Episode 60 - Flies

## Flies

Two flies on leashes are drawn in white on a black background, the flies have red eyes and the image has a border of white dots.

### Author

William A. Wellman

Frances doesn't quit, Olivier makes new connections, and Lady Ethel Mallory pays a visit. The theme of tonight's episode is Flies.

***Content Warnings:** Abuse, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Self-harm and suicide, Violence, Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury, Blood, Guns, Strangulation/suffocation, Misgendering, Emotional Manipulation, Bugs, Body horror*

## Intro - Blackflies

Nikignik narrates to the Dreamers someone being pursued by giant flies. They are able to hear them buzzing long before they see them, driving them onward frantically and in a panic. The sun smiled down at them, and when they open their eyes, they find themself on the forest floor, no longer able to move. The hum of their wings grows louder, the wind stirring as they approached, the flies the size of hounds with wings like glass and eyes like the devil. Yet they feel no fear as they approach and blot out the sun, the flies are not killers, for they are already dead. The flies were pallbearers, crossing-guides into the darkness, and they serenade them as they descend.

Nikignik stands in a landscape of sand and stone, if it were not for the occasional shrub, one might think it to be the surface of Mars. And for the lone figure trudging through the dust barren, the air was like death itself.

## Story One - Push to Contact

Frances Duckworth was prone to cursing but not to quitting, so she maintained a steady stream of profanity as she stumbled through the sand. She thinks to herself that she was going to strangle Moth Scarberry for destroying her life. Bill Scarberry had never done anything but love moth, and the others (see Dinah and Fox) had dressed moth, fed moth, and shown moth where to get the best apocalypse food in Vegas. She begins to look for Vegas, but freezes when she spots a Botco marketing Drone in the distance. She jumps down the slope, the stone burning away her pant legs and the skin beneath it, and landing hard at the bottom, collapsing in agony. Pushing herself up with her good leg and pulling out her pistol as the fly quickly caught up and approached her. The fly stops a few feet away from her and hovers in the air, is screen for a head lighting up with the likeness and voice of Lady Ethel Mallory, who tells Frances that if she was seeing that message it was because she was a survivor, and at the Botulus Corporation they celebrated that. But even the best of them needed help sometimes, instructing Frances to press the button on the screen, Lady Ethel giving way to a little round button, and Botco would send a team to pick them up from their current location and take them to their nearest Dreaming Box. Francis tells the fly to get lost and walks away, but the fly follows and begins to play the same message as Frances collapses in the sand again, dehydrated, and begins to crawl.

She tells the fly to be quiet as she wanted to sleep. Then she pleads with the fly to get her some water. She asks the drone if there was anyone who she could talk to, and the screen swaps to a different image of Lady Ethel, who also tells Frances to join Botco, Frances tries to talk to her, but it is quickly reviled that this is another pre-recorded message. Frances fires her gun at the fly which only results in debris embedding itself into her stomach and the fly losing its ability to fly, still playing the message from its grounded position. Francis pulls a shard of metal from her stomach, and decides to attempt suicide with her pistol, but finds that it was out of bullets, and she starts to sob. She gives in and presses the button on the screen.

### Interlude - Strange Sightings

The unnamed roads that lead into the Hallowoods were known for their strange sightings, but there were rumours to be found about roads across America. Something that looks like a radio tower but always grows nearer is said to haunt the side of the I-75 as far south as Atlanta (see The Phantom Station), in the forests of Maryland, a one-eyed dragon sails in black thunderstorms. In Loveland, Ohio, great toads with wide smiles rise from the river crossing (see Froglins). Perhaps most common though were the rumours of a dark winged figure, red eyes shining like spotlights and wings beating like a gigantic insect. It is said to sand on the side of the highway and then disappear, or make off with ones supplies in the night. Whispers of the moth’s appearance run from the dusty highways of Las Vegas all the way up to cold Chicago.

## Story Two - Cluster

Olivier Song watches out the window if the RV as the sun went down and he reflects on his life. He asks Riot Maidstone if he could sit in the he front of the RV with her as he wanted to know what it was like, and Diggory Graves tells him he could, moving into the back. Olivier and Riot talk about Nimbus, Olivier maybe self-projecting onto his new pet. He pulls out their map and asks where they were, also pointing out that Riot had drawn on Lady Ethel's face, and Riot tells him that their map didn't have all the roads but the city coming up was Toledo. Riot asks what it was like for Olivier going to school at Downing Hill Public Library, and Olivier tells her that it was probably higher pressure then Scoutpost school, and Riot tells him that she didn't grow up at the Scoutpost she'd grown up in a bunker, but Olivier was probably still smarter than her. Olivier tells her that he didn't think that was the case, as Downing hill had been about tests, and he was good at tests, but that wasn't smart that was good at surviving, Riot knew how to repair a radio tower, that was smart (see Episode 50 - Radios). Riot asks if Oliver had any friends when he was at Downing Hill, and Olivier says that that he hadn't really, he'd had one friend (see Friday Rescher) but he was never going to see her again, and Riot's girlfriend (see Clara Martin) had stolen her.

Riot tells him that she didn't know if Clara was her girlfriend, and if that was the case, she couldn't imagine why Clar had wanted to stay at Downing Hill (see Episode 48 - Revelations), they'd lived in the RV for months and when Clara had found her way out, she'd taken it, and it'd left Riot wondering if there was anything she could have done to make things better, or had Clara always been waiting for a good time to leave. Riot asks what Olivier was reading, and Olivier tells her that the book he was reading was about a girl trying to decide if she should live forever. Riot tells him that she probably shouldn't, as Riot would get board after half and hours let alone ten million years. Olivier tells her that in this case she also got be a Vampire, and Riot tells him that that was worse as once all the people were gone she'd just starve to death. Olivier tells her that they made it more of a question in the book, and offers to read Riot some, but then Riot shrieks and slams on the breaks. Olivier looks out to see another vehicle's taillights (see Ray), and two bodies, a man lying on the road (see Gale Scarberry) and a person wrapped in black cloth (see Moth Scarberry). But what caught his eye most was the Botco Drone descending from the sky to attack.

### Marketing - Humble Beginnings

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her marketing segment. she talks about Oswald Biggs Botulus and his humble beginning in his parent's farm in rural Iowa, where he'd begun assembling his first scientific projects, showing an interest in video games and computer technology. Despite his difficulties at home and his lack of support from his parents Oswald had been inspired by his local science and history teachers. She announced in a later interview that he was still able to remember the lectures they'd given him, they'd helped him realise that the people who truly had the power to change ethe world were not those geared round survival or the make a quick buck, those who effected change chased the unusual, the extreme, and the unbelievable for the sake of the journey. The people who pulled the sun out of the sky and give it to humanity as fire. Ethel tells the listeners that this mantra would continue to inspire Oswald as he worked with advancing technology, and at the age of 22 started the Botulus Corporation out of his parents’ barn, and he would spend the next decade striving for the solution to humanities growing problems. In the meantime, he started a family of his own.

### Story Two, Continued

Olivier watches as the drone perches upon the body of Gale Scarberry, and he yells at Riot to drive, that there were many things in the world that she didn't want to fight and this was one of them, that they wouldn't be able to save her mother (see Episode 22 - Mountains and Valerie Maidstone) if she was dead. Riot tells him that she wasn't going to leave Gale to die, and kicks open the door, Olivier following suite, not willing to let Riot face the fight alone, and he leaps from the RV into the air summoning a bolt of lightning to illuminate his target, seeing that it was not of flesh but robotic, and that it had a mouth full of needles that were sunken into Gale's neck. Riot attacks it with her sword and sticks it in one of its eyes, causing it to fly away, Olivier follows. He manages to get close enough to it to read its labelling, "CLUSTER, A Botulus Corporation Product", and all the little details of its articulation, but he has to duck out of the way when it shoots a laser at him, and he is forced to land as it escapes. He approaches the others and finds them kneeling by Gale and Moth. Riot looks up and asks him what the Drone was, and he tells her the extent of his knowledge.

Diggory announces that Gale was no alive, so they didn't think they could help him. Riot points out Moth, and that moth was still alive, so they collect Moth, loading moth into the back of the RV with plans on asking moth what happened when and if moth woke up. They drive off but shortly after Percy Reed tells them that they were being followed by Ray. Riot asks Diggory if they were sure that Gale had been dead (under the assumption that he was driving Ray), and Diggory tells her that he hadn't moved when they'd poked him. Oliver tells them that he'd handle it and flies out of the skylight of the RV and strikes Ray with a bolt of lightning destroying him instantly. Riot gets out of the RV, asking if it was really that easy for Olivier to kill, but he tells her he was just trying to take out the wheels and he'd gone too far. They leave to go back into the RV but Olivier looks up to see Ray putting himself back together and roll out of the fire as if nothing had happened. Riot pulls her sword out again and tells Ray to stop or Olivier would strike him with lighting again. Ray tells them that he was an automobile, not a car, and that they had Moth, and he wanted Moth back. If they wanted a fight then they would tire out before he did. Olivier asks how Ray knew about the Indescribable. Diggory tells them that Moth was unwell, Ray tells them about the Clusters, and Olivier introduces the RV Gang to him, Ray introducing himself and asking where they were going, Riot tells him Box Andromeda, asking if Ray knew how to get there. Ray ask what path they were taking, and she tells him that it was the most direct one. He tells her that they'd never get there if they went that way as it was heavily guarded by Drones, so they'd have to take the long way. Olivier asks that if they took care of Moth, if Ray would show them where to go. Ray agrees.

### Interlude - A Bigger Animal

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that they had caught now, several threats from Lady Ethel Mallory within her interruptions of his broadcast. He tells the Dreamers to not think that he was more than amused. He tells them that Ethel looked through heart shaped glasses and saw an imaginary world of manufactured, soulless dreams, while Nikignik looked out and saw the universe, everyone, everywhere, all at once with few exceptions. He asks Ethel (though she likely isn't listening) if she thought she was hiding in her armoured box. He says that Ethel imagined that enough flies, working in tandem, could devour a bigger animal, but Nikignik was no dog, they were a night sky, the wind beneath wings, every shadow, the nightmare that crept in ones writhing mind. Nikignik and all their kind were impossible, incomprehensible, and indescribable. The consequence of meddling in their affairs was not lighting from heaven but madness, turmoil and anguish, because when one's ever had been opened to the ungives they could never again be shut.

## Story Three - The Hungry Stage

Lady Ethel Mallory steps off of her carrier onto the roof of Box Andromeda with her pet flies of a leash (see Episode 13 - Stars), looking out as the canopy of the nearby forest was visible from where she was, thinking to herself that the best Dreaming Boxes stood alone in the landscape. Brooklyn Williams asks her if there was a more tactical way to handle what she was there to do, and Ethel asks her where Marco Torres was, and Brooklyn tells her that he was keeping an eye on the RV Gang. The two step inside and are greeted by Melanie Flores, who Ethel immediately questions about the location of the clone of Riot Maidstone (will be referred to as 'Riot' for simplicity). Melanie tells Ethel that she wasn't authorised to see 'Riot', Brooklyn tells Melanie that Ethel had companywide clearance, but Melanie says that Oswald himself had made this case special, and in response to this Ethel sicks her flies on her and walks through the door she noticed Melanie protecting.

She finds 'Riot' sitting at the end of a meeting table in a conference room, looking at her in fright (see Lady Ethel Mallory), and Ethel reels her flies back in before taking a seat. she greets her and tells her that the only thing she wanted from her was information. Riot tells her that she didn't have much information to give. Ethel asks her how Anderson Faust made her, if they'd grown her in a box or if she'd been a regular girl before they took a knife to her face. 'Riot' tells her that she didn't know what she was talking about, and Ethel lets her flies get a little closer to her in response, she tells 'Riot' that she was a pawn, and she didn't even know the game they were playing, telling her that she'd been close to getting what she'd needed (see Episode ) but then they'd made 'Riot', asking if Valerie had noticed that 'Riot' was wrong inside yet. 'Riot' tells her to stay away from her mum, but Ethel tells her that she wasn't her mum. 'Riot' asks her what she wanted from her, and Ethel tells her that she ['Riot'] was being manipulated like a puppet, telling her that Melanie may be charming, but she was a scavenger, hungry for a shred of Ethel's corpse, she was using 'Riot' to get a promotion and when she was done, she'd discard her. 'Riot' tells her that Melanie had been nice to her, and Ethel tells her that being nice and honest were not the same thing, comparing herself to 'Riot' as Botco had used her too, but she was going to set things right and had wanted to give 'Riot' a chance, gesturing to the TV in the room, telling 'Riot' that the real Riot was on her way there as they spoke, redirecting the security feed Marco was looking at to the screen to reveal an empty highway. She breaths into her head piece, asking Marco where the RV was, and he answers back in a panic that they'd lost track of them. Ethel smiles down at 'Riot' as the people outside manage to break down the door and tells her that heads were going to roll.

## Outro - Flies

Nikignk waxes poetics about flies, telling the Dreamers that there were scavengers in every ecosystem, telling them that life thrived in each of deaths grizzly stages. He tells them that their planet will see new life rise again, beneath a warmer sky and a harsher sun, the cycle may have a few rotations yet before the roots of the Crown of Decay grew deep enough to crack apart the bones of their world. And yet for all the unpleasantries of the ending, there was beauty to be found in the Nightgaunt's stalk in strange woods. They are the cleaners of bones, the scavengers of souls, to collect and consume the flesh of the old world and foster new life within it.