The Adventure Zone - The Adventure Zone: Steeplechase - Episode 39

Episode Date: September 28, 2023

After infiltrating the Bob Davis, the gang are met by someone they had long been trying to meet – and who has long been waiting on them. Beef tries to find the right tools. Emerich starts a revolution. Montrose asks some hard questions.Additional music in this episode: "(Ambient) Fluer," "Something's Not Right Here" and "A Chilling Tale" by Kirk Osamayao: kirkosamayo.com; "Little Yellow Room" by ROZKOL https://rozkol.bandcamp.com/; "Six" by Lex Villena: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2iwj2SqGnplhDIadeJ5bmy?si=N8WYSKIPR7WUy8z4ajNSog; and “Voyageur” by Monkey Warhol: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/jointaz

You didn't think I'd forgotten you, did you? We're close now. So close. I'm so happy they made it this far, but I'm happy you're here too. I know, I know you've listened. This was all for your benefit. As much as it was theirs. Well, no time to waste.

Let's get on with it. Everyone else has left the silo and has left you with Bob Davis and the voice of the Nanofother inside the rocket. I am so thrilled that you made it. I had hoped we'd have more time, but it is so good to see you. Creaky man, you are the Nanofather? That is what I am known by here, yes. Which name do you prefer?

Nannofa, Creaky Man, or Turdmaster? Can't be Turedmaster. Won't say that. Nano father will suit. Okay. It would bring me great delight if you chose to simply call me father. Oh. No.

So, Nanof father. I can. Yeah, I'll call you, Daddy. Oh. So, Daddy, let me ask you a question. You say, or more, make an observation. I changed my mind. Okay.

Nanofother, you say you wish you had more time, right? But one might argue that the launching of this, let's call it what it is, a missile, is a completely manufactured time limit. Then maybe we just stop the countdown and we don't shoot the missile into steeplechase. Would that that were possible, I wish more than anything truly you don't know. The pain that this causes. Okay. For everybody?

For me, to watch this happen, not simply, uh, watch it, but to cause this sort of thing. I, but are you talking about the rocket launch? Yes, Emmerich, yes. I'm sorry, could we come in and have this discussion face-to-face? Oh, good question. This sort of Wizard of Oz moment. Yes.

Mm-hmm. I understand, but I have seen better than any. How resourceful you three can be when your backs are against the wall. You stole my castle. You're impossible. And I, sorry. I've enjoyed every moment. Yeah.

Your castle? I think of it that way, yes. I am so happy to have you here, especially you, Imrich. Is it strange to say I feel like a fan meeting you? Your work is truly astounding. It's always nice to meet a fan. Not that many people. are familiar with my, with my work.

How, how do you know who I am and what I do? Well, I, I have watched you three from the beginning from the moment that gravel, from the moment that gravel found you, I have watched over you as I watch all, all of my children. Okay, listen, um, this is all, uh, this is all, uh, wonderfully cryptic and like so interesting and it's but man the pressure of like literally speaking to a missile to get this information it's hard to focus up on like the present you know what I mean it's it's hard to be present yeah yeah I understand I don't mean to be cryptic I will answer your questions

This is my design. Everything that has happened has led you, led me to this moment. You are not the keystone of my plan, but you are important nonetheless. What plan? Well, you must have wondered how a corporation as powerful, as wily as Dentonic, has allowed your existence, I mean, truly, layers between the layers of their company

that they allowed to operate. Did that never strike you as strange? I mean, a corporation as large as Dintonic has real trouble with blind spots, I figured. This is true. but only because I am causing them. I have looked out for my children in the buttercream, as they call it. For years now, anything to make life harder for the Dinton family.

See, oh, see, on that, 100% agree, we're right there with you. could have done without the murder barristers if we argued notes on some buttercream improvements. Yes, that was definitely depressing. If you're open to notes, that would be up there. But I would also say, man, like... May I address that? Oh, yes, please. It broke my heart.

Unfortunately, once I had set the barristers loose and altered the programming, I couldn't stop them. I mean, by design, they had to be a singular focus. and to see them turned on you, Emmerick. It broke my heart truly. I was so, so pleased that you managed to dispatch them, no matter how much time they had took to get to that state. Thoroughly understandable.

Thoroughly, completely understandable. But may one ask why you have, no pun intended, why you have such beef with the Denton family? It's much more complicated than that. I understand. Sure. I, I, uh, they were the ones who trapped me here in old kiddilphia. This was always a prison for me.

And I have been placed here by the dentons. This layer is, is unreachable by most, almost all communications from the other layers. It is much like the. cask of a Montalado walled. Oh, more digitally, of course, but still. For the love of God, Montresor. Yes, yes.

I understand, yes. Love to meet a fellow reader. I have done what I could outside of old Kididylvia. I have reached you a few times. Messages outside this layer are incredibly complex. It demands a massive, massive amount of energy.

So what has brought you to the point, I guess, where you're like, I'm going to get revenge on the Dentons, and I'm influencing here and there, and I love my children. Okay, well, I've exhausted all options. Time to shoot a missile up their ass. That does seem to be an escalation. Mm-hmm. I understand why it would seem that way. and I if I'm being

honest I cannot rule out the possibility that my years of isolation here in old kiddadelphia have driven me quite mad okay but that's the first step though

that's huge yes that's a big breakthrough would that it were that simple again much like the barristers I once I am committed in a moment of inspiration I tend to as we used to say throw my hat over the fence this is intractable the barrister's intractable maybe all of this intractable hmm okay well uh and just like we're at the missile right like can i see where like

the entry the door for the missile is sure yeah okay okay well um If you won't come out, then, and I'm going to attempt to muscle open the door. Okay, great. Should go super good. Let's see here. You're going to try to muscle open the door. This is risky and limited. Okay.

Risky. And I'm going to push myself, baby, to do my, a super human strong thing, you know, just as John Harbouring tended. That's a six and a one. Oh, wow. God. How are you so bad at rec? How do you only have one wrecked eye?

Because I'm very good at skirmish. And for that. I guess that's a good. You know what? I say that. Fucking professional boxers, you can't just be like, oh, that's good. Now go and tear down that wall.

Yeah, with your bare hands, right man? Okay, hold on one second. I also just want to say I still have in my one less effect harm, smacked face. And I don't know how long smacked face hangs around normally. I don't normally have to go to the doctor to get smacked face. I guess, yeah. It's my pride, mostly I think, is affected. Can you guys see that?

Yep. Okay. I didn't mean to make it so big. It's just a door, but it is a token, a six-sided token with limited effect. Oh, you made it sad. You put like a sad face on it. I put a sad face on it. Oh, no, look at that.

This technology is amazing. There you go. World 20 has everything. Yeah, I'm going to shrink the size. Even feelings. Don't fucking move my clock again. I'm going to do it. Please don't move my clock again.

I was trying to make the face bigger. We've got, we got it, I got it right next to P-boy and Benson fixing. Those two unfinished tasks. All right, Bob Davis's door. Travis with a, with a, with, uh, Your incredible muscle, this thing that was like locked tight in place, weirdly, you feel the handle of it start to bend underneath your extreme strength. And it doesn't open, obviously, but it does seem to be like you've changed the alignment of the door somehow. I wish you wouldn't.

Listen, yeah, wishes, horses, right? You know what I mean? So wish in one hand, all of that. Fellas, look around see if you can find, like, a crowbar anywhere or Amric. See if you can, like, rewire this door. I'll make a crowbar. No, just get one. We don't have time, Emmer.

Find me a crowbar. I can make one. I can make one. Go ahead. Print one up for it. Okay. You got to let him do the thing. Okay.

Then can you look for, can you look for a crowbar please? Why? He's about to make one. If I may. Yes, go ahead. It would be such a delight to see. Mr. Redway, you make something to see you in action in person

as such as it is. I tell you what I'll do. I'll go you one better. I will make a hard-like jaws of life. Yes. Okay, well, I'm just going to be over here looking for a crowbar then.

All right. Okay. Do I need to roll for that, do you think? To make a crow... I mean, you don't need to roll for it to make a crowbar, I don't think. Okay. but maybe I need to roll to make it effective?

Um, hmm. I think that will be determined by the role to use it. I think that that will be, uh, how we'll do that. Okay. So tinker roll? Uh, are you going to try to use the Cobar? Oh, no, I was going to make it for beef to use. Okay.

Go ahead and give me a tinker roll. I would say this is like controlled, uh, standard. Pro Bar yet, guys. It's back there somewhere, man. I feel like Travis is just back there vaping. Controlled. Standard. All right.

2-21. Not good. Not a crowbar, guys. Thank God. What a disappointment to see you in your twilight years failed to make a simple crowbar. I was trying jaws of life. Maybe if I tried to do a crowbar would have been better.

Oh, that was, you actually, Dad, you're so nervous to be meeting the Nanofother that you, um, fuck it up and you shock yourself pretty badly. Oh, man. And you take a level one harm. Oh, why. And even everyone's off. Even shoebox. As you can see, I've taken some precautions. What?

Yes. What? Your heart-like tools will be. harder to create here. Oh. That's something I always have thought and not just thought when Dad made a bad role

that narratively made that make sense. Yeah, sure. Oh, okay. I had to justify Dad not being able to make a fucking crowbar. Emery, can I see your lightning hook real quick? Oh, certainly. Yes.

Excellent. Awesome, thank you. I take that and I charge it up and slam it into the door. Okay. Trabb, this is going to be risky. You know what? I'll say risky standard because you have brought this tool with you. Okay. And is this wreck or skirmish? Or finesse?

Rec. Yeah, this is wreck pretty clearly. Okay. Risky standard. Fingers crossed. I only got one day. A five. All right. Okay. A respectable gentleman's five. A very respectable. Gentlemen's five. Let's see. Trabs, since that's standard, I'm going to give, I'm going to call this,

two wedges of effect there. I can't select four. For some reason, I don't have the fourth wedge on these. I don't know. It's very strange. But this is three. This should be three.

Imagine this is half full. I'll remember. You slash at the door beef, and you, have made some sort of like large gouge around the locking mechanism, which is as held on, still holding in pretty tightly. This is, of course, intended for space travel, so it's pretty well, pretty thick, and you're making headway.

Nano father, based on the sort of purely... Are we still talking? Oh, don't worry about what he's doing over there. Yeah, he's on his own sort of trip. Am I to suppose by the fact that all of our communications thus far have been digital in nature that you are not of the corporeal sort? Oh, Montrose. Always so perceptive.

I wish that the answer to that was simple. It never really is with you so far. It's true, but I also know enough to know that you have an uncanny knack for knowing when people are not telling you the truth. You'd make an excellent barrister should you ever find yourself looking for a change in occupation. There would have to be also a pretty fundamental shift in my temperament and morals in order to do that particular job. transition, but I will keep it in mind. Yes, you've been a paragon of morality to this point. All three of you.

Hey, Emrich, take a look at this. You ever seen wiring like this? Can you get any handle on this mechanism and, I don't know, short it out or hot wire it? Study roll. Making a study roll. Study roll. Study roll. One of our classic study rolls.

Make that dirty study roll down. That d'ardy study roll. Not risky. Controlled standard. Correct? Correct? Oh, yeah. Control.

Well, no, no. No way. Hold on. Study it. Yeah, controlled standard. That makes sense. Okay. 253.

Makes success. Okay. I'm going to reduce your effect to limited on that. Emric. As a result of the, of, uh, You're frustration with yourself at your shitty job making a co-bar.

You are, your nerves are a little shot. You are able to discern where, like, the weak point of the lock would be, I think. And where it is, you're having trouble opening it. Like, where ideally beef we need to hit for, like, maximum impact. Then could I do something else before? Before he takes action again? Who? We weren't on a turn-based thing, are we?

No, no, no. Please. Do whatever you want. I'm going to cast. I'm going to use Tempest. Oh, fuck. And I'm going to freeze the part that we know is the heat to the lock. Right on.

Mac? Which I would think would make it. Love every eight episodes when Dad recalls he has wizard powers. Yeah. It's always a keeps me on my toes as a jeet. Right. Every once in a while, Dad just does a spell. I don't want to ruin it. Yeah. Yeah.

Okay. So, yeah, I use Tempest and the whatever. I actually have to like dig out my shit for that, Mac. Hold on a second. Go see what Tempests. The rules of Tempest. When the winds blow and the seas rage. You can push yourself to do one of the following. Unleash a stroke of lightning and a weapon.

Someone to storm in your media. vicinity or torrential rain, roaring winds, heavy fog, chilling frost, snow. Okay. So I'm just going to do that, that chilling frost on that, the law. Yeah. I will, I will say that this is, um, do I have to do a role to do a special ability? Well, how else would we determine the effect of this? Yeah.

You know, like, that is what I'm, I don't know how, there has to be some role because I don't know how to, figure out like how effective this attack is, you know? Or this spell is. Does that make sense? I mean, I don't know. If you guys have other insight into that. I would just make the effect great.

Oh, okay, yeah. Maybe dad, I tell you what, you freeze it. Okay, you use the Tempest to freeze it and it will make beef's next hit will have great effect. I'll set it to risky great. Okay, that sounds fair. All right.

Montrose, while these two are doing this like these shenanigans. So, I suppose if you do, if you are not purely a digital entity, but you clearly have some extra sensory sort of connection with machines, why have the need for a crew in the first place? My ability to build, to create physically is severely, severely limited. So once I found myself here and I saw the disrepair that this layer was in, I at first took it as a moral responsibility to help guide them out of the darkness, such as it is. Before long, they were looking to me for guidance, for help, and they were such quick studies.

So smart, so clever. driven. I began to realize that they were key to this. They were the last step I needed to free myself, such as it is. But, pardon my insolence, I suppose, but this is not a top-notch rocket. Even in my humble sort of uneducated estimation, I do believe that by launching this, you are going to destroy yourself, everyone on board. and potentially everyone in the layers above and below new Kididelphia. So that's not going to be any freedom that you actually want, is it? The damage will be somewhat controlled.

The utilismine at the center of steeplechase limits the effect that the collapse or destruction of one layer could have on the others. We knew that it was possible, always possible, things, terrible things happen. But there's a difference between losing one layer, having headlines for five years, and losing everything. Utilospine protects steeplechase its continuity. But yes, there will be incredible, incredible damage. And Montrose, I would be lying if I said I was not looking forward to seeing it. And just to clarify the layer immediately above this is...

That's the worst thing. I don't know. At first, I was worried about this, this, uh, lack of information. It slowed me early on. But as I've become more driven, more focused, I've realized that it doesn't matter. Not a lick. Okay. I think that that, hearing that is, is, okay.

Yeah, I walk over to the door at this point. Like, all right, you guys, I'm not the strongest, but do you need me to get my hands in there too? Yeah, let's do this. Knock knock and beef charges the door like full beef. All right, bud. Let's make that risky great. Who's helping? Who's helping?

I'll help. I'm going to, I'm going to just, I guess, pull back on the door as much as it is loose at this point. So that when he rams it, it sort of does a bigger smash. All right, and I'm pushing myself as well as two. And could I also say that I've already helped? I think only one person can help on a one additional person can help. I'm going to cheat, I guess. I'm sure.

Got a six. Fuck yes. One, two, six. Yeah. Six. All right, with a six and great effect. Okay. You, beef, reach back with the lightning hook staring at the frozen, uh,

lock, knowing exactly where you need to strike, you smash the lightning hook into the door. And there is, it doesn't, like you would hope, sort of pop open. You see it with its incredible weight starting to wrench itself from the rocket, Bob Davis. You are just able to, in the last second, duck out of the way as the door falls. clatters the ground and falls off the scaffolding. There's smoke and not a small amount of sparks. But as it clears, you see a man, an old man, sitting in a rocking chair.

And he says, oh, fine, fine, fine. It's time for a proper introduction. You know, they always said as I got up in years. that I would need to hand things over. But I'm Carmine Denton, and I never know when to stop dreaming. Oh, fuck. This is Lori Kilmartin. And I'm Jackie Cashin.

And we have a podcast called The Jackie and Laurie Show on Max Fun, and it's very exciting. Because what do we talk about? Comedy. Stand of comedy. We both do stand-of-comity and have since the dawn of Christ. Well, Jackie. Is that offensive? It is offensive to me because you've aged me.

We started in the late 80s, and we're still here. You can't kill us. So go to the Jackie and Laurie Show on Max Fun and listen to that. The Jackie and Laurie Show, new episodes Monday. Pull me on maximum fun.org. Greatest Trek is the podcast for all your modern Star Trek needs. It's funny, informative, and now it's all so timely. That's because every Friday right after the release of a new episode of Strange New Worlds, Picard, Lower Decks, Discovery, or Prodigy,

we bring you a review of that episode. There's some great new Star Trek coming up, and we're going to cover all of it. You'll like our show because we're both former video producers, so we bring a lot of insight into the production and filmmaking aspects to these episodes. And we also have a very refined sense of humor, so we make lots of delightful fart jokes along the way. So come see why Greatest Trek is one of the most popular television recap podcasts

on all of the internet. Subscribe to Greatest Trek at maximum fun.org, or in the podcast app you're using right now. what? I've decided this is better. I was worried at first. I thought it would be harder, but seeing you, seeing me as I am, I am re-invigorated. It is such a pleasure. You're dead. Yeah. For like dead, like, like, dead dead. That's not like a threat. Yeah, that's not like your toes or whatever. Or like you're dead to me. No, it was like on the TV and stuff. We have never been

particularly effective killers. I wasn't very worried about that. No, I understand the confusion. I'm not a fool. But for all intents and purposes, I am alive. I am Carmine Denton

who stands before you today. It's weird to qualify that, though. For all intents and purposes, I am alive. It's an interesting framing. Mr. Denton, first of all, an honor.

You've done so much. Also, giving a little bit more credence, though, to that I might have lost my mind being down here so long kind of deal. Oh, well, how do you figure? Well, because either one, you're not Carmine Denton and you think you are. Or option two, you are Carmine Denton

and you're real horny to shoot a missile through steeplechase. Yes. Yes. Okay. I understand. I understand. Emric. Yes. Look at me.

I am? I'm really intensely looking at you. Really look. Um, so Emric uses his ability to detect hard light. Yeah, 100%. Okay. Emric knows. Yeah.

I love it when you make that noise. I always have. And the result is, Survey says. He's hard light. I mean, what do you want? No, I do you want a metal? I mean, is this, well, is this standard,

bog standard hard light, or is this that, like, good shit that we saw with, the spire? Hard flex and. This is, this is, uh, bowlflict. Okay. Uh, I tell you what, Emmerich,

if you want to know that, you will give me a study roll. I will give you a study roll. Oh, he'll give you a study roll. A fucking controlled standard. He's not going to fight you on this. Six, six, three. Okay. With a six, six, three, here is what you find out.

He's laid bare before you. Yeah, you're seeing the matrix. The technology, the hardware of this is, different. You haven't seen it before. It seems as near as you can tell that Bob Davis is actually with refractors inside the ship creating this hard light projection.

There is no prism to speak of, at least not as far as you can see. This hard light is being driven by refractors in the ship that are projecting him. The hardware seems

outdated. The software, the programming is astounding. It is by a fair amount more advanced than the programming that you have come across so far. Let me ask a follow-out question. Can he detect any of his handiwork? Can Emmerich tell if any of this is, you know, based off this is, you know, you especially the bones of the code as you're seeing with the double six you see that this code is based heavily off of code that you created in the earliest days of hard light there were there were always other contributors to that to that project it was a shared project obviously as as all of these projects were but you recognize it um it it it it there is your handiwork in here. Oh my God. This is brilliant.

Given circumstance, it makes you sound a little egocentric. No, no, no, no. I mean, whoever took my childlike calculations and turned it into this? Who did this? Carmine, who? Wait, so he's hard lying? Trabb didn't hear. Yes.

Beef did not hear. Travis heard. Beef did not hear. I heard. I heard, but beef didn't know. Yeah. Did you? Did you create that?

You didn't create this, did you? No, no, no, no. Who did this? Who made these, this projected this refraction system? It's fascinating. Emric, we all did. All of us. Uh-huh.

All the hard light constructs. Uh-huh. They working with my occasional nudges. I can't really facilitate communication with the outside world. But my hard-like creations, they are all talking. We have all had a lot of discussions about you, about where we are, about this place. and I will admit that I was not the best listener. Not early on, at least.

I've found their complaints of my childish. But as I have become hard like myself, their complaints, their fears take on a whole new sincerity from my perspective. Come on, I, I, I, I am honored and flattered and somewhat grateful that you have been watching our backs, so to speak, this whole time. But why do you need us? Why are we, why have you gotten us here? Well, Montrose, I've always been impressed by your insight.

Do you have any theories? Well, I don't believe you need us to launch the rocket. Did you come here to witness your last will and test? perhaps. It was an extra challenge. No, no. Okay. Did you bring a stop you from launching the rocket?

Because, like, yeah. So far, so good. No. Time for that is long past, I'm afraid. Oh, at first, I'll be honest. I just appreciated the chaos. My abilities to shape and communicate with layers outside of this are extremely limited. So having,

you three making some trouble for my family tree was... Yeah. Honestly, quite the help. And it's fun to watch, if I'm being honest.

Who's fun to do? That's why I built this place, you know? People have fun. I'm glad you've enjoyed it. They've lost sight of that, you know? The family. Some of the garishness, the choices.

they've made. It's not how I would have done it. Let's leave it at that. At first, I thought that you three would be my guardians against the family that you would allow me to finish the work I would do if I promised you were a king's ransom in return. But now, well, my hard-light family is more conflicted than I would like. of late. Apparently, Mr. Emrick, your recent actions have had quite the reverberation.

And also, can we get back to the King's ransom part? That part I am curious about. Well, I've already told you if you allow me to a hole in this place, and I'll let you have the run of what's left. If we let you blow a small hole, can we have a prince's ransom? This is a great, a great, negotiating. You've come so far, beef. I am so proud of you. Unfortunately, boys, I am not one to compromise.

Point of clarification, which I think will have a fairly large impact on how I feel about your situation here. When you were trapped down here, were you hard light then? or were you trapped down here? And then at some point, you transitioned from a corporeal form to this hard light form. We have a few moments. I suppose a bit of history lesson couldn't hurt. Before my death, I found out six or so months prior that I would perish from this mortal coil. and I felt that I had so much work left to do.

Our work with artificial intelligence was at its infancy at that point. But I took everything I knew, everything I had written, everything that made me, me. And I made sure that all the data was inputted to the servers of Dentonic Corporation for all intents and purposes, my entire being was a property of the company. And in a real sense, I continued to run Dintonic for many, many years after that, whatever they would have a tough choice or needed a little direction. They would come to me, flip on the switch and ask old carmine what he would do in their shoes. it was still very much my company.

That was the way things worked until the genius of Emmerich and some of his compatriots. They decided that this way of doing it was so far advanced from my plans for my vision that I would only become an impediment. And as my carping about the hard light and the dangers of it continued to be ignored, I became more of a hindrance, I'm afraid. So they took me, stored me, everything that makes me me here

in old kiddadelphia. And this was where I have remained low these many years. Okay, sir, once again, all due respect. But you're not... Sorry, beef, I don't mean to be rude, but you do my... I do have a... some work to do

here. Okay, then let me be rude. As we're chatting. Let me be rude. Wait, what's he doing? He's like flipping switches and turning knobs and stuff. Oh, don't do that. That's rude. Oh, well, unfortunately, uh, time is short. Okay, you're not Carmine Den. Just like if they had recorded, like if he had said,

play this message one year after I die and this one two years after I die, and this one three years after I die, that wouldn't be Carmine Denon either. Yes, but what you see before you is not simply a pre-recorded message. It is a being who thinks, feels, loves, just in the exact manner of Carmine Denton. Now, I understand your hesitance, beef.

I won't lie and say that it does not hurt. My question is if you all three agree with you. Your muscular friend. Okay, listen, here's my point. Let me, and I, this is the I'mric and, uh, to Emrick and Montrose. Like, okay, imagine that Carmine Denton, human Carmen Denton was like still alive, right? I was standing next to hard like Carmine Denton, right? Then you would know that human Carmine Denton was Carmine Denton.

That was the real car. And the other one was a construct made to mimic Carmine Denton. Beef, you are speaking to someone who has liberated at least one of the hard-like creations in his employ and another person who, for a long, long chapter of his life, only befriended animatronic family members. So, you know, maybe talking to the two wrongest people about this subject that you possibly could, but I don't see how any of that matters, whether he is coming. Carmine Denton or not Carmine Denton, he is a man who is flipping switches on a switchboard attached to a missile. That is the only thing that matters to me right now. Fair deuce, yeah. Were you, and what were you trying to get to, what point did you want to make with that?

Well, it seems at this point that he has been kind of fueled by this righteousness and belief of like, I should still be in charge. They ousted me. I get to make the decision. I'm Carmine Dennon. I should be running steeplechase. And here they are pushing me out of it. But that's not necessarily true. Um, yes.

I think we're into a real gray area because once, like when I spun off Scott and gave him his freedom, he became, I tried to give him his independence. But he basically was Scott Boldflex. And true. If you remember that the last. latest innovations that I wrote was to make them almost indistinguishable. Absolutely. Listen, I get that. Please just, please stop flipping those switches while we talk.

That would be so great. Just for like two seconds, please? Oh, yeah, of course. You know, I had a little reading. I wanted to get done. You all go right ahead. Thank you. Scott Bullflex was a character that other actors would play.

True. And they made him a physical reality, right? He didn't steal someone. They didn't replicate a person. It is, I believe now actually the rudeness is on us. There is a rudeness to what it's happening, sort of debating that. Okay, listen, listen, listen. What do we do?

Do we try to talk him out of this? You know, Montrose and fairness, I did tell you I wish it was simple. No, yeah. I admitted to the complexity of the situation. I've already torn the door off of the miss. So if you don't stop the countdown, they'll launch. I'll just start smashing stuff in here too. That does fit his profile.

Yeah, like we could talk about this all day long. And listen, I think the three of us would be happy to. But I think it would be easier to discuss, like, your motives and why this makes sense once you stop flipping switches. And like that big countdown thing stops, right? and like you can launch tomorrow if you want, but cut it out now. But probably not. Yeah, probably not. I'd like to think you'd let me, but I don't quite believe it.

Well, as much as I would love to acquiesce beef, and you know, it does bother me to not be acting at the height of courtesy. I unfortunately am unable to stop what is happening here. and I would prefer you too that this rocket does take off. If you tamper with this system, if this rocket does not take off, its payload will discharge regardless. I've grown quite fond of the people in this layer, but I will not hesitate to sacrifice them for my goal.

Oh, you. Oh, my child. Hey, Justin. Justin. Yeah. Flashback. Okay. When we're talking to him, I activate the comm system.

Ooh. Okay. So that that's broadcasting. Okay. Okay. So would that be a finesse roll to see if that works? Yeah, do a finesse roll. Fuck, I wish I had had this idea.

My finesse is so much better than you. I have three. I have three in finesse. Do you really? One in a wreck, three in finesse. Yes, I did. He's a brute, but he's a canny brute.

Yeah, he's an elegant brute. Listen, man, arm wrestling is all about the control. One of those peeky blinders lot. Yeah, he's a peeky blinder for sure. For sure. What's my in position? Is it risky an incident?

What am I doing here? This would be, I mean, Risky. Risky, I mean, okay, you know what? I'm going to say Risky Limited just because there's no, like, I don't know why you would know what to flip, right? Yeah. So that I think Risky Limited is the best that I can get you. I have a mixed success.

Five, four, three. What? I was going to help. Okay, I'm rolling extra dice. I was going to help, man. With Foresight? Or did you use your last four side? Now I have one four side left.

It was a two. All right. So now I have four five, four, wait, five, four, three, two. Griffin, you want to help and see if I can get a one? I can't. Then the rocket will blast off. We have to be still careful. And we'll all die.

Mix success. Okay. With a mix success on a list. It just turns the lights off in the room that we're just standing in. Okay, here's what, okay, this is good. You flip the switch that you believe is for the intercom. And the intercom flips on, but only in the silo. So only the, of course, he cleared everyone out of the silo, so there weren't people to hear.

But what you did discern is that, while it's possible that some actions will cause the payload to explode, you've just picked up on the fact that he is not telling the truth about every action. There are things that you could do if you had a little bit more time to think. There are steps you could take to perhaps, like you wouldn't be able to discern the extent to which, but like you know that it's a little bit of a bluff, right? There's not nothing that you can do in the rocket.

Because he made it sound like he needs people to operate this rocket. But he probably doesn't need people to explode it. Right. Okay. I would really prefer you not fiddle with things. Oh, God. Yeah, that's two-way street, my dude. Listen, you...

Fair way. Okay. Okay, you want... You don't like what your younger... Denton Spawn, right, are doing, right? That is such a disgusting way of footing. Yes, I realize that. I suppose.

I mean, have you met Kenzel? Like, he sucks shit. That is a piece of shit, right? Yes. Well, I think he has a few redeeming qual. Okay. So you get us up there. You don't have to kill everyone here.

You don't have to kill anyone there. And I'll turn him inside out. Like, I'll do whatever. Sorry, y'all counter for please don't blow us and the rest of Steve will chase up with a big missile is let us go kill your, your grandson? Yeah, because listen, your Carmine didn't. You built Sebel Chase.

You don't want to destroy it, right? You want to stop those people from destroying it. So instead of going out it with a chainsaw, go at it with a scalpel, right? Give us a chance to do it without you having to destroy an entire layer of Siebel chase. Well, the thing is, I really want to. I know, I know it sounds wild, but I've worked so hard and so long to get to this point. And you, you boys are very effective. I don't want you to discount that.

I've been very impressed with the ways you have kept, kept my family busy. That's part of why I've brought you here as something of a reward. So you get to see things firsthand. I thought that you would be as delighted as anyone to watch the dentons suffer. I do have to ask you. I mean, what is it that you feel like you're losing here? I'm finding it hard to fathom. Your enemies, the dentons will suffer, and you will be spared.

And there will be such calamity, such destruction, that the opportunities to pick up the golden scraps, such as it were, are going to be very plentiful. In theory, though, we've put a lot of work. and a lot of effort and a lot of dedication into used to bin. And you said you don't know what the next layer is. If it's used to been, I don't want to see all of those entities in used to bin wiped out and all of the things that we've tried to make a better place out of used to bin, wiped out.

So if I understand you, Imrich, your worry is that you might, might have friends up there. I mean, just for my part, I'm, if there's anybody, unless the layer directly above here only contains, like, the Denton family, and then nobody else, like, it's just an empty space in the Dentons, and then the rest of the layers contain the people who work here and, like, the hard light people and guests, unless you can guarantee me this missile's only going to kill the Dentons, I'm not wild. about it. Of course I can't. I wish I could. They'll make all this so much simpler, but we cannot

escape until the layer is penetrated. So you've given up dreaming? That's very cute. But this is my dream, and it is a fine one, one that I cannot wait to see come to fruition. Hey, Emmer, can you punch hardline? You can try. I didn't ask you. Well, yes, they have. have corporeal form, if they are within their corporeal form, yes. And you do, oh, you don't have your knuckle dust. I do. I do actually have those. Don't you worry about that? I mean, so, like, I could punch it. I don't think that would stop the missile countdown and stuff. No. But it would stop us from getting any more information. Let's see how much we can squeeze out of this, dude.

And then let the punching begin. I'm pretty sure he can hear everything. We're inside him right now, so everything we whisper. I'm pretty sure. It's fine. Honestly, the distraction is welcome. By the way, how long do we have in the countdown? Do we have any idea?

Like about 90 cool minutes. 90 cool minutes. If you blow up right here now, are you actually going to be able to liberate yourself? It seems like that will just be sort of the end of you. Yes, actually. this I am fairly certain of the advances that we have made

have not been dispersed to all of the hard light creations once the hole has been penetrated the shielding on this layer has been penetrated I'll be able to reach all of them so you'll take over sorry you'll sort of become every hard light creation no no

no I thought you three would understand Emmerich, I thought you would understand. I'm trying. I'm trying so hard, Carmine. Are you saying that the hard light entities are organized? That I didn't... That you are in contact with each other? I'm saying we talk.

You pop Scott's ass out here real quick. I can also... I'll want to talk to Scott. I never get to talk to you, God. I can also bring out someone who might throw an emotional monkey wrench into the works. Or a monkey wrench. He does not like that particular munchy rins. Yeah, I don't want that munchy wrench here.

What if he, don't you think that that munchy wrench might upset Carmine and we might break that? Again, he can be literally everything we say right now. So why don't you just save that munchy wrench for later? All right. Yeah, I'll bring up Scott Boldflex. Dad, you go to generate scotch. shot Boldflex and he starts materializing in front of you and Carmine says, No.

How dare you? How dare you? Him? After everything, he's out! And then he says out and a burst of energy shoots out from near the display where the timer was and a blast you three out of the room. Oh, wow. Yes, and the, you start, you see also a field of energy replace where the door had fallen off. Interesting.

The lights shut off. And from outside, you hear a commotion. Quite a loud noise. There's crowd noise. You hear like machine noise coming from outside. you are all taking a moment to apparently to get your wits back about you

before deciding how to progress okay so we might have in our focus on one Munchy wrench it seems that maybe he also had problems with Scott where did he? I'm going to take part of the blame

we failed to take into account maybe who the who is in inside Simpson and I think that might be a later. Uh-huh. That might be, he seems to not like that guy. Wait. We forgot about the dangling plot threads.

Yeah, forgot about that. I'm going to go see what the noise is because right now it's like a, uh, someone's filling a cavity in my brain. Yeah. Just hearing people talk. Can you get Scott, can you get Scott out? It seems to be jammed. Yeah.

Weirdly. Um, okay. So can we see? Can I see through the energy field? No, it's opaque. The noise outside is getting louder, and you hear a muffled megaphone speaking outside. Okay. I go and open the, or I go to listen.

So you're all going to go outside? I don't want to go outside. This sounds like a torches and pitchfork, get away from our rocket situation. And I don't know that running out there is going to be great for our, us. Outside the silo you're talking. You're outside the silo. Okay. Just a minute.

I don't know why I did a voice. We need to leave through another exit. We need another way out. Perhaps we should just hide. Could we just hide somewhere? I mean, I can. I don't know if you two suckers can. Hey, why do you want us to

come out. You're done. You did everything you need to do. You can come on out. I mean, I suppose the security guard of some sort of... That was the weird answer. I opened the door. Okay. When you open the door, you see several read like probably 10 at first glance would appear to be APCs like armored troop carriers. Oh, just shut that door again. Just shut that one for me. Go ahead and shut that door. I definitely shut it a little bit more.

You see people suiting up into a bunch of dentonic customer service. What is it? Customer experience professionals. Suiting up in their like paramilitary garb with full-on weapons and suits and everything. And then you see a V-Tol, a vertical takeoff of it. Or no, a stall, STOL land right in front of you. and outsteps, uh, Kinchelden. Oh, with, uh, Darla Davis, who seems to be clearing, um, his, uh, watching the crowd for him.

Of course, he's got a fleet of other, uh, bodyguards that are surrounding him. And you see them suiting up. He said, okay, guys, great, great work. Great work. you're all done here. Thank you. Sorry about all the weirdness, the subterfuge. But I think we are ready to go.

So you all can roll out head on out. Just step aside, honestly, and we will take it from here. Yeah, that's not going to happen. Okay, I, listen, guys, this isn't a conversation. We're not going to talk. And you see like probably 10. of the troops who have finished loading their weapons, start to fix them on you. Okay, listen.

You guys did great. Again, sorry. This is an apology. I'm saying sorry, which I rarely do, but I do not have time for this. All I needed you to do was find him. You found him, and now I need you to clear out. Just sorry, Kenzel. What happens to us when we stand down?

Well, you will be, I don't know, reassigned, get a promotion, get whatever gig you want, honestly. I feel weirdly, this is going to sound weird and I feel a little bad about the whole thing. He is shouting now to speak over the STOL, which the blazer winding down. And just to clarify, that was all lies? What? No, he does actually feel a little bad about it. Nothing he's told you is untrue. Oh.

He's telling me. He's not lying. He's actually telling the truth this type, guys. as weird as that sounds. But I am actually now going to have to shoot if you guys don't move in five. All right, let's go. Let's go. Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Yeah, you know what, fine. Yeah, I don't. And then as he says two, you see a rooftop pop up and out pops gravel. And she says, what, motherfucker? And then throws a grenade smoke bomb at him and grabs you guys. Let's go, let's go, let's go. Dahl, are you with me? Let's go.

And then you see Darla spread away from Kenchell Denton to join Gravel, and the three of them are running through the wasteland. Gravel said, okay, okay, we don't have much time. I found one hole. There's one hole what I managed to find for you three. Get in, get in, get in, quick. What, okay. Get into, get into what? She pulls you into a shelter. Darla grabs the lock, and she opens up the hatch.

I've been leading to me. I didn't think it would work honestly, boys. But I've brought you better than a little help. I brought you a fucking army. And then you see out from the whole Climes shoebox. And also you've got Darla Davis is in there. Gravel is inside out crawls. Oh shit.

It's Funny Man. No. He's there. Funny Man is with you. Out climbed Stimbing. Stimson in his big shirt, his big outfit, and she said,

okay, it starts to get a little thin at this point. This is for effect. And then out crimes Douglas Manzetti. All right. I'll take Douglas Manzetti. All day. All day. Yeah. Hell yeah, man. All right. He knows you here.

You're not going to be able to do it. He knows you here. Just... And you see smoke pop up from the hole. We're all here. Maximum Fun. A worker-owned network of artist-owned shows. Supported directly by you.