily, just so that we could get in there.
Because I feel like he's the kind of guy that pushes big red buttons and stuff. And the normally kind of red eyes go yellow. Apex taps the back of his helmet, so then it starts dematerializing. And you see what looks to be a black and gray furred wolf's head, uh, with silver plating on the teeth and his jaw, like unhinges a little bit. Um, and as the man is moving, I want to use dazzling outburst. So I'm going to spend two MP. And oh, actually, you know what? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm going to use dazzling outburst. So essentially like it is making a flashy display, uh, and it dazzles enemies. And if things go worse, I'm essentially going to try to blind him, but I'm going to, as he unhinges his jaw, he is shooting essentially an acidic spine from like the back of his throat, basically targeting this man. And as the spine is going with his movement, he's using the jet boosters in his legs to literally move like maybe seconds behind that spine.
So that spine hits him and then apex hits him because he is the apex predator and the hunt is on. Okay. Okay. Um, and the moment before this, like spine attack occurs, uh, you see like turn, see you react weirdly quickly, almost as quick as you like he, like he could have avoided this, lifts an arm up that appears like to gather heat in his hand and he turns and as the spine hits him, he goes, how did you learn how to do that? And falls to the floor. He is conscious and knock him out.
Okay. Yep. He was, he was vulnerable. That does happen. You are alone in this room. Um, I'm going to sniff the air. Does it smell? Is there, was there a scent to the thing that he took? It is. It's got like the faintest and familiar scent of like a bunch of biological normal sense that you would sniff out in the world. They don't make sense together. They shouldn't go together. They don't smell like the right configuration. Don't like that.
Um, I'm going to tell switch to find something to potentially tie this figure up and I'm going to try to find whatever he took and then we're going to leave. Okay. You got it. And, uh, switch will hop out of the room. Um, Nim. I think that around now you'd arrive at the building. Um, you're supposed to be delivering food. The lobby is so shiny, uh, so crisp and clean, um, and sparkly and high tech. And there is a lady at a desk that is elevated so high up, um, who greets you with a big smile.
Hi. Hi. Do you have an appointment? Which office are you going to? Um, I actually am supposed to be, uh, making a delivery from Comfort Cups. Oh, of course. Of course. And who are you delivering to? Do you know? Uh, is it? Oh. Oh. Is it for, is it for, um, Merrick up on the fourth? Uh, yes. Yeah, that's, yes. That's who I need to see. Okay. Yeah, no problem. Just go on up elevators to the right. Uh, and, um, just come back on down. Oh, there's a little visitor's pass for you.
It's going to come out of that machine. Just make sure you throw it out on your way out. We don't want to contribute to the litter of Saga. Saga has a real litter problem. So just, we're going to throw out our passes on the way out. Okay. Thank you for helping keep Saga green. Before, uh, Nim walks away, um, they have a bit of a moment where the room kind of starts to get off kilter a little bit in their eyes. And she like puts a hand against the desk to kind of steady herself.
And they breathe shallowly for a second. And then suddenly it passes. And she's like, uh, sorry, um, what is the fourth floor, right? Oh, yeah, yeah. Fourth floor. If you need, I could, I could just call him, come down, pick up his own food. That's okay. I can go up myself. Thank you. And before she even hears the response to that, they go towards the, um, the elevator to go up to the fourth floor. A little automatic pass that says delivery comes out and it's got a little sticker.
You can put it on your whatever you're wearing. And you go and head on up, heading up to the fourth floor. It's kind of dark up here. There weren't really any instructions on like which office, um, he's in, uh, there's not like people walking around. It's pretty dead. Uh, but you hear a little bit of commotion, you know, around one corner. Grist, I am curious after, after this incident occurred, did you go back to work or? Well, you know what?
I think it'd be more interesting if Grist tried to follow this dude. Uh, so the paint was part to get back at him for being a dick and also part to track him, uh, because I assume that he'll be like dribbling gold paint, kind of like a dog tracking through a house. Uh, so after Grist, she does to her credit finish up the wall that she was painting, but quite quickly, like and then puts the roller down, uh, and decides to take a, take an early dinner.
Uh, so she does like poke her head out into the hallway and start following the great marks. So as you follow along, uh, and out, you went by the time that you turn that corner, uh, of that well lit right room, uh, you see a nervous looking, uh, Iksoki field mouse, uh, kind of hop out, uh, panicking and walks into a room across the hall, comes back with like a series of mechanical wires, uh, and runs back into the room across the hall and chucks them at Apex. Oh, hi Switch.
Hey, hey, just picking up some odd jobs, you know? Uh, Grist's eye drifts from Switch to Apex, who's doing what Apex does in the lab area. Apex. Hello. Hi. Hey. Grist says, hi Switch. Whoa. Hey, hey, excuse me. You're the one with the not so smart ass. Apex? Where did, what happened? What happened to your head? It's not egg shaped anymore. Where did the egg go? That was a helmet. But and Grist's face like twists in confusion, but helmets go on your head. Do you know what nanobots are?
Uh, I, I've heard of them before. Small machines. They're really small robots. Yes, yes. So if you have a nanobot helmet that then figures out how to create a spherical shape around not spherical objects, it does. And he like taps it to like have a cover and then like taps it again. Oh, shut up. That was the man. Wait, but. And then she notices him. She notices that he's like prone and unconscious. Is this yours? No, it's not. It suits him right. Hold on. Wait, Apex, what are you doing here?
Switch, what are you doing here? We are. Hey, you know. Working. We are here to do research and development and. That's right. That's what the sign says. That's what the sign says. And this figure is poisoning themselves. It's terrible. Poisoning himself. Is that why they wanted to come down here? He was acting all shifty on the floor I was doing a paint job in. So I decided to follow him down here.
100% pretty sure I just saw him take a drug, get old grumpy about it, then make a phone call complaining about some. I don't know, creative art project or something. Who knows? And. I was going to test his blood samples to see what is infecting him. I didn't. Hey, he's not dead. Good. I didn't assume he was dead. I'm going to assume people who are pro next to you are dead now from now on based on what you just said.
If you're here for research and development, what I. Listen, ever since the plate project started going up, I've been hearing whispers of things that this company is doing that are, I don't know, bad, like really bad. All the workers are whispering about it. We're all on edge. So can you tell me what's going on? Please. He's going to go grab one of the vials that. The man took. I didn't get his name.
As, as you go back to that freezer, Winston, you, you stayed a moment to have this conversation, but it's not long for you and Sebastian are heading out of this building and Nim, you're heading in coming from either side out of the elevator and towards the elevator on either sides of this dark hallway.
Sebastian and Winston as you head out and Nim as you're heading in, walking and see each other in the middle and coming across this room in the center of the hall in which this scene has been playing out before you. Okay, so if we're to make another film, even though it's going to be this fucking corporate nonsense, it has to have a message and a theme. And I'm thinking, holy shit. First of all, hello, Nim. Second of all, what is happening here? Hello. Hi. Hello. We can't be here, gang.
This is not a good place for us. Do you both happen to know a Mr. I think their name is Merrick, I believe. I'm going to pick him up and look at his chest. He has a name badge, right? Yeah. This one. You hold up the limp body of Merrick covered in paint. Who are you and what are you doing with Merrick? Fuck. Not good at this. Is that is that you, Apex? What what? Wait, what does what does fuck? It's it's it's an it's something you say when you're angry. Nim, what are you doing here? I am.
She kind of holds up the bags. I had a delivery for Merrick from comfort cups. Are you going to is he dead? I will take that with the man on his shoulder. It's almost dinnertime. Is there enough for? OK, OK. Hold on one second. Is Merrick OK? Well the answers to these questions are different. No he what? No, she knows that the same one. Yeah, the same. No, no. It's a drink, right? It's a soup. I do want to say that Merrick's soup order is disappointing.
Like leave out the dumplings, like leave out the noodles and like no scallions. It's like chicken broth. Is there a mild like neurotoxin in this research lab? Probably yes. OK, I'm going to pour that in the soup and then OK. Guys, we super super can't be here. This is like this is really bad for all of us. We will get like arrested. I will get arrested and I really can't. Then why are you here? We should we should probably get out of here. If we cannot leave Merrick.
Hey, he was doing bad illegal things. I do not understand what your plans are with Merrick, but we cannot leave Merrick here. Test his blood. You can. OK, here's what I am proposing. Apex, you go ahead and take Merrick out of here. Please be discreet and as much as possible. Everyone else could just follow me out of the building. We will meet at the hide and seek bear lodge. Lawyer bear man Winston. What's going on here? What are they researching and developing? What is this? I have no idea.
You know, storyteller, would I have been able to figure out any like gauge any of that and testing the stuff over time? There are a couple of things that immediately tie together for you. It is the smell of the biometrics in this place looking like smelling like it is different biomes like come together from different places being meshed and experimented with. The gentleman having heat expelling from his hand is something that you don't see humans do. This is they are trying to. Expand.
Biological potentials here. They are trying, but you've also noticed a very bad drawback in that what they are doing is leading to what Marik was experiencing when he walked through that door, which was a depletion, a. A hindrance. He looks like he's deteriorating without it. But they're playing around. With some big level stuff. Apex will just share that almost like verbatim in whatever way he could explain it.
He'll also showcase a little bit of like the unhinging the jaw and then like acid almost coming out of his mouth and then solidifying into like a small like spear or thorn that he shoots out. And then talks about there are ways to biologically change yourself. And it's something that I've learned how to do an independent study. It seems like they are also trying to recreate that themselves, but in a more flawed and temporary way, which isn't surprising because they are corporate flesh bags.
Is it dangerous? Absolutely. You apex might be the smartest person I've ever met. Based on what you've seen here, do you think they're going to get it right? Like really? No, no. To get it right, you would have to not be mass producing something. And to get it right, you're not going to gain money. You're going to spend money. They want to gain money. This is this is just Chris's quarrel over again. And grist is going to step forward.
And unless someone like physically intervenes, she is going to begin smashing the lab, like physically destroying it. We like it's like zero to 100. Like there was no hint of her being angry. And now she's just like methodically, not even like in an outburst, but like going from station to station and is going to start just like wrecking stuff. Nope. Grist, come on. We cannot get you involved in all of this. You are leaving so much evidence behind.
We need to make sure that we are here without a trace. Do you understand me? As I'm trying to like paw your paw, your grab your hands from smashing anything or like try and step and prevent you from kicking down anything. Storyteller, is there a camera in this room? So I have first I have a question. Grist Winston tries to stop you. Do you allow him to stop you or do you want to leave? I'm not going to let him with my will stop me. I will attempt to get out, get out from his. I'm here for it.
Yes. You got 18. 26. Nice. Winston. You're a little too calm. You're trying to be diplomatic, but it's past diplomacy at this point. Grist, you you destroy the place. Yeah, I think it's like I said, it's not even like like she's mad or like, you know, like there's you just you notice she moves with intention, kind of like like a bulldozer just moving toward a wreck of a building. Like you know what's about to happen, but like the bulldozer isn't screaming. You know what I mean?
And yeah, as you like move forward to try to restrain her, I think she just kind of like move like she's like an unstoppable force. You just kind of like like not even like angrily throwing you off, just moves through your your your grapple, your chokehold. And she moves toward the first station, like picks up these like tight, tight titrating vials, these Petri dishes, like this like beautiful sort of like a glass roller coaster of tubes and vials.
She just picks it up and turns and smashes it onto the ground and moves again, like counter to counter, just smashing stuff onto the ground, like throwing it against the wall, smashing them against each other. And as she does, especially as she like breaks out of your grasp, Winston, Grist says, no, no, this can't happen again. We all know what will happen if it happens again, and I couldn't. I wasn't. There wasn't time. I didn't know I can't. But now there is. And I can. So I will.
And these words are just kind of tumbling out of her like sand through the bottom of a broken sieve as she's just like smashing, smashing, smashing things methodically. I think I think during the whole time, it's just it's just was a smash. The reason no, you can't break that. That's very right. There's no need to bite Grist. Please. All right. Fine. Fine. I tried. I tried my best. We're going to have to clean this up some other way. I straighten my jacket and my tie.
As this all is happening, Nim, several things occur as Grist starts and smashes the very first thing. The first smash is accompanied by an alarm trigger that starts to go off. And as soon as it does for you, Nim, time slows way down. You see Grist actualize in this way. You see Grist recognize the patterns and you hear the sirens and the patterns start to click for you. And there's a saying that people on Saga have said to you a couple of times now that a weight has been lifted.
But they always say it like a relief. But a weight has been lifted. And again, this sort of siren that's going off, the reds and blues and whites that are flickering in the halls in slow motion as you see Grist continue and smash. You see like this slow movement of these glittering, sparkling, swirling energies lift from your shoulders and literally dissipate away.
And then as Winston gives up and Grist smashes the last vial, and I imagine Sebastian is having a panic attack, the lights and the sirens speed up into their full actual sound. The time is moving normal again. And you are here in the moment with everybody else. Okay, I'm gonna I guess I'm gonna kind of leave this up to you. But do I know what's going on? Yeah, you it's like, it's like without having to have learned it, you're remembering along with Grist.
Like you're recognizing the pattern, you're seeing exactly what's going on here, you're seeing like, why Grist is panicking makes sense to you. It's all clicking. And as far as the dissipating and whatnot, do I understand what that is specifically? I think that it at this point, this you felt it earlier, it's starting to become clear. So I think after everything kind of like gets back into real time, Nim is gonna be like straight to Grist and they're gonna look at them and be like, are you okay?
No. I've never been okay. But that doesn't mean I can't keep moving. Here, take my hand and grist looks down almost shyly and reaches out like a big calloused hand crisscrossed with those charcoal black scars and locks her fingers and yours. Even though Nim doesn't really show that much emotion, I think what she loves about holding Grist's hand is the roughness of it, it just brings like a certain comfort. And so she kind of squeezes it a little bit.
You have come so far, and you need to remember that. Nim, what's the point of how far we come if the same thing just happens wherever we go? I'm not going to say that each time makes you stronger. But you keep finding reasons to move forward. And you keep finding reasons to keep going. And that means it's worth something. Right? Right. Right. I've got my reason right here. And she squeezes your hand and takes a deep breath.
When it comes out, I think you can hear her heartbeat, which had been thrumming in the air pulsing to a frenetic drum beat similar to the sirens begin to sort of slow down and equilibriize. She kind of like she had a moment earlier at the front desk, she kind of shakes her head a bit and takes a breath. We should probably get out of here. Right.
And it's like as if on your word, Grist starts noticing the sirens and the flashing lights for the first time, but then her eyes flick back down to you, eyebrows not for half a second. Are you okay? Okay. Right. Okay, I'm done. I can go now. Switch has been tugging on Apex's cloak for like the last full minute. Like, okay. And so is there a camera in here at all? There is. There is a camera.
The camera though, is pointed and stuck at one corner and you see that it has something lodged within it where you are is on the side where Merrick has been sneaking things out of the refrigerator. It looks like something has been lodged to keep the camera from doing its usual swivel path. Yeah. Okay. Well, then I'm going to leave that alone.
I'm going to put helmet on and then I'm going to activate my signal jammer and I'm actually going to leave it in the office so it stays going off while we're going. I'm going to put it in the fridge actually. Okay. Yeah. And what are we doing with Merrick? Are we leaving him here? I'm taking him. You're taking him? I will literally go out the window with this man on my shoulder and my suit, the armor that I'm wearing has built-in claws. I will climb down the wall.
Great. I'm just curious, Sebastian Winston, how are you doing? Do you need me to take you? I can drop him off on a roof and come back for you. I believe I can talk my way out of this. I'm not so sure. So Sebastian, if you're found leaving this scene, they might pull you into question, which I believe might be a bit disadvantageous to us. So if you don't mind Apex taking Sebastian with you, you can do so covertly. Yeah, sure. I'm going to put you on the same arm. Here you go.
I'm going to hand Winston a pistol and don't look back. Wait, put it on. I turn off the safety. I put it in my briefcase. If I'm like a moth, I can like glide, like fly. You don't necessarily need to fully take me. Oh, so just go up and then slowly. How fast have you ever gone in your life? I mean, bullet train is pretty fast. Just boost. Oh, you know what? The other arm is probably Switch. I wouldn't believe him. That's my buddy. Switch has it. Switch is gone.
Switch has got the darting in and out of the shadows thing. Switch has a little tunnel system to go through. Switch is OK. I like that scene in ET where they're going over the moon, except it's like way too fast. I think I would turn to Nym and for us three, I'm friends with the current security guards of this floor. I think we can convince them that this was just wrong place, wrong time. Maybe if we play it up, like we heard that there's a noise going off down the hall, we should be fine.
OK. Just make sure just just act like you belong here and be all confident. That's how I make it through every single day. For for everybody who is walking out Winston, you passed like a team of security guards who are running and. They're they're armed, but it's with like it's security there. They're armed with like really tamed things, but they walk up to you and. Captain, there's some commotion going down the hall. We heard some crashing, some shouting. There's like nine ninjas down there.
We got it. We got it. We went to get out of the building. We get no. What? All right. All right. We're going and they run past. They don't even question you. They don't even nothing about you seems suspicious whatsoever to them. And they head on out. You're able to leave the building freely. As you get out of the building and away from the sirens and the chaos, it's just a little past dusk.
It's beginning to get a little bit into the early evening and gris takes off her staff name tag and she opens up her leather vest and like puts it on top of the like like dozen stack that she has just pasted in the same place. She puts it on to prevent waste and she puts her. Okay, well, we do have some time. We should make our way over to the hide and seek lodge. Are you are you okay, Chris? There was a moment there while I fully believed that you were not going to be okay.
Then are you fine too? I'm okay. I'm not okay. I haven't been okay for a very long time. Well, I'm going to give you a beef stick. What is just just something just something to chew on. It helps me sort my own thoughts. I find Chris takes it slowly and puts it in her mouth and is there a wrapper? Yes, there's a wrapper. She chewed. She like chews through the wrapper. This tastes kind of good, but also a little bad. That's how it's supposed to taste.
Winston, I didn't mean anything personal by breaking out of you. I just it had to be done. I believe it could have been done in a much more efficient, quieter, more, you know, covert way, but I understand. I think there was a great wrong that happened to you and there's very few ways to make it right. Not just to me, Winston. And whatever they're doing, if what Apex is saying holds any water, what they're doing doesn't just affect them either.
Besides none of those words you just said, covert, efficient, they don't exactly describe me. That's quite fair. I'm sorry if standing in your way sent the message that I don't feel for you or support you. I do. I do. I just, ooh, and there's going to be a lot of explaining to do once someone finds out. No, I owe you an explanation, Winston. I owe all of you an explanation, I think, if you're okay with that. And Grista addresses that last part to Nim. Do what you think is right.
It's not just me, Nim. It's you. It's all of you. I'm okay with that. Well, I'm afraid you'll continue to be worried and maybe even more worried after we tell you, but that's just how it is. Oh, what's the phrase here? That's how the cookie crumbles? Sure. It's been a long time since I've had a cookie, but... Is that a thing? I thought it was just a phrase. Yes, cookies are quite a delicacy. They're really hard to find.
You need the right ingredients that we just can't quite make anymore here on Saga. Oh, I see. Well, the ingredients probably don't include dough. That's the only thing I really know anything about. This is a strange group. I think it's fair to say that you're all able to make it to the lodge roughly around the same time, although you're coming from very different modes of travel. Winston, you do know that the lodge does have a back entrance.
You do know that there's extreme circumstances that would allow you to use it. Yeah. Here, we'll enter this way and I'll explain everything to Kalico if she comes by and our presence is a surprise. When you walk into the back door, it is Kalico who actually meets you there. Hello. Hello. Yes, thank you. I do apologize for the unannounced use of this entrance. Oh, hello, dear. Come on in. Okay, okay, okay. Oh, don't you worry about that, dear. Let's just get you into the basement, all of you.
Come on, quick as thieves. I'll be right behind you all, okay, with some towels, maybe something to drink. Just go on ahead. Of course, Kalico. Thank you so much. And I'm going to hurry down tiptoe as much as a bear can. Yours is quiet and empty. The monitor system though does have a news station plan. Are you tired of the same old cosmic viewpoint and lifeless manmade surroundings? Then we have an offer for you.
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You might even be the first to discover a new species here on adune's rich landscape. All offsite personnel working for Clearcut will be lodged at the Displaza Resort right alongside the lush scenic coastline to play and relax. If you're looking to build a new paradise, contact us and begin your new idyllic life with Clearcut Development and Construction. Call now! That ad plays as well as several of the others that you've already heard over the past several weeks.
You have just a few minutes before Calico will return to you. I mentioned this to Winston on the way over, so I'll mention this to you now, Apex and you, Sebastian. I feel I owe the three of you an explanation. It doesn't seem to be mere coincidence, happenstance, that we keep meeting under such interesting circumstances. So there's something I want to share with all of you. As you all know, Nim and I aren't from Saga. We came here about three years ago.
And the place we came here from was known as the Crassus Galaxy. I don't know if you've heard of it. It was a little constellation on the far fringes of this one's universe. But when it stood, it was beautiful. Millions of stars, hundreds of thousands of planets, and a corporation that ruled everything, Crassus Core. Not too dissimilar to what I'm seeing here with Seta Unmentioned. They did everything. They made everything.
They were on the cutting edge of technology at the time or so, I thought. Everything I learned about them was through, well, the radio. I was just, I grew up on Grain 962. Little terraformed planet, nothing but grain. Grain for miles and miles and miles and miles, an entire planet of it, covered in this golden hair. I was a farmer. My ma was a farmer. My pa was a farmer. Their ma's and pa's before them were farmers. We had some pigs, that was it. And then, Crassus Core got too greedy.
It got too big. The galaxy started to collapse under the weight of its own hubris, I guess. And when we tried to escape, well, that didn't go as planned. Nim and I are the only survivors that I know of. So when I see similar things happening here, rapid technological development that leaves normal people behind, lots of money, very few hands, I get a little scared. The whole time, I think, Winston has been listening. It's just been slowly, slowly getting more and more emotional and teary-eyed.
And when you finish, I pull you both in and just be like, your home might be gone, but you can find a place here, here on Sokka. I will help you find it. I do like this place. Like I said, it has a bunch of different things in one place, cities and rivers and mountains. It's beautiful. And I like the people here. I like the soup at Comfort Cups, and I like this lodge, and I like the people I work with.
I like the food we get to try and the new words I get to learn here, like how everyone seems to have a dream. But I just don't want the same thing to happen here that happened back home. I think you'll have a good future here, Crassus. You're saying that you won't be a part of it. I will be. Well, that's enough about me. That's it. That's the context, the story, I guess.
Well, if you do not have the feeling like you have to, you need to hide any part of yourself, nor are you obligated to share any part of yourself. But I'm glad you decided to share and tell us. That way we can understand each other a little bit better. Thank you, Winston. I never expected someone in a suit to be comforting me. Really, guys that looked like you back home were the ones that were responsible for everything collapsing. That's fair.
Actually, Sebastian, this would be, this grist sort of sentiment and story might be useful for your video, your film, don't you think? Yeah, we can't. We can't have the same thing happen again. And you know, at least you three pointing to Grisnim and Apex, you can stop it happening here and I can document it. And if people saw that people were fighting for this place, even if we fail, maybe people in the future will stop it from happening to them. Okay. Is there anything you need from us?
We could start with an interview. If you can tell your story, then no matter what happens, at least we have that. Never told my story before to anyone. I didn't have to. I mean, obviously, Nim knew. It's the first time in three years I've spoken about it. But I can. And there is someone in the world, in the universe, who is just like you. And they're going to hear their story be told from someone else. Someone that they can relate to. They can find home in. I'm just a farmer. I am not.
We're just feed people. There's a lot of us. Pretty dispensable. There's a lot of people that need feed-in. That's true. There's one thing that never seems to change. Mouths and food. I appreciate the sentiment, Sebastian. I've never... Well, art has always been, I guess, as far away to me as technology and books and fancy learning stuff. So if you think this story, this art you're making can reach someone, can change something, then I'm in. Yeah. I don't think it's even your story.
It's your story, yes, but I think we're all here for different reasons, right? We all have some reason to be alive. Could everyone tell their story in an interview for my movie? If you pick select interviews, you're highlighting individuals, not the place you want to highlight. So some of them might be good, but if that's the focus, it's not very productive for research. It's sympathy, not drive. People when they're sympathetic, care. People when they're driven, move. Or something, I don't know.
But you're not getting my face on that camera. Why not? I think you have a nice face. Oh, my face is beautiful. Thank you. I worked very hard on this. What, you made it? But people recognizing my face can become inconvenient for me to do my job as a research. And people know my face, they know that I'm going to come kill them sometimes. That's bad. Is that why you're here? You're here to kill someone? No. I would not have shown you all my face. Then why are you here, Apex?
If you're not going to say it for the camera, I don't. I just want to know. I pull out one of the vials that the dude took. The unstable tech? I want to know how they did it wrong. Oh, I hope you figure that out. What are you going to do when you find out? Who knows? Will you tell them how to do it right so they don't hurt other people? Or are you going to make sure no one gets to do this? I don't like to make decisions before. I have read the final chapter.
So I might give them help to resolve it if I feel like they are on a path that is more towards the actual betterment of life, not just individuals. But also I make no assumptions about what they're going to do. I don't think that people are innately good or bad. They make good or bad choices. The same experiment can go seven times and nothing goes wrong. But the reason we experiment is because if that eighth time is variable, well, that's interesting. Well, I don't know about all that.
But all I... I see. It's just in my experience, the more money you have, the less trustworthy you become. I don't know what that says about being good or bad though. Well, isn't your experience from a place that no longer exists, which no offense, but saga is intentionally different. If you keep your old perspective, you'll never see it differently. Look at these two, I guess, technically, because you know them.
Did you ever expect to be in a strange back room with strangers talking about your emotions? I sure as fuck didn't. Yeah, I definitely didn't see this coming. That's for sure. I thought I'd die with the we, you know? Maybe you're right. Maybe the answers to the future aren't always in the past. Maybe they're right here around us. We got a decent sample size. We and he puts his arm around Winston. And that was speaking of bad decisions. Where do we put Merrick? Oh, I forgot he was here.
Probably in the corner. Like groaning and like starts to sit up. What the fuck? Should we knock him out again? No, no, no, no, no, no. Please let me talk to Merrick. We are associates of sorts. Are you sleeping together? No. What? Really? Definitely not my type. You can do better than that, Winston. Yeah, you're good with words and stuff. You can do the thing. I'll saunter on over. Sauter. Plod on over to Merrick as he's groaning and getting up. You don't look so good, Merrick.
Someone something took me out. That would be my friend over there. Now we found you in places of sorts you are not supposed to be. I have access to the research and development wing. I'm good to be there. Yes, you are good to be there. But you are not necessarily good to move the security camera and lock it in place. So as you are not found doing illicit activities. Okay, Winston, what is going on? I'd like you to answer that. Illuminate for me what is going on here. Is this about the movie guy?
Are you upset with me that I am making him put a couple of ads in so that you and I can't pay? Absolutely not. No, I am not mad about that. You are just doing your job as a simple cog in the machine. Okay, well, it seems oddly personal. But I can let that slide for now. It's not like there aren't people who know where I am and won't notice that I'm going missing. I have people. Do you know where you are? Well, there's hot water pipes running through this place.
And it smells like steam and lavender. Are we in a spa? Did you take me to a spa? Yes, and this is your all expenses paid trip to the spa. In a moment, we're going to put hot coals on your back to relax you. Is that what you want to hear? I'm sorry. Are you threatening me or are you just trying to sound like you are? Absolutely not. No, Merrick, I there is something big going on here. I'm not quite sure I understand it. And I'm just here to ask you to help me understand.
Yeah. Okay. He's going to take a look to the right and see apex there, Nim and grist and Sebastian, who's not really scaring him, but it is. But the rest is is putting together some very strange pieces. And he picks up a hand and like flexes a little bit. And you see that that like what before looked apex as though like a bright like heat was coming out. You see like, just like the flickers of embers and then they die almost immediately.
And he sighs and says, Okay, I don't know what you want me to say. The mayor and Seda, they are doing big things for saga. Saga is going to be prime real estate for the rest of the galaxy. Saga is going to be the place to do business, to thrive. It's going to be the best place to make money. And your ticket is already bought, Winston. And like, I don't know what if you want me to do it for the rest of you, too. Like I'm sure I could pull some strings.
But when the plates go up, you've already got a place on the upper side. You said my tickets already bought. Who paid that price? You did when you went to law school, Winston, you make big money on this planet. You do seedy things for seedy companies just like I do. I don't understand what the big problem is. My problem is that I did not know I was buying this ticket. What about all the other people? What about the people that don't have a place on these plates? What's going to happen with them?
You know, nothing's going to happen to them. They're just going to, you know, be left behind. They're just going to live under the plates. It's no big deal. It's just a couple of upper decks. OK, so if it's no big deal, is that someplace that you would want to be located and live? No, that's why I got the high stress job that's killing me at a young age, man. I'm trying. You're working my ass off so that I can afford to live in the nice building up there. Same as you.
As he talks about, no, I don't want to live. I'll glance over at grist. You think the rest of everyone isn't? Climbing onto ladders every day, hands and knees, scrubbing toilets, hauling trash. Three times my own body weight, day in, day out, day in, day out. And I'm young enough. I'm healthy enough. What about the rest of everyone? What about Kit? She's so old, she can barely stand up by herself, and yet she's still serving soup to everyone. She loves it.
Yeah, she loves feeding everyone, but it's hard work. Everyone else works just as hard as you, maybe even harder. And what? They're gonna be stuck under the plates? In the shadow of your fancy condos? Look, first of all, I don't know who the fuck Kit is. Is that a person here in this room? And second of all- Of course you don't. You don't know who she is, but she is the person that delivered your food today. Oh, my soup! Fuck! Oh, that's why I'm so hungry. Not the burp.
The burp that tastes like nothing coming out. I also, I didn't plan this. This isn't- I just work for SETA. I'm just making my money. There's- I didn't draft the plans, I didn't pitch the construction plan, I didn't pass the budget, and I didn't run for mayor. I am just a guy that does a job. Someone who's just doing a job sounds awfully defensive of you. We'll table that for now. What's going on with your hand there? As far as I know, your hand aren't supposed to grow like that.
When did that happen? They're testing things out in research and development. I volunteered. It's just like, you know, just testing out what we're all capable of. It's no big deal. No big deal? Excuse me, my friend, and I'll look over at Apex. Is it no big deal? No, it's a huge deal. You're literally evolving yourself in a biological way, or in potentially non-biological ways.
For example, it seems like they were isolating the way to combine it with your body biologically through more of a science focus. When- well, you won't remember this, but I'm shocked they didn't take more of an eldritch focus. They're trying to do it scientifically so that it could be replicated and produced and sold, you know? And then I do that unhinged jaw and then pouring acid mouth thing. Look, I don't understand. Film guy, what is it that you want?
You want me to say you can make your film however you want? You don't have to put the ads in? Is that- I don't want to die in some podunk sauna. You are helping me make my movie right now. Yeah, that's what I've been doing. No, like, now. I was fucking- I had such a set idea and then you told me to make something else and now I fucking know that I don't need to fucking- I don't need your money. I just need the people that care. Okay. Okay, fine.
You're, uh, you don't have to work with me anymore. You make your movie however you want. We'll find someone else. Someone else wants to make money. Now, there's no shortage of people to take advantage of. We've seen it all happen before. I mean, you yourself are being taken advantage of. You can't quite seem to see it. Hmm. Um, my friend and I'll look over at Apex. You seem very, very adept with chemicals and whatnot.
Is there any way to make, um, my friend Merrick here forget this ever happened? Absolutely. I'm curious. What do you know about any grand scale plans? And then he like gets real close. I know you know about construction. You're too weasel-y to not. You might not know much though, where would they keep information like that? You being up in his face and correct me if I'm wrong, but you still don't have the mask on correct? Correct. I want him to know that I can. Okay, great. That's coming across.
And he kind of squirms into himself in the corner and says, look, the CEO and the mayor, they have a conference room. They they talk about everything there. They keep everything there. And I mean, it's in the building. We were we were just there. I unless he blew it up. He didn't blow it up, right? Not yet. Well, anyway, it's it's all there. I just worked for them. That's it. So Marcus, um, you're gonna do me a favor.
I'm going to make you a nice cocktail and you're going to willingly drink it and you're going to wake up and forget enough and feel like you just had a wicked hangover. And then you're going to wake up and go back to your job to be the best grime on the wall you can. How does that sound? Fine. Yes, it does. And I boop his nose with like one of the claws on my glove. He drinks the concoction you make for him. You are checked on periodically by the keepers of this of this log.
And a weird, quiet before the storm feeling is ever present within just this basement. This is part three in a four part mini series in the Adamless universe called Saga. This episode of Saga featured GM Superdillon, players, Greedo, Matthew Eckberg by Connie Chung, Gabe James Games and the Kappa Chris and a special appearance in this episode by Andre Rivera Art, who is a member of the main cast of the Adamless. Music for this episode was provided by Artlist and Marty Eisenberg.
We sincerely want to thank everyone for supporting us on Patreon, but especially a little extra thank you to Daniel Neruda, Noah and Sunny420 for supporting us on our highest tier. Thank you so much. Your support literally is keeping us going. Thank you and please stay tuned for the last part in this mini series next week. And the Adamless main cast returns after that.