Speaker 1: Welcome to Endo the night. I'm Narri your guide on
Speaker 1: today's excursion down a twisted path. Be careful not to
Speaker 1: get lost. Be it dark or light, It's easy to
Speaker 1: lose your way. Are you ready, then let's begin an
Speaker 1: able bodied man. The alarm rang, jolting Philip Sorenson awake.
Speaker 1: Rolling over, he grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and
Speaker 1: put them on to check the time. Certainly, it couldn't
Speaker 1: be time to rouse himself from bed. It was roaning.
Speaker 1: He ran his fingers through his dark hair and then stretched.
Speaker 1: Five hours didn't seem nearly long enough to sleep, but
Speaker 1: their work at the lab demanded extended workdays. Down the hall,
Speaker 1: he heard his co also confronting the reality that their
Speaker 1: day had begun. Philip swung his door open to find
Speaker 1: Ray Stroud in his robe, carrying a cup of steaming coffee. Hey, Phil,
Speaker 1: rise and shine. Huh, Good morning to you, Ray. Do
Speaker 1: they have anything decent to eat this morning? The same
Speaker 1: gourmet fair as usual? The two men chuckled, this is
Speaker 1: the worst five star hotel in the world. Ray unlocked
Speaker 1: his dorm room, taking tentative SIPs of his coffee as
Speaker 1: he entered the sure as hell, isn't the ritz Carlton,
Speaker 1: Phil muttered. Still, his stomach rumbled and he needed caffeine badly,
Speaker 1: so he stumbled down the hall to the breakfast room.
Speaker 1: As he sat at a table eating a less than
Speaker 1: satisfying piece of toast, he considered himself lucky that the
Speaker 1: lab provided housing for its employees. He shuddered to think
Speaker 1: how early he'd have to rise if he had a commute.
Speaker 1: He stared out the window overlooking the parking lot. No
Speaker 1: birds sang yet, and the world still slept in the
Speaker 1: pre dawn hours. Phil wasn't even sure what day of
Speaker 1: the week it was. Returning to his room, he shaved, showered,
Speaker 1: and prepared for the day ahead. On his way to
Speaker 1: the lab, he met Ellen mulvany in the hall. She
Speaker 1: yawned and then smiled at him. Morning Phil. We look
Speaker 1: like a couple of live wires today, that we do,
Speaker 1: he said, as he returned her smile. We are so
Speaker 1: close to succeeding though. Maybe the past five years will
Speaker 1: have been worth it. Maybe if we can actually do this,
Speaker 1: we'll be able to finally have a decent night's sleep.
Speaker 1: I don't believe in fairy tales, Phil, Ellen's eyes sparkled
Speaker 1: as she gently elbowed her coworker. Phil looked at her,
Speaker 1: and she wasn't sure what to make of it. What.
Speaker 1: Ellen her brow and looked at him. What are you
Speaker 1: looking at? Oh nothing, You're funny, that's all. Phil, however,
Speaker 1: once again noticed just how pretty Ellen was when she smiled. Ray,
Speaker 1: now dressed and caffeinated, jogged down the hall to catch
Speaker 1: up with them. Hey what are you two talking about?
Speaker 1: Oh nothing, We were complaining about being tired, that's all,
Speaker 1: Ellen added. Ray grinned at them as though he discovered
Speaker 1: a secret. Give it a break, Stroud. Philip shook his
Speaker 1: head and stared at Ray. What what did I say?
Speaker 1: Ray raised his hand to his chest, feigning shock and indignation.
Speaker 1: Patricia Cowden, the head of their division, approached, Okay, time
Speaker 1: to stop with the theatrics. We all need to be
Speaker 1: at our stations in five minutes, so get a move on.
Speaker 1: At five feet in height, Patricia didn't appear intimidating, or
Speaker 1: at least not to the outset. Fair but tough, congenial
Speaker 1: but straightforward, she evoked respect from her employees and her employer. Yes, ma'am,
Speaker 1: we're on our way. Stroud here was just telling us
Speaker 1: how surprised he was at his time for work. Patricia
Speaker 1: Cowden laughed, don't ever take a polygraph test, Sorenson, because
Speaker 1: it's not going to end well for you. Her smile
Speaker 1: and the sparkle in her eyes let the others know
Speaker 1: that she too wasn't above teasing her coworkers. Turning to Stroud,
Speaker 1: she said, I can't imagine what secret you discovered in
Speaker 1: the hallway this morning. She then looked at Philip and
Speaker 1: Ellen and gave them a good natured wink. The two
Speaker 1: blushed and broke eye contact with Patricia and Ray, who
Speaker 1: shared a knowing look between them. The attraction between Ellen
Speaker 1: Mlvany and Philip Sorenson was obvious to anyone who saw
Speaker 1: the together, and they'd become the talk around the lab.
Speaker 1: No one minded their familiarity, and most of their coworkers
Speaker 1: secretly cheered them on. We'd better hurry and get to
Speaker 1: the lab, Ellen said, trying to change the subject as
Speaker 1: she picked up her paste down the corridor. Wait for us,
Speaker 1: speed demon, Ray Stroud shouted after her as he and
Speaker 1: the rest of the group hurried their pace to catch
Speaker 1: up with Ellen. Once they reached the lab, however, they
Speaker 1: set all joking aside. They'd worked tirelessly for years, and
Speaker 1: now they stood on the precipice of the breakthrough they'd
Speaker 1: hoped for. Results of testing on mice looked promising, and
Speaker 1: everyone felt an electric buzz of excitement in the lab.
Speaker 1: They forgot any exhaustion they felt or other distractions to
Speaker 1: their work. They focused wholeheartedly on their goal create superhuman
Speaker 1: hybrids who could withstand the rigors of long distance space travel.
Speaker 1: At times, in the dark of the night, when they
Speaker 1: took time to consider the ethics of such a venture,
Speaker 1: they worried that they played the part of modern day Frankenstein's.
Speaker 1: Only occasionally did they discuss such concerns with one another. However,
Speaker 1: they did so in hushed voices. I don't know, man,
Speaker 1: are we playing God? Ray? I have no idea. We're
Speaker 1: in too deep to stop now though. Besides, if we quit,
Speaker 1: they'll continue the program anyway. They're hell bent on going
Speaker 1: into deep space with this. If we do come up
Speaker 1: with the right formula, who would volunteer to be injected
Speaker 1: with it? I don't think they will find many takers. Well,
Speaker 1: I overheard some of the supervisors say they're planning to
Speaker 1: use inmates. Are you serious? Yeah, I don't know how
Speaker 1: I feel about that. I mean, they broke the law,
Speaker 1: but I don't think they should be used as labrats.
Speaker 1: Are they even given a che voice? I don't know.
Speaker 1: I'd like to think so, but who knows. The government
Speaker 1: always gets its way and none of us can stop it.
Speaker 1: We can't worry about that right now. We need to
Speaker 1: keep our heads down and do what we can to
Speaker 1: be useful. I know, but the formula will turn them
Speaker 1: into superhumans with long lives but not much to enjoy
Speaker 1: about living. Ssh, keep your voice down. Maybe they shouldn't
Speaker 1: have broken the law and they wouldn't be in this situation.
Speaker 1: I think a long life exploring deep space would have
Speaker 1: to be way better than sitting in a prison cell
Speaker 1: day after day. I guess then they would hear footsteps coming,
Speaker 1: which quickly ended their conversations. No one wanted to openly
Speaker 1: question the project. Tight security kept communications with the outside
Speaker 1: world at zero, and conversations regarding the ethical nature of
Speaker 1: the lab were frowned upon. Had it that informants lived
Speaker 1: and worked among them, and anyone seen not as loyal
Speaker 1: to the project would be reported on, and no one
Speaker 1: wanted to lose his job. Paranoia took firm hold of
Speaker 1: the employees, and that kept them in line. Years passed
Speaker 1: with only incremental progress, but in recent days initial tests
Speaker 1: looked promising. Everyone took on a full steam ahead mentality,
Speaker 1: and the upper echelon supervisors teased bits of information out
Speaker 1: of the employees. According to the rumors, the space program
Speaker 1: would become operational soon. Late nights and early mornings brought
Speaker 1: the team ever closer to success. The sparks between Philip
Speaker 1: Sorenson and Ellen Malveny also grew in intensity during the
Speaker 1: weeks and months leading up to the mission. At first,
Speaker 1: they shared shy glances or brushed hands in the hallway. Finally,
Speaker 1: Philip took a leap of faith. Ellen, if I'm out
Speaker 1: of line, let me know. But would you want to
Speaker 1: have dinner with me? Excitement flashed in her eyes. I would, Phil,
Speaker 1: that would be great. I'll try to whip something up
Speaker 1: better in my mini kitchen than the cafeteria food we eat.
Speaker 1: Then definitely count me in. The two laughed, both out
Speaker 1: of nervousness for stepping into the realm of dating and
Speaker 1: because the cafeteria food was notoriously bland and unappetizing. That night,
Speaker 1: they enjoyed a pleasant meal together and held hands while
Speaker 1: watching a movie. The next night they did the same,
Speaker 1: and soon they spent every moment together that they could.
Speaker 1: I know the bosses don't want us fraternizing, but Elle,
Speaker 1: I think I've loved you since the first moment we met.
Speaker 1: Wasn't that when I ate that horrible hot dog in
Speaker 1: the cafeteria and the mustard dripped down my lab coat?
Speaker 1: He let out a hearty laugh. Yes, that's the time
Speaker 1: I knew I loved you. Then. I'm not quite sure
Speaker 1: how my neck for wearing my lunch was so appealing,
Speaker 1: but I'm not going to complain. It was the way
Speaker 1: you could laugh at yourself that impressed me. Too many
Speaker 1: beautiful women are stuck on appearances. You wore that mustard
Speaker 1: with pride. I guess I should have to be thankful
Speaker 1: for that mustard. Then she wrapped her arms around him
Speaker 1: and nestled into his embrace. Soon the couple talked of
Speaker 1: marriage and children once their time at the lab finished.
Speaker 1: Keeping their relationship secret from the management was difficult, but
Speaker 1: their podmates smiled and looked the other way as the
Speaker 1: romance blossomed. No one begrudged the twosome happiness. A few
Speaker 1: envied their relationship, but no one wanted to see it end.
Speaker 1: Life in the compound was lonely and bleak. Their colleagues appreciated,
Speaker 1: knowing that it least someone in their midst found a
Speaker 1: bright spot in an otherwise mundane existence. Work was almost
Speaker 1: had to focus on, so Philip and Ellen's relationship added
Speaker 1: some variety to their days. One day, Patricia Cowden called
Speaker 1: a surprise lab wide meeting on Tuesday. The employees rolled
Speaker 1: their eyes. Meetings like this tend to last for hours
Speaker 1: and give me a headache, Ray said, as he slumped
Speaker 1: his shoulders. Nevertheless, they filled into the large conference room.
Speaker 1: Patricia and the upper management, who rarely made appearances inside
Speaker 1: the lab, smiled and motioned for them to take their seats.
Speaker 1: Patricia took to the microphone while her bosses sat behind
Speaker 1: her and looked on Today is an exciting time, but
Speaker 1: we have some good news and bad news. Groans and
Speaker 1: whispers spread through the crowd. Patricia smiled once more and said,
Speaker 1: no need to sound disgruntled. The bad news is that
Speaker 1: it's time for all of us to receive our yearly vaccinations.
Speaker 1: Keeping hell healthy is vital to accomplishing the work that
Speaker 1: we do. Patricia looked to her left, where a team
Speaker 1: of nurses set up immunization stations for the employees. A
Speaker 1: through L go to line one, M through P go
Speaker 1: to line two. Q through Z go to line three.
Speaker 1: I already had mine, and the sooner we are finished
Speaker 1: with the vaccinations. The sooner I can tell you the
Speaker 1: wonderful news we have. I hate these shots. They always
Speaker 1: make me feel sick for the next few days, Ellen said,
Speaker 1: as she and Philip walked toward their respective lines. Yeah, Bud,
Speaker 1: it's better than coming down with one of those diseases.
Speaker 1: Since the lab next to ours works on biomedical projects,
Speaker 1: it's better to be safe than sorry. I guess you're right.
Speaker 1: I've never been a fan of needles, but I don't
Speaker 1: want to come down with any strange mutated diseases they
Speaker 1: likely tinker with. One by one, the employees received their
Speaker 1: shots and filed back to their seats. Once everyone was settled,
Speaker 1: Patricia addressed them again for the good news. We have
Speaker 1: worked tirelessly to make deep space travel a reality, and
Speaker 1: I wanted to tell you myself that we have succeeded.
Speaker 1: She turned to look behind her as a big screen
Speaker 1: played rousing music and showed images of spaceships designed for
Speaker 1: those voyages. We did it, cheers erupted from the crowd.
Speaker 1: Patricia turned and applauded the company dignitaries, and then looked
Speaker 1: back at the crowd. She lifted her arms to signal
Speaker 1: them to stand and applaud the supervisors as well. With
Speaker 1: broad smiles on their faces. The men briefly stood and bowed,
Speaker 1: acknowledging the adelation. Each company official took turns giving speeches
Speaker 1: that stressed the importance of the mission for mankind and
Speaker 1: their appreciation of the tireless work the lab employees did
Speaker 1: to bring the plan to fruition. In two weeks, the
Speaker 1: first mission will launch. We are so proud of all
Speaker 1: of you, CEO Dan Monro told the men and women
Speaker 1: who sat before him, and our cheers erupted from the
Speaker 1: crowd once more. After all the speech has ended, Patricia
Speaker 1: opened the meeting up for questions. A few asked about
Speaker 1: the length of time the subjects would be in space,
Speaker 1: what specifically the project might accomplish, et cetera. Ellen wiped
Speaker 1: sweat off her brow. Concerned, Phil said, Hey, are you
Speaker 1: feeling okay, Yeah, the immunization is kicking in. I feel
Speaker 1: like I'm coming down with the flu. Phil put his
Speaker 1: arm around her. It's going to be okay. Once this
Speaker 1: meeting is over, I'll fix you something to eat and
Speaker 1: you can get some sleep. Ray raised his hand and
Speaker 1: Patricia called on him. Yes, mister Stroud, what is your question.
Speaker 1: We've heard through the grapevine that the formula will be
Speaker 1: used on inmates. Is this true? The crowd hushed, Yes,
Speaker 1: that is true. We felt that it was best to
Speaker 1: experiment first on a captive group. You might say, the
Speaker 1: inmates won't have exposure to the outside, so if a
Speaker 1: problem did result from the efficacy or infectiousness of the formula,
Speaker 1: the general public wouldn't be in jeopardy. Relieved sighs swept
Speaker 1: through the room. Now that she puts it that way,
Speaker 1: I feel better about them experimenting on inmates. Ray whispered
Speaker 1: to Phil, I don't know, I still don't like it.
Speaker 1: A man three rows behind the friends asked the next question,
Speaker 1: how long will it take after the inmates are given
Speaker 1: the formula before they show effects? Are we sure two
Speaker 1: weeks is enough time for the transition to take place.
Speaker 1: Another smile from Patricia came with a vigorous nod as
Speaker 1: she said, Oh, yes, the results take effect in a
Speaker 1: matter of minutes. In fact, I believe you are feeling
Speaker 1: the first changes. Now. The crowd gasped, did you say we?
Speaker 1: Was shouted by several people. They stared in horror at
Speaker 1: one another, to find that they changed into strange new beings,
Speaker 1: larger than normal humans, but unusually docile given the news
Speaker 1: they'd received. Only their name tags differentiated between who had
Speaker 1: been who Phil stood. I thought you said inmates would
Speaker 1: be given the formula? Why have you given it to us?
Speaker 1: His voice, cried the tears he could no longer form.
Speaker 1: That's quite simple, actually, if you think about it, how
Speaker 1: many years have you been kept here in this compound?
Speaker 1: Five six? Do you ever go anywhere besides the lab?
Speaker 1: Are you allowed contact with the outside world? Speechless, the
Speaker 1: crowd stared at her. I think all those factors make
Speaker 1: you inmates by definition. Who better to enjoy the benefits
Speaker 1: of their hard labor than the men and women who
Speaker 1: created the formula. It's great news, isn't it. Now you
Speaker 1: can live long lives without the concerns of finding true
Speaker 1: love or worrying about mortgage rates. Isn't that a relief?
Speaker 1: The crowd remained silent while military personnel filed into the
Speaker 1: room row by row. The group of mutated beans were
Speaker 1: being loaded onto waiting buses to be transported to their
Speaker 1: pre flight training. Patricia beamed, It is truly a great day,
Speaker 1: Dan Monroe patted her on the back. It certainly is.
Speaker 1: How about we go out and enjoy a martini and
Speaker 1: dinner at your favorite restaurant my treat. The two walked
Speaker 1: away arm in arm. Thank you for joining me for
Speaker 1: this episode of the Into the Night Anthology podcast. Written
Speaker 1: by Caroline Giamanco, narrated by Nari Quack. Theme music by
Speaker 1: Nico Rodriguez, all other original music, sound design and editing
Speaker 1: by Omenhawk Studios. You can find our links in the
Speaker 1: show notes. Into the Night is on your favorite podcatcher,
Speaker 1: so make sure to like, subscribe and leave a five
Speaker 1: star review to help other excursionists to join us. I'll
Speaker 1: see you next time, and remember, whether in the shadows
Speaker 1: or in the daylight, all twisted paths lead you into
Speaker 1: the night. Into the Night Anthology is a creative typo
Speaker 1: entertainment production