S4/E9 | Occupation

Published Oct 27, 2023, 7:01 AM

[P#1015§2] Residents seeking work shall submit an application to their unit Officer. Residents may be terminated from any Position at any time for reasons including but not limited to: poor Job Performance, failure to follow Rules, risks to Safety and/or Security, or other behavioral or Health Concerns. 

TO DISMANTLE IS TO REBUILD

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Written by Matthew Riddle. Starring Natalie Morales, Morgan Brown, Chris Jai Alex, Rachel Rosenbloom, Raphael Corkhill, Wayne Bastrup, Sunny Boling, Steve B. Green, Miguel Perez, and Trevor Young.

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Thirteen Days of Halloween Tenants, a co production of iHeart three D Audio Blumhouse Television and Grim and Mild from Aaron Yankee. Headphones Recommended Listener discretion advised.

Good morning, father.

Sorry you start with me. I didn't expect anyone in this early.

Today's the big day, isn't it?

Yes?

I suppose it is.

If you've come to help, then just give me a task.

Well, at the altar, there's a stack of pamphlets that can be passed out on the.

Seatbacks, six per pew on it. I must say, you seem especially chipper today.

Who me, don't so, just my normal charming self.

Things are going well?

Then, well, let's see, still locked up in a labyrinthine prison, with no idea as to the reason, no autonomy as to what happens to me, and little to any hope about a future that includes freedom.

Soon, I'd say, about the same. But who's counting?

I see there is.

Something something more like someone someone here, Yes, someone special.

You remember the woman I told you about, the one I saw barefoot outside my cell the first night I was here, The one who was singing to you, Well, she was singing. I wouldn't necessarily say to me, but uh, anyways, Yeah, we've seen each other again a few times.

You don't have to explain. But would you mind if I say I'm happy for you?

Yeah?

It's nice, right.

We all need other people.

It is through those relationships that we learn about ourselves. Paradoxically, it is only by learning about ourselves that we may honestly understand others. And to that end, it is most important that we not lose sight of our own individuality in the reflection of another person's mirror.

Why would you say that, I.

Must be thinking about myself.

Six pamphlets per pew. What's next?

Syh? I appreciate the help, but I think you'd better be off.

Wait, you're sending me away?

Never but I understand you have your first day of work today. What the captain told me to start up work detail this morning? I am he asked for my recommendation if I thought you were ready for the responsibility, and I gave an emphatic yes.

Didn't they tell you?

Why won't you tell me where we're going work detail?

Sure?

Got that? But where?

Religious? Gitsuru?

Right? What the machine shop?

What kind of machine shop?

This mushoe woman?

What the kind with machines.

Why is it so quiet?

What wouldn't it be?

I don't know.

Aren't machines loud?

Uh?

What am I supposed to be doing? You'll find out inside, won't you?

Well? This is interesting. I wonder what.

I'm supposed to You must be SIORI. Yeah, I'm Thomas, your foreman. Didn't mean to startle your siary now now? No?

No, I mean just sigh.

Is mine so glad to have you as our newest edition salary. And I can see on your face that you're already getting a good sense of how wonderful it is here.

This isn't isn't like the rest.

Of the pen.

You're right, it's not. It's special.

I think it's okay to say that. Look around you, everything has order? Does it follow me? There is no fighting here, no chaos, none of the disruption and politics are the rest of the pen.

Do you know why that is? No?

See that poster on the wall, Um, read it?

Tell me what you think.

Balance, Let work be work and let life be life. I'm not sure I know what that means.

All of those things I mentioned those are life life here anyway, But what happens in this room that is work?

Work is here, life is out there?

And what about the Christmas music?

Have you worked with Bettel before, Siguri?

You know?

Probably not.

That's funny. You strike me as someone who has This is your station, right next to Josiah, Sir Josiah, this is Siuri. She will work on the machine.

In place of side. And who's Robert?

Show her how to cut the blanks. I'll leave you to it.

Welcome again, Salary.

You can just call me.

Sk See these are blanks, the different sizes. Okay, you match them to the size of your template.

But how do I know which?

No?

Just watch you take one of these and then you open this box. This is your template. Okay, every day you'll have a different one. But you take your blank, you line it up with the template.

Okay, sure, and you don't on.

The machine, and then you grind the blank along a template like this and that's it. Okay, right now, just follow the template.

What is this? It's just a part a part of what.

That's not a thing to ask.

You don't know? Do you do I get anything for my eyes or gloves?

I don't know. Maybe eyesight is good for working right?

Well, I suppose you could ask why not anyway, that's your job in a nutshell, not much to it?

Thanks? How many do I.

Till you're out of blanks?

Well? Here goes nothing?

Okay, one down, I'll a jillion to go.

Everyone lunch?

Say uri, where are you going to the cafeteria?

No?

No, no, no no, they'll bring it to us. Come on into the break room.

First day of school all over again?

Can I uh if you want?

This is crazy? We get our own lunch room.

This is so much nicer than.

The food is here?

What is it?

Don't you smell it?

Steik steak, steak steak? Where did this even come from?

Listen to me. It ain't gonna get better than this anywhere else, So don't ask stupid questions, eat your food, be happy you're here.

Oh my god, this never ends.

Good afternoon, project for your workday is over. Please proceed to security screening.

That's it.

That's it until tomorrow.

Good morning project for have a pleasant work day.

Oh, different sized blanks today, different template?

What is this new day? New part?

The shape seems so specific, like it's familiar to me, But I don't know why?

Remember what I said? I know he seems nice, but he's just like all the other screws.

Just do your job, siary. Do you have a question?

No?

All good, thank you. Food seems normal today.

Not every day is special.

Listen. I just want some idea of what we're making here.

Everything in this world has a maker. Good things, bad things, things that help, things that hurt. Whatever it is, somebody had to make it.

Do you always speak in riddles?

There once was a king, and in celebration and reverence, a blacksmith came to him and presented him with a weapon that he'd make just for the king. And it was beautiful and special and unlike anything else. And the king was touched. And so the king went to war. His armies decimated their opponents without contest, and the king felt he owed it all to the blacksmith, and this weapon, it was made just for war. So the king called the blacksmith back, and he said to him, I want all my generals to have these, to which the black smith replied, my King, it takes months of dedication and skilled to build even one. I can't possibly make enough for all of your generals. I'll need to train apprentices, but then the technique will no longer be secret. So I need your blessing. Then the king gave his blessing, saying, whatever it takes so that each one of my generals have one. And so the blacksmith went to train five apprentices.

Noah hol me.

Something how then Sory back to your station. Nahi project for machine shop needs attention, medical extraction, biohezard, cleanup, repair, inact, replacement.

What a mess could be a lot worse. At least he isn't screaming.

Grab his arms.

I'll get the machine.

I've got biohazard. I can see the concern on your face that man no longer works here and is no longer our concern. When he leaves his room, that will be life.

Remember, let life be life, Let work be work.

The blacksmiths apprentices were able to build weapons for each of the generals, and the King's army continued to expand and conquer. Then the generals went to the blacksmith to say, these weapons are incredible. If all of our soldiers had them, the King's glory could spread even further. And so the blacksmith went to his apprentices and told each of them to train more apprentices. But the apprentices were haunted by the hundreds of souls whose lives had been claimed, and so the apprentices trained the soldiers to make their own weapons.

Good morning, project for have a pleasant workday.

New day, New Part.

Now that every soldier had a weapon themselves, the army was unstoppable. The King's dominion continued to expand as they conquered lands far and wide. Still they needed more weapons, for the greater the kingdom grew, the more there was to protect and defend. But now the soldiers were haunted by the ghosts of those slain, and they needed to find someone else to build the weapons for them.

So who did they train the slaves.

Good afternoon, Project Fall. Your workday is over. Please proceed to security screening. Good morning, Project Fall, Have a pleasant work.

Day, a day New Part.

Things in the Kingdom were good, but in order to build all of these weapons, they had depleted the resources of the land. Mills had been built all along the river, so the fish were getting harder to find and catch. There was a hard winter, and the crops died, and the animals and wild game were thinned out. And when there wasn't enough food, the first people to beat denied were the slaves. So while the king sat in his castle, safe and sound, with all the food in the world. The slaves were out in the barren lands, starving. Many had come from the lands the king had conquered, remembered their burning homes, the dead families, death with no conscience, but never without consequence. Altogether, the slaves outnumbered the soldiers and the guards and the generals, and they overthrew them all, even the king, with the same weapons that had conquered them.

But then, weren't they haunted by the ghosts?

Did you understand the story?

Project for room needs attention, medical extraction and bile hazard only.

Good morning, project for have a pleasant work.

Day, New day, new part. Wait, this is not a new part today. One of the parts repeated.

You don't say.

Look, can I ask you something? What was the weapon?

You ever notice when you leave here? How Thomas only sort of half pays attention to the metal detector.

I guess I hadn't really thought about it.

What about yourself? The screws? Ever? Toss it? Toss it, you know, search through it, check the mattress, snack the toilet.

You know what?

No, they never have.

Some of these people they don't belong here, and the pen knows it. Listen. Your parts are repeating. This place wants something from you, or to show you something, or maybe it wants you to do something.

You're saying, what that the pen has a consciousness.

At least an influence. Haven't you felt it?

What is it supposed to feel like?

You ever leave somewhere? Sure you forgot something but can't remember what it is. It's that sort of feeling. It's not constant, but I bet you feel it, don't you.

I feel like that every single day. But just saying, you're right, how do I know what it wants?

Think of it as a puzzle.

Good afternoon, project Ful. Your workday is over. Please proceed to security screening.

Siary.

Oh shit, you know what? I left the blank in my pocket.

I was just about to start a piece right before lunch, and I totally forgot about it.

Could you please hand this to Thomas.

Thank you, siriy Please be mindful in the future, naturally.

Good morning, project for have a pleasant work.

Day, New day, old part. I did exactly what you said. I've got one of each of the parts in my cell.

Good.

They took the blank from my pocket but didn't even think to look at my sock. It's such an obvious trick, I can't believe it actually worked.

Maybe it was supposed to them.

Okay, but what do I do now? How do I put the pieces together?

How should I know?

Project four room needs attention, medical extraction, biohazard clean up, mechanical repair.

Good afternoon, project for your workday is over. Please proceed to security screening.

Light's apt.

Okay, if it is a puzzle and there must be a solution, somehow, these all have to fit together, maybe like this, maybe like this.

Maybe this is impossible. Maybe I'm insane. The pen doesn't want anything from you, Syarie. It's not the fucking Overlook Hotel. The only influence that has over people is to crush their spirits into submission, to make them crazy, a remaningless minutial like this, and steal their souls in the process. They have the kingdom, the generals, the soldiers, and all the weapons.

All you have is a contraband stack of scrap metal.

That's going to get you throw them back in the fucking dungeon bad and delusions of grandeur that anything you do in this life could actually make a difference. Holy Mother of God, it's a key. At least I think it's a key, but it's.

Not a normal door key.

It sort of looks like like.

This could be a key, could be anything.

Let's say it is a key, what do you think it opens?

Well? Do you think it opens?

I have no idea, and.

I don't know anything more than you. But you put facts and observations together, and sooner or later you'll understand things, or at least you think you do. Anyway, that was fast. It took me hundreds of tries before my part's finally repeated. You mean I already finished my puzzle. I've just been waiting to use it. What is that device?

A device that.

Does what we're about to find out?

Wait?

Hold on, do you understand the story? Now?

Yeah?

The pen is the kingdom.

We are the.

Sleeves, but we're also holding weapons because they taught us how to build them.

You're saying that things.

When we go back to the shop, you leave. Do you understand, no questions, no looking back, just to leave. Yeah, listen, there's no time for that. This is what I'm saying supposed to do. I feel it? This is it? You're sure no, But I'm taking the leap of faith. Now go pardon me.

Saiary, Where are you going? Work hasn't ended?

Hey, let work be work and life be life.

Right.

Well, if work isn't here, I guess I'm going back to life unacceptable.

If you walk out, there will be consequences.

Do you understand?

I hope so.

Somebody get her back. She can't just just tire?

Where is that?

What do you think you're.

Protect? Repeat Project four Perched Cycle forty three Initiate Rebuild.

Oh Yeatha.

Maleetita, maquier Ala gra Colomachita, Alaciton Oksito.

Thirteen Days of Halloween penance starring Natalie Morales, Episode nine, Occupation written by Matthew Riddle, editing in sound design by Noa Amy Griffin. Featuring the voices of Chris Jay, Alex Morgan Brown, Rachel Rosenbloom, Raphael Corkil, Wayne Bastrup, Sonny Bowling, Steve B. Greene, Miguel Perez, and Trevor Young. Directed by Alexander Williams. Executive producers Aaron Mankey, Noah Feinberg, Chris Dicky, Matt Frederick and Alexander Williams. Supervising producers Trevor Young and Josh Thain. Producers Jesse Funk Rima, Ilkali, Noami Griffin, Chandler.

Mays and Cassy Bias.

Script editing by Lauren Vogelbaum, Story consultants Ben Bolan and Matthew Riddle. Casting by Sunday Bowling CSA and Meg Mormon CSA. Production coordinator Wayna Calderon. Production assistants Jenna Johnson and Winona Lowe. Theme music by Rose Azerti with vocals by Anna Hummler, recorded at This Is Sound Design Studios in Burbank, California. Engineered by Ross Arnot. Special thanks to Romelia Osorio, Nathan Rule, Glen Nishida, and Rob Mosca. Thirteen Days of Halloween was created by Matt Frederick and Alexander Williams and is a production of iHeart Podcasts, Blumhouse Television and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Makey. Learn more about the show at Grimandmild dot com slash thirteen Days and find more podcasts from iHeartRadio by the visiting the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Happy Halloween,

13 Days of Halloween

Season Four: Penance Without warning, Sayuri has been locked up in the Pendleton Rehabilitation Cen 
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