Scene 1: Short-stay Quarters

Narrator:

The next morning, Becca had a throbbing headache. Her mouth was dry, her stomach upset. Everything ached.

Evie:

Goooooood morning. And how are yooooooou today?

Becca:

I never want to taste bacon again (pause) You’re in a despicably good mood.

Evie:

I am! I just..ha-ha, I feel better. Oh, it’s good to catch up with old friends. I haven’t seen those guys in ages. Good times.

Becca:

You're OK with what happened last night? (internal) She’ll forget about the Vencume. She’ll forget about the children.

Evie:

Those guys, tsk. They were just drunk. They'll get over it. (she sings)

Years separate us, lives, light-years
Yet still, there runs a common thread
We've all had our laughs and tears
And they're all glad that I'm not dead.

I have some shopping to do. You coming?

Becca:

No. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to go out there. It smells. I can’t take smells right now.

Evie:

Well, OK. I’m going to stop by the Queue on the way back, go ahead and get that chip thing taken care of. You need anything while I’m out?

Becca:

Get me a new head.

Evie:

You know, I just might. I’m the right woman to ask.

Scene 2: the station

Narrator:

Becca woke up three hours later and took a shower. The extra sleep had helped a little, but now her stomach ached. She needed to eat something. Evie had not returned from her trip yet.
Becca stopped by the relay depot to see if her letter had been sent out yet. The data-bank would have to be full before the cost for burst transmission could be justified.

Pegger:

Just went out this a'noon. Usually, take a couple days. But we a’ two bursts after yours. One was secure. Lot a’ chatter today.

Narrator:

Becca left the depot feeling unsettled.
After getting lost a couple of times, Becca decided to finally stop for something to eat. Lunch was cold soba noodles and tea. She was turning back to the short-stay quarters when she heard her name.

Franz:

Becca?

Becca:

Franz?

Franz:

Have you been to the Queue yet?

Becca:

No, I was going to go on the way back. Why are you still on station? I thought you’d left already.

Franz:

They won’t let me. (sigh) I had to put everything on hold.

Becca:

They won’t...Why not? What’s going on?

Franz:

They asked me questions...Questions I can’t answer...

Becca:

What’s going on? What happened?

Franz:

There’s a problem. The Vencume are buying strange things they don’t usually buy. The portmen reported it first. The Shipping Authority tried asking after it, but the Vencume are going silent.

Becca:

What kinds of things?

Franz:

Oh, the kinds of things an army of little girls might find useful.

Becca:

(suddenly scared) You haven't said anything about...I mean...we aren't saying anything about that, are we?

Franz:

I'm not ready for those kinds of questions. I just want to go home.

Becca:

So, why are they keeping you here?

Franz:

The whole station is out of communication with the planet, did you know that? Everyone’s talking about us going to war. That’s why they don’t want anyone going down there...to warn them...to start a panic. Can you imagine it? A war! And with who? Maybe the Vencume...

Becca:

You mean with the Tzikzik. Why would we go against the Vencume?

Franz:

This used to be their planet, didn’t it? Maybe they want it back? You don't think they finally have the means? Meanwhile, the Vencume are pulling out of the station. In two days’ time there won’t be a squid left!

Becca:

It's for the Tzikzik. We already decided that. That's what Evie said. That army is to fight the Tzikzik, not us.

Franz:

(sucks air between his teeth) Have you ever seen a Tzikzik?

Becca:

I can’t believe it. There must be some mistake. It's the Tzikzik, not the Vencume. I can't believe that because of one ship...because we were attacked--

Franz:

Oh, no. (chuckle) There's been other Tzikzik attacks. Always on the border zones with the Vencume Empire. We’re the lucky ones. We survived.

Becca:

No one I talked to last night said anything like that. Are you sure this isn’t just rumor mongering?

Franz:

All the young people here are Shipping Authority! Those snaps don’t know what’s going on. You have to ask the right people! You have to know who to talk to.

Becca:

What have the Wainwrights said?

Franz:

Haven’t talked to the family. They’re in too good with everyone.

Scene 3: Hallway

Narrator:

Becca got back to the short-stay quarters as soon as she could. She didn't even bother with the room she shared with Evie, but went directly to the Wainwrights’ room and knocked on the door.

Woman:

(through the door) Who is it?

Becca:

Stella! It’s me, Becca. Open up!

SOUND: door opens

Becca:

You're not Stella. Is this room...? I thought the Wainwrights were staying here.

Woman:

They left. You on the Tong Dizhou?

Becca:

I was.

Woman:

Authority came; I heard 'em. (sucks air between her teeth) They looking for you.

Becca:

Where are Stella and Judith and--?

Woman:

They left. Authority moved 'em. They asked a' you and that...white-haired woman who came a' the ship.

Becca:

Is this about updating our chips?

Woman:

They came here, the Authority. Go ask 'em.

SOUND: door shuts

Narrator:

Becca went to her shared room to talk to Evie, but Evie wasn't there. None of Evie's things were there. But, Becca noticed her own things were still there. She decided to freshen up before going to the Queue.

Becca:

They must have moved Evie. Maybe I'm supposed to check in with them first. I'm sure they want to get us in some more secure location so no one can spread any panic. Rumor mongering is still an offense....

Scene 4: The Queue

Narrator:

True to its name, there was a line at the Queue. Becca took a position in line and advanced at such an interminably slow pace, she thought there might have been a borrowed-time field in the office.

Window Girl:

Next! (pause) Place your hand on a scanner. Just keep still, don’t move. We’ll just read it and update it here.

SOUND: She taps her comm

WINDOW GIRL:

Oh, not again...

Becca:

Is there a problem?

Window Girl:

It’s been like this all day. Something’s going on with the data-banks and everything is slow. (sigh) Well, I can ask you some questions and we'll just put them in when it comes up. Are you an organ donor?

Becca:

Yes. (tries to not laugh)

Window Girl:

Do you currently maintain a religious belief that would preclude cremation of a body or the draining of whole blood?

Becca:

No.

Window Girl:

Do you or anyone in your family--Oh, here we go. It’s up and...(pause) Oh.

Becca:

Oh?

Window Girl:

You’re Dr. Tabib from the Tong Dizhou.

Becca:

Yes?

Window Girl:

I can’t update your chip. They want to do an interview. They’ll update it afterwards.

Scene 5: Questioning Room

Narrator:

A guard came in from a back room and gestured for Becca to follow him. Becca was led into a room where two Shipping Authority representatives sat behind a desk. The woman placed a recorder between them. The man stood and smiled.

S.A.Man:

If you’ll take a seat and state your name for the record.

Becca:

Dr. Rebecca Safiye Tabib.

S.A.Woman:

Place your hands on the scanner, palm down, in their natural position. (pause) Very good.

S.A.Man:

If you’ll look in here, please? There will be a flash of light. Try not to squint or blink. Look straight ahead.

Narrator:

The man had set up another device that looked like a pair of binoculars. Becca pressed her eyes into the scanner. The light came on for two seconds. Leaning back, the afterimage floated over the desk. She rubbed her eyes. The woman was holding an imager.

S.A.Woman:

If you’ll look this way? Straight forward. Do not smile. (pause) And now if you could smile for us. Please show your teeth.

S.A.Man:

We're just going to ask a few questions about what happened to your ship. The Vencume have given us their version of the events, from when you picked up their escape pod and loaned them a lifeboat.

S.A. Woman:

That was very diplomatic of you.

S.A.Man:

The Wainwrights have given us information about the premature lifeboat launch...after your ship came under attack.

S.A.Woman:

You left the Tong Dizhou on the lifeboat. When was that?

Becca:

About thirty days ago. It was hard to keep time. I think we were in the lifeboat for five days before the Vencume picked us up.

S.A.Man:

And when was the alleged Ms. Gaines picked up? How soon after you were recovered did the Vencume bring her aboard?

Becca:

A day? Maybe two. Again, it was hard to keep time.
(internal) The alleged Ms. Gaines?

S.A.Woman:

The other members of your crew stated that she returned to the wreckage of the Tong Dizhou about four days ago, in the company of two Vencume. They restored the wreckage to some operability. Why was the junior engineer, Max Ruths, not taken on this trip?

Becca:

You would have to ask the captain.

S.A.Man:

Were you aware that the data-bank of the ship was accessed by an external storage device?

Becca:

I’m sure Evie was just checking the integrity.

S.A.Man:

By copying over the entire contents?

Becca:

I’m a doctor, not a cybernetics expert.

S.A.Woman:

The blackboxes record that Ms. Gaines did not leave the ship until four days ago. They also report pulse was lost shortly after the launch of the lifeboat. How do you account for that?

Becca:

The system must have gone down. Maybe it recorded it incorrectly.

S.A.Woman:

On all boxes?

Becca:

Again, I’m not the expert.

S.A.Man:

No, you are the ship’s doctor. We have an incident report here, after you brought in the Vencume escape pod. There was an explosion, of which we have video from the ship. Would you like us to play it?

Becca:

I remember it.

S.A.Man:

After that explosion, Ms. Gains reports a piece of shrapnel in her left hand. You removed this and applied sutures. Do you remember performing this procedure?

Becca:

As third-mate, I had to write up the incident report.

Narrator:

On a screen behind them, a blank palm-scan appeared. The woman gestured to it.

S.A.Woman:

Would you please show us from where the shrapnel was removed?

Becca:

It was here. The piece was ten centimeters by two.

S.A.Man:

May I say, Dr. Tabib, that you do remarkable work. You can hardly tell it happened.

Becca:

(internal) Oh no! That's not a blank scan. Those are Evie's new hands!

S.A.WOMAN:

You should be working as a plastic surgeon. It seems that the alleged Ms. Gains has also lost a scar that ran across three of her fingers and her palm. Maybe we should compare?

Narrator:

A second pair of hands appeared and the two images merged. The second pair had a dark red line across the right palm, ending halfway down.

S.A.Man:

You could use them for before-and-after shots...if you decide to put your obvious talents to more profitable use.

S.A.Woman:

Let’s look at another pair of before-and-after shots.

Narrator:

Now, the screen called up two head-shots of Evie. The one with long, black, greasy hair and brown eyes had two marks on the bridge of her nose, where her clunky glasses rubbed. The second shot was more recent, with dark blue eyes and two tiny dot-like scars under the eyes. The two scans melded: a near perfect match.

Becca:

Evie....

S.A.Man:

Yes, one of them is. But we were wondering if you could tell us who this second individual was.

S.A.Woman:

This other person is slightly thinner, easily explained away by the time on the wreckage, but the jaw and brow have shifted, you see?

Becca:

(internal) It's just like that model on the Vencume ship: the morphing and clacking skeleton. (external)She was injured. The Vencume helped patch her up.

S.A.Man:

What were the nature of her injuries? As the ship’s doctor, I’m sure you could give us a detailed report.

Becca:

Her hips...were...fractured. Ah, skull fracture...eyes were burned...

S.A.Man:

She suffered these injuries and yet came out with her arms and legs unscathed? (laughs) You can’t think of a better explanation?

Narrator:

Another image appeared on the screen. Becca recognized it immediately as one of the gray-haired designers. It was a still-capture, the designer leaning over the lens, her arm stretched over to something next to the imager.

S.A.Woman:

Who is this individual?

Becca:

It looks like Evie. (cough)

S.A.Woman:

Doesn’t it, though? However, Ms. Gaines’ chip reported her being on the other side of the ship when this was recorded.

S.A.Man:

Who attacked your ship?

Becca:

The...Tzikzik. The Vencume we had picked up were running from them, after evacuating their own ship.

S.A.Woman:

What does a ‘Tzikzik’ look like?

Becca:

I’m...I’m sorry?

S.A.Man:

You were forced to evacuate your ship, leaving Ms. Gaines behind. Everyone reports that the ship was under attack by something called...’Tzikzik’. What do they look like?

Becca:

I...I never saw them. Second-mate Judith Wainwright woke me and we rushed to the lifeboat. The evacuation had started already. I never even saw the ship when we were in the lifeboat. Everyone was...distracted.

S.A.Woman:

No one said what they looked like?

S.A.Man:

The alleged Ms. Gaines was injured and later recovered from the wreckage, by the Vencume. She was then brought to you, aboard a Vencume ship. Did she or any Vencume ever tell you what a ‘Tzikzik’ was?

Becca:

The captain said they looked like Vencume. The ship, anyway.

SOUND: shuffling

S.A.Woman:

What was the cat’s name?

Becca:

Cat?

S.A.Man:

The ship's cat. It was also left behind and was allegedly in the ship's main engine control room when it depressurized.

Becca:

Uh...Jim.

S.A.Man:

When you were at the salvagers, they were told the cat’s name was Jones.

S.A.Woman:

The alleged Ms. Gaines later said the cat’s name was John. As she put it, ‘Like Long John Silver.’ How many names did the cat have?

Becca:

I guess the cat had several names. We all had a name for the cat. They're hard animals to properly name.

S.A.Man:

The alleged Ms. Gaines decided to give us a poetry lesson instead of answering the question.

Becca:

Why do you keep calling her that? She’s not alleged at all. That’s Evie.

S.A.Woman:

The individual says she is Ms. Gaines, but retinal scans say otherwise. The images do not match. The hands do not match. The only thing that does match is the chip.

S.A.Man:

We’re still waiting on DNA.

S.A.Woman:

Have you ever seen a Vencume core unit? Do you know how they are used?

Becca:

The Vencume we picked up had a core with them. One of their crew-members had died.

S.A.Woman:

Do you understand its use?

Becca:

Not fully.

S.A.Man:

The Vencume have some kind of stem-tech, don’t they?

Becca:

That's my understanding.

S.A.Man:

Don’t you think it’s interesting how much this gray-haired individual from the ship looks like Ms. Gaines?

Becca:

The eyes are smaller.

S.A.Man:

So they are. (pause) Did you know that Ms. Gaines was a wealthy woman?

Becca:

This was my first trip with her. She used to joke she was ‘good for it’, you know?

S.A.Woman:

But in order to access it, she would need her chip. Thanks to today's technology, it is all she would need.

S.A.Man:

How much did she offer you?

Becca:

What? Offer me? For what?

S.A.Woman:

To move the chip.

Becca:

I...I didn’t move it.

S.A.Man:

But you were there when it was moved, weren’t you?

Becca:

No! Nobody moved anything.

S.A.Woman:

I’d like to play you something.

Scene 6: the recording

(Because this scene is a recording, the sound quality should be different. We might want to record it normally, put the scene together, and then record it again through some headphones or something)

S.A.Woman:

What color was the cat?

Evie:

(she's clenching her jaw again, so it sounds stiff) All colors.

S.A.Man:

So he was like a rag-doll or a calico, was he?

Evie:

Yes.

S.A.Woman:

But you told the salvage team the cat was black.

Evie:

He had black bits.

S.A.Man:

Maybe the cat was invisible. He seems hard to describe.

S.A.Woman:

And he never appears on any video from the ship.

S.A.Man:

What color was the cat?

Evie:

In the dark, all cats are gray. (chuckles)

S.A.Woman:

We are not here for a philosophy lecture.

S.A.Man:

Let us assume, for argument’s sake, that there was no cat.

S.A.Woman:

What happened, then, in your main engine control room?

Evie:

What fantasy would you like me to concoct?

S.A.Man:

We’re not asking for a fantasy, only the truth.

S.A.Woman:

(angrily) Preferably, one that explains these fantastic systems faults that records your chip's loss of pulse, its inability to record your location correctly, or its failure to even record something as momentous as a loss of pressure in the main engine control room.

S.A.Man:

(with raised voice) How do you explain the blood in your main engine control room?

SOUND: long pause. muffled sob

Evie:

(muffled, maybe her face in her hands?) It’s my blood.

S.A.MAN:

Would you repeat that, please?

Evie:

(Sigh. She unclenches her jaw, so the rest comes out very calm.) It’s my blood. It happened when my arms and legs were torn off. Maybe when I lost my lower jaw or when they ripped out my eyes. Might be a combination of events. I think I blacked out. (Another hollow chuckle.) Luckily, I come from hardy stock and we were able to glue everything back in place.

Scene 7: Questioning Room

Becca:

How long did you grill her?

S.A. WOMAN:

Inconsequential.

S.A.Man:

Dr. Tabib, why do you think this individual would have said what she said?

Becca:

Desperation. Fear. Exhaustion. Why does anyone do anything?

S.A.Man:

But you can’t shed any light on this, can you?

Becca:

I was on a lifeboat. I wasn’t there. I’ve never been to the main engine control room on any ship.

(pause)

S.A.Woman:

You’re been very helpful, Dr. Tabib. We’ll let you know if you need anything else.

S.A.Man:

One of our people will see you to where you are staying.

Scene 8: Short-stay quarters

Narrator:

A man in a smart uniform from the Shipping Authority took Becca back to the short-stay quarters.

Becca:

Why did you take Evie's things?

Guard:

The suspect's stolen articles have been brought in as evidence.

Becca:

I don't think that—

Guard:

You will stay here until we call for you. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Becca:

Please...It really is Evie. I know it might not look that way, but it really is her. You have to understand.

Guard:

It's not my place to say.

Becca:

I know people. There's a...Chris...Chris Kaplan. He's the...head of dock operations. You can ask him. He knows Evie. He'll testify that it's her.

Guard:

You will stay here. We will call for you if you are needed.

Becca:

I don't understand. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for what's happened. You have to believe me.

Guard:

Ma'am, we're at war now and everyone has to do their part. I'm sure you understand. For the good of your species, please, just cooperate. For Human-kind.

SOUND: He leaves

Becca:

That's it. We really are at war now.

NARRATOR:

Becca curled up on the bed in the suddenly empty room. She felt very, very small.

MUSIC:

Narrator:

Becca tried to read, but was too distracted. It was Francis Bacon again. She laughed a little to herself, remembering what Evie had said.

Evie:

Becca's a bacon virgin.

NARRATOR:

She had decided to give it another go but the words kept melding together. While trying to decipher it, she saw a line she thought she remembered... something Max had said on the Vencume ship: "All depends on keeping the eye steadily fixed upon the facts of nature, and so receiving their images simply as they are;

Max:

for God forbid that we should give out a dream of our own imagination for a pattern of the world;

NARRATOR:

rather may He graciously grant to us to write an apocalypse or true vision of the footsteps of the Creator imprinted on his creatures."

Becca:

Maybe Max was right. Maybe Evie was religious.

Narrator:

Becca tried to read some more but hunger made it even harder to concentrate.  

Becca:

Surely, I'm allowed to go get something to eat...

NARRATOR:

Thinking about it only made her hungrier. After pacing in the room for a while, she decided to take a nap.
She tossed and turned for a couple hours, but the growl from her stomach got louder.
It was no good ignoring it now. She went out. There was a stand-and-eat not far from the quarters and she could bring it back to the room.
If anyone else had made the trip, it only would have taken five minutes. Because it was Becca, she got hopelessly lost. It may have been hunger or nerves, but she was deep into an unfamiliar area on the station before she turned herself around in the right direction. She turned the corner into a short woman with kinky hair in a Shipping Authority uniform: Major Rosemary Gekki.

Rosemary:

You know, when we say to stay in your quarters, we mean it.

Becca:

I...I only...

Rosemary:

I was actually on my way to collect you, but your chip reported you’d left the room.

Becca:

My...my chip?

Rosemary:

Oh really, Dr. Tabib, we have to keep track of so many people; did you think we didn’t have a system in place?

Becca:

Are you taking me to the Queue?

Rosemary:

No, Dr. Tabib. I’m taking you to jail. Let's go.

SOUND: cuffs

Becca:

You haven't said why you're arresting me. What did I do wrong?

Rosemary:

You know, when I met Evie four years ago, I hadn't really decided on a career-path yet. Isn't it funny what can happen in four years? Here I am: head of security for the station.

Becca:

You have the wrong idea.

Rosemary:

Oh, there's the occasional drunk and disorderly conduct, and that always happens in a port. It's not an easy job; we're so far away from everything. You'd think this place would be more built up, considering its historical importance. Yeah, our means of travel comes from this place but everyone treats it like a little back-water hell-hole. And now, what's happening? This will be the first line drawn in a great conflict.

Becca:

If this is about Evie...

Rosemary:

Oh, I wish it was that easy...You can't imagine how excited I was when I saw the manifest for the ship. And then, watching you all get off, I kept waiting to see her. I didn't know it was her...hard to recognize with that white hair. But, once you'd dyed it...well. You know, I really thought it was her. I guess...(a little break in her voice)...I guess she is dead.

Becca:

She really is Evie. I'm so sorry for what happened. It really is her; you have to believe me.

Rosemary:

Well then, (sniffle) it serves her right.

Scene 9: jail

Narrator:

Becca was stripped and put into a gray uniform. A prisoner’s block was attached to her right hand: only her thumb and the tips of her fingers poked out. She would not be able to use that hand while the block was in place; it prevented her from bending her fingers. Becca had to pose for new images, holding up the block: a visual record of her arrest. The charges had been obstruction of justice, falsification of evidence, misprision of felony, accessory to identity theft, accessory to conspiracy, accessory to espionage, and accessory to felony murder.
After processing, they led her to a cell. There was a bed, without sheets, and a suction tube. It reminded Becca of her stay on the Vencume ship.

Becca:

I'm still hungry.

Narrator:

Once the initial shock wore off, Becca started to sob. She curled up on the bed and hid her head under her arms. She sniffled and rubbed her nose on her left sleeve.

Becca:

Even if the Vencume did come forward, it wouldn't do any good now. They must have arrested the Wainwrights as well. I'm not alone. They're here with me, maybe next door.

Narrator:

Somehow, the thought of the entire crew being brought in was comforting. She placed a hand on the wall and wished the others good luck.

Some hours later, someone gave her a meal, similar to a zero-gee ration. She ate ravenously. After that, she was able to sleep.
 
When Becca woke up, she accidentally hit herself in the head with the prisoner's block. She had nothing to staunch the bleeding, so she had to hold her right arm to the wound she'd given herself. There was no water to clean with and the blood dried to the side of her face. She rubbed it off and watched the flakes collect on the floor of her cell.
 
Becca was given another meal. She had no idea how long she had been there. Her questions about what would happen went unanswered.

Becca:

He didn't even ask about my head. That sort of thing must happen often.

Narrator:

To pass the time, Becca imagined she was back home, making chicken with white sauce. She ran her hands through the motions, boiling the chicken, removing the onion from the water and draining the meat and removing the bones. After that, cutting up zucchini and scallions. She imagined sautéing the scallions and mixing in milk, slowly adding the mixture to a pan with the chicken and zucchini, shredding the cheese--real cheese--and placing the pan in the oven. It was comfort food, even if only imaginary.
 
She took a nap; there was another meal. No one came to collect the empty bags but she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to push them down the suction tube. The cell had no windows and the lights never went out.

Becca:

Either a good deal of time has passed or they're feeding me at irregular intervals.

Narrator:

Becca started to cook another dish in her head. The barley was bubbling on the stove and she added chickpeas, kidney beans, apricots, and raisins. After reducing to a simmer, she stirred in sugar and vanilla, finally scooping out a helping and sprinkling chopped walnuts on it.

Becca:

By the time I get out, I’ll have cooked a five-course dinner.

Scene 10: Interrogation Room

Narrator:

Becca's imaginary kitchen was interrupted when a guard came in and cuffed her hands behind her back. She was taken from the cell and down a hall to a room similar to the one at the Queue where she had first been questioned. Her interrogator was the woman who had questioned her earlier. The stern woman started asking questions before the guard had even finished cuffing Becca to the chair.

S.A.Woman:

Do you understand why you are here?

Becca:

I’ve heard the charges against me, but it’s all a misunderstanding.

S.A.Woman:

You’re here partially due to your own testimony. Would you like to revise it?

Becca:

Yes.

S.A.Woman:

Where should we start? In the lifeboat?

Becca:

We were there for five days. Junior pilot Gordon Gorsky had launched prematurely but we were still on route to Peg-51. The Vencume ship that had picked up our other lifeboat, the one we gave the Vencume, found us and brought us on board.

S.A.Woman:

Ms. Gaines was not with you on the lifeboat?

Becca:

No, due to the premature launch, she had been left in the bay.

S.A.Woman:

Why did she leave the lifeboat?

Becca:

The bay doors were not opening. She used the loadmaster to get them opened.

S.A.Woman:

And that was the last time you saw her?

Becca:

We didn’t see her again until the Vencume recovered her from their escape pod.

S.A.Woman:

You’re saying that the individual was recovered in a Vencume lifeboat?

Becca:

Well, we had it on board the Tong Dizhou, from when we had picked up the other Vencume. That was why we were short one. We were just going to turn it over when we got here.

S.A.Woman:

What does a...Tzikzik look like? Do you know anything about them?

Becca:

Captain Wainwright had said that the ship that attacked us looked like a Vencume ship. That’s all I know. I never saw the actual being.

S.A.Woman:

This word...Tzikzik...Ms. Gaines says, on the video we collected from the ship, that it was a word the translator could not pick up. What led the crew to believe it was another race of beings?

Becca:

Well, uh...Evie asked them. She asked what it was. They said it was another race.

S.A.Woman:

On the video, the Vencume specifically state that Tzikzik is not civil-kind.

Becca:

I...I don’t know. But the Vencume had said...

S.A.Woman:

They said...?

Becca:

Later, when they recovered the Tong Dizhou, they said that the Tzikzik had been destroyed.

S.A.Woman:

Dr. Tabib, you said that the Vencume said they had destroyed the Tzikzik when they recovered the freighter. We do not have that confirmed by any other testimony. When was that said?

Becca:

We: Evie, Franz, the captain and I...we had gone looking for Gordon. When we got back, we were told that the Vencume had recovered the ship. Evie and I went down and that’s when the Vencume there said the other Tzikzik had been destroyed.

S.A.Woman:

Other Tzikzik?

Becca:

No, maybe just Tzikzik. No ‘other’. I’m...

S.A.Woman:

Never mind. What happened to junior pilot Gordon Gorsky?

Becca:

Evie said she had kicked him over a railing.

S.A.Woman:

You did not see this happen?

Becca:

No, but we went back to where it happened and couldn’t find him--

S.A.Woman:

You went back to where the suspect said it happened...

Becca:

There was a section of the Vencume ship that stopped spin and she said it happened there. We had no reason to not believe her. (pause) It is her. I know it might not look that way but it is her. Maybe the hands aren’t the same, but the Tzikzik had taken them or...something happened to them...But the Vencume made new ones. They cloned new ones for her and then...well, fingerprints aren’t determined by genetics. Neither are retinal scans. Did the DNA come back? That shows it’s her, doesn’t it?

S.A.Woman:

Why did the suspect introduce herself as ‘Gwennie’ Gaines to Major Gekki?

Becca:

Rosemary and Evie have some sort of history. I don’t know the details.

S.A.Woman:

But you played along with this deception?

Becca:

I figured it was for a good reason. Evie’s been on so many flights, I’m sure she knows lots of people from everywhere. There must be a few she doesn’t want to--

S.A.Woman:

Later that day, you were in the residence of a Chris Kaplan. Did the suspect introduce herself as ‘Gwennie’ at that time?

Becca:

No.

S.A.Woman:

Do you know who Gwendolyn Gaines was?

Becca:

Her...sister?

S.A.Woman:

That will be all for now.

SOUND: she leaves

Narrator:

A few minutes later, the guard came back, un-cuffed Becca from her chair, and led her back to the cell.

Scene 11: Becca's Cell

Narrator:

They took her from the cell several more times after that. From what Becca could tell, the Shipping Authority thought that Evie had been planted as some kind of spy and they wanted to confirm that.  

Becca:

It stands to reason, I guess. I suppose that with a doctor and an engineer, you’d know everything about Humans you needed to know.

Narrator:

The empty bags from her meals that were piling up against the wall were starting to smell, but she was afraid to try to force one down the tube.

Becca:

I can't risk breaking it. No one will fix it. If we were grass-side, I guess it would attract insects. I wonder where the spores for mold come from...

Narrator:

She had not showered the entire time and she knew she reeked.  

Becca:

They're trying to break me down. Make me pliable. What kind of resistance did they expect? I'm not some kind of hardened criminal.

Narrator:

She looked at her sleeves: one crusted from a night of sobbing, the other stiff with dried blood.

Becca:

Well, maybe I am a little hardened.

Narrator:

It had itched at first, keeping her awake, but after a while, she got used to it.

One night, after what must have been the thirty-sixth meal, Becca lay on the cot, staring half-mindedly at the bare light that never went out. She had finished cooking several imaginary meals and now sat at a table in her mind, surrounded by her family.

A guard came in and cuffed Becca's wrists.

Guard:

The Authority needs your assistance.

Becca:

Is this about Evie?

Guard:

You have a history with the suspect and we believe that you may be able to get the answers we require.

Narrator:

The guard led Becca out of the cell and down the hall to the interrogation rooms.

Scene 12: Interrogation Room

Narrator:

Evie was laying on a bed in a four-point restraint, a Shipping Authority doctor tending the machine next to the bed. 

Becca:

(internal)Evie's hair is white again. I guess the dye finally washed out.

NARRATOR:

Evie's half-open and red-rimmed eyes were glassed over and fixed on some spot on the ceiling. If her chest hadn't moved with shallow breaths, Becca would have sworn she was dead.

The Authority had installed a feeding tube up one of Evie's nostrils. There was also a catheter; the line ran out of one of her pant-legs to a bag that hung at the foot of the bed. Becca noticed a little blood suspended in the collected urine. An IV machine sat next to the bed, clicking out a measured flow into Evie's right hand.

Becca:

Why is she restrained?

Guard:

The suspect is a suicide risk.

Becca:

What are you giving her?

Doctor:

The suspect is sedated, to prevent self-injury.

Becca:

You can't just dope a person out like that. You already have her restrained.

Doctor:

And she's on a high-enough dose to kill a human. The Vencume must be making them tough. We're not risking it.

Guard:

You will interrogate the suspect. Here are the questions you will ask.

Doctor:

Let me turn this off first. It won't take long before she comes out. She'll be screaming at you in no time.

Becca:

Evie...

Guard:

The suspect has been confirmed as not being Ms. Gaines. You are to ask the suspect what has been done with Ms. Gaines' body.

Becca:

I can't do this. (internal) But you don't want to go back to the cell, do you?  (external) Please, let me ask her what happened on the freighter. I can do that. Just let me ask what happened there.

Guard:

You are being recorded.

Becca:

Evie...

Evie:

(gasps, swallows, whispers) Do I still have arms?

Becca:

Yes, you still have arms. Can you feel me holding your hand?

Evie:

I can't rub my eyes...(pause)I thought I was in the tank again, but...

Becca:

But?

Evie:

In the tank...I knew I would get out.

Guard:

What is this tank?

Becca:

Please...(pause) Evie...This is very important. I need you to answer some questions. They've asked me to ask you some questions. Can you do that for me?

Evie:

They ask so many questions... I answer them, but they don't like them.

Becca:

I know. Let's try to get through this, OK?

Evie:

My throat is sore. I can't...I can't breathe through my nose.

Becca:

Let's just do this, please? Then we can all go home.

Evie:

Then you can go home... I'm sorry you got dragged into this. (pause) They hit you. You have a cut on your head.

Becca:

They....they didn't do that. (pause) We need to know...what happened in the main engine control room. Do you remember that? The lifeboat left and then what did you do?

Evie:

I ran. I got into a suit. All the air was rushing out. I had to crank open the door. I made it through the sections, pulling the shutters after me.

Becca:

OK, good. You were sealing off the ship. You closed the sections behind you and you made it to the back of the ship, to the main engine control room. What happened there?

Evie:

I killed all the fuel to the port engine. I had to turn the ship so you could get away.

Becca:

OK, so you got the ship turned. Then what?

Evie:

(moans, then very faintly) Two six five three five eight...

Guard:

What's that? Is that code? The suspect has done this before. What are these numbers?

Becca:

It's a calming exercise. I've seen her do it before. (pause) Evie, you're in the main engine control room. You've turned the ship. You see the Tzikzik...

Evie:

They're Vencume. They're not Vencume...I don't know what they are...

Becca:

Please say that again.

Evie:

I hold out my hand...and I see it leave me. They take it. They wrap around it and pull. My arm is gone. It only hurts a little at first. I reach for it. They take my other arm. (pause) They're not in suits. Angry, clacking...I can see their skin, bright red. Covered in...spiky...I don't know what they are! They have the helmet off of my suit. I try to kick away. I can't kick away. They have my head.... (pause) I'm not that! Stop saying I'm that!

Doctor:

Like clockwork.

Evie:

Let me out! I have to get away! Get them away!

Doctor:

Let her out for two minutes and we get high drama. Back on to sleepy land we go...

SOUND: beeps from the machine. a click of a dose

Evie:

Mom! Dad! I'm sorry! Save me!

Becca:

(angrily) And coming out of a haze like that, to...to this? You wouldn't be upset?

Evie:

Gwennie! God almighty, I didn't mean it! Please!

Becca:

I'm here, Evie. We're OK. You're not on the ship, you're OK. We're safe...we're safe...

SOUND: Machine clicks out another dose

Becca:

Let's skip this part. Let's forget about this part and move forward.

Evie:

(whimpering) I can't see.

Becca:

Let's go past all this...Let's get to the tank. You're in the tank.

Evie:

I'm floating. It's warm and dark.

Becca:

You're in the tank. The Vencume put you there. I was there, listening. They did something.

Evie:

I can hear them. I want to talk to them. I can hear them chittering. I want to tell them something. They say they're sorry.

Becca:

They're sorry?

SOUND: chittering

Guard:

Let it be noted that at this point, the suspect began to speak the Vencume language.

Becca:

They say they are sorry. Why are they sorry?

Evie:

I understand them. I can hear them in my head. They've put something in my head. I can make out different voices. They say they're sorry they stole my glove. They say they like me. They ask for my help.

Guard:

Help with what?

Evie:

I tell them I can't do anything. One says they've found my core. They promise to take care of the crew. They've found the crew. They want to help but they need my help. They don't want anyone else to be hurt. They took my glove, but they don't know what to do with what they grew.

Becca:

They tried to clone something from your glove.

Evie:

I can feel them in my head. They're pulling something out of my head. It doesn't hurt. I try to talk to them. I can hear myself and it's not words. They say they need a copy of what's in my head. They're downloading me.

Guard:

The suspect is explaining an advanced interrogation technique in possession of the Vencume.

Evie:

They ask me to wiggle my fingers. I tell them I don't have any. I can feel one touching my thumb. Other one is pulling on my toes. They ask me to wiggle them. They say they grew them.

Becca:

They put on new limbs, that they had grown from your glove. They made new arms and legs for you.

Evie:

Like it never happened. I'm happy.

Guard:

Who is the gray-haired individual we saw on the Tong Dizhou?

Evie:

The Vencume are stuck. They haven't had any breakthroughs in generations. They've stopped evolving. They've stagnated. They're so old...

Guard:

Are the Vencume immortal?

Evie:

(laughs)

Becca:

Evie, are the Vencume immortal?

Evie:

They're dying. They're been using those cores for so long. They just make themselves over and over. They've been trying to make themselves different. They love Humans, did you know that? They're fascinated by us. They thought the portmen were another race. The Peggers...We have simple brains. They love us....

SOUND: chittering

Guard:

The suspect will refrain from using the Vencume language.

Evie:

You don't understand them.

Guard:

We're going to be at war with them. They're already pulling out of our stations. They're going to leave their little spy behind.

Becca:

(internal) At war with the Vencume? He must be mistaken...

Evie:

There isn't going to be any war. You're just trying to get people afraid so you can control them. The Authority is dying as well. You don't want to evolve.

Doctor:

Let's up that dose a little.

Evie:

You're going to shut me up. Afraid of what might happen if my head is clear for more than five minutes. How can I hate you when you're so pitiful?

Doctor:

Nighty-night.

Becca:

What are you going to do with her?

GUARD:

Either the suspect will be sent to the Shipping Authority's main office, or the suspect's remains will. Major Gekki will decide

Becca:

What are you going to do with me?

Narrator:

The guard smiled but did not answer.