Episode 74 - Riots

## Riots

A black background with a white border made of what looks to be four cigarettes in each corner, the smoke trailing down the sides. Within this border two bust silhouettes are facing each other, one depicted in red and the other in white. Bellow these images but still within the border are the words "74.RIOTS".

### Author

William A. Wellman

Booker runs the numbers, Riot confronts herself, and Valerie gets her bearings. The theme of tonight’s episode is Riots.

***Content Warnings:** Abuse, Animal death (hit by vehicle), Self-harm and suicide (thoughts implied), Violence, Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury, Emotional Manipulation, Bugs, Body horror, Drug Use (sedatives), Electrocution, Needles, Diggory Graves is made of other people*

## Intro - A World That Still Remembers

Nikignik speaks to the Dreamers of Rizwana Mirza, finding her attempts at bravery and grace hapless in the face of reality, as the black storms rolled (see The Night of Black Rains) new terrors and questions and hate-fuelled explanations surged across news networks filled ever news network, "#blackrains", "#chemicalweapons", "#worldending". She had press conferences and cabinet meetings booked for days, although she held no answers, people wanting to hear her voice and know that this was not the end. But even so it was for her wife (see Cindy Lockheart) who she worried the most, who she had promised to find the source (see the Heart of Marolmar) and destroy it. A terrible promise, one that would take everything from her.

Nikignik sits in a well to do house in a well to do neighbourhood. A prize in its own right to an envious world. But in the empty living room and the office and the empty playroom, black rain fell on the windows, and in the city beyond sirens and shouting voices wailed.

## Story 1 - Another Grisly Scene

Booker Martin has a panic attack overhearing the news of the Black Rains, calling out to Zora Martin to ask if she had the news on, barely able to hear her response over the sound of news anchors and reporters, one saying that he didn't know if the rains were cause for a panic, that the mass migration North might have been an organised movement (see Sleepers), another cutting the first off to give the news Gerald Hilston's death at the hands of Walter Pensive in self-defence. Zora asks Booker what as happening, he tells her to get Clara Martin. She asks him to explain what was happening, what the scenario was, he tells her that it was chemical, a weapon, or pollution, or environmental he didn't know (see Black Water). Zora asks him why he was panicking, that she'd never seen him panic before, asking why he was scared of the water, but he tells her he wasn't scared of the water he was scared of people, that was why they were leaving. She asks where they were leaving to, confused, and he tells her that he had a house in Ontario, off grid, for emergencies (see the Rathbone House). Zora, realising that Booker had a house he'd never told her about, and that he was being serious, asks if he was sure they needed to do this. Zora gets a phone call, answering before hanging up and relaying the information that Clara's kindergarten had been closed for the day. They step outside into the rain and to their car.

Booker drives them, being careful to avoid densely populated arias while Zora mutters about all they'd be leaving behind, taking part in an argument with him in which his silence was the second half. This continues, until booker hits something with his car which he had not seen in the rain. Zora asks if it was a dog, only for this to quickly be proven wrong when the figure stood up and a dozen clawed hands spread out from its silhouette. He realises that Zora was yelling at him, but his world hummed like a bell had been rung, far away the sirens screamed, and something dark and sharp and terrible leaped for his vehicle. Zora cuts in, screaming at him to drive, and he does. They pull up into the kindergarten parking lot, retrieving Clara. Finally, all three of them are in the car, Clara crying and railing against the straps of her car seat. Booker tells her to calm down and breath, an exercise which she practices as instructed. Zora asks when they were flying out.

### Interlude 1 - Coalitions of Dream

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that they might look at the path that led them to who they were today and not find it a shocking one. For those born before Dreaming Boxes, hey had seen the Botulus Corporation's rise to power. It was not for him to say that they let it happen, what could they have done, they were only one person. And yet, each movement that shook the foundations of their established norms, broke the systems they had built in order to rebuild them began with one person. They gathered behind figures as they railed against the end, against the corporation with its hands in all your governments, when their institutions were bought with blood and cryptocurrency. They may be saddened that they won, that they now lived in a sleeping world surrounded by great silver boxes that punctuated the lost landscape. But even now, although they could not hear them, there were still rebellions and protests, riots of thought and coalitions of dream, fighting within sleep for a sliver of hope.

## Story 2 - Evil Twin

Riot Maidstone screams up on seeing Other Riot, picking up after the events of Episode 72 - Errors, slamming her foot down on the breaks of the RV. Percy Reed tells them that they couldn't stop where they were, but she ignores him, pulling out her sword and asking Other Riot who she was. Other Riot stumbles back, telling her that she was Riot, Riot Maidstone, and Riot tell her to get out of the RV. Diggory Graves pipes up then, announcing that Danielle O'Hara had stopped breathing, dragging her body in-between the two Riots onto the floor of the RV, beginning to give her CPR as the approaching Botco Drones gain on them again. Riot calls to Olivier Song, asking if he could take care of the flies, he tells her didn't know, but he'd try, and proceeds to try and fail. Percy tells Riot that she had to get them out of there, Riot asks if anyone else was concerned about Other Riot, Diggory asks Danielle to stay with them and breath, and Valerie Maidstone starts to mutter to herself that she was experiencing a bad dream and she'd be waking up soon. Riot gives in to Pery's demand and puts the RV into drive, speeding off across the highway, yelling to Percy to let her know where they were going. He tells her that one of the drones had just lasered the RV, and Valerie begins to mutter to herself that she couldn't go back (see the Botulus Corporation). Riot tells Olivier that she needed him to try again, and he does, succeeding this time in striking down one of the drones, casing lest to fall back, passing out immediately afterwards.

They see no drones for a while, those in the back of the RV capable of sleep got some much-needed rest, Riot driving on, looking for a place to stop and sort everything, still throwing glares at Other Riot through the rear-view mirror every few minutes. She spots an empty garage building off the road, pulling into it to take shelter under its rusted roof and hope that that darkness would protect them from Botco's prying eyes. She tells Other Riot to get out of the RV, demanding to know what she was, Other Riot tells her that she was a girl, at least she thought. Riot tells her when Danielle had told her there was another Riot, she'd thought she'd meant a dream (see Episode 49 - Rescues and the Prime Dream), asking Diggory why they'd let her in. Diggory tells her that they might have gotten them confused, having not been aware that Riot had a sister. Riot tells them that she wasn't her sister, not even her evil twin, that she was just pretending to be her. Other Riot stands by that she was Riot, asking why Riot had kidnaped her mum, Riot tells her that it was because Valerie was her mum, once again telling her to get out of the RV. Other Riot refuses, so Riot tells her that she'd have to kill her inside then, preparing to lunge at Other Riot when she felt a hand on her shoulder, finding Valerie with her fists raised, telling her not to lay a hand on her daughter.

### Marketing - Employee Reminder

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her marketing segment, announcing a "Botco employee reminder" that thy had a responsibility to the Botulus Corporation to be loving and understanding, as people reacted with fear to new technology, as the world changed and transformed, they would realize there was nothing to be afraid of at all. If she had listened when people protested in Botco’s early business developments, they would have not saved so many lives. Likewise, they had the Stonemaids sending their messages and making their complaints public. She tells the listeners to listen to these complaints but remember that they would undermine them entirely if they could. So, they had to continue to make the hard decisions and show them the way to the future.

### Story 2, Continued - Evil Twin

Riot tells Valerie that she was her daughter, but Valerie tells her that she didn't know, looking between her and Other Riot. That she didn't know what was going on, but she was seeing two Riots. One of them had been with her the whole time (see Episode 48 - Revelations), and she'd thought things had been getting better, Other Riot had been sweet and hadn't fought her all the time and she'd thought they could handle the Botco stuff together, but now she was also there with a sword and the RV that she'd stolen the night she'd left (see Episode 2 - Dogs), telling them to stop screaming and trying to stab each other. Riot tells her that she had no idea what she'd been through to get her back, no idea what she'd been through since they'd seen each other, and this was how her mother was thanking her, because she liked some stranger who didn't talk back as much as her. Other Riot tells her to put the sword down, that she didn't want to hurt her, and Riot interprets this as a threat, but Diggory talks her down, that Violence was not the way they did things, and it would not have been what Walter Pensive wanted (see Episode 36 - Swords). Riot kicks open the door to the RV and leaves, finding a nearby abandoned house with a sunken in roof, heading towards it as she began questioning what the point of the journey had been when her mum didn't even seem happy to see her. She questions what Other Riot was as she entered the house, a paid actor who didn't know when to quit, or something worse. She hears Diggory calling out for her, but she ignores them.

She asks an imaginary Walter Pensive what he would do in her situation, lamenting that things never went right, asking why they couldn't just be easy. She tells imaginary Walt that she knew what he'd do, tell her "*Now Riot, sure you’re upset. But it’s all a great learning experience. Something’s gone and stolen your face. So let’s start with the questions*", pulling out Walt's Almanac and beginning a page titled "Other Riot" on one of the few remaining blank ones. She understood that she was going to have to find out what Other Riot wanted, what she was capable of, why she was there. Diggory's voice crackles up from the Walkie-talkie that she still had in her pocket from Episode 72 - Errors, asking if she was alright and to please not leave. She tells them that she wasn't leaving, and if they could keep everyone out of trouble until she returned, that she'd be back soon, they tell her that they could do that before hanging up. Riot allows herself to rest.

### Interlude 2 - Against The Universe

Nikignik tells the Dreamers to rebel against the universe, as they owed it nothing. Without consent it had raised them into sentience, never asking if they wanted to experience the journey of life, nor promise them a fair one. And there they found them still, on the surface of the earth, in distant cities and quiet villages, asleep. He tells the Dreamers that when they woke her hoped them to set fire to whatever disturbed them, raze the world until they were content, and give the old and wrathful gods reason to fear their name. He hoped they would take the life they had been burdened with and make something out of it worth living.

## Story 3 - The Inescapable Past

Valerie Maidstone sat in the front seat of the RV, and thought of death. She understood there to be three options to the things she was seeing in the world around her: Option one was that everything she was seeing and had been told was a lie, she was still in the Prime Dream and in the same situation she was in Episode 7 - Nightmares. Option two was that she was drugged out of her mind still in Box Andromeda and was hallucinating everything in front of her, but her perception of reality was to stable for that to be the case. And option three, everything she was seeing was real. She tells the group that she was going to ask them all some questions so she could better understand what was happening. She looks to Olivier Song, asking him who he was, why he was there, and how he was able to do the things he did, he answers her questions (see Olivier Song and Covenants), that Riot had asked him to come along and help because he owed her. She turns to Other Riot, asking if she'd been lying to her from the start, but Other Riot tells her that everything she'd told her bad been true, or she'd thought it was. She'd woke up in a bed at Box Andromeda and been told she was her daughter, that it was strange she couldn't remember. She'd been through all her journals; she'd thought it was real. But when the box went into emergency mode (see Episode 72 - Errors), she knew someone had come for Valerie, and she didn’t want to be alone.

Valerie thanks her for her rational response, turning to Diggory to ask them some questions, but trailing off when she notices their sleeve of tattoos (see Evelyn Fry). Diggory introduces themself, but Valerie ignores them, instead asking if they were Evelyn Fry, and they tell her that they were, in part. She asks them what they meant by that, if they'd stolen her skin, before beginning to notice the familiar shapes of the rest of the Crew of the Ruth Esther Barns, fleeing the RV feeling nauseous. The realisation that all of her friends were dead and been sewn together hits her like a metaphorical ton of bricks, and when she spots Percy Reed sitting on the far side of the garage, she decides that she'd been drugged. Other Riot steps out of the RV and joins her, asking her what was wrong. Valerie tries to explain, but when Other Riot doesn't understand who Rizwana Mirza was, it finally clicks for her that Other Riot wasn't Riot. She tells Other Riot that she was going to go and find Riot, stumbling out of the garage. She finds her quickly, and they embrace, Valerie openly weeping against her daughter's head. She [Valerie] tells her that she'd come so far, thanking her for saving her, and Riot tells her that it was no problem. Valerie explains that she didn't know what was going on yet, asking what they were going to do next, and Riot tells her that they were going to go home (see Scoutpost).

## Outro - Riots

Nikignik waxes poetics about Riots, telling the Dreamers that there was no progression without movement. Those who cried and raise their voices so that they may live in a world where it was no longer necessary. Those who lived before them contributed small pieces to a whole that was ever-changing. He tells them to not be afraid to change the world, for they were the one living in it, and the bricks they threw now could prevent the building of roads that would be travelled long after their passing. Even now, as new life stirred in black water, as sleepers whispered of the end, as the stars blinked out above them, he would lift his voice to speak, and hope that it would help in some small way. But he was one voice, and they wree a hundred thousand.