Episode 83 - Hopes

## Hopes

A blood splattered (drawn red) Joker playing card (drawn white) over a black backdrop with a thin white frame and white spider webs in the corners. Within the border but below the image the words "83.HOPES" are written in white

### Author

William A. Wellman

Barb stacks the deck, Diggory learns about destiny, and Percy learns to fly. The theme of tonight’s episode is Hopes.

***Content Warnings:** Abuse, Animal death (Bert as usual), Self-harm, Violence, Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury, Blood, Birds, Strangulation/suffocation, Static (including sfx), Emotional Manipulation, Bugs, Body horror, Consumption of Inedible Materials (Barb), Alcohol Use, Smoking, Cannibalism???*

## Intro - Things Will Get Better

Nikignik speaks to the Dreamers of a to be Sleeper, listening as they were told things would get better, by the columnists in the newspapers, by financial advisors and real estate agents in their reports, by the ones they loved before the workday started, by their friends as the wars began, by TV pundits and politicians and influencers, by the climate scientists when the rains begin, by Lady Ethel Mallory, by Oswald Biggs Botulus. And they wonder when thing will get better. They are told things will get better by the rains, and they believe them, by the unquiet stars, and they follow them.

Nikignik stands downwind from Barb as he smoked a cigarette, the smoke doing little to make him feel less rotten about what was to come, but it did sooth his worry into a dreadful resolution. He tosses his cigarette.

## Story 1 - The Disgusting Smell of Salvation

Barb looks up and waves to any gods who may be watching him, returning to Mort's side shortly after, finding him talking to The Omen and in the tail end of receiving Polly's message from Episode 82 - Failures. Mort points down to the bottom of the hill they were on, identifying Rick Rounds and Polly as they walked past (see Episode 82 - Failures) and gets ready to attack Rick before Barb tells him to wait, telling him that they only had one shot and they had to get it right, asking how Polly was looking. Mort tells him that Polly only had one hand (see Episode 76 - Lungs), asking if Barb couldn't see. Barb points out that he [Barb] didn't have any eyeballs, but Mort tells him that he [Mort] didn't have any eyes either and he could see. Barb tells Mort that Rick wasn't going to play fair, so he was going to have to hit him hard and fast, that Mort's claw was the strongest weapon he had. Mort double checks to make sure that Barb was going to be coming with him, and Barb tells him that he'd be doing everything in how power to help him. Mort charges down the hill, hitting Rick so hard that he went flying into the salvaged Lady Liberty. Barb stays to watch, Rick quickly getting up again and Polly screaming at Mort to run away. Barb knew as well as Polly that the fight was unfair with the odds stacked in Rick's favour.

Barb leaves the scene of the fight to the remains to Coney Island, finding Yaretzi (see Episode 73 - Retributions) still sleeping. He tells her that it was time to wake up as her kid [Mort] was in trouble, slicing open his forearm on a piece of rebar successfully in hope that his blood would stir her. He tells her that he knew his heart was rotten, but it had to be good for something, beginning to claw through his chest in order to get to the organ in question. He tells her that what she had with Mort and Polly was sweet, something that he could never have, so the least he could do was make sure that they got to keep it. Barb had been shot from the start, but Polly had a chance, and he was going to die without Yaretzi. He breaks through his ribs, telling her he was sure he'd taste hideous, but she could was it down with the blood of Rick Rounds, feeling his different types of visions fade one by one. Yaretzi wakes up, asking him if he was sure. He tells her 'sure as hell', and with a snap of her teeth, Barbatos dies.

### Interlude 1 - Power Outage

Nikignik makes an announcement to the residence of the Resting Place Hotel, telling them that there was a power outage expected to last anywhere between the current time and the rest of eternity. The power outage had unfortunately led to the disappearance of the entire hotel and the expulsion of its decor and inhabitants into the surrounding marsh. It was recommended that if a resident had a mode of transportation in the parking lot that they claim it, as there was no longer a parking lot. It was requested that they check on other guests who may be in need of assistance, such as ghosts in joke boxes who could not escape the mire on their own. Substitute accommodation may be difficult to provide, as the closest operating Resting Place Hotel was nowhere. The same place, as this one, and the one who made it all that it was (see Barb).

## Story 2 - Seven Secrets

Continuing after the events of Episode 80 - Courts, Diggory Graves asks the Count if he knew much about Destiny. The Count tells them that destiny was what they made of it, a little information could sway one's path, and they should think of him as a distributor. They hear the sound of breaking glass outside, and Valerie Maidstone reminds him that he'd told them he wasn't going to be robbing them, he tells her that he wasn't robbing them, but his cavalcade might require payment. He tells them that as they'd crossed his domain, he would ask each of them a question, if they gave him the answers he wanted he would give them one secret that they would require to escape their imminent fate. He turns to Valerie, asking her what it was the crew of the Ruth Esther Barns had been looking for. She tells him that she didn't actually know what it was, but she'd been told it would stop the black rain. He notes this as interesting and turns to Olivier Song, asking her what the current location of Downing Hill public library was. She at first tells him that she didn't know, before deciding that she didn't owe Downing Hill anything anymore (see Episode 15 - Cards) and telling him that it was in The Hallowoods. The Count asks Danielle O'Hara what she could tell him about the Stonemaids, and she tells him that they were still active, though he wasn't a member. He tells Percy Reed that he didn't require a secret from him and asks Diggory if Irene Mend was dead, which they confirm as well as the freedom of all her creations. Diggory notices the sound of distant tornado sirens and attempts to tell the group that they should be leaving to no avail. The Count tells Riot Maidstone that he required something more personal from her and she confesses to staying up late every night talking to Clara Martin over the radio for years while she was still in the Bunker. Valerie tells her that she knew she'd been doing this.

The Count tells Other Riot that he could sense she was carrying a much heavier secret, and she goes on a rant about how the last few days had been the worst of her life, that her and Valere had been kidnaped (see Episode 72 - Errors), most of the time the others pretended like she wasn't there or as much as a person as anyone else. So, she was done cooperating, and she hopefully wouldn't have to wait much longer. The Count tells her that he suggested she humour him, when she denies him, he tells her that he was sorry it'd come to this and shadow walks away, leaving them alone for Othe Riot to open the doors to the scene of thousands of Botco drones.

### Marketing - Worth It For You

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her marketing segment. She asks the listeners how their day had been, that hers had been busy. That every year the Botulus Corporation would have a meeting and question if it was still worth reaching out to those not yet in Dreaming Boxes. Number of incoming customers had been dropping, and they could put the resources elsewhere. And every year she would deny them this, because she wasn't giving up on those outside of dreaming boxes, and if it was a hundred thousand, or a thousand, or only a hundred people who reached out, then those people were worth fighting for, for their safety. And if the listener were the only person to find Botco, then they'd be worth it.

### Story 2, Continued - Seven Secrets

Riot attacks Other Riot, calling her a lying snitch and (correctly) accusing her of having led Botco straight to them. Other Riot throws herself through the open door in an attempt to escape, but Riot only follows her to Valerie's dismay. Valerie tells the others to stay put while she brought the RV around so they could escape. Danielle goes to Diggory, telling them that she didn't want to go back (see Danielle O'Hara) pleading with them to not let them put her back. Diggory promises her that she'd be safe. Olivier calls out to Riot, but Riot reassures her that she could handle Other Riot and to go and help Valerie. Valerie reaches the RV, and Nikignik breaks their narration to apologise to the Dreamers for not being able to tell them a happier story as one of the Drones shoots up the RV, harming Valerie in the process and rendering her unconscious. Olivier becomes torn between summoning the storm she was in the process of conjuring, and helping Valerie, and grabbing Riot and retreating, but she realises that in this situation there was no correct answer, and a small drone appears in front of her face with a small Dreaming Box set in its head, casing Olivier to fall asleep and drop out of the sky. Riot sees this, forgetting about Other Riot to instead run to Olivier, only getting so far before another small drone does the same for her, Riot having just enough time to throw herself to the floor in hopes of protecting Olivier's body with her own before she too falls asleep.

Other Riot looks upon the chaos and questions where Lady Ethel was, questioning for the first time if she'd made a horrible mistake before she too sees one of the small drones and falls asleep. Danielle sees this, and in a moment of necessitated selfishness had Diggory help find her a place to hide where she could not be found after they barricade the doors with a table. The barricade doesn't hold up long and soon a drone breaks in, discharging a ten-inch silver steak through Diggory's chest and pinning them to the back wall. Percy attempts to attack the drone, to little avail and as more arrive wile Diggory attempts and fails to unpin themself, the locket around their neck is stolen by one of the drones, and as the Drones fly away, they pull Percy with them, Diggory helpless to do anything but watch. Nikignik announces that they were no longer able to narrate (see Marolmar), that it'd been a mistake, apologising before cutting off the broadcast.