THE HARBINGERS
EPISODE 11: It’s A Sin
Transcript
TEASER
(The sounds of a beach. We hear the ocean tide washing in and washing out.)
NARRATOR: Garnet Bay Resort, Grenada. February fourteenth, 2029.
(Footsteps approach. Two glasses are deposited at a nearby table.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Your aperol spritz, Ms. Stirling.
AMY STIRLING: Thank you very much Mr. Middendorf.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: You doing all right?
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, just... enjoying the sunset. It feels like it’s been years since I stopped long enough to look at one of those.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: I don’t think there’s been any major revisions, it’s still more or less the same thing. You’re happy, though? This is good?
AMY STIRLING: You remember a little bit ago, when you were like, “Hey should we do something for Valentine’s Day?” and I was like, “I don’t know, we’re both so busy, and this is still all kind of new, maybe let’s just not?” And then you went, “Okay, that’s fine,” and then went behind my back and booked us a week-long vacation to the West Indies?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: That all rings a vague bell, yeah.
AMY STIRLING: Well, I was extremely wrong and you were extremely right. Thank you.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: I thought you might need a bit of a getaway before Hearts and Minds kicks off.
AMY STIRLING: I very much did. This whole... beach-ocean-pool-two-massages-a-day thing is really restoring my faith in humanity.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: You’re sure it’s not the Prosecco?
AMY STIRLING: That’s restoring my faith in a higher power. Also, you’re one to talk. When does Under the Tide start shooting?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Same week as Madison Square Garden. Two months in goddamn Svalbard.
AMY STIRLING: Will it still be, like... deeply winter over there?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: It’s the Alaska of Norway, Amy. It’s always deep winter.
AMY STIRLING: Fun. I’ll send you a postcard from all the warm places on the tour.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Oh, you’re not gonna come visit when you have a day off?
AMY STIRLING: To the Alaska of Norway? Honey, you’re hot, but you’re not that hot.
(They both laugh.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Well, at least we have the premiere next week. That’ll be fun.
AMY STIRLING: Yeah... You’re... very sure you want me to be your date for that?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Am I very sure that I want the incredibly beautiful, absolutely brilliant woman who can do literal magic to be my date? Hmm, you’re right, I should give this a moment’s thought...
AMY STIRLING: Well, I don’t know! We haven’t been hanging out that long. Where does “Hollywood” premiere fall on the relationship ladder?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: I think somewhere below “vacation to the West Indies,” Amy.
AMY STIRLING: All right, fine... What if somebody wants me to talk about, like... a Fellini movie or something?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Amy, the premiere is in Los Angeles, not in the 1950’s, yeah?
AMY STIRLING: I don’t know how these things work!
(There’s approaching footsteps as two girls walk up to them.)
ASHLEY: Umm, I am so sorry... Are you - ? You’re Kris Middendorf, right?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Uhh... yeah, I am.
LISA: See? I told you.
ASHLEY: Oh my god, we are so obsessed with your movies. Cypher Rose was so good!
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Thank you, that’s very kind of you. This is Amy.
AMY STIRLING: Hey, how’s it - ?
LISA: Nice to meet you.
ASHLEY: Would it be okay if we get a selfie with you? You know, our friends will just explode.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: ... yeah, all right. One photo.
ASHLEY: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
(Kris gets to his feet as the girls start snapping photos on their phones.)
LISA: So - I gotta ask. In that scene in the tower in Reign of Terror… were those your real abs?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Uhh, yeah, that was me.
LISA: That is sick, they looked unreal.
ASHLEY: Oh, we look so cute in this. Oh my god, thank you so much.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Yeah, you got it. Now, I - I should get back to -
LISA: Oh my god, wait a minute! Are you staying here at the resort?
ASHLEY: If you are, you should totally come to the party tonight!
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Uhhh...
ASHLEY: Oh, it’s gonna be so fun. Our friends who are here for the Agent Provocateur shoot are throwing it, they’re doing this big bonfire -
KRIS MIDDENDORF: That... sounds great, but, umm -
LISA: It’ll be so much fun! Here, I can text you where it’ll be.
(Softly, we hear Amy mutter something and a low woosh.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: I don’t know, guys. It’s been nice to meet you, but I think that we might already have plans for the even-
LISA: Well, that’s okay because I need to go very far away from here right now, so bye.
ASHLEY: I also gotta go right now, gotta go far away, bye.
(They both leave quite quickly. Kris sits back down.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: ... okay, then.
AMY STIRLING: Well, weren’t they nice? Always cool to meet your adoring public.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Did you... do something there?
AMY STIRLING: Whaaaat? What would I have even...? Okay, fine. Yeah, yeah. You’d been polite long enough, I just gave them a... little nudge to get rid of them. Unless you actually wanted to go to that lingerie model beach party? Because I might still be able to get them back here, wait a second, c’mon -
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Nah, after the heart attack my doctors said I should really cut back on the lingerie model parties. Three or four a year max.
AMY STIRLING: You poor thing.
(They both chuckle a bit.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: So... how often do you give me little nudges?
AMY STIRLING: What?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: You know. Are there times when I’m just yammering on about something, or just taking too long to make a decision, and so you just - ?
(Kris snaps his fingers.)
AMY STIRLING: No, I - Kris, I would never do that. Not to you. This was just -
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Oh my god, I was so just kidding, you don’t need to -
AMY STIRLING: No, but I mean it. I would never.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Hey, really, I’m sorry. I was just kidding, I didn’t mean for it to be a whole -
AMY STIRLING: It’s not a whole thing, really. I just... I want you to feel safe around me, okay? I don’t want it to feel like you need to be... worried or anything.
(He kisses her.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: I’m not worried, okay?
AMY STIRLING: ... okay. Good. Good.
(The scene fades away and the episode’s opening theme begins to play.)
ANNOUNCER: Audacious Machine Creative Presents: The Harbingers. Created by Gabriel Urbina. Episode 11: "It’s a Sin”
(The opening theme resolves and fades away.)
ACT ONE
(The sounds of the lawyers office.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: All right, Ms. Stirling... let’s recap. You started 2028 as a world-famous magician. By the end of it, you’d deposed a conservative president you despised, helped to install your progressive friend as his replacement, and, oh yes, you’d turned America’s actor boyfriend into your boyfriend-boyfriend.
AMY STIRLING: There a question in there?
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Yes. I think basically... what did it feel like to win life?
AMY STIRLING: I felt... good. At least part of me did. It’s kind of hard to describe, but I just had this feeling of...
(A slight pause.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: ... accomplishment. After a lot of years of people not letting you do things... you were doing things. What was the other part?
AMY STIRLING: The other part felt... skittish. Restless. Like I had so much more to do. At least that’s what I thought at the moment.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And now?
AMY STIRLING: Now... I think it’s the part of me that knew. Knew that some people were just not gonna be okay with me winning.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And they were gonna make it everyone else’s problem...
(The scene fades to the red carpet outside of a movie premiere. Dozens and dozens of cameras go off as photographers take pictures of actors and other celebrities.)
NARRATOR: The red carpet outside the Olympic Theater, downtown Los Angeles. February Twenty-First, 2029 - the world premiere of Cypher Rose 2.
JOURNALIST: Kris, Kris! It’s been a year since the heart attack, how are you feeling?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Like a new man. Or at least like a man with a new heart. No, all kidding aside - I’m very grateful to be where I am today. A lot of people worked very hard to save my life, and I will forever be indebted to all of them.
JOURNALIST 2: Ms. Stirling! Who are you wearing tonight?
AMY STIRLING: This is a little something my friends over at Tory Burch put together for me. I’d been looking for an excuse to throw it on, I guess this’ll do.
JOURNALIST: Are you and Mr. Middendorf together? We’ve been seeing a lot of the two of you...
AMY STIRLING: Mmm... ask me again after the movie. I want to see how he does in this one before I give an official answer.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Oh, now she tells me. You guys think there’s time for some quick pick-ups?
JOURNALIST 3: Ms. Stirling, have you seen the videos that Lawrence Donahue uploaded today? Do you have any comment on that?
AMY STIRLING: I’m sorry, can you repeat that? Lawrence Donahue?
(The scene fades back to the lawyer’s office.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Did you know that name? Had you heard it before that day?
AMY STIRLING: Maybe. He’d been on the news enough, I must have caught it on WNS at some point. How much did you know about him? Before what happened? At the start of 2029, what could you have told me about Lawrence Donahue?
CLAUDIA SKINNER: ... a bit. I knew he was wanted, after he attempted to kidnap that Senator from... Wisconsin?
AMY STIRLING: Minnesota.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Right. I could have told you he and his group the Agnus Dei were considered radicals, that he’d called for violence in the past. I don’t think he was in the Top Ten Most Wanted by that point. But he was divisive. The fact that he was a Christian made many -
AMY STIRLING: He wasn’t.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: I mean... factually speaking, he -
AMY STIRLING: He was not a Christian. Calling Lawrence Donahue a Christian would be like calling Jim Jones a Christian. It’d be like calling Applewhite a Christian.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Weren’t all three of them - ?
AMY STIRLING: No, that’s - that’s the point I’m trying to - (Small, overwhelmed laugh.) Every time I say anything about this stuff, the following day at least one newspaper comes out with the most insane take, like, “Amy Stirling hates all Christians,” or “The Silver Witch thinks you’re stupid if you believe in God” so I’m just trying to be clear here. I have nothing against Christians. I know Christians who are kind, decent people. I know Christians who would step in front of a truck to save their worst enemy. Okay? (A pause.) What Donahue did had as much to do with being a Christian as Jonestown did, which is to say exactly fuck all. He wasn’t a Christian, Ms. Skinner. He was a madman who stood next to a cross. And that gave his fuckery ideas above its station.
(A pause.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Off the record... I think everything you just said is the just the tip of a... very complicated, very dangerous iceberg. And perhaps somewhere down the line, you and I can have a conversation about what’s beneath the surface there.
AMY STIRLING: And I just want it on the record that I’m not against people of faith. Just against lunatic terrorists. Can we agree on that?
CLAUDIA SKINNER: ... consider it on the record. What time did the video go up?
AMY STIRLING: Just a little after four, Pacific time. Encrypted IP upload to Youtube. Dozens of accounts, through all kinds of aliases. By the end of night, ten thousand people had seen it.
(We scene fades to the sound of a video being played on a television.)
NARRATOR: The Keystone Hotel, Beverly Hills. Four and a half hours later.
LAWRENCE DONAHUE: (on television screen:) There’s something wrong with us. Something is definitely wrong with our country. And we have a lot of people tripping over themselves to tell us what the problem is. We’re too intolerant. We’re too set in our old ways. Too afraid. That’s certainly what the White House wants you to believe. And if that message resonates with you, then... Go on with your day and never mind little old me. But some of you know. Some of you remember. Some of you know exactly what is wrong: Godlessness. It’s as simple as that, isn’t? We’ve become godless and so God has abandoned us. Left us to those arrogant enough to think of themselves as equal to God. Oh, because we have a few of those right now, don’t we? Take for instance... the Silver Witch. Who, two weeks from today, is planning to hold a Black Mass at that great temple to American decadence, New York City. Some people think she’s harmless. Some people think she’s entertaining. I like entertainment just fine. But because she’s entertaining, we’ve let her put this country on the path of damnation. They say she can read minds. They say she can control people. That’s today. How do we know she’s not getting stronger? More powerful? How do we know where she’s going to stop? How strong would you let Satan get if he was inside your house? Are you scared yet? I think you should be. But I say... no. Not on my watch. I’m speaking to you now, Silver Witch, so listen carefully: if you go forward with this act of defiance, this sin, I will remind you of what it means to fear God. I will remind you... that fire is the only thing that can cleanse the sin from the soul of a witch. Do the right thing. We’ll be watching.
(The video ends, turning into grainy static. After a small pause, the screen turns off. We seem to be in a high-end hotel room.)
AMY STIRLING: And they say there’s nothing good on TV these days.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: You’re making jokes? Right now?
AMY STIRLING: I don’t know. Yeah? What is the appropriate reaction to a man implying he’s going to blow up Madison Square Garden if you don’t do what he says?
(Kris gets to his feet. Starts pacing.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Okay... okay... these things happen. You’re in the public eye, it comes with the territory. Do you have security? I can set you up with some people if -
AMY STIRLING: No, it’s - I have security, Kris.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Okay, good. You’ll just be a little more careful for the next few weeksw. That’s all. That’s all. (A pause.) You all right?
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just... processing, I guess.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Okay. Okay.
(A pause. Then, Kris lets out a yell and there’s the sound of breaking metal and glass as something impacts against the wall.)
AMY STIRLING: ... what did the poor lamp do to deserve its fate?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Sorry, sorry, that was just some... feelings that needed a place to - No, you know that? I’m not sorry. A man just made a video threatening to kill my girlfriend. I’m not going to apologize for being upset right now, I think that merits breaking a fucking lamp.
(A small pause.)
AMY STIRLING: That’s the first time you’ve called me that.
(Another small pause.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Yeah, well... this day is kind of putting some stuff in perspective.
(There’s a knock on the door.)
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, come in.
(There’s the beep of a keycard and the door opens as a man enters.)
TERRY CALLOW: Ma’am.
AMY STIRLING: Hey Terry. Kris, this is Terry Callow, head of my secret service detail.
(Kris laughs a bit at that.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Yeah, all right. (A pause - realizes: not a joke.) Oh, shit. Umm, it’s nice to meet you.
AMY STIRLING: What’s the word, Terry?
TERRY CALLOW: It’s... evolving. But the effort to spread this message is sophisticated enough, Donahue’s history is colorful enough -
AMY STIRLING: We’re not going to just write this one off as hot air?
TERRY CALLOW: If I were to guess? I think we’ll be taking this one seriously.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Serio - I’m sorry, what does that mean? What does “taking this seriously” look like?
TERRY CALLOW: It’ll be a closer detail for at least the next two weeks. We’ll be working at a higher level of security for MSG, probably the next few shows after that too. Added surveillance, handling Ms. Stirling’s comms, keeping tabs on known associates of Donahue’s. That sort of stuff. I’ll have some paperwork for you tomorrow, okay, Amy? For now, just let me know if you’re going somewhere.
AMY STIRLING: Thanks, Terry, I will.
(Terry opens the door and departs.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: ... so when you say you already have protection...
AMY STIRLING: Yeah. I have what they call a long leash. They keep tabs but it’s not too intrusive. Most of the time.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: They weren’t with us when we went to Grenada...
AMY STIRLING: They... were. You just didn’t know they were. You sure you still want to call me your girlfriend? It’s not too late to just walk out that door.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: No, of course, I - (Deep breath.) Okay if they are taking this seriously... is there any world in which - ?
AMY STIRLING: No.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: You’re not even going to cons- ?
AMY STIRLING: Nope. I’m not.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Why n- ?
AMY STIRLING: Because I can’t. I can’t do that. If it starts here, where does it end? If this guy gets to tell me I can’t do something, what’s going to stop everyone else? I’m not going to be stupid. The best people in the world are going to make sure it’s safe. And push comes to shove? I’m literally in people’s minds. If someone tries to do something, I can stop them.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: You can do that? Just... pick someone out of a crowd and make them do something?
(A pause.)
AMY STIRLING: Maybe? (A pause.) No. Probably not. Best I could probably do is make the whole stadium stop whatever they’re doing. That could get pretty silly pretty fast...
(Amy’s phone starts to vibrate as she gets an incoming call.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Oh, for god’s - just send it to voi-
AMY STIRLING: I can’t. This is the number I don’t get to do that for. (Picks up the call.) Stirling.
OPERATOR: Please hold for the White House.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: (very soft) Oh. Shit.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: (on the phone:) Amy. Hey.
AMY STIRLING: Andie.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: First things first - how are you doing? Are you okay?
AMY STIRLING: I’m fine, Andie. It’s... it is what it is.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: You talk to Terry?
AMY STIRLING: He just left. Gave me the prelim.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: I’m doubling your detail and moving you up to active protection. Until further notice, you don’t go anywhere without two service-people on you.
AMY STIRLING: You really think that’s neces- ?
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Fuck necessary.
AMY STIRLING: The optics of it are going to -
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Amelia, fuck the optics. This guy just said he wants to burn my friend at the stake. He’s about to know what it’s like to be hunted by the most powerful country in the world. He’s gonna find out whose family he just threatened. Until then? I’m gonna go to sleep knowing you’re safe and the people that go to your shows are safe. Understood?
AMY STIRLING: ... yeah. Understood.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: I’m here if you need anything, okay? Bring it on.
AMY STIRLING: Bring it on. Thanks, Andie.
(Amy hangs up the phone.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: ... you all right?
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, fine. It’s all just... I’ll just have to deal with - (sudden sob) FUCK! Just... fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
(Kris walks over and gives her a tight hug.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Hey, hey - come here. It’s okay. It’s... it’s okay.
(As Amy keeps crying, the scene fades away.)
ANNOUNCER: The Harbingers will be back after these messages.
ACT TWO
ANNOUNCER: And now... back to The Harbingers.
(We return to the familiar sounds of the lawyer’s office.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: How much of what you were saying that first day was just... bravado?
(Amy laughs a bit.)
AMY STIRLING: It’s all right, Ms. Skinner. You can just ask the real question you’re thinking.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: ... okay. Was there a point at which you would have stopped yourself from doing something stupid? Especially something stupid that would put other people’s lives at risk?
AMY STIRLING: I learned a lot about how the professionals evaluate these kinds of things. In that world, you never deal in certainties, in absolutes. It’s always this much percent chance of an... event. That’s what they call it. And they have ways of calculating it. Whether certain people are moving or not. Whether certain chatter is happening or not. Whether... honestly, I couldn’t tell you. What the weather’s like on any given day. Seventy-five was no-go. If the professionals thought there was a seventy-five percent chance of an event, whether we could stop it or not, that was the line.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And?
AMY STIRLING: Three days before the show, they put it at sixty-two percent. Go. The next day? They intercepted some messages. From members of the Agnus Dei, Donahue’s group. Seventy-one percent.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: So just barely, but...
AMY STIRLING: Go. Still go. (A pause.) And then I got the call. They’d intercepted a cell. Two apartments in Queens. Agnus Dei operatives. The scary kind. With enough plastic explosive to blow the wall off a stadium. They arrested seven people that morning. By 3:00 PM, they’d read another eighteen their Miranda rights. Ninety minutes after that, every comms channel they were monitoring went dead. The East Coast wing of Donahue’s operation fell apart. At 7:00 PM, Terry got me the latest numbers. Thirteen percent chance of an event.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: But they didn’t get Donahue.
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, well... They didn’t think they were going to. The thinking was... he’s the head of the snake, he’d never actually get his hands dirty by being on the ground for something like this. He’ll be... hiding in a bunker in the forests of Oregon, way off the grid. But that’s a battle for another day. What mattered then and there was...
CLAUDIA SKINNER: There was only thirteen percent chance of an event.
AMY STIRLING: So go. I’d been worried that people would be afraid to come out. I thought I’d get on stage and half the seats would be empty. By the time Emily Morrison went on for the opening act, every seat was filled up. Apparently scalpers were selling tickets for five-thousand dollars on Seventh Avenue. Eighteen thousand people. It was the biggest show I’d ever done. And so I thought... I guess it’s over. I guess that’s that. Idiot.
(The scene fades to a comfortable dressing room.)
NARRATOR: Madison Square Garden. Amy Stirling’s dressing room. March, 2029.
AMY STIRLING: All right, let’s see... any final adjustments that need to... ?
(She stops, noticing something. Picks up an envelope.)
AMY STIRLING: Hello... And where did you come from...?
(She opens the envelope, unfolds the piece of paper inside of it.)
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Amy - I’m sorry I can’t be there tonight. I know these are a poor substitute, but just in case you’re feeling a little nervous tonight, I think they’ll help. Got them delivered special, they’re just the kind we used to serve at the Silver Barb back in Logan Square.
AMY STIRLING: Good god, woman...
ANDREA SHEPHERD: I’ll be cheering you on from afar, and I just know that you’re going to kill it tonight. So cheers, have a great show, and - if you should choose to save one of these until the next time I see you - I can’t wait to split one of these beers with you. Your friend, and still occasional bartender, Andrea.
(A rattle of beer bottles.)
AMY STIRLING: Thanks, Andie.
(There’s a knock on the door.)
AMY STIRLING: Yeah?
MAN WITH STRANGE ACCENT: Delivery.
AMY STIRLING: What?
MAN WITH STRANGE ACCENT: Flower delivery.
(Some footsteps as she walks up to the door.)
AMY STIRLING: Flower - what? Who set up a - ?
(Amy opens the door.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Oh, no one did. But I just met these silver lilies outside and just had to show them how cool my girlfriend is.
AMY STIRLING: Oh my - you fucking freak of nature -
(She kisses him.)
AMY STIRLING: What are you - ? You’re supposed to be in Norway right now, didn’t shooting start today?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: No, it didn’t. Starts on Friday.
AMY STIRLING: But - you told me -
KRIS MIDDENDORF: A lie. I thought this would be a nice surprise.
AMY STIRLING: Oh you fucking asshole, I’m so glad to see you.
(She kisses him again.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: It’s nice to be seen. And… it’s very, very nice to see you.
AMY STIRLING: Yeah? You like? It’s a little different, I know.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: No more flow-y black dress?
AMY STIRLING: New tour, new look, all-new Silver Witch. I think the suit says this a... more modern, more contemporary Amy Stirling.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: It was good for Bowie, now it’s good for Stirling. I love it. (A pause.) I’m glad you didn’t cancel.
AMY STIRLING: Yeah... you should see the last guy that tried to tell me what to do. He’s never recovered.
(From an overhead speaker, there’s a chime.)
AMY STIRLING: Oh, shit. That’s my cue. I gotta get on stage. Umm, you wanna hang out here? I got some... presidential beer.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: What, are you kidding? I’ve got floor tickets. I gotta go push my way to the front.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: See you on the other side?
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, see you on the other side.
(The scene transition to the stage at Madison Square Garden.)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen... the Silver Witch.
(The crowd roars and cheers as Amy walks onto the stage. Music begins playing, a rock version of Amy’s theme that will continue throughout the following sequence:)
AMY STIRLING: (through microphone) Good evening, everyone. My name’s Amy Stirling, and I’m here to do some magic for you. If anyone did any drugs before they came because this is gonna get pretty weird. If you’re up for it, New York, I’d like to do some magic for you. (There’s cheers from the crowd.) Sorry, I couldn’t quite hear that, I said: do you want to see some magic, New York? (More cheering) Come on, you can do better than that! One more time, New York City...
(A woosh, and the sounds of the spaced become more distant. We now hear her voice mentally, rather than through the microphone.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): ... do you want to see some magic? Well okay, then. Let’s do some magic.
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): I’d completely changed the show. I’d thrown out everything I’d done the first time around.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): In your mind, you’re falling.
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): Designed a whole new set from the ground up.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re somewhere very high up, and you’re falling towards the Earth.
(Wind whips past us.)
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): I wanted something that would really knock people out.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): Except in this fall... you’re not afraid. You’re not nervous. You’re not worried. This is not a bad fall. This fall... is only rush.
(The sound of falling gets louder.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You love this fall...
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): I wanted to give people...
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): This fall? Right here, right now?
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): ... something that would let them feel special.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): This is where you fly.
AMY STIRLING (V.O.) : It was a big adjustment.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re deep below the ocean.
(There’s a splash and the crash of a wave. We are suddenly underwater.)
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): For the first tour, I’d focused on pure emotional activation.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re somewhere ancient, and primordial.
(A jungle teems around us.)
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): This time, I wanted something personal. Something that every member of the audience and I would build together.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re somewhere beautiful and calm... somewhere you’ve been before...
(The woosh of a wide open space.)
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): The theory was... pretty simple. Give them blanks to fill. Amplify the sensation, but let each person’s mind go where it wants.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re somewhere you always wanted to go back to... but never could.
(A magical woosh.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): And in all these places? You’re calm.
(Woosh.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re safe.
(Woosh.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re somewhere... you belong.
(Woosh.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): Close your eyes now.
(We hear the low purring of a cat.)
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): I started with physical sensations.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): Here we go...
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): Then moved onto the personal.
(Another transportive woosh.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re back. Back at that moment. That time you’ve wished you could go back to so many times. You’re there now.
(Woosh.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re somewhere warm, somewhere safe.
(Woosh. We hear the sound of a car’s engine turning over.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re off, at the start of an adventure.
(A hearbeat.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re falling in love for the first time.
(Woosh. The heartbeats gets faster and louder.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re falling in love for the second time. It’s way better.
(The beating fades away. Her lines start to overlap with one another as we hear:)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re back at that time you wanted to laugh but you -
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): - feel them in your arms, hold them so that -
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): - that ah-ha moment when everything came together -
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): - when you realized it was your favorite song in the -
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): - feel the taste at the tip of your tongue and -
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): - you didn’t think you’d be good at, but you -
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): - she… she was smiling at you and -
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): - they forgive you. And really, really feel it: you are forgiven. You’re back at each one of these moments. You are there. Every part of you is completely there.
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): And of course... things would come back to me.
(We start to hear a chorus of ghostly voices around Amy.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): You’re back at the moment when you were happy.
AMY STIRLING (V.O.): A bit of where everyone went.
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): The most scared you’ve been.
(With wooshes punctuating every command, we hear:)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): Let it go. The most surprised. Let it go. The saddest. Let it go. The angriest.
(And suddenly - a sharp cracking sound.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): Let it...
(Amy gasps for a second, then the music kicks into high gear, building towards a grand finale. Voices swirl around her, even louder.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): Let it go. The moment when you were the most worried. The moment you didn’t think you were enough. The moment... when nothing felt right. Let it go.
(Woosh.)
AMY STIRLING (MENTALLY): Let it go. Let it go. Let it all go...
(The music ends. The crowd bursts into thunderous applause.)
(The scene fades back to Amy’s dressing room.)
NARRATOR: Amy Stirling’s dressing room. Ten minutes later.
(We hear a bit scribbling as she writes something. After a moment, the door opens and Kris enters.)
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Amy! That was incredible! You were -
AMY STIRLING: Hold on, hold on, hold on, just... give me a...
(She finishes writing.)
AMY STIRLING: Sorry, I just needed to get this down. And I should... find Terry.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Amy... what is this?
AMY STIRLING: Umm, Seth Grier, Section 108, Row 26. Allison and Jacob Valencia, Section 315, Row 4. Fred Curstin, Section 417, Row 3. Lachlan Hollis -
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Wait, slow down. Who are these people?
AMY STIRLING: Kris - these are the Agnus Dei people that were here tonight.
KRIS MIDDENDORF: What?
AMY STIRLING: Donahue’s people. Obviously they didn’t actually do anything, but they were still here. And I think they’re still planning something, this must have been reconnaissance or - I should really get these to -
KRIS MIDDENDORF: No, but - how do you know this?
AMY STIRLING: How - ? How do you think? I read their minds!
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Amy... there were eighteen thousand people up there. You can... you can pinpoint what individual people were thinking? You can... do that?
(A pause.)
AMY STIRLING: ... yeah. I can. Not bad, right?
KRIS MIDDENDORF: Yeah... not bad.
AMY STIRLING: Hey, hey... this is good. This’ll help to get these... fuckwads taken care of, make sure they can’t hurt other people. (A pause.) Kris...
KRIS MIDDENDORF: No, it’s... okay, Amy. That’s - that’s great. And that was - that was an incredible show. Congratulations.
(The scene fades back to the lawyer’s office.)
AMY STIRLING: But it wasn’t okay. I could see it. It was... a little too much. It’s all fun and games, dating a witch, until... the magic gets a little too real.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: It is a more considerable display of your powers than anything you’d done before...
AMY STIRLING: Look, it was... I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting it either. I was performing in front of a bigger crowd than I’d ever cast a spell on. I was under a lot of stress, I was dealing with - I was just glad I’d been able to catch them. It made me feel like... if something had happened... that I would actually have been able to stop them this time.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: So no part of you found your... developing powers alarming? Scary?
AMY STIRLING: No. I wasn’t scared. At least... not until about two hours later.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: What happened two hours later?
AMY STIRLING: I realized that the entire time I was on stage? I hadn’t spoken a single word of the Language of the Stars out loud. I had just... thought them. And it had been enough to activate my powers.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: New tour, new outfit... new powers.
AMY STIRLING: All-new Silver Witch.
(The scene fades away as the episode’s closing theme begins playing.)
ANNOUNCER: This has been The Harbingers, created by Gabriel Urbina. Come back on March 26th for Episode 12, "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret." Today's episode was written by Gabriel Urbina. It was directed and sound designed by Jeffrey Nils Gardner. It featured the voices of Lauren Grace Thompson as Amy Stirling, Emmy Bean as Claudia Skinner, Sabrina Odigie as Andrea Shepherd, Ian Geers as Kris Middendorf, Sebastian Orr as Lawrence Donahue, and Peter Coleman as Terry Callow. It also featured the voices of Elise Soeder, Eduardo De los Reyes, D Casellian, Christopher Wilson, and Jeffrey Nils Gardner. Our original music was composed by Nicholas Podany. Our original show art was created by Cassie J. Allen. The executive producer for the series is Eleanor Hyde. You can learn more about the show, see a timeline of the events of our story, and become a supporting member at AudaciousMachine.com. This is an Audacious Machine Creative production. Thank you for listening.
(The episode’s closing theme concludes and fades away.)
AMY STIRLING: Today’s history tidbit: on March 12th, 1652, the town council of Wycliffe in Dorset officially forbade its residents from entering woods next to the township, believing the ancient Harbinger ruins within were haunted. The edict would remain in place for over two hundred years, finally being repealed in 1881.