THE HARBINGERS

EPISODE 2: THE SEASON OF THE WITCH

Transcript

TEASER

(The scene fades in on applause. We seem to be in a bar with a stage on it.)

EMCEE: Thank you, thank you, folks, that was... that was something, huh?

(The Emcee’s voice comes through speakers, as if he’s speaking into a microphone.)

EMCEE: All right, thanks again for coming out and supporting some new and exciting artists. It means...

NARRATOR: New York City. March 2027. One year, two months, and twenty-two days since the first man to be able to do magic went public with his abilities.

EMCEE: ... okay, well, we’re gonna keep this moving, so please buy yourself another drink, and make sure to tip your bartender and your waiters with just, like, reckless abandon, okay? All right. Next up, a, uh, a new name for the roster. And she, umm, didn’t really tell us much about what she’s going to do, so... if this is terrible, it’s not my fault, okay? Nah, just kidding, folks, I’m sure she’s going to be great. But without further ado - please put your hands together and help me welcome... the Silver Witch!

(Some applause. A slight feedback squeal from the microphone as Amy steps onto the stage.)

AMY STIRLING: Hi, everyone. I am the Silver Witch. Which... he just said that but... you’re going to want to remember it, so I’m saying it again. Silver Witch.

(Amy’s voice is also amplified through the speakers.)

AMY STIRLING: Umm, so, I - I know that this is supposed to be an evening for song and poetry and, uh, spoken word, but... I have something a little different. And... god, I remember taking the train into the city when I was fifteen and sneaking into this club. I saw a nineteen year old Emily Morrison playing “Gemini” right here solo, just her and an acoustic guitar, and that’s one of those things that changed my life forever. This is a really sacred place for me and... I couldn’t fathom starting things anywhere but here. So if you’ll indulge me... I was wondering if I could do a magic trick for you all. Is that okay?

SOME GUY FROM THE AUDIENCE: Go for it, man!

AMY STIRLING: Thank you, sir, those were the… words of encouragement that I was hoping for. Umm. First off, my friends, allow me to assure you that I would never sully the stage here at the South River Tavern by doing something as cheap as a trick. No sirs, no ma’ams, and no your honors. Everything you’re about to see is absolutely real, that is a guarantee. Which is why I’ve rolled up my shirt sleeves - you can now see that I have nothing up them with which to fool you.

(Amy shuffles a deck of cards.)

AMY STIRLING: I highly encourage you all to take out your phones and record what’s about to happen. You are about to witness something astonishing.

SOME GUY FROM THE AUDIENCE: Get on with it!

AMY STIRLING: Oh, how quickly the tide turns! Sir, I thought what we had was special.

(Some laughter from the audience.)

AMY STIRLING: But your wish is my command - I will get on with it. But I need a volunteer from the audience. Is anyone feeling brave tonight?

(The squeak of a chair.)

AMY STIRLING: Very good, thank you, ma’am. Could you please pick a card? Any card… thank you. A very courageous choice if I may say so.

(Some more laughter from the audience.)

AMY STIRLING: Now, please, make sure you can see what card you chose but I can’t. It’s very important for the magic that I don’t see what your card is, understood? Very good. Please take a look at it now. Excellent. Now, would you agree that there is no Earthly way for me to know what card you just chose? You do? Good. But that is all about to change. Just as soon as I say the magic words. Everybody ready?

(Amy exhales.)

AMY STIRLING: Three, two, and... Iria sieroco azaren.

(As she says those words, Amy’s voice becomes oddly doubled, like there’s a fainter version of herself repeating everything she says. A surreal woosh goes through the air.)

AMY STIRLING: And now, magic.

(The vocal doubling effect continues.)

AMY STIRLING: Ma’am, look at me, please. Your card is the two of hearts. Yes, it is, it is. I know. Go ahead, please, show them.

(Some applause from the audience.)

AMY STIRLING: Thank you, everyone. You’re very kind. But I’m wondering if you caught what really happened there. Because... the magic was not in the cards. No, no, not really. Anyone? You know, it might make it a little more obvious if I just get rid of this - one sec...

(A squeal of feedback from the microphone. It drops to the ground. Amy’s voice is no longer amplified, although the doubling effect is still there.)

AMY STIRLING: There. No more microphone. But... you can all still hear me, right? Even without the mic? Even though... my lips aren’t moving anymore?

(One of her two voices goes away - the other, which had been the fainter, more distant one, becomes more clear and pronounced.)

AMY STIRLING: Yeah. You can all still hear me. Because right now... I am speaking directly into your minds. If this is too much for anyone, you’re welcome to leave right now. Otherwise... I’d love to do some magic for you all. Anyone want to go?

(A pause. Nobody moves. Amy lets out a shaky breath.)

AMY STIRLING: Okay. In that case... let’s get started.

(The scene fades away. The episode’s opening theme music begins playing.)

ANNOUNCER: Audacious Machine Creative presents... The Harbingers. Created by Gabriel Urbina. Episode 2: "The Season of the Witch"

ACT ONE

(The scene fades in: the familiar ticking clock of the lawyer’s office.)

CLAUDIA SKINNER: When Dr. Blackwell first became aware of his supernatural gifts, he surrendered himself to the U.S. Government. When he announced himself to the world, he did so through a newscast. When you announced yourself... you did so by going to a bar.

AMY STIRLING: Don’t say it like that.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Like what?

AMY STIRLING: Like I got drunk and went for a joyride. I didn’t go to a bar. I went to the South River Tavern. Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and Bill Hicks all performed stand-up there. Eduardo Gallego played his first American show and got arrested there. Joan Baez, Carl G. Lansing, Dar Williams, Karinna Bruhl, Emily Morrison -

CLAUDIA SKINNER: And now there’s a plaque on the stage with the words “Amelia Stirling” on it.

AMY STIRLING: I’m a big fan of history, especially when I get to be a part of it.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: My original point still stands. Dr. Blackwell went about the unveiling of his powers as if he was disarming a bomb. You went about yours like you were tossing a hand grenade.

AMY STIRLING: Our situations were different.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: How so?

(Amy takes a breath. Exhales.)

AMY STIRLING: For starters... Adam’s announcement wasn’t about him. The story there was “magic is real... and by the way here’s the guy that can do it.” The headline with him was magic. With me, the headline was Silver Witch.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: And this was important to you?

AMY STIRLING: Of course it was important to me. It would be important for anyone who had thought things through even a tiny little bit. Second... Adam had scared the crap out of everyone. We’d had a year of living in a world where some weird dude at a university could wrap relativity around his thumb. I needed people to see it as something that could be wondrous, and amazing. Fun.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Why?

AMY STIRLING: So that I could make a difference with it.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: So that you could make a difference with it?

AMY STIRLING: No, not - hear where I’m putting the emphasis. So I could make a difference with it. Because, point number three: different people, different powers. Adam got Shral Ta Keren. The Ring of Movement. I got Shral Ta Siran. He does physical, I am hearts and minds.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: And you think that’s less scary?

AMY STIRLING: No, but come on, have you seen me? I’m cute as a button, who could ever be afraid of me?

(Skinner flips a pager over.)

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Let’s talk about your abilities for a moment. Physicists have described what you can do as a form of anomalous perceptual cognition. The earliest reports described you as being at the center of a kind of nervous network but they didn’t -

CLAUDIA SKINNER AND AMY STIRLING TOGETHER: - say enough about how clever what you were doing was, or how good your dresses looked while you were doing it.

(A pause.)

CLAUDIA SKINNER: That was not cute.

AMY STIRLING: Come on, that was a little cute. Let’s keep it simple. I can share thoughts. Or I can read minds, if you prefer. I can hear your thoughts in my head, and I can put my thoughts into your head. That’s what I can do.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: ... what are the limitations of your abilities? You say you can read my mind. Could you see, say, a memory from my childhood?

AMY STIRLING: That depends. Are you thinking about it right now? Look, whatever this ring makes me able to do, my brain is still basically a brain. It responds to electricity and stimulus. If the right part of your mind isn’t lighting up... I’m in the dark. Of course, there’s an easy way around that problem.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: And what’s that?

AMY STIRLING: I could go “Hey, Ms. Skinner, think of something from your childhood!”

(A pause. A soft woosh passes between them.)

AMY STIRLING: You grew up 70 West 95th Street, right here in Manhattan. Your parents’ apartment had pale blue curtains and they kept spider plants on the windowsills. See? I basically work off of the pink elephants principle. Humans can’t control what pops into our minds. I’ve learned that the hard way.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: From what you’re telling me, it sounds like you can control what pops into my mind just fine.

AMY STIRLING: Exception to every rule.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Okay... You can put thoughts into my head. But could you do something more complicated than that? Could you... make me angry, for example?

AMY STIRLING: Oh, I don’t need magic to make you angry. Just give like... five minutes and two more bad jokes. Yes, I could make you angry by sharing a thought. I could make you sad. I could make you laugh or cry or want to scream. Emotions are one of the easiest things to manipulate in a brain’s bio-chemistry. That’s most of what my shows are - just emotional manipulation.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Tell me about your shows. You’re the second person to be able to do magic this side of the B.C.-A.D. line... and you’ve spent the better part of four years using said magic to entertain people. Why?

AMY STIRLING: Because I have a gift that lets me bring people together. And in a world as divided as ours, that’s more than enough justification to do anything. And I don’t need to read your mind to know you didn’t like that answer.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Oh, it’s a perfectly good answer. It’s so good, in fact, that I’ve seen it turn up in at least two dozen interviews that you’ve done over the past few years.

AMY STIRLING: What, did you just - ?

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Yes, Ms. Stirling, I’m asking you things I already know the answer to. I’m a lawyer, it’s what we do. But... just between the two of us... what’s the real answer?

(Amy clears her throat.)

AMY STIRLING: The real answer... is that I get on a stage because I can do what every writer, director, actor, and comedian has spent all of human civilization trying to do. You know what that is?

CLAUDIA SKINNER: You can tell stories?

AMY STIRLING: No. The story is just the delivery mechanism. It’s just the thing that gets us from A to B. What we’re really after is... synchronization.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Synch - ? Sorry, you’ve lost me...

AMY STIRLING: Think about it. That feeling of experiencing something with other people. Every movie we’ve ever made, every play, every concert - each one’s been an attempt at getting a thousand different people who have had a thousand different days to feel the exact same thing at the exact same time. Because there is something really potent and really intoxicating and really meaningful about feeling something as... a collective. About those moments that made us feel... less alone. Thousands of years, people have been breaking their backs trying to get close to that feeling. I can do it by muttering three words under my breath and I can do it perfectly for everyone every single time. Why did I make my debut on a stage? Because I realized I had the greatest show on Earth.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: … you know, Ms. Stirling, most of the times in my life that people have described that feeling? It hasn’t been at a film, or a play, or a concert. It’s been at a political rally.

AMY STIRLING: Yeah. I know. Is there a question?

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: Yes. The question is... do you think of what you do as entertainment?

(There’s a transition sound, and we move into a new scene.)

NARRATOR: New York City. Wyndham Hall, Amy Stirling’s Dressing Room. June 2027. Three months after the first public appearance of the Silver Witch.

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: So news reports have called you everything from a scientific anomaly to a spiritual disruptor. But at the end of the day... ten minutes from now you’re going to get up on that stage in front of an audience and perform for them for an hour and a half. So do you think of yourself first and foremost as an entertainer?

AMY STIRLING: Okay, first of all? I have no idea what the guy from The Herald was on about with that “spiritual disruptor” thing. That was wild.

(Amy and Elizabeth laugh at that. As they talk, we periodically hear the shutter of a photo camera.)

AMY STIRLING: I mean, what I do with my magic is a form of entertainment. I get on a stage and I entertain people. What I bristle at is... I don’t know if it’s just entertainment. I think something can be fun and moving. It can be fun and have big ideas, or make you think about something in a new way.

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: Oh, absolutely.

AMY STIRLING: Okay wait... real talk for a second: was that answer just the worst, most pretentious thing you’ve ever heard?

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: No, no, no, not even in, like, the top fifty, don’t worry.

AMY STIRLING: Okay, good. Ooh…

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: I just had a few more questions... and thank you so much again, I really can’t thank you enough for squeezing us in right before your show, I’m sure your schedule is crazy right now.

AMY STIRLING: Please, I’m thrilled to have the chance to talk to you. I’ve been reading In Depth since I was, like, an obnoxious fourteen year old girl.

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: Thank you, that really means a lot to me... So, there’s been some... confusion over what exactly your shows are. You know, months after your debut, some outlets are still referring to you as a singer.

AMY STIRLING: I know! And I just - oh! Could you promise me that you’ll print that I do not sing? Like, no singing at all? It would be really helpful, actually.

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: Yeah, consider it done. But you know, I think part of the problem is that people have never quite experienced anything quite like what you do. So I’m wondering, for anyone that hasn’t seen your show yet... can you describe what it is that you do?

AMY STIRLING: Well... I get on stage. And I introduce myself. And... I cast a spell, a spell that lets me project thoughts into the minds of everyone in the audience. And I can just... imagine the happiest you’ve ever been. The warmest, safest, most full you’ve ever felt. I make people feel that way. And then I make them laugh harder and longer than they’ve ever laughed. And I make them feel that rush you get in your stomach when you realize that someone’s in love with you. And when I’ve done all of that... the first five minutes of the show are over. And there’s another eighty-five to go.

(A pause.)

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: So, I have to ask... you are not without your critics. For example, comedian Eric Henderson -

AMY STIRLING: Okay, here we go.

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: I know, I’m sorry, I have to ask. So, Henderson saw your show and, you know, went on a bit of a...

AMY STIRLING: Social media rampage?

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: Yeah, not inaccurate. He called what you do, quote, “an insult to his profession,” and said, again quote, “What is happening on the stage at Wyndham Hall is nothing less than a destructive act against the arts. If you believe that the sole and only point of a joke is to make you laugh, then the Silver Witch is here to make your vacant dreams come true. Those of us, however, who understand that the point of art is not to elicit a reaction but to share a perspective will also remember that we already have a term for empty stimulants that can force a physical reaction. We do not call those things entertainment - we call them drugs, and those who offer them peddlers.”

AMY STIRLING: Yeah. Ouch.

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: So… dare I ask if you have any… comment on all of that?

AMY STIRLING: I mean... look, Eric Henderson has always been a provocateur, so... here he is, provocateuring away. And that is fine. It’s a free country, he’s totally welcome to share what he thought with whoever wants to pay attention to him. Am I destroying the arts? No, I don’t think - I don’t think it’s either-or. Just because I can do my thing doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t do his thing, and just because I can make someone laugh with magic doesn’t mean they shouldn’t listen to his stand-up. We can have both. And I think we can be stronger for having both. And if he ever wants to collaborate on something, I will slide into his DM’s like that. I mean - how’s that?

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: I mean, very diplomatic. So your... I mean, I guess we could call him your predecessor, Adam Blackwell, is notoriously... understate with his displays of magic. You on the other hand... are going on tour. So, I’m wondering, do you see what you are doing with these shows as a reaction against his approach?

(Amy scoffs a bit.)

AMY STIRLING: Ummm… I... don’t think about Adam enough for anything I do to be a reaction against him. I... Do you know what the definition of magic is? Something that can be perceived but cannot be explained. I... I think there used to be a lot of that in the world. And then we got very, very good at explaining things. But... I think there’s something about the experience of seeing something that is beyond what we can understand that really affects us as humans. And it has nothing to do with it making you happy or excited or even afraid. It’s... literally awesome. It fills you with awe. And in that awe... we come together. That’s - really, that’s what I’m trying to do.

(From an overhead speaker:)

STAGE MANAGER: Five minutes to places. Five minutes to places, everyone.

AMY STIRLING: Oh, sorry, you two - I really need to finish getting ready now. Have you got everything you need?

(Kleinman flips through a notepad as she says:)

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: Umm, yeah, I think so, just give me a second to… Yeah, no, I’m good. Erin, are you good, did you get all the shots you needed? Okay, yeah, photo’s good too, so I think we’re all set! Thank you so much again, it’s been such a pleasure to talk to you.

AMY STIRLING: Amazing. This has been great. Do you know how to find your way...?

ELIZABETH KLEINMAN: Oh yeah, don’t worry about it.

(A door opens and closes as Kleinman and the photographer depart.)

AMY STIRLING: Okay, let’s take a look... that is fine... that’s okay... let’s straighten that out and...

(The door opens and closes again as someone enters.)

AMY STIRLING: Hey Bobby. I know, I know, I’m cutting it really close, but I am... all set to go and... Oh. Okay. Not Bobby the stage manager. Not Bobby the stage manager at all. Hi Adam.

ADAM BLACKWELL: Hello, Amy.

(The scenes fades away.)

ANNOUNCER: The Harbingers will be back after these messages.

ACT TWO

ANNOUNCER: And now... back to The Harbingers.

(The sounds of the lawyer’s office fade back in.)

CLAUDIA SKINNER: What else do I need to know about your abilities? What are your limitations?

AMY STIRLING: I’m surprised you haven’t asked Adam about that. He’d be thrilled to tell you about all of the ways in which I’m limited.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: You started at the Riverside Tavern - twenty-two people in attendance. Three months later, you had your eight-night residence at Wyndham Hall - that’s a fifteen hundred person capacity. Last spring, you headlined a show at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires. Eighty-five thousand people. Just how many minds can you be putting thoughts into at once?

AMY STIRLING: I don’t know. It gets harder. When it’s that many. At a certain point it’s like trying to yell over... well, a crowd of eighty-five thousand people. Your mind starts to go, the way your voice would. Much has been made of the fact that the bigger shows are shorter. That’s why.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: But strictly speaking?

AMY STIRLING: Strictly speaking, and as far as I know... there’s no upper limit. I need to be able to see them, or at least be around them, I can’t just... share a thought with someone who’s halfway across the world. But in terms of number of minds? Sky’s the limit.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: You’re very careful with those words. “Share a thought.” That’s the third time since we started that you’ve used that phrase.

AMY STIRLING: It’s what I do.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Is it? Do you... control people’s minds, Ms. Stirling?

AMY STIRLING: No. I do not.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: You control what they feel, you control what they think -

AMY STIRLING: Okay, one moment. First of all, everyone that comes to my shows does so to experience the magic I can do. Everyone knows what they’re getting into, nobody, like, trips and falls into one of my performances. And secondly, what they’re getting is an emotional journey - nobody walks out of there going, “Gee, I don’t know where this thought that I should give Amy Stirling a thousand dollars came from, but it’s sure there now.”

CLAUDIA SKINNER: So you’ve never used your magical abilities for personal gain?

AMY STIRLING: Because I can do magic I am one of the most famous and influential people in the world, not to mention very wealthy. It would be enormously spurious for me to say I have not used my magic for personal gain. But I don’t control people.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Hmm... spurious. That’s a good word. You’re talking like a lawyer.

AMY STIRLING: You’re rubbing off on me.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Okay. Let’s put aside what you’ve done for a moment, let’s talk purely hypothetical. You can put a thought in my head. You can make me hear your voice in my head. Could you put a thought in my head and make me hear it in my own voice?

AMY STIRLING: I think that what you’re really asking is if I could put a thought in your head without you realizing that it wasn’t your thought.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: That is precisely what I am asking, yes.

AMY STIRLING: You know, I bet that you wear that suit - or one just like it - every day that you come into work. Who put that thought into your head? Hmm? What about the one that says you should smoke a cigar after you win a big case? Or the one that says that men will take you more seriously if you drink a whiskey instead of a martini? I will bet you an hour’s worth of your pay that you find a reason to hang out when a pretty, tall man with blue eyes is talking and that you speed up if you cross paths with someone on the street when you’re alone late at night. And tell me, why do you feel weird about having a piece of cake as your breakfast but okay about a muffin? Why do you look down your nose at people who lost their savings on bitcoin? Why do you put up little lights in your apartment just because it’s December, or send people cardboard hearts just because it’s February, or carve a stupid face into a stupid pumpkin just because it’s October?!

CLAUDIA SKINNER: What’s your point?

AMY STIRLING: That I’m not the only one that can put a thought in people’s goddamn heads without them realizing that I’m the one that put it there!

(A pause.)

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Okay. Anything else? Feel better?

AMY STIRLING: I don’t know.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: You and Dr. Blackwell are more alike than either of you would like to admit.

(Amy scoffs.)

AMY STIRLING: Oh, now you’re trying to make me mad.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Women, by the way.

AMY STIRLING: What?

CLAUDIA SKINNER: I find a reason to hang around when pretty, tall, blue-eyed women are talking. Just a note for your little speech there. Otherwise? Very compelling.

AMY STIRLING: Dammit. Sorry. That was...

CLAUDIA SKINNER: I think I got the answer that I needed somewhere in the mix, but just to make sure I’ve got it right: could you put a thought into my head that I don’t realize came from you?

AMY STIRLING: ... yes. I could.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Admirably succinct, Ms. Stirling. I applaud you. Okay... you need to be around the person, you need to be able to see, or perceive them in some way, it gets more taxing the more people you project unto at once... any other major limitations we should cover?

AMY STIRLING: Well...

(There’s the transition sound. The scene fades to backstage at the performance venue.)

AMY STIRLING: What are you doing here, Adam?

ADAM BLACKWELL: Well, the show was getting good reviews, I happened to be in town, I figured... eh, why not?

AMY STIRLING: I meant what are you doing here, Adam. How’d you get backstage?

ADAM BLACKWELL: Oh, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but these days I have a real talent for moving things from one place to another.

AMY STIRLING: Really? You’re actually doing that with yourself now?

ADAM BLACKWELL: No, of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. I gave a guy fifty bucks and he let in. You need better security.

AMY STIRLING: Asshole.

ADAM BLACKWELL: Please, Amy. You think I’d use my magical powers on a human being? Don’t you realize how wildly irresponsible it would be? Oh wait.

AMY STIRLING: Oh, fuck off, professor. I know what I’m doing.

ADAM BLACKWELL: You don’t, though! You really don’t, Amy. You’re doing a thing that nobody has done in thousands of years, if anybody ever did it before. I - We don’t know if it has lasting effects, or long-term harm, or -

AMY STIRLING: Everyone has been fine, Adam. In fact, everyone has loved it. But I’ll take your very touching concern under advisement.

ADAM BLACKWELL: Where the - ! Where the fuck did you even get a Harbinger ring anyway?

AMY STIRLING: It came in my cereal box. Where do you think, Adam?

ADAM BLACKWELL: I just find it so ironic - the woman who yelled at me for focusing on understanding my magic instead of using it to change the world gets magic powers of her own and just uses it to put on a little show!

AMY STIRLING: Yeah, but here’s the thing: my “little show,” as you call it? Is about ten times what you’ve done in one tenth the time you’ve had magic. But hey! Don’t take my word for it. Hang around - watch the show tonight. Then we’ll talk.

ADAM BLACKWELL: I already saw the show. I was here yesterday.

AMY STIRLING: ... you were?

ADAM BLACKWELL: Yeah. Was maybe... sixth or seventh row from the front, stage-right. But with the lights and everything... I didn’t think you’d seen me.

AMY STIRLING: Okay. And? What did you think?

(Adam laughs.)

ADAM BLACKWELL: What did I think... ? I mean, I could tell you, but... where’s the fun in that? Come on, Amy. You want to know what I think, why don’t you just... do your thing?

AMY STIRLING: Are... are you kidding?

ADAM BLACKWELL: Dead serious. Go on. Let’s see a bit of magic.

(Amy laughs a bit.)

AMY STIRLING: Are you sure...? Well... Iria lecora eronden.

(There’s a soft woosh, followed by a sharp, sparking sound. Amy gasps, jumping back.)

AMY STIRLING: What the... ?

ADAM BLACKWELL: Yeah, I thought that might happen.

AMY STIRLING: Iria lecora eronden!

(The same sharp, electrical noise - like a short-circuit - goes through the air.)

AMY STIRLING: I... I can’t do it... I can’t read your mind.

ADAM BLACKWELL: Yeah. You couldn’t last night either. I... didn’t hear anything, didn’t feel anything. I just... stood there for an hour and a half, while the woman next to me cried her eyes out and the guy behind me pissed his pants.

AMY STIRLING: Yeah, that happens sometimes, we’re working on it. Adam, what the hell?

ADAM BLACKWELL: I... I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but I think that -

AMY STIRLING: Teleport this. This lock of my hair. Teleport it... anywhere. Two feet in that direction.

ADAM BLACKWELL: Amy, that’s -

AMY STIRLING: Just so we know.

ADAM BLACKWELL: No, Amy - that’s still connected to you, there’s too much -

AMY STIRLING: Oh my god, you know you want to know, would you just do it!?!

ADAM BLACKWELL: Brin fareo lin.

(A silent pause.)

AMY STIRLING: It’s... it’s still there.

ADAM BLACKWELL: Yeah.

AMY STIRLING: ... okay.

ADAM BLACKWELL: Okay?

AMY STIRLING: Yeah. Okay.

(A door opens.)

STAGE MANAGER: Amy! There you are, holy shit. Come on, you were supposed to be on stage three minutes ago!

(A pause.)

AMY STIRLING: I’ll... I’ll be right with you, Bobby. What... Adam, what does this mean?

ADAM BLACKWELL: I... I don’t know, Amy.

AMY STIRLING: Okay... right.

STAGE MANAGER: Amy, we really gotta go!

ADAM BLACKWELL: Go on. You can’t keep the people waiting.

(There’s the transition sound and we return to the lawyer’s office.)

AMY STIRLING: What it means is we’re immune to each other’s magic. I can’t touch him, he can’t touch me, not while we’re wearing these things, anyway. It’s... I don’t know. A magnetic repulsion. Or waves neutralizing each other. Or maybe just the universe having a hilarious sense of irony.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: You can’t change his mind...

AMY STIRLING: ... and he can’t snap his fingers and send me to the bottom of the ocean. Exactly. I don’t know if that’s awfully convenient or conveniently awful, but... here we are. When it comes to one another, we have to do things the hard way.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Except... you do that a lot, don’t you? I spent a lot of time talking with Dr. Blackwell today, and a lot of that time was spent hearing him talk - well, complain really - about how you don’t think he’s done enough since his grand unveiling to help the world.

AMY STIRLING: He hasn’t.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: How anyone with power has a responsibility to fix whatever they can before it’s too late.

AMY STIRLING: They do.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Well... let me be blunt: why haven’t you just... shared a thought with the president of the United States?

AMY STIRLING: I mean, that’s -

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Or the supreme court, or the Senate, or the U.N., or -

AMY STIRLING: Because I don’t do that! I don’t - it’s one thing to make you say some words. That’s a party trick. It’s another thing to make someone say or do something that’s against their nature.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Even if - ?

AMY STIRLING: Even if. Even if their nature is monstrous. Even if what they’re doing is monstrous. Even if they would... There’s a line. There’s a line at taking someone’s free will away from them, and I don’t cross that line.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: But -

AMY STIRLING: And even if I did - okay, okay, think it through for a second. I find the vilest, most bible-thump-y, gay-bashingest, anti-environmental protections-ist, most fire-breathing Republican in the House and make him vote for a bill that defends the rights of the poor, the needy, the disenfranchised, and the… the Bambi! What happens when I let go? You think he’s not gonna realize that something came over him?

CLAUDIA SKINNER: What evidence would he have? Surely it would be up to him to prove the link between you being present and -

AMY STIRLING: You think the court of public opinion would care? Because I think buildings would burn down.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: So are you saying that you don’t control people because it’s wrong or that you don’t control people because it doesn’t work long-term?

AMY STIRLING: I’m saying, Ms. Skinner, that I’ve... thought long and hard about this. Trust me. I do want to save the world, but... I think we also need to choose to save it. I have magical powers, and I have done my best to be as loved and as popular and as famous as I can be because that gives me a platform. It lets me speak to people. I change hearts and minds, and maybe, if I try very hard and get very lucky, I get to really change some hearts and minds. And that is how I save the world.

(A pause.)

AMY STIRLING: Okay, can... can that be it? For tonight? It’s getting late and I... I think I’m done.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Can I ask just two more questions?

AMY STIRLING: I... yeah. Fine. Shoot.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Ms. Stirling... since you first revealed the existence of your magical abilities three and a half years ago... how many times have you been shot?

(A long pause. Amy lets out a low, stiff laugh.)

AMY STIRLING: I have been shot... one time, Ms. Skinner.

CLAUDIA SKINNER: And in that period, how many times... have you been shot at?

AMY STIRLING: ... three times. I have been shot at three times in the past three years.

(A pause. Skinner snaps her folder shut.)

CLAUDIA SKINNER: Thank you, Ms. Stirling. That’ll be all for tonight. We can pick this up again tomorrow.

(The scene fades away. The episode’s closing theme begins playing.)

ANNOUNCER: This has been The Harbingers. Created by Gabriel Urbina. Come back tomorrow for Episode 3, "Seven Devils." 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, Andrés Enriquez as Adam Blackwell, Emmy Bean as Claudia Skinner, and Robin Amer as Elizabeth Kleinman. Today's episode also featured the voices of Dallas Hawthorn, Clayton Faits, and Jeffrey Nils Gardner. Our original music was composed by Nicholas Podany. Recording engineering and dialogue editing was by Zhuolin Wu. 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 AudaciousMachineCreative.com. This is an Audacious Machine Creative production. Thank you for listening.

(The closing theme music concludes and fades away.)

AMY STIRLING: Today’s history tidbit: on October 15th, 1991, Isabel Roser and Shira Langholtz published the first edition of Linguistic Principles of The Day Tongue and the Night Tongue.