IMMUNITIES EPISODE 4.2 – SHELTER
PRE-TITLE
SCENE – Liaison Office
LILIAH
Governor Lee!
LEE
Yes?
LILIAH
I was hoping that you were still in the building.
LEE
Only just; I am scheduled to leave for the capital immediately. What is your name?
LILIAH
Liliah Andreou. I work here.
LEE
And what is it you wish to discuss?
LILIAH
It would be most…efficient…to discuss it by linking. And most advisable to do so in private.
LEE
*pause*
Intriguing. And this can not wait until I return next week?
LILIAH
It absolutely can not.
LEE
(playfully chiding)
If this is not as urgent as you say, and it makes me late for my meeting with the Department Of Energy, I shall tell them to blame you.
LILIAH
(earnest)
I…must take that chance.
LEE
(soothing)
Calm down, Ms. Andreou, please. We have troubles enough without anticipating them. Let us find an empty office and put our heads together.
Office noise fades away.
SCENE – Carrie Kray’s Office
Door opens and closes, violently.
CARRIE
Janice!
JANICE (on intercom)
Yes, Carrie?
CARRIE
Have you been able to reach anyone at the Production Office?
JANICE
No, Carrie. I will tell you as soon as I reach them. Would you like me to leave them a detailed message?
CARRIE
No! I need to TALK to them. Back and forth. Hear their tone in their voices.
JANICE
Well, I will try. But…Carrie?
CARRIE
Oh God, is Governor Lee out there?
JANICE
Well, no. Congressman Noone is here to speak with you.
CARRIE
What, here?
JANICE
Yes, Carrie. He is RIGHT here. On the other side of my desk, just a few feet from the intercom.
CARRIE
I see. Well, definitely, send him in.
Doop opens, CALVIN NOONE enters. He is forceful, and somehow both earnest and insincere.
CARRIE
Congressman! I thought you were in Washington. Our interview-
NOONE
Was phoned, yes. I do not leave for Washington until later today. But my advisors and I decided, given that my appearance would be voice-only, to conduct it over the phone, even though I was close by. That way there would be fewer questions raised as to WHY I did not appear on camera.
CARRIE
I…well I’m not sure I understand. It’s been standard practice, since even before the Truce, for Altered persons to not make visual appearances on television. Today’s broadcast with the escapees was the first-
NOONE
Ah, the heroine broadcast, yes. We shall discuss that. But we should not depart from our current topic, until we have adequately explored it.
CARRIE
Explored…what…about it?
NOONE
Tell me, what percentage of society is prone to Alpha Wave Sickness?
CARRIE
Well, one percent of sighted people are unaltered-
NOONE
But a portion of that percent are either Primary Immunes or Alpha Immunes. And of course, as you say, many of the visually impaired are unaffected by the sickness. So, for the sake of a vanishingly small minority, we have barred the vast MAJORITY of citizens from appearing on their own airwaves. Why?
CARRIE
My understanding is that this was a compromise, between-
NOONE
It was indeed CHARACTERIZED as a compromise. One which you, I believe, proposed early on. But the acceptance of this compromise seems to have involved the dismissal, or ignorance, of many other, and perhaps superior, alternatives.
CARRIE
What alternatives?
NOONE
For instance, we could keep one percent of the channels Alpha-Wave-Free, for the sake of susceptible citizens, and the rest could feature a normal, natural, representative mix of Altered and Unaltered faces.
CARRIE
But, I’m sure you know…this procedure was formulated during the take-
*cuts herself off, takes a breath*
During the pre-Truce period, when it was vital to maximize Unaltered viewership.
NOONE
And at that time, of course, the percentage of Unaltered in our society was much higher, although, fortunately, it rapidly diminished.
CARRIE
Yes, for the good.
NOONE
For the good. I am glad that you agree. But, now that the number HAS diminished, and the priority of Unaltered viewership is not so vital, strategically: why has this rule remained in place?
CARRIE
My understanding is that Unaltered viewership is still considered a priority, because of the difficulty of effectively communicating our ideals to them any other way.
NOONE
Your UNDERSTANDING? I believe you understate your own role, Carrie. For here, too, you have been quite the advocate in favor of the policy.
CARRIE
Whenever my opinion has been sought, I’ve given the answer I felt would best promote the interests of the Unity. But I always look to my Altered supervisors for guidance.
NOONE
Always?
CARRIE
I…yes.
NOONE
Today, your producers gave you text to read, following our interview. This text directed you to urge viewers to give my ideas careful consideration.
CARRIE
(nervous: knows where this is going, but doesn’t want to give him any ammunition)
Mmm hmm.
NOONE
But you did not use those words. You urged viewers to give my ideas “careful thought”. Why was that?
CARRIE
Part of my job is to use the wording I consider most effective. To use my judgement for the good of the Unity.
NOONE
YOUR judgement, without input from anyone else?
CARRIE
I would have sought input, if there was time, but in a case like that, when I’m reporting on a developing situation, I sometimes have to make decisions on the fly.
NOONE
And YOUR decisions become the permanent record.
CARRIE
Not just mine, those of any broadcaster. Just the other day, Ted Nordham had to-
NOONE
Another ALPHA IMMUNE person, correct?
CARRIE
What? Yes, Ted and I are both-
NOONE
And by that definition, another person who cannot truly understand the General Will.
CARRIE
Well, we’ve done our best to determine-
NOONE
Leading, I would say, to a rather perverse situation in which Alpha broadcasters must strain themselves to guess at what the Unity requires, while the actual members of the Unity, the normal average citizens, are rendered invisible. In the process, coincidentally, creating an Alpha monopoly on visual mass media. Alphas are less than a twenty-thousandth of the population. Yet, until today, you were one hundred percent of the faces on television.
CARRIE
I haven’t seen that as a monopoly. I’ve seen it as a great need, which it’s the duty of Alphas to meet, because we’re the only ones loyal to the Unity who can do it. And my colleagues and I have tried to do so.
NOONE
Perhaps this great duty, as you call it, has been too much for such a small pool of talent. Leading to lapses such as that on your broadcast today.
CARRIE
(catching him out)
Oh, so now you’ve changed the subject. Should I take it that the prior topic has been adequately explored?
NOONE
HmmmMMMMMmmmm. That sounds rather feisty, coming from the woman who has just produced the most disastrous television program of our era. I would have expected you to be more meek.
CARRIE
“Meek”?!? I have always had great reverence and respect for the Altered, and for the Unity. But no one has ever suggested that I be meek.
NOONE
Perhaps they should have. Perhaps, if they had, things would be different. But there is a great deal they…the great unnamed they, have not done. For instance, how does one determine whether a given Unaltered Person is an Alpha?
CARRIE
Excuse me?
NOONE
As far as I know, the only distinctions between Alpha- and Primary-Immunes are self-reported. You SAY that you saw the Light on your first exposure, you SAY that you no longer see it, and you say that you agree with the goals of the Unity. But what you say cannot be corroborated telepathically, as it could be with a normal person.
CARRIE
Are you accusing me of faking my Alpha status??? Being an Alpha has made me an outcast, hated by literally millions of people!
NOONE
Please control the tone of your voice.
CARRIE
I-
*heavy breath*
I’m done.
NOONE
Good. I can hear you perfectly well at a civilized volume. And, your self-identification may perhaps have turned millions again you, but it has most certainly gained you the trust of hundreds of millions more. And put you in the position you hold, while many, more representative, and perhaps more qualified, people, are excluded, out of an unrealistic, naive idea of diversity that values minorities highly, and the majority not at all.
CARRIE
If I thought for one moment that my work did not serve the Unity, I would quit.
NOONE
(purring, patronizing)
Carrie! I am not saying that you are UN-qualified. I am saying that it is not for you to judge. The great silent majority of people on this planet placed a great burden of decision making on a few, you included, out of hope that this would bring peace with the Unaltered. But as Derek Holroyd’s actions have shown, that peace is worthless, because the Separates know only selfishness and violence. And as your broadcast has shown, the wrong kind of contact with the Separates creates confusions in vulnerable minds, confusions that undermine the Unity. So, it is time for the General WIll to assert itself directly. You were very useful in your day, Carrie, but it is a new day, the day of the champions of the normal, average person whose heart yearns for peace and safety and harmony. If you wish to enjoy this day, and to see the days that follow, I suggest you concentrate on making yourself useful to us…very useful indeed.
SCENE – LIAISON BASEMENT
Elevator pings, opens. Liliah and Roxane exit, and walk down the hallway.
LILIAH
Take this and follow me.
ROXANNE
A USB drive?
LILIAH
Indeed. Give it to Justin when you see him.
ROXANNE
Where do I find him?
LILIAH
My understanding is that the large door at the end of the hallway should lead to his quarters.
ROXANNE
Huh. I expected guards.
LILIAH
Normally, there ARE guards. They have been directed elsewhere.
ROXANNE
So you did get someone important to listen to you.
LILIAH
I believe…the less we speak about that subject, the better. What you do not know, you cannot reveal to others, including to Justin. Speaking of whom, please help me to tie this blindfold.
ROXANNE
Onto you?
LILIAH
Yes. I will be taking you inside, and it is important that I not link with Justin.
ROXANNE
But you’re his wife.
LILIAH
Our closeness, and our…ease of rapport, makes it all the more important that we take every precaution to keep information compartmentalized.
ROXANNE
Okay, I guess that’s on pretty well.
LILIAH
Tighten it more.
ROXANNE
Okay. There, that’s done.
LILIAH
Now place my hand on your left arm, and lead me to the door. The electronic lock should be disengaged, so merely pull the handle to the left of the doorframe to trigger the opening process.
ROXANNE
Right.
Roxanne pulls the handle, and we hear the familiar sounds of Justin’s door opening, but this time from the other side.
LILIAH
Take me inside, please.
ROXANNE
Okay, but it’s dark. How do I close the door?
LILIAH
That should happen automatically.
The door closes with a crash. The fluorescent lights flicker to life.
JUSTIN
Hello. My apologies, I was not expecting…Liliah.
LILIAH
Justin.
JUSTIN
It is…overwhelmingly fulfilling to see you again.
LILIAH
Hearing your voice pleases me greatly.
JUSTIN
Why are you here? Have the rules changed?
LILIAH
The rules have been changed only slightly, and temporarily. I am to leave immediately. I only came in order to introduce you to this young woman: Roxanne Scholl.
ROXANNE
Hi.
JUSTIN
Roxanne…She is an Unaltered. An Immune.
LILIAH
Yes. And she has an object to give you.
ROXANNE
Oh right. Here.
JUSTIN
(confused)
Thank you.
LILIAH
She claims also to know information that will help you with your mission. But I must not hear it, so I will leave her here so that you can evaluate it, and her. You must decide for yourself whether to trust her, and whether to include her presence in your reports.
JUSTIN
This is most irregular.
LILIAH
The world above is not exactly as you remember it. Things are changing. I must go now.
JUSTIN
I…I hope to see you again, soon.
LILIAH
Thank you. And I wish you the greatest possible success.
JUSTIN
Thank you.
LILIAH
Roxanne, you see the lever that matches the one that opened the door from the outside?
ROXANNE
Yeah.
LILIAH
Pull it.
Sound of door opening.
LILIAH
Now point me towards the open door.
ROXANNE
There you go.
LILIAH
Good bye, and good luck to both of you.
JUSTIN
Good bye.
Sound of door closing. Fluorescents come to life, again.
ROXANNE
I honestly can’t say if that was the most or least romantic thing I’ve ever seen.
JUSTIN
Ms. Scholl…will you please take a seat? Pardon me, but I have not had a guest in some time.
ROXANNE
Carrie Kray used to come down here, right?
JUSTIN
How do you know that?
ROXANNE
I know a lot of things. That’s why we can be helpful to each other. That’s why we can make a deal that saves everybody. Can anyone hear us down here?
JUSTIN
The entire purpose of this place is to keep what transpires here secret. The only information which comes out is the reports I write, when I discover something that should be acted upon. Surveillance would compromise this.
ROXANNE
Good.
JUSTIN
And so, Liliah said you had information relevant to my mission. Tell it to me.
ROXANNE
That’s not how making a deal works.
JUSTIN
Ah. You wish to bargain. What is it you want?
ROXANNE
Freedom for my sister and father.
JUSTIN
You are Sylvia Scholl’s daughter?
ROXANNE
Yes.
JUSTIN
Your father and sister are Altered people?
ROXANNE
(angered that everyone brings this up)
Yes.
JUSTIN
Then, from your point of view, what freedom can they have? Are we not all slaves of the alien energy, as the Resistance calls it?
ROXANNE
I’ve never heard a Luh-
…an Altered Person say something like that.
JUSTIN
I may be different from the Altered people you have met. I have changed myself so as to solve various puzzles that have eluded the Unity as a whole.
ROXANNE
But they still trust you up there, even though you’ve changed?
JUSTIN
Some of them do, though I am not sure how many have confidence in my success and accuracy. I have been consulted less and less often since the failure of Mrs. Kray’s investigation.
ROXANNE
Well, then I guess my question is whether you’d be able to un-detain my dad and sister, even if you wanted to.
JUSTIN
That depends on a great deal of information which I do not have. Perhaps the drive you gave me has the answer. Follow me to my computer.
They walk to his desk, and put the drive in the computer.
ROXANNE
This is an interesting place, but I can’t imagine living here. Liliah said you’d been down here a long time.
JUSTIN
Our reaction to discomfort and inconvenience is different from yours. I would rather be somewhere else, and get a broader variety of sensory input. But I think about why I am here, and that makes it bearable. I…
ROXANNE
What?
JUSTIN
The file on this drive…says that your sister was detained because she was suspected of being an AlphaBeta, the specific one that we are looking for.
ROXANNE
I was afraid of that.
JUSTIN
But, not only was I not consulted about this, I was not even informed. I am specifically excluded from the distribution list, even though I am supposed to be the key investigator into this matter.
ROXANNE
Why would that be?
JUSTIN
The lack of confidence we spoke of. Someone has decided that I am not a safe channel of information, so I will not be given the most sensitive data.
ROXANNE
In that case, what’s the point of you being down here?
JUSTIN
They have already given me many secrets. Even if they ceased to do so, it would be too dangerous to let me re-join the Unity until all these matters are resolved.
ROXANNE
But, all this…I hate to say it, but wouldn’t it be more efficient to kill you?
JUSTIN
We do not kill one another, even for the sake of efficiency. We value all human life. That is a difference between us.
ROXANNE
Yowch.
JUSTIN
I am sorry, but being cut off from the Unity, I am protective of the Altered qualities I still possess.
ROXANNE
Don’t worry about it. With what that guy Derek got up to, this is the wrong week for me to say humans aren’t violent. But then what about Shelly? She’s one of you. What are they doing to her?
JUSTIN
According to this, the order for her arrest came at the federal level, at the suggestion of one of our secured research groups. Presumably she will be taken to them.
ROXANNE
Those are the ones trying to break immunity?
JUSTIN
The nature of their research is secret.
ROXANNE
So you’re not going to tell me?
JUSTIN
As you said, that is not how bargaining works. You have given me no information, nor even a tangible reason to believe that you have any.
ROXANNE
If they’re one of the Immunity-breaking groups, they’ll be identified by a Greek letter followed by a number. The number can be any number equal to or less than the ordinal value of the letter. So there’s an Alpha One, then both a Beta One and a Beta Two, Gamma One, Two, and Three, Delta up to four, et cetera.
JUSTIN
(struck)
How do you know that?
ROXANNE
The same way I know that I have to keep Shelly away from them: I know things about them, and what they do. Your side may value human life, and so does mine, but when the possibility of getting rid of The Look or Immunity comes up, the value of an individual person gets thrown out the window, whether the thrower is an individual like Derek or some super-secret team of Looker scientists.
JUSTIN
So it is true, some of the information given to me has been stolen.
ROXANNE
You’re just guessing that it came from you. It’s an educated guess, but you don’t really know. But you DO know that I have stuff you want. So now, we can bargain.
JUSTIN
Your logic appears to be sound. What are your terms?
ROXANNE
I tell you what I know about the AlphaBeta. You give me whatever help you can to get my family away from the people who have them, including giving me any relevant information. And you let me go free.
JUSTIN
But if she is the AlphaBeta, how can I justify helping you set her free?
ROXANNE
To yourself?
JUSTIN
To anyone.
ROXANNE
Okay, I’ll add a bonus. You have me locked up down here. If, at the end of this, you think she’s the AlphaBeta, then you don’t let any of us go. You keep her, and turn me over to the people who are probably looking for me right now. That way, none of the information gets loose.
JUSTIN
But in that case, you would gain nothing, and, if you are as knowledgeable as you appear to be, you could do great damage to the Resistance if interrogated.
ROXANNE
I’ve got a way to make sure I don’t tell them anything.
JUSTIN
What way?
ROXANNE
That’s my business. But it’s the same thing I’ll do if you break our deal and try to force answers out of me.
JUSTIN
HmmmMMMMmmmmm. Dealing with you is not a simple matter.
ROXANNE
Never is.
JUSTIN
All right. Answer my questions, and I will answer yours. If, at the point where all relevant information has been exchanged, I believe Shelly Scholl is the AlphaBeta, then I will hand you over to the authorities. Otherwise, I will do what I can to help you secure her release, and set you free. Do you find that acceptable?
ROXANNE
Pretty much, one more thing.
JUSTIN
What?
ROXANNE
We swear on it. Give me your word.
JUSTIN
I…do not know if you are aware, but the Altered do not attach the same value to promises and oaths as you do. We simply tell the truth.
ROXANNE
Humor me. If you follow the rules of the bargain you just laid out, I will too. I swear.
JUSTIN
And…I will do the same. You have my word.
ROXANNE
Whew! Great. We have a deal. Now, I can see you’ve got something you’re just dying to ask, so let’s have it.
JUSTIN
All right…how can you be so sure that your sister is not the AlphaBeta?
ROXANNE
Simple, because I’m the AlphaBeta.
JUSTIN
*boggles for a moment, then…*
You.
ROXANNE
Yeah. Shelly’s just guilty by association. She doesn’t even know about me. So now I’m going to answer your questions, then you’re going to help free us both. GOTCHA.
SCENE – THE HOSPITAL. Occasional sounds of far off voices and machinery.
CARRIE
Hello Candace.
CANDACE
Mrs. Kray! I…am sorry, I did not expect to see you.
CARRIE
That’s perfectly natural. I understand Kelsey is in this wing of the hospital?
CANDACE
Yes.
CARRIE
And you’re here to visit her?
CANDACE
Yes, I wanted to discuss some…recent developments…with her. But her family, and Molly, are inside with her. And I did not want to complicate their visit with my own.
CARRIE
Well, that’s unfortunate, but part of me is glad that things worked out this way.
CANDACE
Because you want to talk with me privately.
CARRIE
Yes.
CANDACE
Everyone wants to talk with me privately. Everyone is very concerned for my peace of mind. I can not even join the sky link without being bombarded by well-wishers seeking to give me just a little advice.
CARRIE
Well that, I’m afraid, is the hazard of being a public person. You already were one by being a victim, then you became more of one by being a hero, and now an even bigger one by being the self-appointed voice of an entire segment of Altered society.
CANDACE
I said what I felt I had to say, in the only way the Unaltered could hear me.
CARRIE
But what you said could be misinterpreted, used against us by our enemies. The same enemies who gave Derek Holroyd the opportunity to do what he did.
CANDACE
Well, Mrs. Kray, I feel that I could have made my true meaning clearer if I had been given time to speak in full, and your station had not switched away from our program to an update on forest fires.
CARRIE
What if I could give you a second chance? To really make it clear that you are trying to strengthen the Unity, not destroy it.
CANDACE
You truly believe that that is possible, after the reaction to my first attempt?
CARRIE
I’m sure of it. Do you know Calvin Noone?
CANDACE
He is my Congressman.
CARRIE
He’s taken a personal interest in your case. The case of all of you who freed yourselves, but also you in particular. He can arrange for you to have time to speak, as long as you frame your approach in the proper way. Would you welcome that opportunity?
CANDACE
I do not think my conscience would allow me to reject it.
CARRIE
I hoped that would be your reaction. Here’s what he said to me…
SCENE – THE UNITY. Voices everywhere.
LEE
(with a very formal friendliness)
Congressman Noone.
NOONE
Governor Lee.
LEE
Did you wish to speak with me?
NOONE
I had not planned to communicate with you up here, like this. I sent an assistant to your office.
LEE
Well, I prefer direct communication, rather than intermediaries, when it comes to important matters. I find that there are fewer misunderstandings that way. And since you had already left for Washington, communicating through the sky seemed like the best way to proceed. Speaking of which, I understand that congratulations will soon be in order. It is an honor to have the new Speaker Of The House Of Representatives originate from our little corner of the country.
NOONE
Thank you, Governor. Congress has been very sensitive to the changes dictated by the recent unpleasant events, and apparently decided that I was the best-placed person to effectively carry out the General Will in these troubled times.
LEE
This does show the dynamism and responsiveness of our people. They can raise an unknown private citizen with no experience in government to Speaker, much more quickly than in the old days.
NOONE
(with controlled anger)
Yes. It makes one wonder whether it is right to keep so many people in positions of authority, merely because those were the positions they held before joining the Unity.
LEE
Well, I think we have enough problems to address without engaging in change, for the sake of change. But further adjustments will occur when and where the people decide they are needed.
NOONE
Most definitely.
LEE
So, what was it you wished to contact me about?
NOONE
It is a matter of some delicacy, so I would prefer to communicate outside of the Link. My assistant is fully briefed about it.
LEE
Then, I will speak with your assistant, of course. But let us discuss that portion of your request which you think the people should be permitted to hear, and then I will disconnect, and listen to the part you feel should be kept from them.
NOONE
(increasing simmering anger)
I do not wish to keep anything at all from the people. It is merely that some of this is not safe to discuss here, for reasons you know well.
LEE
As you say, then. What is it you want, as far as you can make it known here?
NOONE
(losing it a little)
I want your help to find Roxanne Scholl.
LEE
Ah, Roxanne, yes. I am personally acquainted with her. And I understand her sister and father were detained recently, in a most unorthodox fashion.
NOONE
Detention is an uncommon thing; every detention could be considered unorthodox.
LEE
Yes, but there are procedures. Part of our early reforms were to simplify our multi-tiered system of government, by giving Governors direct control over their territory. And yet, this detention occurred without consultation with anyone in my state.
NOONE
I was consulted.
LEE
Pardon me, I meant, with anyone in the state government. Can I assume that this action resulted from the information I gave to you, after it was given to me by Lorna Gerrold?
NOONE
It was.
LEE
I would have thought that, if that information led to a plan of action, the logical next step would be to contact me, who was most familiar with the family and the local situation.
NOONE
It was an urgent matter. You allowed the secret name to be communicated to you during a sky link, much as this one. Anyone might have overheard it, and betrayed it to the Outsider. We had to act before that could happen, to stay ahead of the curve. And we did not have time to consult with someone who had spent months with our target right under her nose, and had been equally ineffective at finding her, at stopping the recent kidnapping and torture of our young women, and at capturing their attacker.
LEE
(tightly controlled)
Interesting. And how did you proceed from there?
NOONE
We decided it was simplest to contact Shelly Scholl while she was at work, order her to surrender herself, and three co-workers to accompany her.
LEE
And how did Ronald Scholl come to be detained?
NOONE
He contacted her routinely, during her journey, and then insisted on accompanying her. This proved beneficial, for reasons I simply can not reveal at this time. But for similar reasons, it is now important that Roxanne Scholl join them as well. But she is at large in your state.
LEE
It seems paradoxical, that your very urgency, to carry out this detention, seems to have directly caused the disappearance of the person you now wish to find.
NOONE
I can assure you, I do not find anything about this to be funny.
LEE
Humor is a natural human response to the contradictions of life, even in the darkest circumstances. It is a means of coping, and learning.
NOONE
A human response, not an Altered response.
LEE
(fascinated)
Are you saying we are not human?
NOONE
How human do you think Kelsey Habcek felt when Derek Holroyd injected acid under her skin?
LEE
Holroyd’s actions WERE dehumanizing. But it seems your idea of the General Will dehumanizes us too, though without us feeling the pain.
NOONE
I am glad to hear your true opinion of my movement. Fortunately, the people disagree with you.
LEE
The people are frightened. That fear is justifiable, but it is not always the best basis for a decision.
NOONE
These abstractions waste time. The ability of you and the old governing class to endlessly say clever, reassuring things is well known. What I do not know is whether you will help our government to find Roxanne Scholl. Will you, or will you not?
LEE
Your assistant will find state police, state records, and state investigators at his disposal.
NOONE
Good.
LEE
*pause*
I take it, you consider gratitude to be another outmoded human concept?
NOONE
We are public servants. Doing the minimum our jobs require is no cause for praise.
LEE
Well. In that case, I find there is nothing more to say.
SILENCE
