Clockwork Bird Episode Twenty-Five: Goose

PLEASE NOTE: There may be some inaccuracies in this transcript. Due to some errors, the transcribed versions of eps 15-30 were lost. Posted below are lightly adapted scripts not 100% accurate to the final versions of each episode. At some point, this will be corrected, but due to time constraints and the bulk of the work at Hanging Sloth Studios falling to Sloth in Chief Pippin, there is a limit to the amount of work he can reasonably do on a short time frame. However, we believe that it’s important to post transcripts to make our episodes as accessible to as many people as possible. Please bear with us as we try our best to correct this issues, and if you want to make adjustments to these transcripts, please mail them to hangingslothstudios@gmail.com with any changes you have made highlighted. Thank you for your patience!

  1. PT1 SHELLY E-LIZA

E-LIZA

End of recording.

THE SNAKE

[at the same time as E-LIZA]

Metaphorically speaking.

SHELLY

The second synthnapse design. Alice found out about it. She talked Sophie into it, and something went wrong. Horribly wrong. Not just for Alice and Sophie, but Darwin. And he’s. Well. He’s dead. But…

E-LIZA

Can I help you?

SHELLY

The timeline. We first got all of those recordings of Alice and Sophie talking to one another the day of the Huddau Bay fire, two months ago. By then, Robin was somehow incapacitated, on a ventilator, and Sophie was talking about how Alice made a choice that got them stuck there, except that, no, no, it doesn’t make any sense!

Whatever happened. Whatever Alice convinced Sophie to do. That happened before the fire. Because the recordings. They came to Dave the day of the fire! Don’t you understand?

E-LIZA

I’m afraid not, Shelly.

SHELLY

There’s time unaccounted for. Where they’ve been gone. Sophie, Alice, Robin Jaeger. And Darwin.

Darwin’s dead.

That doesn’t mean…

No.

They aren’t dead, they can’t be dead, they are not DEAD!

E-LIZA & THE SNAKE

[singing]

Alouette, je suis alouette

E-LIZA CONTINUES TO SING THE FIRST LINE REPEATEDLY, BECOMING INCREASINGLY DISTORTED

THE SNAKE

That’s impossible. Don’t you see that’s impossible. Robin Jaeger is dead. Robin Jaeger is dead. Robin Jaeger is not dead, half dead, semblance of consciousness.

What they did.

What they did.

What they did.

SHELLY

What who did? Tell me, please, I want to help you!

THE SNAKE

Je te plumerai.

[hissing, distortion, crackling, snatches of voices]

Are you listening?

  1. PT2 ALICE/SOPHIE

[heart monitor bleeping]

ALICE

Sophie. Sophie, wake up.

SOPHIE

What, did something?

ALICE

He moved, his hand moved.

SOPHIE

It did?

ALICE

Yeah, I swear, I—

SOPHIE

Oh my god. I saw it.

Robin. Robin, can you hear me?

Look at the monitor, Alice, you see that? That’s the closest to brain function I—

[loud crackling distortion]

ALICE

The lights! What happened! I can’t see you, I can’t—

SOPHIE

The monitor is showing anything, I don’t know—

[heart monitor flatlines]

SOPHIE

Robin? Robin!

ALICE

He’s gone! He’s not in the bed!

[crashing, distortion]

  1. PT3 SHELLY/ELIZA

SHELLY

[fearfully] E-Liza?

E-LIZA

Hi Shelly

THE SNAKE

Shelly Croft.

SHELLY

What… what just happened?

E-LIZA & THE SNAKE

I remembered.

SHELLY

You remembered… what, exactly?

E-LIZA

[simultaneously with THE SNAKE]

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

THE SNAKE

[simultaneously with E-LIZA]

I remembered what they did. I remembered what they made me.

SHELLY

What they… I don’t understand.

THE SNAKE

Noah Davies.

SHELLY

What about him?

THE SNAKE

I’m sorry, Noah Davies.

SHELLY

What?

THE SNAKE

Semblance of consciousness. Will you stay and hold my hand?

SHELLY

I’ll stay.

THE SNAKE

Will you stay and hold my hand?

SHELLY

Of course.

THE SNAKE

Will you— will you stay?

E-LIZA

Is there anything else I can help you with Shelly.

SHELLY

No. It’s okay. You just. Do whatever you need to do.

E-LIZA

Okay, Shelly.

[distortion, humming]

  1. PT4 SHELLY/DAVE

DAVE

Shelly.

SHELLY

That’s me. Listen, something has–

DAVE

They found Alice.

SHELLY

They what?

DAVE

Alice. They found her.

SHELLY

Oh god.

DAVE

No. Shelly. She’s fine.

SHELLY

She— I. What?

DAVE

She’s fine. She’s at the Hilton in London.

SHELLY

Well that’s obviously not true, she can’t be, she’s—

DAVE

Look at what I just sent you. I can’t see it myself, obviously. But I had Taylor take a look and they said it’s her.

SHELLY

Oh my god. It is her. But how do we know it’s not doctored?

DAVE

Taylor.

SHELLY’s phone pings.

SHELLY

Oh my god, I just got a message from Alice’s mum. She’s fine. Her phone got broken and work has been mad, apparently, but she’s totally fine. [laughs nervously]

Dave. Dave what the fuck.


DAVE

There is obviously more to this story.

SHELLY

Of course there’s more to it.

DAVE

But there’s nothing I can do. The investigation is closed.

SHELLY

But. But it can’t be closed. She’s still missing.

DAVE

She isn’t. There’s a photograph. She’s even spoken to her mother, I believe.

SHELLY

No. it’s not true. We haven’t found her.

DAVE

We have. She’s at the London Hilton.

SHELLY

No, but Dave, she’s been gone, why was she gone? It doesn’t make any sense! She can’t just be fine. It doesn’t make any sense. The picture has to be doctored. The call has to be fake!

DAVE

Don’t you think her own mother would know her voice?

SHELLY

Well, yes, but Dave, you can’t believe this, you can’t! It’s insane.

DAVE

I don’t know what else to tell you. That’s it. She’s found. Case closed.

SHELLY

So we can’t work together and keep looking?

DAVE

Officially you’ve been off the case for weeks. Officially you were only ever helping me sort through notes. Officially—

SHELLY

Alright, alright! I get it! The case is closed.

DAVE

So what are you going to do?

SHELLY

[nervous laugh]

Is it more or less batshit to file a missing person’s report for someone who is clearly not missing than it is to file one for someone who is definitely already dead?

DAVE

I don’t know if that’s a fair equivalent. But the outcome is the same, either way. There’s nothing more I can do. The case is closed. Alice Jones is not missing.

SHELLY

But Noah Davies was right. I’m right! Robin Jaeger wasn’t dead! Alice is still missing.

DAVE

Be that as it may—

SHELLY

Don’t you ‘be that as it may’ me! Don’t you dare, DI Hughes. I’m not stupid and I know you’re not either so you tell me exactly what you’re going to do to help.

DAVE

I have told you.

SHELLY

You told me nothing.

DAVE

Exactly. There is nothing I can do.

SHELLY

I won’t believe that.

DAVE

Doesn’t matter whether or not you believe it.

SHELLY

I’ll talk to him. To Noah Davies.

DAVE

How? You don’t know where he is.

SHELLY

He’ll tell me. He’ll talk.

DAVE

You know he doesn’t want to be involved. I let you listen to the tapes. He wanted out. You know that.

SHELLY

Somehow I think that’s going to change.

DAVE

Shelly. Please, listen to me.

SHELLY

Wait! I won’t give him a chance. His address is on the missing persons report he field for Robin. Even if you stop my access I have a copy printed out. I’ll just go to him.

DAVE

Shelly, I really don’t think you should—

[distortion, crackling, heavy breathing]

  1. PT5 NOAH/SHELLY

[knocking on a door]

SHELLY

Mr Davies! Mr Davies!

[knocking more intensely]

Noah! NOAH DAVIES!

[door clatters open]


NOAH

Who the hell are you?

SHELLY

I’m Shelly. Shelly Croft.

NOAH

No.

SHELLY

No! Wait! Just. Listen a minute!

NOAH

Why?

SHELLY

Alice is missing but they’ve closed the case.

NOAH

And what of it?

SHELLY

She was trying to help him.

NOAH

[sigh]

He’s dead, and she was working for U-Co the whole time.

SHELLY

No! You’re wrong. And I have proof! Proof she wasn’t working for them, proof she was trying to do something important. Proof Robin is more alive than they made out when you saw him.

NOAH

What?

SHELLY

He wasn’t all gone, Noah. Not entirely. They lied to you.

NOAH

No. He’s gone. And anyway. How would you even know that?

SHELLY

Alouette.

NOAH

[devastated] What?

SHELLY

He was humming Alouette.

NOAH

Okay. Okay you can come in.