Episode 10

[James is sitting at a table in the meeting room looking over a book of records. The books holds important information, each piece of information has a time of day it was taken and who by. Soon James is accompanied by Qatil who comes in holding a map of the area surrounding The City. She rolls it up and puts it on a shelf.]

Qatil: "What are you up to James?"

James: "Oh well you know...just trying to piece the puzzle together is all."

Qatil: "Well I don't think we have early enough information on it yet for any conclusions to be made."

[Qatil turns around towards him and frowns at James.]

James: "Yes, I am aware. It's just been bothering me is all."

Qatil: "Hmm I'm sure."

James: "Which book is it that we keep our methods of interrogation in?"

Qatil: "Why would you want to see that?"

[Qatil shakes her head slightly so her orange braid shakes on her back. She narrows her eyes at James.]

James: "Well if we aren't getting information maybe we should change those methods."

Qatil: "You don't have that kind of power. Forta is in charge of that. If you have an issue with it you take it up with her."

[James stares at Qatil and then shakes his head. He gets up and faces Qatil. He laughs a little and sighs.]

James: "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm pretty sure you don't have the authority to tell me what to do."

[Qatil takes out a knife from her black skinny pants. She holds it up to display it against her deep blue tank top.]

Qatil: "Possibly, but my knife thinks otherwise."

[James clears his throat and looks down at the knife.]

James: "Interesting. You never did have a way with words."

[James walks out of the room angrily.]

scene 2:

[Forta is sitting in a chair of the private dining room they have for the top leaders of the rebels. She is staring down at a picture drawn by Ata. It is a very well drawn image of Utavi as an angel smiling down at Ata and Suteru hugging. Forta sighs and shifts in her seat. She takes a bite of the apple in her other hand. From behind her, Qatil marches in.]

Qatil: "James is out of control."

Forta: "Excuse me?"

Qatil: "He just can't be stopped. He's rooting around our maps and books and files. He asked today for the book that describes our interrogation methods."

Forta: "Did he give a reason?"

Qatil: "He said he wanted to see if he could improve it somehow."

Forta: "Well did you tell him to come to me with any suggestions?"

Qatil: "Yes, yes I did all of that! But he told me he had to have it and I had to threaten him to get him out of the meeting room!"

Forta: "Hmm, that is odd behavior. Could you keep an eye on him for me? Ata and I are going to follow a lead today. Enemy soldier today told me about where the O.M.A. get there mushrooms for stew."

Qatil: "O.M.A.?"

Forta: "That's something else he told me, the army is called the O.M.A. back at their base. Stands for Official Mayoral Army. Also, any citizens who fled The City to be under the protection of Fraus have now been put through army training. Only exceptions are the kids under 10, who are being taken care of by some former guards."

Qatil: "Fucking twisted asshole, that Fraus. But I already have to watch over Shiko."

Forta: "No that's Steve's responsibility. Haven't seen him drink any alcohol since we started monitoring him."

Qatil: "Yeah I also haven't seen him get out of bed."

Forta: "Well he's going through something. He lost the love of his life. How would you feel if you lost Premi?"

Qatil: "I'd kill everyone the murderer loves."

Forta: "Why do you assume she was killed?"

[Qatil shrugs]

Qatil: "Most likely scenario right now."

Forta: "Well yeah…"

Qatil: "Wait.. Why are you taking a 14 year old girl into this?"

Forta: "She wouldn't leave me alone about it. She heard me telling Steve and she just kept insisting she went. It's not a dangerous mission, I don't plan on any combat, just a stake out."

Qatil: "If you get her hurt Suteru will never forgive you. She's all he has left!"

Forta: "I know, I know. I'll be fine. I know how to take care of kids!"

Qatil: "I'll take your word for it."

Forta: "Good."

[Forta hastily nods her head and seems distracted by her own thoughts. She puts a hand on her stomach and gets up.]

Forta: "If you'll excuse me I have to go get myself and Ata ready."

[Forta stands up and walks out of the dining room.]

Scene 3:

[Shiko is laying in his bed curled up in a ball. He is staring blankly ahead and making no motions. Steve is at the desk to the right of his bed, next to the door. He is reading a book.]

Steve: "See Shiko, here we mapped out the area where we can gather meat and potatoes."

[Steve holds up a picture in the book of a map and points to it. Shiko looks over at Steve and nods his head.]

Steve: "Isn't that a wonderful advancement! You know what else we figured out last week?"

Shiko: "Hmm?"

Steve: "We found a doctor who use to work at a hospital in The City. She can deliver Fo-Atimai's child. She says it's due in a couple weeks."

[Shiko suddenly goes wide-eyed and sits up.]

Shiko: "C-could she tell who the father is?"

Steve: "Well she could with the right equipment, but she said it's still at the hospital and won't work anyways. Atimai didn't ask her to find out so they didn't talk about it. Why?"

[Shiko furrows his brow and pulls the blankets to his neck. He stares down at them a moment then up at Steve.]

Shiko: "Can you keep a secret?"

Steve: "I think so."

Shiko: "I'm the father."

Steve: "Excuse you?"

Shiko: "I made that baby."

Steve: "Well you made half that baby but still! Shiko, when were you going to tell us!?"

Shiko: "I wasn't. I was going to continue to pretend I didn't know who she was and never speak to her or the baby again. But suddenly I thought, 'Would Aina want you to do that? No, she would want you to march up to Atimai, put your hand on her belly and tell her you're there for her.'"

Steve: "How the fuck did this happen, she was pregnant when the rebellion started."

Shiko: "That night in the game room with Fraus. We got super wasted, she seemed interested. It just kinda happened."

Steve: "Well, you know what to do. You gotta talk to her."

Shiko: "What if she has feelings for me?"

Steve: "If she did, don't you think she would have tried to talk to you by now?"

[Shiko shrugged and sat in deep thought a moment.]

Shiko: "I at least have to help raise the kid."

Steve: "True."

[Shiko lays back down and sighs. He puts his hands on his face.]

Shiko: "Fuck."

Scene 4:

[Ata and Forta are sitting in a tree. Forta has a telescope and Ata is holding a map of the area. They can see a cave filled with mushrooms and are waiting for soldiers to come get them.]

Ata: "So, what if the soldiers see us?"

Forta: "They won't, and even if they do I'll take them out with my bow."

[Ata nods silently and goes back to reading the map.]

Ata: "Do you ever get scared?"

Forta: "Hmm?"

Ata: "Do you ever get scared for your own life. You spend so much time worrying about other people, when do you have time to be afraid for your own life?"

Forta: "All the time. But announcing that I want to survive is like Shiko announcing he wants a drink, everyone knows he does. We're all out here looking after ourselves but there's some moments where that needs to be put aside and you need to realize who you value in your life."

[Forta looks through the telescope at the cave. No one yet.]

Ata: "Wow…"

Forta: "Listen I'm just telling the truth. It's hard out here. It's gonna get worse before it gets better."

[Ata nods her head.]

Ata: "I get it, my mom's gonna die before my dad's gonna be happy."

[Forta turns, stunned and moved by Ata's sudden mention of her parents. Forta bites her lip and goes back to looking through the telescope.]

Forta: "I'm sorry."

Ata: "Huh?"

Forta: "I'm sorry I didn't save your mom. She was a wonderful person, and raised a wonderful young adult."

Ata: "I don't blame you. I blame that asshole soldier."

Forta: "Ata!"

Ata: "What?"

Forta: "Language!"

[Ata laughs a little.]

Ata: "Don't act like I don't know all the words in the book!"

[Forta jokingly shakes her head rolls her eyes. They sit in silence a while. Ata looking over the maps and Forta searching for soldiers.]

Ata: "I've never been outside The City before."

Forta: "Well, welcome to the outside. What it's lacking in safety it makes up for in freedom."

Ata: "I do like all the nature. It's beautiful."

[They sit and wait. They wait so long it becomes night time. They sleep in the tree and head back in the morning.]

Scene 6:

[Forta and Ata are back inside The City and are about to get back into the walls through the small door in the south area of the city. But in the morning dusk they instead see Qatil yelling at James.]

Qatil: "You fucking asshole! I knew it! I knew it all along!"

[Qatil has her crossbow pointed at him and he has a pistol pointed at her. Forta and Ata are a few feet away.]

Forta: [To Ata] "Stay here."

[Forta walks up to them holding her loaded bow.]

Forta: "What seems to be the problem?"

Qatil: "He's trying to sneak out with our plans of attack and intel."

Forta: "What?"

[James looks angrily at Forta. He is obviously hiding something under his jacket. Forta points her bow right at James' neck.]

Forta: "Hand it over."

[James looks to Qatil then to Forta. He hands Forta his pistol, then two books and a few sheets of papers. Forta examines the pistol.]

Forta: "It has 'O.M.A.' on the handle."

[Forta looks up at James, angry and confused.]

Forta: "You betrayed us. Was this from the beginning?"

[James nods his head.]

Forta: "You planned to betray us all along?!"

James: "He promised the whereabouts of the final bandit if I just did this."

Forta: "Fuck you James! Can't you see there is no final bandit! How could you let your anger take over and consume you like this!?"

[Forta is now shouting and holding back angry tears. She raises up the gun and points it at James.]

Forta: "Tell me where the fucking base is right now."

[James looks up with wide eyes.]

James: "Give me the map."

[James takes out a pen as Forta hands back one of the sheets of paper, which was a map of The City and the surrounding areas. James puts an X on it and hands it back. Forta stares at it and nods. She then looks up at James.]

Forta: "Thank you."

[She pulls the trigger and shoots James in the head. He hits the floor and dies. Qatil turn to Forta stunned.]

Qatil: "Woah. I didn't know you had it in ya."

Forta: "Neither did I."

[Forta hands Qatil the gun and puts a hand on her stomach. She turns back to see Ata with her hands covering her eyes.]

Forta: "Shit."