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Speaker 1: [theme music]

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Speaker 1: Mortal Steel, episode seven.

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Speaker 1: Pastor Ethan Cutter rolled his left
arm around in his socket. It was a little

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Speaker 1: stiff, but otherwise fully
functional. Relief beyond reason

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Speaker 1: flooded through him. He drew the
messenger from his hip holster in a flash and
dry

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Speaker 1: fired it against six imaginary foes.
Six imaginary kills.

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Speaker 1: He dropped it back into his holster.
The only question now was,

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Speaker 1: what was he going to punch first?
That list of things to punch had grown

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Speaker 1: very long since he lost his arms, and
Ethan hated putting off such

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Speaker 1: important work.

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Speaker 2: This was good work, Dumpit.

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Speaker 1: The man was turned away from Ethan,
seated at his office desk, lost in some

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Speaker 1: illustration. Ethan walked over to
get a better look. The artwork was

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Speaker 1: surprisingly skilled. In an instant,
and without him asking to, his

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Speaker 1: second mind began simulating what it
saw on the page. Three hundred

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Speaker 1: milliseconds later, Ethan stepped
back out of the simulation, unable to keep

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Speaker 1: the broad smile from his face. Dumpit
finally noticed the cyborg standing

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Speaker 1: over his shoulder.

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Speaker 2: Ah, it's just something I was cooking
up. Probably won't work. I'm a dreamer.

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Speaker 1: Dumpit, this is a work of art. If you
can build it, I can do more than make it work.

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Speaker 2: I can build it. Twenty hours is a
tight window, but we can do it.

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Speaker 2: Still, it's no chainsaw arm.

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Speaker 1: Ethan slapped the big man on the
back. You're right. It's even better.

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Speaker 1: [theme music]

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Speaker 1: Part nine. Price of admission.

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Speaker 1: Sister Francesca, former nun of Last
Respite and now

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Speaker 1: wastelands warrior, was not ready to
get out of her sleeping bag. She heard

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Speaker 1: the zipper on the tent next to her.
It wasn't even dawn yet. Dr. Marie

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Speaker 1: Singer set about the noisy business
of preparing tea anyway. Fran

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Speaker 1: buried her head deeper into the
sleeping bag. No, not

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Speaker 1: yet. Couldn't she dream a little
longer? These days,

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Speaker 1: life was the nightmare and dreams
were worth living. Spurred by the sounds

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Speaker 1: of Marie's ritual, more sisters began
exiting their tents around

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Speaker 1: her. Go back to sleep.

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Speaker 1: This cork could not be put back in
the bottle, however. Blasted

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Speaker 1: nuns. They kept their morning rituals
no matter what was

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Speaker 1: happening. Fran reluctantly joined
them a few minutes later.

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Speaker 1: She wasn't going to be the last one
out of bed. Dr. Singer handed her a paper

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Speaker 1: cup of unadorned black tea. She knew
she should be grateful for the finite

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Speaker 1: supply. No one was growing any more,
after all, but found it difficult.

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Speaker 3: Good morning, Francesca. I see you're
the last one awake. Did you enjoy your rest?

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Speaker 1: No.

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Speaker 3: It pains me to hear that.

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Speaker 1: Then the seven of them were quiet.
They had set out with twelve, but there were

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Speaker 1: only seven now. Francesca tried not
to dwell on the moments of their deaths,

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Speaker 1: which were each uniquely gruesome and
painful, and preferred to look

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Speaker 1: forward with hope. What hope she
could manage, anyway.

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Speaker 1: Mostly, she hoped to be back in
civilization, preferably behind a meter

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Speaker 1: of solid concrete. I'll sleep better
when I have a reason to believe I'll wake up

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Speaker 1: again. Dr. Singer pressed her lips
into a line. Why did people do that again?

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Speaker 1: Maybe her tea was too hot. Maybe she
was mad. People were always mad

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Speaker 1: when Fran spoke, so that was a safe
bet.

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Speaker 3: That's what we're all working toward.
Perhaps today will be our day.

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Speaker 1: Fran surveyed the other sisters.
Three of them, Hilda, Ursula, and Fran herself,
had

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Speaker 1: ditched their tunics and wimples
entirely. Such a silly name for a headdress,

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Speaker 1: wimple. At least it was fun to say.
They wore something more akin to combat

57
00:06:06,380 --> 00:06:12,292
Speaker 1: fatigues now. The other three,
Temperance, Joelle, and Mary, still

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Speaker 1: wore the full getup. Dr. Singer
herself wore the tunic but not the wimple,

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Speaker 1: leaving her long hair tied back in a
neat ponytail, some kind of symbolic compromise

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Speaker 1: between the factions that had already
formed in their order. Didn't take long

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Speaker 1: either. The seven of them sat in a
row, facing the wall and drinking their tea,

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Speaker 1: waiting for some horrible porridge to
be done cooking. It seemed cruel that she

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Speaker 1: should have to smell it for so long
before undertaking the task of eating it. Dr.

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Speaker 1: Singer leaned forward and looked down
the row.

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Speaker 3: Let's discuss battle formations one
more time.

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Speaker 3: Now hear me. Practice makes it
automatic. You don't want to freeze up the next

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Speaker 3: time some wretched creature finds us.

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Speaker 1: They each stood up and formed their
new battle formation. It kept changing because

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Speaker 1: they kept dying. The nuns practiced
for half an hour before Dr. Singer

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Speaker 1: finally called it quits and asked
them all to break camp. She always asked

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Speaker 1: because technically she was not their
leader. She had been their boss, though, so it

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Speaker 1: was a natural fit. Worked for Fran.
Sticking her neck out even farther was the last

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Speaker 1: thing she wanted to do. Actually, all
she wanted to do was survive,

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Speaker 1: take a bath, and get back to work. In
that order. Hopefully these New Hope people

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Speaker 1: had plenty of circuits and servos for
her to work on. Anything that didn't talk back

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Speaker 1: would be fine, actually.

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Speaker 1: Four hours later, they were sheltered
under the overhang of an old movie theater.

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Speaker 1: Not for water, or to hide from some
unidentified sound as they had

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Speaker 1: earlier. No, but to pray. To pray.

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Speaker 1: Francesca was as devout as any of
these people, but there was a time and a place.
If

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Speaker 1: God was offering them any help, they
wouldn't find it like this. So she kept a

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Speaker 1: lookout instead, which was why she
saw the humanoid

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Speaker 1: first. Fran slapped at the ladies
next to her without looking.

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Speaker 3: Hey, hey, hey, look.

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Speaker 1: They watched in silence as the
humanoid walked down the center of the broken
road,

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Speaker 1: directly toward them. The body was
covered in brown rags from head to

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Speaker 1: toe, and something about the way it
walked.

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Speaker 1: It was not at all normal. They dipped
far too low with each step,

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Speaker 1: like a person who had started their
exercise routine doing walking lunges and liked

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Speaker 1: it so much they never stopped.

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Speaker 3: Battle formations.

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Speaker 1: In an instant, they were in their
arrowhead formation, wooden bats, iron rebar,
and

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Speaker 1: tennis rackets in hand. Fran had to
admit, they'd done it rather smoothly as well.

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Speaker 1: Maybe this wasn't a complete waste of
time. The rag person stopped ten feet

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Speaker 1: shy of their group.

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Speaker 3: Greetings from New Hope. We received
your message. You are welcome to follow me to

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Speaker 3: safety.

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Speaker 1: The voice was poorly synthesized. A
robot? It turned around and started its odd

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Speaker 1: walk back in the direction it had
come from.

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Speaker 3: Safe place safe.

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Speaker 1: Dr. Singer looked back at the rest of
them from her place in the front. There was

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Speaker 1: that same expression from earlier.
Scared? Maybe it was scared. No one

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Speaker 1: spoke, so Fran took the liberty.

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Speaker 3: Let's go already.

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Speaker 1: They followed the rag-covered robot
from a healthy distance for about half a mile

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Speaker 1: until it stopped on a platform set
off to the side of the street. It looked like
the

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Speaker 1: entrance to one of those tunnels they
dug under old LA to avoid vehicle traffic.

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Speaker 1: If Fran was right, this was an
elevator.

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Speaker 3: Stand on the spot for wonderful
safety.

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Speaker 1: They all looked at each other, trying
to find some consensus by the way their

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Speaker 1: faces were situated, which was a
pointlessly difficult way to do it.

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Speaker 1: The robot spun its body above the
hips in a complete circle,

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Speaker 1: and a small jet of yellow sparks shot
out from the rags.

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Speaker 3: It's good time safe.

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Speaker 1: Fran voiced what she suspected their
faces were already saying.

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Speaker 3: This is a bad idea.

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Speaker 1: They nodded in turn and reformed the
battle stance. Then the robot reached into an

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Speaker 1: overgrown shrub and pulled out a
metal rectangle with a large red button on

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Speaker 1: it and pressed it. The platform began
sinking into the

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Speaker 1: ground.

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Speaker 3: Goodbye.

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Speaker 1: It was a bad idea, but bad ideas were
relative at this point. Trying to

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Speaker 1: survive in the city was guaranteed to
kill them eventually. And this was the

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Speaker 1: first creature to greet them with
words instead of teeth. Hopefully,

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Speaker 1: this safety would be as tasty as
promised.

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Speaker 3: Oh, no you don't.

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Speaker 1: Fran ran for the elevator platform
and dropped down the hole before it could get
too

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Speaker 1: far down. She landed hard on the
steel floor. A moment later, two more people

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Speaker 1: thudded down next to her. Dr. Singer
and Ursula. Fran had always liked Ursula.

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Speaker 1: She rarely spoke, and if she did, it
was strictly engineering or theological. And,

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Speaker 1: well, Dr. Singer was better than
nothing, she guessed. The three of them looked
up

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Speaker 1: at the shrinking rectangle of
daylight above them. Four sisters looked down at
them,

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Speaker 1: and Francesca got the sinking feeling
that she would never see them

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Speaker 1: again.

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Speaker 1: A minute later, the elevator clanged
to the bottom of the shaft.

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Speaker 1: [elevator clanging]

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Speaker 1: The robot in rags walked into the
deep darkness of the tunnel before them. A
second

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Speaker 1: later, it disappeared into the black,
and she could only hear its ancient servos

139
00:12:48,256 --> 00:12:53,856
Speaker 1: fading farther down the tunnel. Dr.
Singer glanced at the two of them.

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Speaker 3: I didn't leave home to stop halfway.

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Speaker 1: Then she strolled boldly into the
darkness. A half breath later,

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Speaker 1: Fran and Ursula followed. After all,

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Speaker 1: what could possibly be worse than
demons?

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Speaker 1: Part 10: Upgrade.

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Speaker 1: Ethan pointed his new arm at the
paper target and pulled the internal trigger by

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Speaker 1: trying to move fingers he didn't
have. The double barrel shotgun, which was his
arm,

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Speaker 1: spit fire and metal, [shotgun firing]
taking the head clean off the poorly drawn

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Speaker 1: demon. Dumpit had a maniac smile on
his face.

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Speaker 2: Now flex your bicep.

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Speaker 1: Two shells popped out of Ethan's
bicep and clattered to the floor.

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Speaker 1: [shells clattering] Without being
told, he slapped two more shells into the back
of

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Speaker 1: his right elbow, pointed his forearm
to the ceiling, and cocked the gun by moving

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Speaker 1: his whole arm up and down.

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00:14:07,116 --> 00:14:11,896
Speaker 2: Sweet and sour Lord above. You look
like you could take the Chained One himself.

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Speaker 1: Ethan squinted and stared into the
distance.

156
00:14:16,436 --> 00:14:19,036
Speaker 4: Well, call him up. We'll settle it
now.

157
00:14:19,616 --> 00:14:24,616
Speaker 2: Hell yeah. We'll settle this thing in
the backyard right now. Why bother with a war?

158
00:14:25,036 --> 00:14:26,416
Speaker 2: I like your style, holy man.

159
00:14:27,376 --> 00:14:28,816
Speaker 1: Ethan lifted an eyebrow.

160
00:14:29,856 --> 00:14:32,136
Speaker 4: I take it that's not actually an
option.

161
00:14:32,516 --> 00:14:37,016
Speaker 2: Nah. Chained One would never go mano
a mano. Demons ain't got no honor.

162
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Speaker 1: Then he took off an invisible hat and
held it to his chest.

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Speaker 2: Excepting the King, of course.

164
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Speaker 4: What is it you see in that man?

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00:14:47,196 --> 00:14:51,096
Speaker 2: It's not what I see, it's what he
does. Without the King, there ain't no home in
the

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Speaker 2: Outskirts. Maybe not in the whole
world. Between him and the Corpse Lady, they
keep

167
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Speaker 2: away anything real nasty.

168
00:14:58,236 --> 00:15:03,976
Speaker 1: Who was the Corpse Lady? Separate
from the Mixers, then? Ethan had been

169
00:15:04,056 --> 00:15:09,396
Speaker 1: ill-prepared for the factions at play
in the Outskirts. It was more complex than

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Speaker 1: he'd imagined. In truth, he had
expected to walk right in here, kill

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Speaker 1: the Stalker, and be home for dinner.
Or nutritional paste. That was fine, too.

172
00:15:21,316 --> 00:15:26,096
Speaker 1: He was still finding out, though,
just how wrong he'd been.

173
00:15:27,176 --> 00:15:31,696
Speaker 1: Ethan never got the chance to ask
about this Corpse Lady because Dumpit waved his

174
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Speaker 1: hands around for the forge workers to
gather.

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Speaker 2: Circle up. It's feedback time.

176
00:15:37,796 --> 00:15:43,716
Speaker 2: [feedback sounding] All right,
everybody pull

177
00:15:43,756 --> 00:15:46,256
Speaker 2: your work out. It's been a long day.

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Speaker 1: Bad news, sad burn.

179
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Speaker 2: Let's see if we got anything Holy Man
can use.

180
00:15:52,736 --> 00:15:58,256
Speaker 1: The forge workers, many of whom were
still seriously injured, placed various metal

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00:15:58,296 --> 00:16:02,156
Speaker 1: contraptions in front of themselves
on the big table in the center of the room.

182
00:16:02,976 --> 00:16:08,136
Speaker 1: Dumpit walked around to the first
person, a shockingly pale woman in her

183
00:16:08,196 --> 00:16:13,656
Speaker 1: mid-50s with so many burn marks on
her arms it was unsettling to look at.

184
00:16:14,676 --> 00:16:20,016
Speaker 1: She pushed a slightly melted-looking
sword forward another six inches for Dumpit to

185
00:16:20,076 --> 00:16:25,636
Speaker 1: inspect. It wasn't the best work, but
a weapon didn't have to be pretty to

186
00:16:25,696 --> 00:16:26,256
Speaker 1: function.

187
00:16:26,756 --> 00:16:32,715
Speaker 2: This is the worst piece of trash I
have seen in my entire life. My dad mama could

188
00:16:32,736 --> 00:16:37,616
Speaker 2: have coughed up something better with
her two hands tied behind her back. Even then

189
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Speaker 2: she'd be ashamed.

190
00:16:39,016 --> 00:16:43,916
Speaker 1: He snatched the sword off the table,
causing the workers to cringe. Then he walked

191
00:16:44,016 --> 00:16:49,376
Speaker 1: over to a still hot forge and dropped
the thing right in, staring straight at the

192
00:16:49,436 --> 00:16:55,416
Speaker 1: woman while it melted. Then he walked
over to her and gently placed a

193
00:16:55,476 --> 00:16:56,656
Speaker 1: hand on her shoulder.

194
00:16:57,556 --> 00:17:02,436
Speaker 2: I believed in you when you walked
through that door, and I believe in you now.

195
00:17:02,956 --> 00:17:07,136
Speaker 2: You're my best friend and the heart
and soul of this whole damn city.

196
00:17:08,936 --> 00:17:10,756
Speaker 2: Never doubt you can do better.

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00:17:11,436 --> 00:17:16,556
Speaker 1: The woman took her lashings and
praise stoically. Dumpit walked to the next
person,

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Speaker 1: briefly inspecting what looked like a
handheld battering ram, and nodded without

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00:17:22,056 --> 00:17:27,876
Speaker 1: comment. Then he tore into the next
person, cursing enough to make the tattooed man

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00:17:27,936 --> 00:17:33,076
Speaker 1: blush, and by the end of his
follow-up praise, both Dumpit and the man were
hugging

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00:17:33,116 --> 00:17:39,016
Speaker 1: each other, crying. Ethan's second
mind queried him for once.

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00:17:39,796 --> 00:17:41,156
Speaker 1: He just shook his head.

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00:17:41,936 --> 00:17:42,916
Speaker 4: Don't even ask.

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00:17:45,336 --> 00:17:50,176
Speaker 1: An hour later, the entire forge crew
was sloshing drunk on moonshine.

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00:17:51,076 --> 00:17:54,796
Speaker 1: Dumpit dragged a scrawny boy with a
flush red face over to Ethan.

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00:17:55,636 --> 00:18:00,196
Speaker 2: This here's TJ. He made you bullets
for that big-ass gun.

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00:18:00,936 --> 00:18:06,636
Speaker 1: Ethan stared back at the boy, who
shriveled under his gaze. Dumpit poked one fat

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00:18:06,736 --> 00:18:08,296
Speaker 1: finger into Ethan's chest.

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00:18:08,696 --> 00:18:09,576
Speaker 2: Thank TJ.

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00:18:10,116 --> 00:18:14,516
Speaker 1: Ethan dialed his stare from neutral
up to simmering.

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00:18:15,216 --> 00:18:16,416
Speaker 4: Thank you, TJ.

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00:18:17,536 --> 00:18:22,476
Speaker 1: Y- y- yes? The boy seemed to realize
that response made no sense, panicked, then

213
00:18:22,556 --> 00:18:27,996
Speaker 1: bowed. Realizing how foolish that
was, he rose from his bow and scrambled away

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00:18:28,056 --> 00:18:33,696
Speaker 1: without another word. Dumpit swayed
back and forth as if aboard a ship. He

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00:18:33,796 --> 00:18:35,096
Speaker 1: gestured at the messenger

216
00:18:36,636 --> 00:18:42,376
Speaker 2: You get forty shots. Full, full clip.
Every tenth shot is a

217
00:18:42,476 --> 00:18:47,296
Speaker 2: silver tipped bullet. Took a lot of
teeth to get that silver, so don't waste it.

218
00:18:48,436 --> 00:18:51,176
Speaker 1: Ugh, you took out people's teeth?

219
00:18:52,196 --> 00:18:58,056
Speaker 2: A collection, holy man. There's some
people out there who think, think

220
00:18:58,096 --> 00:19:03,036
Speaker 2: you'll amount to something. Don't
waste their hope. Or their bullets.

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00:19:03,696 --> 00:19:08,656
Speaker 1: Dumpit teetered dangerously to one
side, spun, then crashed into his desk.

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00:19:09,596 --> 00:19:11,976
Speaker 1: Continued speaking as if nothing had
happened

223
00:19:12,856 --> 00:19:18,616
Speaker 2: DJ who wrote their names on those
bullets. Romantic. Good kid. My best

224
00:19:18,696 --> 00:19:21,416
Speaker 2: damn friend. Heart and soul of this
city.

225
00:19:22,816 --> 00:19:27,936
Speaker 1: Ethan helped Dumpit into his chair,
where he passed out soon after, snoring

226
00:19:27,996 --> 00:19:33,896
Speaker 1: peacefully with his chin resting on
his ample torso. Ethan slipped the

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00:19:33,976 --> 00:19:39,676
Speaker 1: extended clip into the messenger,
spun it smoothly, then slid it back into the

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00:19:39,736 --> 00:19:43,596
Speaker 1: holster. Then he turned and made for
the door.

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00:19:44,556 --> 00:19:45,436
Speaker 4: Thanks, Dumpit.

230
00:19:46,936 --> 00:19:51,996
Speaker 1: Ethan stepped out into the cool night
air, marveling at the distant sounds of

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00:19:52,056 --> 00:19:57,896
Speaker 1: conversation and laughter. Human
sounds. A sound that should

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Speaker 1: be made normal again. It was a simple
thing, but it perfectly

233
00:20:03,956 --> 00:20:06,636
Speaker 1: described what he was fighting for.

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00:20:11,436 --> 00:20:17,136
Speaker 1: The six elite scary boys sat on their
motorcycles at the edge of paradise waiting

235
00:20:17,196 --> 00:20:22,796
Speaker 1: for him. The reception was nearly
warm as a freezer. The

236
00:20:22,956 --> 00:20:28,636
Speaker 1: stalker melted from the shadows as
Ethan approached. His second mind plopped a
black

237
00:20:28,756 --> 00:20:33,855
Speaker 1: warning icon on him immediately. The
fact that he hadn't been picked up by infrared

238
00:20:34,036 --> 00:20:35,976
Speaker 1: sooner was perplexing

239
00:20:36,656 --> 00:20:39,636
Speaker 4: Looks like someone got a fresh coat
of paint.

240
00:20:40,276 --> 00:20:46,016
Speaker 1: Paint and weapons. Not much more.
Which was why he needed to see the nuns.

241
00:20:47,256 --> 00:20:52,976
Speaker 1: Repairing his titanium endoskeleton
and the many hundreds of damaged systems was not

242
00:20:53,136 --> 00:20:58,876
Speaker 1: work a post-apocalypse forge master
was up to, however skilled he may be at

243
00:20:58,916 --> 00:21:04,916
Speaker 1: putting guns on stuff. Ethan's
expected lifespan had shortened considerably the

244
00:21:04,956 --> 00:21:10,336
Speaker 1: last time he was knocked unconscious
and rebooted. Fixing his more mundane but

245
00:21:10,876 --> 00:21:15,596
Speaker 1: essential systems would be necessary
if he expected to survive the week.

246
00:21:17,016 --> 00:21:22,996
Speaker 1: Malfunctioning synthetic hormone
injectors or uncalibrated force inhibitors could

247
00:21:23,056 --> 00:21:28,776
Speaker 1: kill him just as surely as any demon,
and those were very boring, meaningless ways

248
00:21:28,836 --> 00:21:34,336
Speaker 1: to die. Much better to die atop a
large pile of crucifer

249
00:21:34,416 --> 00:21:40,176
Speaker 1: grafted warriors. The stalker slipped
partially back into the shadows.

250
00:21:40,816 --> 00:21:46,636
Speaker 1: Out of curiosity, Ethan switched to
only infrared. His body below

251
00:21:46,696 --> 00:21:52,436
Speaker 1: the collarbone was simply missing.
The trick was made no less mysterious

252
00:21:52,596 --> 00:21:55,056
Speaker 1: once the curtain of darkness had been
pulled back

253
00:21:55,956 --> 00:21:58,176
Speaker 4: Remember what I said about New Hope?

254
00:21:58,976 --> 00:22:01,876
Speaker 1: I don't expect them to welcome me
with open arms.

255
00:22:02,536 --> 00:22:08,236
Speaker 4: I do. Their leader is called the
Intercom, and it has an affinity for machines.

256
00:22:08,836 --> 00:22:13,736
Speaker 4: Loves its robots. You're probably the
most interesting thing it's seen in a while,

257
00:22:13,856 --> 00:22:19,276
Speaker 4: too. I've personally had no trouble
getting spies in. It's getting them out that's

258
00:22:19,316 --> 00:22:19,796
Speaker 4: hard.

259
00:22:20,656 --> 00:22:26,236
Speaker 1: Ethan set the long, dark silver
barrel of his new arm across his shoulder.

260
00:22:26,876 --> 00:22:28,256
Speaker 1: Then I'll negotiate.

261
00:22:29,796 --> 00:22:35,516
Speaker 4: Oh, that's why I like you, Ethan.
You're a blunt instrument. But this is a job for

262
00:22:35,576 --> 00:22:40,356
Speaker 4: someone with finesse. Which is why I
want you to visit a friend of mine first.

263
00:22:45,856 --> 00:22:51,816
Speaker 1: Now, you don't expect me to entreat
with demons, do you? The stalker rolled his eyes

264
00:22:52,396 --> 00:22:58,136
Speaker 4: Let's call it a backup plan. You can
borrow one of my allies. I believe she would be

265
00:22:58,216 --> 00:23:03,456
Speaker 4: willing to help if she can use New
Hope as a nest afterward. You're going to pay a

266
00:23:03,536 --> 00:23:07,036
Speaker 4: visit to the Corpse Mother. The
riders will show you the way.

267
00:23:08,676 --> 00:23:13,096
Speaker 1: Ethan straddled the seat of the spare
motorcycle and revved the engine to life.

268
00:23:16,756 --> 00:23:22,536
Speaker 1: This detour seemed like a waste of
precious ammunition at best. Then

269
00:23:22,596 --> 00:23:28,536
Speaker 1: again, ammunition spent on demons was
never truly wasted. When he

270
00:23:28,576 --> 00:23:34,176
Speaker 1: looked at it like that, he won either
way. Ethan looked to the side and the

271
00:23:34,256 --> 00:23:39,176
Speaker 1: stalker was gone. It was kind of the
creature to keep revealing powers like that to

272
00:23:39,216 --> 00:23:44,416
Speaker 1: him. It would make him that much
easier to kill when their deal was done.

273
00:23:45,536 --> 00:23:51,216
Speaker 1: The other riders didn't start their
bikes immediately, though. The scary boy nearest

274
00:23:51,276 --> 00:23:56,736
Speaker 1: to him was staring with open malice.
The murder practically dripped from her

275
00:23:56,816 --> 00:23:58,336
Speaker 1: bone-covered face

276
00:23:59,076 --> 00:24:01,716
Speaker 3: That was my brother's bike.

277
00:24:02,296 --> 00:24:04,696
Speaker 1: Well, it was right kind of him to let
me borrow it then

278
00:24:05,616 --> 00:24:06,816
Speaker 3: You shot him.

279
00:24:08,516 --> 00:24:14,136
Speaker 1: Ethan nodded down the street in the
only direction they could be headed. This

280
00:24:14,216 --> 00:24:19,696
Speaker 1: thing, the Corpse Mother, it uses
dead bodies, right?

281
00:24:20,396 --> 00:24:25,556
Speaker 1: One of the riders nodded. Wouldn't
you say your body would make for a nice gift?

282
00:24:26,512 --> 00:24:32,312
Speaker 1: He surveyed the other five riders.
They would not meet his gaze.

283
00:24:32,932 --> 00:24:37,212
Speaker 2: Seems rude to show up without a few
gifts. What do you think?

284
00:24:41,292 --> 00:24:47,032
Speaker 1: The scary boys finally started their
motorcycles. The surviving sister was the last

285
00:24:47,072 --> 00:24:51,812
Speaker 1: to join them, but she eventually sped
off down the broken street.

286
00:24:53,032 --> 00:24:58,812
Speaker 1: Ethan sighed. That was a relief.
Words were cheaper than bullets, after

287
00:24:58,912 --> 00:25:04,532
Speaker 1: all, and these creatures were still a
little too close to people for his liking.

288
00:25:05,952 --> 00:25:11,812
Speaker 1: He hated that he needed their help,
but saw no other way to

289
00:25:11,912 --> 00:25:17,572
Speaker 1: save the boy. So he pulled back the
throttle and

290
00:25:17,772 --> 00:25:23,592
Speaker 1: followed the gang. Hopefully, their
alliance would hold for just

291
00:25:23,752 --> 00:25:25,832
Speaker 1: a little bit longer.

292
00:26:16,412 --> 00:26:21,912
Speaker 1: Dumpit awoke to a splitting headache,
wiped at his face,

293
00:26:23,132 --> 00:26:29,092
Speaker 1: then looked down at his hand. It was
covered in a thick layer of black

294
00:26:29,212 --> 00:26:34,712
Speaker 1: grease. Oh no they didn't. He looked
at the other

295
00:26:34,852 --> 00:26:40,812
Speaker 1: hand. It too was painted in grease.
He was careful not to wipe any more of

296
00:26:40,852 --> 00:26:46,212
Speaker 1: the mess on himself as he got up from
the chair and suddenly fell to the side,

297
00:26:46,652 --> 00:26:50,992
Speaker 1: slamming to the floor and knocking
the breath from his lungs. Dumpit looked down at

298
00:26:51,012 --> 00:26:56,132
Speaker 1: his feet. Where his fireplace poker
foot should have been,

299
00:26:56,892 --> 00:27:02,792
Speaker 1: there was nothing. He saw it then,
laying on the

300
00:27:02,872 --> 00:27:08,692
Speaker 1: other side of the room. Between him
and the stolen prosthetic

301
00:27:08,772 --> 00:27:14,732
Speaker 1: was a carefully placed carpet of
mousetraps. Not quite large enough to

302
00:27:14,812 --> 00:27:20,112
Speaker 1: seriously injure him, but certainly
large enough to feel every

303
00:27:20,332 --> 00:27:26,172
Speaker 1: single one as he crawled over them.
Oh, I'm gonna

304
00:27:26,232 --> 00:27:31,892
Speaker 1: kill you. He heard the snickers from
outside his office, and though the traps

305
00:27:32,032 --> 00:27:34,132
Speaker 1: stung like a rattlesnake's kiss,

306
00:27:36,032 --> 00:27:41,272
Speaker 1: he couldn't keep the smile off his
face. These ungrateful

307
00:27:41,352 --> 00:27:42,452
Speaker 1: cottonheads.

308
00:27:44,392 --> 00:27:47,252
Speaker 1: Hadn't he taught them everything he
knew?

309
00:27:49,912 --> 00:27:55,712
Speaker 1: Hadn't he given them a bed and a warm
meal? More laughter as they

310
00:27:55,772 --> 00:28:01,452
Speaker 1: heard the mousetraps spring on him.
He wasn't even trying to avoid them now.

311
00:28:02,652 --> 00:28:08,532
Speaker 1: Oh, he'd get his foot back. Then,
then he would

312
00:28:08,592 --> 00:28:10,532
Speaker 1: plan his revenge.