TRANSCRIPT

SCENE 1 INTRO.

NES:

The plants were the first to consciousness, despite what you might think. They were the first to see sol for the colors it hid. They were the first to breathe the perfume of life in the air. The first to feel the cold dew of the morning. The first to taste the gifts of Tlalli.

Their existence made all of us possible. They were the first to live, and the first to die. The first to love and the first to hope. The first to reach for what was possible.

They were the last to fight, and the least likely... And only because they had to. They might be the best of this world, and we can learn so much from them.

An Earthling named Chappi taught me this. We found him enslaved in the desert, but the plants fought for him. They knew how important he was, to us and to Tlalli.

The story of who we became, and how we ended up here... It's a tangled web of fear, pain, love, and hope. And this part of the story is his. Voy a empezar, but he can take it from there.

I'm Onesimo Chavez, and we are... Looking for Ultima.

SCENE 2 THE EARTHLING.

NES:

There we were... Clutching onto a giant mechanical bird as we hurtled through the air at 50 miles per hour. It was both exhilarating and horrifying.

We were flying over Las Cruces desert. It was hot as the ass end of a comal out there, so the breeze was doing us some favors.

SOMEWHAT SHOUTED OVER THE WIND NOISE

NES:

Hey Pocha, I'm hearing a LOT of hissing and creaking, you good?

POCHA:

I'm doing fine for now mono, we can glide on the updrafts from the sand. But when we make it to the next haven, I'll need to see a mechanic. It's been a while since my last oil change. I'd say we have another few hours before my wings lock up...

I can just increase my speed... Sapiens can handle 4Gs right?

TIO VALO:

I'm just a piece of wood, but my nephew will probably turn to flan if you do that... We better try and find somewhere where you can get some oil.

POCHA:

Oh look there's a caravan down there... They probably have some oil! They look nice with their pretty red outfits.... Let's go say hi!

POCHA SWOOPS IN

Aaaaaannnnd its the robes, hijole! Hold on finding some cover!

NES:

We swooped back up and banked hard left, landing behind a rocky outcrop. We peeked over to look at the caravan.

POCHA:

They do have tanks, so they probably have oil... I count about 100 troops. And they're dragging that raised platform behind them... Must be some kind of track under there.

TIO VALO:

Que es? What's on top of the platform. It looks like a giant field of... wheat?

NES:

No lo creo... A whole field of wheat growing on tracks in the middle of the desert?

POCHA:

It's honestly... Es impossible

TIO VALO:

I guess maybe not impossible if you have one of them working it...

NES:

We saw a shock of yellow peeking above the stalks of wheat that swayed in the dry desert wind. The flower of a prickly pear cactus. And crouched next to it.... The mottled green head of an earthling. He wore a tattered blue tank top, and tan shorts that hugged his legs tight and ran to his thighs.

His green arms were bowed around his bent knees, hands cupped in the dirt, shining black half moon eyes glaring intently. The rest of his face was cast in darkness by the harsh sun against the rough carapace of his angular features.

His antennae swayed in the wind as he concentrated, struggling to raise one more stalk of wheat shivering out of the ground, his dark pink breathing flaps shuddering under his throat with the effort. His serrated green leg led to a foot that was chained to the ground, and he looked exhausted beyond words.

We didn't know Chappi yet, but as soon as we saw him we knew we had to help him. He would repay us a thousand times over.

POCHA:

An Earthling! But why is he here?

TIO VALO:

From time to time, the ancestors send heroes to Tlalli to defend it against the forces who wish to selfishly bend the planet and its inhabitants to their will. You have been chosen as one of the seven, and have been given power over the earth.

POCHA AND NES SIGH INCREDULOUSLY.

NES:

What are the chances?

POCHA:

Well we have to save him now. How are we going to do this?

NES:

Maybe you can give us some cover? Do you remember how you made it rain before we left el Rio Chato?

POCHA:

No se, last time I was just worked up and thinking about my people, about us beating the Robes.

TIO VALO:

With Nes, his music is the trigger. Maybe you have a spark too? What were you thinking about exactly?

POCHA:

Well... I'm not sure. I remember hearing a lot of old whistles from the language in my head. Old phrases we use, spiritual quotes, things like that.

TIO VALO:

That could be it... Maybe it's your language that's the trigger. Try whistling something, something meaningful.

POCHA:

Well, it's worth a shot I guess.

POCHA WHISTLES THE FIRST FEW NOTES FROM MECHANICAL HEART

NES:

As she shut her eyes and whistled softly, a strange deep fog started to roll into the valley where the robes were stopped. It was suffused with the same blue energy that my healing had, subtly pulsing through the vapor. It blanketed the whole battalion, stopping them blind.

POCHA:

Ho-ly shit, that worked.

TIO VALO:

What did you say?

POCHA:

It's the first line of an old poem I used to love.

NES:

It sounded beautiful.

POCHA:

Maybe sometime I'll tell you the whole thing. But for now, we've got some work to do

NES:

For sure. Maybe you can glide down and drop me next to him? I'll get him sorted, then you be ready to distract the troops when I give you the signal. Maybe lob some lightning bolts or something?

POCHA:

Sounds sufficiently dangerous... Let's go get ourselves a Earthling.

SCENE 3 CHAPPI'S STORY.

ENTER WITH BATTLE SOUNDS, GUNS, BOMBS, THE WHOLE NINE

TIME TICKING SOUND SFX, THEN A DING

NES & POCHA:

Grraaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

ALL SOUND DESIGN AND DIALOGUE SLOWS DOWN VARISPEED STYLE

CHAPPI:

You're probably wondering how I got here... Foot chained to an acre of wheat on tank tracks, cactus by my side, flanked by a sapien crashing a guitar over a Robe soldier's head, and a hummingbird human hybrid robot flying around shooting lightning bolts at tanks.

I know, not where I expected to be after 4 years in farm school and an MVP (that's Most Valuable Plower) in the granjero games... Well kids, let's start from the beginning.

My name is Chapultepec, but you can call me Chappi

REWIND SFX

CHAPPI:

My seed was planted in the desert, so I grew what roots I could. Desert roots are shallow, and I never had one place to call home. Pero mis padres provided everything we needed.

Wherever they needed food, that's where we went.

All earthlings are good at growing stuff. We are descended from the chapulines that first wandered the wild fields of Tlalli, eating and casting seeds as we traveled. As we evolved, our backs straightened, our limb count lowered, and we began to plant those seeds more deliberately. Soon enough we were the best granjeros in all of Tlalli. We grew rye for the dwarves to brew in their frozen mountains, and silk for the elves to weave into elegant garments with their steam machines.

The Robes hated us at least as much as they hated every other race on Tlalli. They relentlessly raided our settlements throughout the wars, burning our crops and enslaving us as farm laborers, working us to exhaustion.

But as the unified forces of the Commons turned the tides of war, the Earthlings were welcomed into the Havens. In exchange for extending the protection of the shields to the growing lands, we became citizens of the Commons, and the farmers for all of the free people of Tlalli.

Many Earthlings tend the same patch of land their whole lives, but my parents were gifted. Their skills took them a todas partes.

We lived in many Havens, Pueblo, Las Animas, Santo Domingo... I loved every inch of them, which is not common for an Earthling. We usually prefer to be close to the earth.

Pero para mi, it was the buzz of crowds, the hum of music, the markets... In Pueblo they have the greatest mercado, fruits from all over the world. Anytime I had a little plat I would go and buy una fruta nueva, one I've never seen before. I'd eat it greedily then try and grow the seeds. And you know what?

They grew.

I took to carrying a little canvas bag of seeds with me, all jumbled together in my pocket. Still have it actually. All rare fruits, vegetables, herbs, chiles, and maybe a few psychedelics... Don't tell my dads. Every time we set up a new home somewhere, I'd start the garden from scratch. In two weeks we'd have a new little crop, on top of what my parents were already growing. I would go to the markets on Sundays and make a little extra spending plat selling what I could.

My particularly green thumb caught their eye. I could grow things in dry dirt that some people could barely keep alive in the rainforest... Like I said, all Earthlings are good at farming, but I was an outlier. When I turned 18, I was able to test into A&E Las Animas.

Awww yeah, I was going to college! First one en la familia. They were so proud of me. It still makes me smile to this day, seeing my dads tear up reading that acceptance letter. When 100 years ago, my great-grandparents were working as forced laborers, living in a shack with a dirt floor... It don't get much better than that.

They fought for so much. That love and dedication echoed through time and brought me there, to a place they could have never imagined. We really are our ancestors wildest dreams.

SCENE 4 LAS ANIMAS.

CHAPPI:

Now... A&E Las Animas is in the middle of the damn desierto. Like super deep in Las Arenas, a few miles west of the dunes.

It's like astronaut school for farmers, the hardest shit you can imagine.

Ya'll, they had us out there wearing big ass sombreros in the hot sun, using our antennae to dowse for water miles underground.

They had us out there in the hot sun, NO breeze, building miniature greenhouses for rare frijoles.

I mean I was out there one day and Professor Dlax comes up to me with his big ass dwarf barba all sweaty mojada, and says.

PROFESSOR DLAX:

Chapultapec, I have an assignment for you.

CHAPPI:

You can just call me Chappi prefesor.

PROFESSOR DLAX:

Very well Chapultapec.

CHAPPI SIGHS

I've heard from some of the Earthlings around Las Animas that you have a knack for growing rare fruits. Well we have something quite rare for you.

As you know, it's almost impossible for the Lithu refugees to bring anything through their portals as they enter our world. They come with nothing but their most prized possessions. One Lithu farmer, well... She brought this. She calls it a 'mangosteen'.

CHAPPI:

Professor Dlax opened it up, and plucked out one of the small plump white fruits. The moment it touched my tongue was an epiphany. It had the tang of citrus, but the soft sweetness of lychee, and it melted on my tastebuds like cacao. Forgive the pun, but this fruta was out of this world.

"Professor Dlax, we have to grow this... This can't be lost."

PROFESSOR DLAX:

I know Chapultapec. We've tried. We've tried in every soil, every greenhouse, every Haven in every sub-climate around Tlalli. Nobody can grow it. We don't know what to do, so we are trying anything. And that includes giving one of these to a young Earthling on the strength of a rumor... I hope you'll give it a try.

CHAPPI:

Claro que si profesor, gracias.

SFX AND MUSIC BREAK

CHAPPI:

The scientists were having a hard time getting the mangosteen sprouts to take water once they rooted. They guessed that there was probably an element or compound in the soil in the Lithu's previous dimension that facilitated the water uptake in the trees. Something that just didn't exist here.

But I had an idea... There's so much geothermal activity on Tlalli, and that steam bubbles up through the bedrock and into the topsoil. It usually moves too fast for plants to take advantage of it... Except for air plants. So I worked with the engineering kids on splicing some air root genes into the mangosteen trees.

Took me a hot minute. But it worked. The roots couldn't draw the nutrients from our soil, but if we exposed enough of them to the air, with properly controlled humidity, we could get them to grow.

Soon enough we had a whole mangosteen plantation growing in the desert.

And you know who has helicopters and checks the desert for rare fruit oases?

SCENE 5 KIDNAP.

CHAPPI:

The Robes.

Tu sabes, if the streetwear aesthetic of the Robes is blood red flowing silk, the aesthetic of their soldiers is tactical horror. Red fitted plate armor, covering nearly every inch of their marble white skin, only the bottom half of their legs and arms exposed, revealing their red markings. Full helmet breathing apparatus, with just the tiniest slit for their golden eyes.

You can hear their air intake system running when they get close enough to kill you.

They luckily didn't kill me when they came for me. But they almost did. Pendejos.

SCENE 6 DUMBASSES.

ROBE 1:

Grab him.

ROBE 2:

Filthy bug.

CHAPPI:

Whoa what the Fuuu... Mmmmph

STRUGGLE NOISES

They ripped me away from my dorm bed and started dragging me through the window towards the copter that sat in the open field next to my dorm. At the time Nopal was growing right next to me on the ground in a clay pot.

They didn't get farther than 50 feet before I started screaming. I mean, what if your arm was getting ripped off? Wouldn't you scream? That's what it's like to get that far from her.

Let me explain. When sapiens go through puberty, they grow little hairs in funny places and start to smell bad.

When elves go through puberty, their ears start to point, and their skin gets that sparkly magic glow nobody can explain. And they start to smell bad.

When an Earthling goes through puberty... They get a living plant that is spiritually bonded to them as an avatar, friend, and symbiotic partner. The species is chosen by their parents, and the seed fed to them with their first meal as a larvae. In my case, I was honored with an Opuntia gomei, a prickly pear cactus, who I have affectionately named, Nopal. Nopal started growing on my shoulder as una florito amarillo, but eventually I was able to take her off and plant her next to my bed. Nopal is my soul, my conscience, my best friend. Nopal is me.

Our avatar serves to heighten our connection to the natural world, and works as a conduit to the soil. As we progress through life, we learn to be farther apart without pain. However when we are adolescents, any more than a few feet can be excruciating.

All of this happens, plus, we start to smell bad... See, we aren't so different after all.

CHAPPI:

I need Nopal! God damnnit get me Nopal!

ROBE 1:

Shut up bug, you will serve the will of Gilgesh!

CHAPPI:

AHHHHHHHHHH!

Pendejo, you are going to kill us both!

ROBE 2:

What is he talking about?!

CHAPPI:

NOPAL! My avatar, my cactus, you can't take me away from them I'll die! Please please me duele...

It was agony, ripping though my soul and my chest, like my blood was being pulled from under my skin.

A RUMBLE AND CRACKLE RIPS THROUGH THE BRICK WALL OUTSIDE THE DORM

ROBE 1:

It's trying to trick us. These bugs are sneaky as they are unnatural.

CHAPPI:

That fucking word. Bug. I'm not a bug, I'm a person.

ROBE 3:

Should we go get the plant?

ROBE 1:

NO. KEEP MOVING.

ANOTHER RUMBLE AND HEAVY CRACKS AS THEY RUN, GROWS LOUDER AND CLOSER. TIL IT STABS THROUGH A ROBE

ARRRRCHHHHHHGGGAAAAAA!

CHAPPI:

That's the sound of a hardened root shooting through the brick walls of my dorm and into the heart of a robe.

ROBE 3:

AHHHHHHHHHHH

CHAPPI:

That's the sound of 50 cactus needles shooting through the soft flesh of another.

ROBE 2:

FUCK! Go get the cactus!

PUNCTURE SOUND

CHAPPI:

And that's the sound of me being sedated and hitting the ground.

I didn't get to hear the sound of the last two Robes running to get Nopal then flying away scared shitless and llorando. I wish I did. They deserved it. They deserve everything we did to them.

SCENE 7 PLANT.

CHAPPI:

I woke up on the wrong side of the cama the next day.

They had me chained to the ground, and Nopal planted 5 feet away sealed behind thick bulletproof glass.  A mechanical arm with a sharp razor on the end was poised next to her. Surrounding me was an acre of bare dirt, raised 5 feet off the desert floor.

I looked up and met Jakar for the first time. Or let's say my face made acquaintance with his fist.

PUNCH NOISE AND PAIN REACTION

JAKAR:

Wake up cockroach, it's time to get to work... You've got 500 rows of wheat to plant, and a Jindu battalion to feed. Gilgesh has blessed your miserable life with a purpose. You should be grateful.

CHAPPI:

Chinga tu madre.

I spat at him and he recoiled in disgust.

He flicked his wrist, and the razor arm sliced away a part of Nopal. Horrible pain shot through my body.

SCREAM

Another slice. Agony. And another, and another.

JAKAR:

The machine is very precise. We could cut and cut and still keep it alive for quite some time... And your cursed species can be very long lived.

Now, I have 100 very hungry Jindu solders who need to be fed by tomorrow morning. See to it they get their rations.

MORE SLICING/SCREAMING

CHAPPI:

After hours of this... All I could do was get up and start planting some wheat... It was all I could do.

SCENE 8 MONTHS GO BY.

CHAPPI:

Time is meaningless when you are imprisoned... It must have been months, yo no se.

I had to grow a new crop every night... It was exhausting, but eventually I got better.

After I heard about the assault on Pueblo, I felt something even more powerful shift inside of me. I thought was able to feel the earth, and move it. I had to concentrate... It helped when I remembered the taste of one of my papá's recipes.

When I got it working, I could even draw water through the dry earth and into the thirsty roots of the plants.  I thought I was going loco, but each time I did it, I saw a calming blue glow suffused throughout the field.

The troops carted us from one desert town to the next, systematically attacking and destroying each one. Once we stopped near the outskirts of a small haven... The troops went out with their copters and eventually all I could see was smoke in the distance. All I could feel was grief and terror.

When they came back they had them in cages... Four Lithu niñitos with their nubby horns, tears in their eyes. And one older girl, about my age. They stuffed them in a cage that they pulled along behind the field... Suffering and crying for their mamas and papas.

When I saw that I knew it was my job to escape and kill every single one of these motherfuckers who did this. Every. Single. One.

I was told to increase my output by 10%... Nearly impossible, but I had no choice... I had to feed the Lithu too. As soon as they came, the Robe tanks and copters started running on their own. They never once refilled the gas. I think they were using them as batteries somehow... Over the course of a few weeks, one of the Lithu ninos would waste away and die as the marchines marched on without rest. Eventually, only the oldest one was left.

When I saw that I knew it was my job to kill every single one of these motherfuckers who did this. Every. Single. One.

It was another long month of suffering, barely any sleep. My body was becoming frail, and Nopal was withering away... I heard them talking about kidnapping another Earthling when...

I was on my last leg when the strangers came. I heard a whistle that I had never heard before... And I know all of the birds by ear. They are important pollinators after all.

But this one sounded strange... It sounded like the steam of the geysers... It sounded alive but not quite organic. I would soon know it as the sound of hope.

I saw the sky go dark. A thick fog rolled in. I heard a thump softly next to me, and a sapien whisper in my ear.

NES:

My name is Nes, we've come to rescue you.

SCENE 9 MEETING WITH NES.

NES:

Don't freak out, ok? We are gonna get you out of this. We have an escape plan.

CHAPPI:

Que? What the hell is going on?

TIO VALO:

From time to time, the ancestors send heroes to Tlalli to defend it against the forces who wish to selfishly bend the planet and its inhabitants to their will. You have been chosen as one of the seven, and have been given power over the earth.

SURPRISED REACATION FROM CHAPPI

NES:

Tio I appreciate the lookup, but it's a little loud, can you hit the volume switch? Sorry, I know it's weird to hear a guitar talk... Don't worry, it's just possessed by the soul of my dead Tio Valo.

TIO VALO:

What is your name paisa?

CHAPPI:

What the fuuuuu... Ok. Names Chapultapec, and that's Nopal, my avatar. You can call me Chappi.

Pero, run that back for me, because you sound like you've been eating some of those hongos magicos I used to grow.

NES:

We're here to help. We are on a quest to find a place called Ultima, and unlock the power hidden there to defeat the Robes. They've found a way to break  through the shields and destroy the Havens.

Our friend Pocha is up there in the sky somewhere. She's a mechanical bird, who can somehow control the weather. I can heal people. Things are a little loco right now, but it's all true.

Hey, ever noticed any little blue glowing energy things when you concentrate?

CHAPPI:

Ohhhhh I get it...

I am finally dying. That's what's happening here.

VALO:

No mojo, you are not dying, te lo prometo. Oye. None of us know what's going on, but something strange is happening... We are trying to figure it out. But if you are anything like Nes and Pocha... You've noticed some weird things happening when you get worked up... Nes, show him.

CHAPPI:

Nes snuck over and touched the glass around Nopal... And started singing. He wasn't great, but his soft words resonated through the barrier, and I swear to god Nopal perked up. Wrapped in that same blue light I kept seeing when I did my thing... Her pads filled in, and verdad, a new flower even grew.

CHAPPI:

Whoa.

NES:

Yeah.

CHAPPI:

Wait. So ya'll don't think it's weird I can do this?

I concentrated hard, and the blue glow surrounded the ground around Nopal. A giant rock lifted up and smashed the glass around Nopal into bits. I'd been dreaming of doing that one for a while. I guess now was as good at time as ever.

NES:

Ha ha, no, que padre! Hey Tio! He can control the earth, you were right!

CHAPPI:

Whooo that felt good, I didn't know that would work! Alright shit, let's get out of here.

SCENE 10 FAST FORWARD.

FAST FORWARD FX

CHAPPI:

And so there we were. The smashing glass alerted the troops, but Pocha flew in with some well timed lightning strikes, breaking my chains and taking out a few attackers. Nes was 10 feet away smashing his guitar on anything that could move and healing us when we got wounded. And Nopal was sharpshooting needles at any Robes that dared to come near.

CHAPPI:

What are we gonna do about the Lithu?!

NES:

The Lithu? What Lithu?

POCHA:

Theres one over there in a cage!

CHAPPI:

They've been using her to power the tanks or something... I don't know. She's the last one.

CHAPPI:

It's just like in Pueblo, how they broke the shields... We have to get her somewhere safe!

NES:

Shit... Pocha do you think you could lift the cage?

POCHA:

The steel is too heavy, I don't think I can...

TIO VALO:

We have to save her.

CHAPPI:

Can somebody pick the lock?

NES:

Well Vuong taught me a little something, but I don't have any tools.

CHAPPI:

What about your guitar strings?

TIO VALO:

Yeah you never clipped them anyways, your Tio could use a little haircut.

POCHA:

That could work...

CHAPPI:

It's our only chance.

NES:

Ok... Let's give it a shot

BREAK FOR FIGHTING SOUNDS AS NES WORKS HIS WAY TOWARDS THE CAGE

NES:

I need some cover

POCHA:

I gotchu!

LIGHTNING STRIKE

CHAPPI:

I'll clear some space!

WATER SFX AS ROBES GET WASHED AWAY

NES:

Aarrrrgghhhhhh

VARISPEED DOWN

NES:

I hate to interrupt this classic 80s team up moment, but rewind...

REWIND

NES:

They asked the wimpiest little sapien in the crew to go head to head with 3 Robes and pick the lock on a steel cage. Really?

Amigos, this isn't just my story, but it has a happy ending right? Ok fast forward to the fight.

FAST FORWARD

NES:

Ooooof! Awwww

TIO VALO:

Si se puede! Si se puede! Si se puede!

REWIND

TIO VALO:

You're probably wondering where an old guitar learned how to bash skulls like this... Well it all started in Santa Tecla at a pulque bar with bad hand of dominoes and this mentiroso named Jesus...

POCHA:

Ya'll NO MORE REWINDS, we gotta lot of story to tell...

TIO VALO:

Hmmmmf. Fine.

FAST FORWARD

CHAPPI:

So the talking guitar was bashing heads. Took out three armed robe guards while that little Sapien managed to get the damn cage open... I honestly don't know how he did it.

MSX SFX STOP

NES:

I found a key on one of the Robes... Anyone asks, I picked the lock. Shhh!

MSX SFX START

CHAPPI:

Grab her!

POCHA:

Amiga, hop on, we gotta go!

CHAPPI:

I held off the Robes, using my mind to throw rocks and water blasting vatos while they got the weakened Lithu to safety on Pocha's back.

NES:

Chappi, let's go!

CHAPPI:

I have to get Nopal! When I say go, empieza a volar.

I thought of the smell of my dad's enfrijoladas and ripped a root up and around Pochas foot. I grabbed a hold of the other end, and walked up to Nopal.

"This is gonna hurt us a bit. Forgive me por favor."

"PLEASE" LINES SEMI-OVERLAP WITH NEXT SCENE

SCENE 11 JAKAR.

LINES OVERLAP WITH PREVIOUS SCENE

ADMIRAL YUZO:

Please General Jakar... Continue.

JAKAR:

Well sir. That thing... That bug. It walked over to the cactus, clenched it's teeth... And pulled the yellow flower from one of its arms. As it did it doubled over in pain, and trembled up to it's feet, with the flower tucked behind its antenna. It touched the plant almost... Lovingly. Like a pet, or even a sibling...

ADMIRAL YUZO:

Please keep the emotional flourishes to a minimum Jakar, you are embarrassing yourself. This is for the record.

JAKAR:

Sorry sir.

ADMIRAL YUZO:

Continue.

JAKAR:

The bug then flashed a vulgar sign in our direction and stuck its hand out over the ground. As it did... The earth rumbled and was wrapped in a blue aura. The wheat ripped from the ground and was shredded by crashing sand and sharp rock.

The Earthling smiled, shouted "Vamos!", and was pulled off by the Mechanical Bird. With the... earthquake... went the last of our food. Without food, or the Lithu children to power the tanks and water drills, most of my men perished in the desert within days. When you arrived, I was the only one left.

ADMIRAL YUZO:

But did you preserve the plans?

JAKAR:

Yes sir, they are here. And whats more... I think I know where the stone is...

ADMIRAL YUZO:

Very good. You are a good soldier Jakar, and a brilliant engineer. However you have disappointed Gilgesh with your failure to protect your men. You are lucky the red council has allowed you to continue to breathe. Do not fail us again. Build the machine.

JAKAR:

I will need many more demons, but I know I can do it sir.

ADMIRAL YUZO:

Very well, Lithu will be provided. May Gilgesh bless your journey.

JAKAR:

And yours, sir. I will not let you down.

LINES SEMI-OVERLAP WITH NEXT SCENE

SCENE 12 NOPAL.

LINES OVERLAP WITH PREVIOUS SCENE

POCHA:

Down there! I see it!

NES:

Yes! That's it... Tio look! Grammy's farm!

CHAPPI:

So you are telling me that we are a cosmically connected group of heros, sent to save Tlalli from the Robes in it's darkest hour?

TIO VALO:

From time to time, the ancestors send heroes to Tlalli to defend it against the forces who wish to selfishly bend the planet and its inhabitants to their will. You have been chosen as one of the seven, and given power over the earth.

CHAPPI:

Real broken record over here...

NES:

Tio! The chiles are ripe I can smell them...

TIO VALO:

I can't wait to have some pozole... Oh shit, can I even eat?

CHAPPI:

(MUTTERING UNDER BREATH) I mean I did start and earthquake with my mind...

NES:

Chappi I hope you like Pozole!

CHAPPI:

I've been eating oatmeal for 4 months... I would eat maiz out of a trashcan at this point...

TIO VALO:

Well you won't have to, Maria makes the best bowl in Tlalli. At least since I lost my opposable thumbs...

POCHA:

Alright, let's goooooo!!!!!!!

CHAPPI:

I watched the sapien run towards the door as we reached the ground, eager to eat and rest after a battle well fought. Close behind, the Mechanical Bird... She braced the weakened Lithu, holding her as she took hesitant steps towards the grinning sapien vieja with wrinkled brown skin, waiting at the door.

I bent over and scooped up some soil, letting it crumble between my fingers. I looked upon the two story casita made of cracked adobe and mix and match shingles. It had been settling in the earth for centuries, and now it looked like the doors barely peaked over the soft valley the foundation had created... They peaked searching for the next visitor to open su puerta, llenar su corazon.

These people saved me. They saved that Lithu. It was heroic, and tonto. We should have all died, but we didn't. And we looked badass doing it. At a time when surviving is heroic enough, this borders on the divine. I know we aren't gods, but a part of me believes we are our own better angels. And at least one of us has wings.

So for now, I'll buy this hero business.

For now, I believe that it's worth it to grow.

I can smell this soil, brimming with life. I smell chile plants that peek up just like that house, just as full of life... A shock of green against the night black dirt. I tuck Nopal into the rich earth, close by the casa, sure she will get the love she needs to grow again. And I walk through the door and peek in.

Yes, the plants were the first to see the world in its true colors. They mourn the darkness on their hungry skin, and chase the moon to each days dawn.

So I'll do my best to follow their example. Growing love and seeking light. Like them, me and my strange amigos have a purpose here. A purpose that feels as natural as light and and warmth, earth and rain. And it's one I intend to fulfill.

Vamonos. Let's go find... Ultima.

SCENE 13 CREDITS.

GIO:

Looking for Ultima is produced and written by me, Gio Lobato. Nes Chavez and Tio Valo are also played by me.

Pocha is played by Joelle Montoya

CHAPPI is played by Jose "Jozer" Guerrero

Jakar is played by Michael Satow.

Special shout out to Joshua Abyeta, who helped us record Jozer live in our hometown, Denver, Colorado.

Thanks to everyone who made this podcast possible. Including my early test listeners, editors, amigos, and familia. This wouldn't be possible without you.

If you like the show, please be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and share with your friends. You can find out more about Looking for Ultima at lookingforultima.com. You can follow us on instagram at @lookingforultima

We'd love to hear from you.

Siguen buscando. Gracias.