The Pivotal Western ~ chapter three

Nocturne's eyes go wide as the back doors of the armored truck are pulled open into the dark, parted by the cab passenger before he moves to point.  The agent leans in and whispers in her ear.  She smiles with a giggle, then looks concerned and starts to turn her head away.

The agent grabs her chin hard, the soldiers take aim, safeties go off and loaded.  The agent keeps whispering, unlocking her chains as he watches her eyes go cold.  She whispers the words 'Don't die'.

The chains drop and she stands looking over the crouching and seated guards, then at the passenger as he tightens his grip.  She stares at his finger over the trigger guard, as it's own decision being made.  A step to the side, the barrel follows, the other way, it hesitates, then follows.

She crouches low inside the truck to his outside eye level.

Nocturne - "That's when it would have been.  And all these men would have died.  Because you have that sliver in your soul.  Driven.  Between duty and disbelief."

Another crude glance over them all, she leaps running out the back door and into the night.  The passenger watches after, then through the scope as she disappears into the woods.

Agent - Behind him, from inside the truck, "She's right."
________

A knife slams into the bar-room table (cell door sound).

Maiden - "Excuse me ?"

Random - To the man, "Your woman needs a lesson.  You or me ?"

Man - Reading the paper, "Uh.  That'd be you pal.  Have fun with that."  Puts back up the newspaper.

Random - Smiles ... "Well alright then."  Gets hit with a chair.

~ Pivotal Western ~

('The Most Beautiful Girl in the World' by Prince)

The rest of the bar stands up, the tender glances down to the shotgun under the bar ... rolls his eyes and turns his back to sort bottles.  The maiden breaks two legs from the chair's remnants and stomps the back of Random's neck watching the others.

The man lowers the paper a bit to see ...

She flips a leg over and stabs him through three times each, back and forth fast, watching the threatening (and curious) crowd with a smile.  A moment of horror before they reach.

She charges them grabbing a table from under some gamblers by the leg along the way.  The players sit with their hands staring, deck and coin scattered.

An attacker gets slammed into a wall with the flat of a table, she holds it up by a leg and kicks it repeatedly until the man goes limp, then gets shot in the back (a lot), shredding the new dress.

Maiden - "! Fuck !"

The man shakes his head, pulls out his wallet and separates out some cash into his pocket.  Goes back to the paper.  One approaches him drawing, then shot through the paper (headline ?).

The center wall of shooters is hit with the table as a flung disk, two table legs hitting two of the shooters on either side.  She leaps in.  

Man - Reading, "Don't forget their money !  That'd be all yours ... guns are shit though."  Tosses her the pistol and puts the money back in his wallet under the table.

She catches by the barrel and hammers one across the face with it.  Jumps on him as he falls and starts beating, annoyed at the shots knocking her around before she's blown off screen by a shotgun.

Shot-gunner approaches, she points the gun ...

...

He looks confused and takes aim.

Man - "Safety !"

Maiden - "Fuck you !"

Both shoot, both knocked backward off-screen, silent bar, wreckage.

Man playing cards - "I had thirty in the kitty and twenty in the pot."

...

Another player - "The hell you did."

~ The Hell ~

The agent on the hill, the passenger watches the distant city lights fading into dawn, binoculars go down.

Passenger - "How will we know when she gets there at this distance ?"

Agent - "We'll know."  A gust of wind hits them in the faces, then nothing.  The passenger looks back at him.  "Get used to it.  She'll send a pulse when she's near."  Glances at where the passenger watches, a short laugh and walks away.

Passenger - Shakes it off and puts up the binoculars, "Pulse.  What the fuck does that even mean.  Morse motherfucking code ?  And do I even get a fucking name for this role ?  Noo ..."
________

Mambathu - "... everyone knows the Tempest was just another Faust.  Again he steals from Marlowe.  There was nothing of his own.  And this ... 'Ariel' ... Dee's handiwork no doubt, the Gnostic fools.  A thief as well.  All Edward Kelly's work.  Everyone knows this, and ..."

Lilith - "Wow you need to shut up we're finally there.  Look."  She turns his face to the city as they near the city wall, course for the air-docks at the center.

('Yuve Yuve Yu by The Hu)

(I can and will describe over time the ideas I have for the look of it but honestly it's about what you'd imagine at this point so until it's solid let yourself flow on that.  Goes with the song, as they head for the central dock and what's going on below them.)

~ The riverboat approaches the city, the Mother swings vine armed off the decks into a run for it, leaving it behind.
__

...
__

~ Nocturne out from the woods behind a carriage, crawling over the back.  She grabs the driver's rifle leaning on the seat. the knife and pistol from his belt, the provision sack behind him, leaps for the left horse.
__

...
__

She pulls the bit, kicks off the pin and shoot out the rod, frightening the horses apart.  The carriage taking to the trees, she straightens for the path, pulling off all the horses restraints.
__

...
__

The mother leaps for a high chapel peak over the wall, wrapping it with vine.  She crouches low, looking over the city, regressing to maiden, but the arm supporting her.
__

...
__

(as the song ends in throat singing)

Nocturne - Leans forward to it's ear and whispers a language unknown until "Don't Die".  She kisses it's cheek and grips it close as it takes speed with determination.

She leans on it as though to sleep, smiles.
____

The ground quakes hard just once in the city, pausing the passers-by as the Arena takes dock.  All hesitate including the keep, arms a bit out until a moment of nothing.

Cautious continuation and a few eyes to the offshore storm.
________

He lowers his rifle, watching by eye with nothing seen.  Turns to slam the doors, the agent grinning inside.

Nocturne's eyes open as the gas leaves the tube, the agent through the aged blurred window.  The sounds of the nocturnes playing fades out as the door opens.

The agent fires a Thompson unto the tube while she twitches against the chains until she's screaming, drum emptied.  The tube slams shut and fills again with gas.  Heavy breathing while the nocturnes resume.
___

Her heavy breath continues as she runs through the night woods, music fading out.  She leaps to a low branch and pulls herself into the tree, climbing fast to the swaying top.  She looks to the near distant LA lights in the dawn.

'Hollywoodland'

At the agent camp, the passenger watches the distant city for nothing, sun up, the ground quakes an aftershock.  He steadies himself ...

Agent - Behind him, "She's almost there."  He walks to prepare the others while the passenger has that look of 'reconsidering his job opportunities' about him.

The Hell ~ part two

Nocturne's eyes open as the gas leaves the tube, the agent through the aged blurred window.  The sounds of the nocturnes playing fades out as the door opens.

The agent fires a Thompson unto the tube while she twitches against the chains until she's screaming, drum emptied.  The tube slams shut and fills again with gas.  Heavy breathing while the nocturnes resume.
___

Her heavy breath continues as she runs through the night woods, music fading out.  She leaps to a low branch and pulls herself into the tree, climbing fast to the swaying top.  She looks to the near distant LA lights in the dawn.

'Hollywoodland'

At the agent camp, the passenger watches the distant city for nothing, sun up, the ground quakes an aftershock.  He steadies himself ...

Agent - Behind him, "She's almost there."  He walks to prepare the others while the passenger has that look of 'reconsidering his job opportunities' about him.
________

(darkness with a hint of green ...)

Jim - "Sam ?  That you under that ?"

Clemmons - "Helping is good."

The blind is pulled off, Jim, also young again (some vine on his shirt).

Jim - "Why you old dog."

Clemmons - (still young again) "And just look.  At.  You ..."  He shakes his head ... smiles.  "We did it."

Jim - "We did it !"

They laugh into the fade-out on the rolling boat in the woods deer parting way of it's crashing through ..."! We Did It ! Whoooo ..."
________

Mother - Looks to the gun in her hand and holds it to her heart.  She smiles, The gun my love would kill me with, my gun of mine, my love."  She spins the wheel.
________

As they walk the markets down the central street, the populace starts seeming a bit off and fearful.  Occasionally one returns to task as if against their will, but complacent.

Otherwise seeming a perfect place of wood brass and steam.  'Tourists' perhaps a bit too obsessed with their token counts, distinct from the denizens.

Maiden - "I never met my father.  She never said who."

Man - "That's too bad, but sometimes their just not worth it.  Sorry you may never know."

...

Maiden - "Do you have a dad ?"

Man - "Died in the war."

...

Maiden - "You don't get to do that."

Man - "Don't intend to."
________

On the decks of the Arena, Lilith and Mambathu unload cargo under the dock keep's watch and notation, before all distracted by a gust and dark clouds coming.

City views ... 

A suspicion among the people, a pity not for themselves but for them.

________

At the train depot, Mars disconnects a heavy harpoon and chain from the upper hull of the engine behind the stack and drops it down.  He looks up at the clouds, Eve at the platform with Naamah and One loading weapons.  He jumps down.

Eve - Handing him the book, "Take this to Sanctuary.  And you really do need to go.  Now.  We need to get our sister."

He takes it, thumbs though ... pages and pictures ...

Mars - "What is this ?"

Naamah laughs.  "Perfect."  Loads.  "Let's go."

__

The train steams out as they leave the platform.

The Hell ~ part three

Character notes ~

As a character, Yaldabaoth has never been intended to be interesting, and I never actually settled on any 'form'.  Likely just an old man, specifically anticlimactic.  

As a spirit he's never 'deigned himself' to assume anthropomorphic form by any description as this is really just a diplomacy of 'the gods' among humans.

(As Gaiman pointed out, if we were cats, they would be cats and to cats they likely are as far as any tale would tell of it.  Read 'The Sandman series.  It's singularly the reason why I don't bother bringing a lot of things up, it's been covered)

In Heaven so long as the throne was justly his (by technicality), the Seraphim were in essence 'programmed' to follow him, as creations of the throne itself.  But he required them there as defense and he had to maintain them as he could not destroy them.

The presumption is that he finally 'broke their coding' completely when he turned on Michael trying, but they still couldn't actually do anything about it.  

That's another story, but it is why Gabriel had to destroy it, so it could never happen again.  Since the angels are more tribe that servant.  This may or may not come up in Fourth Finale.

('Reunited' by The Wu-Tang Clan)

'The Mayor of Hollywoodland' (it's Yaldabaoth) exits his capitol.

Here, he's in full on goat headed and hoved 'satan mode', clear and not hiding in a world of his own creation, where he is the one and everyone there knows it.  Pimp strollin'.  Well dressed as a male though breasted, appearing much like the aliens in other tales I suppose if they'd mated with a goat.  

His posture and way is much like Apollo but clearly different.  Shredded and burned, then washed clean flags of states draped in the alien way from his shoulders (Apollo's were unwashed).  Fire from his eyes, he breathes hard as if the air ignited in his lungs by nature if not a constantly churning fury.

He walks the streets appreciating the construction and chores, well mannered though purposefully ignored.  He nods pleasantly to those who happen to see him before they return it and turn away head bowed to their task like an unwilling mechanism, which disturbs them fearfully.

__

Nocturne rides toward the nearing city.

On another street the maiden and man exit a shop laughing full of packages toward the center of town.

~ Walking ...

Distantly the mother scans in their direction, hanging from the chapel steeple by vine.  She checks the pistol load and snaps it shut.

~ Walking ...

________

Laughing with their packages the maiden and the man walk toward the center of ton, the mother lands before them fast and draws.  The man pulls the maiden's (his) pistol from her belt, spins off her back and latching her arm to pull her behind him.

He and the mother take their shots, she and the maiden go flying.

He stands a moment breathing hard and looks to the maiden.

____

Yaldabaoth stops in his walk and smells the air, looks to the distant brooding skies approaching.  Then a scant on the wind, distracted, a smile.  "Oh perfect day." 

He raises his arms and Lilith and Naamah are pulled through city and buildings to him, throats finally in the grip of each hand.  He spits fire to the ground in contempt.  Eve appears chained in the dissipating fire.

Yaldy - "My world.  My rules.  I've been looking for you."

Eve - "It's not your world.  Just another shit hole piled on top of it."

Lilith pulls the gun and he whisks it away with a turn of his head to the ground.

Yaldy - Necks choking hard as they kick, "We'll see."

Hit with a ball of hail, he winces the distraction.

Naamah - "Not ... your ... world."

Hail striking all around, a single quake.  He cracks their necks and drops them.  He looks to the storm and growls, then to Eve.  "Plans for you, little one."  

He knocks her aside, grabs the gun and charges the storm.

Adam arrives seeing Naamah then Lilith.  

...

He falls.

____

The man picks up the maiden, she looks up at him.

Maiden - "That still really fucking hurts you know.  I can't believe she shot me.  With a mortal's gun I mean.  I can totally see shooting me.  It means she did finally get some.  Clearly."  She starts getting up feeling her forehead.  "Owww ..."

Man - "But I didn't shoot her with a mortal's gun."

Maiden - Looks to the mother, a tear then back to the man, "Venus ?"

Man - "How'd you know ?"

Maiden - "Everyone knows."  ...  "So we're free now."

Man - "Yeah well these other gods seem to be fighting about nothing to to with us so let's get the fuck back to the car."

Maiden - Smiles leaning in, "And let's go home."

...

Mother - Aside, lying down, looking up, blood across her chest over the heart.  She watches them run off happy, then looks to her gun.  "God damn you Sam."  

She smiles and closes her eyes to last breath.  "Thank you.

___

Eve lay in the street, still chained as the hail picks up.  Ahead a tornado tip begins forming in the clouds approaching.  She struggles worm-like moving a second ... the sighs.  Looks ahead and sees more peaks forming in the clouds. 

...

Eve - "Oh for fuck sake."  Worms some more ...

('Thunderstruck' cover by 2Cellos)

A wall of rain approaches mixed with hale as Yaldy charges huffing flame, the occasional ball of ice pissing him off more.

Nocturne rides surrounded by the storm as the wave passes over, hail missing.  She leaps from her horse as he leaps to knock her off, horse veered.  The formed tornado slams them both down hard.

They rise facing in the eye, world and debris spiraling around.

He breathes fire over her as she close her eyes and smiles as it washes over her like water, filling the tornado with flame, burning refuse.  He draws and she shoots his shoulder without wound, but knocking the shot to the side.  She kicks the gun hand again, turning him more and sending the pistol to the storm.

She throws his other shoulder into the spin and grabs him in a headlock, chocking hard.  She smiles over his shoulder and whispers unknowns into his ear, watching the storm all around in wonder.

Leans in tightening grip and whispering joyously watching, laughs a bit and the world shakes from another quake, this one continuing, he starts to struggle for air. 

Yaldy - Yelling over the cacophony, "You're ... a fucking ... pawn !  A tool !"  A deep wheezing breath in embers ... "A broken beast ... once beautiful."  Struggle as she pulls his horn, "Stolen from the wild and broken by man ..."

She pulls a horn to turn his head, bracing forearm directly across the throat, other hand to her forearm, pulling hard.  He starts the desperate kick and is dropped to his hands and knees.

The storms cease, debris dropping all around, burning.

Nocturne - "You know nothing at all."  She stomps his center spine to a crack.  "And I don't even know who the hell you are."

She walks to pick up the fallen gun as he struggles for a rageful turn, then turns back to him armed.

Nocturne - "I volunteered."

___

Eve, still chained hears the shot, the roar, and another shot.

Then all is quiet, storm passing from the skies to the sea and around the town a spell seems lifted.  She watches Nocturne walking toward her from the distance, pistol in hand, the horse joining.  A flash, they're closer.  Another closer.  Another.  She stands over Eve, looking down. 

~ today ~

Morgan - Voiced over as Eve looks up at Nocturne, "Dearest Lilith."

Fades to Morgan walks the Misting Lands in market cloak.

Morgan - I know that both you and Naamah both had plans for shore leave, and very well earned.  But something's come up.  We need you in Japan as soon as possible, and I'm very sorry for this." 

She reaches into the mist and pulls up 'The Book of Names'.

Morgan - (VO) "I also know how much you hate dealing with her ... but please pass it along to Naamah, and don't forget Eve this time."

She pours her gin out over it, all but the last swig.  She strikes a match and watches the flame, drinks the last and tosses the bottle.  Drops the match to the book, igniting it.  Kicks it burning into the deeper mist unseen.

The sound of a shot.

Morgan - (VO), "It's Pivotal."

A crow caws through the voice over, as the messenger flying away from delivery.  She checks her hood and turns to the oblivious crowds.

('Time Taker' by The Geto Boys)

Credits as she walks through the mist and steam, book burning away.  She arrives the docks crew under the Orson waiting, Andromeda smiles.

 

(credits to the music)

 

~ after credits ~

Nocturne returns to the Agent camp outside the armored truck, bodies strewn, horse at the edge.  Passing one by one, (the passenger doesn't seem to be among them ...) until the agent himself.

She falls kneeling over him, "No ..."  She feels around his face for a sign, her finger goes into the bullet-hole, center forehead.

Mishil - "I found you."

Nocturne looks up at her sobbing, then back to bullet head.  Hard breathing to a rage she draws, and no one's there.  She drops the gun screaming into the night.

Three nocturnes playing at different speeds to match tempo, bodies fading into those at the asylum, down the empty cages to her tube burning, mechanisms popping.  Over the fire and cracking glass ~

~ ends 'the maiden's tale' volumes one and two ~