We're Alive: Descendants - Chapter 12 - The Price for Freedom - Part 1 of 2

It's time for Tuesday Terror here on the Mutual Audio Network. The following audio drama is rated R and is recommended restricted for anyone under the age of 17. you We're alive. Descendants. Written and directed by Casey Whalen. Chapter 12. The Price for Freedom. Part 1 of 2. already scraggling. Is that someone at the door? Oh!

Want some tea? Uh... Yes, thank you. Where's... Where's Ruth? I thought she was gonna make breakfast. Pancakes. Yeah, she, uh... Well... What? Do you want the honest truth? Yes. She's gathering intel on the conflict with the Republic. Oh. Is that all? Hey, now that you know, you can know it all, right? Uh-huh. Did you sleep okay? No. I have a lot on my mind. I keep replaying what happened to Michael over and over in my head.

trying to make some sense of any of it. It never even crossed my mind that something could happen to him. I mean, it's Michael. My Michael. And now, he's gone. And where do I even begin to go from here? We've been together for so long, I forgot what my life was like without him. I can't imagine coping with all of that. No. No, you can't. You couldn't. And now, on top of everything, I have to...

piece together what you both told me last night and how to deal with what I genuinely think of you two. You know, Pegs, that who we are hasn't changed, though. But you have to me. It's like I hate you.

But I don't. But I do. I mean, I don't even know. Honestly, I thought that too. When my moms first told me about what we were a part of, what... We were a part of. It's like they became entirely different people overnight. I couldn't believe anything they said. But then, after a while, I started to see that they were still the loving parents they always were. Being part of the families doesn't have to change who you are. Only if you let it.

You didn't know about all this growing up? No. Not for a long time. Especially while having to deal with what was going on in the world. I mean, I had, you know, a few weird suspicions. with the kind of people that interacted with my parents and some of the things the two of them could do. I mean, they can practically operate any type of vehicle. Big rigs, planes, whatever. And they can get into anywhere.

talk their way through people. When they told me, it all sort of clicked. After a while, I thought it was kind of cool. You know? I'm the son of a spy. Right?

Can I ask, and I know this might not be appropriate, but how exactly are you their son? Oh. Oh, it's not some big secret. Ruth used to be married to a pretty normal guy named Dustin, then got pregnant and had me in 2008. He didn't survive once the infection happened. I don't mind you knowing. But my mom doesn't like to talk about it. As far as she's concerned, Mira's the love of her life. I, um... I appreciate you telling me. So, uh, was...

Dustin a part of the family, too? No. I mean, she actually never even told him. Decided it was better to keep that part of her a secret. It sounds like such a weird... Complicated life. Well, not much of a choice, really. If you're blood-related, that means you're part of something bigger than yourself. That's all there is to it. They force you to do things? To stay? There are some that treat it that way, but no. Look.

I know you had run-ins with a lot of the bad parts of the family, and believe me, they are there. But it's definitely not all of us. I thought Ruth said you weren't officially a member yet.

Well, technically, yeah, I'm still a blood-born. You have to go through a rite of passage to become a full member. Which is? It... Honestly, it's weird talking about all this with, like, a normal person. But what they do is they give you your first task. It's like a challenge the family gives you to complete. Full members can perform tasks all the time, like what we're doing here in Westport. But your first one, that's your initiation. Like, what kinds of things do you have to do?

Family business. All the different families support each other in some way. Sometimes that may mean giving a bribe. Maybe stealing something. Or, you know, even... Killing someone? Don't get the wrong idea. It's usually for a very good reason. So, tell me again how you're not all horrible people? Okay, I get how that looks on the outside, but it's not...

Remember that guy, Simeon, from the Twin Towers jail? The hit that took place in the colony? That was a bad guy. A liar and a killer in his own way. The family's righted a wrong. See... This is where you start to lose me. You're saying you don't know anyone who's had to take a life under any circumstance, even when it's warranted? Exactly.

So how can you judge a person by that, especially with what's going on in the world? By doing this task? That's what makes you become a full member? Well, yeah. Once you complete it, then you get your own ring. Can I see one? Oh, you mean a real one, not like the one you pretended to find. Is it here? Ruth's? I mean... Yes, I guess I could. But... Ah, one sec.

Yes, ma'am. Yes, she's right here. Hold on. It's CJ. You mind? Yeah, yeah, of course. I'll go find the thing. CJ? Best I can. I was surprised you're still staying there. I tried your house first, but... It's good to be around other people. And maybe it's letting me put some pieces together. Anything you can share? Nothing yet. Well, I may have something. About what Michael...

You went through his office? We found only pieces, really. Some scattered notes, a few were pretty old. Others that looked more recent. Does it make sense of anything he said about the... Director or whatever? Apparently, Michael has been dealing with this person for some time as far back as 2019, and only by that name. Director is... All we mentioned in the call logs, the rest was removed or shredded. Seriously? It's so weird. I can't believe you never said anything to me.

The way he handled this, he was keeping it a secret from everyone, including me. But why would he do something like that? And why would he tell Hope? Well, what about the other thing he was trying to say? Let you or let you or something? Now, that we did find. It's a location on a map he had. A place called Letchugia. Letchugia?

Where is that? New Mexico. It's actually not far from the Republic. You think that's where they would have taken Nick? This is all we found. I promise. Well, can we send someone there? A team? Or... No.

CJ, what happened? They've announced this morning who's running against me. Command Sergeant Major Hoggs. What? Him? The guy who took Michael's place? That's who the counterparties are. emergency election is being held in two weeks. I can't deal with all of this at the same time. I just can't. You've done enough, CJ. Thank you. You focus on what you have to do, okay? I... I will take care of this. Oh. If this has any possible way to lead us to Nick and Vera, I will see it through.

the last one on my side here. Look, I'm sorry. I gotta go. Good luck.

Dean? Anything good? Maybe. Whoa. Is that it? A real ring. Please be careful with this. Wow. It's beautiful. Such ornate detail. It was my grandmother's, Naomi Blackburn. Are those eyes? Uh-huh. Blackburns are all about not being seen. And three represents each of the families. So heavy. Like I said, super special. One of a kind. Now, can I put it back? Thank you. What did CJ want on the phone? Dean, can I trust you? I mean...

I pretty much just handed you our most sacred possession. I think that... But you... Look, you want me to trust you. Yeah, of course. And you have connections. You can pull strings. Why? What? Does that mean... what do I have to do? I need you to get something. Something... big.

Is this what you had in mind? Wow. She's gorgeous. I'm gonna scratch on her. You sure this can make it there? Uh-huh. Right up on this model. The Malibu Meridian has a range of a thousand nautical miles. It's the only plane in Westport's fleet that could possibly go that far. But even then, this will only make it one way. You'd have to find a fuel source after you land, and I don't think you're going to.

Then, whatever happens, I'll just have to find some other way back. Are you sure you can even fly this? How long has it been since you've been behind the sticks? Years. But... I remember it all. I spent enough time with my dad in the cockpit, and he actually flew something similar to this, maybe even a bit bigger. But are you sure you want to?

You don't even know if there's anything still there. Michael's records could be years old. I have to try. And honestly, why not? It's not like there's anything left for me here. I... I have a feeling that this is where Michael wanted me to go. All right, then. If you're so sure, I guess I'm going with you. What?

You can't go by yourself. That would seriously be nuts. But I thought you said you have to stay here and monitor stuff. My mom can take care of keeping an eye on things here. Trust me. And I will not be left behind again. I swore that I'd protect you, so where you go, I go. Well, what if I don't want you to come? If you're serious about finding Nick and dealing with whatever might be there after you land, you won't want to do that alone.

I've been trained as a guardian and as part of the family. You need me for this. You don't even handle guns, right? Fine. You can come along. But you have to listen to me. That means everything I say. No exceptions. Got it. You're in charge. So, when do you want to go? When's the earliest we can fly out?

I mean, I might be able to scrounge up some fake orders, but you'd want to leave under the cover of darkness. So, then tonight? That soon? I mean, it's possible, but what about, you know, Michael's funeral? Won't they wonder why you're gone? Michael would want it this way. Can you do it? If that's what you want, there are ways to make it happen. But...

Couldn't you just ask CJ for all this? She's in no position to hand out favors right now. We have to do this ourselves. Okay, then. Tonight, I'll get my things ready and put in a requisition order for supplies and weapons. Never know what's going to be out there when we land. No, we really don't. Do you honestly think that's where Nick might have gone for all this time? What would this director even want him for?

Well, just as Vera had a secret, so does Nick. Yeah, his immunity. Or, you know, whatever. He told you? I know enough. Of course he did. Michael always warned about someone trying to use that against Nick. Exploit what made him special. Is that what you believe? After all this? I mean, I'm starting to. If... Anyone else knew about Nick's gift? I think his life would truly be in danger.

Shit. Nick's gonna be out of range of our life scanners soon. And he still hasn't changed. Even a little. You never know. The infection may take more time to kick in. I don't think so. I've got a feeling about this one. If there's one good thing to come of this disaster, Nicholas's immunity would make it all worth it. You serious? How?

Can you get to him? Out there with all these things running around? Even if he is immune, I don't think he's going to make it much further. Hmm. But what about that blood sample we took? Do we still have it? Yeah, and cold storage, but it's not going to last long. Then get it. Keep it cool. And take the sample down to the Chancellor right away. That's now your top priority. Really?

And how do you expect me to do that exactly? Take one of my private planes. They should be fueled up and ready to go. I'll radio ahead for a pilot. What? You're not coming? No. I still have a company of loyal people held up in the barn. I spent too much time building this place to lose it now. Well, all right then. That's what you want.

I guess I'll be seeing you. I'll send a message on what to do next once you're there. But getting that sample to the Chancellor as fast as you can is the most important thing right now. Whatever Nicholas is, maybe exactly. What we've been searching for. Good luck. We'll be back. And now, we continue with Descendants.

Tell me you're okay. Hello? Let me in. Shit. It's locked. Who's out there? It's Alvin. Is there any guards? No. But they have the door chained. Let me find a rock. Wait. No, I have this. Okay, maybe I don't. Where's the lock at on the door? Can you tell me exactly where? It's about five finger widths centered above the doorknob. Why? Stand to the side. Way back. What are you going to do? Clear! You got it!

How did you do that? I'd say it was a successful test of the modigun pistol. Get in here. What are you carrying? A briefcase? Just my papers. Had a feeling you'd still be here. Everything's going nuts outside. I know. I've been watching on the monitors. I tapped into the camera system. So then you saw what happened at the stadium? Uh-huh. Good job. You were right about Fredo.

Are those monsters still going at it? They've slowed down a bit. Neither can get the upper hand. But there's something else I think you need to see. Nicholas? He's out of the stadium! That's not all. Watch this. Oh no. He was bitten by a skinwalker? Uh huh. It sucks. Just a matter of time. And this is him now? This is live? It doesn't seem to be affecting him much. Must be one of those...

Slow turners. Maybe not. This would confirm it. This would make sense of everything. What do you mean? Someone I worked for. The director. Said there were others that were immune. They were the one who sent me to find these very important documents. Your papers. Where is this right now? Where is Nicholas? Still over by the stadium. Doesn't look like he has any weapons on him. Nothing. He's a sitting duck. Then Nick's in real danger now. This is the barn, currently? Uh-huh.

Boar is gathering her pack. Those troops will be sent in soon, and this place will end up just as it was before. That wasn't enough infected to make a difference. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell are you talking about? You know Prim inside and out, right? Would you be able to get Nick out of here, away from the city?

Yeah, I don't know. That's a long way to that side of the city, and... They can't have Nick. Promise me you'll help him. And then you and him get out of here. You're serious? More than you'll ever know. And take my papers with you, please. What? Take them where? To the director. Nick needs to go there too. They will know what to do with him next. I'll draw you a map. I'm not carrying these with me. I might as well just scan them. It'd be a lot easier.

That would have been a lot more handy than carrying them around. Technology, right? Wait, so what are you going to do? Can you give me access to all the entrance and exit points in the infected paddocks? Heartland, Winter Wonderland, all of them? Sure, I mean, I can write the code, but you have to run it from infected management. I can do that. Wait, you're going to let all of them out? It's the only way to be certain.

Once you're clear, I can make sure this place will never be as it once was. Why don't you help, Nick? You know more about all this. This is bigger than us now. You know how to get him out of Prim. He needs that more than anything. And me, I'll be honest, I'm more of a follower. Good. It's done. Take that with you and keep it safe.

Those papers may seem like gibberish, but they're not. Well, I guess the modipist was about to get field tested. Oh boy, I don't know if I'm ready for this. You don't have any stardust with you, do you? Or know where Sam is? No. No, I don't. I'm sorry you have to deal with this. But he will need you. Nick is more important than anything else. You have to believe me. All right, all right.

Put this USB stick in the infected management terminal. It'll do the rest. Thank you, Will. Once you open those doors, I don't know if you'll be able to make it very far after that. Are you sure about this? I felt for a long time like something in this place has been my purpose. Now I know what that is. If you say so, I can escort you part of the way. The rest is up to you.

How much time do you need to get out of here with Nick? From there? About 30 minutes. In 35, I'll run this code and unleash hell. You and him better be out of here by then. Damn it. Shit burns.

That's it? That's it? Nothing else. Nothing else, right? It still feels like me. I'm me. I'm immune. I can't be turned. Son of a... Where did he go? Where the fuck are you, Vincent? Taker, you bastard! What? Is that you? I can't see shit in all this dust. What do we got here? You're calm. You don't look so hot. I... What? Can you... Can you get up? Do I gotta carry you? Maybe. Fine, fine, whatever. I don't even bother with you.

What the fuck happened? Vincent. Vincent? Did this sue you? Dart. Fuck. I bet that's how we got Vera. Fucking treasure. Yeah. You know... This one-word shit that you're doing is starting to sound a lot like that. No. Look, where did they go? Do you know where they went? Fly. Fly? As in, they're gonna try to fly out of here? Yes. Ah, shit. You got any other weapons? I'm out of rounds. I got nothing on me. No. Well, that's fucking great.

Is this dark thing gonna last long? Maybe. Well, maybe I should leave your ass behind. After everything that you did. Yeah, alright, whatever, okay? I'm not like you. You really did help us get out of here? Okay, so maybe I do owe you this at least. Okay, but you said fly. Fly? Fly where? This place has an airport. Well, can you help me find it? That. That. Very fucking helpful.

It's a Yeti. Come on, come on. Can you move your feet now? Come on. I can't do this by myself. Shit, I think it found us. Master. Faster. I could go a lot faster without you. Come on! Come on!

Nick! Nakoma! I found you. Thank God. Yeah. No shit. Thank you. Here, grab her other side. She's been darted. Got it. What the hell do you have there? New mod of pistol I've been working on. Oh, shit. You got any more? Just this one. Only got about five cartridges left, though. Well, damn. At least that's something. Yeah. Are you alright, man? Look, we just gotta get out of here. Yeah, tell me something that I don't know.

How are you doing? You're bleeding. Hey, man, I'm fine, okay? It's nothing bad. Look, just tell me something. Where can we fly? What? If you were gonna fly out of here... Oh, yeah, of course. There's an airstrip on the other side of the city. Can you get us there? There's a bunch of checkpoints between us, but I can override those doors. That's actually where I was thinking of taking you. Well, good.

Cause I gotta catch up with that punk ass bitch traitor, Vincent. What did he do? This. And he took Vera too. I don't know why, but his ass is grass. I don't know if we'll have time to do both. We need to get out of this city, like, now. Why? Alvin, he's going to open the doors on all the infected enclosures. Let them out? What the fuck? Burn the city down to the ground. Yeah, that'll do it.

Look, my friends, they're headed to meet us outside of the walls. Hopefully they can get far enough away and we'll have time to warn them. Airstrip first. I have to try. Then we gotta hurry.

Come on! All right, I'm gonna push the throttle all the way. Hold on to something. What? That's it? As fast as it goes, I guess. Oh, this thing's weird. Makes me feel like I'm at Disneyland or some shit. Well, the monorail is the safest way to get around right now. Stay above the chaos. Really lets you see everything from up here, too. So high up. The whole city's gone crazy. What did you expect after what happened? You wanted this, right? Careful what you wish for.

Sure is going to make things difficult getting out of here. The monorail will take us to the front gate, right? Then we can head to the rally point from there? Right. To that tree by the tunnel you mentioned. I'm just going to be glad to be out of this awful city.

Look at all of it. I didn't get a good look before. Damn, this place is huge. Just think about all the people that died making it that way. Died. What about the captives? We promised to get them out to contact Westport. A friend is helping free them. We got it covered. Damn. She didn't need our help at all. Well, I mean, you helped a little.

There's no way we could have gotten a stadium open. I can't believe you all came here. How did you ever find us? Pieced it together from your crash site. And we got a bit lucky at the same time. Are you sure all the captives are safe? Look at the camps over there. The place is burning. Ty. Oh, no. Gloria must be in trouble. Gloria? Who's that? It's a long story.

Hell of a firefight going on. Does not look good. A bunch of people are cut off from the tunnels. We need to help her. Wait, wait, what? Not all of us. Dot and I can get off. There's a stop coming up. Are you sure? We can handle this. Trust me. You all keep moving to the entrance. But are you guys going to be okay on your own? Are we going to be okay? Boy, do you know who you're talking to? Yeah. An 80-year-old former Marine.

Hey, once a Marine, always a Marine. There's going to be so many fleeing this city, I doubt we're going to have problems blending in. Then you'll be fine. But those people need our help. There's hundreds still there. Shouldn't we all go? You don't have any body armor. We have training, and we were just there. It'd be better if we go. Todd, Todd! He's right. Yeah, we're not equipped for that. Well then, uh...

This is your stop, Alex. This is where you get off. We'll see you at the rally point. Tree. Well, that's a new one. Hey, she's trying. Okay, slowing down. Ready? We'll see you soon. Proud of you, kid. Thanks, Bert. Now get the hell out of here. That kid's come a long way. They all have. Whoa. Look up ahead. A bunch of planes are taken off. Getting the hell out of Dodge. Must be coming from the airstrip we drove by when we came in.

This place has everything. It's too bad it's as fucked up as it is. Uh-oh. What is it? Another monorail has stopped on the tracks at the next station. Can we go around? Kelly, it's a monorail. That means one track. You never know. There could be another one right alongside of it. You're just not seeing it. Hang on. We're going to have to stop. Damn it.

What station is this? Um... Oh, shit. We're coming up on the barn. Maybe we can get off this monorail car and get onto the other. That's kind of what I meant. Here's hoping. Station's clear. Nobody's here. Alright then, let's hurry. Get into the other one. Well... I don't think it's going to matter. Holy shit. What happened to the track? It's completely gone. Something must have damaged it from below. Took out the pillar. Well, looks like we go on foot from here.

Just great. Wait. This is perfect. We're at the barn, right? Shirley is right upstairs. What? But we don't have time for that. We only got the two pistols and your bow. We could use something of a heavier caliber. You never know what we're going to encounter. You just want to get your gun. Admit it. Well, of course, but we really could use it.

I mean, we're already, like, on the eighth floor or whatever. It's not much further to the penthouse. We need to get out of here as fast as we can. You understand that, right? What if we gotta put a big-ass hole in something, or someone, to escape? Why rush into death if it can put up a better fight? He's got a point. Thank you. Really? But the sooner we move, the better. Burke, I'm going with you.

The rest of you stay here, hold up in the depot. The penthouse isn't far. We'll be back shortly. In and out. I promise. And to be honest, I don't want to leave Shirley behind with these freaks. She's not the original. You know that. She's still irreplaceable. It's not worth arguing with him. Exactly. She knows. Here, Kelly, take one of the pistols. We'll take the other. Stay safe, all right? All right.

I guess. You're giving it to her? She made the right choice. Whatever. Just go. Hurry up. Thank you. Was taking longer to argue at that point and you'd be whining about it the whole way home You're probably right You okay? One more flight? Yeah. It's been a while since I did some step aerobics. Yeah. Well, you better pick it up. We're running out of time. Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. This is it. That bastard seal would have left my gun in the room where they were holding us.

Clear. End of the hall. That's where Shirley will most likely be. Hello there. Burnt. Mira. Oh shit. Hello, boar. We're alive. Descendants will return next week. And now, a word from our sponsors. You've been listening to We're Alive, Descendants. Produced by Weyland Productions. Written and directed by K.C. Weyland. Starring... Jaton Gilbert. As Nicholas. Austin Trace as Alex. Hayes Dunlap as Dean. Jim Gleason as Michael. Elisa Elliott as Pegs. Constance Parne as CJ. Scott Marvin as Bert.

Claire Dodin as Riley. Tammy Klein as Kelly. Otto Sturck as Victor. Carol Kaufman as Mira. Lauren Kroon as Secretary Dora. Vanessa Bourne as Nekoma. Briarley Bishop as Dot. Sam Skolnick as Will. Skip Peepo as Alvin. Gigi Guisavo as The Boar. Josh Petersdorf as Walrus. And I'm Michael Swan. Additional voices by Phil Nieto. Nassaka Malimba. Kyle Podig. Shannon Zimmerman. Hero Carlisle. Gino Jang.

Produced by Casey Whaley. Editing and sound design by Geno Jang. Assistant editing by Tim Mulher. Infected sound design by Michael Keene and Geno Jang. Mastered by Geno Jang. Original music by Robert Mai and Danny Burkov-Hopkins. Score assistance by Evan Tamani. Recording and engineering by Weyland Productions. Recording engineer, Victoria Chang. Script supervisor...

Gino Jang. Production assistants, Isabella Miller and Holly Megan Scott. Audio production manager, Victoria Cheng. Social media manager and videographer, Gino Jang. Co-produced by Rusty Quill. Executive producer, Alexander J. Newell. Chief marketing officer, Callum Dowerty. Marketing assistant, Hattie Quinlan. Network liaison, Tom Park. For more info about the show and a complete list of cast and crew, visit us at www.weeralive.com. Access exclusive content and lore on our Patreon.

and follow us on social media for regular updates. This has been a Theatre for the Mind by Weyland Productions.