1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Hey, this is any and Samantha. I'm f the stuff. 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: Won't ever told you protection if I hurt radio, and 3 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: welcome back to Santy Fiction. It's been a while. It's 4 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: been a while. We took a little hiatus, but we 5 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: are back. This is a once a month thing generally 6 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: that we do. It's ongoing right now. We're in the middle, 7 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: we're in the third part of a trilogy, and we're 8 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: in the final stretch. We are in the final stretch. 9 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: Everyone Christina puts extra work into these. It makes them amazing, 10 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 1: so as always, shout out to her, but also understand 11 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: if this isn't your thing. Also, apologies because it has 12 00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: been a minute and I'm I would suggest going back 13 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: to listen to the last episode, but I'm going to 14 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: try to give you a really good recap. So content 15 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: warning mentioned child endangerment, disease into the world type stuff. 16 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:22,320 Speaker 1: There's nothing too intense in this chapter, but just to 17 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: say that will be there. Also disclaimer, I didn't know 18 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:29,479 Speaker 1: I was going to have to put into anything I've 19 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: ever written. I have driven motorcycles before, but it's been 20 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: a long time, so forgive me if I got some 21 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: things wrong. That's very specific and funny. Yeah, I was 22 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 1: reading good. I was like, I don't know, maybe that's right. 23 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: I can't remember, but when I wrote it, I had 24 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: ridden a motorcycle much more recently, so anyway, I also 25 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: know it's not as easy as described, so please don't yell. 26 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: Let me. Bella can do it. So can I. You know, 27 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: I've been thinking, we haven't finished our we got to 28 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 1: our twilight. We got to wrap it up. We have to. Also, 29 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,919 Speaker 1: I wrote this during Eno Rama, which is no longer 30 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: a thing, and some of you have written in about it. 31 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 1: It dissolved and sounds like it was a long time coming. 32 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: People are trying to start up more local versions of it, 33 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 1: so check into that if you're interested. But basically that 34 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: for those who don't know, you would write a novel 35 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: during the month of November. It didn't have to be great. 36 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,799 Speaker 1: And this is one of the things I wrote during 37 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 1: that and I've only very lightly edited it because I 38 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: wanted to see what I was going through when I 39 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:50,079 Speaker 1: was thinking during it. But all right, here's the recap. 40 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: It has been a minute. So there is a disease 41 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:59,519 Speaker 1: called HSB five that has pretty much decimated the human population. Basically, 42 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: it makes it hard for people to get pregnant. It's 43 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: a sort of one and done situation. So the government, 44 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: which is called the state in here, has set up 45 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: these conception centers, which are the only legal place to 46 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: try to have a baby. They work alongside the religious 47 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 1: entity ARM, and if a baby is born, they decide 48 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: where the baby goes. Our protagonist, Tilda, decides to run 49 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: off with her child, Madison, who was produced illegally. For 50 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,920 Speaker 1: seven years, they evaded the enforcers searching for them, eventually 51 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: encountering a resistance and learning that ARM was responsible for 52 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: HSB five and that there had been a vaccine, but 53 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: they destroyed all but one. Tilda and Madison go to 54 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: the heart of the enemy in Washington, d C. To 55 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: try to retrieve it, and it turns out that the 56 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: founders of ARM are Madison's paternal grandparents and they've been 57 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: saving the vaccine for him. He gets it, but then 58 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: a skirmish ensues and Tilda is able to broadcast the 59 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: truth over the brick gas system and escapes. They are 60 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: then pursued not only by the state and the resistance, 61 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: who wants Madison to make a cure, but also new 62 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: enemies who seek to harm them Madison struggles with guilt 63 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: over the vaccine. That pair are attacked by a militaristic 64 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: group that severely injures Tilda and kidnaps Madison, and now 65 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: she's desperately trying to heal and come up with a 66 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 1: plan and find him rescue him. But it's looking pretty hopeless. 67 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 1: She doesn't know where they are. She's still wounded. She 68 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:40,280 Speaker 1: took shelter in a church, and then she was interrupted 69 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: by someone, and that's where we left off, So let 70 00:04:46,400 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: us get into the fiction. Gasping, Tilda spun around so 71 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 1: rapidly she teetered on the edge of losing her balance, 72 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: reaching for the gun in her waistband, but missing widely 73 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 1: as her pat got caught on the door with a thud. 74 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: And she was going to infiltrate a military bass. It's 75 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: all right. Tilda's eyes darted around wildly until they landed 76 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,360 Speaker 1: on the source of the voice, a man rising from 77 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: a seat at one of the pews, situated from the pulpit, 78 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: his hands outstretched to indicate that he meant no harm. 79 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 1: I'm not going to hurt you, he assured her, as 80 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 1: she fumbled behind her for her weapon, gulping great painful 81 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: gasp of air. Do you remember me? Tilda shook her head, 82 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,119 Speaker 1: cursing herself for not checking the room when she'd entered, 83 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: like she normally would. She hadn't heard anyone come in, 84 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: because you were too busy crying, she thought angrily. Her 85 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: fingers closed around the handgun and she tugged it free, 86 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: bringing it around to point it at the man, her 87 00:05:55,400 --> 00:06:00,440 Speaker 1: hands shaking so badly she could barely aim. Then eyes 88 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:02,479 Speaker 1: lowered to the gun and then rose back up to 89 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: her face. Okay, you're armed, I'm not. Can we just 90 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:14,800 Speaker 1: talk for a second. Tilda said nothing, concentrating on slowing 91 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: her breathing and keeping the gun steady, thinking despairingly of 92 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,279 Speaker 1: the car that was getting further and further away, the 93 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: brief respite from hopelessness reciprocally diminishing. She could just shoot him, 94 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: she thought, and then almost instantly recoiled as if he 95 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,280 Speaker 1: could see the callous laziness of her thought. Tilda imagined 96 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: she could see fleeting disappointment on the man's face, but 97 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 1: it quickly passed, or it may have been her projecting. 98 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: My name's Merlin from the resistance we met. He stopped 99 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: when recognition dawned on Tilda's face, his shoulders relaxing noticeably. 100 00:06:55,720 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: I remember you, she whispered, hoarsely, her decular least with 101 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: the muted shock of returning memories forgotten about, and recalled 102 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:06,479 Speaker 1: with dull surprise that you had forgotten them in the 103 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: first place. You we met before, though she not composed 104 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: a sentence but a jumbled mishmash of words. Merlin nodded encouragingly. Yes, 105 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 1: the last time I saw you was in Chicago, right 106 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: before he broke off, licking his lips before the bomb 107 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,800 Speaker 1: went off. Tilda supplied for him mentally, and it hung 108 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: unset in space between them. She wondered how many people 109 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: the Resistance had lost that day, how many friends of 110 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: Merlin's had died. With some shame, she realized she hadn't 111 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: spared them a second thought. Tilda's mouth opened to apologize, 112 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: but she closed it, thinking that it would do no good. 113 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:54,119 Speaker 1: Merlin seemed to understand anyway. We thought you had died, 114 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: he told her, and Tilda furrowed her brow. When we 115 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: heard your voice over the broadcast, as he shook his 116 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: head with wonderment, some people were angry. His voice faded 117 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: to a droning background sound. Suddenly, Tilda became aware of 118 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: the gun in her hand and almost dropped it, as 119 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: though it was hot. That was the first time she 120 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: shot someone, most likely killed him Chicago. An embarrassed flush 121 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: rose to her cheeks, and she tightened her grip around 122 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: the handle, her aim now unwavering. Merlin's face fell. I'm 123 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: not here to hurt you, he reiterated softly. Then what 124 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,560 Speaker 1: are you here for, Tilda demanded, doing her best to 125 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:44,080 Speaker 1: assert some authority into her tone. Merlin observed her with 126 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: bright brown eyes. For a moment, will you sit, he requested, 127 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: simply gesturing to the pews. Tilda shook her head, breathing 128 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 1: through her nose, her mind raising the implications of his presence. 129 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 1: The resistance could come barging in at any moment, or 130 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: they could be out side waiting for her. I understand, 131 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 1: he said, not without some sadness, but I'm going to 132 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:10,920 Speaker 1: sit at least, and he did, perching on the edge 133 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: of the pew and pivoting his body to face her. 134 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,920 Speaker 1: We heard about Madison, he started, and though this was 135 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: said gently, til To experienced this as a punch to 136 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: the gut, her heart plummeting into her stomach. The gun 137 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: twitched in her hand, her shoulders and wrist aching from 138 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 1: holding it upright, but she did not lower it. How 139 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 1: she forced out. Merlin ran a hand through his hair, 140 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:39,839 Speaker 1: stopping when Tilda jerked at the motion. The people who 141 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: took him and who I'm presuming did that to you, 142 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: he gestured, with his chin at her face and bloody 143 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: clothes contacted us about collecting the reward. Only they want much, 144 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:56,600 Speaker 1: much more than we can give. Tilda swallowed, taking in 145 00:09:56,679 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: his every movement and facial tick, trying to derive any 146 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: information about Madison from him. The fact that we're so 147 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: desperate to get him back piked their interest. They know 148 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 1: that they have us exactly where they want us, but 149 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: they also know there must be something about him, something 150 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: that makes him unique. He released a heavy breath and 151 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: looked up at her. She took a reflexive step back, 152 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:26,120 Speaker 1: her pack brushing against the door. It doesn't take a 153 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: genius to guess that he might be immune to HSV five, 154 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: what with your broadcast about the existence of a vaccine 155 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: and the resistance's desperation to find you. As if a 156 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,160 Speaker 1: frost was slowly making its way through her body, Tilda 157 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: went unnervingly still hardly breathing. Who are they, she managed 158 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: in a whisper. They're a faction of survivors that have 159 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: been trying to form their own society, separate from the 160 00:10:55,960 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: Conception centers. They have a complex just west of Christianburg. 161 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 1: They're heavily armed and well. He broke off, and then 162 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:13,559 Speaker 1: continued delicately. Their viewed as quite radical and dangerous. They 163 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: take members both willing and not. Tilda's knees trembled with weakness. 164 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: The gun lowered fractionally as her tired brain rushed to 165 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: process this. If they know are they think Madison is immune, 166 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: she began, horror, nipping at her heels. They won't exchange him, 167 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: no matter what we offer, Merlin said, with brutal simplicity. 168 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 1: They'll try to find a way to synthesize the vaccine 169 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:44,600 Speaker 1: from his blood, and if they can't, they won't stop trying. 170 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: They'll never let him go. They'd rather the world die 171 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,559 Speaker 1: than give him to another organization, effectively giving up their 172 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: power to whoever they gave him to. He's not, Tilda started, 173 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: her voice cracking. He's not some thing to be used 174 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: or given. She tried again. He's a child, He's my child. 175 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: Merlin watched her with sympathetic eyes. I know tears pricked 176 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 1: at her eyes, but she blinked them back. You can 177 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: take comfort in the fact that they'll want to keep 178 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:24,040 Speaker 1: him in the very best condition possible. At least they 179 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:27,280 Speaker 1: won't hurt him the way he said it. Was very 180 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 1: aware that the words offered very little in the way 181 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 1: of comfort until to derive no reassurance from them. An 182 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 1: image of her child alone and scared at sterile white 183 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 1: rooms rose to the forefront of her mind and refused 184 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: to be uprooted or ignored. That still doesn't fully answer 185 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:49,440 Speaker 1: my question, she pointed out, What is the resistance doing here? 186 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 1: We're here to confront them and take medicine back, he 187 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,079 Speaker 1: told her. This is our last stop before we move in. 188 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,440 Speaker 1: The higher ups are coordinating our plan of attack. Some 189 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 1: of our members have been sent ahead to scout their location, 190 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: the level of security. I'm on recon Officially, I'm out 191 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 1: looking for supplies. Tilda noted his use of the word officially. 192 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,439 Speaker 1: She didn't have to ask the question for him to answer. 193 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,719 Speaker 1: But I've been looking for you, Tilda swallowed, glancing down 194 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:22,679 Speaker 1: at the gun in her hands, now aimed somewhere at 195 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: the floor. She didn't have it in her heart to 196 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 1: raise it again. Why. Of course, we've been looking for you, 197 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:33,400 Speaker 1: for both of you. But when the people who took 198 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:37,280 Speaker 1: Madison contacted us, we asked about you. They told us 199 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: they left your body on the side of the road somewhere. 200 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: He told her bluntly that they weren't sure if you 201 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:47,760 Speaker 1: were alive or dead. And another thought came to her then, 202 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:52,560 Speaker 1: demanding her immediate and complete attention. What if Madison thought 203 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: she was dead? We knew where you were coming from 204 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 1: thanks to your transmission and the general proximity of where 205 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: Madison must have been taken in order for the radicals 206 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:04,040 Speaker 1: to have taken him, So we mapped out a few 207 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:06,520 Speaker 1: possible routes that you may have taken nearrowing it down 208 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:10,080 Speaker 1: to a handful of options. We sent out caravans searching 209 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 1: for any sign of your body. One of the groups 210 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: ran into some folks on horseback and asked them if 211 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: they had seen you. They were reluctant at first, but 212 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 1: when the situation was explained, one of them admitted that 213 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 1: they had seen you, that you were heading west on 214 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: horseback last they saw you. I'm told they were very 215 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: worried about the two of you. By the way, Tilda 216 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 1: dismiss this a detached anger that the groups she sheltered 217 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 1: with had given up their location to their resistance. For 218 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: all they knew. It could have been anyone, including the 219 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: radicals that now had her son, or other groups like them. 220 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 1: Merlin kept going. Now we knew which way you'd gone 221 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: and by which road, so we called the other caravans 222 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: in and launched a search and rescue of sorts. We 223 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: found the carcass of a horse in the middle of 224 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: the road yours. After a moment, Tilda nodded numbly, we 225 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 1: thought so, so we searched the hillside and found signs 226 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: that indicated someone had fallen down the side and was injured. 227 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: There was blood on the leaves at the bottom. Merlin's 228 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 1: eyes robed over hers, if searching for the injury that 229 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 1: could have caused this, but nobody. And tracks traveling up 230 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 1: the hillside back up to the road that matched your profile, 231 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: we knew you must still be alive and would be 232 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: heading in the direction you'd seen them leave with Madison, 233 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:37,120 Speaker 1: presuming you'd been conscious when they left. With shame, Tilda 234 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:39,720 Speaker 1: recalled her internal debate over whether or not she should 235 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 1: pursue Madison, that perhaps his capture wasn't out for her. 236 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: In light of the resistance's automatic assumption that she would 237 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 1: go after her son, the shame was magnified even more. 238 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 1: She hoped Merlin couldn't read it on her face. If 239 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 1: he could, he gave no indication of it. Most of 240 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: our party went forward, but one caravans stayed back looking 241 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:04,720 Speaker 1: for any sign of you. We stopped searched the small 242 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: towns as thoroughly as possible on our tight schedule, but 243 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: though there were a couple of things we thought might 244 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: be a trace of you, we never found any concrete evidence. 245 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: Since you were injured and on foot, I thought for 246 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 1: sure we'd find you on that long stretch between Shawswell 247 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,520 Speaker 1: and here. But if you were there, we missed you. 248 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 1: Tilda remembered the lights that had awoken her in the 249 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:29,280 Speaker 1: middle of the night. Merlin drew her attention back to him, 250 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,520 Speaker 1: red hues from the stained glass windows painted onto his face. 251 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 1: As the sun sunk lower into the sky. We were 252 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 1: ordered to give up on the search effort to find you, 253 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 1: Madison was our mission priority. If we happened to find 254 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: you along the way, great But I knew you must 255 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: be here. If you'd headed in this direction at all, 256 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: there was no way you could have gotten much further 257 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,360 Speaker 1: than this on foot, especially if you were hurt and 258 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: without intel. I knew you couldn't be sure of which 259 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 1: way to proceed, that you'd hole up somewhere and make 260 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:04,239 Speaker 1: a plan. So I put myself in your shoes, and 261 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 1: first I went to the police station. He smiled, and 262 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 1: lo and behold, the back door had recently been opened, 263 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: a woman's shoe prints in the dust. But you weren't there. 264 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: So I started walking, looking for a space nearby where 265 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: you might stop. When I saw this church, he shrugged. 266 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 1: I figured you'd be here. It's the last place i'd 267 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:34,400 Speaker 1: look normally apart from school. But I thought with Madison gone, 268 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 1: He trailed off, leaving the impact of his absence on 269 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:42,120 Speaker 1: her left unsaid. A burning embarrassment took hold of her 270 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: that she was apparently so predictable. If she had prided 271 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,000 Speaker 1: herself on one thing over the years, it was her 272 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 1: ability to hide and remain undetected. Evidently that pride was misplaced. 273 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,880 Speaker 1: No one knows I'm here. No one knows that you're here, 274 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,560 Speaker 1: or that I was still looking for you, he told 275 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:04,680 Speaker 1: her evenly. She tried to guess at the reason why 276 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:07,159 Speaker 1: he'd continue to search her out, even though he'd been 277 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: ordered not to and to do so without telling anyone, 278 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:15,919 Speaker 1: and could not tell anyone why. She asked, again, tired, 279 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:21,159 Speaker 1: why did you want to find me? Merlin watched her 280 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:26,200 Speaker 1: for a moment. It never sat well with me how 281 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 1: you retreated when you were at our base, after everything 282 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:34,399 Speaker 1: you'd been through. I've always been sort of inspired by you, 283 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 1: I guess, Tilda wrinkled her face in confusion at this. 284 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:43,960 Speaker 1: You gave up everything for your son, You managed to 285 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:46,040 Speaker 1: evade the best of the best while on the run 286 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: with the child, and you chose to risk losing him 287 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,840 Speaker 1: to get him a vaccine. And after all that, when 288 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:55,479 Speaker 1: I heard your voice on the broadcast, you sort of 289 00:18:55,520 --> 00:19:00,479 Speaker 1: became someone A lot of us looked up to the 290 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,320 Speaker 1: ones you hadn't pissed off by your refusal to return 291 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:07,679 Speaker 1: to the resistance, he flashed her or I smile. She 292 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:12,160 Speaker 1: did not have the willpower to return it. And then 293 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,400 Speaker 1: the radicals contacted us, told us you might be dead. 294 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:18,639 Speaker 1: I really really didn't want that to be the case. 295 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:21,399 Speaker 1: It surprised me how much I didn't want it to 296 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:25,639 Speaker 1: be the case, he admitted with the tired chuckle. I 297 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 1: guess I'd never seen a mother and child interact like 298 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 1: the two of you before. I was so obvious that 299 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 1: you loved each other that you do anything to protect him. 300 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: He shook his head, momentarily lost in his thoughts. Till 301 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: didn't know how to handle this situation, more at a 302 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:45,400 Speaker 1: loss to his resence than when he had begun. When 303 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: we found out you were alive and that you were 304 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,560 Speaker 1: carrying on on foot injured to reunite with your son, 305 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:56,840 Speaker 1: I wanted to help that. I guess I couldn't stop 306 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,880 Speaker 1: thinking about your kid alone with those people, and you've 307 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,120 Speaker 1: fighting against everything to get back to him, even though 308 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: the odds were so heavily stacked against you. He favored 309 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,119 Speaker 1: her with an appraising look, then at her half lowered handgun, 310 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: the butt of the shotgun protruding from her pack. You 311 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:19,959 Speaker 1: must know that you have almost no chance. You know 312 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: that right Anger came to Tilda's rescue, and she heard 313 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 1: herself say through the roaring in her ears, I'm not stupid, 314 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: but I will do whatever I have to. I know 315 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:38,120 Speaker 1: you will, he said, quietly, his eyes coming to rest 316 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: on the gun still in her hands. I want to 317 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: help you, to give you a fighting chance. Tilda bit back, 318 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: a tide of questions she still had. At this she 319 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: frankly could care less on the finer points of why 320 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:54,199 Speaker 1: he wanted to help her at this juncture. She just 321 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:58,639 Speaker 1: wanted Madison back. And how do you intend to do that, 322 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: she asked, taking the tiniest of steps forward information, he 323 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 1: responded readily, like what she pushed, taking another step closer, 324 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 1: like when the resistance is planning to attack, he offered, 325 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:19,920 Speaker 1: And your end goal is what exactly? A part of 326 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,439 Speaker 1: her was taken aback by the brazen nature of her question. 327 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,240 Speaker 1: For me and Madison to reunite and part ways from 328 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: the resistance, Merlin hesitated. If that is your choice, he allowed, 329 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 1: but I would try to persuade you to stay. The 330 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:40,880 Speaker 1: look on her face must have shown her opinion on that, 331 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 1: He rushed to assert. Look, you have every right to 332 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,639 Speaker 1: be suspicious, and I honestly do believe that you'll come 333 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:49,879 Speaker 1: around on your own if we give you space and time. 334 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:56,359 Speaker 1: Tilda very much disagreed with that notion. But the human race, 335 00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,600 Speaker 1: while it now has a surplus of space, does not 336 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 1: have much in the way of time, he said, somberly. 337 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: I didn't tell the others what I was doing, and 338 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:07,399 Speaker 1: I won't tell them that I spoke to you, because 339 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: I don't want to force you to do anything, and 340 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: I'll grant you they might not take your desire to 341 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,960 Speaker 1: part ways into consideration, not until they've created a working 342 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: vaccine from Madison's bood. At least, she found his honesty 343 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: both refreshing and disheartening. I'm betting on you, he said, 344 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: simply to do the right thing, or as right as 345 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: any avenue we have left to us in this shadow 346 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:38,320 Speaker 1: of what once was. He shrugged, and as is the 347 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,440 Speaker 1: nature of gambling, I might be wrong, but I do 348 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 1: know above everything that you will do what you think 349 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:50,159 Speaker 1: is best for your sin so badly, Tilda wanted to 350 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: believe him. You've got to trust someone sometime, right, he said, 351 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 1: and Tilda responded, before she'd really thought about it, you've 352 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 1: been speaking time, Mother Merlin nodded. Homesickness in an intense 353 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,600 Speaker 1: manner she hadn't experienced in a while, rose up inside 354 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:13,880 Speaker 1: her so powerful her throat momentarily closed off. I never 355 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,679 Speaker 1: asked for any of this, she heard her self murmur. 356 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:25,360 Speaker 1: Worlds away. Unflustered, Merlin replied, I know none of us did. 357 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,639 Speaker 1: Tilda looked at the gun in her hands, numb. She 358 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:33,200 Speaker 1: almost admitted everything then, about how she felt unworthy, about 359 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: the doubt that plagued her decision to take Madison and 360 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:38,840 Speaker 1: her ability to care for him, but the words lodged 361 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:43,080 Speaker 1: in her throat. Merlin kept going, oblivious to the turmoil 362 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 1: begging to release inside her. We're moving in tonight if 363 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:50,240 Speaker 1: our scouts get back without Intel influencing our plans. Otherwise, 364 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:54,119 Speaker 1: like I said, just west of Christianburg. You can't miss it. 365 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 1: From what I understand, You're going to need to find 366 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: a means of transport. It just so happens that I 367 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:03,679 Speaker 1: know where our working motorcycle is. He reached into his 368 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 1: pockets and held up some keys for her inspection. You 369 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: ever driven one before? Tilda shook her head, and Merlin snorted, yeah, 370 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: me neither. But it should be simple enough. Right at 371 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:18,640 Speaker 1: the look on Tilda's face, he laughed, you'll figure it out. 372 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,439 Speaker 1: I'm sure. The plan as of now is to strike 373 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,120 Speaker 1: just before daybreak again, as long as we don't get 374 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 1: any news of obstacles from the people we sent ahead. 375 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: The radicals gave us a deadline. Right now, time is 376 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,960 Speaker 1: on our side, and hopefully we'll have the element of surprise. 377 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,480 Speaker 1: So you're suggesting I get there ahead of the resistance 378 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:44,120 Speaker 1: and use their attack as a distraction. Basically, Merlin concurred, 379 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 1: and I see you have a few distractions of your own. 380 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:52,160 Speaker 1: He indicated her visible weapons. Tilda remembered her earlier breakdown 381 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 1: about how useless they were in her hands, how powerless 382 00:24:55,160 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 1: she was even when armed, and looked away. Thought about 383 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:05,720 Speaker 1: this for a moment. There these radicals, they're not going 384 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:09,440 Speaker 1: to leave Madison just because you're attacking the base. If anything, 385 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:12,440 Speaker 1: they'll use him as a shield. She managed to say 386 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: this in a fairly matter of fact way, even though 387 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:17,200 Speaker 1: every cell in her body was screaming at the mere 388 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:23,199 Speaker 1: suggestion of it. Merlin inclined his head solemnly. Yes, but 389 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: it's all I've got for you. It's a better shot 390 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 1: than you going it alone. At least now you know 391 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,280 Speaker 1: what you're up against, and I can tell you the 392 00:25:32,359 --> 00:25:36,200 Speaker 1: plan is not to go in guns blazing. Infiltration in 393 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:38,959 Speaker 1: a simple in and out would be ideal. You and 394 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:43,680 Speaker 1: I both know the odds of succeeding are slim. Yes, 395 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 1: Tilda whispered, suddenly, feeling quite faint. She swayed on her feet. 396 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,680 Speaker 1: Oh god, are you all right, Merlin exclaimed, half rising 397 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:56,080 Speaker 1: from his seat. I'm sorry, I should have ast earlier. 398 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:00,440 Speaker 1: I'm fine, she said, wincing at the rest veinis in 399 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:06,200 Speaker 1: her own voice. You don't look fine, Merlin informed her seriously. 400 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: The moment passed. Untilda straightened. I'm fine, she repeated firmly. 401 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:17,720 Speaker 1: Merlin did not look convinced. Maybe I should get you 402 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:23,160 Speaker 1: some help, No, Till denied immediately. Now where is this motorcycle? 403 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,159 Speaker 1: Merlin looked as if he wanted to argue, but at 404 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:31,280 Speaker 1: the mualous expression on Tilda's face, he backed down. Garage, 405 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:34,680 Speaker 1: he said, shortly two blocks west of the police station, 406 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: black sleek looking thing. I tested it up, reved up 407 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 1: like a dream, and you just happened to pawn this. 408 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:47,320 Speaker 1: Til to ask, dubiously, Well, I was on a supply run, 409 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 1: Merlin reminded her, half jokingly. He tossed her the keys. 410 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 1: Tilda caught them and slid them into her pocket, not 411 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:56,440 Speaker 1: relishing the fact that he would know where she was going. 412 00:26:57,359 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 1: It could be a trap. The doubt must have been 413 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: and obvious on her face, because Merlin hastened to reassert 414 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:06,160 Speaker 1: I'm not going to tell anyone. Hell, I won't even 415 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:08,359 Speaker 1: know myself if you take the damn thing. I'm just 416 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:13,199 Speaker 1: trying to do my part. I suppose if you do 417 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 1: escape with your kid, then the resistance doesn't discover a vaccine. 418 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:24,000 Speaker 1: That's on me. I suppose for trusting you. Tilt his 419 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: eyes straight to the statue of the man behind Merlin, 420 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 1: hanging from the cross. I don't trust the Resistance. I know, 421 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 1: I already said, I don't blame you. Madison wanted to 422 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,080 Speaker 1: go back, you know, she admitted, without really planning to, 423 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,479 Speaker 1: if he could help with a care I told him 424 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:55,520 Speaker 1: it wasn't safe. I understand, Merlin assured her calmly. I 425 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:59,879 Speaker 1: don't know. She blurted out what I'll do if I 426 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:06,160 Speaker 1: when I get him back. She corrected, I know that too, 427 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:09,800 Speaker 1: but I can tell you as I'm sure you know, 428 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:13,720 Speaker 1: the resistance will not stop looking. He'd be safer from 429 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:19,399 Speaker 1: groups like these with us. Tilda did not respond. Merlin 430 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:22,600 Speaker 1: stood slowly, watching Tilda as one might watch a cornered 431 00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:28,240 Speaker 1: animal liable to strike. I've said my peace. I know 432 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: you have no reason to trust me, but I promise you. 433 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:33,679 Speaker 1: I have no intention of telling anyone I saw you. 434 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:36,920 Speaker 1: There's no one waiting for you outside, and there will 435 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 1: be no one waiting for you at that garage. I 436 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:41,840 Speaker 1: just wanted to give you the tools to get your 437 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: sent back. Tilda wavered on the verge of thanking him, 438 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:50,360 Speaker 1: but refrained, still uncertain that this wasn't some elaborate trap. 439 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: For an awkward moment, they watched each other. I still 440 00:28:56,280 --> 00:29:04,040 Speaker 1: don't understand, Tilda confessed, helplessly. Why help me, because I 441 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 1: have to believe there's still some good in this world, 442 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 1: Merlin said flatly, or else was the point in saving it. 443 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: He took a couple of steps forward. Will you let 444 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:21,000 Speaker 1: me leave? He gestured to her gun. After a moment, 445 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:25,280 Speaker 1: Tilda retreated from the door, allowing him passage. Merlin proceeded 446 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: forward slowly, clearly doing his best not to spook her, 447 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 1: but he paused with his hand on the door. Tilda's 448 00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:33,960 Speaker 1: grip tightened instinctively on the gun, though she did not 449 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:37,920 Speaker 1: raise it. I hope to see you again some day, 450 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 1: he said, quietly, not quite looking at her, and that 451 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:44,880 Speaker 1: whatever you choose to do, you and your son are safe. 452 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,720 Speaker 1: And then he pushed out the door. It swung shut 453 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:53,080 Speaker 1: with a soft clock behind him, and Tilda stood immobilized, 454 00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:57,160 Speaker 1: her ears almost painfully tense, listening for any sound outside 455 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:01,680 Speaker 1: of betrayal, but there was none. She retraced her steps 456 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:03,920 Speaker 1: back down the hall and took the side door out, 457 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 1: adrenaline drowning out the pain of her injuries as she 458 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,320 Speaker 1: darted behind the church and under an opening in the fence. 459 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 1: Not stopping, she crossed one street and then another, laser 460 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: focused on getting out of this place as soon as possible. 461 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:21,000 Speaker 1: Even if Merlin was telling the truth, there was still 462 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:24,080 Speaker 1: the possibility he'd been caught out, or he'd changed his mind, 463 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:27,240 Speaker 1: some one else might spot her. She wanted to put 464 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 1: as much distance as possible between her and them as 465 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:34,720 Speaker 1: quickly as possible. She looked to her left and right 466 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: for this garage once she'd gone two blocks and spotted 467 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 1: a sign with the zooming black carnet that read Shining 468 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 1: Garage and Auto Parts, and she jogged toward it, the 469 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:46,720 Speaker 1: shotgun bouncing heavily against her lower back and almost surely 470 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:50,880 Speaker 1: leaving a bruise. Tilda stayed alert as she ran towards it, 471 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:53,720 Speaker 1: looking for any sign of the trail. She turned into 472 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 1: the parking lot, her eyes roving over cars and mopeds, 473 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:01,600 Speaker 1: but not locating any sleek butt motorcycle. Looking behind her, 474 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: she ventured toward a set of metal garage doors, grasping 475 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:06,480 Speaker 1: the handle of the closest one and hoisting it up. 476 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 1: Inside was a cement room outfitted with tool shelves and 477 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:14,080 Speaker 1: work spaces, and in the center was a black, shining motorcycle. 478 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:17,880 Speaker 1: Tilda glanced over her shoulder once again before slipping the 479 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,080 Speaker 1: door closed behind her, leaving a little bit of space 480 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 1: at the bottom open to hopefully expedite her getaway should 481 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:26,280 Speaker 1: she need to make one. Like it was a beast 482 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:28,920 Speaker 1: that needed to be wrangled, She approached the bike, doing 483 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 1: her best to control the reflexive panics she got at 484 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 1: the thought of operating it. She fished the keys Merlin 485 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: had given her out of her pocket, briefly wondering how 486 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:39,600 Speaker 1: in the world it could have been she made such 487 00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:42,440 Speaker 1: an impression on him. They'd only seen each other a 488 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:46,160 Speaker 1: handful of times and had only spoken once. With a pang, 489 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:49,040 Speaker 1: she realized that he'd seen her mother, spoken to her 490 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: more recently than Tilda herself had, and at length enough 491 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 1: for her mother to espouse under her many words of wisdom. 492 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:01,040 Speaker 1: You've got to trust some one some time. Tilda ran 493 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:05,200 Speaker 1: her hands along the motorcycle's handles its switches. She crouched 494 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:09,800 Speaker 1: to take in the petals. Simple enough, she told herself, bracingly. 495 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,160 Speaker 1: A glance outside the garage windows confirmed that she had 496 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,560 Speaker 1: very little light left. There were both pros and cons 497 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,800 Speaker 1: till leaving before the sun had set. She decided, without 498 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:21,280 Speaker 1: giving it too much thought, that it was best to 499 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:23,520 Speaker 1: leave sooner rather than later, even if that did leave 500 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:26,920 Speaker 1: her more exposed. There wasn't much time before the light 501 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 1: was gone, anyhow. After familiarizing herself at the bike, clumsily 502 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 1: adjusting the seat, and giving herself a brief overview of 503 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:37,920 Speaker 1: how she supposed it worked, she consulted her map, hazarding 504 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:40,640 Speaker 1: a general guest to her location and determining her general 505 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:44,520 Speaker 1: path out of White Pine. Tilda took a deep breath. 506 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:47,280 Speaker 1: Eyeing the machine. She tested to make sure the key 507 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:49,480 Speaker 1: fit in the lock, something she should have done first, 508 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:53,480 Speaker 1: but was a forgiveabhole oversight because it slid home fatalistically. 509 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:56,040 Speaker 1: Tilda pulled open the garage door and quickly returned to 510 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:58,280 Speaker 1: the bike, snapping up the kickstand with her shoe and 511 00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:00,400 Speaker 1: balancing on it as though it were a living thing. 512 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,920 Speaker 1: Girding herself, Tilda cranked the key, wincing as the engine 513 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:10,160 Speaker 1: at first sputtered loudly before waring to life with painful volume. Experimentally, 514 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: Tilda pressed down on what her experience on a bike 515 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,120 Speaker 1: led her to believe would be the brakes. Sure enough, 516 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:18,959 Speaker 1: that engine quieted with something like a resigned devil may 517 00:33:19,040 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: care attitude. Tilda lifted her feet off the ground and 518 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 1: placed them on the pedals, her balance wavering dangerously, and 519 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 1: she pressed down gently on what she presumed to be 520 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 1: the gas. Sure Enough, the bike shot forward, and Tilda 521 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 1: had to swerve to avoid a car, almost creaning into 522 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 1: another car in the process. Instinct guided her and she 523 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:39,960 Speaker 1: righted herself, navigating out of the parking lot and stops 524 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 1: and starts in a much confused path. She took her 525 00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 1: right on the road, hating that her hearing was impaired 526 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,480 Speaker 1: due to the low rumble of the engine. At the intersection, 527 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:50,880 Speaker 1: she stopped at the stop sign, looking both ways before 528 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:53,720 Speaker 1: she nearly laughed aloud. There was no one else on 529 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:57,280 Speaker 1: the road anymore, or bank stop signs. She flew past 530 00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:00,440 Speaker 1: the next few intersections without stopping, gradually appiling more and 531 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:03,640 Speaker 1: more pressure to the acceleration, her hair whipping behind her. 532 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:36,839 Speaker 1: And that brings us to the end of this episode 533 00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:43,359 Speaker 1: of Terminus Part three, which is called Finite. I love 534 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:46,400 Speaker 1: a good title. I have all these titles. We're getting 535 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:48,400 Speaker 1: close to the end, and I think it's got a 536 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:53,879 Speaker 1: pretty it's building up. Just something got boom. Yeah. I 537 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:56,479 Speaker 1: do have to say I'm not going to go into 538 00:34:56,520 --> 00:35:00,480 Speaker 1: it in depth, but I've mentioned before a lot of times. 539 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:02,319 Speaker 1: When I go back over these, I'm like, oh, I 540 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:05,320 Speaker 1: know exactly where I was in this point in my life, 541 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:11,480 Speaker 1: at this point in my life. So I have ridden 542 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:18,239 Speaker 1: motorcycles before. I had. I owned one in China, and 543 00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:21,240 Speaker 1: the first time I wrote it, I did it very 544 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: recklessly and I crashed immediately and I have a scar 545 00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:29,040 Speaker 1: from it. I was fine, it was okay, but I 546 00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:37,880 Speaker 1: just to reiterate, I do know it doesn't work, like, yeah, 547 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:41,240 Speaker 1: that was my bad. But I did have somebody coaxing 548 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:43,520 Speaker 1: me on. He was like, you can do it, just 549 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:47,520 Speaker 1: do this, and I was like, okay, and no, no, 550 00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:54,200 Speaker 1: absolutely no. The motorcycle is also a reference to Silent Hill, 551 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:59,879 Speaker 1: which is one of my favorite franchises. There is a 552 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:02,160 Speaker 1: whole thing in the first game where you have to 553 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:05,120 Speaker 1: you don't have to, but if you know what you're doing, 554 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:09,960 Speaker 1: if you can find a motorcycle, and it changes the 555 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:15,800 Speaker 1: ending of the game. So that was a reference as well. 556 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 1: I know I mentioned it before, but Merlin, the character 557 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:22,920 Speaker 1: Merlin is based on someone I met in Australia who 558 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:28,360 Speaker 1: was very tech savvy and his name is Merlin. I 559 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:36,279 Speaker 1: was like, the coolest thing. But it was going back 560 00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:43,440 Speaker 1: over this and their conversation was very fascinating to me 561 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:45,879 Speaker 1: because he's kind of basically like, I'm betting on you 562 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,960 Speaker 1: and I hope that you I hope that you do 563 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:52,920 Speaker 1: what I think is the right thing. But I'm going 564 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:57,960 Speaker 1: to give you these tools and I hope that you 565 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:03,400 Speaker 1: can save your son. So you shall see. Uh it 566 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 1: is to be continued, I think. I mean we could 567 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:13,120 Speaker 1: have two chapters left. Oh that's coming, yeah yeah, yeah yeah, 568 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:17,759 Speaker 1: and then we'll move into something else. Yes, But I 569 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:22,080 Speaker 1: really hope that people are still interested. I have loved 570 00:37:22,360 --> 00:37:26,319 Speaker 1: hearing from people who are and write in h so 571 00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 1: please keep that coming. You can email us at Hello 572 00:37:29,719 --> 00:37:32,000 Speaker 1: at stuff Onnever Told You dot com. You can find 573 00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:34,320 Speaker 1: us on Blue Guy at Moms podcast or on Instagram 574 00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:36,799 Speaker 1: and TikTok at Stuff I've Never Told You. We're us 575 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:39,120 Speaker 1: on YouTube and we have a book you can get 576 00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:42,200 Speaker 1: wherever you get your books. Thanks as always too our 577 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:45,520 Speaker 1: super producer Christina or executive pducer Maya and your contributor Joey. 578 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:48,960 Speaker 1: Thank you and thanks to you for listening. Stuff Never 579 00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:50,480 Speaker 1: Told You is production of my Heart Radio. For more 580 00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:52,080 Speaker 1: podcast from my Heart Radio, you can check out the 581 00:37:52,120 --> 00:37:54,359 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcast or revul listen to your 582 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:55,080 Speaker 1: favorite shows