Episode 61 - Protectors

## Protectors

A white boarder with a black background, inside of which can be seen five beartraps (also in white) and ornate comb depicted in red. Under this depiction yet still withing the boarder the words "61. PROTECTORS" are written.

### Author

William A. Wellman

Victoria makes an alliance, Buck raises questions, and Lady Ethel talks job security. The theme of tonight’s episode is Protectors.

***Content Warnings:** Physical Abuse (hit with a plastic rod), Bullying, Animal death (Heidi as usual), Mental illness, Religious violence, Homophobia, Longwinded rants about sin, Emotional Manipulation, Bugs, Body horror, Electrocution*

## Intro - One More Goodbye

Nikignik narrates to the Dreamers Cindy Lockheart and her experience saying goodbye to Rizwana Mirza as her wife left on her and her crew's doomed mission to the north in the Ruth Esther Barnes. Thinking to herself that she would have thought by now that goodbyes could not hurt her, could not get beneath the armour of her spirit, as she had known many goodbyes, having come to expect one from every greeting, a ticking countdown before the individual disappeared from her life. And yet for saying goodbye to Rizwana, she'd hoped it to be different, even as the end of their happiness came with the rolling of Black rain and Rizwana began chasing secrets of Irene Mend and Rothogroth, she prayed that she would not be taken from her. Rizwana had tried to leave unannounced, but Cindy was a light sleeper and so was awake to say goodbye and tell her crew to being her back safe, and she watches the ship said off into the horizon.

Nikignik stands in a crowed at the Dry Market, amongst a hundred walks of life, all having led north to the cluster of tents covered stalls, watching on as against their better children played in the shallows as scrupulous parents watch from the shore.

## Story One - Allegiance

Winona Carline asks The Summer Campers who of them had been to the Dry Market before, of which none of them raise their hand in response, and she gives them all a few dollars to get themselves something to eat as she stocked back up on supplies, Clara Martin asks if she could join Winona, and Winona allows this. Harrow tells them that they should stick together so that they didn't get lost, and Arnold Eggers asks how to use the money they'd been given. Victoria asks if he'd never had to pay for anything before, and she explains to him how currency worked. The group steps into the crowed of the Dry Market, drawing attention to themselves for reasons Victoria deduces to either because of their old-fashioned cloths or because they were new arrivals with money to spend. Harrow and Arnold wonder off on their own eating what seems to be twister potatoes, Victoria separating from duo to have a further explore. After a small white she finds a vender with trinkets and costume jewellery laid out on a table, of which an ornate pearl comb catches her eye. She asks the individual running the stall how much the comb was, and they tell her that it was ten of the vague currency being used. She decides that this was too expensive, and another thing catches her attention, in this case the conversation between Clara and Winona on the other side of the tents.

Clara comments that it seemed everyone knew Winona, and Winona tells her that she was a familiar face around the Dry Market. Friday Rescher, having snuck up on Victoria, asks her if she was spying, and Victoria lies and tells her that she was just looking. Friday asks if anything had caught her eye, telling her that she wanted to 'buy her allegiance', offering her a handful of gold and silver coins. Victoria asks her what she meant, and Friday tells her that if things got ugly, she'd want her on her side. Victoria asks Friday if she could just act like a normal person for a change (see Friday Rescher), and Friday tells her that she wasn't going to start anything she was just preparing to finish it. Victoria tells her that she was sure some awful things had happened to her, but that didn't give her the right to be nasty to everyone else. Friday tells her that she didn't know anything about her, but gives a very brief synopsis of Victoria's personality, telling her that she probably was terrified she'd let her guard down after 'what happened to Harrow'. Victoria tells her that she couldn't hurt her, and that if she did, she'd hurt her back. Friday looks at the shop keep, and he trips over, knocking down his table and causing the pearl comb to land at Victoria's feet. Friday bids her Fairwell with the word "Alliance". Victoria picks up the comb and tucks it into her shirt before also walking away.

### Interlude - Hired Protection

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that if they travelled in what was formally the U.S, they might find themselves in need of some extra protection. The Black rain pooled in unexpected places, so one was rarely entirely alone, the pinpoint eyes of Botco Drones watched them at every turn, and if they were in need of direction or muscle it could be had, for a price. In the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, a park ranger is said to ride horseback in the night (see G.C. Crane/Tulip), a solemn guide who does not speak, for they have no head. They did, however, know ASL. If the Dreamers saw a fox that staired to them with glowing eyes it was not to be trusted, and travellers should avoid following it. If they found themselves surrounded by a swarm of black motorcycles, they would do well to make an ally of their leader (see The Count), the favour of the Count cannot be bought like that of a simple soldier, but gifts and good will may guarantee safe passage over his ever-shifting territory, as he only wanted for guests at his dinner table.

## Story Two - Proper Morals

Buck Silver helps Hector Mendoza and Jonah Duckworth pack supplies for him, Mrs. Wicker, and Jacob Wicker to bring back to Fort Freedom, and tells Hector that he believed his dog, Hidie, was sick (see Episode 2- Dogs), and Hector tells him that she was alright. Buck asks him how long he'd been up in the Hallowoods for, and Jonah tells him they hadn't, that Jonah had moved up a few years ago, but he'd thought he should have been closer to Zelda Duckworth, also telling him that Hector didn't usually like it up north, and thanks Hector for staying (see Episode 57 - Edges), this causes it to click in Buck's head that Jonah and Hector are romantically involved. Jonah asks what had brought Buck up north, and Buck tells them that he'd been just a kid at the time, but his parents had headed up north with some other people to start a life of their own with "proper morals", and Hector comments that the "proper morals" hadn't seemed to have treated Buck very well, and Buck tells them that he thought that if no one was doing any harm then there wasn't any problem that the Christian God should have with it. Jonah asks if Buck liked it at Fort Freedom, and Buck tells them that it was fine, asking if the Scoutpost had any code on what to do and what not to do, and they respond with a general answer of 'no'. Hector brings up how Buck had mentioned an 'old boss' (see Rick Rounds), and Buck tells them that he'd "gone wild" so he couldn't lead them anymore and Mrs. Wicker had been kind enough to step in, Hector comments that this sounded like a coup, and Buck tells him that Mrs. Wicker may have done something about it, but no one had wanted him around anymore and no one had stood by him when he'd needed it, that he still felt bad about it sometimes. Hector tells him that there was no point to feeling bad.

Mrs. Wicker appears then, asking if they'd finished packing, and Jonah tells her that they should have enough to get them started (see Episode 58 - Enemies), and she tanks them, turning to Buck and telling him that it was time to leave. Buck asks her if he might be able to stay at the Scoutpost for a little while longer seeing as there'd be people from Fort Freedom returning in a day or so. She tells him that this was out of the question, using the excuse that she didn't want to impose of their hospitality, and that Buck had responsibilities at Fort Freedom. He thanks Hector and Jonah for all of their help and tells them that he suspected that he'd be seeing them again. Joshua Wicker drives up to them in a battered truck and a few minutes later they leave the Scoutpost.

### Marketing - Security Campaign

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast wither her marketing segment. She tells the listeners that it was important that the Botulus Corporation's image of security, protection, and sanctuary was raised, as with the Stonemaid activists either detained or de-radicalized, they needed to instil an aura of power, and regain the trust of Botco users. Firstly, they were introducing the "Check Me Out" dream theme, that if someone had undergone the psychological evaluation program Botco had been rolling out since the spring, they could get an exclusive theme for their aesthetic and dream profile, with hopes that this would pressure some of the more evasive dreamers, and show everyone that they dream in good company. Secondly the new campaign put focus on their security measures. In addition to the standard Dreaming Box defences, they wanted to highlight their combat drones, clusters, and carriers, along with anything else that was deadly.

### Story Two, Continued

Buck sat in the back seat of the truck as it drove back to Fort Freedom. Mrs. Wicker asks Buck what the thing with him wanting to stay at the Scoutpost had been about, and he tells her that it would have only been for the day, as they hadn't made any friends in the Hallowoods, and he'd like to get to know them better. Mrs. Wicker tells him that they weren't going to be back in a day or two, and Joshua asks her why, Buck telling her that they'd told the Scoutpost a day or two at most, the Scoutpost gave them supplies and they brought some of their people up to give the Scoutpost protection. Mrs. Wicker tells the two boys that they were going to return home to find that a terrible attack had occurred, and it would delay them for an extra day and a half, they'd supply their crew with weapons to prevent such a thing from happening again. And instead of fifteen of their fighters, they'd deliver twenty-three as an apology. Buck tells her that he had no idea what she was talking about, jokingly asking her if she'd developed the gift of prophecy, but she tells him that it wasn't prophecy, she was planning ahead, telling him that she hoped he hadn't forgotten their goal. Buck begins to argue with her, and she tells him that disobedience didn't suit him, that he was upset because he didn't understand but he would soon.

Buck asks Joshua opinion, and he tells him that the people of the Scoutpost seemed pretty weird, but Buck tells him that he was sure they looked the exact same to them with their set ways and preaching about everything. Mrs. Wicker tells Joshua to stop the truck, and Buck begins to panic, telling Mrs. Wicker that he hadn't intended to offend her, but she tells him that it wasn't about him offending her as she removes a thin piece of plastic from her purse, telling him that the people of the Scoutpost were enemies of theirs, raising their children without discipline or moral direction, holding pagan signs and ceremonies, glorifying homosexuality. Thier beliefs would never align with there's (see Fort Freedom) and would destroy Fort Freedom's way of life if they let it. She knew whatever happened next was the lord's will, but she tells Buck that she was worried for him, because she believed that the Scoutpost saw weakness in him, an opportunity to try and pull him back into sin (see Buck Silver) with them, and they couldn't have that so he needed to be disciplined, ordering Buck to get out of the truck. Joshua defends Buck and gets hit with the rod for his efforts, but Buck stands up for himself, telling Mrs. Wicker that he wasn't one of her kids. This seem stop convince Mrs. Wicker to let the issue slide, but she tells Buck that he was to not return to the Scoutpost not be involved in any of their dealings with them. Buck attempts to protest but Mrs. Wicker ignores him.

### Interlude - Indescribable Names

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that when a human was born, they did not know what they were good at, nor what they enjoyed, and in some ways when Indescribables awoke they were the same in regard to their domains. It took aeons for some before they found a purpose that facilitated them, correlate with their abilities and size and interests, and it was then that they were given a name that they could cling to for billions of years to come. Some of them never found a calling, and drift nameless from one curiosity to the next. Syrensyr, Reclaimer of Fire had his burning Industry and hoards all the riches of the universe. Tolshotol, Who Guards a Thousand Suns, lays claim to his vast empires of stars. Even Xyzikxyz, Emptiness Between Worlds, accumulates secrets and experiments in the void. Nikignik themself had never been content to sit in one place, perhaps this was why he'd left his post at the gates (see Nikignik and The Council of Heaven), was pulled into his world of knowledge, and why he spoke to the Dreamers now.

## Story Three - Kick This Thing

Lady Ethel Mallory enters a conference with Oswald Biggs Botulus withing the Prime Dream, waking into a conference room containing a stone, rune covered conference table with a glass protective cover. She asks him why he'd decided to pick Melanie Flores (see Episode 60 - Flies), asking if there weren't any podiatrists or meal ladies he liked better, but he tells her that he hadn't asked her there to talk about Melanie (he's asked her there to talk about what she did in Episode 60 - Flies), telling her that he'd fed her, and he'd fed her well, how dare she bite his hand, reminding her that he was her boss, and she got paid to do what she was told. Ethel asks him what it was their meeting was really about, telling him that they ran America together, so if he had an issue with her, they delt with it, he didn't put 'some puppet girl' (see Clementine Maidstone) between them. Oswald asks her why she "[barged] into Box Andromeda, scare [his] people and chitchat with [his] Riot (see Clementine Maidstone and Episode 60 - Flies) (will be referred to as 'Riot' for simplicity)", and Ethel tells him that she'd had her suspicions about 'Riot', telling him that she was fragile, and that Valerie Maidstone almost certainly knew that she wasn't her daughter, telling him that she didn't know how he'd expected Anderson Faust to create an entire person for him. Oswald tells her that 'Riot' had been working just fine, and that at least Anderson had been able to give him a Riot Maidstone instead of wasting time. Ethel tells him that he'd rushed things and it'd create problems, but Oswald tells her that he had alot of problems on his plate and Ethel had made herself one of them.

Ethel asks if this was the only reason that Oswald had asked her there, and he tells her that it wasn't. He tells her that Stonemaid business couldn't be allowed to happen again, that he didn't care about Valerie "or her ugly daughter or her ugly music", they could not have people losing faith in Botco, waking up in their Dreaming pods wondering what had happened. After what happened at Dreaming Box Aries he had a million people who know too much to be safely returned to the Prime Dream. Ethel tells him that she'd been trying to buy him time with that. He tells her that he needed someone to manage Botco's image, but that was what he'd hired her to do, so she needed to stop being jealous of Melanie and do her job. Ethel tells him that she could do that, and he tells her that she was off the hook, for now. She tells him that she hadn't just been wasting time at Box Polaris, she'd found something he'd been looking for a long time, handing him the parcel she'd received from Solomon Reed in Episode 44 - Rains.

## Outro - Protectors

Nikignik waxes poetics about protectors, telling the Dreamers that they entered the universe full of trust that those who came before them would take care of them, and it would be a similar world if they did. But protectors and our guardians are, like them, still finding their path themselves, some in desperation or fear or malice reaching their claws to heaven, and unable rend a tear in god they turn their hands instead on those in their power, saying that it would teach a lesson, that it was the way it had to be, they had never lived without pain, so neither would they. It was not until much later, when they will have another looking up to them, and be offered a choice. To praise or to humiliate, to welcome or to banish, to protect or to destroy. They have been given wounds, they have been hurt, but in a universe of pain, they have the opportunity to show someone the kindness they deserved.