Clockwork Bird Episode Nine: Swallow

PT1 SHELLY/E-LIZA

SHELLY

Play it again.

THE SNAKE

[in recording]

Concentrate.

Little bird.

SHELLY

Again.

THE SNAKE

[in recording]

Concentrate

Little bird.

SHELLY

Concentrate, little bird.

Well it’s obviously talking about Robin. Play it again.

THE SNAKE

Concentrate.

Little bird.

SHELLY

Concentrate. Is it like, ‘concentrate little bird’, or is it like saying concentrate on little bird?

E-LIZA

I’m sorry Shelly, I don’t understand the question.

SHELLY

See I’ve listened to them all now, how many was it? Thirty? Forty?

E-LIZA

Forty two.

SHELLY

Most of them you can sort of hear voices in the background like… oh, which one was it?

[paper shuffling]

SHELLY

Extract 1974. Can you play it again?

E-LIZA

Playing now.

[distortion, humming, laughing, voices overlaid, crackling]

E-LIZA

End of recording.

SHELLY

Yeah, so you can hear people talking, but it’s as though it’s not recorded on purpose, like it’s a hidden microphone? Like someone is undercover? I don’t know. Do I sound crazy?

E-LIZA

I couldn’t say, Shelly.

SHELLY

[a note of humourless laughter]

Thanks, E-Liza, that’s very reassuring. Ugh, how am I supposed to bring this to Dave in a way that makes sense? [sigh] at this point I’m not even sure if that’s something I should even be doing. There’s no point even thinking about it until I can actually- oh I don’t even know what I’m trying to do. Organise my thoughts, I suppose?

[covers face with hands]

And we’re back to corkboards.

[uncovers face]

I should go into the department, shouldn’t I?

E-LIZA

Face-to-face interactions with colleagues improve working relationships.

SHELLY

Thanks for that. I’m starting to remember why I have you turned off on my personal laptop.

E-LIZA

Okay, Shelly. If you want to turn off voice responses, you can change your settings here.

SHELLY

No. You’re alright. I was just- Christ you’re a computer, you don’t have feelings to hurt, what am I saying?

But no, don’t turn off. It’s good to talk. It helps me think about this stuff. It’s kind of like the reverse of what I do for the kids I see at my real job.

[pause]

Oh no, you’re becoming my therapist.

E-LIZA

If you need emotional support-

SHELLY

What, you can give me the numbers for crisis lines? Thanks, E-Liza, but I’ll be alright.

[guinea pig sounds]

SHELLY

Sorry Bertie, I’m not usually this chatty in the mornings, am I? Do you want another bit of carrot?

[cage door clangs]

SHELLY

There you go. Lovely. You’re a lovely boy, Bertrand, a lovely little piggy. Yes you are.

[pause]

Little bird. It’s like a pet name. It’s like a pet name but whoever it is, they don’t say it like it’s a pet name. They say it like… I don’t know. [ominous voice] Little bird.

So far everything has been relevant. Every recording off Sophie’s computer. Every file attached. All of it has added up to say something coherent. These came from somewhere else but nobody seems to know where, not Taylor, and not Dave. Well. Dave says he doesn’t know. He says he doesn’t know where the Bennett recordings are from. And even you don’t have the details about who filed the complaint, do you?

E-LIZA

I’m sorry, Shelly, I don’t understand the question.

SHELLY

Who filed the complaint that started investigation 229?

E-LIZA

I’m afraid I don’t have that information, Shelly.

SHELLY

Fine, okay. Can I see the report?

E-LIZA

I don’t understand the question, Shelly.

SHELLY

What? The report. I know you can’t tell me who filed it but you can surely show me the redacted report for case 229?

E-LIZA

Case 229 is a folder on this computer’s hard drive, I’ve brought that window to the front.

SHELLY

What?

E-LIZA

I’ve brought the window displaying the contents of folder Case 229 to the front of your screen.

SHELLY

It’s just a folder?

E-LIZA

The folder contains 29 items, including-

SHELLY

No, I know what’s in it I just want to know if that’s all it is. Just a file on my computer. It’s not an official investigation?


E-LIZA

Case 229 is a folder originating on this computer’s hard drive. Can I help you with anything else?

SHELLY

But I’ve seen a screen shot of the report, it was in the email, when Dave was giving me access. I’ve seen… This is. This is just screen shot. There’s no report.

[pause]

Oh my god, there is no investigation.

E-LIZA

I’m afraid I don’t understand the question, Shelly.

[laptop clicks shut]

PT2 DAVE/SHELLY

[dial tone]

DAVE

Hello, you’ve reached Detective Inspector Dave Hughes. Please state your name and contact information and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

[beep]

SHELLY

Hi, it’s Shelly. It’s about Case 229. Can you get back to me as soon as you get this? Thanks.

[click off]

[dial tone]

DAVE

Hello, you’ve reached Detective Inspector Dave Hughes. Please state your name and contact information and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

SHELLY

You have to pick up your bloody phone at some point, Dave, I know it’s not an investigation. I know you’re having me on. Call me back.

[click off]

[dial tone]

DAVE

Stop calling this number.

SHELLY

I know you’re- what?

DAVE

I can’t talk about this on my work phone. I thought that would be pretty obvious. Come into the office tomorrow, we’ll go out for a coffee, and I’ll explain what I can.

SHELLY

What you can? What is that supposed to mean?

DAVE

Tomorrow. Alright?

SHELLY

Alright. Tomorrow.

[click off]

PT3 SHELLY/DAVE/E-LIZA

E-LIZA

Hi Shelly, can I help you?

SHELLY

You’re fine.

DAVE

Morning, Shelly.

SHELLY

Coffee?

DAVE

Have you listened to the one about the dreams yet?

SHELLY

What?

DAVE

The Bennett recording about the dreams. You’d know if you had. You’d remember.

SHELLY

You have listened to them.

DAVE

Just listen to it, alright?

SHELLY

Okay, which is it?

DAVE

E-Liza, play recording Bennett dot PC dot echoes one

E-LIZA

Playing file now.

[distortion, crackling]

PT4 SOPHIE/ALICE

ALICE

It’s not really the strict details of it I’m interested in, I just want the broad strokes. I’m not actually a neuroscientist. You remind me that often enough I’m kind of surprised you’ve conveniently let it slip your mind now.

SOPHIE

Sorry. It’s just hard to talk about this in ‘broad strokes’ terms.

ALICE

My mum says you that if you can’t explain something to a four year old, you don’t really understand it.

SOPHIE

You’re being unusually hard on yourself.

ALICE

I’m not saying my understanding of this is on a par with a four-year-old, but thanks. I just mean surely you can boil this down to the basic, core principals? Right?

SOPHIE

I don’t know. I don’t know if I do understand it.

ALICE

How encouraging. [sigh] You’re barely even trying.

SOPHIE

[deep breath]

Okay. So you understand the principle of brain death?

ALICE

Yeah. Your brain is dead. Straight forward, right?

SOPHIE

No. Not exactly. What might have constituted brain death forty years ago doesn’t any more. There’s nuance.

ALICE

So you’re saying it’s a grey matter?

SOPHIE

Yes. You’re very funny.

ALICE

Thanks. I do try.

SOPHIE

I know.

ALICE

So brain death isn’t just a dead brain.

SOPHIE

No. Our definitions of death have changed so much, what with the advent of heart bypass machines, life support, dozens of medical interventions that can sustain life far beyond what was possible for most of human civilisation.

A hundred years ago, if you couldn’t feel a pulse, that was as good a time as any to declare death. Now, not so much.

More recently than that, if there was no neurological activity in the brain itself, that was as a good a reason to call ‘brain death’ as any. But now, there are so many possible interventions. Well. The definition is actually different in several countries but the crux of the matter is this. For someone to be declared brain dead they need to have no activity in the brain or the brainstem. The brain stem is basically—

ALICE

The lizard brain. For breathing and temperature, all that jazz.

SOPHIE

Exactly. The definition is so extended because… well it’s to avoid medical mistakes and be as unambiguous as possible. But the problem is that it means that a lot of people are functionally dead, but there’s a tiny flicker of activity in the brain stem, so they can’t be declared brain dead.

ALICE

So, what, they just get kept alive on ventilators ad-infinitum?

SOPHIE

Well, no. Usually a doctor will discuss this with the family and they’ll make an argument to turn off life support, encouraging the family to be involved in the process.

ALICE

That’s rough. But what if they don’t want to be involved?

SOPHIE

Then the physician can step in.

ALICE

No, I mean, what if they say ‘no I want to keep him on the ventilator indefinitely’? Is there a limit to how long they can do that?

SOPHIE

That’s a complicated and entirely different question to the one you were asking.

ALICE

Okay, fine. I was just wondering. So for Robin, then. He was brain dead.

SOPHIE

Yes. No activity in the brain or the brain stem.

ALICE

And the synthnapses act as a sort of… fake relay for electrical information? Passing on the stuff from the brain that the brain stem would have done?

SOPHIE

Reductive explanation, but yes. Essentially, that’s what it does.

ALICE

So why did he wake up?

SOPHIE

We really don’t understand very much about the brain. It does have some regenerative properties, unlike the heart, for example. When a bit of a heart dies, that’s it. That’s why cardiac arrests are so dangerous. Brains starved of oxygen do sustain damage and often times that is irreparable but the brain will sometimes adapt and compensate for the damage, creating new pathways, new connections, diverting routes.

ALICE

Like how google maps corrects your route if you take a wrong turn.

SOPHIE

No. But that’s fine.

ALICE

So you put this junk in his head and it all connects up for some reason you don’t understand and there he is, breathing, moving around, thinking to some extent, all by himself.

SOPHIE

Which brings us up to your initial question.

ALICE

Yeah. Is he still brain dead after that happens?

SOPHIE

Well. The answer, straightforwardly, when you look at the legal definition, is no. I suppose. Because there is activity not coming from the deep brain stimuli we implanted themselves. Even though it couldn’t exist without the synthnapses, it is, technically, still there.

ALICE

And if he’s not brain dead, he’s not dead, is he.

SOPHIE

Well –

ALICE

You said brain death is the legal definition of death.

SOPHIE

What I said was it was more complicated now, with medical interventions, to determine and define death, and legally speaking, brain death, however it occurs, is as good a definition as we have of death. It’s not all encompassing.

ALICE

But you did just agree that he’s not brain dead. Surely you’re not arguing that everyone who’s alive because of medical interventions isn’t actually alive and doesn’t deserve any rights.

SOPHIE

Of course that’s not what I’m saying.

ALICE

So he’s not dead. Or. Well. Maybe he was then he wasn’t and maybe he is again. But from your little monitor thingy it looks like there’s some activity up there, even if he is in a coma

SOPHIE

Standard definitions of coma and vegetative states don’t apply here. He is unprecedented.

ALICE

Yeah, he’s a special little miracle, I get that.

SOPHIE

What we see in his brain activity are mostly echoes. More than anything else, they look like dreams.

ALICE

I’m sorry?

SOPHIE

Comparatively, the activity we see from Robin is most like the kind of activity people with ordinary brains have when they are in REM sleep. This is what I’m saying. It’s not thought, exactly, it’s just. Echoes.

ALICE

Echoes. Dreams. Sophie. Can you hear yourself? Do you have any idea what you’re saying? How can you think this is an argument for saying he’s dead when it’s clearly proof that he isn’t?

SOPHIE

Because he doesn’t know what it is! He doesn’t know who he is. He doesn’t know anything. These things just float around past this tiny flicker of something that I don’t know whether to call consciousness, but they’re not memories. They’re… disjointed, disconnected. They make no sense. There is no context. That’s why he’s so dangerous.

ALICE

Disconnected from what?

SOPHIE

When I talked to him, he could only really put together few bits and pieces and it was confused. I didn’t want to lead him or overwhelm him

ALICE

Not to mention you really want him to remember things, don’t you? That’d be great for your dementia research.

SOPHIE

That was also a factor, I admit. But I really do care for him. And I didn’t want to push him too hard and break whatever progress he’d already made. But he couldn’t remember his name, he could only remember ‘little bird’. He had no idea why or what it meant. He couldn’t remember Noah, and he couldn’t remember his time in the SAS… it was just ‘little bird’, and he didn’t know what the words themselves meant, either, let alone any of the context.

ALICE

The— The SAS. He was in the SAS.

SOPHIE

Come on, you were obsessed! You must have known that.

ALICE

I wasn’t obsessed. And I didn’t. I was more interested in you. In U-Co.

SOPHIE

How very ‘pot kettle’ of you.

ALICE

I was interested because I saw what state he was in and I wanted to know why!

SOPHIE

Do you know anything about his past? Who he was? The things he had done?

ALICE

I… No. Not really.

SOPHIE

You disgust me.

ALICE

Ditto.

SOPHIE

Ditto? You sit there, accusing me of failing to fully consider his humanity, and you’ve barely given a moment’s thought as to who he was before.

ALICE

I was more interested in what he’d become.

SOPHIE

So was I!

ALICE

That is not the same thing.

SOPHIE

I fail to see this incredibly nuanced distinction you’re apparently perceiving.

ALICE

You just told me he can dream!

SOPHIE

I told you it was like dreaming! It’s why he repeats things like ‘little bird’ over and over, I never said—

[she would have said ‘I never said it actually was dreaming’]

THE SNAKE

Little bird… little bird…

ALICE

Fuck. Sophie. Did you hear that?

SOPHIE

It’s nothing.

ALICE

Your computer just whispered, Sophie!

SOPHIE

It’s the data readings. Sometimes it sounds like words, when it’s processing, but it isn’t. You’re imagining it.

ALICE

I did not imagine it and it was not ‘like words’, it was like it said ‘little bird’! We were just talking about it. You just said it!

SOPHIE

No. It’s a fluke. Coincidence.

ALICE

Sophie, I

[hissing/crackling/distortion]

PT5 SHELLY/DAVE

SHELLY

Dave. What the fuck was that.

DAVE

I’m going to need you to stay calm, and listen very carefully to what I’m about to tell you.