[INTRO MUSIC]

SCENE 1 - BY THE RIVER

[The golem roars for a final time. Morgan catches a glint in the back of its throat. First with confusion, then with a start, he realizes…]

MORGAN: Robin Pigeon?

[He scrambles for his belt loop, grabs his key ring off his belt, and shows it to the golem.]

MORGAN: Hold on, hold on. Look. We’re on the same side, see? Pigeon and Duck.

[The golem pauses. The wind picks up.]

MORGAN: A bit of you and a bit of me are the same, cast from the same stuff.

[Pause.]

MORGAN: (quieter) Guys, back me up here.

[Footsteps.]

MAYA: (quietly) Let me see that.

[She takes the key chain.]

MAYA: (to herself) Pigeon and Duck.

MORGAN: (under his breath) You said she needed a focus to keep the golem animated without help, something personal. Well, Robin Pigeon is hanging in the back of its throat.

MAYA: Robin Pigeon?

MORGAN: That’s the joke, yeah.

MAYA: (louder, to the golem) We’re fighting the same fight, see?

[Grace and Noel join them. Noel touches the key chain as well.]

NOEL: All we want is for Evie to come home.

[And next, Grace touches it as well.]

GRACE: We love her. We love her so much.

MORGAN: Evie, we want you safe and we want you happy! I’m sorry if you ever felt like you couldn't have that. Please, give us a chance to help you.

[Pause. Then, scraping. The golem nods. All four of them sigh with a bit of relief.]

GRACE: Do you know where Evie is?

[More scraping. The golem begins drawing in the mud again.]

GRACE: Is that… it’s a door.

MORGAN: So she’s in a building. (louder) Is that right?

GRACE: It just keeps drawing doors.

MAYA: Maybe the doors are important.

NOEL: Maybe there’s a lot of them.

MORGAN: (louder, to the golem) Do you know where these doors are?

GRACE: Plus signs, like a school, maybe.

NOEL: Or an intersection.

MAYA: Or a hospital. (louder, to the golem) Do you know where she is? Could you take us to her?

[In response, the golem stands up.]

GRACE: I guess that’s a yes.

SCENE 2 - HOSPITAL/HALLWAY

EVIE: No. Absolutely not. I didn't come all this way just to be a prisoner with a broken leg.

[Pause.]

EVIE: Okay, idea.

[Scraping sounds as she pushes the chair. She grabs a keyboard from a nearby computer.]

EVIE: I hope a mechanical keyboard is heavy enough to break this doorknob.

[More scraping. She pushes the chair back to the door, then smashes the keyboard down on the doorknob, trying to knock it off the door. Once, twice, with a final clatter the door opens.]

EVIE: Yes!

[Evie opens the door, pushing her chair in front of her to steady herself. She walks onto carpet.]

EVIE: This isn’t a hospital. This looks like… an office building. Heavy wooden doors, ugly carpet… Are those cubicles? Do people even use cubicles anymore? Locker. Jackpot!

[She tries to open the locker, but it’s locked.]

EVIE: Locked. Well, and office has to have paper clips somewhere.

[Evie walkers her way to the closest cubicle, rifles through the drawers, and finds a paperclip.]

EVIE: Nice, a rolling chair!

[Evie sits down in the rolling chair and wheels herself back to the locker. She then straightens out the paper clip and uses it to jimmy the lock. She easily opens the locker.]

EVIE: My clothes! My phone!

[She rifles through her bag.]

EVIE: Where is… They took the ceramic shard. They’re not waiting for my help.

[Pause.]

EVIE: They're always one step ahead. Every time they feign ignorance and I just believe them. I really thought I had something on them. What did I get for all this work? A broken leg? One email out to Alix letting them know how fucked we are?

[Pause.]

EVIE: (quieter, smaller) What if they don’t let me leave?

SCENE 3 - BY THE RIVER

[The golem lets out another roar.]

GRACE: (over the commotion) What did we do?

[Sounds of scraping, shards tearing apart, clay being pushed to its limit. The golem begins to grow. Everyone continues to shout over the commotion.]

NOEL: It’s growing again!

MAYA: It doesn’t look like it can!

MORGAN: Well, it is!

MAYA: I know, but look at all the cracks in the clay, the plants growing in between those chunks of ceramic. It’s not supposed to be this big. Soon, it literally won’t be able to keep itself together.

GRACE: Then why is it doing that?

MORGAN: I don’t think it’s doing it on purpose. Maya, I need your help. Hold the duck with me. (louder) Hey, do you have a name? Can I call you Robin? Hello, Robin. Nice to meet you. I know this is scary. I bet Evie's really scared, wherever she is, but you can help us save her.

[The duck key chain jingles a little.]

MORGAN: We can all calm down. We are coming to save her. Believe it with me, Robin. Pigeon and Duck, back in action. We are going to save her.

[The moment hangs in the balance, but it's as if Morgan, through connecting to Robin through the duck charm, has changed it. Then straining, chafing, popping, as Robin contracts. It starts to work.]

GRACE: (breathless) It’s shrinking.

MORGAN: (to Robin) Can I hug you?

[Pause.]

MORGAN: Thank you.

[Morgan hugs Robin. A soft crunch, like gravel.]

MORGAN: You ready to go?

[Robin nods.]

MORGAN: Great, then you can carry Grace to the car.

SCENE 4 - HALLWAY

EVIE: (sigh) You have to call someone. If there was ever a time to call someone.

[Phone dial tone. Alix picks up.]

ALIX: (on the phone) Oh my god, Evie. Are you okay?

EVIE: Define okay.

ALIX: (sigh) I’m so happy to hear your voice. What were you thinking?

EVIE: I don’t know. I think about how I got here, and every step felt like the right call, and now I’m in so much trouble and I have no idea how to get out of it. God, Alix, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I was such an idiot.

ALIX: You are an idiot, but you’re an idiot with friends. Now hold on a second while I ping your phone.

[Evie hears typing over the phone line.]

EVIE: What?

ALIX: Maya and Noel and… company are already on their way to pick you up. Now I have coordinates to send them.

[Typing continues.]

ALIX: Okay, it looks like they’re about… two hours from you. So just figure something out until they get there.

EVIE: You guys sent a rescue team?

ALIX: You’ve been missing for two weeks. What were we supposed to do? Wait around until someone found your body?

EVIE: Alix-

ALIX: No, listen to me. There are a lot of people back here in Brooklyn who moved mountains to find you, including me. Don’t forget about us. Please, please don't do this again.

EVIE: I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.

ALIX: And we don’t want you to get hurt! We were all pissed, and it wasn’t because we thought your idea was stupid. It’s because you vanished. You took away every opportunity for us to help you.

[Pause.]

EVIE: (sigh, quieter) You guys know how much you mean to me, right?

ALIX: We do. Do you know how much you mean to us?

EVIE: I do. I’m sorry.

ALIX: Okay, I texted them your coordinates. If I can ping your cell phone, so can Hansen. (sigh) I’m gonna hang up. Turn your phone off for the next two hours.

[Alix hangs up. Dial tone.]

EVIE: (sigh) Okay. I have until 5am. I could go lie back down, or… Some of these doors must lead to offices.

SCENE 5 - JAMES’ CAR/ON THE HIGHWAY

[The group drives down the highway. Road noise from inside the car. Suddenly, faint sound of police sirens, getting closer.]

MAYA: That might not be for us.

NOEL: They’re signaling for us to pull over.

GRACE: Were you speeding?

NOEL: Not really.

MORGAN: I don’t like this. Something's off.

GRACE: What do we do?

NOEL: I think we have to pull over. If we try to run from them, this might take the rest of the night.

MORGAN: Alix said that Evie needed help as soon as possible.

NOEL: I know. Still… we’re the only car on the road. They clearly mean us. Keep alert, everyone.

[Noel flips the turn signal and starts to slow down.]

MAYA: (sigh) At this rate, I'll owe James a new car.

GRACE: Sorry, are we forgetting that we have a living clay guy in the backseat?

MORGAN: It’s dark.

[Noel parks the car on the side of the highway.

GRACE: It won’t pass for human.

MORGAN: Maybe it doesn’t have to. Robin, can you pretend you’re a statue for a bit? Just, stay completely still.

[Robin nods.]

MORGAN: Great. Robin is an art piece. We’re meeting artist friends upstate. That's our cover.

[Noel rolls down the window. Highway noise increases. Morgan’s phone starts buzzing.]

MORGAN: It’s Alix.

MAYA: Now I really don’t like this.

[Car door slams. Footsteps.]

NOEL: One of the cops just got out of the car.

GRACE: You can’t take a call now.

MORGAN: I know. I’m going to text them.

MAYA: Hurry up. We don’t want to give them a reason to suspect us of anything.

COP: License and registration, please.

NOEL: Here you go, officer.

COP: Do you know why I pulled you over tonight, son?

NOEL: No, officer, I don’t.

COP: I’ve been following you for the last few miles. You've been driving erratically. You’re lucky there aren't too many cars on the road.

[Pause.]

COP: Wait here a moment.

[Footsteps recede as the cop walks away.]

NOEL: She’s gonna run the plate.

MAYA: What if it pings the red light camera? That’s enough to take us in.

MORGAN: Guys, Alix says someone put an APB out on us.

GRACE: We’re so fucked.

NOEL: Not yet. What’s the plan?

MORGAN: We can try and make a break for it.

NOEL: And start a car chase?

GRACE: We could ditch the car and go back into the woods?

MAYA: Do you want to hike to Rochester? It might be miles until we see another car.

GRACE: One of the historical sites I flagged isn't far from here. There might be a car there. Maybe some IDs or clothes that could get us into the base?

MORGAN: Assuming nobody's home.

NOEL: We still have to deal with the cop car right behind us.

[Repeated sounds of scraping from Robin.]

MORGAN: I don’t see anything out the side window.

GRACE: Robin, what are you going to do?

[Scraping continues, growing faster, more urgent.]

GRACE: It just keeps pointing.

NOEL: I say let it do what it wants. Isn’t this the whole reason we tracked it down?

[Ding. Ding. Ding. Robin opens the car door on its own and gets out of the car.]

GRACE: I think Robin just chose for us.

[Robin steps out of the car. It takes several large steps towards the cop car, evenly, heavy, getting louder.]

COP: (shouting) Stay where you are! Put your hands in the air!

[Robin doesn’t listen. Its pace never slows. With each step, it gets bigger.]

COP (shouting) I said put your hands in the air! Get down on the ground! This is your final warning!

[Pause.]

COP: (to herself) Jesus Christ, is that thing growing?

[She fires a few shots at Robin. It doesn’t stop it.]

MORGAN: Drive drive drive.

[Noel floors it.]

MAYA: They nearly shot out the back window.

GRACE: What’s to stop them from chasing us?

[Grace gets her answer almost immediately. Robin, unaffected by the bullets, comes within inches of the cop car. It smashes its fist down on the hood of the cop car. CRUNCH. It’s like someone dropped a boulder on the hood. The car alarm blares.]

MORGAN: Can’t chase us without an engine.

[A beat of silence passes in the car. Then, Grace starts to laugh. It’s nearly frantic, and it’s contagious. It gets Noel next, then Morgan and Maya last. It’s a piece of calm before the storm, a slow release of tension sorely overdue. The scene fades out on their laughter.]

SCENE 6 - TAXI SERVICE PARKING LOT

[Noel drives up to the parking lot. Morgan and Maya get out of the car.]

MORGAN: This won't take long.

NOEL: Grace and I will scope out the site she found. After, I'll hide the car off the side of the road. It might not be there when we get back, but I don't see another option.

MAYA: Clear all of James’s stuff out of the car when you leave. Good luck.

[Noel and Grace drive away.]

MAYA: I do not like that barbed wire.

MORGAN: We don’t need to worry about it. I can pick this lock.

MAYA: Since when do you pick locks?

[Morgan starts picking the lock.]

MORGAN: A lot of people who are into hacking are also into lock picking. They’re both about finding ways into places you’re not supposed to be. I figured, if we were breaking into a secret base, we might need to pick a few locks. Assuming, I guess, that their gate security uses simple pin locks.

[He succeeds. Morgan pushes the gate open.]

MORGAN: Like these guys.

MAYA: Try to avoid any lights. There are definitely cameras here, and the last thing we need is more cops.

[Footsteps.]

MORGAN: Now it has to be the right make and model…

MAYA: Why did you insist on taking a car from a taxi company?

MORGAN: Because, last I checked, none of us can hot wire a car. Now we don’t have to. When local governments buy fleet vehicles like cop cars, they expect that a bunch of people will use the same one. To keep things simple, they key all the cars the same way. One key can start any car in the fleet. That’s a good idea, but the cheapest and fastest option is a lock that the manufacturers already use for fleets in other cities. There! That’s the right model.

[Footsteps.]

MORGAN: You can buy those keys online, and what do small towns do when they get new cop cars? They sell off the old ones. Some to used car dealerships, some to civilians, and some to taxi services. If we’re lucky, they didn’t bother to change the locks.

[Morgan puts the key in the lock. The car unlocks.]

MORGAN: And just like that, we’re anonymous again.

MAYA: (small laugh) Between you and Alix, I’m starting to think nothing’s secure.

[They get in the car. Morgan starts the ignition and drives back out the gate.]

MORGAN: There’s Noel and Grace now.

[Noel and Grace get in.]

MAYA: Any luck?

GRACE: Sort of! I was right about the site. It was empty, tiny. There wasn't much in there, but I did manage to snag some key cards.

MORGAN: We're so back!

[Just then, someone taps on the taxi’s side window.]

GRACE: (gasp) What was that?

[More tapping.]

MAYA: (gasp) Morgan, headlights.

[Morgan flicks the headlights on.]

GRACE: (sigh of relief) It’s just Robin.

[Robin gets in the car.]

NOEL: Did the cops follow you?

[Robin shakes its head no.]

NOEL: How sure are you?

[Robin gestures.]

MAYA: How did you find us?

[Robin opens its mouth.]

MAYA: Of course. Communication goes both ways. You can find Morgan’s duck charm same as we can use it to find you.

MORGAN: Alright, now that we have everyone, let’s get out of here. No sleep ‘til Rochester.

SCENE 7 - HALLWAY

[Evie rolls around the hallway in her rolling chair. She opens an office door, then closes it again. Then tries another door, closes it.]

EVIE: What I would give for a great big sign that said “server room.”

[Sound of footsteps getting closer.]

EVIE: Shit.

[Evie ducks into one of the empty offices, then listens. The conversation is muffled through the door. Hirsch sees her empty hospital room and makes a call.]

HIRSCH: The girl’s gone. (unintelligible response) I mean she broke out of her hospital room. (unintelligible response) Do not tell me things I already know. Tell Pierson to check the cameras and figure out where she is. Her leg is broken, so she can't have gotten far, but no one’s checked in for a few hours. Who knows what kind of damage she’s caused while we were all sitting on our asses. (unintelligible response) You call me and I handle this. She’s responsible for wiping out Jackson's whole team. Good, hardworking, people with families. Treat her like you’d treat any other hostile agent, but do not shoot to kill. We need her to find that monster she created. (unintelligible response) I’ll search this floor. Post security on every exit and send a team to the basement just for the server room. She is not leaving this building. Get to work.

EVIE: (under her breath): Basement, huh?

[Hirsch opens a nearby office door.]

EVIE: Great. Just great.

[Desperate sound of wheeling the chair around.]

EVIE: He’ll check under the desk. Of course he’ll check under the desk. Think think think.

[Hirsch searches another office, closer this time.]

EVIE: Maybe there’s a window ledge…?

[Evie slides open the window. An alarm blares and continues throughout the rest of the scene.]

EVIE: Come on!

[Out in the hallway, Hirsch grabs his phone and makes another call.]

HIRSCH: (muffled) What triggered that alarm? (unintelligible response) Which window? I’m on the third floor now. (unintelligible response) Send a security team to the east side of the building. She may have jumped. Don’t do anything stupid. I’m on my way.

[Footsteps. Hirsch leaves.]

EVIE: (sigh of relief) Since I’m here…

[Evie rummages through the desk.]

EVIE: One ream of printer paper should be enough. Ugh, there’s nothing around here I can use as a weapon. I guess… A stapler is better than nothing.

[She wheels to the door and opens it. There’s nobody there. She wheels herself over to the locker and grabs her backpack.]

EVIE: Hansen might've searched my bag, but... Yes! They're still here. (sigh) There’s an elevator at the end of the hallway, but they may have… a camera watching me. Hello there. Hmm… well, the stapler might be heavy enough.

[EVIE chucks the stapler at the camera. Clang! It moves it a few inches over, so it’s facing a bit away from her. Evie wheels herself back over and grabs the stapler again.]

EVIE: I have a feeling I might need you again.

[Pause.]

EVIE: (quietly) Hey, Golem, I could really use you right now, but until you get here, wherever you are, the proto-ducks will have to do. Hey, Grow Duck, don’t stop growing until your head hits the ceiling.

[Grow Duck starts growing so fast you can hear it, like rubber stretching. Evie wheels away from it and towards the elevator.]

EVIE: That should keep them busy for a bit.

[Suddenly, a door opens at the far end of the hallway!]

SECURITY 1: There she is! [Radio static] Security, this is Emery. We found the girl on the third floor. She’s heading for the elevator. Pull the emergency stop.

SECURITY 2: What the hell is blocking the hallway?

SECURITY 1: It looks like a balloon! Just pop it!

HIRSCH: No, stop, let me through.

SECURITY 1: Security, this is Emery. Do you read me? Stop all the elevators.

[Evie reaches the elevator and hits the down button repeatedly. The elevator starts up. Floors slowly ding.]

EVIE: C’mon c’mon c’mon.

HIRSCH: (calling) Evie, it doesn't have to be like this.

EVIE: Yeah, I’m good, actually!

HIRSCH: An injured woman leading an army of rubber ducks. It’s cute. I see what you did with this duck. A single function physical charm. Very smart, but, little duck, you are building up a lot of pressure. Wouldn't it be easier to just burst?

[POP! Grow Duck bursts. The elevator arrives. Evie wheels into the elevator and slams the door close button.]

EVIE: When did they start using magic?

[She repeatedly jams the basement button.]

EVIE: Basement basement basement basement.

[CA-CHUNK. The elevator stops.]

EVIE: (frustrated groan)

[She starts banging against the elevator doors.]

EVIE: Open up! (sigh) Okay.

[She rummages through her bag and pulls out another proto-duck.]

EVIE: Strong Duck, I need you to help me get this door open. I’m going to wedge your beak in between the gap in the elevator doors, and I need you to be the strongest tool, stronger than steel, to help me wrench it open.

[Evie does this, still struggling a bit.]

EVIE: C’mon… c’mon…

[With effort, the doors fly open.]

EVIE: (gasp) Nice!

[Pause.]

EVIE: In between floors. Nothing’s ever easy. (sigh) If I get on my good knee, I can just barely reach…

[Evie hoists herself up onto the floor, then pulls her chair up behind her and sits back on it.]

EVIE: Got it!

[Door opens.]

SECURITY 1: This is Emery. She’s on one.

EVIE: Seriously?!

[The security team runs towards Evie. She wheels down the hallway. She sees a fire ax and fire extinguisher on the wall.]

EVIE: Fire ax, now that's a weapon. And as for you dicks, eat foam.

[Evie releases the fire extinguisher. It propels her backwards, leaving icy fog in her wake. She knocks over one of the security guys with an oof!]

SECURITY 1: She’s heading towards the stairs! Cut her off!

EVIE: Thanks, it’s been fun!

[She reaches the door to the stairs, flies through it, closes it, and locks it behind her.]

EVIE: That won’t hold them for long. Okay, now what? I could push the rolling chair down the stairs and catch up with it… assuming it doesn’t break. Can I hop down these stairs on one foot?

[She stands up.]

EVIE: Okay, with the railing I might just pull this off.

[She grabs the chair and pushes it down the stairs. It bangs all the way down.]

EVIE: Well, if they didn’t already know I was coming.

[Evie struggles to hop down the stairs. Interspersed between these lines are periodic noises of exertion and little hops.]

EVIE: Okay, so, the score is Hansen: full security team, with guns, and knows where I'm headed. Evie: a fire ax and one good leg. One leg, an ax, a banged up office chair, and Shield Duck. How much damage can Shield Duck take? They want me alive, right? They wouldn’t kill me if Agent Asshole told them to deliver me alive. I think.

[Evie reaches the basement floor. She picks up her rolling chair, then sits back down. She rummages in her bag and takes out a third rubber duck.]

EVIE: Okay, Shield Duck, your turn. Exactly as we practiced. I squish you between my hands, and you become soft and malleable, like clay. When I open my hands, you’ll spread thin and strong around my body. We tested this all the time at home. You can handle fire, heat, awful city snowstorms. You can handle bullets too. I believe in you.

[Evie opens her hands and spreads her arms out as far as they go in one quick motion. Shield Duck expands to become a thin, semi-transparent shield.]

EVIE: Yes!

[Evie reaches her hand past the bounds of the shield. It zaps her.]

EVIE: Okay, right, gotta keep my hands inside the shield.

[She tries the doorknob. It’s locked.]

EVIE: Doorknob, meet ax.

[She slams the fire ax down on the doorknob, once, twice, three times. The doorknob breaks off. The door opens. She’s immediately staring down three security guards with guns, plus Hirsch.]

HIRSCH: Evie, please, enough.

EVIE: Like I'd listen to a-

[She’s cut off by all three guns cocking at once.]

HIRSCH: (clicks tongue) Don’t move any closer.

EVIE: I thought you wanted me alive.

HIRSCH: I don’t want to shoot you anymore than you want to be shot, but if you stop thinking, if you do something violent, then you may force me.

[Evie brandishes her ax.]

EVIE: Try then.

HIRSCH: Please, don’t do this. You're so talented. Those focus ducks are expertly done, very impressive for someone your age. I know what this looks like. I get why you are so angry. You’ve been fed so many lies about Hansen Securities, you don't think you can trust us, but you can. I was fed those lies too, but now I know, we are just here to keep you safe. There are so many people who would abuse their magic and ruin all of us in the process. Hear me out. Try doing this my way.

EVIE: What, so I can narc on my friends like you do? No thanks.

HIRSCH: (sigh) It’s such a shame. I- I believe you believe that, but none of you ever admit to the good we do: recalling goods tainted by magic, limiting products produced by magic before they cause runaway inflation, detaining magical criminals who hurt and kill innocent people-

EVIE: Keeping tabs on me and my friends when we’ve done nothing but help each other survive.

HIRSCH: You built a giant monster and let it run amok throughout the state. Do you call that helping your friends survive? I will not let you rewrite history to turn us into villains. You, Maya, all of you made yourselves into targets when you started targeting our facilities. You and your friend Alix accessed our servers weeks before we knew half of your names. You started this.

EVIE: How can you, as a magical person, say something like that and actually believe it?

HIRSCH: Do you know how hard I've worked for this? I have clawed success away from a world that wants nothing more than to keep it from me. I know I’m not a threat. I know I have nothing to hide, and so I thrive. If you and your friends wanted to, you could have that too, but you, you'd rather live out your hero fantasies, and that’s what will get you all killed.

EVIE : Go to hell.

[Evie wheels herself towards Hirsch and the small security team, brandishing her ax. A single shot goes off and bounces off of Shield Duck.]

EVIE: Yes, Shield Duck!

[Evie swings the blunt side of the ax towards the closest security guard. She catches him in the gut. He gives an oof, but he’s wearing body armor and doesn’t go down.]

HIRSCH: Grab her!

[More gunshots. Evie push herself towards the back wall.]

EVIE: Where is it? It’s one of these pipes. It’s one of these lines. Come on Shield Duck, just last a little bit longer.

[As she searches the wall for the correct pipe, one of the bullets finally breaks through Shield Duck makes contact. It catches her in the shoulder. She screams.]

EVIE: My shoulder!

HIRSCH: It’s over, Evie. Don't make me shoot you again.

[Just then, from outside the building, there’s a roar so loud it shakes the walls.]

[Outro music.]

REMY: The Artisan Who Made Me is written and produced by Remy Davison and directed by Sydney Roslin. This episode featured Yaya Koas as Morgan, Bryce Payne as Maya, Alexander Michael Reeves as Noel, Ria Meer as Grace, Chaia Alyss as Evie, Alyssa Cassesse as Alix, and Nick Jordan as Hirsch. Music by Jordan Speranzo, and audio production by Raphael Davison. For more information, transcripts, and to support our show, visit bottledstarproductions.com. “The Artisan Who Made Me” is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council.