Speaker 1: Ispet Archives has adult language and violence and is not
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Speaker 2: Chapter twenty two, The Chaotic Day of Amber Lang.
Speaker 3: George trailed behind Marcus. There are steps leading them to
Apartment five eighteen. With all his years in the police force,
he had never felt such a potent mix of anxiety
and guilt over decision. He had also never interacted with
a secret criminal organization such as the Contra, and he
had definitely never orchestrated a hostage exchange. Yet here he
stood alongside Marcus, the very embodiment of his current guilt,
prepared to trade him away for Mariano Davis should the
opportunity arise. Not wanting to throw all his chips on
the table, Bullard had left Emily in the car. If
he had his way, she would stay in the car
until all this was over. He had no desire to
turn either Emily or Marcus over to the contra, but
if he had to protect one, it was Emily over Marcus.
Marcus was a criminal, Emily was innicent as far as
he knew. At least that's what he reminded himself as
he motioned for Marcus to knock on the door with
zip tied wrists. The young man raised his hands to knock.
Marcus hesitated and looked back. George, with a firm click,
released the safety on his side arm and nodded at Marcus.
A second time.
Speaker 4: The thief knocked, Hello, in there, it's Detective Bullard. I
know you're in there.
Speaker 5: It's unlocked.
Speaker 6: Come in, keep your hands where I can see him.
All right, we're coming in, all right, move his side,
hands up, kid can closed the door.
Speaker 7: It looks like we're shy a body. Where's Emily Swanson.
Speaker 4: She's safe, and that's not what she asked. I brought
Marcus to prove that I have them. I want to
see Davis Namber.
Speaker 6: Now, you don't get this at the terms. You do
as we say, the no deal.
Speaker 2: You got a death wish, Detective.
Speaker 7: Let's keep this civil, George. We don't want anyone to
get hurt tonight, prove it.
Speaker 5: Show me Davis.
Speaker 7: All right, he's back here in the kitchen. See for yourself.
Speaker 6: Don't try anything stupid, and keep your hands where I
can see him.
Speaker 5: My hands are up. I'm just going around the corner here.
Speaker 7: Davis is restrained but unharmed. He sedated, so he might
be a little groggy.
Speaker 5: Hey, Davis, you okay, he's.
Speaker 7: Been gagged and still might be sleeping. Nonetheless, you have
my assurance that your friend is fine.
Speaker 2: All right, you've seen him. Now, where's Emily?
Speaker 5: Not yet? Where's Amber Lange?
Speaker 8: Like?
Speaker 5: You don't know what's that supposed to mean?
Speaker 2: You know, you're really starting to piss me off.
Speaker 4: Hey, I could have called the whole precinct down on
your asses, but I didn't, So calm down and meet
me halfway here.
Speaker 5: I just want to assureance she's safe.
Speaker 6: No, you're here to look, ye, I don't stick you
like a pig and just ask the kid.
Speaker 9: No, he's right.
Speaker 7: He came here in good faith, so we should meet
him halfway. I'm Agent White, this is Agent Brown. We
work for an international counter terrorist organization. Despite my partner's bravado,
we have no interest in hurting you or your friend.
And miss Lange is not present, so where is she? Unknown?
She typically swims at the YMCA on Thursday nights. We
expected her back some time ago, but she has yet
to arrive. We believed that you or Emily had tipped
her off to our presence.
Speaker 5: You're lying.
Speaker 7: I assure you, detective, we do not have her.
Speaker 6: We got her cat.
Speaker 5: If you want to see it.
Speaker 7: Feel free to check the bedroom and bathroom if you'd like.
I think I will good once you're satisfied.
Speaker 6: It's just us.
Speaker 7: Will you have pulled your end of the bargain and
get miss Swanson?
Speaker 6: Yeah, the faster you bring us the girl, the faster
we can get out of this fucking chicken chit city.
Speaker 5: Yeah. Sure. What's your interest in Emily anyway?
Speaker 2: None of your goddamn business is.
Speaker 7: What as mentioned, Brown and I are part of an
international counter terrorism organization.
Speaker 5: Right. Do you want me to believe that Emily and
Marcus are terrorists?
Speaker 7: Hardly? But they are connected to terrorists well.
Speaker 6: September and Hastings, oh Ding, ding Ding, Those detective classes
are really paying off.
Speaker 7: September and Hastings are high profile terrorists. They've been linked
to homicide cases in at least eighteen different countries, and
for some reason, they really want to recruit Emily and Marcus.
Speaker 5: So Emily's your bait.
Speaker 7: If possible, Yes, If not, then we'll simply hold her
for questioning until two terrorists have been apprehended.
Speaker 6: Hey, we said you can check the rooms, not go
into them. You can see him, They're just fine.
Speaker 5: All right, all right, it's like you got a week
in the bathroom. Here, there's a drip from the ceiling. Oh,
I'll make sure to lodge a complaint with maintenance.
Speaker 6: Now keep the fucking hands where I can see them.
Speaker 5: Okay, hands are visible. No reason to get.
Speaker 7: Nervous, George. Like I said, we have no interest in
hurting anyone. We simply want to take two very dangerous
men off the street.
Speaker 5: Taking hostages doesn't seem too far off from terrorism, does it.
Speaker 7: Detaining your friend Davis was unfortunate. We didn't foresee his
break in.
Speaker 6: Yeah, your little compadre.
Speaker 5: He thinks he's above the law. Yeah, seems he's in
good company.
Speaker 7: Okay, you've done your inspection. It's just us here. We've
upheld our end of the bargain. Are you gonna uphold yours.
Speaker 6: Yeah, Georgie, old boy, do we have a.
Speaker 2: Deal or what?
Speaker 3: Emily shifted her attention from the entrance of the apartment
complex to Amber's fifth story bedroom window. A brief flicker
of light from the bedroom hinted at someone's presence, vanishing
before Emily could discern anything through the closed curtains. A
complex web of guilt tightened around her stomach, a gnawing
reminder of her central role in the unfolding chaos, the
danger that now enveloped Amber and Sam Bullard finding her
and Marcus on the road, the relentless pursuit by the
contra all roads led back to her. The thought of
anything happening to Amber because of her was a weight
too heavy to bear. Her phone lay dormant in her hands,
its screen of blank canvas that mirrored her isolation. No
word from Amber, no updates from Bullard. Rational thought whispered
that it was too early for any messages, but logic
did little to stifle the swell of an ease is
the threatened to overflow. When Bullard had first told Emily
to stay in the car, she began to protest, unwilling
to be sidelined, while Marcus and Bullard went up to
meet Amber. Bullard had argued that it would be too dangerous.
She knew that he meant it would be too dangerous
for her, but after a moment's reflection, she conceded, realizing
the havoc her espet could unleash, so once again, others
charged forward into danger while she remained behind a useless bystander,
adding another layer of guilt upon her conscience. A knock
on the driver's side window shattered the fragile veil of silence,
sending a sharp spike of fear down Emily's spine.
Speaker 10: Oh my god, Emily, did I frighten you?
Speaker 2: Yes, you scared the shit out of me.
Speaker 10: That was not my intention.
Speaker 11: Emily. Are you okay?
Speaker 12: Yeah, I'm I'm okay. But Marcus and George are in
that building there, on their way to Amber's apartment.
Speaker 11: And they left you out here by yourself.
Speaker 12: Yeah, George thought it would be safer for me to
stay outside.
Speaker 10: He is likely correct in that assessment.
Speaker 11: You shouldn't be here.
Speaker 12: We've gone over this.
Speaker 9: I'm not leaving until I know the Amber's safe.
Speaker 10: Well, you understand your position. You should know that this
is likely a trap. There is a possibility that Amber
has been murdered and they are simply awaiting your arrival
for fuck's.
Speaker 11: Sake, case things.
Speaker 9: No, she's not dead.
Speaker 11: No more talking for you.
Speaker 12: I know she's not dead.
Speaker 11: I was simply trying to explain above up I said,
no more talking.
Speaker 12: Okay, September, It's okay, September. I've gotten used to his
shrewdness still.
Speaker 11: Anyway, Emily, we'll head up to Ambers and see if
we can figure out what's happening. Did George leave the
car keys with you?
Speaker 9: No, he took them.
Speaker 11: Okay, well stay here. If we aren't back in ten
minutes or we don't call, you, get out of the
car and head to Mike's tavern. Do you remember that place?
Speaker 9: Yeah? How could I forget? But what if something happens
to you?
Speaker 11: If something happens, it happens. I'm looking after you, not
the other way around. I need you to stay safe.
Do you understand?
Speaker 12: Yeah?
Speaker 9: I understand?
Speaker 10: Are you okay?
Speaker 12: Yeah? I'm feeling pretty, I don't know, worthless, Like I'm
the one here with all this power, but everyone else
is out there risking their lives and I'm just playing bystander.
Speaker 11: Do you feel like you can control. Your is fit,
maybe enough to confidently say that you will not endanger
any of your friends or any innocent lives. I didn't
think so. Maybe one day soon, Emily. Until then, we
need you to stay safe. Fine, give us ten minutes,
and whatever however you hear or see, do not follow
us in all right, come on, Hastings, let's do this.
Speaker 10: It is nice to see you, Emily. I look forward
to telling you about our discoveries in the archives.
Speaker 11: Hastings.
Speaker 10: Now I am coming.
Speaker 12: Be safe, please.
Speaker 3: Amber Lane collapses into the backseat of the taxi cab,
hastily giving her address to the cab driver, a middle
aged woman with a buzz cut, digging her phone out
of her coat pocket. Amber's frustration surges as she realizes
her mistake. For Amber, climbing into an uber or taxi
usually meant a moment to herself to scroll through social
media or dive into an ebook. Tonight, however, that would
not be happening. With a huff, she slammed her phone
back into her backpack, then flung the bag into the
adjacent seat with more force than intended. She could blame
the sharpness of her actions on the evening's drinks but
that did little to ease the awkwardness of the cab
driver's eyes met.
Speaker 11: Hers in the rear view mirror.
Speaker 3: Great, the conversation with a cab driver was the last
thing she needed rough night.
Speaker 13: It was fine, fair enough, yep.
Speaker 14: I mean, I've had worse nights, but I'm sure as
shit have had better ones too.
Speaker 9: I hear you.
Speaker 13: So work was a nightmare. Rachel was a real asshole.
Speaker 14: She was all, now, that sale was mine. You steal
my commission, which is total bullshit. I didn't steal anything.
She's just late and tried to cherry pick a good sale.
Speaker 9: We don't like Rachel.
Speaker 14: Hell no, she's so lazy, But that's not the shitty part.
I normally swim on Thursday nights, right, and I couldn't
wait to get to the why and swim some of
my stress away, you know, because.
Speaker 9: Rachel, Yeah, she sounds like the worst.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 14: So I get to the why, and what do I find?
Some stupid children swimming lesson was going on Thursday nights
are supposed to be free swim. I was pissed, but
I'm no Karen, so I just asked the coach about
the kids. She told me that it was running an
hour late as all, so I grabbed my phone out
to start reading my book while I wait. You know,
so there I am killing time on my phone. Went
out of nowhere, the janitor drops a mop right behind me.
The handle smacked the floor and made me jump so
bad that I dropped my phone and it slid up
next to the pool. Then a fucking kid runs up,
and then the next thing I know, my phone is
doing the goddamn backstroke.
Speaker 9: Hmm, kids these days.
Speaker 13: I'm sure it was an accident.
Speaker 14: Well maybe kids give me real assholes too, But I
didn't panic. I ran down, jumped in the pool, and
got my phone back.
Speaker 13: Is it all right?
Speaker 1: Fuck?
Speaker 13: No, it died. It's super dead.
Speaker 14: I thought all the newer phones were supposed to be waterproof.
Speaker 13: Guess not.
Speaker 9: Do you have insurance?
Speaker 13: I don't think so.
Speaker 14: That shit is expensive, and it's not like I have
kids to break my stuff. Who would have known that
someone else's brat would handle that for me?
Speaker 9: Um, I've heard a baggy of rice can help.
Speaker 14: Oh, but the night gets better. I ended up getting
to swim, but only for half an hour. The kids
took forever, and I had plans tonight after the Why
so I couldn't stay. Oh, I had a date planned.
That's why I have the backpack, change of clothes and
makeup after swimming.
Speaker 9: And how did the date go?
Speaker 13: It didn't.
Speaker 14: He didn't show up, But there's a chance that he
tried to message me and it just didn't go through.
What with my broken phone and all. I don't even know.
Speaker 9: Oh, I'm sorry.
Speaker 14: Eh, he was a hinge date, so I'm sure it's
no big deal.
Speaker 13: Anyway.
Speaker 14: I left the fancy restaurant and walked a couple of
doors down to a pub. I met a cute guy
that was sitting at the bar playing Keno, you know the.
Speaker 9: Poker game that has I know what Keino is?
Speaker 13: And I won nice. Yeah.
Speaker 14: I started talking to the guy and asking him how
to play. We got to talking and he asked for
my number and I gave it to him, not that
my damn phone works. I don't remember if I mentioned
that to him or not. Anyway, he showed me how
to play. I picked my numbers and I won four
hundred and sixty bucks on my first ticket. I was
obviously having a blast and the drinks were cheap, so
I played another ticket and I won twenty two hundred more.
Speaker 9: Well that's fantastic.
Speaker 13: Everyone was cheering for me. I was wild and a
little silly. I mean, what are the chances, right.
Speaker 9: I should be taking you to a casino tonight.
Speaker 13: Right, I would probably tear it up.
Speaker 9: Well, don't forget that, US cabbys do take tips.
Speaker 13: Right right, I got you?
Speaker 14: Anyway, the bartender said they don't pay out tickets over
one thousand dollars on site, and that I'd have to
go to the Nearestlato place and get the payout for it.
So I'll have to figure that out tomorrow.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 9: Still, that should be more than enough to get your
phone replaced. I mean, if the rice trick.
Speaker 14: Doesn't work, I've been wanting a new phone anyway, Well,
then it must have been fate. But then when I
left the bar, I hailed the first cab.
Speaker 8: The first cab. Did things go super well with quino
bar guy?
Speaker 13: No, nothing like that.
Speaker 14: I was heading home, but the first cab only made
it one mile down the road and then the engine overheated.
The driver didn't charge me, but I had to get
out and hail another cab.
Speaker 8: Oh, yeah, I've been there. We are pretty rough on
these taxis sometimes still sucks though.
Speaker 14: It took me a couple of minutes to get another cab,
but I finally got one and tried again.
Speaker 9: Not mine, a second cab.
Speaker 13: Not yours.
Speaker 14: This one drove me all of two miles before he
got a call from his wife. She apparently went into
labor and was at the hospital. He pulled over and
asked me to hail a different cab so he could
rush to see her.
Speaker 9: I mean that's reasonable, but still.
Speaker 14: You are actually my third cab of the night, and
so far you have made it much longer than the
other two.
Speaker 9: Well, we're almost at your place, so hopefully nothing happens
between here and there.
Speaker 13: That would be just my luck.
Speaker 9: Yeah, don't chinx this actually.
Speaker 14: Can you just let me ride out here at the
corner The GPS always heads people stop at the wrong
side of the building, and this is the entrance right here.
Speaker 9: Sure thing, Thanks, and here you go.
Speaker 14: Here's forty in cash. The tap to PAM I phone
prop isn't going to work.
Speaker 13: Tonight, I guess not.
Speaker 9: Do you need chank?
Speaker 13: Nope? All you?
Speaker 9: Hey?
Speaker 8: Thanks, I really hope the rest of your night is
goodbvibes only me too.
Speaker 14: Thanks again.
Speaker 3: With the steadfashed determination of a British Royal guard. Emily
monitored the front door of Amber's apartment building. Each minute
that her friends were in potential danger felt like an eternity.
She wanted to be inside with them. Actually, she wanted
all of them to be outside and traveling far away
from here. But you can only want in one hand
and shit in the other, and then see which one
fills up first. Her uncle used to say that, what
a stupid saying. Feelings of inadequacy began to hover in
the forefront of her mind. She needed to do something, anything,
So with a small amount of concentration, Emily summoned her
ispet lines. Thousands of blue, red, and pink slender threads
ignited into existence. They intertwined with one another, dancing to
the rhythm of Chicago, the beauty of chaos, manifesting as tangible,
mesmerizing strands of magic. Emily focused on Amber's building, intentionally
blocking the ispet lines that originated from locations outside the apartments.
She then suppressed the red and pink streams, leaving a
weave of blue lines that ran into the building. The
view reminded Emily of an old telephone operator's switchboard, where
the cables were plugged into different ports on the wall.
Only these cables were plugged into people, not phone lines.
Her attention climbed from the building's entrywave back toward Amber's unit,
where amidst the azure web, she spotted the vibrant hues
of orange and green, the unmistakable signatures of September and Hastings,
still en route to their destination. The pair hadn't even
made it to the unit yet, and Emily was already
feeling anxious. There were blue lines near Amber's place which
might have been bollared Marcus and Amber, but there was
no way to be certain. It could just as easily
have been people in the neighboring units. Then something caught
Emily's attention. Her heart leaped as she spotted Amber, unscathed,
approaching the building. The sight was a burst of joy,
momentarily overwhelming her control and letting the myriad of lines
flood her vision. But Amber was safe, and for a
moment that was all that mattered. This flitting triumph was
abruptly quelled by a surge of panic as she realized
that Amber was about to annoyingly walk into danger. The
sense of dread struck her like a punch to the gut. Frantically,
Emily tapped Amber's name into her phone and pressed sinded.
The phone rang once and then went to voicemail. For
some stupid reason, Amber's phone must have been turned off.
Speaker 11: Why couldn't she have her stupid.
Speaker 3: Phone on like a normal person. Emily checked the sidemar
for approaching vehicles and then began to open her door.
She could shout for Amber, she could warn her not
to go inside, but Emily hesitated. There was a good
amount of distance between her and Amber. She could scream out,
and maybe Amber could hear her over the traffic, but
then she would be announcing her location to any contraoperative
within earshot. That could put Amber and herself at more risk.
The moment of hesitation cost Emily too much time. Amber
had taken the last few steps to the building entrance
in a quick jog. Emily couldn't blame her friend. It
was cold outside. She released the door handle and melted
back into the passenger seat. Everything about this night was
so complicated and overwhelming. Did she just let her friend
walk into a death trap? If she had called out,
would it have put them both in more danger? If
Amber got to her apartment and heard people fighting inside.
She would run away, right, She's a smart person. She's
not going to investigate on her own like some dumb
character in a horror movie. Emily locked her focus onto
Amber's ipet line. She couldn't see her friend anymore, but
she could sure if she had tracked her movements through
the building. She just had to keep track of which
magic thread was Amber's. Then another color sparked to life
in the corner of her eye. This ipet wasn't blue, green,
or orange. It was maroon. A cold dread blossomed within
Emily's chest as her heart sank. The maroon line heralded
the presence of the shifter, and it was moving toward
the apartment building. As panic took hold. A second attempt
to reach Amber proved futile. Her plea once again greeted
with the cold, disconnected voicemail. For Fox's sake, why couldn't
anything just go right? Bound by instructions to remain in
the car, Emily wrestled with her conscience, Bullard's orders, September's directive,
even what she assumed Amber would want. All argued for caution,
but the stakes had changed with a resolute grip. Emily
wrapped her fingers around the door handle tonight she refused
to be a bystander. Detective Bullard is voiced by Tony Kinney.
Agent Victor Brown is voiced by t Alexander Saxton. Agent
Natalie White is voiced by Sarah Callahan. Emily Swanson is
voiced by Titia Zang. Hastings is voiced by Adam Culbertson
September is voiced by Richard Collins. The cab driver is
voiced by Lacy Scribben. Amber Lang is voiced by Nari
Quack and narrated by Michael cole Is. Fat Archives was
written by Nico Rodriguez in collaboration with Titia Zang East.
Fat Archives is a Creative Typo entertainment production. Find out
more about our show at www dot creative typo dot com.
Speaker 6: A very special thank you to our executive producers from Patreon,
Nick Mead and Patrick t Arsenal