Caprica Season 2 at Beginning of Line is brought to you with limited commercial interruption by Samuel: For Men
Previously on Caprica:
Fidelia makes a decision regarding Tamara's proposition, and Tamara attempts to put Zoe in her place. Part 3 of a 3-part Tamara story.(Episode Seven - posted 4/1/11)
Screencap by Ryan Lawrence.
Caprica Season 2, Episode Eight
Punishment
By Ryan Lawrence
Screencap by Ryan Lawrence.
It's another rainy
night in Caprica City. It's been pouring on and off for days. The
lights are dim in Ptolomea Woods. A car is hurriedly gliding over the
asphalt path. Laughing in the passenger seat is a young woman.
Amanda. This laugh isn't normal for her lately. She's a teenager with
everything in the worlds to do but never enough time to do it. A hand
slips a card into a slot on the dashboard. Darius, Amanda's brother.
The music changes and he smiles at Amanda. She smiles back and he
takes his hands off the wheel.
“Isn't this driverless driving system great?” Darius asks. Before Amanda can answer he shouts, “I still can't believe you got me this! How many cubits did Kurt give you last time you dropped by?”
In protest Amanda yells out, “Hey! I'm not a slut... I saved up for that system and to answer your question, no I don't think it's that great. It makes me a little nervous.” Her voice grows cautiously softer. “Anyway, Dari, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Oh not again!” he yells. Every month he and Amanda have the same argument. “I don't need to hear your crap about how I'm throwing my life away working out on the orchard. There's a reason dad didn't give it over to you!” Amanda contends, “Darius that's not what I was going to say!”
Sick of her attempts to convince him to give up the orchard, Darius turns towards her to make himself clear. His hands fly wildly in the air. “I don't know what your problem is! You think everything in life is so simple. You run around smoking Purple and never stop to think about what you're doing. You have no clue what it's like after you graduate. All you do is criticize me, criticize Dad... Gods I don't know how he puts up with your garbage! You're just a selfish brat, Amanda, and that's never going to change is it?”
“Darius!” Amanda screams. A passing car's horn wails as the car Darius hasn't been driving swerves on the wet road. The car quickly rolls backwards, toppling over small trees and into a ditch by a bridge. Amanda is flung on top of Darius who has been knocked unconscious.
A voice emanates from the dashboard, “Caprica City Police. We've received an emergency message through your vehicle's automated safety network. We're sending out an ambulance. If you can answer, what is your name?” Amanda replies with a raspy puff, “Ah...” She wriggles her arm around Darius to embrace him and shuts her eyes.
“Isn't this driverless driving system great?” Darius asks. Before Amanda can answer he shouts, “I still can't believe you got me this! How many cubits did Kurt give you last time you dropped by?”
In protest Amanda yells out, “Hey! I'm not a slut... I saved up for that system and to answer your question, no I don't think it's that great. It makes me a little nervous.” Her voice grows cautiously softer. “Anyway, Dari, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Oh not again!” he yells. Every month he and Amanda have the same argument. “I don't need to hear your crap about how I'm throwing my life away working out on the orchard. There's a reason dad didn't give it over to you!” Amanda contends, “Darius that's not what I was going to say!”
Sick of her attempts to convince him to give up the orchard, Darius turns towards her to make himself clear. His hands fly wildly in the air. “I don't know what your problem is! You think everything in life is so simple. You run around smoking Purple and never stop to think about what you're doing. You have no clue what it's like after you graduate. All you do is criticize me, criticize Dad... Gods I don't know how he puts up with your garbage! You're just a selfish brat, Amanda, and that's never going to change is it?”
“Darius!” Amanda screams. A passing car's horn wails as the car Darius hasn't been driving swerves on the wet road. The car quickly rolls backwards, toppling over small trees and into a ditch by a bridge. Amanda is flung on top of Darius who has been knocked unconscious.
A voice emanates from the dashboard, “Caprica City Police. We've received an emergency message through your vehicle's automated safety network. We're sending out an ambulance. If you can answer, what is your name?” Amanda replies with a raspy puff, “Ah...” She wriggles her arm around Darius to embrace him and shuts her eyes.
Screencap by Ryan Lawrence.
Amanda opens her
eyes to a squint. Everything looks bright. Her light gray room is
furnished with the bare essentials. She reaches for the remote next
to her bed and pushes a button. Her view of the tree outside her
window pixelates into a television show on her wall.
Her door opens. A young woman in a suit enters. “It's time to meet with the group, Amanda,” she says. “Oh. Okay, yes,” Amanda coyly replies. She slowly sits up in the bed and pushes her legs over the side. The hospital gown she's wearing extends to the floor. She looks up at the woman, smiles and gets up to walk with her.
“Did you rest well?” the woman asks. “No. No I didn't. Darius was here. And I know he wanted to speak with me but he wouldn't let me explain,” Amanda whimpers. “We'll talk about this with the group,” says the woman. They turn a corner.
“You know I don't think these groups are helping. I mean I know Darius is dead but if I'm dreaming of him and the medication isn't...” Amanda stops walking and gazes down the hall. “Amanda?” asks the attendant. Suddenly Amanda dashes forward. “What's going on?” another aide asks the woman. “I don't know. She's never done this before. I'll handle it.” The woman jogs off down the hallway.
Amanda is chasing her brother through the halls of Delphi Convalescent Institute. Her breath gets heavier and her vision blurs as she tries to keep up with him. Her bare feet slap on the ground as her eyes begin to water in desperation. She turns a corner and her attendant grabs her arm to stop her.
“Amanda what is it? What's going on?” she asks. Amanda looks around but her brother has vanished. She gasps to catch her breath and ease her pounding heart. With eyes glossed over she whispers to the attendant, “Surviving is the punishment for leaving things left unsaid.” She buries her head in the woman’s arm and lets out a cry of desperation.
“Did you say you were a C-Bucs fan?” Amanda asks her companion. “Well yes. I've always admired them. Actually, I dreamed that I'd be part of the team but I found that I had more of a knack for gadgets than pyramid,” says a young Daniel Graystone as they walk together down the halls of Delphi Convalescent Institute. Amanda laughs. “You didn't strike me as the athletic type.” Daniel smiles politely. “No I suppose not. But I've got a great arm for tennis.”
“Oh, really! When I get out of here I'll have to put you to the test. Before I came here I was in school to be a photographer. I wish I could show you my prints. I loved to capture the beautiful designs created by nature. I guess that's kinda like working with technology, right?” Daniel offers a polite laugh. Amanda continues, “I really have to thank you for what you've done for me – for all of us.” She hasn't looked healthier in months. “Thank my company for sending me. It's amazing how well you can regulate the brain using chemical compositions designed by computers. I'm glad Delphi has given my team the opportunity to reach out... and me the chance to meet such a charming lady.” Amanda smiles and blushes. They continue walking.
Her door opens. A young woman in a suit enters. “It's time to meet with the group, Amanda,” she says. “Oh. Okay, yes,” Amanda coyly replies. She slowly sits up in the bed and pushes her legs over the side. The hospital gown she's wearing extends to the floor. She looks up at the woman, smiles and gets up to walk with her.
“Did you rest well?” the woman asks. “No. No I didn't. Darius was here. And I know he wanted to speak with me but he wouldn't let me explain,” Amanda whimpers. “We'll talk about this with the group,” says the woman. They turn a corner.
“You know I don't think these groups are helping. I mean I know Darius is dead but if I'm dreaming of him and the medication isn't...” Amanda stops walking and gazes down the hall. “Amanda?” asks the attendant. Suddenly Amanda dashes forward. “What's going on?” another aide asks the woman. “I don't know. She's never done this before. I'll handle it.” The woman jogs off down the hallway.
Amanda is chasing her brother through the halls of Delphi Convalescent Institute. Her breath gets heavier and her vision blurs as she tries to keep up with him. Her bare feet slap on the ground as her eyes begin to water in desperation. She turns a corner and her attendant grabs her arm to stop her.
“Amanda what is it? What's going on?” she asks. Amanda looks around but her brother has vanished. She gasps to catch her breath and ease her pounding heart. With eyes glossed over she whispers to the attendant, “Surviving is the punishment for leaving things left unsaid.” She buries her head in the woman’s arm and lets out a cry of desperation.
“Did you say you were a C-Bucs fan?” Amanda asks her companion. “Well yes. I've always admired them. Actually, I dreamed that I'd be part of the team but I found that I had more of a knack for gadgets than pyramid,” says a young Daniel Graystone as they walk together down the halls of Delphi Convalescent Institute. Amanda laughs. “You didn't strike me as the athletic type.” Daniel smiles politely. “No I suppose not. But I've got a great arm for tennis.”
“Oh, really! When I get out of here I'll have to put you to the test. Before I came here I was in school to be a photographer. I wish I could show you my prints. I loved to capture the beautiful designs created by nature. I guess that's kinda like working with technology, right?” Daniel offers a polite laugh. Amanda continues, “I really have to thank you for what you've done for me – for all of us.” She hasn't looked healthier in months. “Thank my company for sending me. It's amazing how well you can regulate the brain using chemical compositions designed by computers. I'm glad Delphi has given my team the opportunity to reach out... and me the chance to meet such a charming lady.” Amanda smiles and blushes. They continue walking.
And now, a word from our sponsor:
Ad by Janice Orlando.
And now, back to "Punishment..."
Screencap by Ryan Lawrence.
Amanda is out for a
drive through Caprica City on a beautiful day. She nervously grasps
the wheel and checks her rearview mirror. “How are you feeling
today?” asks Daniel, her only passenger. “I'm feeling better,”
she replies. “What do you say we head over to Apate Park?”
suggests Daniel. Amanda agrees, “Alright I think we can do that.”
As Amanda drives she admires the people walking through the park. She sees a young mother walking with a baby stroller and daydreams about herself pushing one along. She feels warm knowing that Daniel is with her. As she stops at a crosswalk she lets out a sigh. She continues into the park.
“So who would have thought the girl I met at the Delphi Institute would have turned into such a quiet warrior?” Daniel cheekily asks. “What's that supposed to mean?” Amanda pries. “I mean, there I was thinking my company sent me to help a bunch of troubled people sort out their scatterbrains and here I am now with one that's on her way to completing medical school.” Amanda smirks at the compliment. “You know I may have been scatterbrained but I was never troubled...” “Make a right here.”
Amanda turns the wheel and admires the trees as she drives along. “Gods I used to love coming here before the accident. I would pull over somewhere and take pictures of the trees until the sky went black.” Daniel hesitates, then asks, “Do you want to talk about the accident?” Amanda gets a sinking feeling in her gut. “No. No I don't. Why would you ask me that?” Daniel smiles and lowers his head to his hands. “Make a left here.”
Amanda follows his directions. She begins to feeling a looming sense of familiarity with her surroundings. “Where are you taking me?” she asks Daniel with a faint shriek to her voice. Her palms sweat on the steering wheel. “We're going to cross the stream and exit the park on the other side,” replies Daniel. “What?! That's where the accident happened! You know that, Daniel!” Daniel tries to calm her, “I know, Amanda but you agreed that this was the best way to learn to drive again.”
As she drives on, Amanda begins to feel dizzy thinking about what happened on the night of the accident. Her head feels like it's swelling up. She doesn't trust Daniel. “Why would you make me do this? Do you know what you're doing to me?” Daniel ignores her and looks ahead. “I'm sorry Daniel this is too much I can't handle it.” Defiantly, Amanda spins the wheel, and the car careens over the sidewalk. A woman screams as the car knocks over her stroller and barrels across the lawn. “Amanda!” Daniel screams. The car slams head first into a tree.
Daniel is panting and his heart feels like it's going to beat out of his chest. He takes off his holoband. “What do you think you're doing!” he yells at Amanda in the cool therapy room. “What's the difference! None of it's real! You know better than to take me to a place that put me in an institution for four years. I can't believe you would do that to me!” Daniel reminds her, “This was part of the program that you signed up for! You wanted to be able to stop having to rely on the bus to get to school. You wanted to have control of your life again. These virtual environments are the only safe way for you to get your confidence back. We talked about this!”
“I know what we talked about. I also know you're using this study as a pitch to get Microcap to fund production of these things.” Amanda waves the holoband prototype in the air like a toy. “I'm sorry Daniel. I'm just not ready...”
Amanda is poised in an armchair at the Graystone residence, her eyes scrutinizing the television. Baxter Sarno is on. He addresses the audience with a fresh, pointed laugh, carefully planted to lure channel flippers to stop and watch.
“So how awesome is this new Chrome Dome reality series?” He rhetorically asks the audience. “Who would have thought - a reality television show, with shiny robots as the stars? I hear next week one of them is going to make an alteration to her ro-butt! Unbelievable. Daniel Graystone's genius once again used for the greater good of society...” The audience laughs.
“When the frak are they going to cancel this crap?” Zoe, a robot herself, shouts to the room. Amanda yells out, “Soteria, off!” Soteria, the Graystone's replacement housebot obliges, “Yes Amanda.” The television screen disappears. “You know, Daniel, I thought when you went on his show you said he was a different man,” Amanda scorns. “It's like he changes his personality depending on his audience. I wouldn't trust him.”
Daniel, who is reading an e-sheet periodical at the kitchen counter, cracks a smile. “It's all show-business, honey. The masses lap up his comedy. Cubits talk and the advertisers love him. You know who else would have loved him and Chrome Dome – Darius.”
Amanda lets her body fall back into the armchair. “He would have, wouldn't he?” she relents. “Gods he would have tuned in religiously.” Zoe perks up on the couch. “Why don't we give him the chance?” she suggests. She turns to Daniel. “Daddy, I want to know who my uncle was,” she pouts. Daniel looks up from his e-sheet. “Z, don't be ridiculous. Darius has been dead for a much longer time than you have. It would be much harder for him to adjust to living the way you do.” Zoe looks at her mother, Amanda, then back to her father. “Daddy, think about everything I've gone through and I'm here and I'm fine. Do you think there's something wrong with me?” Daniel sees through her manipulation. “We can't just go resurrecting people on a whim, Z! Can we Amanda?” He looks over at Amanda anticipating her agreement.
Amanda looks down. She looks up again, gets up and walks over to Daniel. She puts her hands on his shoulders and whispers, “Daniel, this is my brother we're talking about. You know how hard it's been for me to let go of him. Maybe I never should have.” She looks over her daughter and admires her. “All those times I said, 'I wish you could meet him...' Maybe it's time.” She rubs his shoulders once and walks upstairs.
Downstairs in Daniel's lab Zoe is dancing around the room. Amanda and Daniel don medical smocks and work in tandem to ensure everything is well powered and synchronized. As they zip through diagnostic screens, the software beeps with excitement. “Daddy it's almost time!” Zoe sings. “Please don't rush me, Zoe. You know as well as I do that everything has to go according to plan.” Zoe continues dancing. “You mean my plan, Daddy? You know I wrote most of that program before we ever started working together using the V-world link.” She twirls facing away from Daniel and smirks. “We just need to do it right,” Daniel says as though he never heard Zoe speak. “I think we're ready.” He looks over at Amanda who finishes the last test and lets out a sigh of happiness.
Zoe skips over to the edge of the resurrection tub, her father and mother to each side of her. Amanda punches in the final code and they all peer down into the goo. As Darius' new body rises up from the shallow basin his synthetic skin inseparably adheres to his hard, robotic skeleton. He gasps for air, blinking with bewilderment. Amanda is filled with so much excitement that she could cry. “Dari – it's me, Mandee. Just relax I'll explain everything.”
Amanda stands close to Daniel in the kitchen as they prepare food for their guest, Cyrus Xander. Darius is with him downstairs in the game room. Amanda whispers to Daniel, “You're sure he doesn't remember anything about the accident right? It was horrifying.” Daniel comforts her, “I sorted through the information we used to form his memories and filtered out anything related to the crash. There's no way he can know what he experienced.” Darius laughs from downstairs.
Cyrus and Darius are sitting together on a couch watching Chrome Dome, which has just gone to a commercial break. “Crazy isn't it?” Cyrus asks Darius. “I bet you never thought you'd be seeing something like this on TV.” Darius regains his composure. “Hey! I remember a time before paper could be programmed. Kids like Zoe can't say the same. It's amazing how much has changed... Say, I've been meaning to ask you something.” Cyrus sits up. “Shoot.”
Darius looks to the staircase to make sure that no one is coming. “Daniel and Amanda explained to me that there was an accident and I died. But what happened? What kind of accident was it?” Cyrus leans back a bit and looks uncomfortable. After a thoughtful pause, he decides to continue the conversation. “It was a car accident. It was late at night and the road was wet. Amanda was with you. The car's automatic driving system failed and it drove itself into a ditch. Amanda survived but you died.”
Darius looks puzzled. “Why would they hide that from me?” Cyrus looks past Darius at the staircase. He eases back into the couch and carefully explains. “Amanda was heartbroken that she was in the car with you. She had bought you the driverless driving system and I guess she feels guilty for what happened. She was institutionalized for four years because she kept seeing you everywhere, like a ghost. When the therapy was complete she admitted that she'd had an argument with you in the car before it happened. It's really broken her down. It means a lot to her that you're here now.”
They hear heavy footsteps approaching the stairs. Darius and Cyrus look up to see Amanda's heels descending gracefully. His face washed with surprise, Darius turns to look at Cyrus. He then looks back at Amanda. “I brought you some food boys!” she merrily chimes, carrying a platter of sliced apples and a tub of gooey speckled dip. “Eat up!”
As Amanda drives she admires the people walking through the park. She sees a young mother walking with a baby stroller and daydreams about herself pushing one along. She feels warm knowing that Daniel is with her. As she stops at a crosswalk she lets out a sigh. She continues into the park.
“So who would have thought the girl I met at the Delphi Institute would have turned into such a quiet warrior?” Daniel cheekily asks. “What's that supposed to mean?” Amanda pries. “I mean, there I was thinking my company sent me to help a bunch of troubled people sort out their scatterbrains and here I am now with one that's on her way to completing medical school.” Amanda smirks at the compliment. “You know I may have been scatterbrained but I was never troubled...” “Make a right here.”
Amanda turns the wheel and admires the trees as she drives along. “Gods I used to love coming here before the accident. I would pull over somewhere and take pictures of the trees until the sky went black.” Daniel hesitates, then asks, “Do you want to talk about the accident?” Amanda gets a sinking feeling in her gut. “No. No I don't. Why would you ask me that?” Daniel smiles and lowers his head to his hands. “Make a left here.”
Amanda follows his directions. She begins to feeling a looming sense of familiarity with her surroundings. “Where are you taking me?” she asks Daniel with a faint shriek to her voice. Her palms sweat on the steering wheel. “We're going to cross the stream and exit the park on the other side,” replies Daniel. “What?! That's where the accident happened! You know that, Daniel!” Daniel tries to calm her, “I know, Amanda but you agreed that this was the best way to learn to drive again.”
As she drives on, Amanda begins to feel dizzy thinking about what happened on the night of the accident. Her head feels like it's swelling up. She doesn't trust Daniel. “Why would you make me do this? Do you know what you're doing to me?” Daniel ignores her and looks ahead. “I'm sorry Daniel this is too much I can't handle it.” Defiantly, Amanda spins the wheel, and the car careens over the sidewalk. A woman screams as the car knocks over her stroller and barrels across the lawn. “Amanda!” Daniel screams. The car slams head first into a tree.
Daniel is panting and his heart feels like it's going to beat out of his chest. He takes off his holoband. “What do you think you're doing!” he yells at Amanda in the cool therapy room. “What's the difference! None of it's real! You know better than to take me to a place that put me in an institution for four years. I can't believe you would do that to me!” Daniel reminds her, “This was part of the program that you signed up for! You wanted to be able to stop having to rely on the bus to get to school. You wanted to have control of your life again. These virtual environments are the only safe way for you to get your confidence back. We talked about this!”
“I know what we talked about. I also know you're using this study as a pitch to get Microcap to fund production of these things.” Amanda waves the holoband prototype in the air like a toy. “I'm sorry Daniel. I'm just not ready...”
Amanda is poised in an armchair at the Graystone residence, her eyes scrutinizing the television. Baxter Sarno is on. He addresses the audience with a fresh, pointed laugh, carefully planted to lure channel flippers to stop and watch.
“So how awesome is this new Chrome Dome reality series?” He rhetorically asks the audience. “Who would have thought - a reality television show, with shiny robots as the stars? I hear next week one of them is going to make an alteration to her ro-butt! Unbelievable. Daniel Graystone's genius once again used for the greater good of society...” The audience laughs.
“When the frak are they going to cancel this crap?” Zoe, a robot herself, shouts to the room. Amanda yells out, “Soteria, off!” Soteria, the Graystone's replacement housebot obliges, “Yes Amanda.” The television screen disappears. “You know, Daniel, I thought when you went on his show you said he was a different man,” Amanda scorns. “It's like he changes his personality depending on his audience. I wouldn't trust him.”
Daniel, who is reading an e-sheet periodical at the kitchen counter, cracks a smile. “It's all show-business, honey. The masses lap up his comedy. Cubits talk and the advertisers love him. You know who else would have loved him and Chrome Dome – Darius.”
Amanda lets her body fall back into the armchair. “He would have, wouldn't he?” she relents. “Gods he would have tuned in religiously.” Zoe perks up on the couch. “Why don't we give him the chance?” she suggests. She turns to Daniel. “Daddy, I want to know who my uncle was,” she pouts. Daniel looks up from his e-sheet. “Z, don't be ridiculous. Darius has been dead for a much longer time than you have. It would be much harder for him to adjust to living the way you do.” Zoe looks at her mother, Amanda, then back to her father. “Daddy, think about everything I've gone through and I'm here and I'm fine. Do you think there's something wrong with me?” Daniel sees through her manipulation. “We can't just go resurrecting people on a whim, Z! Can we Amanda?” He looks over at Amanda anticipating her agreement.
Amanda looks down. She looks up again, gets up and walks over to Daniel. She puts her hands on his shoulders and whispers, “Daniel, this is my brother we're talking about. You know how hard it's been for me to let go of him. Maybe I never should have.” She looks over her daughter and admires her. “All those times I said, 'I wish you could meet him...' Maybe it's time.” She rubs his shoulders once and walks upstairs.
Downstairs in Daniel's lab Zoe is dancing around the room. Amanda and Daniel don medical smocks and work in tandem to ensure everything is well powered and synchronized. As they zip through diagnostic screens, the software beeps with excitement. “Daddy it's almost time!” Zoe sings. “Please don't rush me, Zoe. You know as well as I do that everything has to go according to plan.” Zoe continues dancing. “You mean my plan, Daddy? You know I wrote most of that program before we ever started working together using the V-world link.” She twirls facing away from Daniel and smirks. “We just need to do it right,” Daniel says as though he never heard Zoe speak. “I think we're ready.” He looks over at Amanda who finishes the last test and lets out a sigh of happiness.
Zoe skips over to the edge of the resurrection tub, her father and mother to each side of her. Amanda punches in the final code and they all peer down into the goo. As Darius' new body rises up from the shallow basin his synthetic skin inseparably adheres to his hard, robotic skeleton. He gasps for air, blinking with bewilderment. Amanda is filled with so much excitement that she could cry. “Dari – it's me, Mandee. Just relax I'll explain everything.”
Amanda stands close to Daniel in the kitchen as they prepare food for their guest, Cyrus Xander. Darius is with him downstairs in the game room. Amanda whispers to Daniel, “You're sure he doesn't remember anything about the accident right? It was horrifying.” Daniel comforts her, “I sorted through the information we used to form his memories and filtered out anything related to the crash. There's no way he can know what he experienced.” Darius laughs from downstairs.
Cyrus and Darius are sitting together on a couch watching Chrome Dome, which has just gone to a commercial break. “Crazy isn't it?” Cyrus asks Darius. “I bet you never thought you'd be seeing something like this on TV.” Darius regains his composure. “Hey! I remember a time before paper could be programmed. Kids like Zoe can't say the same. It's amazing how much has changed... Say, I've been meaning to ask you something.” Cyrus sits up. “Shoot.”
Darius looks to the staircase to make sure that no one is coming. “Daniel and Amanda explained to me that there was an accident and I died. But what happened? What kind of accident was it?” Cyrus leans back a bit and looks uncomfortable. After a thoughtful pause, he decides to continue the conversation. “It was a car accident. It was late at night and the road was wet. Amanda was with you. The car's automatic driving system failed and it drove itself into a ditch. Amanda survived but you died.”
Darius looks puzzled. “Why would they hide that from me?” Cyrus looks past Darius at the staircase. He eases back into the couch and carefully explains. “Amanda was heartbroken that she was in the car with you. She had bought you the driverless driving system and I guess she feels guilty for what happened. She was institutionalized for four years because she kept seeing you everywhere, like a ghost. When the therapy was complete she admitted that she'd had an argument with you in the car before it happened. It's really broken her down. It means a lot to her that you're here now.”
They hear heavy footsteps approaching the stairs. Darius and Cyrus look up to see Amanda's heels descending gracefully. His face washed with surprise, Darius turns to look at Cyrus. He then looks back at Amanda. “I brought you some food boys!” she merrily chimes, carrying a platter of sliced apples and a tub of gooey speckled dip. “Eat up!”
Screencap by Ryan Lawrence.
A few weeks later
Daniel is working late at Graystone Industries. Zoe is asleep in her
bedroom. Amanda and Darius are sitting on stools in the kitchen
chatting. They're looking through Amanda's high school yearbook.
“Dari, do you remember him? He would never shut up. Our Science
teacher used to throw him out of class and you'd hear him talking on
the phone outside. I wonder what he's up to now.” Darius looks
uninterested. “Hey, does Daniel drink Virgon beer?” he asks.
“Yeah. Why, you want one?”
“I think I could use one, yeah.”
Amanda hops off the stool and opens the refrigerator. As she reaches in she's thrown to the floor. Darius hangs over her with an arm on her shoulder, his hand covering her mouth. His knees are on top of her legs and a knife from the knife block is in his other hand. Amanda's eyes bulge as she tries to scream through his hand.
“Why didn't you tell me the whole story about how I died, Amanda?” Darius sneers at her. “I remember how you treated me before the accident. I remember your contempt for me and Dad. And I know you were in that car with me arguing – pissing me off, distracting me from the road. You're such a selfish brat that you didn't even have the decency to let me care for my own life. And when I died your guilt hit you so hard they put you away. I haunted you and I'm frakking glad I did! You killed me you stupid nag!”
Amanda, crying, frees her mouth from Darius' hand. “No, Dari, that's not what happened! I wanted to tell you that I had visited dad and we went to the orchard together. He showed me how much it meant to him and how much work it took to maintain. I didn't know and I wanted to apologize but you wouldn't let me. You started yelling and the car lost control... I didn't want to survive if I had to lose you. Why are you doing this to me?!” Amanda closes her eyes in fear and grief.
“Shut the frak up! You can't play your mind games with me now, Amanda. You don't get to survive without me. That's what you want isn't it?” Amanda just cries in the soft light coming from the refrigerator. Darius holds the knife closer to her neck. As he prepares himself a pop goes off upstairs. Darius' head cracks. Sartoria has fired a bullet directly through his skull. He drops the knife and falls into Amanda's arms. His last breath spills out to cold the floor. Amanda reaches up and puts her arms around him.
Daniel and Amanda are lying in bed together the night after discussing what had happened. “Amanda none of this was your fault.” Daniel consoles his wife. “I know, I know,” she admits. “No. Amanda, none of this was your fault. I was at the office last night going through some old computers you kept from Darius' bedroom. The ones you gave me to use when I was starting up Graystone Industries, remember?” She nods. “I thought they might have some information we could integrate into Darius' memories so I looked into it. It turns out Darius had written a note about the accident.” Amanda sits up, confused. “How is that possible?” she asks. He goes on, “It was a suicide note. And when I dug deeper I was disturbed by what I read. He was planning to kill you and take his own life in the process. When the accident happened we all assumed it was because of the faulty driverless system. Turns out he programmed the music card he put in the dashboard to interrupt the system and make the car lose control. It wasn't your fault.”
Amanda grows pale and doesn't know how to react at first. “I... I was going to tell him that I changed my mind. I visited the orchard. I was finally happy for him.” She closes her eyes and sees Darius running in the hallway again. She stops chasing him and he runs through a set of doors and out of sight. In her mind she turns around to see Daniel standing before her. He kisses her on the forehead and they begin to walk down the hall together towards the exit.
“I think I could use one, yeah.”
Amanda hops off the stool and opens the refrigerator. As she reaches in she's thrown to the floor. Darius hangs over her with an arm on her shoulder, his hand covering her mouth. His knees are on top of her legs and a knife from the knife block is in his other hand. Amanda's eyes bulge as she tries to scream through his hand.
“Why didn't you tell me the whole story about how I died, Amanda?” Darius sneers at her. “I remember how you treated me before the accident. I remember your contempt for me and Dad. And I know you were in that car with me arguing – pissing me off, distracting me from the road. You're such a selfish brat that you didn't even have the decency to let me care for my own life. And when I died your guilt hit you so hard they put you away. I haunted you and I'm frakking glad I did! You killed me you stupid nag!”
Amanda, crying, frees her mouth from Darius' hand. “No, Dari, that's not what happened! I wanted to tell you that I had visited dad and we went to the orchard together. He showed me how much it meant to him and how much work it took to maintain. I didn't know and I wanted to apologize but you wouldn't let me. You started yelling and the car lost control... I didn't want to survive if I had to lose you. Why are you doing this to me?!” Amanda closes her eyes in fear and grief.
“Shut the frak up! You can't play your mind games with me now, Amanda. You don't get to survive without me. That's what you want isn't it?” Amanda just cries in the soft light coming from the refrigerator. Darius holds the knife closer to her neck. As he prepares himself a pop goes off upstairs. Darius' head cracks. Sartoria has fired a bullet directly through his skull. He drops the knife and falls into Amanda's arms. His last breath spills out to cold the floor. Amanda reaches up and puts her arms around him.
Daniel and Amanda are lying in bed together the night after discussing what had happened. “Amanda none of this was your fault.” Daniel consoles his wife. “I know, I know,” she admits. “No. Amanda, none of this was your fault. I was at the office last night going through some old computers you kept from Darius' bedroom. The ones you gave me to use when I was starting up Graystone Industries, remember?” She nods. “I thought they might have some information we could integrate into Darius' memories so I looked into it. It turns out Darius had written a note about the accident.” Amanda sits up, confused. “How is that possible?” she asks. He goes on, “It was a suicide note. And when I dug deeper I was disturbed by what I read. He was planning to kill you and take his own life in the process. When the accident happened we all assumed it was because of the faulty driverless system. Turns out he programmed the music card he put in the dashboard to interrupt the system and make the car lose control. It wasn't your fault.”
Amanda grows pale and doesn't know how to react at first. “I... I was going to tell him that I changed my mind. I visited the orchard. I was finally happy for him.” She closes her eyes and sees Darius running in the hallway again. She stops chasing him and he runs through a set of doors and out of sight. In her mind she turns around to see Daniel standing before her. He kisses her on the forehead and they begin to walk down the hall together towards the exit.
Caprica ©2010, Syfy. A Division of NBC Universal.
Beginning of Line is a fan site with no affiliation to Caprica, Syfy, or NBC Universal. You should totes know that.
And "Punishment" belongs to Ryan Lawrence. No, the characters aren't his, and he can't get paid for it, but if you want to reprint it anywhere, it'd be nice if you asked.
Beginning of Line is a fan site with no affiliation to Caprica, Syfy, or NBC Universal. You should totes know that.
And "Punishment" belongs to Ryan Lawrence. No, the characters aren't his, and he can't get paid for it, but if you want to reprint it anywhere, it'd be nice if you asked.
