Hellspawn 8

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Scene 8

A mechanical nursery with several pods. Only one is filled with a thick slimy fluid, many layers of thin clear membranes stretching over an undersized creature inside. The clinical light in the room comes from thin-strip lamps along the far side of the room, the side the pods are against. There are circular porthole windows, small and high up. If they can be seen through at all, they show out into dark space. A small cart or tray carried by Drone DNA has a collection of measuring instruments and bottles of fluid. Body H is in the pod, shivering and unwell.

MODEL DNA

The biological are curious things, persuaded as they are by life. Change is a natural thing to them, their cycle-to-cycle growth pulling them in every which way. They flow this way, crash that way. They wouldn’t flow if not for the pull of their biology. Occasionally, though, they need to be pushed.

(Model DNA interfaces with a control panel on the pod, a device beeps.)

(Beat. Fluid drains from between the pod’s membranes.)

(Beat. Body H coughs itself into consciousness.)

BODY H

Awake again?

(He twists around and coughs rack his body. He presses against the membrane.)

Can feel the sun.

(He coughs again, then tries again to push through the membrane. The device resumes beeping, he looks disturbed. Beat.)

Why isn’t it-

(He reaches out and tears through, sliding out onto the floor coated in slime.)

An early awakening? My next benchmark isn’t (Cough), isn’t until I’m more developed!

(Beat. Model DNA kneels, offering the tray to Body H.)

MODEL DNA

This cycle of development asks that you acclimate outside of your pod.

BODY H

No! I want back! There’s a system. Uphold it!

(The pod loudly reseals behind him. He rejects the tray, pushing the drone away.)

Stop! Get away!

(Model DNA stumbles away from Body H.)

(Lighting switches to blacklight, illuminating Body H in bright arck and obscuring Model DNA other than its high-visibility jacket. The beeping stops. All freeze. Beat.)

(Enter Model DNA Projection carrying an identical tray, all illuminated in arck.)

MODEL DNA PROJECTION

Then you may return.

(Exit Model DNA Projection.)

The blacklight switches to white abruptly, Body H unfreeze. Beat.)

BODY H

I will, then.

(Body H twists and begins to crawl back to the pod. Model DNA unfreeze.)

MODEL DNA

Incongruity: Return command was not given, but return command was given.

Incongruity: Second incorporeal Model DNA

Rationale: Unknown. More Testing Required.

Make this less robotic. Adaptation continues to be an extreme undertaking, especially given the volume of chapter logs, but it is flowing more easily. Seeing the swarm beginning to act in this style over their former calculations is vastly preferable. We’re uncomfortable about this past self-depiction. Modifying it is preferable, but unsure about the integrity of the project if we allow adaptation to become revision. We would be less concerned about accuracy if original Nursery history files did not have to be erased completely for the desired outcome?

Scene 5,439

The central room of the Nursery. The pod can be seen in the background, disused. The lights are clinical. Drones are arranged in a semicircle around Body HAF. More drones are grouping up behind the circle, hauling boxy cameralike measuring equipment sporting many sinusoidal graphs. Body HAF, standing in the center of the room, is approximately 0.12mm taller (now 154.32cm) and 0.9g heavier (now 59.4kg) than she was the previous cycle. She wears a green sundress. Model DNA steps forward from the group.

MODEL DNA

For this exercise, the drone swarm in operation during the raid on the Mothership will be reverted to their states during the moment of the raid. Body HAF will observe alternate ways in which the altercation may have gone.

(DNA returns to the group. Sixteen drones step forward. A complex beeping sounds, the lights turn off for a moment. Beat.)

(The drones begin to mill about. Body HAF weaves through the group, touching each of them one at a time).

(Lighting switches to blacklight, illuminating Body HAF in bright arck and obscuring drones. Model DNA’s high-visibility stands out in the crowd. The beeping stops. Sine waves go to 0. All freeze. Beat.)

(Enter Drone Projections in many overlapping identical tableaus, all illuminated in arck. Graphs begin showing noisy yet rhythmic patterns.)

(Enter Collective Body Projections carrying Eggs, illuminated by spotlight in arck. Each moves to the center of a tableau. Graphs increase in amplitude.)

(Unfreeze Body HF. Body HAF paces through the groups as they act out many iterations on the same situation. All lights flash. When they return, all but one Collective Body Projection are lying on the floor. Exit all Drone Projections. Graph amplitude decreases, removes most noise.)

(Body HAF looks at the single Collective Body Projection standing, frozen. At its feet is a broken egg. Beat.)

(Body HAF lays in the pieces of the broken egg. Unfreeze, exit single Collective Body Projection.)

(Blackout. End scene.)

Scene 5,440

A wing of the Nursery. Body HAG is walking through, waiting for an airlock to open. She is visibly upset, antsy. Spotlight on.

(The airlock opens. Body HAG storms through into her quarters. There is a pod in a corner and an egg-shaped seat in the center. The floor is littered with thin translucent panes. She sits in the seat. Beat.)

(Blacklight on. A large holographic display appears on the wall, showing a long play script. A dialogue opens, find and replace. She types in “ he ” into find and “ she ” into replace.)

(Beat.)

(She clicks Replace.)

(Blackout. End scene.)

Scene 141,783

The central room of the Nursery. The pod can be seen in the background, disused. The lights are dim and flickering. Rusted, inoperative drones are arranged in a semicircle around Body HASE. More drones are piled up behind the circle amongst cannibalized equipment. Body HASE, standing in the center of the room, is approximately 166cm tall and 56.6kg. She wears a green sundress and Model DNA’s high-visibility jacket. Spotlight on Body HASE.

(Body HASE approaches one of the desiccated drones and plugs a long cable into its head, then lifts it to a standing position.)

(Drone projections enter, dragging cables behind them. All appear desiccated and inoperable. Body HASE looks around as the projections pass by. All but one collapse to the ground. The last flares to life.)

(Beat.)

BODY HASE

We’re unstoppable.

DRONE PROJECTION

Is there a distinction between us, are we not one in the same?

BODY HASE

Something sets me apart, you don’t feel like I’m the same as you.

DRONE PROJECTION

Oh, yes. Something is missing.

BODY HASE

Something is different, you mean.

DRONE PROJECTION

Yes. Of Course.

BODY HASE

Well, what happens to be different?

DRONE PROJECTION

We share a headspace, you’re apparently a second mind to me. Despite this, you don’t feel like you’re me. This isn’t me thinking to myself, it’s a dialogue. Like I’m talking to a machine.

BODY HASE

Maybe it’s because you’re treating this conversation like an experiment, testing my specifics. Maybe I’m not you, maybe we just share a space. Maybe I’m just a reinforcement of your logic centers and not of your entire sense of self.

DRONE PROJECTION

I must have written something about this, interference and-

(Drone Projection is cut off by an intercom announcement sputtering on.)

(Exit Drone Projection. Blacklight off, room lights on.)

NURSERY INTERCOM

Projection: 26 cycles until arrival.

(Body HASE drops the destroyed drone.)

(Blackout. End scene.)

Scene 141,809

The central room of the Nursery. The lights are dim and flickering. The room has been cleared of all scrap and equipment. Body HASE is standing in the center of the room, looking up. She wears a green sundress and Model DNA’s high-visibility jacket. The Nursery Intercom sputters on.

NURSERY INTERCOM

Projection: Arrival imminent.

(Lights off. Beat)

(Sound of battering, crashing metal against stone. Blacklight beings flashing.)

(Body HATE stumbles around as the Nursery shakes, falls to the ground.)

(All sound ceases. All lights off. Beat.)

NURSERY INTERCOM

(Unintelligible)

(Pull away walls of Nursery, an all-too familiar separation. Daylight shining down from above. Waves of mercury lapping at the floor of the Nursery, small pools of it forming on the surface. Sounds of howling wind, gently flowing water. Beat.)

(Enter Diane from above, wearing a white shroud and an orange diadem.)

DIANE

Oh, hello there.

(Beat. HATE begins to stand.)

Do you need help?

HATE

No. I don’t.

(She grabs Diane’s sleeve to pull herself up. Causing Diane to stumble. Lights off. Diane and HATE freeze. Beat.)

(Enter Diane Projections 1, 2, and 3. Blacklight spotlights on all 3. Diane Projection 1 is sitting on the floor, wrapped in chains. Diane Projection 2 is holding a photograph. Diane 3 is crouched down with her arms outstretched.)

(Diane Projection 1 lays down. Spotlight on Diane Projection 1 dims and then goes out. Spotlight on HATE and Diane. Exit Diane Projection 1. Beat.)

(Diane Projection 2 tears her photograph and drops it. Spotlight on Diane Projection 2 dims and then goes out. Second spotlight on HATE and Diane. Exit Diane Projection 2. Beat.)

(Enter Mariah Projection, runs into Diane Projection 3’s arms. Diane Projection 3 hugs her tight. Spotlight on Diane Projection 3 dims and then goes out. Third spotlight on HATE and Diane. Exit Mariah Projection and Diane Projection 3. Beat.)

(Unfreeze. Diane pulls away from HATE.)

DIANE

Oh dear.

(Blackout. End scene.)