Season 3 - Episode 3
General Summary
There is now a COUNTDOWN in place for this episode for when the CARGO SHIP will CRASH. Everyday that passes the CARGO ship gets closer to crashing and causing damage to the TOWN.
During our adventure at LAKE MEAD, TOMMY has sat at home with LUKE. Luckily, they have started to gel a bit more. They are hanging out while TOMMY’S MOM is cooking dinner. The STAR WARS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL is on in the background. LUKE asks if TOMMY likes STARWARS. TOMMY says kind of. He enjoys explosions and guns. LUKE says he enjoys sci-fi. TOMMY and LUKE continue to have a bit of an awkward conversation so TOMMY changes the channel to the NEWS. The NEWS starts to cover the WEIRD STORM over LAKE MEAD.
TOMMY thinks this might have to do with his friends, while LUKE is busy thinking about CAMP. LUKE asks TOMMY again about the CAMP. This time TOMMY is more truthful and says he will tell LUKE everything in the CAR.
LUKE blinks and says, ‘hey hun. TOMMY and I are going to step out.’ TOMMY’S MOM is happy they seem to be getting along. LUKE and TOMMY head out- mid-drive TOMMY comes clean and says he WAS LUKE. “We switched bodies!”
LUKE is flabbergasted realizing now it was NOT A DREAM, and likewise he was TOMMY. Concerned, he asks TOMMY what he did in his body. TOMMY says he broke up with his MOM. LUKE says he just hung out with a dirty kid and a scary goth. After a while he says: “I think I will have to sit on this.”
TOMMY tells LUKE he wants to head to the STORM. LUKE asks why and TOMMY says because he didn’t switch alone and he thinks it's all connected. LUKE stops at a payphone to see if anyone is HOME. He calls GLORIA first but no one picks up, then XANTHI, but again no answer, then finally CASSIUS. CASSIUS answers awkwardly and directs TOMMY and LUKE to his HOUSE.
LUKE and TOMMY show up at the ANIMAL SANCTUARY. All the KIDS rush LUKE with questions about TOMMY’S MOM. LUKE breaks down what he was told, and thinks we could call the FOREST SERVICE and ask some RANGERS for help. After all, how many HUNTING LODGES could there be?
LUKE calls on the yellow pages and says, indeed there aren’t many LODGES but they are far apart.
We read the NOTE again. GLORIA tries to investigate it but comes up with nothing, meanwhile TOMMY thinks deeply. While he is thinking, GLORIA holds up the page to see if there are any hidden indents on the NOTE.
GLORIA sees that: “PUMPING PLANT NUMBER ONE” was imprinted onto the paper. TOMMY also recognizes that the numbers are circled out kind of like in a clock pattern but not quite.
LUKE also gives us a HUNTING LODGE PAMPHLET. Inferring from that, we check if any are near any LANDMARKS we see. There is one near the PUMPING STATION, BEEHIVE ISLAND, BRAVO GATE, and somewhere around FOXTROT GATE.
GLORIA sees that the FOXTROT one is on the way to PUMP STATION ONE so we decide to stop there first.
As we leave XANTHI decides to stay behind to talk more with UNCLE JIRA (and perhaps to sooth her own panic).
We say goodbye and head to FOXTROT. Once there, we get out of LUKE’S PICK UP TRUCK and look around (CASSIUS offers to help drive but ends up having to assure LUKE that he absolutely has never driven before). We go inside but see few signs of life. It seems like it has been about 2 days since anyone has been here. We look around in detail, and see that a BOAT was used at this location only a few hours ago- there also are TIRE TRACKS.
GRIMEY looks out over the water with some BINOCULARS and sees that there is indeed someone out in the STORM.
GLORIA is going through the trash and sees a package of used up tablets. They are IODINE and are meant for RADIATION POISONING. There are also crumpled up pieces of paper with MATH on it as well (all of which she pockets).
We still aren’t sure what to do, because we don’t have a BOAT or MEDICINE. GRIMEY continues to look at the strange person from afar while we head to PUMPING STATION 1. The MYSTERIOUS PERSON seems to be going to PUMPING STATION 1 much to our alarm.
LUKE puts the gas on and guns it. We arrive 10 minutes before the MYSTERIOUS PERSON. We swipe MATCHES, a MAP, and a COMPASS from the table. On the MAP there are Xs on the LAKE. There is one outside the PUMPING STATION 1, BIG BOLDER ISLAND, and in the DELTA AREA of COLORADO RIVER, and BEEHIVE ISLAND.
GLORIA also spies a HATCHET. We then take some time to investigate. CASSIUS sees DOG TRACKS leading outside the LODGE. There are also AIR RIFLE DARTS which he picks up. GRIMEY sees other 4-legged TRACKS going into the WOODS. He calculated that it is probably a WALKING MACHINE that has been walking back and forth to the WATER. GLORIA sees more empty ANIMAL CAGES, but here there is also a SMALL PET CEMETERY.
TOMMY notices the BOAT and the MYSTERIOUS FIGURE is actually much CLOSER. We all decide to hide around the AREA. We will call out like a BIRD if we are going to attack or need help. CASSIUS slips into the CLOSET, TOMMY goes to the BOATHOUSE, GRIMEY goes under the BED, GLORIA into a WOODPILE, and LUKE out to hide the CAR.
KIM/ MARTIN appears in the BOATHOUSE. He is speaking to a ROBOT companion. They are talking about TEMPORAL KEYS and trying to stop the BOAT FROM CRASHING. MARTIN IMMEDIATELY sees the MAP is gone and starts to PANIC.
MARTIN / KIM grabs a metal LADLE and starts to look into the CLOSET. Worried CASSIUS might get caught, GLORIA uses the HATCHET to make a noise, as it reverberates MARTIN turns just as CASSIUS bursts out of the CLOSET and grapples with MARTIN. CASSIUS calls to GRIMEY to grab the KLEIN HELMET.
GRIMEY tries to FORCE the HELMET off as MARTIN is desperately calling for his ROBOT, ASIMOV, to aid them. TOMMY tries to deal with it, but he is flung back by the ROBOT’s METAL ARM. Seeing this, GLORIA readies her HATCHET and goes to hit it. She isn’t very strong though having not been placed in little league. She pushes through the pain and swings again, but ends up injuring herself slightly.
The TROUBLE is EXTENDED- THe ROBOT ARRIVES EARLY. We have to succeed 7 / 12 chances to get the HELMET and FIGHT THE ROBOT.
GRIMEY goes through the HELMET while yelling at CASSIUS pulls out his CROWBAR to attack the ROBOT to buy GLORIA and TOMMY time to get into the room. GRIMEY gets a successful hit! The ROBOT takes extra damage from a wall.
1 SUCCESS ACHIEVED. (1/7)
GRIMEY attacks with great force as well and yanks the HELMET off. HE manages to pry the HELMET off.
1 SUCCESS ACHIEVED. (2/7)
GLORIA sees CASSIUS’S decisive blow and takes her chance to try to pull out a wire using her SEWING KIT. She spies something important and jams the needle into a central cable, powering ASSIMOV off. He screams loudly and twitches on the ground. It seems paralyzed.
1 SUCCESS ACHIEVED. (3/7)
Tommy pulls out his LIGHTER and some lighter fluid and tries to INTIMIDATE MARTIN. He accidentally singes an eyebrow off, but manages to be quite scary.
1 SUCCESS ACHIEVED. (4/7)
On the ground, MARTIN is saying he has to: “STOP HER! OTHERWISE there will be another DISASTER!”
GLORIA listens to his words and tries to empathize with him while TOMMY grabs the HELMET. GLORIA pushes through pain but manages to connect to what MARTIN is saying.
1 SUCCESS ACHIEVED. (5/7)
MARTIN says it’s MARTIN- NO KIM- NO MARTIN and that he has to stop her in the past. GLORIA says they are trying to help. MARTIN says the ship is just an echo and that he needs to input the KEYS. TIME IS RUNNING OUT. the KEYS need to be up now.
Taking a breath MARTIN explains that he agrees that the kids are on his side.
At this moment ASSIMOV resets itself and tries to attack us. CASSIUS tells it to stay down and beats it with a crowbar again.
1 SUCCESS ACHIEVED (6/7)
At this moment LUKE walks in and sees us grappling with an older man, he exclaims: “Hey! You are that camp counselor.” GLORIA says for him to stay out of it but he still supports TOMMY by chirping at MARTIN.
TOMMY does his best to convince MARTIN we are all on the same side. Saying: “We don’t want to make the situation worse. We need to put our heads together.”
1 SUCCESS ACHIEVED (7/7) We have passed the EXTENDED TROUBLE.
MARTIN is no longer thrashing but he panics and says we only have 5 MINUTES LEFT and we need to get into the BOAT or TIME will unravel.
It seems the TRUE DANGER IS UPON US.
CASSIUS is frustrated but says, “Yes, fine let’s go.” We hurry onto the boat where MARTIN directs us to throw out some BUYOH’S (he also offends GRIMEY by calling him small). GRIMEY chirps back that he was big enough to beat MARTIN up, but MARTIN is already busy placing KEYS and turning them on.
After the last KEY is placed, MARTIN says: “Are you all sure you want to help me? We have to head into the eye of the storm.” We agree because it is all happening so fast and TIME is CLEARLY SUFFERING. CASSIUS drives the boat expertly (and with a little luck) while GLORIA leads using her eagle eyes to point out any rogue icebergs.
We arrive at the PORTAL that is starting to OPEN UP. The WATER is now all frozen, but the centre is this boiling muddy sludge. The SHIP makes a MAGNETIC scream as it falls into the ICE. For a minute a FIERY EXPLOSION plays out before RESTING. We see a milky white membrane of pure life.
MARTIN walks up to it- and yells REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE- WE MET in 1969. I’M GOING BACK THERE to take care of SOMETHING, but REMEMBER to take care of the FUTURE.
He steps through the PORTAL and the STORM, BOAT, and EVERYTHING DISAPPEAR. We are left on a PIECE of ICE. CASSIUS voices his annoyance against MARTIN again. LUKE is dazed and GLORIA directs us back onto the boat figuring we should take one step at a time.
We head back and get warm. The MACHINES around the LAKE are gone- but so are the TOWN’S MEMORY of the incident.
“Funny how that happens….” CASSIUS says bitterly.
In our head- we remember MARTIN’S last words: “...Take care of the future.” It resonates with us for a long time to come.
Ultimately, it is unclear who we truly helped.
Report Date
28 Feb 2023
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