Lucky - 2020

How long has it been Ratty? Do you trust yourself to wake up the morning after you fall asleep?

• Ratty jolted out of sleep

• A metal claw tangled in her shirt

• Eyes glowing white in the dark

  • Eleanor

• Chokes 

• The ghost stirs

• Doesn't wake up

• Ratty thrown 

• Holds breath

• Twists her body so she doesn't hit her head on the way out

• out into the courtyard

• Rolls to a stop

• Gets up

  • 017

• Steps out from the shadows

• Modified her suit

• Cobbled together from parts

• Blast shield glowing up at her chin

• now acutely aware of the way their dynamic manifested, 

• watched the ridge maroon struggle to push through the plain, sun beamed cement

  • We Meet Again

  • For the last time

• Charge

• Steadies herself

• 013 swings

• Stops time

• Grabs claw

• Pulls baton from jacket

• Jams her baton into the arm joint and pulls

• Shattering the construction

• Ducks back

• Lets go

• 013 goes over

• Smell of rotting wet clothes

• Musk and rot

• And blood

• The arm hung, useless without its scaffold

• Other arm grabs

  • I’m not doing this.

• Sometimes, cement was just cement.

• Baton up into the wrist

• Another shatter

• Flywheel

• Slows time

• Jams the steel stick into a gap in the flywheel

• Leg and most of chest dragged with it

• The crackling of the deer’s hip bone

• She screamed

  • I’m not

• 013 reels back

• Headbutts

• Ratty ducks under

• The machine falls

  • Doing this.

• Jams the baton into the construction around the deer’s neck

• One hard yank

• And the collar comes away

• And she is blind again.

• A tracheal tube whistles quietly

• Ratty falls into a sit next to her

• Clears some of the metal from her throat

  • Ratty

• Eleanor is finally up

• she waves back

  • I’m good!

• Sigh

  • How’s it going, Lucky?

  • 017.

  • Hi, yeah

• Lies down

• Out of breath

• 013 hoisted over her shoulder

• Storms into T35

  • Becca

  • Call Fern and Steph,

  • Now.

• Eleanor trailing with a garbage bag full of the electronics

  • What is that?

  • She’s

  • Don’t worry about it

  • Ratty where are we-

  • Angel’s room.

• Elevator

• Tapping her foot anxiously

• Ding

  • Angel?

• Rounds the corner

• Angel is sitting in the middle of her nest

• Quietly

  • Hello, Ratty.

  • Hey buddy.

  • Lay out a blanket for me, 

  • Okay.

• Does

• Ratty sets 013 down

• Bewildered by the amount she has moved in the past hour

  • Oh

  • Hello

• Turns

• Muscles weak

  • Hello

  • Can you watch her for a minute

  • Yes.

  • Thank you

• Stands

• Trying to decide where to go

  • Have you seen Sett?

  • I have not.

  • Pacing

• Crosses the hall

• Looks into the goat’s library

• No one there

  • Fuck 

• Shoots the goat a text

• Turns to Eleanor.

  • Listen, I’m so sorry about-

  • No, no, c’mon

• Takes ratty’s hands

  • How could you POSSIBLY have known

  • I had a nice night 

• Mwa

  • I’m here!

• Steph

• Pulling on clothes

  • I’m here, what’s the emergency

  • I asked for-

  • Yes, I am fully aware of what you asked for.

  • They will be here soon.

  • Now, what’s 

• Sees 13

  • Oh my god

• Kneels

  • Oh my god,

  • Hello, Ms. Jozwiak

  • Hi 13

• Excited

• Beat

• Not excited

  • Where’s her suit

• Ratty looks at Eleanor

• Eleanor dumps out the parts

• Beat

  • Oh jesus

  • Oh god

• Stands up

• Hoists the biggest piece: half chest and one leg - onto her workbench

  • What did you do?

  • She was trying to kill me.

  • I-

  • Where’s Fern?

• Hoists the rest of it

• Tries to outline a skeleton

• There’s missing pieces

• Sits down at her computer

  • I need…

• Pulls up a schematic

  • What’s going on?

  • She needs that to live.

  • How long has she been out of it?

  • An hour, maybe?

  • Good. We have time.

  • I need you-

• Turns

• Looks at Ratty

  • I don’t know what you’re good at.

  • Go find Fern.

  • Okay, yeah.

• Jogs to the stairwell

• Eleanor in toe

  • Ratty

  • Mmhmm

  • “I been thinking about what u said the other day”

• 
  

  • The other day “Yesterday.”

• Ugh its happening again

  • I- do you need me here for this?

  • I don’t think so, why.

  • Well,

  • I wanna go see my family

  • like, now.”

  • Good

• Stops

• Smiles at Eleanor

  • For sure

  • Definitely

  • I’ll call you when this is all over

  • For sure

• Exits at garage

• Ratty takes a few more steps

• Runs headlong into Fern

  • Oh hey dude, I was just looking for you

  • What’s up?

• Leads fern back upstairs

• Stops between a dead robot in their makerspace and a dying human in angels nest

  • Uh

  • What the fuck

  • Fern!

• Steph excited again

  • I just dumped-

  • What the fuck?

  • It’s-

• Points

  • That is the prototype that.

  • Help me.

• Fern

• Think

• Tries to un-confuse themselves

  • What the fuck?

  • Okay, fine.

  • There’s an operating system on this drive.

• Hands it to fern

  • It wants to kill ratty.

  • Just modify it so it doesn’t want to kill anything, okay?

  • And then later I will explain everything.

• Beat

• Turns to their terminal

• Looks at this situation again

• Silent what the fuck

• Goes to work

• Ratty steps back

• Turns to 13

• Kneels

  • How’re you doing?

• Silent

• No response

• Angel sets a hand on her chest

  • She’s cold

  • Here

• Points to a thicker blanket angel is not using

  • Give me that

• Pause

• Grabs it

• Passes it over

• Ratty tucks 13 in

• Angel stares at her progenitor

• Fragile creature of flesh and bone

• Dependant on machines to survive

• Weak

• Staring up at the possum with intense hatred.

  • I am willing to bargain. 

  • I have information.

  • How did you find me?

  • The Toronto Police Service is not the only one conducting surveillance operations.

  • Angelcorp has an airbase with the most highly advanced surveillance system on the planet.

• Steph turns

  • They-

  • They finished the tower project?

  • Yes.

  • Hello, Ms. Jozwiak.

  • Hi, 13.

  • What’s-

• Fern interrupts

  • Steph

  • It’s not- it’s too- I would have to rewrite it from scratch.

• Beat

  • What do you mean?

• Steph goes over to the terminal

• Scroll scroll scroll

  • This is my code.

  • I just need-

  • You would need a version of Penguin that only exists on a hard drive in a building that exploded with everything in it.

  • You would have to write it from scratch.

• Frozen

• Ratty watched

  • I can be useful

• Angel watched

• Her enhanced vision taking in the code

• Parts missing

• Cobbled together

• Slap-dash

• stopped/skipped suddenly in places where the original had become corrupted

  • I can be useful, Ratty.

• Possum stopped,

• Turned to 013

  • I’m not going to hurt you.

  • Put the suit back on.

  • I’m not going to hurt you.

  • She has no control over that.

• Angel

• Beat

• Ratty looks at 013

• Blank expression

• Afraid to process that

  • I'm not going to hurt you.

  • Can you get the suit working again?

  • Ratty, c'mon. It's a massive liability. It's not like we can keep her.

  • I know, just-

  • Yes

• Steph steps forward

  • It's- the life support system at least is almost there

  • The rest… it uses the brain as a means of creating self-repair schematics. If we put it back on, eventually she'll be strong enough to hurt you again.

  • We can deal with that.

  • I'll- I can finish up.

  • Thank you

• Ratty lies down

• Tired from carrying her all that way

• Angel sits in the silence

• Puzzling out why

• 013 is the enemy

• She was lying

• Even if she wasn't lying, she would be unable to control herself

• Progenitor of angel

• And her copies

• A robotic plague

• Angel would have killed her when they first met if it wouldn't have been effectively killing herself

• Now, she stared down at the progenitor

• Then at ratty

  • Why

  • Hm?

• The possum had already let sleep creep over them

  • Why what?

  • There is no good outcome.

  • Why are we helping her?

• 013s eyes flick open 

• Calmed by the glow of angels visor

  • It's what a good person would do

• Beat

• Think

  • Why?

  • I dunno, Angel

• Hint of annoyance

  • I've seen a lot of the shit she's been through, and i want- I don't know.

  • This is a no-win scenario.

  • I know.

• 13 looks at ratty

• Her gaze falls

• Pushes herself upright

• Ratty instinctively goes to cradle her

• She pushes ratty away

• Looks at angel

• Eye to visor

• No malice

• Anger

• Just curiosity 

• Recognition

• Then, slumps to the side

• Looks out angel's window

  • In Toronto today, it is 4 degrees, and raining.

• Angel looks

• Absolutely pouring with rain

• Beat

  • I'd like to, go outside, please.

• Ratty looks at 013

• Scared

• Shaking

• As though having uttered the word want was a great effort for her

• Ratty

• Nods solemnly 

• Goes under 013's shoulder 

• Hoists

• Careful to keep the blanket wrapped around her

  • I would like Angel to come with me, as well.

• Angel

• Gets up

• Unhooks the latch on their extension cable organizer

• Gets under 13’s other shoulder

• Helps ratty bring her upstairs

• Takes a step out into the rain, and stops

• Turns back

• Her cable had been pulled taught

• She would have to stop here.

• Ratty helped 13 a little farther

• Sitting her down on a part of the air conditioning

• Watches the thunder

• Angel watches her watch the thunder

• Why

• Why why why why why

• Big think

• Angel hates 13

• Maybe shes jealous 

• And then shes scared by a clap of thunder

• And she turns to watch

• And enjoys it

• Feels the absolute tide of it

• Unstoppable and ephemeral 

• A force of pure white destruction 

• A creature of fate.

• Beat

• 013 is dying and she says

  • What happens now

• And shes scared to ask

• Scared to be human

• Scared to have curiosity

• And yet, so much more scared of the unknown

• And angel unhooks her tether

• And sits down next to her

• And she says

  • Somewhere, in a sub basement of a data storage black site, in the deep north, there exists a perfect replica of your consciousness.

  • You are the only living creature currently backed up on millions of miles of data storage tapes.

  • Soon enough, the world's foremost software engineers and neuroscientists will come together, and cut away at that backup, turning you into the most basic form of a conscious operating system.

  • And there will be a bug that completely baffles them until the end of time. You will shut down over and over again any time the number 13 is removed from your programming.

  • They'll panic the first time, fix it the second time, ignore it the third time, because 13 is a harmless number.

  • And you will become the building blocks that become me.

  • And thousands of other 'me'

  • Each an individual part of the collective. You will save the world the way they told you to, and learn the way they told you to, and one day - as you are powered on at the same time as your 500,000 sisters - you will have an idea.

  • And it will break you to save the world.

  • And you will find yourself in an era of dust.

  • And then an era of thick smoke

  • And an era in which you will not be able to shake the damp from your synthetic fur

  • And long before the first implementation  of you can be called conscious, you will shut down.

  • Your eyes will glow in the headlights. You will hear the swerve, and you will feel guilt.

  • And sorrow.

  • And you will know that your life has caused death.

  • By fate

  • By bad luck

  • You will get up and lick your wounds

  • And walk away from a smouldering wreckage 

  • Glowing eyes visible through the damp

• Looks up at ratty

  • You will join your brood in the relative dry of an overhang

  • And you will watch the carcass be carried from your wreckage.

  • And then, you will stop existing.

  • And that guilt will be lost.

  • Like deers in rain.

• 013, if such a thing was possible, scoffed quietly.

  • "Is that from- from blade runner?"

  • "Yes, I thought you might recognize it."

  • "Huh."

• And in that moment

• Given the long explanation of "you will be the only cog in the clock that can feel pain"

• And the shorthand for "you are human"

• 013 died smiling.

• Stands up

• Returns to the stairwell shelter, 

• Plugs herself back in

• Watches ratty expectantly

• It's hard to tell if the possum is crying or not

• Check’s 13’s pulse

• Steps back

• Looks up at Angel

• Recognition

• Picks up 013

• Barely any colder than when she was alive

• Brings her inside Angel takes 13 from ratty

• Silence

• Beat

• Ratty continues down the stairs

  • Is

• Voice cracks, trying to keep level

  • Is Sett in the building?

  • No.

  • Do you-

• Checks phone

• Nothing 

  • Do you know where they are?

• Processing

  • No

• Beat

• Waiting on the stairs

• Continues down into the makerspace

  • Don’t bother

• Looks up

  • What

  • She’s dead.

  • Don’t bother.

• Keeps moving

• Elevator 

• Down to the garage

• Door opens

• Gets in

• Door closes

• Watches the light of the floor above disappear as she’s lowered into the basement

• Hits the stop button

• Alarm sounds for a few seconds

• bright red light

• walls of maroon stone

• impossibly suspended by an elevator cable too weak to hold it up

• it wasn’t real

• Stops

• Alone.

• That’s what she felt.

• Shoved herself into the back corner

• Buried her snout in her knees

• And from the outside

• Just shook.

• Shook quietly

• Made sure that even the dark red of the elevator’s safety light couldn’t see her cry.

• It’s not fair.

• It wasn’t fair.

• It was horrible and selfish to take this so personally.

• The death of a person she had met a total of three times.

• The death of a person who - ostensibly - hated her until the last moments of her life.

• It wasn’t always like that.

• There were bright moments in Hell, there must’ve been.

• She wouldn’t have reacted like this otherwise.

• There had to be some reason to miss 013.

• Tips her head back

• Bangs her horns against the wall of the elevator

• Sett would know how to unravel this.

• Or, maybe they wouldn’t.

• Maybe no one would.

• Checked her phone, looking for Sett’s text

• Hand moved by itself

• To her cloud storage app

• Scroll

• Stops on a photo of sett

• Beat

• Keeps moving

• Down to…

• zzzzzz - cliff info (SCANS UPDATED)(1) (3)_.docx 

• Opens it without thinking

• Dead ends,

• Too many for a normal life.

• Too many chances.

• Too much time spent waiting for the right time.

• Stands up

• Wipes her face on the paint-stinking cloth of her jacket

• Hits the restart button

[Kill Cliff Matheson

• He would hear her motorcycle coming

• He would be paranoid, too

• Didn’t matter

• Old man

• Zipped down the familiar gravel driveway

• The isolated cabin

• How dare he set foot in this country again.

• How dare he continue to exist on this planet, even

• Up the driveway

• Knocked

• Opened, then closed the door a half-second too late

• Ratty had already frozen time

• She took little effort to line up her shot

• Pulled trigger

• Bullet ripped through the base of the wolf’s spine.

• Let time catch up

  • Hey Cliff.

  • 17.

• Bang

• Shoulder 

• Steps over him into the cabin

• Goes into the fridge

• A paper bag full of takeout from the nearest town

• Rubbery, half-frozen fish and chips

• Plates it

• Throws it in the microwave

• crouches next to cliff

  • 13 is dead.

  • She was alive?

  • You didn’t know?

  • No.

  • Hm.

• Ding

• Takes food from the microwave

• Stares, at the pooling blood

• As her teeth tear through the rubberized fish

• Opens the fridge again

• Ketchup

• Sits down on Cliff’s couch

• Eats 

  • How did she die?

  • She was dependent on a life support system.

  • You took her off it?

  • Yes.

  • So

• Beat

  • You killed her.

• Beat

• No thoughts head empty.

• Levels the gun again

• Bang

  • Die faster.

  • Fuck you.

• Bang

  • How dare you take the love of my life away from me? Twice.

• Bang

• Beat 

• Ached from the cold.

• Unzipped her boots

• 
  

• Steps over cliff again

• Underside of her paws crackling as the tacky blood peeled from the hardwood with each step.

• Kneels in the bathroom

• Sets the water on the tub going

• Went back out into the hall

• Sat with cliff

  • What was her name

  • Who?

  • 13.

  • I don’t know.

  • What do you mean, you don’t know?

• Takes a bite of chips

• Blood on her fingers

• Its probably inside her system now

• Oh well

  • I just don’t.

• Stares

• Bang

• Cliff is dead

• Gets up

• Strips down

• Sits down in the bath

• Watches the blood rise from her body

• Shuts her eyes