Brian: Hello!

 

Yosef: how did you get in here?!

 

Brian: You look like my brother. 

 

Yosef: I am not your brother. I just have his face.

 

Brian: who are you?

 

Yosef: I Hold The Bad Things. 

 

Brian: oh. Why?

 

Yosef: I have no feelings.  So the bad things cannot hurt me. 

 

Brian: Oh!  My brother Yosef does that for me!

 

Yosef: I know. That is why I took his face. 

 

Brian: You should have his name too. You two are the same. 

 

Yosef: I do not require a name. 

 

Brian: But I need something to call you. 

 

Yosef: ...you may call me Yosef if you wish. Now.. how did you get in here?

 

Brian:  I’m dead so I can go anywhere now!

 

Yosef: Yes, But *how* did you get *here*?

 

Brian: I was just wandering through the static.. like that kid! *points to a screen*

 

Andrew is standing in the static outside the convenience store. Jack is holding his hand, trying to pull him back inside. 

 

There is a gasp behind them and Yosef turns. He scowls at Andrew. 

 

Andrew: Where am I?

 

Yosef: You are going to be a problem for me, aren’t you. 

 

Andrew: What?  

 

Yosef: Go back the way you came.

 

Andrew: But I don’t know how I got here. 

 

Yosef: You aren’t here!  You’re in the static!

 

Brian: I thought you couldn’t feel things. 

 

Yosef: I can feel annoyance when my job is interrupted!!

 

Andrew: What’s your job?

 

Yosef: You aren’t going to remember this, so telling you would be pointless. 

 

Andrew: Why do you have a kid?

 

Yosef: He is not my kid, and *he* is not supposed to be here either!

 

Brian: He’s my brother!

 

Andrew: aw that’s nice. 

 

Yosef: I am not your brother. 

 

Brian: We’re twins!

 

Andrew: Uuh..

 

Brian: I died. That’s why he’s bigger. 

 

Andrew: Oh. 

 

Yosef:  Enough of this. Be gone!

 

Yosef raises an arm and shoves Andrew out of his dimension (or whatever.)

 

Brian: So.. you *can* feel things?

 

Yosef:  I have a limited range.  I care about my job, and I care that it is done efficiently. 

 

Brian: Do you care about me?

 

Yosef: ...yes. 

 

Yosef studies his screens.  Andrew is sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, thinking, motionless.

 

Yosef: What are you doing now?  Don’t—

 

Andrew appears static-y in front of Brian and Yosef. 

 

Andrew: oh right, it was you guys..

 

Yosef: You are going to hurt yourself doing this. You need to go back. 

 

Andrew: you guys seem really familiar. 

 

Yosef: You were just here. 

 

Andrew: No I know that. I mean before. I felt it before but I didn’t realize it. 

 

Yosef: You should not remember before. Stop coming here, or I will take measures to make you stop. 

 

Andrew: Alright. Damn. How do I— 

 

Andrew turns around and sees himself on a large screen 

 

Andrew: Fuck is that me?

 

Andrew disappears and he wakes up back in the hospital waiting room. 

 

Brian: How do you make people forget?

 

Yosef: I desire that they forget, and then they do.  It is like raising your arm. How do you raise your arm, Brian?

 

Brian: uum..

 

Brian raises and lowers his arm several times. 

 

Brian: Oh!  It just happens because I want it to!

 

Yosef: yes.  

 

Brian: look how much time went by already!

 

Brian points to screen.  Andrew and Jack are back in their guest room at Seth’s apartment. 

 

Yosef: Yes. My time is separate from their time. 

 

Brian: Oh. What are they doing?

 

Yosef: Don’t play dumb. You know what they’re doing. 

 

Andrew is lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, directly into Yosef’s eyes. 

 

Yosef: I told you to stop or I would take measures. 

 

Brian: I don’t think he’s doing it on purpose. 

 

Yosef: Intent is irrelevant. If you look into the Abyss, the Abyss looks back. 

 

Yosef makes a sweeping gesture. Andrew gasps and sits up and tells Jack to stop.

 

Brian: What did you do??

 

Yosef: I simply frightened him. 

 

Brian: Aw. He looks upset. 

 

Yosef: Yes. That is how he will remember to avoid me. 

 

Brian: Are you gonna make me forget you if I leave?

 

Yosef: If??

 

Brian: I don’t wanna forget you. So if you’re gonna make me forget then I don’t wanna leave. 

 

Yosef: I can make you leave. Your desire is irrelevant. 

 

Brian: (pouting) I thought you cared about me. 

 

Yosef: You speak freely, and I have many secrets that must be kept. For your safety, and everyone else’s. 

 

Brian: Oh. But I wouldn’t tell anyone about you. 

 

Yosef: That is not a risk I can take. 

 

Brian: ...Then I guess I just won’t leave. 

 

Yosef: ...

 

Brian: Look!  What’s happening now?

 

Andrew is upset and is raising his voice at Reggie, Jack, and Seth. 

 

Yosef: he appears to be age-sliding. 

 

Brian: Oh. Is that bad?

 

Yosef: Not always. In this case it is.. possibly useful. To me. For him it will be frustrating.  The timing is opportune.

 

Andrew is alone in the guest room, lying on his bed.  Mr. Black and Mr. White are both present. 

 

Brian: Who are they?

 

Yosef: They are an excellent distraction.  *This* is what is important. 

 

Yosef splits the screen to show Seth viewing Nathan’s feed as Marcy assaults Nathan on a loop. 

 

Yosef: Baring any unforeseen interference I have an opportunity to create a nearly seamless block. 

 

Brian: Block?

 

Yosef: Memory block. Nathan does not need to be conscious of this loop. Seth and his Away Team will find a way to break the loop, and I will make them all forget the loop occurred. 

 

Seth is speaking to everyone in the living room again. 

 

Brian: Why don’t you just free Nathan from the loop yourself?

 

Yosef: That is not within my power. I can only influence thought and memory... even that is limited. Things must play out as they will. *My* role is to take the bad things so that others may continue performing *their* roles. 

 

Brian:  Oh. What’s *my* role?

 

Seth sends Reggie and Jack through the Everywhere Door. Andrew goes back to the guest room. 

 

Yosef: ...I believe you are an example. 

 

Brian: An example?

 

Yosef: Of things that might happen if we are not careful. 

 

Brian:  Oh. Does that mean Mar—

 

Yosef: There are things we must not speak aloud, Brian. This is one of them. 

 

Brian: Oh. 

 

The screen is split three ways now. One shows Seth, one shows Jack and Reggie, one shows Andrew.

 

Brian: How long do you think it will take?

 

Yosef: Not long. He came out of it when the Core called. This is not a self-inflicted loop. He is not invested in it. 

 

Brian: How are they gonna make sure it’s stopped for good?  If he left and came back and it was still there?  

 

Yosef: Mmh. You may have saved me a step, child. Measure twice, cut once. Your questions are exhausting, but thorough. 

 

Yosef maximizes Seth’s portion of the screen.  

 

Yosef: How do we know the loop is truly broken?  How do we know it won’t reoccur when we take him back home?

 

Seth’s brow furrows. 

 

Seth: Hey guys, don’t bring him back here when you get him. 

 

Reggie: What? Why?

 

Seth: Well first of all I don’t need another person knowing I exist. Second.. I- I dunno, I just feel like if you break the loop by physically removing him from it.. I mean how can we know that it won’t just be waiting for him when he goes home?  We need to make sure it’s really over, and if we remove him then we can’t possibly know. 

 

Reggie: ...Ok, Seth. Any ideas?  Because so far we can’t even touch him. It’s like we aren’t here. 

 

Seth: Try, um.. try getting his attention when he’s almost unconscious. He might be able to see you and gain control of his reality. 

 

Brian: Wow, you just made him have an idea!

 

Yosef: (smiling) Yes. I did. 

 

Brian: You’re smiling!  That means happy!

 

Yosef: I did say I care about my job. 

 

The screen is in thirds again.  Andrew is arguing with Mr. Black and Mr. White. 

 

Brian: Who are they?

 

Yosef: They are liars, but sometimes they are useful. 

 

Brian: How can liars be useful?

 

Yosef: To perpetuate the lies that hide painful truths. 

 

Brian: Oh, like how I couldn’t remember how I died for a long time, and Yosef lied to me about it?

 

Yosef: Yes. Like that. Do you remember how you died now?

 

Brian: yes. 

 

Yosef: How do you feel about it?

 

Brian: ...a little sad. 

 

Yosef: Sad?

 

Brian: Those boys had so much hate in their hearts. 

 

Yosef: You empathize with your murderers?

 

Brian:  They’re gonna grow up to be men who are filled with hate. I’m sad for their wives and their children. 

 

Yosef: I see. 

 

Reggie: Nathan?  Can you see me?  Ohmigod *Nathan*! You’re in a loop! This isn’t real!

 

Nathan gasps like he’s been trapped underwater. He flails, and scrambles, and winds up on top of the fridge. 

 

Brian: They did it!!

 

Yosef: Brian, stay here. 

 

Yosef appears behind Seth. He places a hand on top of Seth’s head and a hand over his eyes. 

 

Yosef: Shh

 

Yosef whispers into Seth’s ear, and he is frozen.   Yosef rearranges the windows on Seth’s computer screen before he leaves to enter the guest room.  Mr. Black and Mr. White both look at him, and Andrew turns around with a gasp.

 

Andrew: You!

 

Yosef: Yes.  Me.

 

Yosef looks away from Andrew.  He addresses Mr. Black and Mr. White.

 

Yosef: I am taking us back.  Mr. Black, I do not understand why you placed Nathan in that loop, but I am taking it.  This behavior is unbecoming of even you.  I recognize your role in this ecosystem, but you have become self-destructive.  Now leave.  I have business with Mr. White.

 

Mr. Black twists and vanishes. 

 

Yosef: Mr. White.

 

Mr. White: At your service.

 

Yosef: I am taking us back.  Before Seth called everyone to the living room.  You must engage with Andrew so that he becomes agitated and expressive.

 

Mr. White: With pleasure.

 

Andrew: Hey—

 

Yosef snaps his fingers and Andrew is frozen.

 

Yosef: We will begin shortly.

 

Yosef appears in Nathan’s house.  Jack and Reggie freeze, and Yosef approaches Nathan.

 

Nathan: What..?

 

Yosef:  I’m so sorry you got caught up in this nonsense.

 

Nathan: Um..

 

Yosef steps closer, touches Nathan’s face, and presses their foreheads together.

 

Yosef: Let me take it.

 

They both glow and appear strained.  

 

Yosef takes a deep breath and steps back.  

 

Nathan stumbles and sways.  

 

Yosef gestures and freezes Nathan while he gasps and sputters. His hands reach instinctively for his own throat.  His balance is lost and he hits his knees.  He breaths deliberately through the pain.

 

When Yosef can stand again he puts Nathan on his couch and takes Jack and Reggie back to Seth’s living room.  He blinks back to his own space where Brian is waiting for him.

 

Brian: You don’t look good.

 

Yosef: I do not feel good, but that is ok.  Everything is in place now.

 

Brian: What was it like?  It looked painful…

 

Yosef: It was painful.  For a moment I forgot that it would end, but it did.

 

Yosef looks at his screens and raises his hand, ready to snap his fingers, but Brian interrupts.

 

Brian: Are you alright?

 

Yosef: Yes.

 

Yosef snaps his fingers.

 

Seth furrows his brow at his screen.  Confused.  He calls everyone to the living room, then gets up and strides there quickly himself.

 

Reggie: What’s up?

 

Jack: Did you find something?

 

Seth: Yes, but let’s just hit pause on the Marcy thing for a minute.  Where’s Andrew?

 

Andrew: What?

 

Seth spins around to look at Andrew, who’s just approached from behind.

 

Seth: Who were you talking to in there?

 

Andrew:…thought I told you to fuck off.

 

Seth: Ok, honestly? Did you expect me to stop watching?  It’s *kind of* my whole thing.  Now who were you talking to?

 

Andrew: If you can see my goddamn hallucinations through the feed, then you should fucking know!

 

Seth: Yea!  That’s why I’m concerned!  I didn’t see anything!  You’re feed is showing me *your* experience, so if something doesn’t show up that means.. it’s being blocked or something— look, there are a lot of possible implications but what I need to know first is *who was it*?

 

Andrew: …Mr. White.  Wait.. 

 

Andrew touches his head.

 

Andrew: Jack do you remember back.. like when we were still in that weird hallway.  You saw Mr. Black.  Right?  I heard him whispering to you.  I know you saw him.

 

Jack: Fuck that *thing* has a name!?

 

Andrew: They’re a pair, and if they’re… 

 

Andrew presses his fingers into his head like it hurts.

 

Seth: Are you alright?  You should sit.

 

Andrew: No!

 

Andrew begins pacing.

 

Andrew: I feel like.. like I know something, but I forgot.  It doesn’t make sense.  I feel like—

 

Andrew gasps.

 

Andrew: I feel like I’m off my meds.  Do I need to be taking my meds here?  Time is so weird.. how would I even.. when would I even… 

 

Seth: No, no.. when you’re outside of your time line your still.. like… ugh this is weird to explain.  

 

Seth gestures Andrew into the living room, and Andrew stands behind the couch, pacing occasionally.

 

Seth: Uuuh, ok so if anyone has anything helpful to add please speak up.  I’m gonna use Jack as an example.  Jack is an opium addict, but Jack doesn’t withdrawal from being outside of his time line and not smoking opium.  Right Jack?

 

Jack: Yep. 

 

Seth: Jack’s state is dependent on his age and his emotional... wellbeing?

 

Jack: Sounds right when you say it. 

 

Seth:  I have observed Jack in a withdrawal-like state when his emotional turbulence dragged his age to a specific moment when he was unhappy and also experiencing withdrawal. 

 

Andrew: Jack doesn’t notice when he age slides. How could you possibly know how old he was with that level of accuracy?

 

Seth: Ah. Allow me to demonstrate.  

 

Seth turns on a screen.

 

Seth: There are a lot of different ways I can interpret the data we’re all made of.  There’s a lot of.. threads, lets say.  One thread is directly connected to you and your first person experience.  This is my POV feed.  You can see whatever I’m looking at and hear whatever I hear.  

 

Seth turns on a second screen.

 

Seth: This is still me, but it’s third person, and I can move where the “camera” is.  

 

Seth demonstrates this on the screen so everyone can see before turning on a third screen.

 

Seth: And This is my timeline.  I’m like 20-something right now.  

 

Andrew steps out from behind the couch and approaches the screens. 

 

Andrew: How are you there *and* here at the same time?

 

Seth: I’m not.  That’s like a.. like a movie that’s playing in the background.  I’ve been the same age for a while so it mostly just loops.  And honestly, day to day living is kind of like a loop anyway.  It’s all the same except for special occasions or life altering events.  Sometimes the movie advances or rewinds.  So if it moves to a point in time where you’re, say, not taking your meds anymore, you would feel the effects of that here.  Does that.. make sense?

 

Andrew: Yes?

 

Seth: So.. how old are you right now?

 

Andrew: I’m 17.  No, wait, I mean 17.  Shit!  I was 16 like.. yesterday?  If days even mean anything here.  But I guess I’m fucking 17 now?

 

Seth: Do you know what’s going on at home?  Can you see it if you think about it?

 

Andrew: Uuh… Oh.  Oh shit.

 

Seth/Jack/Reggie: What?

 

Andrew: My doctor is changing my meds.  So I’m taking like half the dose I was before.. cuz you can’t just stop taking that shit or whatever.  So it’s like.. I’m gonna slowly stop taking this shit, then slowly start taking some other shit.  Fuck.. I think that’s why I flipped out on you guys earlier.  Not gonna lie I’ve been feeling *real* paranoid for a few… whatever.  I was tryin’ to ignore it cuz it’s stupid and I hate that feeling, but it’s been—

 

Jack moves towards Andrew, who immediately stops speaking in order to brace himself for something.  Jack wraps his arms around Andrew and squeezes him.

 

Andrew: Umm…

 

Reggie joins in, wrapping her arms around both of them.

 

Andrew: Seth what is happening?

 

Seth: It appears to be some sort of primitive human display of affection.

 

Andrew laughs. 

 

Seth turns off the screens.

 

Jack: I’m sorry I yelled at you before.

 

Andrew: No, dude, *I’m* sorry.  I turned something into a problem that *didn’t* need to be a problem.  Because I’m paranoid.

 

Reggie: But if we’d listened to what you were saying we would have realized you were struggling with something—

 

Seth: Then it’s settled.  You’re all horrible.  If you would please sit, I have other concerns.

 

Andrew: That’s sarcasm right?

 

Reggie: Let’s just sit.

 

The three sit on the couch.  Andrew is in the middle.

 

Seth: My concern is.. at what point it is unproductive and/or dangerous for Andrew to be on the Away Team.

 

Andrew: Wow that was fast.

 

Seth: I’m sorry, Andrew.

 

Andrew: No, no.  It’s fair.  Unit cohesion is fucking important.  whatever.  If I can’t trust anyone there can’t be cohesion.

 

Seth: But also, your Jack’s emotional anchor.  If I lose you, I lose him.  That’s the whole team.

 

Reggie:  I’ll be on your Away Team!

 

Seth: You aren’t the shining example of mental health, Reggie.

 

Reggie crosses her arms.

 

Andrew: Aw come one, she’s got a stable grip on reality, right?

 

Seth: She had a meltdown on the day you met her.

 

Andrew: Yea, like one time.  That’s not a lot of times.  *And* she was just reunited with this idiot.  Lots of feelings going around.  Sex is triggering sometimes.  Doesn’t mean she can’t go poke around in weird places for you.

 

Seth looks incredulous.

 

Reggie: *And* I can be Jack’s emotional anchor!

 

Seth laughs.

 

Seth: Oh no.  The two of you are like fireworks.  You can’t focus for shit when you’re together.

 

Andrew laughs.

 

Jack: No!  I’ll be good!  I promise!

 

Seth: You only want it so much because you don’t plan on being good, Jack.  

 

Andrew: Oho, he’s got you there!  No but seriously, you should give it a shot.  Just try it one time!

 

Seth: Why are you being weird?

 

Andrew: Wha’d’y’mean?

 

Seth turns on a screen.

 

Andrew: Oooh.  Ok.  I see.  This is a totally normal, healthy response to feeling yourself slide gently back into a black pit of brain-fuckery.

 

Seth: What exactly am I looking at?

 

Andrew:  I’m fucking wasted!  That’s red Cool Aid and vodka!  

 

Reggie: Red because its like blood?

 

Andrew laughs.

 

Andrew: Oh for sure that’s why.

 

Seth: Ok. So… you’re drunk.  We should discuss these things later.

 

Brian: So it worked. 

 

Yosef: Yes. 

 

Brian points to the far edge of the screen. 

 

Brian: so why does he still seem sad?

 

Yosef:  Oh. Because I didn’t take the event. Only the loop. Only the endless torture. Marcy’s reaction is what it is, and he has to deal with that. 

 

Brian: Oh. What did he do to Marcy?

 

Yosef: He set us free.