ANNA MORGENSTERN [AM]: Alan?
(The Subject stirs. He jolts a bit, his shackled left ankle jangling and then going taut to leave an angry welt on his skin which will rise over the next 218 seconds of this taping. The suited man in the background goes for his pistol but then resumes his guarded posture. Anna does not move.)
CAPTAIN RAMSEY [CR]: Mmmmmmm… (A purring voice, almost erotic. But no. It is pleading.) Muh? Anna?
AM: I am very sorry we had to sedate you, Alan.
CR: Hmm?
AM: (The surgical mask comes down.) Sedate you. You’re coming out of it now.
CR: Where am I?
AM: It doesn’t matter.
CR: I want to go home.
(The guard behind Anna seems to shift uneasily. A door is heard to open with a click. Hallway noises, angry conversations and receding footsteps, are heard in the background. The volume fluctuates as the various sound levels of the recording are recalibrated.)
A VOICE IN THE BACKGROUND, PERHAPS A DOCTOR: It’s much too soon. He needs to go back under.
AM: (Moving her eyes to her right but keeping her head perfectly stilclass="underline" ) I’m almost done here.
THE VOICE AGAIN: I’m going to observe.
ANOTHER VOICE, DEEP AND VERY STERN: No.
THE VOICE: It’s your funeral.
(The door clicks closed once more. Anna’s eyes return to Subject and the camera.)
AM: Alan.
CR: Who are these men? I don’t know anyone.
AM: They’re here to protect you. Do you remember me?
CR: Oh, Anna, it’s okay. I was angry. Sorry. I’m sorry.
AM: Do you want me to send the guards away?
THE DEEP VOICE: Ma’am…
AM: (She raises her hand to someone off screen, both placating and commanding all at once.) This is mine, agent. (To Subject:) Do you want me to?
ANOTHER VOICE: (Motion indicating it is the much younger, softer-inflected man standing behind Ms. Morgenstern.) Ma’am, we are not under your jurisdiction.
AM: Are you sure?
(No answer.)
THE DEEP VOICE: I have a suggestion.
AM: (Snappish.) I don’t care. (Overhead, to the younger man.) Can you please bring Commander Frierson in here.
THE YOUNG MAN: No ma’am. I’m sorry.
AM: I wasn’t asking.
THE DEEP VOICE: Anna, there’s a couple of orders given which you were not to be made aware of unless you pulled for Frierson. Subject’s about to go under.
AM: (To the Captain.) Alan, I only have one question.
CR: Hmm?
AM: Do you know her name? The little girl.
CR: Course do. Josie. Josie Presper.
AM: (Smiling sadly.) That’s right. Sleep now, Alan.
CR: Nnn.
AM: Sorry?
CR: Want to talk. About site. Hole.
AM: Rest now. (She stands, accidentally bumping into the man behind her who very quickly shifts to regain his balance and moves out of her way.) I hope to be back very soon.
CR: Josie. My sweet little girl. Talk to me, make laugh. Like daughter to me…
AM: Josie is dead, Captain Ramsey. Don’t you remember?
CR: (Perhaps questioning, or disbelief.) No?
THE DEEP VOICE: You know a hell of a lot about it, Captain.
(Anna glares at the man off-screen.)
(Both of the Subject’s legs jolt in the frame, and a bloody gash is seen. The young black man springs into action and holds the Subject’s legs. The camera vibrates and threatens to fall.)
THE DEEP VOICE AGAIN: Anna, get the fuck out of here. Now!
(Another man, unseen until now, is pulling Anna forcibly out of frame.)
CR: (Barely audible whisper.) Oh, my love. Love, love. I’m so, so sorry. (Intake of breath.) I — (Indecipherable.)
[In the e-file only:]
[Transcriber’s Supervisor’s Note: Now translated, it has been noticed that — in my opinion, as a direct result of repeated and nigh endless exposure to the original video footage of the cornfield — the Subject’s words are an exact quotation of the deeper-voiced anonymous man’s words when the aberration of the “arm in the sky” first occurred.]
[Partial redaction]
[Sub-Archon Petrus: Vote to strike.]
[Sub-Archon Sakai: So noted. Seconded.]
[Deleted]
[Acting Archon Iantori: Overruled. Some objections will remain on the record, but only for training materials for use by Ruby-plus, in case I change my mind. Thank you all for your personal and professional recommendations on this matter.]
(Widespread bleeding of the Subject’s ankles, tiny kicks rattling the bed-frame, the black man is on top of Subject with his own shirt torn. Another much larger bald man is on top of him assisting in the suppression.)
CR: (Struggling, gasping.) Was too late. Tried get there, tried get others there before happened, too late. I… I…
(The feed goes black.)
CR: Anna!
(The taping is abruptly terminated.)
X: EVIDENCE FILE FIVE
(The following is audio only. To maintain audience composure, a rolling scroll of the sequential statements is now provided. The voice is almost certainly Morgenstern’s. Others are un-attributable. Little is known about the sourcing of [remainder has been censored beneath level Onyx].)
(The recording is poor, the original having been salvaged from partial incineration. It has been electronically enhanced using recently-developed recovery techniques.)
ATTRIBUTED TO ANNA MORGENSTERN [AM]: Can you do this?
(… ?)
UNKNOWN MALE VOICE: Speak directly into the receiver, Captain. Elijah is here to assist you.
ATTRIBUTED TO CAPTAIN RAMSEY [CR]: (Sounding frail, drugged, exhausted.) I… yes. I know I can.
AM: Do you understand that I put my career on the line to give you this one last chance?
CR: I understand, An… Miss Kincaid.
AM: Morgenstern. It’s me.
CR: Hmm?
AM: Call me Anna again, please.
CR: I under. Understand. Anna.
AM: Then let’s begin.
CR: Can I say. Something. About Josie first?
(Whispered discussion.)
AM: No. We can’t get off track again. There are powers involved here. I am sorry.
(Indecipherable.)
AM: I understand that, but I have a list of questions.
THE VOICE: Lean in. Allow Elijah to assist you, please.
PARTIAL, IN THE BACKGROUND: …Give him… seven…
(A break in the recording. Resumption after an unknown period of time.)
CR: (Too loud at first. He sounds more aware.) All right. I know I. Can answer them. I’ll try.
AM: Good, Captain. Thank you. Tell me about monitoring the site of the… the hole. The rift. In the continuum.
CR: (Much more clearly now. Weary but alert, resigned.) We… we didn’t call it that. Privately, bunker only and especially at night, we called it the snicker-snack.
AM: The what?
CR: Ever read Lewis Carroll? Alice?
AM: I don’t have any children.
CR: They aren’t books for children, Anna, I assure you. Do you know what Jabberwocky is?
AM: It’s… a fantasy dragon. In a movie.
CR: That movie was pretty poor, misrepresenting Carroll’s genius. Jabberwocky is the name of a poem. The name of the beastie itself is the Jabberwock.