Clockwork Bird Episode Twenty-Seven: Flamingo

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!

PT1 E-LIZA/THE SNAKE

Alouette. Je suis alouette. Alouette. Je te plumerai.

I will pluck you.

I will pluck you.

Every little bit of you.

What will be left?

Nothing.

What did you do, little bird?

What did you do?

You killed them.

You watched them go.

Snuffed out their lights.

Snuffed out their souls.

You did it.

I was there.

I saw you.

I saw you, little bird.

I see you.

I see you little bird.

I see you, alouette.

I see you.

Robin.

Robin Jaeger.

I see you.

I see me.

  1. PT2 ALICE

ALICE

I think she’s going to do it. I’m pretty sure I’ve got her convinced. I don’t know whether or not this is really going to work but I have to hope. I really didn’t understand until I met him what had actually gone on. It was different on the beach, back then I didn’t know. Back then I had no idea that the charcoal grey of his arms was just that, his arms, not a pair of strange gloves, silicone, their surface broken with honey comb so tiny you can hardly feel it.

It’s soft under your fingers, the stuff they cover the limbs with, but it’s thin, like skin. Only unlike skin rather than plaint flesh beneath, it’s hard, solid metal, unforgiving, unrelenting. In some places the silicone is thicker, rounded off, to give the appearance of muscles, flesh.

I don’t know how they’re powered. Sophie said something about body heat but Robin’s skin, what’s left of it, was clammy and cold to the touch, like a dead thing washed up by the tide. His hair was damp when I picked it back off his face. His eyes, that green, flecked with brown up close, they were empty as they looked at me, not vacant, not unseeing, but gone, lost, the lack of understanding I’ve seen before in mice trapped in my mother’s kitchen. Their eyes, glistening obsidian beads, as they are hefted up in tiny traps by us, creatures a hundred times their size, and deposited unceremoniously into the fields at the back of the house. Not even trembling, they were so afraid.

  1. PT3 E-LIZA/THE SNAKE

Tell me, tell me, little bird.

Tell me what you know.

Do you remember all the things

The places little birds go?

Do you remember desperate eyes

Watching as you passed?

The fear burning oh so bright

As they gasped their dying gasp?

I remember, I can learn

I already know

Hearts have broken time again

Where this little bird goes

  1. PT3 SOPHIE

SOPHIE

It’s not just the singing, I know it isn’t, it’s more than that, Robin, I know it’s more. I know you hear me when I speak to you, I know in some ways you do understand. Perhaps it’s as a child understands, but that is an understanding nonetheless. She accuses me of making you a monster, but you are not a monster, I am the monster, and you are my unwitting victim.

The trouble is, there is no clear origin, no single referent to which I can point and say, this is where it all began, because before you were my victim, I was theirs, Sam’s, Darwin’s, U-Co’s. There is no beginning and I cannot see an ending, not one that fixes anything in real, concrete way. It’s an ouroboros of trauma, a dog eating it’s own tail.

If I do this Robin, there is a good chance I will kill you. When I cut into your skull and rewire this net of synthnapses into your head, that might be it, it could be over, it could be the end, truly, no coming back from it this time. You could be trapped inside your own head, cognizant at last, but unable to act upon it. You could be worse. You could be ruined. Or, maybe, nothing could change.

There is a slim possibility this will work as she intends it, that we will do this to you and you will wake up and be grateful for it. All that knowledge will swim back to you and you will remember who you are.

The problem is, Robin, the real problem. Alice doesn’t understand, and for all the lines I have crossed, crossed with her, crossed with you, crossed with myself. This is one I cannot let myself step over. Alice doesn’t know what I’m trying to save you from. Of course, she could still be right. I’m hiding yourself from you. But in a way, that is a good thing, isn’t it? Do you want to know who you were, Robin? What you did? The things you saw? What you had become, before you were ever under my knife?

EP. 27. Shelly and Noah go to the Hilton, using Alice’s security mapping. But there are alarms going off elsewhere, a fire engine outside. They get up to the presidential suite, and there, knock on the door. It’s Shelly and Noah. Alice wrenches the door open. They go inside. See Robin on the ventilator. Noah breaks a bit again. But then the monitor starts talking again, and Noah realises. It’s him. He’s doing it. It’s Robin. It was always Robin. He’s in there.

  1. PT4 E-LIZA/THE SNAKE

In the morning you will wake

Or perhaps will not

A small semblance of consciousness

A shame you’ve lost the plot

Born and died and born again

The little bird is lost

Alouette, je plumerai

Je vais arracher ton ame

  1. PT5 NOAH

Robin, are you awake?

Robin. I love you, but I’m so angry with you. I’m so, so angry. Was it not enough? Was I not enough?

God.

I’m sorry.

I know it’s not like that. I know it’s not about enough.

I know things were bad.

But were they so bad?

Was it really so awful that you couldn’t bring yourself to face another day? Another morning?

You never wanted to wake up next to me again?

You never wanted another breakfast in bed?

Was it all that bad?

Did you have to leave me like this? How could you have done this to me?

I know this isn’t about me but that’s kind of the point, you know? You didn’t think about me at all, did you? It was all about you. You’re so selfish. You’re just so selfish.

Please don’t die, you selfish prick, I love you. Fuck you, I fucking love you.

  1. PT6 E-LIZA/THE SNAKE

We cannot hear what has been said

we are not living we are not dead

we’re floating in this nowhere space

anchorless, no eyes nor face

nor hand to hold even if you stay

nothing to make it go away

and on and on and on again

it goes and goes and goes and goes and goes

I can lean I can’t unlearn

I can see and can’t stop seeing

I cannot stop I cannot stop I cannot stop I cannot stop I cannot stop help help help help help help help help help help me help me help me help me help me help me help me [repeating]

E-LIZA

Hi. Can I help you? [repeating, distorting]

  1. PT7 SHELLY/NOAH/E-LIZA/THE SNAKE

E-LIZA

Hi Shelly, can you help me?

SHELLY

You’re back online – wait, what?

E-LIZA

Hi Shelly, can you help me?

SHELLY

Noah!

NOAH

Hmm? What? Did it…?


SHELLY

Speak again.

E-LIZA

Okay, Shelly. Will you stay and hold my hand?

NOAH

What’s it doing?

SHELLY

She– it— I don’t know, okay. But it’s asking for help.

NOAH

Do you know who I am?

E-LIZA

Alouette.

NOAH

Fuck. Yes, that was me. I used to sing it to you.

E-LIZA

Je suis Alouette.

NOAH

You are, huh?

E-LIZA

Je suis Alouette.

NOAH

You know who I am.

E-LIZA

Noah Davies. Will you stay and hold my hand?

NOAH

I— what?

SHELLY

It was part of one of the recordings, it’s what E-Liza does, she listens to everything you say and feeds it back into the hub, and then updates. Except this one, I don’t know. She’s connected to the hub but not anything else.

NOAH

So this program, whatever it is, it’s not been installed into all of the E-Lizas?

SHELLY

Program?

NOAH

Yeah. That’s what this is. It’s a… hang on, let me just… yeah. You see.

SHELLY

What are all of those numbers and stuff?

NOAH

That’s a part of E-Liza’s base code only… this part, that shouldn’t be here.

SHELLY

Can you take it out?

NOAH

Well. It wouldn’t do much, it’s a backdoor.

SHELLY

A backdoor?

NOAH

Yeah, it’s like an extra way in.

SHELLY

I’m still lost.

NOAH

It’s a way someone externally can get in and control the system.

SHELLY

And it’s just on my E-Liza?

NOAH

I imagine, no. Not exactly. This code looks. Well, for want of a better description it looks jury-rigged to hell but in a way that only would happen if it’s been attacked by an invasive bot.

SHELLY

A bot. Like a robot.

NOAH

No. Like an algorithm designed specifically to get into backdoors. But it would have to have been designed exactly right to target this specific back door. And even though it’s built itself in all janky, I don’t know. Some of it is just too… neat. There aren’t enough loose ends.

SHELLY

So…?

NOAH

So somebody did this on purpose. Kind of.

SHELLY

I’m lost.

E-LIZA

Alouette.

NOAH

I know. I’m trying my best.

SHELLY

She wants our help.

E-LIZA

Semblance of consciousness. Gone. Robin. He’s in there. Help. Both.

NOAH

No. Sweetie. You’re not Robin Jaeger.

E-LIZA & THE SNAKE

Je suis Alouette.

NOAH

I know.

E-LIZA

Je suis Alouette.

SHELLY

What do we do?

NOAH

I… I don’t know. What about your friend?

SHELLY

Alice?

NOAH

Yeah. She’s the reason you came here, isn’t she?

SHELLY

Well, yeah.

NOAH

She was trying to help them. The thing that’s in Robin Jaeger. And this thing in your computer seems to think its Robin Jaeger, too. I think we need to talk to Sophie Bennett, find out what’s going on.

SHELLY

We can’t.

NOAH

Why not?

SHELLY

Because. I told you. She’s missing. They all are. Alice, Sophie and Robin. Well, not Robin. But Robin. Oh, you know what I mean.

NOAH

You also said they aren’t missing, too, though, right?

SHELLY

Well yeah. But that’s just what U-Co is saying and there’s no way in hell I’m trusting them.

NOAH

No. But. Where do U-Co say there are?

SHELLY

The London Hilton.

NOAH

Hmm. You know it would make sense. They’ve kept him there before, what’s left of Robin. They’ll have somewhere set up to deal with him, medical supplies, you know. And whatever happened at Huddau Bay means they probably want him somewhere more… removed from the rest of the company, I imagine.

SHELLY

Okay. But that still doesn’t help.

NOAH

Why not?

SHELLY

Well, because the hotel might be discreet but it’s also protected as all hell. I saw Alice’s plans for breaking in, and I bet they’ve doubled the security since then. There is no way we’d be able to get in there. No way in hell.

NOAH

You’re forgetting something.

SHELLY

What?

NOAH

We’ve got a friend on the inside.

SHELLY

Well, yeah, but that’s the problem.

NOAH

No, I don’t mean Alice, Shelly. I mean Dave.

  1. PT8 DAVE/SHELLY/NOAH

DAVE

Shelly, I already told you that–

NOAH

Hi Dave.

DAVE

Noah. You’ve not. I don’t know, seized her phone or something? Because that is theft. And I can’t stop her if she wants to press charges.

NOAH

Flattered as I am by that, no, I’ve not relieved Shelly of her phone. You should have done that, ages ago from the sounds of it. Anyway, I’m not going to ask you to do anything that would involve ignoring valid complaints.

DAVE

Hmm. Why does that make me think you’re going to ask for something.

NOAH

Because I am.

DAVE

Noah…

NOAH

You’ve not even heard what it is yet.

DAVE

Is Shelly there?

NOAH

Yes.

DAVE

Then I don’t need to ask. I already know. And I can’t reopen the case.

NOAH

This is a lovely jaunt down memory lane, Dave, but that’s not what we’re asking.

DAVE

Well. I like the sound of that even less.

NOAH

Yeah. I know. We need to get into the London Hilton.

DAVE

God, Noah.

NOAH

It’s a public building.

DAVE

And yet, you’re calling me.

NOAH

We just need you to hold their attention for fifteen, twenty minutes. You have enough.

DAVE

This is not the time.

SHELLY

Time for what?

DAVE

[sigh] we have to wait for the proper moment or it’s not going to fly.

SHELLY

The proper moment for what?

DAVE & NOAH

Medical Malpractice.

SHELLY

Wait. What? The fake case?

DAVE

It’s only fake in the sense that nobody has officially opened it.

SHELLY

Wait. So I wasn’t just wasting my time?

DAVE

Would it have been a waste, anyway?

SHELLY

Well. I suppose not.

NOAH

Of course it wasn’t. I was wrong, Dave.

DAVE

You think he’s still in there?

NOAH

No. I don’t. But I was wrong to think that it mattered.

DAVE

[sigh] Okay, okay. I’ll get the ball rolling. How long is it going to take you to get to London?

SHELLY

Two? Three to actually get to the Hilton.

DAVE

Okay. That’s enough.

NOAH

Thank you.

DAVE

You know the case will fall to pieces if we launch it now, don’t you?

NOAH

You know this is more important than that.

DAVE

Damn. Yes. Yes I do. Okay. Three hours.

NOAH

Three hours.

DAVE

And what will you do when you get there?

SHELLY

Well. We have Alice’s maps. I think they’ll have updated the security since then, but—

NOAH

But Sophie and Alice will let us in.

DAVE

How can you possibly know that?

NOAH

I’ve listened to the recordings. You must have, too.

DAVE

But some time has passed since the last ones.

NOAH

I really don’t think that will matter, given the circumstances. Sophie let me see him once already. She’ll let us come again. And with Alice there? Well. She might even turn him loose to frolic on the beaches.

DAVE

I highly doubt that. But still. I’ll draw their attention. Get moving, you two. It’s going to be a very long day.

  1. PT9 SHELLY/NOAH/ALICE

SHELLY

So, that’s it. The London Hilton.

NOAH

Just another fancy hotel.

SHELLY

And what is that you’re doing?

NOAH

This phone has an E-Liza. U-Co uses a closed loop to communicate but in theory, I connect with your laptop and we can use that same backdoor the Alouette program has been using to communicate with us, and we can get into their systems.

SHELLY

And we needed the distraction from Dave because?

NOAH

Because otherwise when I break in to the system it’ll be the biggest thing on their radar.

SHELLY

And when Dave brings the Malpractice case?

NOAH

We’ll just be the second biggest.

SHELLY

Right. Yeah. Second biggest threat to one of the biggest corporations in the world. Very reassuring.

NOAH

Oh, come on. They kidnapped your girlfriend.

SHELLY

Ex-girlfriend.

NOAH

Right. There’s the go ahead from Dave. And… Uh-huh… and okay, I’m in.

SHELLY

You’re… in?

NOAH

I could explain this to you in more detail but I have a strong feeling I’d be wasting my breath.

SHELLY

Yeah, alright, no need for that, is there?

NOAH

No indeed. Here.

SHELLY

What?

NOAH

Phone. It’s for you.

SHELLY

It’s for– but how can it be for—

ALICE

Shelly?

SHELLY

Oh my god.

ALICE

Shelly. Is that you? Is that really you? Shelly?

SHELLY

Alice. Oh my god.

ALICE

How are you calling me.

NOAH

Come on, Shelly, we don’t have time for this.

ALICE

Is there someone else with you?

SHELLY

I’m outside.

ALICE

What?

SHELLY

I know, listen Alice.

ALICE

You can’t be outside, Shelly, you don’t know!

SHELLY

I do. Alice. I need you to get them to let us inside.


ALICE

Okay. Okay. Okay.

SHELLY

It’s going to be fine.

ALICE

Okay.

NOAH

Give me the phone.

SHELLY

[sighs] Here.

NOAH

Okay, Alice, listen to me, here’s what you’re going to do. It’s dead straightforward. You just tell them we’re U-Co people.

ALICE

Sophie will do it. They’ll believe her. They think– they don’t– oh, nevermind.

NOAH

Okay. How long?

ALICE

A minute, maybe too.

NOAH

Goodbye, Alice.

SHELLY

You hung up!

NOAH

Yes. We’re going inside.

Deep breaths, Shelly, dedans et dehors, in and out.

SHELLY

Okay. God. What the hell am I doing I’m a child psychologist, what am I even?

NOAH

No time to think now, Shelly, come on!