Episode 95: "That Some End Might Be” – The Sheridan Tapes
CONTENT WARNING: Pyrophobia, character injury, existential dread, depictions of the aftermath of a disaster, despair, character separation, and screams
????2020_05: Investigating an impossible signal from beyond the borders of Morrison’s domain, the Searchers find old ghosts and new revelations at the end of all hope.
Starring Mike Kennedy as Edgar Morrison, Brad Colbroock as Commissary Michaels, Socks Whitmore as the Possessed, Van Winkle as Sam Bailey, Sam Taylor as Ren Park, Virginia Spotts as Kate Sheridan, and Airen Neeley Chaconas as Anna Sheridan, with original music by Jesse Haugen. Written by Van Winkle and produced by Virginia Spotts, with dialogue editing and sound design by Van Winkle.
For more information, additional content, and episode transcript, visit thesheridantapes.com
This episode was made possible by our supporters at Patreon.com/homesteadcorner, ko-fi.com/homesteadcorner, and our backers on Seed&Spark.
Script
Transcript
CONTENT WARNING: Pyrophobia, character injury, existential dread, depictions of the aftermath of a disaster, despair, character separation, and screams
[Morrison’s speech echoes through a grand space beyond, muffled through the walls]
[The crackling of torches]
Edgar Morrison (muffled through walls)
So rejoice in your station and your place within this glorious realm, and know that there are only two paths placed before you… perdition, or paradise. Know my mercies and live, or scorn my gifts and…
[He trails off, noticing Sam and Ned]
Bring them to me.
[Through the walls, ordered boots march]
[Distant alarm sounding]
[Footsteps towards us, the door opens]
[A haggard Morrison enters, breathing in pain]
[His voice echoes in his private hall]
Edgar Morrison
Still not beating… why isn’t it beating?
Commissary Michaels
Uh… my Lord?
Edgar Morrison
What is it, servant?
Commissary Michaels
I trust the ceremony went well?
Edgar Morrison
Indeed. The thief was dispatched of, and what was stolen, recovered.
Commissary Michaels
I… I see. The wound is looking… much better, my lord.
Edgar Morrison
Then I’m sure you won’t mind changing the dressings again, once you’ve prepared my supper and drawn my bath.
Commissary Michaels
Of course, god-king. I live to serve you.
Edgar Morrison
And don’t you forget it. You are dismissed, Michaels.
[The former commissioner scurries away]
[Morrison winces, then falls into his throne with a grunt of pain]
Edgar Morrison
Why did Bailey’s wounds heal the moment he was out of that lake, but mine just keep getting worse?
[A whoosh of air]
[The torches flutter]
The Possessed
I told you before, Edgar… Quisque suos patimur manes.
Edgar Morrison
“Each of us bears his own hell.” I am aware. And I thought I told you to stop haunting my halls.
The Possessed
[Laughter] If you could send me away as easily as you dismiss your servants, Edgar, then I would not be here at all. You trapped me in your labyrinth when you pulled this city into the dark… my presence is the price you pay for your ascension. Every king needs his fool, after all.
[Morrison grows, attempting to send fire their way]
[He grunts in pain]
The Possessed
Edgar, Edgar, Edgar… you really need to work on that temper. It’s gotten worse since you’ve stopped needing to hide it behind civility.
Edgar Morrison
Leave me be, spirit. I’m not in the mood.
The Possessed
Oh but Edgar! [They rush up beside him with a gust of wind] That’s the best time for jokes. Here’s one of my favorites: what do you call a police chief who fancies himself god, but can’t even heal his own wounds?
Edgar Morrison
Don’t.
The Possessed
Or better yet… what does that same god do when he accidentally drags an entire city into the void, and can’t figure out how to bring it back on his own?
Edgar Morrison
Listen here, fool…
The Possessed
Aha! Yes, a fool’s fool indeed! I knew you’d get it in the end!
[Morrison makes an angry noise as he stands and walks away from his throne]
[The Possessed follows him with a whoosh of air]
The Possessed
Oh come now, don’t be a spoil-sport! You know I’m right.
Edgar Morrison
I just want you to know that if it was within my power, I would cast you into the deepest, darkest corner of the Source and feed you to the Guardian myself, and I promise you, I’d sleep better at night for it.
The Possessed
Oh I’m sure you would… but alas, you cannot risk another journey to that place — not now that the Guardian has your scent. I’m sure it would be only too happy to get revenge on you for chaining it, now that it’s free.
Edgar Morrison
Not for much longer. My power grows every time the boundaries expand, and soon I’ll be more powerful than you could ever imagine.
The Possessed
Mm. And how much of your own power does it take to keep the bubble growing? To create enough of your “officers” to keep the city in check? To trap all these poor souls in their mistakes for their own “purification?” You know, if you wanted to hide the fact that you couldn’t actually loop time properly, you could have just left them alone. It’s not like any of this is healing your wounds.
Edgar Morrison
I’ll find a way. I haven’t come this far just to die because some bitch decided to blow herself up and take me with them.
The Possessed
[Laughter] Oh I’m sure you will. Just need to make sure Sam and Ned stay far, far away from here so they can’t see just how far you’ve fallen. If they thought you were vulnerable, they might actually put up a fight.
[Footsteps as someone approaches]
Commissary Michaels
Uh… my lord! Your supper is prepared.
The Possessed
Go on Edgar… keep up your strength… you’re going to need it.
Edgar Morrison
Why don’t you go find someone else to haunt.
Commissary Michaels
My lord? Who are you talking to?
The Possessed
[Laughter] Ooooo, tell them you’re seeing ghosts now, I’m sure that will go over great with the servants.
[Brief pause]
Edgar Morrison
No one, Michaels. No one at all.
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Main Theme]
Recording Begins
[Cassette noises]
[Click]
[Static fades]
[Van gently rumbles down the highway as Sam Bailey speaks quietly]
Sam Bailey
Sam Bailey, personal investigation — Date and time unknown. We believe it’s only been one loop since Ned and I returned from our exploration of the city, but it’s impossible to know for sure. I’m still feeling the aftershocks of… whatever happened in Agate Shore, and Kate, Ren, and I are on our way to investigate — although Ren’s asleep at the moment, since it’s still a bit early for them—
[Ren yawns, coming to]
Ren Park
What, are we there already?
Kate Sheridan
Not yet, Ren. Still a ways to go, we’re only a few miles out of Oslow.
Sam Bailey
I was just making some notes, Ren… sorry I woke you up.
Ren Park
No, it’s fine, I’m not that tired anyways… Seen anything yet?
Sam Bailey
Not yet. I just wanted to get something recorded in case… you know, the loop resets on us.
Ren Park
Huh. Yeah, good call. [He glances around] Where’s Ned?
Kate Sheridan
He stayed behind with everyone at the house, remember? I think he wanted to talk to Bill and Rob about something.
Sam Bailey
Plus… well, based on what we saw in the city, it seems like wherever we are is shielded from Morrison’s senses somehow. He should be able to keep the house hidden while we’re gone.
Ren Park
Huh. Wonder why that is. [Notices something; speaking with dread] Kate — Kate, stop the car!
Kate Sheridan
What’s wrong?
Ren Park
Look!
[Sam and Kate look where Ren is pointing and gasp in horror]
Sam Bailey
Holy shit…
Kate Sheridan
Is that…?
Ren Park
Pull over!
[Kate pulls over and cuts the engine]
[They unbuckle and exit the vehicle]
[They rush over to the blackened ruins of the ISPHA outpost]
[Wind howls over the empty land; debris flaps in the wind]
Sam Bailey
What happened here?
Ren Park
Jesus Christ, there’s nothing left.
Kate Sheridan
Is it…?
Ren Park
It’s the Observation Post. It’s… it’s all gone.
Kate Sheridan
Was it… did Morrison do this?
Sam Bailey
He knew about ISPHA… maybe he thought they’d be a threat, somehow.
Ren Park
M-maybe not. They had a gas generator as a backup… maybe something went wrong with it? Maybe some of them got away in time…
Kate Sheridan
Where would they go though? They couldn’t escape the bubble, could they?
[Ren runs forward and begins clawing through the rubble]
Kate Sheridan
Ren! Ren, what are you doing?
Ren Park
I need to find the black box… if anyone made it out of here, it’ll be caught on the recordings. We’ll know who to look for.
Sam Bailey
Ren, we don’t have time to go looking for anyone—
Kate Sheridan
Sam.
[Sam steps forward]
Sam Bailey
Where would it be?
Ren Park
It should be somewhere around here… this was where they were setting up central observation.
Sam Bailey
Okay… okay, Kate—?
Kate Sheridan
I’m on it.
[Kate and Sam move through the rubble, picking through things]
Ren Park
It should be right here… they would have it buried at the center of the room, that’s standard procedure.
Sam Bailey
Hold on… Look at the blast marks.
Kate Sheridan
They all come from… what direction is that, west?
Sam Bailey
From the far side of the camp, right.
Ren Park
That’s where they kept the generators. Maybe it wasn’t Morrison.
Sam Bailey
…maybe not. But look — if the explosion was powerful enough to destroy the whole site, then it probably blew everything away from the center of the blast. Meaning…
Kate Sheridan
Meaning central observation was probably further that way before!
[Ren’s eyes go wide, and he scrambles to another spot]
[He picks something up in the rubble after a few moments of investigation]
Ren Park
Here it is! I’ve got it!
Kate Sheridan
Nice work, Detective Bailey.
Sam Bailey
Depends what he finds in those recordings.
[They go quiet as Ren returns with a heavy steel case]
Ren Park
Got it! I don’t think I’ll be able to open it until we get back to Jerry’s though… don’t have the tools.
Kate Sheridan
That’s okay Ren. We still have a long drive ahead of us.
[Click]
[Silence]
[Click]
[Kate pulls the van over, cutting the engine]
[Moment of quiet]
Kate Sheridan
Is that… a rubber chicken?
Sam Bailey
Amongst other things. Morrison won’t be happy about litter in his perfect little kingdom.
Ren Park
How far are we from the city?
Kate Sheridan
Must be… At least 50 miles, going by the odometer. Why?
Ren Park
I just didn’t think anyone was living that far out of Oslow anymore.
Sam Bailey
They aren’t. This comes from… outside.
[Static builds]
Kate Sheridan
Outside? This is…
Sam Bailey
The barrier. The edge of Morrison’s domain. Agate Shore is just beyond it… I can feel it now.
[Sam gets out of the van]
Kate Sheridan
Sam! [Kate and Ren follow] Sam, don’t get too close, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
[Footsteps on gravel and dirt]
Ren Park
Me too — I think something’s wrong.
Sam Bailey
It’s the barrier. It’s making you feel that way… trying to keep anyone from crossing it without Morrison’s permission. But the lake… the lake is holding it back. Keeping it from expanding any further. [Brief pause] For now.
Kate Sheridan
Sam!
[Kate steps forward to yank Sam’s arm back]
Sam Bailey
Hey! What was that, Kate?
Kate Sheridan
Sam, look.
[Sam looks in front of him]
Sam Bailey
Oh shit… I almost just walked into that, didn’t I?
Kate Sheridan
Yeah. Maybe just… take it easy with the spooky-sense while we’re out here?
Sam Bailey
Yeah, good call. [They step further back] I think the lake is trying to call me back.
Ren Park
Could we even cross it though? It looks like all this stuff made it through from the other side okay, so…
Sam Bailey
I don’t think so. It feels like… a one way barrier. I’m guessing if we tried to get across it, we’d get reset to the start of the loop like before. Or worse.
Kate Sheridan
Who even put all this stuff here? There’s nobody left in Agate Shore, is there?
Sam Bailey
Not since the flood.
[Ren steps forward]
Ren Park
Hey, look at this—
Sam Bailey
Hold on… I can feel more of what’s going on with the lake now that we’re closer. Kate, can you make sure I don’t—
Kate Sheridan
Yep. I’ve got you. I’ll shake you out of it if I need to.
Sam Bailey
Thanks.
[Sam takes a deep breath and reaches out with his powers]
[Static rises again]
Sam Bailey
The waters of the lake are still now… still and undisturbed, as they have been since the child of Agate Shore last plunged into the dark below. For a time, the land throve as the green and living world was restored, breaking concrete and steel and asphalt. But now, they are disturbed. Now, those waters grow restless once more. A darkness is coming, and the source is hidden from our eyes. It closes around our shores, but we fight it with all the might of the waters which birthed these waters… but it will not be enough. And now a human has returned — a single human caught between the dark and the water and waiting for an answer. She cast something into our depths, and we consumed it — cold and metal but burning with rage and blood, a tool that is a weapon that is a message for those who might understand…
[Sam trails off, distortion fading]
Sam Bailey
A hammer?
Kate Sheridan
It’s Maria! It has to be.
Ren Park
Maria!
Kate Sheridan
She’s okay, she’s in Agate Shore! She must have realized what happened to us and came looking!
Sam Bailey
But why would she throw her hammer in the lake… Unless… Unless she knew I would feel it, and she was trying to get a signal through the barrier. She must have figured out something we need to know!
[Sam begins searching through the objects on the ground, as do Kate and Ren]
Kate Sheridan
I don’t think it’s the rubber chicken, do you?
Sam Bailey
No, probably not… look for, I don’t know… paper, tapes, flash drives, anything that might have a message for us.
Ren Park
Holy shit… Sam! Kate! I think I’ve got something!
[Ren holds up a bundle of paper]
[Kate and Sam go to him]
Sam Bailey
Is that…
Ren Park
It definitely looks like a page from the manuscript. And look…
[Ren unwraps the bundle]
Sam Bailey
A tape. Of course.
Kate Sheridan
And a message. “PLAY ME.” That’s Maria’s handwriting, alright.
Sam Bailey
Do you have your recorder Kate? Mine’s already running.
Kate Sheridan
Yeah, I’ve got it. Let me see the tape.
[Ren hands Kate the tape, she slips it into her own portable recorder]
[The recording plays in the background]
Maria Sol (recorded)
A-Anna?
[pause]
Anna Sheridan (recorded)
I’m here, Maria. I can hear you.
[The tape of Maria’s seance continues to play in the background]
Sam Bailey
Holy shit, she figured it out.
Kate Sheridan
That’s Anna.
Sam Bailey
No, it’s not. At least… not completely.
Ren Park
How do you know that?
Sam Bailey
I can… Feel her. Through the tape. Like I could feel Anna through hers sometimes, except… stronger, here. It’s not her, but… it comes from her.
[Static rises]
Huh. It’s almost like… like she’s been pressed into the tape as well. I wonder if…
[Static waves, the tape speeding up and looping]
Anna Sheridan (recorded)
To tell you what you need to know to find me — find me — find me — find me — find me find me findme findme findmefindmefindmefindme—
[Tape cuts out, the recorder sparks and breaks]
[Kate cries out and drops it]
[White noise rises from the tape, and something pours out of the crack in the recorder]
[A flickering, translucent image of Anna Sheridan rises]
Kate Sheridan
…Anna?
Anna Sheridan
Who’s there? I can’t… see very well like this.
Kate Sheridan
It’s… it’s me, Anna. It’s Kate. Kate, and Ren, and… uh… I don’t know if you know him, but he’s the detective who’s been looking for you—
Anna Sheridan
Bailey? Bailey is that you?
Sam Bailey
Uh… yes, yes, I’m here.
Anna Sheridan
Oh thank god… I was worried someone else might have found the tape before you got here.
Kate Sheridan
And what are we, chopped liver?
Anna Sheridan
I… I didn’t mean it like that Kate. I’m glad you’re here too.
Ren Park
Don’t bother Kate. I’m guessing it’s some kind of… projection. A copy of the Anna Maria talked to. She’s not actually her.
Anna Sheridan
Good to know you haven’t lost your concern for my well being, Ren.
Sam Bailey
Come on guys, we don’t have time for this. Anna — why did Maria send you through the barrier?
Anna Sheridan
Well, I don’t think she really knew she was sending me through, to be honest. But reality is already being bent out of shape here, so… it’s easier for me to manifest. And enough of me got pressed into the tape from the manuscript for me to hold on, but just barely.
Sam Bailey
But what is it that you need us to know so badly? Why did you send the manuscript through the veil in the first place?
Anna Sheridan
Well that was Amy’s idea… but you need to know how to find me.
Sam Bailey
But I saw you in the Source already. You told me it wasn’t the right time then… What’s changed?
Anna Sheridan
I… I don’t think that’s happened yet. But I’ll just tell you what I told Maria. The well is the key, Bailey. You need to reach it, and soon.
Ren Park
We know that already, Anna — we couldn’t find it anywhere in Iowa, and it hasn’t shown up again since I saw it—
Anna Sheridan
—Yes it has, you just can’t reach it yet! [pause] Oh god… Morrison knows I’m here.
Kate Sheridan
Where is it, Anna? Where is the well?
Anna Sheridan
It’s in Agate Shore, Kate.
Sam Bailey
It’s in… what?
Anna Sheridan
Listen to me very carefully, Bailey: Morrison’s meddling with time drew the well’s attention. On the other side of the veil, there’s a… creature called the Guardian that hunts down and destroys people and objects that fall through the veil. The well is its… counterpart, on this side. It finds points where time and space have been broken and draws the paradoxes into the Source to be consumed. And when Morrison pulled Oslow out of time…
Sam Bailey
The well showed up to remove people’s memories of the city… like it removed any signs of Amy’s existence from history.
Anna Sheridan
Only here, it wasn’t a single person whose timeline was broken, it was an entire city and the 12,000 people who lived here. 12,000 lives pulled out of history, with hundreds of thousands of people whose lives touched theirs. The well couldn’t do it alone, so it… co-opted a place of power as a vessel. A place I think you’re very familiar with.
Sam Bailey
Are you saying that… the Lake and the Well are…
Anna Sheridan
One and the same. And that means the lake is now a direct line to the Source. Morrison’s kept you from crossing the veil and escaping until now, but the lake… he could hardly keep you two apart if he tried.
Sam Bailey
But… the barrier. The lake’s on the other side of it, and we can’t get through… we already tried that, and we just got zapped back to Jerry’s house.
Anna Sheridan
I don’t know how, but you must have managed it somehow. You’ll figure out a way.
Sam Bailey
Fucking causal loops… do you know how frustrating it is to keep being told things have to happen because they’ve already happened? That doesn’t make it any easier to figure out what we’re supposed to do you know—
Kate Sheridan
Wait, Sam… remember what Amanita told you about the barrier?
Sam Bailey
What? …That it’s… expanding.
Kate Sheridan
And you said that Agate Shore is just on the other side here, right? If Maria signaled us now, that must mean it’s nearly time.
Ren Park
But… but if we wait until Morrison’s bubble reaches the lake, then he’ll be able to see us. He’ll know what you’re trying to do. Even if you manage to save Anna, you’ll just come back to an army of those… faceless officer things waiting for you.
[Anna cries out and doubles over]
[The bubble hums with a low noise]
Kate Sheridan
Anna? Anna, what’s happening?
Anna Sheridan
It’s Morrison… he’s doing something to me, trying to stop me from talking.
Ren Park
Can’t you protect her, Sam?
Sam Bailey
I can try, but she’s already barely here — there’s only so much I can do.
Anna Sheridan
Listen — I don’t have much time… this tape has been here for more than a day, and he didn’t do anything about it until I started talking. He isn’t aware of everything that happens in his domain… not all at once. If you can keep him distracted while Sam enters the lake, it’ll buy you a window… maybe not for very long, but hopefully it’s enough to stop him.
Ren Park
Stop him? How can we stop him, Anna? What do we need to do?
Anna Sheridan
This… all of this, everything he’s built… he’s only been able to do it because time is already broken. Until the loop is closed, there’s nothing stopping him from expanding his domain until he has control of the entire world. Close the loop…
Sam Bailey
And he’ll lose his power. Oslow will go back to normal.
Anna Sheridan
I don’t know… maybe. But at the very least, he’ll be vulnerable. And you can actually kill him. [She cries out in pain] I’m sorry, I can’t hold on any longer… the rest is up to you.
Ren Park
Hold on, Anna!
Anna Sheridan
Good luck.
Kate Sheridan
Anna!
[Anna fades out of existence]
[Silence settles over the desert]
[After a moment, Kate steps forward and picks up the broken tape recorder]
[She holds back tears]
Kate Sheridan
Can you… can you get her back?
Sam Bailey
I’m sorry Kate, but… there’s no trace of her in there. It’s just a recording now.
Kate Sheridan
Well… a recording’s better than nothing. At least until we get her back.
[Kate slips the cassette back into her pocket]
Sam Bailey
We can try Kate, but… she still didn’t say how I was supposed to find her. It was hard enough finding Bill and Rob when they were already in the Source, and that was with both me and Ned looking. I need to find Anna in one specific point in one specific timeline and pull her out of history… and I don’t even have a guide. How am I supposed to save her if I can’t even find her?
[Brief pause]
Ren Park
What choice do we have, though? I mean… it’s already happened, hasn’t it?
[Tense silence]
[Clack]
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