THE HARBINGERS
EPISODE 19: Bolt in the Blue
Transcript
PRE-SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT
ANNOUNCER: Hey there, this is producer Eleanor. This is the third episode of season two, so it seemed like a good time to check in and share some housekeeping. I’m going to talk about one. our release calendar, two. upcoming livestreams, and three. a thank you. And I’ll try to keep this quick so we can get back to Adam and Amy.
ANNOUNCER: Starting with: the release calendar. Season 2 will be another 16 episode season. The first eight episodes will continue to come out biweekly between now and December. And then we will be taking a mid season break and returning with the back half of Season 2 in winter 2027. Not totally ready to commit to a date for that return yet, but we will soon.
ANNOUNCER: And for each of these episodes we have been doing livestreams. This feels to me like it has become the best kept secret in the Harbingers fandom. And so now I’m trying to make it less of a secret. Because you should come, it’s fun! For every episode, we do a live stream before the episode comes out. It’s almost always the Wednesday evening before. We gather on YouTube, we play the episode, and we hang out in the chat reacting and gasping along with whoever wants to join us. And then Gabriel takes questions. It’s a really fun time and we’d love for more people to join us. So if that sounds like a thing you want to do, get those dates and links by heading over to our website - AudaciousMachineCreative.com - and we’ve got the livestream info there amongst all the other Harbingers goodies.
ANNOUNCER: Honestly… if you have not poked around on our website recently, I recommend it. There are a lot of goodies there at this point.
ANNOUNCER: And lastly, a huge thank you to our members. A lot of people commented to us on how fast we were able to turn around between Season 1 and Season 2. And frankly this is only possible because of our members. When we did that big membership drive last spring, that gave us the confidence to commit to the most ambitious and the most audacious version of our production timeline. So truly a huge thank you to all of you. And if you want us to be able to keep being this ambitious and continue being this audacious, consider becoming a member yourself. We would love to have you. You can do that at our website.
ANNOUNCER: That is all for now. Thanks for sticking around for the housekeeping. And without further ado… let's get back to the story.
TEASER
(The sounds of an office. Someone is working at a desk, going over papers with a pen.)
NARRATOR: The White House. May tenth, 2029.
(There’s a knock on the door.)
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Enter...
(The door opens as Joseph Musa enters.)
JOSEPH MUSA: Good morning, madame president.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Joseph. You’re looking spiffy this morning. You get some sleep last night?
JOSEPH MUSA: Four and a half whole hours.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Look at you with your life of leisure and luxury. What do we have on the docket for today?
JOSEPH MUSA: Meetings with Lynch and Moran. Matthew needs to brief you on security for the trip to New York this weekend. You have Peter Stark at eleven.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Oh, lucky me...
JOSEPH MUSA: Madame President...
ANDREA SHEPHERD: I’m already in this office, Joseph. Shouldn’t it be, like, another two and a half years before I need to care about the DNC? (A pause.) Peter Stark at eleven. What else?
(Joseph’s phone buzzes as he says the following:)
JOSEPH MUSA: You’ve got that meet and greet over lunch, then we have that committee about the... the...
ANDREA SHEPHERD: ... Joseph? Everything okay?
JOSEPH MUSA: It... sorry, madame president, it... there’s something we need to see.
(Joseph uses a remote control to turn on a TV. There’s a report already in progress from WNS.)
WNS REPORTER: - in the Korean Peninsula. The official report from the government of South Korea was released just minutes ago, at eight PM Seoul time, and was carried by the Yonhap News Agency, YTN, and the Korean Broadcasting System. Translated into English, the report reads: “Today, the Republic of Korea announces its discovery and mastery over a ring of magic...”
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Oh. Here we go...
JOSEPH MUSA: But which one?
WNS REPORTER: “... the hands of Captain Soo-Jin Choi, a dedicated citizen and valorous patriot who has long served her country as a proud member of the ROKAF. In her hands, this ring will...” Excuse me, South Korean is now releasing footage of a demonstration of Captain Choi’s magic, carried out earlier today. We take you now to their broadcast of the footage, already in progress.
(The report cuts from the studio to what sounds like a shot of the ocean. Waves lap against a boat.)
ANDREA SHEPHERD: What... what are we looking at?
JOSEPH MUSA: A ship, it looks like. One of their old Pohang-class corvettes, if -
(There’s a strange - but destructive-sounding - blast from the television.)
JOSEPH MUSA: ... if I’m not mistaken.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Oh, god.
(The broadcast returns to the WNS reporter in the studio.)
WNS REPORTER: That... that was footage from a demonstration of the powers now wielded by Captain Choi of the South Korean Air Force. We are told that was an unmanned ship, which has now been.... annihilated by what looked like...
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Joseph, I don’t think I’m meeting with Peter Stark at eleven.
JOSEPH MUSA: No, no you’re not.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Get me Schuster. Donovan, too. And whoever the fuck our top analyst for Korea is.
JOSEPH MUSA: That’d be Nora Park, I think.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Whoever, I don’t care. And half an hour after I speak with them? Get me a call with President Yun. Let’s see if I can get them in a diplomatic sort of mood.
JOSEPH MUSA: Yes, ma’am.
WNS REPORTER: ... assure us that they intend to only use Captain Choi’s powers as a tool for self-defense and to protect their national interests. But, with the emergence of what is now the fifth person of the modern age with magical powers, the question remains: what will the consequences be of this new arrival on the global stage?
(The scene fades away as we go into our opening titles music.)
ANNOUNCER: Audacious Machine Creative Presents: The Harbingers. Created by Gabriel Urbina. Episode 19: “Bolt in the Blue.”
ACT ONE
(The sounds of the meeting room on the navy ship. The heavy metal hatch into this room opens as Amy Stirling enters.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Good morning, miss Stirling.
AMY STIRLING: So, have you found a way to stop the magic war yet? (A pause.) I’m gonna take that as a “no.”
CLAUDIA SKINNER: This may come as a shock to you, Miss Stirling, but putting this particular pin back in its grenade is not going to be quite as easy as making a drunk and disorderly charge go away.
AMY STIRLING: And here I thought you were good at your job.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: I’m only as good as what I have to work with, so...
AMY STIRLING: Fine, fine. I’m here, I’ve got coffee, I’m awake, what would you like to talk about?
CLAUDIA SKINNER: I’d like to discuss your relationship with Captain Soo-Jin Choi, please.
(A long pause.)
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, I should have gotten more coffee.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Miss Stirling? Is there a problem?
AMY STIRLING: No, not a problem, just a... This thing is about Jacqueline Saint-Pierre, isn’t it? She’s the one playing Real World Risk, why aren’t we talking about Jacqueline Saint-Pierre?
CLAUDIA SKINNER: We will, but -
AMY STIRLING: And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but if you want to talk about the Captain? You could just, I don’t know, talk to the Captain?
CLAUDIA SKINNER: That’s not -
AMY STIRLING: If you want the absolute authority on that subject, just pick up the phone and call up her ship. Have a gay old time with it, just - just leave me out of it.
(A pause.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: You get it out of your system? Okay, let’s try this again: from whence the obstreperousness, counselor?
AMY STIRLING: God, I’d forgotten how infuriating you could be. The obstreprero- whatever, it’s coming from... it’s hard to explain, okay? It’s a long story.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Let’s take it step by step, then, and start at the beginning. South Korea made the announcement on May tenth, 2029. The day you left Las Vegas.
AMY STIRLING: My lost, very long weekend.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: You saw the news? Before you left?
AMY STIRLING: Oh yeah. Heard the news, saw her blow up a battleship just to show off that she could... hell of a thing of a thing to throw on top of a hangover.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And then?
AMY STIRLING: And then... I had a double expresso, an egg white omelette, some ibuprofen, and a flight back to New York City. Spent the next few days waiting out the hangover and waiting for the shoe to drop.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And when did it drop?
AMY STIRLING: May fourteenth. By then, Andie had spoken with Seoul a few times, had made her public statement of support...
CLAUDIA SKINNER: ... and North Korean forces had noticeably pulled back from the thirty-eighth parallel. As shows of force go?
AMY STIRLING: Oh, it was effective. I’m not saying it wasn’t effective. It’s just...
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Just what?
AMY STIRLING: Nothing. Andie did the political tap-dancing. Called all the right people. She got what the joint chiefs wanted.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: A face-to-face with the world’s newest, scariest magician.
AMY STIRLING: Except said magician didn’t want to meet with a faceless Washington diplomat. She wanted to talk to someone with a ring on their finger.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: So you got on a plane, headed towards a navy base in Hawaii.
AMY STIRLING: God I wish it had been that simple.
(The scene fades to the sounds of the cabin on an airplane that’s already in flight.)
NARRATOR: United States Air Force Learjet. Approximately forty-five thousand feet above California.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Okay, so I’ve been thinking...
AMY STIRLING: Oh good, you’ve been thinking...
ADAM BLACKWELL: I think we should go over Captain Choi’s file together. Go through her history, her service record, the bits we know about her personal history -
(Amy makes a little annoyed sound.)
ADAM BLACKWELL: - her public persona, her - well, her everything. See if there’s anything there that might help us to -
(Amy undoes her seatbelt and gets to her feet.)
ADAM BLACKWELL: - to figure out how to - to... what are you doing?
(Amy’s walked over to a small fridge. She starts going through it.)
AMY STIRLING: If we’re gonna do this? I need a drink.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Amy...
(Amy holds up a can.)
AMY STIRLING: Ahh, Death From Above... never let it be said the Air Force isn’t consistent with its brand... What?
ADAM BLACKWELL: Don’t you think that... ?
(A small pause.)
AMY STIRLING: That what? Come on, out with it.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Are you sure you want to do that, Amy? Don’t you think you’ve had enough for a little while?
(A pause.)
AMY STIRLING: No, I don’t.
(Amy pops open the can and returns to her seat.)
ADAM BLACKWELL: It’s an important meeting Amy, we don’t want to -
AMY STIRLING: It’s another four hours to Hawaii, Adam. I’ll be sober by the time we land. If anything I’ll be too sober. But given the quality of the company up here in the troposphere? I’m gonna have a drink.
ADAM BLACKWELL: The troposphere is the lowest level of the atmosphere, when you’re on the ground, you’re already in -
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, don’t care, cheers.
(Amy takes a swig from the beer.)
ADAM BLACKWELL: ... fine. Whatever. But I still think we should go over this information, there’s important things for us to -
AMY STIRLING: Captain Soo-Jin Choi. Born April eighth, 1997, in Busan. Had ambitions of either sports superstardom or military excellence - ending up going with military excellence after she and her mother were among the survivors of an attack on a civilian train in 2013. She originally enrolled in the army through the ROTC program, eventually transferring to the Air Force. She has an exemplary service record and multiple commendations. She’s also, thanks to a stint in a reality competition show called Soul of Iron, a huge deal in Korea. She knocked out two of the favorites in the first rounds, then sacrificed her shot at winning in the finale to make sure one of her opponents made it safely to the finish line after injuring their ankle. The video is really cute, Kris cried like a baby when we watched it. Since then, she’s gone back to the Air Force, where she has recently become South Korea’s third ever female test pilot. Did I miss any of the big stuff?
(A pause.)
ADAM BLACKWELL: ROTC? I thought military service was compulsory in South Korea.
AMY STIRLING: Compulsory for men. It’s volunteer-only for the ladies.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Okay. Fine. The point is -
AMY STIRLING: The point is that, near as I can tell? She’s a true believer, patriotic to the point of being dogmatic, and the kind of military celebrity we don’t have back home... not to mention someone whose explicit job it is to fly the missions that are too dangerous for the regular pilots. This isn’t someone that just looks good on the poster, Adam, they picked a hell of a person to give their ring to.
ADAM BLACKWELL: And of course, the ring they found just had to be that one.
AMY STIRLING: I know. Shral Ta Zorelyn. The Ring of Demons. I guess we didn’t get lucky. Did you see what she did to that ship? How she just tore it apart?
ADAM BLACKWELL: Yeah. I saw. Well... then again, maybe we are getting lucky after all. Maybe no one on her side’ll figure out that she could do way, way scarier stuff with that ring.
(The scene fades away, and we return to the sound of the meeting room on the navy ship.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Help me understand, because I’ve always been a little fuzzy on this. What exactly does the Captain’s ring let her do? Besides blow up navy assault ships?
AMY STIRLING: Do you know what the definition of a demon is? In the, you know, Abrahamic sense of the word? A supernatural being who works to undo the will of God. Harbinger culture is fuzzier on the whole “God” business, but they had this concept called the Zore. Ghostly beings that destroy the order of the world.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And these are not the things that Julian McCandless says should be called “Challengers,” yeah? Harbinger mythology is like D&D, it makes a difference between devils and demons?
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, they’re different concepts in the... You play D&D?
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Is this the time?
AMY STIRLING: I... I guess not, but if the war gets canceled we are coming back to this, all right?
CLAUDIA SKINNER: What does the ring do, please?
AMY STIRLING: It can selectively suspend the laws that make the world be the world, okay? Laws like thermodynamics, or gravity.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: How is that different than what Jacqueline Saint-Pierre can do? Her ring lets her alter gravity.
AMY STIRLING: No, that’s - you gotta think more radical. JSP’s ring lets her make matter weightless, okay? Soo-Jin’s ring lets her make matter anti-matter. She can make two places be one place, she can collapse tomorrow into today. That’s why we call it Shral Ta Zorelyn - it lets her do the work of demons upon the world.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And what’s the practical application of such magic?
AMY STIRLING: Miss Skinner... there are absolutely none. Besides maybe scaring the shit out of everyone. It lets you do exactly one thing: unravel bits of reality. And if you do that enough, it lets you unravel all of reality. That’s the difference between the rest of us and her. If I wanted to, I could probably kill off the human race, but I’d have to really put my back into it. It’d take me a while. Soo-Jin could end the world in an instant if she’s not careful enough.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: If this ring makes her that powerful and that dangerous, then... why haven’t South Korea conquered the whole world by now?
AMY STIRLING: Well... it’s a little more complicated than that.
(The scene fades to a corridor in a US Navy base.)
NARRATOR: Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, five hours later.
ADAM BLACKWELL: All right... ready?
AMY STIRLING: Yeah.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Just remember: let’s try to keep things polite, friendly. Don’t be too confrontational. Or arrogant. Or too self-righteous, or -
AMY STIRLING: Jesus Christ, Adam, why don’t you just say “don’t be you” and leave it at that?
ADAM BLACKWELL: Is that on the menu, actually? Because -
AMY STIRLING: Open the door, would you?
ADAM BLACKWELL: Fine, fine.
(Adam knocks on a door, then opens it. We move with Adam and Amy as they enter a meeting room on the other side of the door.)
ADAM BLACKWELL: Umm, hi, good afternoon.
MAN: Dr. Blackwell. Miss Stirling.
(They shake hands with the Man.)
ADAM BLACKWELL: We apologize for being late, our plane had to go around a tropical storm.
MAN: It’s all right. You’ve come a long way, we appreciate it.
AMY STIRLING: Umm, you’re - ?
MAN: Richard Parkin, ma’am. I’m one of the military attaches out of Seoul. I was assigned to accompany the delegation and serve as a... well, tour guide of sorts, for the weekend.
ADAM BLACKWELL: And this is... ?
RICHARD PARKIN: Yes, of course. The woman of the hour. Adam Blackwell, Amy Stirling... allow me to introduce Daewi Choi Soo-Jin.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Captain Choi. My name is Adam Blackwell, it’s good to meet you.
SOO-JIN CHOI: 안녕하십니까, Doctor Blackwell.
ADAM BLACKWELL: I’m - I’m sorry? Pardon?
SOO-JIN CHOI: 안녕하십니까.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Umm, Mr. Parkin?
RICHARD PARKIN: Doctor Parkin, actually.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Sorry, Doctor. But could you - ?
RICHARD PARKIN: She said, “Are you at peace, Doctor Blackwell?” It is formal form of greeting.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Oh, I see. Ummm, thank you, yes. I... I am at peace.
RICHARD PARKIN: “Hello” and “Nice to meet you” are also acceptable replies, just FYI.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Thank you, Dr. Parkin. And, Captain Choi, this is -
AMY STIRLING: Amy. Amy Stirling. Pleasure.
SOO-JIN CHOI: 안녕하십니까, Miss Stirling. 비행은 어떠셨나요?
AMY STIRLING: Umm...?
RICHARD PARKIN: She is asking how your flight over here was.
AMY STIRLING: Ah. It was very good, thank you.
SOO-JIN CHOI: 그 소식을 듣게 되어 기쁩니다.
RICHARD PARKIN: She is very glad to hear that.
SOO-JIN CHOI: 하와이에 처음 오시는 건가요?
RICHARD PARKIN: Is this your first time in Hawaii?
ADAM BLACKWELL: All right, hang on. Sorry, can - ? Amy, can we sidebar for a second?
AMY STIRLING: Umm, Adam, wait -
ADAM BLACKWELL: No, Amy, this is -
AMY STIRLING: But -
ADAM BLACKWELL: (in a lower voice:) We need to convince this woman to never use that ring on her finger again, and I don’t know how we do it like this. I mean, I’m anxious to talk to her, but there was nothing in file about her not having even a first grader’s English vocabulary.
AMY STIRLING: No, that’s what I’m tr-
SOO-JIN CHOI: Interesting. My superiors and I were wondering what your ultimate objective for this meeting would be. It’s good to know what you’re after from the start. It should make the back-and-forth much more efficient.
(A pause.)
AMY STIRLING: If you would have let me finish, I was trying to ask: have you noticed that she doesn’t seem to need what we’re saying translated into Korean?
SOO-JIN CHOI: Also, Dr. Blackwell, you were not using the right word when you said you are anxious to speak with me. That would imply that you are nervous or scared. It would be more correct to say that you are eager to speak with me, or avid to speak with me. Although, perhaps after all of this, anxious might be the right word after all, no? Incidentally, first grade is exactly when I started learning English, thank you very much.
(A small pause.)
AMY STIRLING: Hey Adam, remember before we came into this room, when you were telling me that I shouldn’t be arrogant or - ?
ADAM BLACKWELL: Shut every inch of the fuck up, Amy.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Doctor Parkin, could you give us the room, please?
RICHARD PARKIN: Absolutely, Captain.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Thank you. I believe my colleagues and I have much to discuss.
(Richard Parkin steps out of the room, shutting the door behind him. 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 meeting room on the US Navy base.)
NARRATOR: Thirty minutes later.
ADAM BLACKWELL: Captain Choi, I... I hope you don’t think I’m being pedantic, but we really can’t overstate the scale of the issue here. These rings on my finger, on your finger, if we’re not careful with them, we could do some real damage.
AMY STIRLING: Which is why he would never do something as irresponsible as, say, send someone’s coffee cup to the moon...
(Captain Choi chuckles a bit at that.)
ADAM BLACKWELL: Yes, thank you, Amy, I appreciate the contribution. I... I guess the question at the bottom of all of this is... you’ve announced yourself, you’ve shown the world what you can do... what’s next? You have magic, what are you planning on doing with it?
SOO-JIN CHOI: What do I plan to do with my magic? I could ask you the same thing, Dr. Blackwell. You have magic, what do you plan to do with it?
ADAM BLACKWELL: I... I want to study it, I want to understand it. we... We know one percent of one percent of what there is to know about these artifacts, and it’s already been enough to put our entire understanding of physics in a skid. Our top priority needs to be wrapping our heads around the forces at work behind our magic.
SOO-JIN CHOI: I see. Very responsible. What about you, Miss Stirling?
AMY STIRLING: I -
SOO-JIN CHOI: Because unlike Dr. Blackwell... you do use your magic. Frequently. Extensively. Don’t you?
AMY STIRLING: ... I do. Yes.
SOO-JIN CHOI: And to what aims? With what intentions?
AMY STIRLING: I... I use it to entertain people, to bring people together. And I champion good causes, things that make the world a better place.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Yes, you do. From what we understand in Seoul, your work was instrumental in getting President Andrea Shepherd elected. Which is good, we much prefer her to Mr. Walker.
AMY STIRLING: Exactly, I -
SOO-JIN CHOI: But what you haven’t done is used your abilities to control people’s minds to, say, topple dangerous military dictatorships. Like the one in Myanmar.
AMY STIRLING: Well... (A pause.) No. No, I haven’t.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Because?
AMY STIRLING: Be-because I... I can’t, I can’t just go to another country and do something that would - I can’t just take people’s will away and - what, install a -
SOO-JIN CHOI: I believe what you are saying boils down to “it would be hard and it would be complicated to do well.” But many good, necessary things are difficult and complicated to do well.
ADAM BLACKWELL: All right, I think we might be getting away from the -
SOO-JIN CHOI: And you, Doctor Blackwell? If you are serious about wanting only to study the way our magic works, why do you still have your ring? Why is it not in the hands of your government, of your scientists?
ADAM BLACKWELL: Well, that wouldn’t -
SOO-JIN CHOI: Couldn’t they do a better job studying it? Devote more resources to it? More time, more energy?
ADAM BLACKWELL: No, but - how could I know it won’t be misused? That the wrong person won’t get their hands on it?
SOO-JIN CHOI: With all due respect, Doctor, some of us have been asking these questions about you for a few years now.
ADAM BLACKWELL: All due respect, Captain Choi, but a lot of what’s happened today has made me feel a little disrespected. Who are you to say all of this? To either of us?
SOO-JIN CHOI: Who am I? When you first came into this room, the first thing I said to you was 안녕하십니까. Dr. Parkin was correct, it can be understood to mean, “Are you at peace?” I’ve always thought it was appropriate as a greeting. When your country has had an enemy at its gate for eighty-one years, you don’t take quiet days for granted. When you’ve seen what would happen if you let your guard down? You don’t let your guard down. And if you find a weapon your enemy cannot stop? You wield it. And you make it clear that if they give you a reason, you will use it against them. That is what I intend to do with this magic.
ADAM BLACKWELL: But the damage that you -
SOO-JIN CHOI: I should trust you to decide what is appropriate, the way you don’t trust me? I should give up what I have, the way you haven’t given up what you have? No. That is hypocrisy and it is unbearably American, and there is no reason for me to abide by it. I have spent half my life defending my country. I plan to spend the rest of my life doing the same. That is who I am. Are we clear?
ADAM BLACKWELL: No, but - that’s not - you’re comparing... Amy, would you say something please?
AMY STIRLING: ... she’s right.
ADAM BLACKWELL: What?
AMY STIRLING: She’s right, Adam.
ADAM BLACKWELL: What do you mean, “She’s right?”
AMY STIRLING: What do I - ? The words she is saying are accurate and veracious, what do you want me to say? Look, we’ve done what we thought was best - no, we’ve done whatever the fuck we wanted with our rings. For years now. We’re gonna look her in the eye and tell her she needs to play by the rules? The ones we haven’t been following?
ADAM BLACKWELL: I have been doing nothing but -
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, and that’s your choice. And nothing gives you the right to do it besides the fact that you found that thing on your finger. Well... they found this one, and it’s on her finger now, so... it’s her choice.
ADAM BLACKWELL: And the damage that she could - ?
AMY STIRLING: Captain, are you going to use that ring to destroy the world?
SOO-JIN CHOI: I am not.
AMY STIRLING: Any designs to conquer half of Asia?
SOO-JIN CHOI: Absolutely none.
AMY STIRLING: There you go.
ADAM BLACKWELL: You’re just gonna take that on what? Faith?
(A small pause.)
AMY STIRLING: Is faith so bad? What would Damián say? After all you’ve been letting him do whatever for almost a year now...
ADAM BLACKWELL: That’s different. I trust Damián, and -
AMY STIRLING: And now... you’re going to have to trust her. We we understand what you’re saying Captain Choi. We’ll make your position clear to Washington. Thank you.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Thank you, Miss Stirling. I appreciate it greatly.
ADAM BLACKWELL: But...
SOO-JIN CHOI: There is no reason why we can’t be friends, Doctor Blackwell. I would like it very much if we could be friends, actually. But... I am going to do whatever is necessary to protect my country. And that includes using the powers this ring has given me. Understood? (A pause.) Okay. I believe there are some reporters waiting to take our pictures. Let’s go smile for the cameras.
(The scene fades back to the meeting room on the ship.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: ... okay, so... not exactly what Adam wanted out of that meeting.
AMY STIRLING: Not, exactly, no. You should have seen his face on the plane back. I don’t think he spoke once for the entire flight.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And after you got back to Washington?
AMY STIRLING: We spoke to Andie. Gave her our report. Adam said in no uncertain terms that she was manipulative, superior, and possibly dangerous.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And what did you say?
(Amy takes a deep breath and the scene fades back to the Oval Office.)
NARRATOR: The White House. The following day.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: You... like her?
JOSEPH MUSA: What do you mean you like her?
AMY STIRLING: I mean... I... I didn’t want to like her. I mean, I’d really rather no one have the ring that ends the world if you accidentally say ha instead of ah. And... Adam’s sort of not wrong. She was a little underhanded... and for all her talk about being a humble defender of her country, she’s got a hell of an ego.
JOSEPH MUSA: Takes one to know one.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Shush.
AMY STIRLING: But underneath all of that...
ANDREA SHEPHERD: You liked her?
AMY STIRLING: Push comes to shove? She made sense, she was fair, and... she maybe said some things the two of us really needed to hear. The sort of things that people are... slow to tell us ever since we got these rings.
JOSEPH MUSA: And the imminent South Korean conquest of the Eastern Hemisphere?
AMY STIRLING: I... I might be wrong about this, but... I think she means it. She really just wants to use her magic to act as a deterrent. So no one fucks with her and her people.
JOSEPH MUSA: If you’re wrong about that -
AMY STIRLING: I could be. And her ring stops me from reading her mind, so maybe she’s lying her ass off splendidly. Please don’t make foreign policy based entirely on the vibes I got, but if you ask me what vibes I got?
ANDREA SHEPHERD: You liked her.
AMY STIRLING: Yep. That’s what I got for you.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Okay. Thank you, Amy. Umm, will you give us a second to discuss this?
AMY STIRLING: Sure thing.
(Amy starts to head out of the room.)
JOSEPH MUSA: We might need you again in a second, so do us a favor and don’t go too far.
AMY STIRLING: I’ve been up for two days, man, can I at least go nap for half an hour?
JOSEPH MUSA: We might need you again...
AMY STIRLING: I’ll be around, never fear.
ANDREA SHEPHERD: Thanks, Amy.
AMY STIRLING: Yeah, yeah.
(Amy exits the Oval Office, stepping into the colonnade that’s outside of it.)
(She takes a few steps, then her phone buzzes. An incoming call. She answers.)
AMY STIRLING: You have reached the phone of the very tired, very jet-lagged Amy Stirling, how may I direct your call?
SOO-JIN CHOI: Well, I was going to ask how the flight back to Washington was, but I suppose that’s my answer.
AMY STIRLING: C-Captain Choi?
SOO-JIN CHOI: Yes, Miss Stirling. How are you?
AMY STIRLING: ... fine, thank you. What can - what can I do for you?
SOO-JIN CHOI: I... I wanted to thank you.
AMY STIRLING: Thank me?
SOO-JIN CHOI: Yes. For backing me up in Hawaii. When we were talking to Dr. Blackwell. He can be a little... obtuse.
AMY STIRLING: I... couldn’t have put it better myself. But no... no thanks necessary. You made your case, it’s as simple as that.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Well... I still want to thank you. For being reasonable enough to see it that way.
AMY STIRLING: Oh, don’t thank me yet. You’ll find I can be all kinds of unreasonable for the right thing.
SOO-JIN CHOI: I’m serious, Miss Stirling. You had my back. I’m not the kind of person that forgets that.
(A small pause.)
AMY STIRLING: S-sure thing. I appreciate that.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Good. I also had a question for you. You are about to do a big tour, aren’t you?
AMY STIRLING: Umm, yeah. I start playing shows again in five days.
SOO-JIN CHOI: It’s a world tour, right? Are you playing any shows in Korea?
AMY STIRLING: ... yeah. I’ll be - I’m doing two shows in Seoul in December.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Good. Well, maybe while you are here, the two of us can meet up. Get to know one another better.
AMY STIRLING: Umm, yeah. Maybe we can - we can get a drink or something.
SOO-JIN CHOI: You want to go drinking in South Korea? You’re a brave woman, Miss Stirling.
(Amy laughs a bit.)
AMY STIRLING: That is - okay, yes, you know what? I am. I am extremely brave.
(The scene fades back to the meeting room on the Navy ship.)
CLAUDIA SKINNER: It didn’t even take until December for the two of you to see each other again.
AMY STIRLING: No, fate had other plans.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: And the whole... unspooling the laws that keep reality together part of the equation? It doesn’t worry you?
AMY STIRLING: Miss Skinner, look at me. There’s a lot I don’t take for granted anymore, and a lot that I’m never going to be completely sure about ever again. But I know this for a fact: the world is not going to end because of Captain Soo-Jin Choi.
CLAUDIA SKINNER: What makes you so sure?
AMY STIRLING: Trust me: it’s just not, okay?
(A pause… then Amy gets to her feet.)
AMY STIRLING: I’m... I’m outta coffee. You mind if I absent myself for a second to get a refill? Before we get into... more of this fun?
CLAUDIA SKINNER: Uh... sure, that’s all right. It’ll give me a chance to make some calls.
AMY STIRLING: Cool, thanks.
(The scene fades to the mess hall on the ship. A coffee maker churns.)
AMY STIRLING: A billion dollars in tax payers’ money, you’d think they could afford a decent coffee maker...
(A door opens and someone enters the room behind her.)
AMY STIRLING: Hey. If you’re looking for the coffee, I’ll be done with it in second, it’s just taking -
(She stops short as she realizes who the other person is.)
AMY STIRLING: ... a while.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Hello, Miss Stirling.
AMY STIRLING: Hey. What - what are you doing here?
SOO-JIN CHOI: I have a report for Admiral Winterbourne.
AMY STIRLING: Oh. Cool. She’s up that way, you can’t miss her office. See ya.
(Amy grabs her cup of coffee and starts to head out.)
SOO-JIN CHOI: And... I was hoping to speak to you. If you have a moment.
(Amy sighs.)
AMY STIRLING: Look: I understand why you’re here. Little Miss Thing over there knocked out your satellite and made it your problem. Fine, I can respect that. And when we need to talk to deal with that shit, fine, I can keep it under control.
SOO-JIN CHOI: Miss Stirling, can I just - ?
AMY STIRLING: But until that’s necessary or until things change... I believe I have made my feelings towards you abundantly clear, haven’t I, Captain Choi?
(Captain Choi lets out a low breath.)
SOO-JIN CHOI: ... yes. Yes, you have.
AMY STIRLING: Cool. See you around.
(Amy exits, slamming the door shut behind her.)
SOO-JIN CHOI: Yeah... see you around.
(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 October 22nd for Episode 20, "Sweet Dreams." 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, Sabrina Odigie as Andrea Shepherd, Seoyoung Park as Captain Choi, André Teamer as Joseph Musa, and Wesley Scott as Richard Parkin. It also featured the voice of D. Casselian. Our original music was composed by Nicholas Podany. Our original show art was created by Cassie J. Allen.
Our dialogue editor for this episode was Astra Duffy. The executive producer for the series is Eleanor Hyde. 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 episode’s closing theme concludes and fades away.)
AMY STIRLING: Today’s history tidbit: on October 8th, 1856, Egyptian archeologist Mustapha El-Masry uncovered a large trove of Harbinger artifacts at a site in modern-day Angola. After his death, the artifacts would end up on display at Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.