2-6 The Ephemeral Beauty Of Intoxication

In which Bethany attempts to drown the past in Story Juice and Jonas grows rather worried.   

inc: The Podcast is:  
Allyson Levine as Bethany    

Raimy O. Washington as Jonas 

Sonny  Galen as The Truth  

James Allen as Sub-Director Jamison  

Jacob Pfieffer as Nancy  

Katie Ploetz as Tomas  

Kristen Hasty as Patricia  

Alice Stilwell as Monte  

Ellis MacMillan as the Robo-Archivist  

inc: The Podcast is written, produced, and edited, by Monte D. Monteleagre and Alexander Wolfe, and is a production of Wolf Mountain Workshop, which now has a Patreon! Join us at www.patreon.com/WolfMountainWorkshop to support our shows and get access to bonus content as well as our exclusive Discord: The Caves of Wolf Mountain.  

You can also find us on our website, https://www.wolfmountainworkshop.org/, which has links to all our socials along with more information about our shows, our merch, and whatever else we feel like putting there. Or you could reach out to us directly at wolfmountainworkshop@gmail.com.

Emotional support for inc: The Podcast is lovingly provided by: Birdie, Rodeo, Jewel, Sakura, Gracie, Luna, Hazel, Kyo, Hamilton, Beau and The Slug. 

New episodes every other Monday. 

Ask yourself: how can M-E, work for me? 

Transcript

EPISODE 6 - The Ephemeral Beauty Of
Intoxication
CHARACTERS
Bethany
Jonas
Truth
Sub-Director
Patricia
Chadwich
Tomas
Nancy
Monte
SCRIPT
The Theme song fades into the episode theme. It’s beautiful and powerful and uplifting.
TRUTH: (In a chant reminiscent of The Pattern - The Narcissist Cookbook, crossed with a
choir.)
Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a
Problem…
(Switching to a News Broadcaster Voice)
Reports coming in of yet another clash between incorporation vessels, the most we’ve
seen in any 4-cycle period since-
(Back to the chant)
Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a
problem…
(News voice again.)
Indications of some sort of “mental subterfuge” enacted on a previously loyal crew-
(Chant)
Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a
problem…
(News voice)
…memorial services, which, of course, will number in the billions, with the amount of
bereaved relatives much, much higher…
(Final chant)
Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a
problem…
(The following is cut from ep 5.)
DALE: … So either I’m a cruel thing in a cruel universe or I’m just like this on my own…
TUCKER: I don’t want to talk about this Dale. I told you, it hurts to talk like this.
PEGGY-ANNE: And what’s important is that we had a child named Patricia and we loved them.
Back to the Truth, the chant almost seems to come from a choir now. Voices doubling and
tripling upon themselves, all conveying the same message:
TRUTH: Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a
problem…
A moment or two of unpleasant noise, and then rain. Behind it, a small lofi beat starts to play. In
voices dreamy and hazy and divorced from reality, we hear:
SUB-DIRECTOR: Truly, truly, mediocre work this week, Neophyte Bethany. And here I was just
re-reading your intake file and it mentioned that at your last job Jonas was actually YOUR
subordinate. Well, just goes to show what proper hiring practices can do for a family
organization like ours…
BETHANY: Sub-Director Jamison, it’s not that I’m not trying it’s just -
SUB-DIRECTOR: I don’t need excuses, Neophyte, I need quality work presented to me in a
timely fashion. If you can’t do that, maybe we’ll just have to re-evaluate the necessity of
housing and employing you…
The beat fades out, but the rain remains. Thunder rumbles in the distance.
TRUTH: Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a
problem…
The following is cut from Season 1, Ep 30. The voice is choppy and distant. Remembered
through a haze of regret and intoxicants.
PATRICIA: But I do feel bad that it was you that got hurt. That never felt good. Even when I
pretended it did. I just couldn’t be there anymore.
Small pause.
PATRICIA: I just couldn’t be there anymore.
Small pause.
PATRICIA: I just couldn’t be there anymore.
Small pause.
PATRICIA: I just couldn’t be there anymore.
Small pause.
PATRICIA: I just couldn’t be there anymore.
Small pause.
PATRICIA: I just couldn’t-
Small pause.
PATRICIA: I just couldn’tSmall pause.
PATRICIA: I justSmall pause.
PATRICIA: I justSmall pause.
PATRICIA: I justSmall pause.
PATRICIA: I justA whining drone begins to build. Thunder rumbles but never seems to stop. The tension climbs
higher and higher and higher. PATRICIA’S voice is warped and terrifying, curling and flailing
around like an angry spirit.
PATRICIA: Please, Bethany. I’m scared…
A peak. Crescendo. A bad electronic drum fill. Silence.
In the silence, Bethany breathes, heavily.
Softly, and slightly off, the sound of the SCDP office noise fades in. Everything is suddenly far
too normal…
JONAS: Bethany? You’re up early.
BETHANY: (sober, confused) Am I? I mean, yeah, no, I am, I’m just…I’m sorry, I’m having a little
trouble this morning…
JONAS: Bethany, why are all the cabinets open?
BETHANY: Those? I don’t know. Wait, maybe… Maybe… No, I think I was looking for… Hey
Jonas, have you seen my mug?
JONAS: What?
BETHANY: The mug, Jonas. You know mugs? For like, black goo…but this one was for coffee.
JONAS: Have you been crying?
BETHANY: No, Jonas, look, it’s important, I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s important. Patricia’s
caregivers gave it to me or whatever. No, not whatever, they did. They did and I liked that and I
want to find it because it’s important to me, and it’s important that I find it…
JONAS: Bethany, where are we?
BETHANY: What do you mean?
JONAS: Bethany, where are we right now?
BETHANY: Are you serious? We’re in our living quarters at the Story Creation and Development
Program.
JONAS: Are we?
GDASD atmosphere noise fades in slowly.
BETHANY: Well yeah, why else would we have cabinets for you to ask about…?
JONAS: Then why do we have stacks of paperwork everywhere?
BETHANY is beginning to become frightened.
BETHANY: I…because…um…no, because that would mean…
JONAS: And why can we both smell the Waste Removal Location down the hall?
BETHANY: No…no, no, no, we left, we made it out and we left, we made it out…
JONAS doesn’t have quite enough emotion in their voice. They might not even be real.
Something is very wrong.
TRUTH: It’s just a doorframe, Bethany. There’s no door propped open. There’s no door at all.
Just an empty frame.
BETHANY: But we…we did it, Jonas. Together. We did it.
JONAS: Is this the mug you’re talking about?
BETHANY: What? I…yeah. Yeah, it is. I didn’t think I…
JONAS: Let me pour you a cup. Just made a pot, actually, so good timing.
BETHANY: Is that…coffee? We have coffee here?
JONAS: Of course, silly, what else would it be?
BETHANY: I thought we only had black goo?
JONAS: Black goo? What the heck is that?
BETHANY: You’re kidding.
TRUTH: Do you want the coffee or not?
BETHANY: You know, black goo? Kinda tastes like what you might hope really incredibly burnt
coffee tastes like? If you leave it around it gets hotter and hotter until it combusts?
JONAS: If you leave it, it gets hotter? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Now do you
want a cup, or not? I’m trying out this new pour-over technique and I really don’t want it to get
cold because that brings out a lot of bitterness…
BETHANY: (Defeated) I…I mean…yeah…sure…pour me a cup, I guess.
JONAS: Hold out your mug.
Jonas pours. It’s very clear that the coffee is splashing on the floor.
JONAS: (Kinda fake folksy) Well would you look at that. It just goes straight through, doesn’t it?
Looks like that there mug might be defective. Better give it a check.
BETHANY: There’s…there’s a hole in the bottom…
JONAS: Huh. Wow. Now that’s symbolic if I’ve ever seen somethin’ that is. Don’t know what the
heck it means, but that right there, that’s a symbol.
BETHANY: I…I’m sorry. I’ll clean it up, let me just get something…
JONAS: (Cold) Oh that’ll be something, won’t it, Bethany? That’s good, that’s funny! I can’t wait
to see the something you find that can clean up your mess.
BETHANY: Jonas, why - What are you holding?
TRUTH: Oh this? It’s just a fern. Why?
We slam back into the chant, backing music and all.
TRUTH: Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a problem…Bethany’s a
problem…
The scene changes and the harsh tones of a fluorescent light can be heard. In the distance,
boots thunk across a tiled floor. Bethany’s Caregiver has returned.
CHADWICH: Hey there little Bethy-Boots…
BETHANY: What the hell are you doing here?
CHADWICH: See this attitude, this hostility… Is that any way to treat a parent? I always tried to
be a good Caregiver for you…
BETHANY: Get the hell out of here.
CHADWICH: And when their child is failing, any Caregiver worth their salt just has to step in…
BETHANY: Get. Away. From. Me. I hate you.
CHADWICH: I know, sweet thing, I know, I know. You’re so confused…you’re so mixed up…
BETHANY: What are you doing here?
With a thump, something lands on a table in front of Bethany.
CHADWICH: Maybe you wanna tell me what the hell this is?
BETHANY: That’s…that’s the Extraneous But Interesting folder.
CHADWICH: Mmmm, good name, good name. I like a title, and that is certainly a title. Open it
please.
BETHANY: What do you want?
CHADWICH: I said, open it.
BETHANY: (Small, a child again.) Okay.
Thump.
CHADWICH: That’s a big ol’ folder you got there…
BETHANY: It got a bit longer than we meant for it to…
CHADWICH: That looks like a fun page. Read the title at the top, if you wouldn’t mind. You know
my eyes aren’t what they used to be…
BETHANY: “The Destiny Shield”. Discovered, compiled, and narrativized by Patricia.
CHADWICH: Patricia…Patricia…now that’s a name that sounds familiar…where might I have
heard that name lately…?
BETHANY: What do you want, Chadwich?
Pause.
CHADWICH: Caregiver Chadwich.
BETHANY: I asked you what you want. Tell me or go.
CHADWICH: Or what?
BETHANY: Or…or…
CHADWICH: (An asshole) Or, or or, yeah. Exactly. Read it.
BETHANY: What?
CHADWICH: You heard me.
BETHANY: You want me to read it to you?
CHADWICH: And breathe a little life into it if you wouldn’t mind. Put on a voice. Add a little
oomph.
BETHANY: Why are you doing this?
CHADWICH: Oh, I’m not, Bethany. You are. Because you know you don’t deserve to be here
anymore. It should have been Patricia that made it off the ship. Now read.
Cinematic music.
BETHANY: The Ocean Wars had covered the majority of the aquatic world. Formerly crystalline
water muddied by the purple blood that poured from the combatants, the greatest monuments of
this age and those past all destroyed, and a generation that may have known happiness and
peace reduced to frenzy and bloodshed.
The climax was on the horizon. Everybody could feel it, from the deeply entrenched
Hadel Troops burrowed into the sides of their tranches, massive ShardShooters poised to
destroy any seeking the bottom, to the Grand Neritic Army of the Light, constantly patrolling in
their great Leviathan Bombers, searching endlessly for any target and always ready to
annihilate the enemy with great explosive prejudice. Each and every living creature could sense
that something was to happen soon, very soon, and the tension pulled taught as a mooring rope
in heavy seas, just waiting to snap.
In a small cave, set deep into the side of a large cliff and cleverly disguised as a spent
ammunition dumping zone, the last warrior of the Mesopelagon (me-so-pell-uh-gone) Tribe
sharpened their spear, polished their shield, and spoke aloud to the vestiges of a God upon
whom they no longer rested their faith.
TRUTH:
As I remove the tarnish from my weapon,
I remove the tarnish from myself.
As I cleanse the shield before me,
I do so clear my future.
As that around me finds its order through me,
So do I find my own order through the Twilight itself.
BETHANY: Looking deep into their shield, the Mesopelagon warrior breathed deep, barely
noting the iron tang in the water that now permeated the entire planet. They let their higher mind
fade away, losing themselves in the swirls and gouges of the polished shield, letting their vision
double, clear, and double again. Waiting, patiently waiting, calmly waiting. It didn’t take much
time before the hazy and blurred lines of the shield almost seemed to rearrange themselves, as
if there was a pattern inside, suddenly unlocked, or a great kelp forest, suddenly able to be seen
amongst all the individual strands.
TRUTH:
Dearest Twilight,
Goddess, God, and God-head of all that I have been and done,
Allow me to see beyond what I may otherwise see,
Allow me to understand that which is beyond my knowledge,
Allow me to perceive the truth in your infinite mystery.
Grant my mind your endless eyes,
And do thy work through my humble body.
BETHANY: And the shield, polished to a mirror shine, hills and valleys of the design alternately
gleaming and shadowed with the murky light, the shield did give forth a vision to the
Mesopelagon Warrior. Channeling the great old creation forces of the middle depths, as they
had for eons, the pattens of light and dark were no longer simple reactions to the small
water-fire that guttered and smoldered on the cave floor. No, now it was a conversation, a tether
even, holding the last of a great and powerful warrior species to the nearly forgotten god that
had once birthed them from a great need to exist and grow.
The warrior spoke of dread and sorrow. The brief exultation of victory before the crushing
agony of defeat. Of seeing a pathway, a destiny, a road that they would have to swim, but a road
they knew had an end they would never see. Grief and agony and passion and the urge to burn,
to grow, to accomplish, despite the fear of failure.
The Great and Ancient Twilight spoke of great weariness and overwhelming calm. The
joy of creation and the silliness of failure. Of helping birth a planet of life, and making the choice
to let that planet grow and mature and die as it would. Of the small pleasure when one of its
children remembered it, and the understanding when they did not. Wisdom and humor and love
and the urge to release, to unwind, to dissolve, despite the fear of non-existence.
It was over 400,000 cycles before another species from a different planet sent its
mechanical drones to scout the once-populous ocean. Almost another thousand before the
small cave was discovered.
The drone shined its light around the cavern, noting temperature, current direction,
micro-particle saturation, the remnants of an ancient weapon and shield, and a small piece of
writing etched into the wall.
TRUTH:
This is the resting place of the Goddess, God, and God-Head, Twilight.
Who died with my love, as I die with their love.
As birth and death become one,
The story will go ever on.
Fracture.
Madness.
Voices.
SCDP office sounds. For real this time.
TOMAS: I dunno, Jonas, this is pretty bad…
NANCY: Not to mention embarrassing…
JONAS: I don’t care about any of that, I asked you if Bethany was going to be okay here, or if I
needed to take them to medical?
NANCY: They just look really intoxicated. That could go either way.
JONAS: (Sarcastic) Oh do they? Do they look really intoxicated, Nancy? Thank you SO much
for explaining what I already know…
NANCY: Look, Jonas, I didn’t even want to be here, Desiree made me because they said they
didn’t want to see Bethany like this. You’re lucky I’m even helping…
JONAS: You’re right, you’re right, I’m sorry, I’m just worried.
TOMAS: You said they only took Story Juice, right?
JONAS: As far as I know, yeah?
NANCY: Do they take any other medications? Pills? Patches? Sub-dermal implants?
JONAS: No. No, not anymore…
TOMAS: Not… anymore?
JONAS: I mean, they used to have a whole anxiety pill thing that they dealt with butNANCY: Hey, was this black goo can empty the last time you saw them?
JONAS: I…don’t know… I don’t think so…
TOMAS: That might be it. Story Juice takes you down but you wanna write, so you gotta get
picked back up… You said they were really upset, right?
JONAS: I mean, it’s Bethany, you know? They’re always kind of…?
TOMAS: We don’t know. We don’t know Bethany at all. Anything more specific? Anything new?
NANCY: Not even just today, think back a little bit. How have they been, lately?
JONAS: Well, yeah, I guess now that you mention it, they did take that Eulogy Broadcast pretty
hard…
NANCY: Everything I learn about you two makes me sad.
JONAS: It was for a former colleague if you must know. And they were fine during most of it.
Surprisingly fine, actually.
TOMAS: What about the part they weren’t fine for?
JONAS: I mean, it’s a Eulogy Broadcast, it’s not supposed to be happyTOMAS: Jonas, think. This is your neophyte. Your best friend. 4ever. 4 life.
NANCY: Is it okay if we… don’t do the whole best friend speech again tonight?
TOMAS: What was the thing that was actually wrong? Not just grief wrong, but more than that,
what was it?
JONAS: I guess it was when Patricia’s Caregivers said that they were going to posthumously
publish Patricia’s Journals.
A moment of silence.
NANCY: And then?
JONAS: And then they said they wanted to be alone.
NANCY: And what, you just let them? When they were obviously emotionally damaged by that
information?
JONAS: You don’t know me and Bethany like we know each other, Nancy, it’s all emotional
damage!
NANCY: (under their breath) I mean obviously…
JONAS: (did not hear that.) You should’ve seen our last office, you could scrape the emotional
debris off the walls like it was a house we smoked in for a lifetime!
TOMAS: Are you getting defensive for an actual reason, or are you just embarrassed that Nancy
pointed that out?
JONAS: Shut up, Tomas! Nobody is helping! I called you two because we’re all supposed to be
a family here, and I thought you would actually help, but all that’s happening is blame. And even
worse, I’m the one being blamed when I didn’t even do anything! That a bunch of –
TOMAS: Alright, alright, alright, easy. Easy. Emotions are high. We’ll leave –
JONAS: You can’t leaveTOMAS: –and here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna sit here, and watch your Neophyte be
unconscious and occasionally puke on the floor. You are going to decide whether the situation
gets bad enough that you have to go to medicalJONAS: C’mon, Tomas, you know if we go to medical for something like this there’s no way we
stay in the program.
NANCY: That’s not definite. There’s nothing in the handbook about it.
JONAS: Don’t screw with me, Nancy! Between Sub-Director Jamison already hating us and the
speech about professionalism delivered by, for some reason, Desiree, unprompted, I might
add…
NANCY: (Under their breath again.) It was very prompted…
TOMAS: Hey, everyone, focus!
JONAS: Sorry, you’re right, sorry.
TOMAS: If this gets bad enough, you have to make that choice. Bethany can probably just ride
this one out. They’re very intoxicated. Like, VERY, intoxicated. But they’re breathing, they’ve
been sick, they’re on their side, and they seem to be occasionally sleep-mumbling. However,
and this is important, Jonas, it could go bad. You have to pay attention. And if you get through
this, however you get through this, you have to pay better attention to your neophyte. Got it?
JONAS: Yeah, I think so. Geez, it’s hard to be the boss…
NANCY: You’re not a boss, Jonas. You’re a Senior Neophyte. And there’s a reason the Mental
Ennervation Colonies made you the senior instead of Bethany. You should probably start living
up to it.
JONAS: I thought I was…
NANCY: And yet here we are. Good night, Jonas. And good luck.
A beat.
NANCY: Also Desiree said to make sure Bethany calls them when they aren’t so puke-y.
A beat.
NANCY: And that Bethany owes them a coffee shop date.
JONAS: Like a… friend date?
NANCY: Sure, Jonas, a friend date…
Fade out.
Soft music. The episode theme is played and slowly fades out.
A field in Nebraska. Wind floats through corn. A truck may or may not drive by. It’s peaceful but
lonely. Two sets of footsteps make their way through a cornfield.
MONTE: Hey, so, how’s being dead? Your caregivers miss you, by the way. Why’d you stop
talking to them?
PATRICIA: What’s going on?
MONTE: Look at us, both curious.
PATRICIA: (With disgust.) Am I dead?
MONTE: Yes- well, in a literal plot sense yes. Got shot and incorporated. What a day for you.
Yet here you are. Dead is such a weird thing here, isn’t it? Last season Alexander fought me so
hard about making ghosts canon but I stand by the decision...
PATRICIA: The last thing I remember was being shot and bleeding and- and- Bethany.
MONTE: Yeah, and Bethany.
PATRICIA: Where are they? Are they here?
MONTE: Here? Oh God no, we’re in Nebraska. I mean, I guess technically Allyson’s in New
York, but Bethany is...well, still out there in the plot somewhere.
PATRICIA: Who are you?
MONTE: I’m Monte, one of Jonas’ friends. I’m sure they mentioned me at some point, but I
can’t blame you for not listening to everything they say. It’s Jonas, after all. Now in the last draft I
had some questions for you but some plot points have changed between then and now. I
thought Alexander might have had some questions for you in the final draft but here we are and
I just have one. Have you been giving Bethany dreams?
PATRICIA: Yes. At least, I think so.
MONTE: Oh good, I can repurpose a monologue from the last draft then. Does that feel good?
PATRICIA: (Building to a point of actual feeling.) It does. It does feel good. It feels great even, to
hurt them and make them afraid until they wake up and wander around and medicate
themselves and try to forget about it and don’t care about it anymore just like they don’t care
about me, just like they left me to die in the ship they doomed because they were afraid just like
now I’m afraid, and I’m angry, and- and- and… I don’t know what to say.
MONTE: Hey, not your fault, I still don’t know how to finish that monologue. Oh well, trailing off
is fine for now. Why don’t you take a rest for a while?
PATRICIA: I don’t want to rest, Monte, I’m angry.
MONTE: You are angry aren’t you? But that didn’t start here…
PATRICIA: What is all this crap, by the way? It makes me itchy when I touch it.
MONTE: Oh, that’s just corn. We’re in a big field of it.
PATRICIA: Why?
MONTE: Stereotypes, mostly. The edges of the leaves are kinda sharp, but if you don’t brush
them too much, you’ll be fine. Watch out for spiders.
PATRICIA: Do I want to know what a spider is?
MONTE: I’ll point one out if I see one. So you stopped talking to your caregivers, huh?
PATRICIA: That’s personal.
MONTE: I know, but we just found out about it. I’m curious.
PATRICIA: That sounds like a you problem. (Long pause.) I don’t remember why I stopped
talking to my caregivers. There was a reason but...
MONTE: But?
PATRICIA: But- (Angry again.) But Bethany.
MONTE: (Very pleased with themself.) But Bethany. Oh Patricia, I always did like you.
Fade out on the sounds of wind and corn, and two “friends” walking into oblivion.
END.