The Nylon Curtain

The Nylon Curtain is the story of Captain and Cassidy between 1967 and 1983. It can be read here.

## Background

The Nylon Curtain is divided into nine parts, each corresponding with a song on Billy Joel's album of the same name. It was written by Techno Tinker, and is told from Captain's point of view up until the very last chapter, *Where's The Orchestra?,* which is told from Cassidy's perspective. Most of the story takes place in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Captain and Cassidy had gotten an apartment to live in for a few years after the Korean War. The latter portion of the story takes place either in Vietnam or Walter Manor. *Where's The Orchestra?* is the only chapter in which Captain is not present.

## Plot

### Allentown

Allentown takes place in November 1967 and sets the ground for the tone of the beginning of the story, with Captain waiting for Cassidy (then known as Orlando or Lannie) to return from her shift at the Bethlehem Steel plant they had both taken up jobs at. At this point, Captain and Cassidy are in their romantic relationship, and have been for a couple of years. Captain describes their apartment, stating the pair had gotten furniture from Sears, which references Billy Joel's *Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.*

In waiting for Cassidy to return home, Captain makes her pancakes for dinner, as he isn't sure what else to cook. While Cassidy eats her dinner, the two of them discuss going for a stroll in a local park. They then sit in the living room to watch TV, seeing a clip of the news about the Vietnam war. Cassidy expresses concerns both about the war and the possibility of the Bethlehem plant shutting down. Captain is quick to dismiss her worries and they watch TV for the rest of the evening until Captain goes to work.

### Laura

Laura gives a first glimpse into Captain's cynicism about war as a whole, as well as being built specifically to fight. Getting him out of his head, Cassidy talks to him about being uncomfortable in her body, expressing how she believes she is transgender. Captain mentions internally how he believes it could either be due to Cassidy using LSD or being born like that. Cassidy tells him about her name choice and he happily accepts.

Then, Captain starts to talk to Cassidy about being just a machine, but Cassidy comforts him, telling him he is just as much a person as any human is. After this is Captain's internal monologue about the complexity of the world.

### Pressure

Pressure first expresses Captain's nervousness about the impending Vietnam war, mentioning how he and Cassidy had attended a protest against it. Cassidy talks to Captain about dodging the draft, but Captain quickly talks her out of it, despite wanting to dodge it himself.

After about two weeks, Cassidy and Captain are inevitably sent to Vietnam. Captain is on the deck of his ship with his crew, talking to them about the horrors of war he'd experienced, trying to prepare them for what awaited ahead. Internally, he mentions how young the soldiers are, and how much it hurts him to send them away. Captain is then knocked overboard, and washes up on the shore of Vietnam, using a blindfold to protect his sensitive eyes after his glasses break.

### Goodnight Saigon

Goodnight Saigon is the longest chapter, and as Captain's memory of the events he'd experienced is corrupt in some places (or he refused to give Cassidy access to them), the story is spotty and jumps often.

Captain ventures into the jungle to try to find any other American forces that might be stationed there. He mentions being alone and wanting to go home above all. After a couple of days of wandering, Captain mentions how he believes he is being followed and how he misses the apartment back home in Allentown.

Another few days pass, and Captain sees an American helicopter fly over him. He tries to get its attention, but fails and watches it fly further away. He continues to become more nervous and cynical. That night, Captain is found by Siren, who had been captured by the Viet Cong by Kras' orders, and is captured and taken away.

Captain finds himself tied up in a mysterious building surrounded by enemy soldiers. Kras enters the room, though Captain does not know who he is, and forces Captain to play Russian roulette with his own revolver. He leaves the room once more, and Captain, having a feeling the bullet is in the gun's chamber, fires at one of the soldiers, killing him. After taking one of the soldiers' guns, he kills the other two in the room and makes his escape.

Captain's internal thoughts become less intelligible as he grows increasingly desperate. He mentions Agent Orange being poured over everything, later being found and taken away by American forces.

Eventually he reunites with Cassidy, and after five more years, the two of them are finally sent home.

### She's Right On Time

Now back home in Allentown, Captain is setting up Christmas decorations, once again waiting for Cassidy to come home, this time from visiting family in California. Captain is cooking food for when Cassidy returns, internally talking about how he had many regrets from the war still weighing down on him. Cassidy comes home and eats dinner, and then they finish decorating the apartment.

### A Room of Our Own

Captain thinks about how the war had left him scarred, and how he and Cassidy had made the decision to move back to Walter Manor in California. He mentions seeing cardinals and how they make him feel dread, and he notices how Cassidy no longer seemed to feel the same about him. He and Cassidy talk, breaking off their relationship, and they begin to pack for their move.

### Surprises

Captain is sitting in the library in Walter Manor after their move, thinking about the war as well as other robots and Walter workers and how they perceived him. He expresses missing the apartment, as well as returning to his original cynical thoughts about how he was built for war. Eventually, Cassidy comes into the library and talks to him about how he'd changed drastically since the war.

### Scandinavian Skies

Captain has a nightmare about once again being in Vietnam, first starting on the beach and then falling through the sky, seeing red feathers that turn into a cardinal, which in turn becomes Kras. Captain eventually descends into only repeating the words "red bird."

### Where's The Orchestra?

After the harpoon incident that left Captain in disrepair, Cassidy is dressed up and walking through a town, presumably San Diego, ready to see a musical. However, she is disappointed to find she was attending a play, and remarks on the lack of an orchestra. She had gotten two balcony seats by mistake, having bought an extra ticket for Captain out of habit. After the play is over, Cassidy stays behind in the theater, reminiscing about the apartment in Allentown, running though memories of all of the previous chapters. She comments on how the war had left him a changed man, and is taken away from her thoughts when a theater worker comes in. She then leaves the theater and goes home, thus ending the story.

## Trivia

* The idea for the story came to Techno in a dream.
* Originally, *She's Right on Time* was to be the chapter Cassidy comes out to Captain, but that was later changed.
* Beacon is not present, as she was living on her island at the time.
	+ This is due to the story being written before Beacon was decided to be Captain's sister.
* The art for each chapter was originally done on sticky notes, then later redone digitally.