For Recording Purposes: Check your mic please! Please format your files as: [Character Name], [Episode Number], [Take Number] Ex: Frankenstein, Ep.1, Take 1 Email to: orbituarypod@gmail.com TO BE FOREWORD... [We open in the GENEVA NEWS STUDIO. It’s breaking news, and young ROBERT “RJ” WALTON has just scored a career starting story. He’s enthusiastic, if a little bit nervous. Despite this, as he is broadcasted live over the United States, his voice and language captivates each and every living room. He has a story to tell and by God, the world is listening!] WALTON: Good evening all, and welcome to The Geneva Convention at Six. This is RJ Walton, and boy, do I have breaking news for you! The government has finally issued records on the doomed USS Prometheus mission that ended in a radio silence lasting almost eight years. Over the course of the next two weeks, the GC at Six will have a special segment regarding what went down on that mission… and folks it is a doozy! I will be showing and analyzing each of the various records pertaining to the mission, exposing the truth about all the long hidden details! This bizarre story will stretch your imagination and leave you wondering: what, actually, is the final frontier? Is it space, or something more? Strap in folks, it’s going to be a bumpy ride! [Opening theme and credits] [Static. Click] FRANKENSTEIN: Ah! There’s your on button, you little son of a bit— [Alarm clock noise] Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! E.L.I.Z.A: Good morning crew. Welcome to the first Earth day in orbit around Neptune! This is your Auto Pilot speaking. We are currently 2.75 billion miles away from Earth. The weather outside is… a vast vacuum of constantly expanding space, dead stars, and unknowns! Current time is pointless in any context outside of life on Earth. That aside, please report to commons at 06:00 Eastern Standard Time to convene with your Captain. Have a lovely orbit! FRANKENSTEIN: ELIZA, can you please [struggling]… give me an approximation of what time it is? Like… Earth time? In relation to the time we’re supposed to be meeting our lord and savior, Captain Shelley? ELIZA: In relation to the typical rotation of the planet Earth— which we are not on, or even near— the time is 5:55 Eastern Standard Time. Approximately five minutes until you need to get your scrawny arse to commons. And please. Dr. Frankenstein— she’s your superior. Show respect. FRANKENSTEIN: I’m not even dressed! I— I can’t be late to my first day of... being a spaceman or whatever! Shelley will kill me! ELIZA: Then you better get on it, sir. [FRANKENSTEIN grumbles, but there is shuffling as he changes clothes.] FRANKENSTEIN: Got it, got it, got it, don’t need it, got it. What am I forgetting? Oh! Right, the recorder! [sigh] Well, at least I’ll still probably beat— [Click] SHELLEY: Dammit Clerval! CLERVAL: Sorry, sir. I was— [There is a beat. A careful ear may hear the audible raising of SHELLEY’s eyebrows. CLERVAL shuffles uncomfortably, silenced.] SHELLEY: I was going to start with a congratulations for a successful launch and commencement of the mission— but, honestly, the mood has been dampened by the tardiness of Clerval here. So yes, congratulations crew, we’re making history— yadda, yadda, yadda. What I feel more necessary to say, is a reminder that deep space is an uncompromising unknown. It is incredible to be here, but there is no room for mistakes. In case of an emergency, tardiness will cost us this mission, or worse, our lives. We will not fuck around, and we will not find out. Your purpose here is for exploration and research. Not fun. There will be time for that, yes, but we will do our jobs, and we do them promptly and correctly. Are we understood? JUSTINE, FRANKENSTEIN, NGUYEN, AND ELIZA: Yes, sir! CLERVAL: Y-yes, sir! SHELLEY: Good. Meeting adjourned. [Click] [Click] FRANKENSTEIN: Space Log of Victor Frankenstein, PhD, AI Specialist. Day one aboard the USS Prometheus, working for Ingolstadt Tech. I’m supposed to be doing these... log… things? I don’t know who’s going to hear them or what the point of them is. Quite honestly, I’m not sure what I can even say. It’s the first day, I mean— [sigh] Nothing happened today! It was menial. I haven’t even needed to run maintenance on— [Knock knock knock] Goddamnit! It’s always when I’m busy! [Door opening sound] WHAT?!— [suddenly bashful]I— oh— uh. Hello! I’m Frankenstein— Victor Frankenstein. Doctor. Victor Frankenstein. [beat, as if pleading for the conversation to be taken away from him] Clerval, right? CLERVAL: Pleased to… meet you? I saw you a few times in training, but we were so busy that I didn’t really have time to introduce myself. I’m Henry— unless it’s for the whole military order thing, you don’t really have to call me by last name. FRANKENSTEIN: Right. CLERVAL: So, you’re... who exactly? FRANKENSTEIN: I just— CLERVAL: Like your job. FRANKENSTEIN: I’m the… er... the computers guy, I guess? More specifically the AI specialist. I mess with the AI of the ship and make sure none of the computer systems in this tin can malfunction. It takes a lot of code and maintenance to keep it running, but it’s really not as hard as it sounds— CLERVAL: Oh... I’ve never been much good with computers. They’re… impersonal. And I don’t even know a little bit about coding! I’m not… really great with people either?— ironic, I know— But, I like them. You can connect with them in ways that you can’t with computers. More… spontaneity. Like with ELIZA, y’know? She’s really advanced, and whoever programmed her did a really good job of making her talk like a human person, but… once you talk to her a little bit, you do realize she has her limits. FRANKENSTEIN: Oh, yes, she is a very intricate and complex machine, only a few steps of advancement away from having those flaws ironed out I’m sure. I’m actually doing basic maintenance on ELIZA later. If you want, I can show you some of the ins and outs of coding AI and the likes. I’m already going to be showing my intern some of it, so it won’t be that big of a deal if you join. CLERVAL: Oh, I’m afraid that I can’t. Already got in enough trouble with Captain Shelley earlier. I should just— I gotta stick with the comms, y’know? FRANKENSTEIN: Haha, yeah. I’ll be in the maintenance room if you need me. Like, if the comms short out, or your weird buttons for whatever reason make ELIZA speak in… German or something. I can fix that. CLERVAL: [joking, but with a tinge of concern] Ha, you make it sound like you’re gonna purposely do something with the comms system. FRANKENSTEIN: As if. I’m sure there’s enough to do around here without making my own problems. CLERVAL: Well, break’s almost over… I should, um… be getting back to my position… FRANKENSTEIN: Right! Yeah, yeah, totally. Same, haha. CLERVAL: Um… see you later? FRANKENSTEIN: Well, we are stuck on a spaceship together so, unless something horrible goes wrong, I imagine that you will. CLERVAL: Oh. Of course. Bye. FRANKENSTEIN: Bye! [Door shutting] Ugh! What a nightmare. Guess I’ll have to finish this stupid log later. [Click] [Click.] FRANKENSTEIN: Report of Victor Frankenstein, PhD. regarding routine maintenance of ELIZA systems. Day one aboard the USS Prometheus. It would seem— JUSTINE: Hello, doctor! Anything I can help you with? I was just reading up some of your work— it’s really interesting and— are you doing maintenance right now? FRANKENSTEIN: Goddamnit! I’m in the middle of— what do you need, Jus— oh, God, I forgot that I’d be doing this with you. I’m sorry. You’re my intern, correct? JUSTINE: Oh… that’s okay! I’m your doctoral student, actually! I guess this is our first time meeting out of training… and, I know you’re used to working by yourself, but... gosh... this is exciting! I’ve read about your creation, and it’s just such an honor to be working with you, even if it's just as an intern or a student or a… whatever you want to call me! I think we’re going to get along really well. We both graduated from CalTech when we were 19— I’m still 19— and we’re both interested in AI, and— [BEAT] Sorry, I’ll just be quiet. I got a little ahead of myself. I’m not normally like this, I promise. I’m just… so happy to finally get to work with you—! Uh. Sorry. FRANKENSTEIN: Oh. Right. I don’t. Uh. Have anything for you to do. I mean… I started routine maintenance of ELIZA a few moments ago. Not much I really need help with. But... I guess you can…watch? That’s what you’re here to do anyways. I was going to get this work done, and then I have… something else that I need to do. JUSTINE: Something else? FRANKENSTEIN: It’s personal, sorry, Er... JUSTINE: You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. FRANKENSTEIN: It’s not that… it’s, uh... you probably know, if you’re so familiar with my work. JUSTINE: It’s okay, like I said. [BEAT] Soooo… I heard you’ve started a new project, something about brains and hyper-intelligent AI units…? It sounds really interesting, but there’s not really much out in the public about it... and... I was wondering... since now we’re partners... if I could... hear about it? Maybe… maybe I could even help? FRANKENSTEIN: Ohhhh… about that. That’s actually more of a side project. Not really what you’re up here for. I’m supposed to be teaching you how to run the ELIZA unit so she can do more on future space missions. Your job is more...take notes and listen to me. JUSTINE: I’m all ears, sir! FRANKENSTEIN: Riiight. JUSTINE: [realizing the recording device is still running] Oh! Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize that you were recording something! Sorry for interrupting! FRANKENSTEIN: [Sighs.] It’s fine, Justine. It’s only a recording of what I’m about to do. Now that you’re here, it would probably be best if I showed you a little about ELIZA. [There’s a click and then some radio static as it cuts back to present time] [Click] FRANKENSTEIN: Personal log of Victor Frankenstein, PhD, day one aboard the USS Prometheus. [Beat and long sigh] This mission… this mission is my last chance to do anything with my life. I’m sitting in the medbay right now getting my treatment. It’s been almost six months since my diagnosis, and it’s already getting worse. It could be a lot worse. My brain and hands are working fine... for now. Most people don’t even notice that I’m moving weird. I’m not really sure if Justine knew what I was talking about earlier. I bet to most of the crew, I’m just some carefree, dumbass dickhead. But I know that’s not going to last forever. [Beat.] I was given five years. Five years. [sharp laugh] Five years! I literally completed my doctorate work on my 25th birthday, and two days later I went to the doctor who told me ‘by the way, you have five years to live, but congrats on that whole dissertation thing, I’m sure now you currently have no regrets about how much time you spent studying instead of murdering your liver!’ It’s… insane! I have been rushing my entire life; I rushed through college, gradschool, and even getting my doctorate degree, but now it’s different. I’m rushing to be able to survive, to live. And it’s fucking hard when my legs feel like lead and my hands shake when I’m typing. I am 25 years old and I’m dying, and I’m aware of every second of it! But for me, the last thing to go is going to be my mind. Which, honestly, has always been my best feature, as brutally handsome as I may be. And… if I can preserve that, I won’t have to worry about what’s going to happen in five years. Or ten. Or… ever. You see… I am going to do something that’s long been considered impossible. In elementary terms, I am going to upload my mind to a computer. I can leave this sandbag of a body behind. Anyways… This has been the Personal Log of Victor Frankenstein, PhD, AI Specialist. Day one on board the USS Prometheus, working for Ingolstadt Tech. Until tomorrow. [There is a click of the recording device being shut off. Static] PART 4.5 WALTON: Wow… that was a lot folks! I really… wow. That’s a real doozy. While that was recording I was able to find an article about Dr. Frankenstein in the Geneva News Archives… “Computer Prodigy Diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease”. I am in absolute shock, folks. Was Frankenstein able to transfer his mind to a computer? Did Clerval ever realize Frankenstein’s obvious workplace crush on him? Tune in tomorrow at Geneva News at Six to find out! Until then, this is your dear friend RJ Walton… signing off! END CREDITS: Voiced by, in order of appearance: Philomena Sherwood as RJ Walton Victor Ichabod Stark as Victor Frankenstein LM Clohessy as ELIZA Shakyra Dunn as Mary Shelley Rue Dickey as Henry Clerval Patricia Lutzardo Martín as Justine Moritz Written by: Finley Ellis Edited by: Harper F. Germain Opening and closing theme: Hardened and Tempered