The End - 2021

• 
  

• A tense 56 seconds as the three, clearly paranormal creatures

• Stuffed into an elevator with one operator and eleven other tourists

• As she ran through the same script she must’ve ran through thousands of times per day

• As the city slowly shrank below them

• Well

• The city was a misnomer

• Mirror finished corporate buildings and tourist traps

• The image of two sharks tiled onto the roof of a building

• Funny to think that below, 450 species of fish had been transplanted into the centre of a city where they didn’t belong

• So that Torontonians could commute for an hour in their own city

• To get to a job that paid them less than what they needed to survive

• To entertain the children of those mirror-tower businessmen

• Themselves transplanted in the city to suck wealth and power

• The lights were never turned off at night

• And as though it had been recorded as such, the tour guide’s speech ended as the door chimed

• Shuffled out in a heard down a beige corridor

• And then

• The observation deck

• Crowded by tourists

• The trio stopped in the middle of the room

• Beat

  • This is probably the only time you’re going to be let into this building, El.

  • If you wanna, y’know.

  • Am I like, lessening the gravity of the situation if I like, go gawk out a window?

• Looks at sett

• Who seems not to have an answer

• Ratty shrugs

  • Might as well!

  • Here.

• Takes Eleanor’s hand

• Nods to sett

• Cuts through a third of the tower

• Slow day

• People still concerned over the pandemic

• Clear spot just where she wanted

  • Okay so

  • Follow the train tracks right out over the bay

  • It’s like, straight that way

• Points

  • That’s where I grew up.

• Eleanor stares

• Doing the requisite squinting

  • I can’t see anything that far out.

• Ratty laughs

  • Yeah, I know.

  • I dunno, this is just what my mom did the first time she brought me here.

  • Uh, what else is there.

  • Where’s oakland?

  • Oh, shit, it’s actually like

  • Same general direction, I think

  • Let me get google up

• Eleanor stares into the distance

• As though she would somehow be able to see Oakland better than Oakville

• Even on a perfectly clear day it would have been behind the earths curve

• And

• Well

• There were increasingly few clear days

  • Okay

  • So

  • If google is to be trusted

• Takes Eleanor a few extra meters along

  • Straight out from

• Looking at her phone

• Stops in place

  • Straight out from here.

• Points 

• Eleanor looks

• Still nothing

• Lets her eyes go unfocused and tries to feel it

• Beat

• Still nothing

  • Nothing

• She gave a breath of laughter

  • Yeah, didn’t think so.

• Ratty kisses her cheek

• Sigh

• Ratty stops mid-turn

  • What’s up

• Beat

  • What’s dying like?

• Beat

• Ratty checks on sett

• Who has become fascinated with their own section of the window

• Sees ratty looking

• Gives a smile

• Nods

  • It’s like,

  • Getting arrested,

  • I think.

• Beat

  • It’s violent,

  • And confusing

  • And scary

  • And you think, well, my life is over

  • And a lot of the time it is.

• Beat

  • But

  • You and I 

  • Are proof that there’s still justice

  • Right?

  • We’re not dead.

  • Sett’s not dead.

  • A bunch of our friends are “not dead.”

  • Cus we still had shit to do.

• Beat

• Sigh

  • And, a lot of people die with shit still to do.

  • I don’t know what to say about them.

• Eleanor nods

• Side hug

• Holds her girl tight

• Ratty love Eleanor

  • You’re not gonna die today, by the way.

• Shrug

  • You might.

  • Pff

  • Yeah, okay.

• turns

  • What about you, sett?

  • Anything you want to see before we get going?

• Beat

  • Where’s sett

  • Over here.

• Broadcasted their location through subspace

• Made their way around the curve

  • What’re you looking for?

  • The apartment building.

  • Our building?

  • Yes.

  • Hm.

  • Here

• Points

  • See that little square of green space

• Nods

  • So that’s Alice Gardens

  • If you follow the street that goes up the centre directly south

  • Oh!

  • We see it

• Clicks pen

• Writes down “near Alice Gardens”

• Ratty stares

  • What if it’s not called the same thing when you get home?

  • we’ll just, remember, I suppose

  • Near the green space

• Smiles up at ratty

  • Shall we get moving?

  • I think so.

• Up another elevator

• Just the three of them and a tour guide

  • God this shit is fucking expensive

• Ratty gripes

• Tour guide stares at her

  • Sorry,

  • No, I mean, you’re right.

• Steps out into the mostly empty bubble

• Splits up

• Ratty pressing her face against the glass

• Staring up into the sky

  • we see it.

• Sett was the first to see it

• They joined them

• Sure enough

• As the sun began to set

• Part of the sky staunchly refused to set with it

  • Alright

  • Ready?

• Beat

  • we would like to submit that we hate this plan.

  • Yeah, well.

  • We’re already up here.

• Ratty

• Takes the corrupted subspace rope

• Sticky against her fingers

• Winds it through her harness

• Picks up Sett

• Steps back

  • Ma’am, what are you-

• Takes a running start

• Hops the safety rail

• Stops time with her boots a half-foot from the glass

• Extends her legs in the instant

• Kicks the glass at an effective 186,282 miles per second

• Stops the impact before it has the chance to do any damage

• And plummets

• Sett’s eyes fix on the outline of the airship

• And with a clap like thunder

• The void rope appears from thin air behind one of the turbines

• And links up with Sett’s

• Turning the construction into a winch.

• In an sharp curve, down turns into up

• Eleanor trailing behind them like smoke

• Ratty holds her breath again as they approach

• Slowing the rotor blades to a crawl

• Coated in black tar by this point

• Easy to see that there was no way through without being hit

• The rotor blades tilted in the opposite direction to the spin

• Ratty balled herself around sett

• Took the blade to the back

• Winced as it gouged into her

• And was spit out on the top deck

• Now as plain as day

  • Fuck

  • That hurt

• Eleanor caught up

• Heavy breathing

  • Wow

  • This might be the most painful thing that I’ve

• Starts to rewind it

  • Jesus

  • Here

• Sett

• Pulls a length of cord

• Turns ratty over

• Lays it into the wound

• Pulls tight like a corset

• Not something this set was used to

• Felt like piano wire

• But, effective

  • FUCK

  • Jesus that

  • Okay

  • Alright

  • I’m good

• Stands up

  • I’m... good.

• Notices

• Time still stopped

• Not her doing it

  • Ratty.

• This man is handler smith

  • I realize now may not be the best time for a heart to heart

  • But- well,  you were just distracted enough, and to be honest…

  • we’re not going to get another opportunity, I don’t think

  • I’d like to speak to you in the engine room, if you have time.

  • Do that for me, and I will allow your friends safe passage through Project Rabbithole.

• Flickers

• Disappears.

• Uh, and if it happens like that

• We should be good.

• I think.

• So we just arrived on the scene, 

• The CN Tower is being evacuated currently, and if you look, way above us here

• There’s what looks to be some kind of black spot,

• Suspended in the middle of the sky

• Now- we’re not sure exactly what this object is

• But a representative we just spoke to that set us up in this spot told us that the evacuation and the spot are unrelated. What-

• BANG

  • Oh my goodness,

  • Okay, so- now we’re-

  • Get a shot of that.

  • The object has just exploded, you can see there is now this ring of fire around the outside of-

  • And it looks like-

  • There are gray patches appearing in the sky around the object.

  • Still not clear on what it is, though.

  • We’re going to stay here-

• Taps ear

  • Okay- just received word that the surrounding buildings are also being evacuated.

  • Like I said, we’re going to stay here.

  • Jesus…

• Pulled the rest of their equipment through subspace

• A nifty little trick

• Were it not for the way it seemed to grease everything

• Perfect for philip a. Luty’s construction of steel tubing

• Practical for something that required little actual touch like a radio

• Not so ideal for, earpieces

• Luckily, headphones were not confiscated by tower security 

• And they worked just fine.

  • Hello!

• Angel’s voice

  • Engine room is at the bow of the ship.

  • Rabbithole is at the aft.

  • Why do we need to-

  • Angel did you-

  • Yes.

  • Handler Smith has requested to meet with Ratty.

  • It’s the best option if we intend on success.

• Beat

  • I have “run the numbers”

  • Okay,

  • So

  • We split up?

  • And I’ll catch up with you.

  • For sure.

• An odd sensation to be let through

• Familiar

• In the way an old house is familiar

• Ratty wondered if she had been here before

• Recognized the uniforms

• Wondered how many people were here against their will

• This - it was her understanding - had been angelcorp’s main endeavour for years

• There was likely no Ratty Vermington Super Soldier

• Stopped 

• Turned to a guard

  • Are you here willingly?

• Guard blinked, confused

  • I- yes ma’am.

  • The salary is well worth it.

• Beat

  • You realize you’re a monster, right?

  • I have a family to provide for.

  • You- there are other jobs.

• Never understood that line from 12s,

• Works even less well with 11.

• Silence

  • Okay

  • Well-

  • Move along.

  • Yeah, I’m moving along.

• Engine room

• White metal columns rising from the floor

• Whirring filled the room

• The inescapable sound of work

  • Miss Vermington.

• Centre of these experimental generator columns

  • Could we have some privacy please?

• To the rest of the workers.

• Pause for long enough to indicate that they weren’t under any kind of control

• Like having ‘privacy’ in the most vital room in the ship was odd

• But they shuffled out

• Waited until the door closed behind them.

• Sigh of relief

  • A beautiful construction, isn’t it.

  • Rabbithole is powered by our tether to the ground, but this

• Gestures around

  • The most powerful engine ever built.

  • Not something I can take credit for, you understand, but still

  • Magnificent. 

  • We know each other?

  • In another life, I assume.

  • It’s a shame we never got to work together, miss Vermington.

  • But, there is still time.

• Steps out of the shadows

• Leaning on a cane

• Aging 

• Not extremely but

• Enough to be noticed

  • I grow old, Ratty.

  • It’s my understanding that you can turn back that clock.

  • In return, I will allow unfiltered access to Rabbithole, once it is complete.

• Beat

  • There was another ratty.

  • What happened to her?

  • Squandered potential.

• Beat

  • Well,

  • Obviously no.

• Beat

  • I don’t think you understand the advantage of having me as your ally.

  • Mr. Matheson was under my employ.

  • Ms. DeGenerous was under my employ.

  • Director Ross is under my employ.

  • Every action I take is designed in explicit to make your life miserable,

  • And it has not lost me an ounce of power yet.

  • I ask you,

  • Miss Vermington, 

  • Would you like to be happy?

• Blink

  • No.

• Legitimate frown

  • If you had left well enough alone I would not have to do this.

  • No regrets, Miss Vermington.

• With that

• Handler smith was obliterated by the half-pound of C-4 explosive sewn throughout his suit.

• A chain reaction of the various engine components 

  • Ratty.

• Angel’s voice.

  • You need to fix the engine. Rabbithole needs to be at a certain-

  • I have bigger concerns

• As the explosions neared her

• Slowed time

• Hard to find something not tied down

• A small observation deck

• Just above

• Ratty hoped the spikes on her jacket would be enough to break the glass

• Sprints over

• Braces against the wall

• Jumps

• Shatters

• Hides below the control panel

• And the explosion finishes just overhead

• Heavy breathing

  • Shit.

• News

  • We actually, just had another explosion

  • And what that black ring is is actually now taking shape.

  • It appears to be some kind of airship, linked to the tower by a massive cable.

  • We have yet to make contact with a CN Tower representative,

  • But you can see, what we originally thought was the entire object

  • Is in fact part of a massive aircraft

  • Again-

  • Unclear-

• Ducky grabs the mic

  • It’s Angelcorp

  • Google Project Archangel

  • Google-

  • Give me that!

• Shoulder check

  • Google Operation Checkmark

  • It’s real!

  • Angelcorp and the Canadian Government-

• Feed cut

  • It looks like we just lost connection with our field crew, we’ll be hopefully uh-

  • Getting them back on the air as soon as possible. 

  • In the meantime we have contacting us via video-conference, Mr. Luchthavenlei, he’s a former RCAF pilot, as well as an aircraft identification expert with the Canadian Armed Forces-

• Sett watched as Eleanor, assisted by the crackling automated voice in her ear, ran through the motions of setting up the machine.

• The Rabbithole team had evacuated after the first explosion

• The rest of the staff were abandoning ship after the second.

• They had climbed onto the platform a little too early

• And now stood

• Waiting to be sent home

• Wove their thumb-claws through the holes ratty had worked in the sleeves

• This would be gone soon, too.

• There would still be the memories, of course.

• A few more to go with their collection

  • I need-

• Eleanor zips through the glass wall

  • A hair sample,

  • Sorry

• Plucks

  • There’s like, a filter.

  • Yes, that makes sense.

• Enter ratty

  • Hey

  • How we doing?

  • Good!

  • Really good actually,

  • Angel says

  • We should be able to launch before the ship is below requisite altitude

• Project had changed a lot since ratty had last seen it

• Now consisted of a long platform that ran the length of the room

• In each corner of the room, geometrically complex hunks of near-orange metal hummed quietly

• Each dragging a thin, weak thread of uncharged universal thread across to their partners

• It had certainly been made smaller

• though not by much

• Ratty climbed up to the platform

  • Hey

  • Hi

• Pause

  • How’re you feeling?

• Beat

  • Not sure.

  • we are, excited for the future

  • And yet,

  • Sad, of course.

• Looks up from the holes in ratty’s sweater

  • We will likely never see you again.

  • Ready!

• Ratty thinks

  • Hang on

• Pulls a knife from her jacket

• Cuts a small strip off of Sett’s hoodie

  • It’s cotton, so…

• Brings it to Eleanor

  • Add it to the filter.

  • I-

  • Yeah, I could do that.

• She back-tracks what she’s already done

• Reopens the filter, still with a thick hair in it

• Puts the strip of cloth in

• Closes it

  • There!

• Ratty smiles

• Climbs back up to the platform

  • Now you’ll have something to remember me by

• Sett

• Pleasantly bewildered for a moment

  • Are we ready?

• Beat

  • Yes.

  • I’m ready.

• Deep breath

• In an instant, a familiar film of inter-dimensional energy forms over the air

• Looks like angel’s portals

• A very rudimentary version

  • Okay.

  • Launching.

• Sett dives into Ratty’s arms as the mechanism whirrs to life

• A few seconds of charging, a thunk as the emitter’s carriers fall into their racks

• And the wall launches itself from the other end of the room

• The other sett takes one last look into Ratty’s eyes

• And disappears

• Hoodie and all

  • Okay

  • So

  • Reversing in-

• Eleanor doesn’t get to count

• The mechanism reverses

• Passing another wave over ratty 

• And Sett is back

• Their blotched white fur 

• Stunned expression

• A mismatch of differently coloured and processed cotton elements haphazardly shaped into a hoodie

• Beat

  • Ratty?

• Third explosion

  • Hey babe!

• Another hug

• Sett pulls out

• Plants one on Ratty

• Topples her off the platform

• Ratty laughs

  • You little genius!

  • I’m little?

  • Sorry, we don’t have time for this!

• Eleanor calls

  • Right, of course

• Ratty returns to the control panel

• Forces the filter open

• Pulls out a few of her own hairs

• Stuffs them in

  • Wait, what are you-

  • C’mon.

  • We have to get everyone else.

• Another explosion

• Ignored by ratty

  • No, we don’t-

  • It’s probably not even going to launch again

• Another explosion

• Ratty turns to look at the portal

• Emitters now glowing a weird colour

• Threads, crackling

• Struggling to hold shape

• Struggling to hold the definition of something that could hold a shape

  • No, c'mon.

  • There’s still time, just-

  • Ratty.

• Turns

• Sees the infinite spiral of the universe

• She felt dogs teeth tear her throat out, felt cold cement against her back start to warm with her blood, saw the eyes of an animal with fear and pity and love and the knowledge that it had killed its master. She died, and returned.

  • 
    

• She felt her spine snap, felt the invasive fingers of a machine dig under her skin and bore out her flawed biology, felt cold, industrial metal parts take over her body, felt love for only a moment as she watched the rolling tides. She died, and returned.

  • 
    

• She felt her body rot in a ditch, cold mud against her aching back, anguish at the reward of a long life spent in prison: freedom. She died, and returned.

  • 
    

• She felt welts form on her body. She died, and returned.

  • 
    

• She felt herself simply disappear, die, and return.

  • 
    

• She felt her heart stop as an act of plain bad luck, died, and returned.

  • 
    

• Felt her mind disappear to unintelligible nonsense, died, and returned.

  • 
    

• Over and over again a thousand micro-lives and deaths, all at once.

  • 
    

• And then,

  • 
    

• In an instant,

  • 
    

• Blinks

  • You’re right-

• Took a half step towards Sett

• Reached for their hand

• And heard something like a crack come from behind her

• Just a second too late

• Saw it before she felt it

• An emitter had failed

• Searching for something to latch onto

• The corner of the portal had shot through the centre of her chest

  • Oh god,

  • It’s okay.

• She said, her voice already broken up by the process of dematerializing.

  • I can fix this.

  • No.

• Blocks of her body

• Struggling to choose between universes

  • No, c’mon.

• Eleanor circled the protective glass

  • It’s okay, really-

  • Ratty

• Saw her reflection in Sett’s eyes.

• It was not going to be okay.

• Not this time.

  • Please,

  • Don’t go.

• gulp

• Sett rushes forward to hug her

• Ignored completely by the spike that’d impaled their wife

  • I love you, Sett.

  • And you, Eleanor.

  • I love you both so much.

  • No way.

• Eleanor steps forward

• Reserved around the equipment

  • Please,

  • Don’t.

  • I don't think I get a choice this ti-

• Feels her breath

• Catch in her chest

• As though one last favour from the universe

• As if to say

• If there were a time to hold your breath

• Now would be it.

• And she does

• For as long as she can hold it she examines and commits to memory

• Every strand of fur on her partners’ faces.

• And then

• As her chest begins to ache

• Ratty closes her eyes

• Ratty releases the held breath

• And she's gone

• There's no replacement ratty to feed back into the machine.

• Just gone

Sett set down the two halves of paper, refusing to return the note to Ratty’s waste paper basket, and refusing to read it. They stared at it for a few moments too long, before folding it together with Eleanor’s: difficult not to read as it consisted entirely of the words “Eleanor, I” written in black ink. They had had that conversation in person.

Their eyes skipped over the folded jacket on the bed. It normally held pride in place on it’s own separate coat-rack, too coated in paint and studs and safety pins to do anything but damage other fabric, but for today, it felt comfortable there.

They pocketed the folded letters, picked up their cane, and limped out into the living room. They were largely ignored by the crowd of people gathered around the TV, noticed only by Fern, who respected their decision to — instead of busying themselves with the news — make a cup of tea. Something to calm them down.

““This is a time that we as Canadians need to come together. It is only natural, after accident so senseless, to search for truth, and I would urge us all not to be led into sensationalism.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, earlier today, broke his silence on the crash in downtown Toronto earlier this week. Several thousand are missing, presumed dead after an illegal aircraft owned and operated by the Angel Military Holdings Corporation collided with the CN Tower. 

Trudeau apologized for his silence, saying he had been at a loss for words, and needed time to confer with other world leaders on what actions to take. The Prime Minister declined to answer when asked why members of his cabinet were found inside of the aircraft during the initial search and rescue.

Opposition leader Andrew Scheer says his party is currently in the process of setting up a full-scale investigation into the Prime Minister’s ties to Angelcorp, though declined to comment on whether that investigation...”

Maybe it would matter, maybe it wouldn’t. As they watched the water boil, using the watched-pot effect to say in the moment before they collapsed, they turned on the radio, fumbling along the underside of the cabinets for the plastic box as not to break eye contact. They tuned to a static channel and drowned out what must’ve been the hundredth report on ‘the accident’ that day.

And after a short period of white silence, the static spoke.

“Folks, I’d like to close out today’s broadcast with a new track from Miss Vera Lynn,” music would be a welcome distraction, “For the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, I’m Buster Friendly. For all our boys on the front lines, send Adolf my coldest regards, and goodnight.”

And they stood there, confused for a moment, staring at the plastic machine as the gentle da-rumph of the song’s string section rose behind its horns. Not seven seconds into the tune, the TV audience sat bolt upright, shocked from their focus by the slap of Sett’s cane hitting the floor.

As Eleanor rounded the corner, the goat’s hunched form had already pulled their banjo from subspace, and begun to play along.