Editing Episode 509: Joshua Drake, This Is NOT Your Life ... , Part Six
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
Hospital ship … has patients … who are sick, at times in critical condition …<br><br> | Hospital ship … has patients … who are sick, at times in critical condition …<br><br> | ||
| − | New plan: Nika and Kiera will fake responding to an emergency inside Joshua’s room to get | + | New plan: Nika and Kiera will fake responding to an emergency inside Joshua’s room to get someone else with a working card to open the door for them. Nika starts looking for a crash cart, a gurney and some lab coats. With Kiera’s medical expertise and manner to lend their ruse legitimacy, within minutes they’ve snagged someone to assist and are hustling along to Joshua’s door again.<br><br> |
| − | + | We’ve got a Code Three! We need someone to open this door! <br><br> | |
Kiera: They did brain surgery on him and he’s suffering a seizure and it’s a manic button. Gotta get in there! And basically the monitors are going offline.<br> | Kiera: They did brain surgery on him and he’s suffering a seizure and it’s a manic button. Gotta get in there! And basically the monitors are going offline.<br> | ||
| Line 50: | Line 50: | ||
Orderly: Medical override!<br><br> | Orderly: Medical override!<br><br> | ||
| − | The lock hums. There’s a click. The door opens. Nika and Kiera trade a look over the orderly’s shoulder. Is | + | The lock hums. There’s a click. The door opens. Nika and Kiera trade a look over the orderly’s shoulder. Is that all it took? Shouting ‘Medical override’? Shoot, they could’a done that without getting anyone involved.<br><br> |
Oh well.<br><br> | Oh well.<br><br> | ||
| Line 64: | Line 64: | ||
Joshua takes his cue and lays there, eyes closed … waits for the orderly to draw near and then explodes with a martial arts blow, knocking him out. And Joshua staggers from the pain in his head … but the orderly is out cold and Joshua’s free to leave.<br><br> | Joshua takes his cue and lays there, eyes closed … waits for the orderly to draw near and then explodes with a martial arts blow, knocking him out. And Joshua staggers from the pain in his head … but the orderly is out cold and Joshua’s free to leave.<br><br> | ||
| − | Nika: | + | Nika: Joshua. Get on your feet! Move!<br> |
| − | Kiera: (happily) Or Rex. I | + | Kiera: (happily) Or Rex. I knew you’d wake up being somebody else. Get on the gurney.<br><br> |
Nika and Kiera haul him up onto the gurney and pull the sheet over his face. Just lie there and play dead. Not hard to do—Joshua’s head is killing him. The women pull the KO-d orderly into Joshua’s bed and arrange him in a sleeper’s pose. He’ll never pass inspection but in the event of a simple bed-check, he’ll do. Nika takes the orderly’s badge off him and uses it to lock the door, locking the orderly in. Kiera’s already out in the hallway, turning the gurney back the way they came. From under the sheet, Joshua clears his throat.<br><br> | Nika and Kiera haul him up onto the gurney and pull the sheet over his face. Just lie there and play dead. Not hard to do—Joshua’s head is killing him. The women pull the KO-d orderly into Joshua’s bed and arrange him in a sleeper’s pose. He’ll never pass inspection but in the event of a simple bed-check, he’ll do. Nika takes the orderly’s badge off him and uses it to lock the door, locking the orderly in. Kiera’s already out in the hallway, turning the gurney back the way they came. From under the sheet, Joshua clears his throat.<br><br> | ||
| Line 80: | Line 80: | ||
Meanwhile, Arden and Rina gather up all of our girls—luckily none were actually outside the recovery wards—and they all make their way to the repair deck. There are fifteen girls, including Lanie and Arden and Rina walk in the middle of them, using them as cover. They manage to cram into an elevator and take it to the right deck. The elevator dings! the doors slide open, and the girls and our crew spill out on to the repair deck.<br><br> | Meanwhile, Arden and Rina gather up all of our girls—luckily none were actually outside the recovery wards—and they all make their way to the repair deck. There are fifteen girls, including Lanie and Arden and Rina walk in the middle of them, using them as cover. They manage to cram into an elevator and take it to the right deck. The elevator dings! the doors slide open, and the girls and our crew spill out on to the repair deck.<br><br> | ||
| − | Rina takes one look around, spots the airlock | + | Rina takes one look around, spots the airlock Equinox is docked at, and then strides forward of the rest, looking like she knows where she’s going and she’s got every right to be there. When she reaches the airlock, she can see the repair crew is actually in the middle of decoupling our ship, pulling wires and such out of our ship. She steps right up to the two repair crew standing at the airlock.<br><br> |
Rina: (brisk) Thank you. I was hoping you’d be able to get a jump on that. We’re here to take possession of our ship. They’ve released us and—<br> | Rina: (brisk) Thank you. I was hoping you’d be able to get a jump on that. We’re here to take possession of our ship. They’ve released us and—<br> | ||
Repair Crew: You better get on quick. They’re gonna pulse.<br> | Repair Crew: You better get on quick. They’re gonna pulse.<br> | ||
| − | Rina: Thank you, sir. (turns around) Everybody. | + | Rina: Thank you, sir. (turns around) Everybody. On the ship. Beglan, spin her up.<br> |
Arden: We’re waiting for some crew members so the minute they get here, we’re ready to go.<br> | Arden: We’re waiting for some crew members so the minute they get here, we’re ready to go.<br> | ||
Repair Crew: All right.<br><br> | Repair Crew: All right.<br><br> | ||
| − | And that’s pretty much it. The | + | And that’s pretty much it. The Aceso crew pull their connections and we’ve got our ship back in our hands. Beglan goes aft to spin up our engines. Arden gets the girls situated for a fast take-off. Rina mans the airlock to watch for Nika, Kiera and Joshua’s return. In less than a minute of taking possession of Equinox, the elevator bank spits out Nika, Kiera and Joshua. Joshua’s a little shaky on his pins but he walks, quickly, keeping pace with Kiera and Nika. They cross the threshold of the airlock, we seal it up tight and IAV Aceso decouples our ship.<br><br> |
| − | We power free of the Brigantine’s hull and all around us the other ships of the fleet go to pulse. | + | We power free of the Brigantine’s hull and all around us the other ships of the fleet go to pulse. IAV Aceso waits until we’ve reached a safe distance away and then she too pulses. We’re left alone in the Black.<br><br> |
| − | Nika notices we’ve about 110 hours of fuel, just enough to get us to Paquin. She also notes that | + | Nika notices we’ve about 110 hours of fuel, just enough to get us to Paquin. She also notes that Lagniappe is showing on the boards as being docked in our hangar deck. Whew! We’ve even got our cat Jahn. One of the girls picked him up on her way out the door. Everything and everyone’s aboard that should be aboard. Nika doesn’t dither but sets our course and pulses for Paquin.<br><br> |
| − | + | Day Six, Friday, 10 Apr 2522<br> | |
| − | + | Paquin<br><br> | |
We didn’t make the bonus for early delivery but we did make the delivery date. We get paid our normal rate. We fuel up and take off for Greenleaf. Nika wants to get us a little farther away from our last known position before we touch down and start on repairs.<br><br> | We didn’t make the bonus for early delivery but we did make the delivery date. We get paid our normal rate. We fuel up and take off for Greenleaf. Nika wants to get us a little farther away from our last known position before we touch down and start on repairs.<br><br> | ||
| − | + | Epilogue<br><br> | |
| − | + | Day Seven, 11 Apr 2522<br> | |
| − | + | En route to Greenleaf<br><br> | |
| − | Joshua uses the time to go all the way off his drugs, voluntarily finishing the detox he’d had forced on him on | + | Joshua uses the time to go all the way off his drugs, voluntarily finishing the detox he’d had forced on him on Aceso. He confers with Arden about it.<br><br> |
Arden: Do you want to stay clean?<br> | Arden: Do you want to stay clean?<br> | ||
| Line 116: | Line 116: | ||
Joshua: She sorta had like … (gestures) … black hair… Naval uniform …<br> | Joshua: She sorta had like … (gestures) … black hair… Naval uniform …<br> | ||
| − | Rina: We were on a ship | + | Rina: We were on a ship full of Naval people.<br><br> |
He actually sketches her portrait and shows it to us. Kiera looks it over with a critical eye.<br><br> | He actually sketches her portrait and shows it to us. Kiera looks it over with a critical eye.<br><br> | ||
| Line 125: | Line 125: | ||
Joshua: (firm) Tell me.<br> | Joshua: (firm) Tell me.<br> | ||
Kiera: What?<br> | Kiera: What?<br> | ||
| − | Joshua: | + | Joshua: Tell me. About her. What did you—was there anything unusual about her?<br> |
Kiera: Aside from the fact that she seemed to be paying awful close attention in that very special way that you seem to.<br> | Kiera: Aside from the fact that she seemed to be paying awful close attention in that very special way that you seem to.<br> | ||
Joshua: That’s what I wanted to know. Thank you. She … she, not two hours, three hours before you threw me on a gurney and rolled me out of room— <br> | Joshua: That’s what I wanted to know. Thank you. She … she, not two hours, three hours before you threw me on a gurney and rolled me out of room— <br> | ||
Arden: We could have left you there.<br> | Arden: We could have left you there.<br> | ||
| − | Joshua: Oh no, I know. It’s not a complaint. It’s just a comment. (resuming) She said that she’d help get me out—I don’t know if she helped, I don’t know in what way she helped—but that she wanted me to help her. She said | + | Joshua: Oh no, I know. It’s not a complaint. It’s just a comment. (resuming) She said that she’d help get me out—I don’t know if she helped, I don’t know in what way she helped—but that she wanted me to help her. She said her people. It wasn’t her specifically. It was her friends. She gave me some coordinates. She said she was like me.<br> |
Nika: Like you … as in a Reader? Like you as in … a Borrower?<br> | Nika: Like you … as in a Reader? Like you as in … a Borrower?<br> | ||
Joshua: I don’t know. You have to understand, I’m still a little confused about the whole deal. St. Albans—<br> | Joshua: I don’t know. You have to understand, I’m still a little confused about the whole deal. St. Albans—<br> | ||
| Line 176: | Line 176: | ||
Rina: Absolutely.<br> | Rina: Absolutely.<br> | ||
Kiera: All right.<br> | Kiera: All right.<br> | ||
| − | Nika: So, you know, we still don’t know if he is Rex Wise or if he was | + | Nika: So, you know, we still don’t know if he is Rex Wise or if he was pretending to be Rex Wise.<br> |
Joshua: I thought I was pretending to be him. I mean, I’m kinda confused…<br> | Joshua: I thought I was pretending to be him. I mean, I’m kinda confused…<br> | ||
Rina: You are who you are.<br> | Rina: You are who you are.<br> | ||
| Line 185: | Line 185: | ||
Joshua: No, yes. I was Rex Wise on the ''Trafalgar''.<br> | Joshua: No, yes. I was Rex Wise on the ''Trafalgar''.<br> | ||
| − | Nika: Yes, but you could have been on a mission as yourself because it was | + | Nika: Yes, but you could have been on a mission as yourself because it was your mission.<br> |
Joshua: Yes, I’m not saying that’s not true. I’m just saying that the fact that I know is that I was Lt. Cmdr. Rex Wise when I was on board the ''Trafalgar''.<br> | Joshua: Yes, I’m not saying that’s not true. I’m just saying that the fact that I know is that I was Lt. Cmdr. Rex Wise when I was on board the ''Trafalgar''.<br> | ||
Nika: I wasn’t sure of that, but … (shrugs)<br> | Nika: I wasn’t sure of that, but … (shrugs)<br> | ||
| Line 193: | Line 193: | ||
It wouldn’t be uncommon for part of his preparation for Borrowing to involve going over family photos, researching the family, who they were, where they lived, what they did—the works. It could be that feeling of familiarity came from that, the prep-work, and not any real familial connection.<br><br> | It wouldn’t be uncommon for part of his preparation for Borrowing to involve going over family photos, researching the family, who they were, where they lived, what they did—the works. It could be that feeling of familiarity came from that, the prep-work, and not any real familial connection.<br><br> | ||
| − | Joshua: It’s certainly possib—it, it … I don’t know. I don’t think he really was my dad, but I will say this. | + | Joshua: It’s certainly possib—it, it … I don’t know. I don’t think he really was my dad, but I will say this. He believed it. When I was there, I believed it. I kinda … I kinda miss … wanting to believe it.<br> |
Arden: You know it’s more than probable that your cover was Rex Wise, when you were on ''Trafalgar''.<br> | Arden: You know it’s more than probable that your cover was Rex Wise, when you were on ''Trafalgar''.<br> | ||
Joshua: Yeah. No, it was. I was being him and I don’t—it wouldn’t surprise me if… They don’t—sometimes they make things up and sometimes …<br> | Joshua: Yeah. No, it was. I was being him and I don’t—it wouldn’t surprise me if… They don’t—sometimes they make things up and sometimes …<br> | ||
| Line 199: | Line 199: | ||
Joshua: And they could have gone into the mad database. Certainly, if that’s true, he’s dead.<br> | Joshua: And they could have gone into the mad database. Certainly, if that’s true, he’s dead.<br> | ||
Nika: See, that’s my concern. How did he get dead? If that’s the case.<br> | Nika: See, that’s my concern. How did he get dead? If that’s the case.<br> | ||
| − | Joshua: They killed him. That he volunteered for Secret Mission X, at Secret Mission Institute—well, no, it’s not that he got killed on it. Well, maybe he did, but it’s more likely that Blue Sun had their hands on Secret Mission X and found it easier to kill him and | + | Joshua: They killed him. That he volunteered for Secret Mission X, at Secret Mission Institute—well, no, it’s not that he got killed on it. Well, maybe he did, but it’s more likely that Blue Sun had their hands on Secret Mission X and found it easier to kill him and replace him, than it was to try and brainwash him. Maybe they didn’t need him.<br> |
Arden: Maybe it’s something to look into in the future.<br> | Arden: Maybe it’s something to look into in the future.<br> | ||
Kiera: Joshua, when you say you were on the ''Trafalgar'' and you were Rex Wise and these guys … (gestures to the crew) … showed up, what was your motivation for leaving? Because if you believed you were Rex Wise …?<br><br> | Kiera: Joshua, when you say you were on the ''Trafalgar'' and you were Rex Wise and these guys … (gestures to the crew) … showed up, what was your motivation for leaving? Because if you believed you were Rex Wise …?<br><br> | ||
| Line 205: | Line 205: | ||
Yeah, why did he break cover?<br><br> | Yeah, why did he break cover?<br><br> | ||
| − | Joshua: I had—there’s always, always, there has to be, when I’m pretending to be someone, when I’m Borrowing them—there’s always | + | Joshua: I had—there’s always, always, there has to be, when I’m pretending to be someone, when I’m Borrowing them—there’s always me at the base. Buried deep. It has to be, because I have to have something to come back to. And I had been given enough information and I asked enough questions to know that something was going on with my situation. That it wasn’t right. And when the opportunity came, I took it.<br> |
Nika: And ran like hell.<br> | Nika: And ran like hell.<br> | ||
| − | Joshua: And basically ran like hell. And I did something I don’t do very often and hadn’t done very often at that point, which was basically pop | + | Joshua: And basically ran like hell. And I did something I don’t do very often and hadn’t done very often at that point, which was basically pop out of Borrowing. I don’t do that very often. Or I hadn’t, at the time. We were trained to prepare to come out, to always take the time.<br> |
Kiera: So when you escaped and the Reavers were chasing you and they showed up—<br> | Kiera: So when you escaped and the Reavers were chasing you and they showed up—<br> | ||
Joshua: It was as Joshua. It wasn’t as Rex.<br> | Joshua: It was as Joshua. It wasn’t as Rex.<br> | ||
| Line 227: | Line 227: | ||
Joshua: Right. If I was completely Cmdr. Wise, then I would be doing exactly what Cmdr. Wise would want to do and not necessarily what is in Blue Sun’s best interest.<br> | Joshua: Right. If I was completely Cmdr. Wise, then I would be doing exactly what Cmdr. Wise would want to do and not necessarily what is in Blue Sun’s best interest.<br> | ||
Rina: Mission parameters. Right.<br> | Rina: Mission parameters. Right.<br> | ||
| − | Joshua: So there has to be a part of me that’s always aware that I’m—that something’s going on. Was that part of me, that part of him, that saw the opportunity to help, that saw the opportunity to | + | Joshua: So there has to be a part of me that’s always aware that I’m—that something’s going on. Was that part of me, that part of him, that saw the opportunity to help, that saw the opportunity to run. I hadn’t been, or at least in my mind—I don’t even know if it’s real—I haven’t really been off-planet all that much. Not in the Core. I didn’t know when I would have the chance to do that again.<br> |
Rina: I’ve always wanted to ask you …<br> | Rina: I’ve always wanted to ask you …<br> | ||
Joshua: I’m here.<br> | Joshua: I’m here.<br> | ||
| Line 245: | Line 245: | ||
| − | + | Day Eight, Sunday, 12 Apr 2522<br> | |
| − | + | Five Suns Fruit Company Plantation<br> | |
| − | + | Waysmeet, Greenleaf<br><br> | |
Lanie’s family are orchardists and their orchard, Five Suns Fruit Company Plantation, is extensive. It’s a veritable tropic paradise of fruit trees, green, lush, and bountiful, tucked into the rainforest of Greenleaf. The girls we’ve rescued adapt quickly to the environment. Lanie is met by her oldest brother, who’s running the family farm now that their father is gone. Their father was murdered by their mother after Lanie was taken and their mother is in prison for her crime. Her brother isn’t entirely certain why their mother killed their father, but we can all guess: she killed him for selling Lanie off, or letting her be taken. What mother wouldn’t? We have no proof, however, and the family doesn’t know where their mother is incarcerated in order to ask.<br><br> | Lanie’s family are orchardists and their orchard, Five Suns Fruit Company Plantation, is extensive. It’s a veritable tropic paradise of fruit trees, green, lush, and bountiful, tucked into the rainforest of Greenleaf. The girls we’ve rescued adapt quickly to the environment. Lanie is met by her oldest brother, who’s running the family farm now that their father is gone. Their father was murdered by their mother after Lanie was taken and their mother is in prison for her crime. Her brother isn’t entirely certain why their mother killed their father, but we can all guess: she killed him for selling Lanie off, or letting her be taken. What mother wouldn’t? We have no proof, however, and the family doesn’t know where their mother is incarcerated in order to ask.<br><br> | ||
