Lights come up on the dining room, as yet unseen. The table, stained with “blood”, seats only – PHILIP! He’s still bloody, looking like a murder victim. He’s eating a sandwich, one of several from a silver tray on the dining table.
The professor enters.
PHILIP: Done?
PROF: It is done. She will be ready soon, I imagine. Where is Judith?
Philip shrugs, uninterested, and attacks the sandwich. He pauses and points to the tray
PHILIP: You want one? They’re, er, chicken salad I think. Quite good.
PROF: I don’t think I will, but thank you for offering.
Judith enters. She shows no sign of having been stabbed, and she’s drying her hands with a small towel.
PHILIP: There she is.
PROF: Ah, there you are! Listen-
JUDITH: Is she sealed?
PROF: Of course she’s sealed! Do you think so little of me, Judy?
Judith neither confirms nor denies.
PROF: That being said, there has been a small… wrinkle.
JUDITH: How small?
PROF: Our little piece of theatre in the kitchen… Natassja, well, improvised.
JUDITH: Oh, for god’s sake.
PROF: Hutter came at her too fast! She panicked, and – well – knocked him out with a chair.
Philip sits up and takes notice.
JUDITH: Can you wake him up?
PROF: I don’t know, maybe. If I give him something-
JUDITH: Do it. We can’t go ahead without him. And we’re on the clock.
Beat.
JUDITH: GO!
The professor scurries off.
PHILIP: If we can’t get him awake in time… what do we do with Nat?
JUDITH: Leave her down there, for all I give a damn.
PHILIP: Judith, listen to yourself. Is this really worth it?
JUDITH: Getting second thoughts, Philip? That’s unusual for you. Then again, first thoughts are unusual for you. There’s playing a quiet sort of person, and there’s laziness.
PHILIP: Oh, talk about laziness! You got to lie down not twenty minutes after you arrived! And you were the last to get here!
JUDITH: I was playing my part! Do you know how hard it is to play dead convincingly? And I had to get into the tunnel to hypnotize Jean! You just shuffled around the party eating your silly sandwiches in silence!
Philip stands up.
PHILIP: I resent the implication that I didn’t contribute – in the planning phase. You think you two could have put this together on your own?
JUDITH: I think we could have done it better.
Philip sits down again and sulks.
JUDITH: Where is that professor? Surely it can’t take that long to shoot some adrenaline or cocaine or – whatever – into that idiot’s bloodstream.
PHILIP: Good grief, Judith. Do you actively want him to die now?
JUDITH: His life isn’t important to me. It isn’t why we’re all here right now, and it isn’t why there’s a woman locked in the basement rapidly approaching the point of complete despair which, by the way, is a narrow threshold which we need to be absolutely ready to capitalise on!
The door opens and the professor and Hutter enter. Hutter has a large dummy slung over his shoulder, which he dumps on the table.
JUDITH: Well, finally!
PHILIP: How do you feel?
HUTTER: Like I’ve been brutally bludgeoned with a chair. Did you know that you feel all your pain in your brain? The nerves tell you where the danger is, but your brain is the only part of the body capable of articulating that into pain. Anyway, my whole body hurts like hell. Thank you for asking.
JUDITH: Is the body prepared?
HUTTER: It’s not a “body” yet. And yes, I attended to it before we started.
Hutter and the professor start carefully arranging candles and various strange geometric objects around the dummy. Frequently they lean down to check the alignment of them against each other and then shift them slightly. PHILIP: So, run it by me again. How does this hunk of crap help us summon back the Archivist?
JUDITH: It’s the most basic law of transmutation, moron.
PHILIP: Oh, that.
JUDITH: To bring something across, something has to be sent from our side. A body and a soul.
PHILIP: And we can’t use a person why?
JUDITH: We are using a person, remember? But only the soul. A human body would work as host for a while, but it would fundamentally be the wrong soul, the wrong body. It would start to rot from the mind out. Not pretty.
PHILIP: I can imagine.
JUDITH: You really can’t, though.
PROF: This body which Hutter has kindly helped our professor with is the spiritual equivalent of a universal donor organ – like type O blood. When we call the Archivist’s soul from the Wasteland, it’ll occupy this and remake it in his image.
PHILIP: Blimey.
He continues eating. Hutter steps away from the table, deep in thought.
HUTTER: Can you finish up on your own, professor?
PROF: Certainly, my dear fellow. But – where are you going?
HUTTER: I think I’d better say goodbye to my wife.
He leaves. Beat.
PHILIP: Well, how about THAT for a come-down!
Philip laughs.
PHILIP: Judith, is the telephone still connected to that transmitter downstairs?
JUDITH: It is. Why?
PHILIP: Well, if you don’t care what he says to her. I mean, she is the love of his life… I don’t know about you, but I’d be having second thoughts right now. Even if she did knock me over the head.
JUDITH: Shit. God damn you, Philip.
She goes out the same door Hutter left through. The moment she’s gone, Philip reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small revolver.
PHILIP: Hands up, prof!
PROF: (Doing it) Philip!
PHILIP: I’ve had enough of this! You people are finished! Years it’s taken, to infiltrate your little coven, but I did it! When the Archivist crossed over, I knew he hadn’t gone naturally. He went on purpose, right? To gather information from the Wasteland! Well his research dies here! I’m going to make sure this scheme of his never comes to fruition!
Judith re-enters, carrying the phone receiver, and Philip switches his aim to her.
PHILIP: Don’t move!!!
JUDITH: Philip! Put that down!
PHILIP: I’m done taking orders from you! This sick game of yours is over, Judith!
JUDITH: Nothing’s over while I’m alive! Hutter, get back here!
PROF: You fool, Philip! You could have been one of the new lords of this paltry world alongside us!
Philip switches his aim back to the Professor
PHILIP: Don’t-
Judith charges at him and beans him with the receiver, wrestling the gun out of his hand.
PHILIP: Hey! That’s my gun!
JUDITH: Shut up.
Hutter re-enters. Looks around.
HUTTER: What happened here? I’m gone for five minutes and you’re all going crazy.
JUDITH: Good chat with your soon-to-be ex-wife, Jean?
HUTTER: She’ll break on cue, don’t worry. Give me the transmitter.
Judith hands him a black box. He hold it up and speaks into it.
HUTTER: Nat, can you hear me?
He motions for Judith to hand him the receiver. She does.
NAT: (Over phone) Jean? It’s so dark down here…
HUTTER: I’m speaking to you by radio, Nat. So you can hear me?
NAT: Yes.
He shuts off the transmitter and receiver.
HUTTER: Let’s get this started, shall we?
PROF: Not so fast. We’re a man down. We can’t do this safely without Philip.
JUDITH: What do you say, Phil? Help us out for old time’s sake?
Philip spits at her feet.
JUDITH: Careful, careful. Your other option is a bullet in the spleen. Take a little more time to weigh your options.
PHILIP: You’ll kill me anyway.
PROF: Philip, don’t say that. We wouldn’t do a thing like that.
JUDITH: You wouldn’t. This is basically a dream come true for me.
HUTTER: All of you quiet. Philip. Trust me when I say, this is the best option. For all of us.
Philip considers for a long time. Then he bows his head in acquiescence.
PHILIP: Fine.
HUTTER: Alright. Positions, then. Give me that gun.
Judith hands the gun to him, and the four of them stand around the table. Hutter raises his hand, and all the candles light simultaneously.
HUTTER: Hail! O terrible lords of the bleak and blasted Wasteland of Souls! Harken and hear my words!
ALL: Hail! Hail, lords of the Other Side!
HUTTER: Humble before you, mighty ones, accept my offering in return for one of our own! A soul devoid of hope, for one full of black intent.
ALL: Hail, Phobos! Hail, Kyron! Hail, Mortis! Hail, Vacuuos!
Hutter switches on the transmitter.
HUTTER: Nat, can you hear me?
NAT: Jean?
HUTTER: Nat… I’m sorry for how things turned out.
The candles go out, leaving the stage in darkness. Hutter pulls out the gun and shoots Judith, standing opposite him. Then he quickly turns and blasts the Professor. He looks at Philip.
HUTTER: You understand. It has to be this way.
Philip nods. Hutter shoots him.
HUTTER: Nat… follow the sound of my voice.
He puts the gun against his temple.
HUTTER: And leave this house at once.
He fires. After a moment, the candles light. On the table, in the place of the dummy, lies NAT! She sits up.
NAT: Jean? Oh… Oh god!
Blackout.
THE END.