EPISODE 10

“These Walls Have Worn Too Thin”

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

DOV:

This is Kandel Against the Dark. We're here with Orson Libretti. We have a lot to discuss and...early on, we...as we learned about the briefcase and the cassette recorder, the box set, and most importantly, the body, I alluded to the implications of this being confirmation of the multiverse theory and how exciting and a little scary that was. That seems like the good old days at this point.

ORSON:

We heard these tapes in a specific manner, and I've said all along I wanted you to experience those this way. The reason being that if I had come out here and said --straightforward -- what Jack lands upon and what the evidence leads to, we might not be having this conversation.

DOV:

Well, I’ll...let...let me just say this, Orson: you and I have known each other a long time. You've been on the show quite a number of times.

ORSON:

We...we have.

DOV:

And I would consider us to be friends outside of the work.

ORSON:

Absolutely.

DOV:

Had you said that, had you...had you pitched to the end of this, uh, no, we would not be having this conversation.

ORSON:

It is...You have to see everything laid out in a specific order. And Jack does a tremendous job of...of doing that. What he's doing is laying it out for himself and coming to a conclusion. And obviously, he had been reaching, uh, one conclusion at one point, but then after hearing this music -- which I've been able to listen to the entire album, and perhaps that's something that...that...it can be made available, you know, in the future for everyone -- but what we heard could be interpreted and could suggest that there was a prophetic nature to this.

The way things have tied together and the way he's laid out the events of his life, we must ask if...if whatever is behind the Mater Nodes...the...the Mater System has been there all along in his universe and has been in control of everything, has in fact, sort of dictated their history, their timeline down to the personal level, as Jack seems to be suggesting -- and the evidence seems to, to back him up -- if that's true there, and then he has...again, assuming the...the body and everything that we found...you know...the body attached to the thing that we found...clearly that... even if the body isn't Jack, the objects that he had have crossed over to our universe. We must ask if these things are not merely crossing over, but if they in some form have been here as well, and is our history and our personal lives, are these things just as dictated, just as planned out?

DOV:

Right. Well, if something so fundamental to the fabric of...of his universe...if there are doorways and physical connection...physical...the ability of physical objects to...to come through, it would seem the larger stretch to assume that --

ORSON:

It's not connected.

DOV:

-- It wouldn’t be fundamental to ours as well.

ORSON:

Yes.

DOV:

We’ve spoken of the tapestry, and the threads, and the chaos, and --

ORSON:

If that is the case, it would seem to suggest that our universe may be in peril. And this is the...the horror that we were realizing in the team, which...which makes the...the decision by...by the higher ups -- the people that that that shut everything down -- it calls into question the motives for doing that.

DOV:

Of course. Which...we and our listeners, uh, have a...I think, a tendency to distrust -- for good reason. But this is, uh, it seems to be a particularly egregious...at least we must have the conver...we MUST have the conversation.

ORSON:

Yes, yes.

DOV:

And again, in looking at the...the seeming physical link, uh, between Jack's universe and our own and, uh, all the implications that come with that, I think another part of that conversation certainly needs to be about highlighting something else I'm picking up on...something that really adds to this troubling sense of connection we're getting at here. And that is the similarities; the similarities that exist between our two worlds.

ORSON:

Yes.

DOV:

I think I find that so concerning, because it seems to suggest a certain level of parity between our universes.

ORSON:

Yes, our...our team was feeling the same way.

DOV:

Okay, so let's talk about that a little. Earlier today, you shared an article with me that was included as part of the box set of music that accompanied Jack's tapes in that briefcase.

ORSON:

Correct.

DOV:

The article, uh, titled “Pop Prophets of Doom: A 20th Anniversary Retrospective of Æ.S.C’s Magnum Opus and Swan Song”, end quote. It's about that very box set, which is called “Nákrófoníchos”. And I'm sure I'm probably butchering that title, but...but anyway, there was one particular detail that, uh, that really stood out to me, and that is the fact that a certain poet and author -- a writer by the name of Holt Keystone -- was a massive influence on the band's body of work.

ORSON:

Yes.

DOV:

Obviously, that name jumped out immediately, because --of course -- most of us will know Holt Keystone from high school English.

ORSON:

Absolutely.

DOV:

We definitely explored some of his work. And then there's, uh, the name of the song that Jack mentions: The Cat Alone Will Remember.

ORSON:

Yes.

DOV:

And this, of course, immediately calls to mind the famous Keystone poem, Only the Cat Will Remember. So I, uh, I have to assume the song title was inspired by that same poem -- just a version that existed in their universe. I mean, if not exactly the same, then at least very similar.

ORSON:

Um, that does appear to be the case, yes. In fact, the vocal track to the song, uh, appears to be a recording of Holt Keystone himself reading that poem.

DOV:

Oh, man. Okay. Now, to be fair, we've had other similarities. I mean, Jack made mention of Rasputin, earlier in the tapes, and there is the concept of sigilmancy, which, of course, we know here. But now we have this additional parallel of...of Holt Keystone. That's the one I find deeply concerning, because -- at least according to Jack -- this poem seems to have served as a kind of prophecy for this apocalypse in Jack's world. And -- for me, anyway -- it's...it isn't hard to wonder if that poem is intended to serve a similar function in ours.

ORSON:

Exactly.

DOV:

So, I suppose the million dollar question is: how correct do we think Jack was about his reading of the music and poem as being prophetic?

ORSON:

Well, let's look at that. Um...as I promised before, I do have Æ.S.C.’s music here, so I think we should go ahead and, uh, and play the song in question. And then we can, uh, kind of analyze what it is Jack may be hearing in it that's, uh, that's leading him to this conclusion.

DOV:

Oh man, I...I really thought I would be more excited, uh, to hear inter-dimensional music. But uh, given the context here, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm...I'm a little bit scared. Well, uh...well, let's give it a listen, and let's...let's see what we can take away from it.

ORSON:

Alright.

DOV:

Folks, what you are about to hear is a song by Æ.S.C. Uh, a...a band from another universe. Hold on tight, folks. Here we go.

[TAPE CLICK]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

HOLT KEYSTONE (IN SONG):

When, at last, all these false lights tire

of pressing at the patient dark

and, flickering unstoked, expire,

one by one, ‘til Jupiter’s spark;

the sun, the moon, the stars entire;

Pole-girding Aurora’s jade arc;

the bioluminescent fire;

Vulcan’s spittle on summer’s bark;

or some bolide’s self-absorbed pyre,

are all that remain to remark

on Humanity’s cold ember,

the Cat alone will remember.

When this conspiracy of vines,

weeds, shrubs, turf—unchecked manicure

of homogenized lawns—aligns

against the void architecture

where a thin dog, whose lonesome whines

grew hoarse as it sought to conjure

affection from a corpse, consigns

itself to hungrily abjure

Domesticity’s weak confines

and, biting onto Instinct’s lure,

drags off what it can dismember,

the Cat alone will remember.

When kennel, collar, leash, and law

have lost all power to harass—

for Master’s swollen, slackened jaw

holds no commandments left to pass—

and shattered tooth and tattered claw

tear holes in mortar, wood, and glass

so these tame kin of wolves may draw

together on suburban grass

to let long frozen Nature thaw

as pecking order’s rigid class

finds a place for each new member,

the Cat alone will remember.

When, hesitant as a first kiss,

come skulking down the avenue

packs of near-wolves exploring this

abandoned world that they once knew;

where, like a beckoning Abyss,

yawns every window’s blackened view,

and all the rugs they once would piss

now slosh at forepaws’ touch, soaked through

where roof and wall make sunbeams miss

uncounted mornings’ clinging dew

that will turn frost in November,

the Cat alone will remember.

When cow, horse, sheep, pig, ox, and goat

provide the dogs fresh meat and bone;

starved, suffocated fishes float;

caged birds desiccate, dry as stone,

while every free, unfettered throat

sends up one shrill, rejoicing drone,

and, fat on Gluttony’s last bloat,

the crow brags in its jarring tone

as migratory masses float

down to Earth, claiming for their own

the untouched yields of September,

the Cat alone will remember.

From blue whale to blue-green algae,

from preying wolf to mourning dove,

none is so like humanity

as the Cat; they match love for love

and are most loyal to loyalty.

But each rudeness, from slight to shove,

is nursed in vengeful memory.

Yet, unlike us, they’d not dream of

letting spite breed catastrophe.

Still, though they may long walk above

the grave of our last December,

the Cat, at least, will remember.

[SONG ENDS]

[TAPE CLICK]

ORSON:

Okay.

DOV:

Yeah...um...to the best of my recollection, that is exactly the same poem that exists here.

ORSON:

It is. Uh, word for word. The only difference is the title. Again, in Jack's world, this poem is called The Cat Alone Will remember, instead of Only the Cat Will Remember.

DOV:

Right, um... I think a part of me was just really hoping that it would be wildly different somehow. Or certainly more than, you know, just the title, at least.

ORSON:

Um, unfortunately, no.

DOV:

Okay, so we've heard it now, and, um, there were...there were definitely a lot of lines in there that, um, sent some chills up my spine. Um...you know, hearing that song in the context of everything Jack has experienced...

ORSON:

Exactly. And that's the thing here. Uh, you had asked before, uh, how correct we think Jack was about this song serving as a kind of prophecy.

DOV:

Right.

ORSON:

So...well, let's explore that a little by starting with the actual contents of the poem.

DOV:

Oh, man.

ORSON:

It's obviously very apocalyptic. So right out of the gate, we are in the ballpark of Jack's experience. But of course, as Jack said, every apocalypse is bound to resemble the next to some degree. So that doesn't necessarily mean this is about his world. Uh, but...but then he says there are all of these, uh, specifics that are just too uncanny to ignore.

DOV:

Right.

ORSON:

Now, Jack listed off some of these things, but, uh, given how shaken he clearly was by what he'd heard, uh, he was really rather brief with his analysis. So, let's dive a little deeper into those parallels he was pointing to, because I think once we've done that, we can start to fully appreciate the unease Jack was experiencing as he heard this song.

DOV:

Alright.

ORSON:

So again, even at first glance, there are these obvious parallels. There's this description of this crumbling suburban landscape, uh, very much like the one Jack has found himself in at this point. Uh, “the bones of suburbia”, as he called it. And right at the beginning of this poem, in the very first stanza, we get a mention of bioluminescent fire. And that's very interesting. Because the Nodes and the spider things seem to have a form of bioluminescence.

DOV:

Exactly. I mean, that grabbed my ear the second I heard it.

ORSON:

Okay, so we've got the bones of suburbia, this mention of bioluminescent fire, uh, and THEN there is this matter of the dogs.

DOV:

Umm hmm, exactly.

ORSON:

“Packs of near wolves,” as they were described in the poem. And, of course, Jack has had that rather harrowing experience with the dogs.

DOV:

Right.

ORSON:

But then, in the course of the poem, we start to understand that these dogs are far more than they appear to be at first blush. Keystone focuses a great deal of the description on these dogs and...and the abject destruction they bring to this world. So he's using them as, uh, as metaphorical embodiments of whatever is behind this cataclysm, uh, that...that rests at the heart of the poem.

DOV:

So, essentially they’re stand-ins for the Mater Nodes.

ORSON:

Exactly. Uh, but -- and this is where things get really interesting -- If you then pair that with Jack's description of the actual dogs he dealt with, okay? And the fact that their eyes glowed with what we can assume was, uh, that same pale blue light of the Mater Nodes, suddenly we...we start to see that Keystone wasn't merely being metaphorical here. I mean, he certainly was. But we think he was also being quite literal -- uh, that these dogs Jack was dealing with were, uh, were in fact operating as direct agents of the Mater System and...and whatever is behind it. So in a way, they may as well have been the Nodes themselves.

DOV:

Wow.

ORSON:

And finally, there is the titular cat. Uh, again, we...we...we could simply view this as nothing more than metaphorical language. The word “cat” is capitalized throughout the poem. So...so on the surface, Keystone appears to be simply treating the cat as, uh, an idea, uh, as a particular mode of existence. But there is an actual cat.

DOV:

Exactly. There is an actual cat.

ORSON:

So, like the dogs, the cat certainly seems to be more than just a metaphor here. And if that's the case, does that mean that this poem, as Jack seemed to believe, is more than just a poem? Is it in fact a veiled but very literal description of the events he was experiencing?

DOV:

That's certainly where my mind was going as I heard it.

ORSON:

And then when you consider the other songs -- and of course we can't dive into all of that on the show -- but if you consider the other songs included on this boxset, you really start to see a lot of imagery and, uh, thematic overlap between Jack's world and this music. Uh, that is absolutely what Jack was seeing. And it's what we were seeing on the team as well.

DOV:

Yeah, and I'm seeing those connections to. Um...you know, at least for the song that we've heard. But...but...I'm going to play...I'm going to play devil's advocate for...for a moment.

ORSON:

Of course. Of course.

DOV:

It's easy, umm -- and I believe Jack even alludes to this on the tapes...it's easy to take esoteric lyrics or poetry and...and, you know, and sort of graft it onto a specific real world experience. You know, it's kind of confirmation bias. It's...it's...it's cherry picking what fits.

ORSON:

Yes, yes. As Jack said, “Everyone has those moments where they feel like the music is, uh, speaking directly to them.”

DOV:

Exactly.

ORSON:

And...and...and that's certainly true. But...but then if you consider the context in which Jack heard this song... And...and listen, this is really the larger aspect of all of this: ultimately the core issue is on whether the song is prophetic or not. I do think there's a strong case that it is, but that only really matters because of how it supports the much larger realization that...that Jack has had here: that every moment of his life has been meticulously plotted and planned, uh...And not just his life, but everyone's life. And...and most especially ‘Scilla’s life.

DOV:

Right.

ORSON:

That's really the key thing here. This plan and the...the “why” of it all.

DOV:

Right.

ORSON:

So...so with that larger focus in mind, uh, let's turn back to the song and really try to consider the way it was eventually revealed to Jack.

DOV:

Alright.

ORSON:

He's driving through the fog. He's hungry. He's thirsty. And suddenly an Awlmart magically appears in the middle of this...this cloudy void. So of course, he's going to stop. And what happens once he's inside that store? His body is hijacked by some force that...that leads him directly to a tape recorder -- and not just any recorder. It’s his recorder. Not only has he been physically steered directly to it, not only was he imbued with this irrational, overwhelming desire to hold its flashing red light in his hands, but it also had the added touch of literally having his name written all over it.

DOV:

Right.

ORSON:

That seems like a pretty unambiguous message that he needs to take this recorder with him.

DOV:

Yeah, I'd say so.

ORSON:

And then, immediately after finding this recorder, uh, he sees the glow emanating from the cover of what turns out to be a box set of music. But again, this isn't just any box set. It's a box set of the one band Jack was obsessed with. And it just so happens that this box set is the only place this song was ever released.

DOV:

Wow...

ORSON:

What are the odds of that?

DOV:

Yeah...

ORSON:

And not only that, as he says, it wasn't even in the music section. It was sitting in front of a shelf full of Mater Nodes.

DOV:

Right.

ORSON:

Like the recorder, it seems pretty clear that this album was -- as Jack said -- left there for him to find. And when you also consider the band photo on the cover of the box set, uh, from decades before in Jack's life...not only is there the glowing orb in the hands of Te’in, the frontman, but there was also the other figure that looks identical to Gar.

DOV:

Right.

ORSON:

I mean...I'll just say this: if all of this is a coincidence, it’s one hell of a coincidence.

DOV:

Yeah. I mean, you know, when you take everything together, it really does seem to suggest that Jack was right -- that there is a meticulous and...and deliberate plan. I mean...I mean, just the timing alone of...of when he hears this song.

ORSON:

Exactly.

DOV:

It's like....it's like it was a message, um, meant especially for him, and, you know, withheld until its moment of undeniable relevance.

ORSON:

Exactly.

DOV:

Which means that every desire that he and anyone else has ever had... they were dictated from the start, including his fixation on Æ.S.C. You know, it wasn't incidental because nothing is. It's something very specifically programed into him in preparation for this very moment, this moment where he would hear this song -- this revelatory song.

ORSON:

That's exactly right. So I think we've got more than enough evidence at this point to, uh, support the idea that Jack isn't just simply rationalizing here. Uh, that...that all of these things really are like, uh, individual links in this incredible cosmic chain.

DOV:

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm seeing what you're seeing.

ORSON:

You know, there's always been this idea of order. Uh, as Jack puts it, “All religions come down to things happen for a reason.”

DOV:

Right.

ORSON:

But rarely have we seen the reason presented as so dark in purpose. Umm...

DOV:

Dark, certainly, but...but also inscrutable.

ORSON:

Yes.

DOV:

And now, you know, with all of this in mind -- I rather reluctantly -- want to return to where we started this whole conversation. And that is with the seeming parity between our two worlds.

ORSON:

Yes.

DOV:

I was already feeling unnerved, but after everything you've just laid out...again, the implications are terrifying.

ORSON:

Yes.

DOV:

I suppose I do find some comfort in the fact that, you know, at least as far as we know, the...the...the band Æ.S.C., who signed to that record label and, you know, met that violent...you know...the literal details of that band and their narrative don't seem to exist in our universe.

ORSON:

We did the research. Uh, we did not find them -- specifically.

DOV:

Good.

ORSON:

But everything we've just talked about also makes us wonder how limited we are, uh, in being able to see the mechanisms behind all of human existence. Uh, just as those of Jack's world were, uh, unable to see them.

DOV:

I have to tell you, Orson, that is...not a comfortable thought. Um, on any level. I mean, you know, what are we missing? What are we not seeing?

ORSON:

Exactly.

DOV:

Sometimes we...we only see the patterns of things, you know, after the fact. We...we only see them in hindsight.

ORSON:

Yes yes, which is exactly what Jack is dealing with. And now he seems to have landed on some semblance of the...the “how” of all of this. But he still -- as has been said numerous times -- he’s still chasing the “why”, as now --

DOV:

Are we.

ORSON:

-- are we. Uh so...well, in light of that search, and in deference to that search, perhaps we should see what the, uh, what the tapes have to say next.

DOV:

Uh yes. Yes, I think we should. Um, first we do need to take a quick ad break. And then we'll come back to hear more of Jack's story. And uh...well, given the contents of this conversation, I think, uh...it's only fitting to have Æ.S.C. play us out on this one. Let’s just go ahead and, uh, double down on the creepy factor. Maggie, did Orson give you something you can keep up for now? And you did. Okay, great. Let's, uh, let's take that break. You are listening to Kandel Against the Dark, and this is more seemingly prophetic music from another universe. We'll be right back.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

TE'IN THE PROPHET (IN THE SONG):

He said it’s where the light gets in

I say it’s where the hope drains out

For now these walls have worn too thin

To muffle this eternal doubt

That we are free to choose our fate

That we can turn this ship around

But we are merely human freight

And destined to be run aground

[MUSIC FADES OUT]

[THEME MUSIC PLAING]

DOV:

And welcome back. You are listening to Kandel Against the Dark. Now, before the break, we came to realize some -- if our conclusions are correct -- some pretty terrifying truths about the nature of Jack's world. And we've also identified, uh, what are -- you know, when taking Jack's reality into consideration -- some rather troubling similarities between his world and ours.

The question we seem to be left with is...is, what do these revelations mean? You know, and not just for Jack's experience, but what do they mean for us? For our world? And I suppose the only way we're going to find that out is for me to turn it back over to my guest, Orson Libretti. Orson, my mind is...is racing after that discussion before the break. Now, I'm feeling a pretty intense sense of foreboding. So, you know, with that, what's next?

ORSON:

Well, I...I hate to say this, but if you thought that last bit was a lot, uh, you're going to want to hold onto your seats for this. Um...there's really no better way to say it. So, I'm just going to hit play, and, uh, and then we can discuss. Uh, I am certain that you're going to have plenty of questions.

DOV:

Oh, man. Alright. “In for a penny”, as they say.

ORSON:

Okay, here we go.

[TAPE CLICK]

UNKNOWN VOICE:

Well, well, well, lookit all y’all with yer front row seats. I gotta say, I sure am glad you could make it. Woulda been a real shame to play this show to an empty room. Thing is, though, we knew y’all would be here. In fact, we was countin’ on it. I mean, y’all don't honestly think we would have gone to all this trouble otherwise. Do ya? See, I’m gonna let y'all in on a little secret: this fancy recorder here? It’s just as much for y'all as it is for our little friend. You'll find out why in due time. Cain't say too much though. Don't spoil the surprise.

Oh and, my sincerest apologies if yer havin’ a little trouble hearin’ me. I gotta be just as quiet as a little caterpillar in his cocoon. Don’t want to distrurb our world-weary pal here, do I? Yeah, poor feller’s all tuckered out. He's had a tough row hoe lately, umm hmm. And I'll tell you what, If there was ever a boy who's earned his rest, it's this one. He's been a real team player. And he does look just so damn cute all cuddled up with his cat. Yeah, it'd be a real shame to wake him just yet. We’ll let him have a few more hours before we wind him up again.

But it's almost time. Still lots to do. Still a ways to go before he’s done. In the meantime, I thought I'd just pop in and say my hellos and do a little...redecoratin’. Make sure our boy stays on track. Cain’t let these new digs distract him too much. After all, this end ain't goin’ to finish itself, is it? No sir, it is not.

So I'ma get to it. I guess that means this is goodbye for now. But I‘ll be seein’ y‘all again soon enough. And, I know, I know, you’re probably not looking forward to that nearly as much as I am. But hey, I'm pretty used to that by now. It’s alright. I ain’t offended. Oh, and in the interest of fairness to myself, I will say this: if y'all didn't want me poking around in your lives, ya probably shouldn't have gone and listened to these tapes. Ain’t that right? Oh, well. Too late now. That train has done left the station. Whoo whoo! From here on out, it is full speed ahead.

But that's how it goes. Y’all already done walked right up to the line, stepped right on over it. Ain't no changin’ that now. What's that phrase? “Point of no return?” Umm hmm, that's the one. Anyhow, like I said, I gotta be movin’ on for now. But I'll be seein’ ya. Till then, Y'all sleep real tight. Just like our friend here.

[TAPE CLICK]

DOV:

Okay...what the hell was that?

ORSON:

Yes. I believe similar words were used by someone on the team.

DOV:

Yeah, I’d Imagine.

ORSON:

Yes. Obviously, the immediate thing the team got from this was the, uh, the realization that, uh, somehow, uh, someone else was alive. Uh, that that somehow another person had survived this, uh, this world ending, uh, event that Jack had experienced -- assuming, of course, that it was indeed a person, which does seem to be a somewhat reasonable uncertainty, given everything that we've heard.

DOV:

Right? Um...okay so, I assume the team, um...I assume a voice analysis expert was...was brought in to confirm that this wasn't Jack.

ORSON:

This isn't Jack. We know this isn't Jack. The waveforms don't match up. That's the clearest evidence. But...but we know this isn't Jack.

DOV:

Orson, as I've said, we've been friends a long time, and I have learned to trust you a great deal over the course of our relationship. But I have to tell you, given some of the things that we just heard from that voice on that tape, I think I have to... Look, I'll just say it: what...what what the hell are you thinking?

I'm sorry to put it that way, but that voice was saying -- in no uncertain terms -- that listening to these tapes puts the listener in peril.

ORSON:

Yes...

DOV:

So I guess I'm just struggling to understand why you thought it was a good idea -- why you thought it was wise -- to come on my show and broadcast these tapes to my audience. I mean, look, I'm sor...I'm sorry to be so curt, but I am stunned by this. Please help me understand.

ORSON:

Well first, given what you've heard, your reaction is absolutely justified. Absolutely. But here's the thing -- and I promise, once I explain this, you'll feel a bit a bit better: but the thing is, the genie has been out of the bottle for a long time. That happened the moment we listened to these tapes during our initial investigation. At that point, they had been heard. The damage was already done. Uh, you asked before, uh, before the break, “What are we missing?” This. This is what you were missing. It's something only a tiny handful of people knew until now. And...and that is exactly why I chose to write the book. That is exactly why I chose to bring this onto your show. As I said, this information needs to get out. I'm here because I'm sounding the alarm. I'm here because it would b -- and has been -- a dereliction of duty for me to not sound the alarm.

DOV:

Okay...

ORSON:

When you consider everything we've heard, when you consider the, uh...as you put it, “the parity” between our two worlds, when you remember that these tapes showed up in in a crater in our universe, when you hear the...the almost gleeful declaration on the tape...We. Are. In. Danger. We have been in danger for decades.

And I have been living under the burden of that for a long time. Th...the simple truth is, I failed. I failed to come forward. I...I...I stayed silent after this was just swept under the rug by our government. I stayed silent because I was protecting myself. I was protecting the members of our team. But there is...there's not a day that has gone by that I haven't felt guilty for my failure to come forward sooner. That is what I'm trying to rectify with you. Here. Now. Legal consequences be damned. The world needs to know that there is a looming threat. We need to be aware so that we can take action.

DOV:

Oh...okay, okay. I hear you. I do. Um...you know, and what you're saying about the genie being out of the bottle makes sense. I...I guess my next question is: what...what action are we supposed to take exactly?

ORSON:

Dov, that is a question I have been wrestling with since this investigation was shuttered. And I'm sorry to say I have no earthly idea. But it is my hope that once the world at large is aware of all of this, uh, that...that someone -- anyone -- will have a moment of inspiration that presents, uh, an answer to that question. But we can't hope for that if...if nobody knows it's a problem that needs to be solved. That's why I'm here.

DOV:

I get it, I get it. I do. Um...I mean, what you just said is the exact reason this show exists. I started the show to reveal hidden truths. Truths that affect all of us; truths that are so often concealed by those in power simply because it helps them to maintain that power.

ORSON:

Exactly. You've always been a strong proponent of disclosure. That is why I'm here. That is why I played these tapes. These...these terrifying tapes. I am disclosing. I am here disclosing what could quite possibly be the single greatest threat our world has ever faced. And I'm doing it because people need to know.

And I'm sorry. I know I've been coy. I know I've been evasive with some of my answers, but like I said, I really wanted you and your audience to experience these tapes the same way we did. Because I think...I know, given the nature of what they reveal, you have to take that journey of discovery. I would have sounded like a, uh, a total crackpot -- even to people with a really open mind; people like you and your audience. But...but when you hear it -- when you hear it all played out -- it's all here. Jack is a much better messenger than I could ever hope to be. And he lays it all out with such clarity.

DOV:

Okay, I...I'm...I'm satisfied by your reasoning.

I'm going to be honest with you. A few minutes ago, I was ready to put a stop to this broadcast and throw you out on your ass. But I understand now. I get it. I do. And, you know, I'm...I'm with you. I think we have an opportunity here, thanks to you, to actually affect a positive change on this world in a way that I couldn't have ever dreamed of, uh, before. So, we'll do what we can with the time that we have left in this broadcast to make that happen. And...um...and Orson, I'm sorry I doubted you.

ORSON:

Oh, don't be. I think it's a sign of a rational mind. As I said, I completely understand your initial reaction.

DOV:

Okay, so...so now with this clearer understanding of the magnitude of what we're talking about here, we'll...we'll press ahead. But...but first, I think...I think we...I think we should take a moment to breathe and just really process, um, what we've just learned.

So with that...we just had one, but I think we need another... We're going to take a quick break, and then we'll come back with our new perspective in terms of...you know, new perspective in terms of the gravity of...of all of this. Folks, I hope you'll stick with us here. Orson is right. This is important information that you all absolutely need to have.

Okay. You are listening to Kandel Against the Dark, and we'll be right back.

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

END OF EPISODE 10