Idiots In The Snow
WARREN
Well, you seem very trusting, whoever you are.
AUBREY
I’m pointing pepper spray at your face.
WARREN
Oh excellent.
[THE SOUND OF ZIPS AND RUSTLING AS WARREN REMOVES HIS HAT AND SCARF, UNZIPS HIS JACKET]
AUBREY
Good lord.
WARREN
Yes.
AUBREY
Warren Godby!
WARREN
Yes! Yes, it’s me. Everyone says my name like that now. Makes me feel like Harry Potter.
AUBREY
I’m sorry, I didn’t recognise you with the hat and the scarf…Do you…do you remember me?
WARREN
I don’t but don’t be offended. It doesn’t reflect on the quality of impression you may have made on me, more my own mental hygiene which is questionable at best.
AUBREY
It’s Dr Aubrey. Dr Wood. Aubrey. Wood. Let me boil the kettle.
[SHE FUSSES FOR A MOMENT WITH A SMALL CAMPING KETTLE AND A PAIR OF TIN MUGS]
WARREN
Ah well, that makes sense.
AUBREY
Why does that make sense?
WARREN
Well Dr Aubrey Dr Wood Aubrey Wood. It seems a lot of the real things that have happened to me I don’t remember, and a lot of the things I remember have turned out to not actually be real. So here I am taking a walk in a snowstorm, and out of nowhere is a Mazda Bongo Friendee, and inside that Mazda Bongo Friendee is Aubrey Wood. I think there’s at least a passing chance that none of this is real and I’m out here to have, I don’t know an epiphany of some kind, and you’re like my…Obi Wan Kenobi.
[THE KETTLE IS BOILING, THEIR VOICES RAISE]
AUBREY
Obi Wan Kenobi?
WARREN
Yeah. Maybe I’ve passed out in the snow like Luke Skywalker, maybe I’m just screaming into the wind who knows. And here you are to tell me to go to the Dagobah system, learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master who- yes, yes, you know it, of course.
AUBREY
Oh, the Empire Strikes Back? Shall we wait on the kettle for a moment?
WARREN
Yeah sure, why not?
[THE KETTLE IS BUBBLING, IT CLICKS OFF]
AUBREY
Sorry…Warren. Can we start again?
WARREN
Yeah, of course.
AUBREY
I’m not your Jedi spirit guid, but if I was, why would it be me, Aubrey, if you don’t remember meeting me?
WARREN
Spirit guide. I like that. Well I know you from all your tapes.
AUBREY
My tapes?
WARREN
The ones you gave Gordon Porlock. Well I assume you gave them to him.
AUBREY
You know Gordon Porlock?
WARREN
I never asked how he got them actually. Yes yes, of course. Gordon’s back at the station. He’s the caretaker.
AUBREY
Gordon Porlock is at Red Valley, with you, right now?
WARREN
Well, right now I’m with my Jedi spirit guide.
AUBREY
Okay. I need to go back to the start, please.
WARREN
Absolutely, So, Luke is lost on the ice planet Hoth -
AUBREY
No, no, no, the start. Of this.
WARREN
Oh right. Well, that all started when Doug Holder, my manager, sent me to chase a budget review case for Accounts, which I now think was a deliberate breadcrumb trail for me to find my way back to Red Valley, and on the way I met Gordon, who I thought for a while might be in on the whole conspiracy but it seems to have just been a fortuitous coincidence -
AUBREY
Stop, stop stop stop. What is this the start of?
WARREN
Well… My adventures in hypersleep. Oh. Oh I see, you want to go back to the start start. I understand, I’ve had counselling before, this is good, get me to open up. Facilitate the epiphany. I was born in Gravesend, in Kent, in 1982. I have a sister called Emily and I’m here because…well, poor decision mak-
AUBREY
No no no no. Stop.
WARREN
I don’t have any more starts.
AUBREY
Let me think for a minute. I’ll pour the tea.
WARREN
Sure.
AUBREY
Actually, there’s a Bakewell tart behind you. By the, on the shelf there. In the carrier bag.
WARREN
Ooh! I bloody love Bakewell tart.
[THE RUSTLE OF A PLASTIC BAG, THE CRINKLE OF CELLOPHANE BEING REMOVED, THE TART BEING TAKEN FROM THE BOX, THE POURING OF TEA]
[AUBREY PASSES THE TEA]
AUBREY
Okay. Warren. You and I met in a penal facility in Norfolk a few years ago.
WARREN
Yes, yes! I think I know that. You were screening for candidates for the Teddy Bear’s Picnic.
AUBREY
How do you know tha-
WARREN
I didn’t make it on to the programme for whatever reason, then once that was over apparently they came back for me, and some of the others, and we were in the next programme. I don’t know if that had a silly name too.
AUBREY
Yes. And I have been trying to work out exactly what they’ve been doing since…since I left the company.
[AUBREY GOES TO A BAG AND PULLS OUT A STACK OF FILES]
WARREN
Since all those people died and Bryony Halbech abandoned you.
AUBREY
Yes. After Teddy Bear’s Picnic I didn’t know where they would go next but I still knew all the rejected candidates we had interviewed, so I checked on them occasionally and sure enough, they just went back and hoovered up all the people who didn’t make it first time around. They must’ve been desperate. No offence.
WARREN
None taken, spirit guide.
AUBREY
I’m not your spirit guide, Warren. I mean, the reason we chose who we chose for the Teddy Bear’s Picnic was because of their physical condition, not just their health but their family’s…no history of Alzheimer’s or any form of dementia or brain cancers or neurological disease of any kind, a completely clean bill of physical and mental health. You…everyone else had red flags…
[SHE RIFLES THROUGH FILES AND FINDS HIS]
AUBREY
Your, uh, your mother, she had…
WARREN
A… An aneurysm. You have a file?
AUBREY
Yes, that was it, an aneurysm. And there were multiple cancers and so on in your family weren’t there…
WARREN
You probably know more about that than I do.
[SUDDENLY SHE SHUTS THE FILE]
AUBREY
Wait, wait.
WARREN
What now? We were just getting into it.
AUBREY
I’m doing this all backwards. I…I wasn’t expecting this at all. Warren Godby to appear out of a blizzard.
WARREN
Sorry.
AUBREY
Are you on your own? Why were you out there?
WARREN
I just needed some air. Felt like I hadn’t had fresh air for months. Which is true of course, I guess I haven’t had any air for months, fresh or otherwise.
AUBREY
What does that mean?
WARREN
Since I Kontinued.
AUBREY
Since you what?
WARREN
Since they woke me up. Are we going to cut this tart, or just stare at it?
AUBREY
Fuck the tart. What did you just say?
WARREN
Well, I was in hypersleep. For 3 months.
AUBREY
You…you’ve already done it. You’ve been in hypersleep? For 3 months?
WARREN
Three months this time. One month the first time. And that first time that’s the one that really fucked with me. That’s why I don’t remember meeting you. I certainly don’t remember being in prison. Or how I got there. So that must be like 2 years I lost.
AUBREY
Jesus Christ.
WARREN
Could you pass the knife?
[SHE PASSES THE KNIFE]
WARREN
Thank you.
[WARREN CUTS TWO SLICES AND IMMEDIATELY DIGS INTO HIS]
WARREN
This is very good technique. You’re freaking out, which is making me calm down. There’s tea, there’s tart, this van is adorable, whether it’s real or not.
AUBREY
Who’s there? At the station right now, I’ve been watching people come and go for weeks but too far away to identify anyone.
WARREN
Well, there’s me, Gordon…
AUBREY
Why is Gordon there?
WARREN
We came together and they kind of strong-armed him into taking a Jack Torrance in The Shining type caretaker job. Unless…
AUBREY
Unless what?
WARREN
Well, maybe this is another part of Grace’s stupid memory test. Maybe Gordon’s a fucking set up as well, who knows. I mean I thought Bryony Halbech was my wife for like a year, so -
AUBREY
Bryony Halbech? Bryony’s there now?
WARREN
I mean, yes? I guess? She could’ve turned into smoke or beamed back to her home planet by now.
AUBREY
We definitely know the same Bryony Halbech.
WARREN
That was good cheap cake. Thank you. Spirit guide or not. I should probably be getting back though, are you going to impart some wisdom or something?
AUBREY
I don’t know what to say.
WARREN
Then why are you here?
AUBREY
Look, I’m not your bloody spirit guide. I’m Aubrey Wood. I live in this van, I haven’t spoken to anyone apart from please and thank yous in weeks, I live on supernoodles and cakes, I haven’t had a proper bath in 18 months. I’m at least partially responsible for everything that’s happened to you. And I’m directly responsible for the deaths of every subject in that stupid terrible picnic, and now I’m sat here night after night freezing to death, poetically enough, and it’s all happening down the damn road right now, everything I wanted and now everything I want to stop, it’s happening right now -
WARREN
Hey, hey, hey. Aubrey. Come on, it’s okay.
[SHE GATHERS HERSELF.]
AUBREY
I’m only saying. If you’re looking for wisdom, you’ve come to the wrong minivan. I’m just another idiot in the snow.
WARREN
I told you I listened to your tapes. I don’t think you’re a bad person.
AUBREY
You don’t think I’m a real person.
WARREN
Well, on the off chance that you are. We’re more than just a list of all the bad things we’ve done.
AUBREY
That almost sounded wise. Maybe you got your epiphany after all.
WARREN
My mum would say it. When she would defend my dad. But everything’s context I suppose.
[THEY SIT IN SILENCE FOR A MOMENT. SIPPING TEA. EATING TART.]
AUBREY
Well. Stealing this file was one of my first acts of espionage. I don’t know if anything in it is useful, but it belongs to you.
WARREN
Oh.
AUBREY
If you want it, of course.
WARREN
No… yeah…the tea and cake was a lovely surprise, let’s not spoil it. And hey, I’ve listened to your tapes, you’ve read my file, we know all this stuff about each other, it’s a bit like…
AUBREY
Like we’re friends.
WARREN
I was going to say massively invading each other’s privacy.
AUBREY
Right. Well, that’s a bit like friends.
WARREN
I mean. I really wouldn’t know.
AUBREY
Me either.
[AN AWKWARD SILENCE.]
AUBREY
I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m wondering what to do next. I wanted to stop anyone else getting hurt at Red Valley, and here you are…We should drive away, shouldn’t we? Or I should come back with you and I don’t know…do a Rambo?
WARREN
No, no, look, I’m just sat on the train. There’s leaves on the line, hopefully I’ve got a book, I’m just gonna lean back and go with it.
AUBREY
I don’t know what any of that means.
WARREN
And Clive Schill would probably brain you with a fire extinguisher by the sound of it.
AUBREY
Clive Schill is there! Oh, that man is such a bell end!
WARREN
He called me a bell end today! He’s so mean. Speaking of which he is probably out here looking for me.
[HE REACHES INTO HIS COAT AND PULLS OUT HIS COMM.]
AUBREY
You have a comm with you.
WARREN
Yeah, Gordon gave me his. We talk on sneaky channel 6 but everyone else…
AUBREY
Is on channel 2!
WARREN
Bingo.
[HE SWITCHES IT ON AND TURNS TO CHANNEL 2.]
CLIVE SCHILL
Grace! Have you got eyes on this prick yet? If your answer is no I’ve got a fire extinguisher I want you to meet. Gonna bash your fucking hea-
[WARREN CLICKS IT OFF.]
WARREN
I mean really you could set your watch by him, couldn’t you. If you want to stay a secret squirrel, I’d better be off.
AUBREY
Warren…could I - could I have that?
WARREN
The comm? Yeah sure, there’s loads.
[WARREN PASSES IT OVER. AUBREY IS AWARE WHAT AN IMPORTANT GIFT THIS IS.]
AUBREY
Thank you.
WARREN
Thank you. This has been really nice. And if I am just talking to myself in the snow, it’s been a really pleasant way of losing my mind.
AUBREY
Oh, wait, wait!
WARREN
What?
AUBREY
I can prove I’m real. I record everything.
[SHE GRABS A LAPTOP AND STARTS TAPPING.]
WARREN
You… record everything?
AUBREY
Yes, all of this, I can put it on a stick and you can listen again later when you’re…when you’re in the mood. And you’ll know it’s all real. Here you go.
WARREN
You people and your recording. You can take the girl out of Overhead…
AUBREY
Truer than you know.
WARREN
Right. Well, see you later then.
[HE OPENS THE DOOR TO LEAVE. THE WIND HOWLS IN.]
AUBREY
Oh, oh. Was Gordon here over Christmas?
WARREN
Er… yeah, I think they left him in charge.
AUBREY
Ah. Could you apologise to him for me? I think I drove the van a little too close on Christmas Eve. Scared the shit out of some guy with eyes like a mole and a screechy voice.
WARREN
That sounds like Gordon. Will do. Toodle pip.
AUBREY
And Warren. I want you to remember. If you’ve really been through hypersleep twice and survived, you might be the most valuable commodity Overhead have ever had. Don’t let them forget it.
[2020. THE TEAM, IN THE STATION OFFICE, GROUND LEVEL, GRACE TAPS THE WINDOW.]
GRACE
That’s him. That’s him, that’s him.
CLIVE
Fucking let me see. That plate of shit, I’m going to fucking kill that guy.
GRACE
He looks fine.
GORDON
Let me go out and speak to him.
CLIVE
You want to go and speak to him?
GRACE
He looks totally fine.
GORDON
I can make sure he’s okay.
BRYONY
Maybe let him go.
CLIVE
Maybe let him go? Let him go? Who’s in charge here? This guy? This piss-drinking motherfucker?
GORDON
I’ve never done that.
CLIVE
Oh you floridly drink piss.
PAMELA
He’s nearly at the door.
GRACE
I’ll go.
PAMELA
You’re going to go?
BRYONY
Grace. Just, back off. Go and make things ready downstairs.
GRACE
We made a connection. He trusts me.
PAMELA
Oh my God. You are ridiculous.
CLIVE
Fucking amateur hour here.
BRYONY
You picked these guys, not me.
CLIVE
I didn’t pick Uncle Fucknut the piss fiend.
GORDON
Bryony. This is why I’m here isn’t it? To help him.
CLIVE
You were the prick who let him go in the first place!
BRYONY
That is true.
GORDON
I’m sorry about that. He’s clearly having trouble, I think that’s to be expected -
PAMELA
Grace, where are you going?
GRACE
I’m going to see him.
PAMELA
Why -
BRYONY
What did I just tell you to do?
CLIVE
Degracious Melé, don’t you go anywhere near that door -
[THE DOOR OPENS LOUDLY IN THE CORRIDOR. WARREN STEPS IN AND STARTS TO TAKE OFF HIS HEAVY COAT, HAT AND GLOVES.]
WARREN
Hello everyone!
GORDON
Hi Warren!
CLIVE
You stupid arsehole.
WARREN
Clive, it’s fine, I just went for a walk.
GRACE
Warren, it’s me, Doctor Melé.
PAMELA
Doctor Melé?!
CLIVE
You could’ve slipped over on the ice and broke your fucking head, you could’ve got hypothermia and fucking died -
PAMELA
That’s literally not possible.
BRYONY
He has cryoprotectant for blood, Clive.
WARREN
That’s sweet of you, Clive.
CLIVE
I don’t give a shit about you, you dozy prick, I’ll eat your fucking teeth -
WARREN
That’s more like it.
BRYONY
Downstairs. Everyone. Walk.
[EVERYONE STARTS HERDING TOWARDS THE STAIRCASE.]
GRACE
Warren, I understand this must be a trying time, now tell me, how do you feel at this mome-
WARREN
Could you take my coat? Gordon -
GORDON
I’m here, do you need to take my arm?
WARREN
I’m good, can you just hold on to my gloves -
GORDON
Yeah, where’s your comm -
WARREN
Oh, I lost that somewhere.
CLIVE
He lost it.
WARREN
Could you make sure they go on a radiator? I don’t want them getting damp.
GORDON
Uh, yeah…
WARREN
Seriously, they’ll smell otherwise.
GORDON
Okay.
CLIVE
Bryony, you really think you’ve got this shit under control?
BRYONY
Oddly enough, it only got like this after you arrived.
CLIVE
Oh this is me, is it?
BRYONY
He’s here, he’s fine.
CLIVE
You need more people here.
BRYONY
I need the right people here!
GRACE
I’m doing my best.
PAMELA
You’re doing too much.
GRACE
You can never do too much. You see this is why you’ll never be on top.
PAMELA
Oh shut up. You’re not the Wolf of Wall Street.
GORDON
Warren, where did you go?
WARREN
Nowhere, nowhere. Just… just look after those gloves, they look expensive.
GORDON
Okay, okay.
[THEY EMERGE IN THE LOWER LEVEL.]
GORDON
What are we even doing back down here? He needs to rest.
BRYONY
Grace, I told you to get things set up. Do I have to ask you again?
GRACE
Set up set up?
GORDON
Wait what are we -
WARREN
I’m fine with it, I’d just like to talk to you all -
PAMELA
Dr Halbech are we - do you want him back in hypersleep?
BRYONY
I thought that was obvious.
CLIVE
Wh… What?
BRYONY
Is it not obvious?
CLIVE
Look, I want to punish the little piss drinker as much as you -
WARREN
Piss drinker?
GORDON
I thought that was me?
WARREN
You what?
GORDON
Clive’s getting tired.
GRACE
Do you actually drink urine?
PAMELA
No one drinks urine.
CLIVE
They both drink urine and they love it! Halbech, we need this guy in one piece -
BRYONY
He’s fine, the work continues -
GRACE
I do love it when she talks like that.
PAMELA
Grace, you suck.
[THEY HAVE REACHED THE CRYOSUITE.]
WARREN
Can I talk to you all?
BRYONY
Pam he needs a new line, sit him down.
WARREN
I can sit myself down, that’s fine.
GRACE
The kit’s here.
PAMELA
She asked me. And that’s the tracheostomy tray.
GRACE
The lines in the top drawer.
CLIVE
This guy is the golden fucking egg, Bryony, you keep that golden egg polished and nice, in a special box with some soft padding in it -
BRYONY
We have the most special box on Earth. His box costs more than your house.
CLIVE
You’re supposed to dip that egg in glitter, you don’t roll it in shit right before you…take it to market!
BRYONY
That was a smorgasbord of mixed metaphors.
GRACE
A meta..phorgasbord.
PAMELA
…what?
WARREN
Okay guys.
[WARREN PICKS UP SOMETHING FROM THE TRAY.]
GORDON
Warren, what are you doing?
CLIVE
This was always your plan? Put him straight back in?
BRYONY
Yes.
PAMELA
Warren, that’s the scalpel, you can put that down.
WARREN
Guys, uh…
CLIVE
I don’t believe you.
BRYONY
I’m heartbroken by that news.
WARREN
Guys, this uh, I don’t know how to say it, it’s silly.
GORDON
Warren?
PAMELA
Everyone be quiet.
GRACE
The machine’s warming up.
BRYONY
Well, let’s get going.
[WARREN BANGS THE TROLLEY LOUDLY.]
WARREN
Everyone. I’m sorry. I just need to talk to you.
CLIVE
What the fuck is he doin -
GRACE
Back up, back up he’s got a knife.
GORDON
Warren, I think you need to relax -
WARREN
I’m totally relaxed, that’s the point. I’m Darmok and Jalad at Tinagre.
GRACE
What?
PAMELA
Is that a Star Trek reference?
GORDON
That’s a Next Generation reference, yeah.
CLIVE
You fucking people. If you love the fucking 90s so much I’ll get Chesney Hawkes to marry you both. You can do the fucking Bartman together while I drown you in Sunny Delight.
WARREN
I’m trying to say… it sounds ridiculous. This is a hostage situation.
CLIVE
A what?
GRACE
How are you going to hold us hostage?
WARREN
Oh no. I mean. I’m holding myself hostage. Look like this.
[WITHOUT WARNING WARREN PLUNGES THE SCALPEL STRAIGHT THROUGH HIS OWN HAND. EVERYONE SCREAMS AND REACTS, EXCEPT BRYONY.]
CLIVE
Jesus fucking Chri-
PAMELA
Oh my god!
GRACE
Argh! Fuck!
GORDON
Warren, what are you doing!
PAMELA
Oh my gosh!
CLIVE
This is what I’m talking about.
BRYONY
I wouldn’t worry about it.
CLIVE
Who’s worried? He’s just put a scalpel through his bloody hand. Godby I swear to the god of fuck, if you don’t pull your shit together –
WARREN
I know I know I know. You’ll grind my brains into caviar, you’ll drape your iron balls around my neck and bang them against my skull like a Newton’s cradle until my teeth fall out. It’s all very intimidating. But it’s unnecessary. What I’m saying is, I’m happy to do it. I’m… I’m happy to go back in the special box, I don’t mind.
[GRACE HAS MADE A MOVEMENT TOWARDS WARREN.]
GRACE
Warren, listen it’s me -
WARREN
Whoa whoa whoa Dr Melé, back up or I’ll push this right through my fucking neck. I’m not fussed. I’m really not fussed. I’m just saying, I’m happy to help, but frankly, at this stage, it kind of seems like you need me more than I need you. Without me you’re all just idiots in the snow. So, I have some requests. Is that cool?
BRYONY
Go ahead.
WARREN
Thank - thank you. Right! Stop being so mean to Gordon. He’s here to help you. Even though you basically kidnapped him. You just don’t have to be so mean to him. Alright?
BRYONY
Alright.
WARREN
Okay. So, so. What else do we want? Gordon, er… what else do we want?
GORDON
Wait… what do we wa -
WARREN
Teabags. I don’t know what bulk discount you got on whatever the one you have is, but yeah that’s false economy, really -
GRACE
The tea is bad.
WARREN
Yes. So, decent tea. And food. Decent food. Not just this vanilla vitamin dust that we have to drink, some actual good food. I mean ready meals are fine. Let’s be reasonable. But we need some treats. Er… Bakewell tarts, yeah a bunch of that stuff actually, cherry Bakewells, fondant fancies, Battenbergs -
GORDON
Oh I… I hate Battenbergs.
WARREN
You hate – I mean do you think I could have some cakes that I want? For for being cryonically frozen, is that okay?
GORDON
Yeah yeah yeah no of course.
WARREN
I mean, I’m negotiating here. I mean… What do you want?
GORDON
I like penguins.
WARREN
Penguins?
GRACE
You’re shooting for the moon a bit there mate.
GORDON
No, the chocolate. Penguin bars.
PAMELA
With the jokes on the back.
GORDON
Yes.
WARREN
Penguins. Fine. And when you guys come up to visit in your fancy helicopter, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that you bring pizzas. I mean so, it’s a treat.
BRYONY
Right.
WARREN
Okay.
CLIVE
You finished?
WARREN
And a tortoise. For Gordon. A real fucking tortoise, and all the stuff you need to look after one, the, uh, well, I mean it’s not an aquarium is it -
BRYONY
Vivarium.
WARREN
Yeah that, Vivarium. And the hot lamp thing, whatever it is they eat. A good one. From a reputable tortoise tradesperson.
BRYONY
Fine.
WARREN
Fine.
GORDON
Thanks Warren.
WARREN
Yeah… Don’t worry about it. Good. Good. So er… yeah I mean… I’ll just -
[COMMOTION.]
PAMELA
Don’t pull it out!
GRACE
Fuck it!
WARREN
Oh. Can we - uh -
PAMELA
Put pressure on it. Grace we’ll need to ultrasound it, Gordon there’s iodine over there -
BRYONY
No, lets bandage it and take him down.
PAMELA
We have to close the wound -
BRYONY
We’ll do that when he next emerges.
GORDON
What?
CLIVE
What are you doing Halbech?
BRYONY
The treatment could be revolutionary for emergency medical techniques. Extreme hypothermic treatment could drastically increase the time for clinicians to treat life-threatening injuries. It’s a good chance to test it.
CLIVE
Are you out of your mind?
BRYONY
Unless you’d like him shot? We do have a gun in the safe.
GORDON
You have a gun in the safe?
CLIVE
Right, put him to bed. Then we need to talk.
BRYONY
Of course. Grace, do the safe to fly list on the pod. Pamela, get the saline ready. Gordon, can you dress that wound for now? Warren.
WARREN
Bryony.
BRYONY
You know the way.
[2064. THE RECORDS ROOM.]
AUBREY
Stop.
GORD
Would you like me to play the next entry, Aubrey?
AUBREY
No, I wouldn’t.
HESTER
Jesus, Aubrey.
AUBREY
Hester, bloody hell. How long have you been standing there?
HESTER
Long enough to hear Warren put a knife through his hand.
AUBREY
I told you what he’d been through. What Halbech was doing to him.
HESTER
I know. I just…hadn’t heard it in so long. I’d forgotten how upsetting it is.
AUBREY
I know.
[A BEAT AS HESTER REALISES SOMETHING.]
HESTER
Fucking hell.
AUBREY
His hand…when I was helping put his IV back in, I saw it…the wound on his hand. It hasn’t even scarred over yet.
AUBREY
You get why I’m listening to all this now. It was just a few weeks ago for him.
[HESTER DROPS INTO A CHAIR.]
HESTER
I’d forgotten what this felt like. The utter mind fuck of hypersleep.
AUBREY
We’ve all been there.
HESTER
Not like this.
AUBREY
He’s not the first person to arrive who’s been through trauma.
HESTER
Only he didn’t arrive, did he. We did. He’s been here all this time buried in a mountainside. And this is what’s fresh in his mind.
[AUBREY MOVES FROM HER DESK TO HESTER’S CHAIR, CROUCHING DOWN AND TAKING HER HAND.]
AUBREY
This is going to work. Just the Kontinue treatment alone will be having a therapeutic effect on his brain chemistry. For better or worse, this is what Halbech’s treatment does.
HESTER
Beyond the science bullshit though. Can we give him what he actually needs? Which is a safe space, a support network, friends…
AUBREY
I don’t know. You’re the one who’s supposed to walk in here and give me the reassurance. You’re the brick, and I’m the balloon tied to it, that’s what you used to say.
HESTER
Even bricks get to freak out occasionally, my love.
AUBREY
It’s going to be okay.
[HESTER MAKES A SKEPTICAL NOISE.]
AUBREY
It’s probably going to be okay. We’re going to leave this place, we’re going to move on, like we’ve done before, and we’ll build something new. And Warren can decide for himself whether he wants to be a part of it.
HESTER
You really think we’re going, don’t you?
AUBREY
I do.
HESTER
You are a bloody balloon.
AUBREY
Then thank goodness I’m tied to you.
[2020. THE RECORDS ROOM. GORDON SITS AT HIS DESK.]
GORDON
It’s really late. I’m sat in the Records room because I’m currently listening to the contents of the USB stick that was tucked into Warren’s glove.
[AN EXCERPT OF WARREN’S MEETING WITH AUBREY PLAYS.]
GORDON (con’t)
Warren’s been put back into hypersleep. No bedside chat to reassure each other this time. But I don’t think he needed it. He looked totally calm. Bleeding with a hole in his hand, that he did to himself. I looked over at Clive and for the first and surely only time ever we both had the exact same expression, which is perhaps the scariest thing that’s happened to me since I first got here. Then Bryony kicked us both out. Clive ordered his helicopter and was gone in an hour. So, I’m alone again.
[THE EXCERPT OF WARREN’S MEETING WITH AUBREY CONTINUES.]
GORDON (con’t)
Oh my God, the comm!
[HE TAKES OUT HIS COMM AND PLACES IT ON THE TABLE. HE TURNS IT ON. IT CRACKLES WITH STATIC. HE WAITS FOR A MOMENT, THEN PUSHES THE BUTTON TO TALK.]
GORDON (con’t)
Aubrey?
[A LONG MOMENT OF STATIC.]
GORDON (con’t)
Aubrey?
AUBREY
Gordon?