0:00

Rusty

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Quill

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Presents

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The Gospel

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of

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Haven

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Episode

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1

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Incubation

0:35

It's funny.

1:09

Circulation. The

1:53

Gospel of Isaiah

1:56

Chapter 1, verse 1. The

2:01

heart in the wall was leaking again.

2:04

Normally the liquid exuded by a living

2:06

organ would be absorbed by the flesh

2:08

cavity surrounding it and repurposed. But this

2:11

heart oozed strong smelling fluid at a

2:13

rate even the god flesh couldn't match.

2:15

It nearly filled the bowl his eyes

2:17

mother had placed underneath it to catch

2:20

the drippings. But they didn't want to

2:22

be the one to dump it out.

2:24

Vital liquid stained clothes and left your

2:26

skin stinking. So that chore they were

2:29

happy to shove on to someone else.

2:31

Their family shouldn't even be taking care

2:33

of this, really. Hart says a vital

2:36

organ were highly prized in Haven, and

2:38

they were typically kept close to the

2:40

central chambers of the community. But, Isaiah's

2:43

great-uncle Luke had sacrificed the heart, and

2:45

the replacement Haven had provided had failed

2:47

him early. Only a few weeks after

2:49

his heart had been removed, the red

2:52

jewel shining in his chest had sputtered

2:54

and winked out unexpectedly. ending

2:56

Uncle Luke's separate life and

2:59

beginning his united life before

3:01

its natural time. The surgeon priest

3:03

at the time had expressed regret

3:05

for the loss, which, while not

3:07

unheard of, was rare, and allowed

3:09

his eyes family to be custodians

3:12

of Luke's heart as recompense. The

3:14

honor therein provided them with slightly

3:16

higher status among the citizens of

3:18

Haven, and they were called upon

3:20

less often to make sacrifice. Isaiah

3:23

wasn't sure if that was so

3:25

their care of the heart was

3:27

uninterrupted, or because it had been

3:29

proven that their family had a

3:31

history of rejecting Haven's replacement organs.

3:33

The last, they'd never know. No

3:36

one would dare speak such heresy

3:38

allowed. To reject a replacement would

3:40

be to reject the very flesh

3:42

of Haven itself. And that would

3:44

be unthinkable. The Whitlock family was

3:46

not shunned after the death of

3:48

their patriarch. He died for Haven,

3:50

which was heroic heroic. But

3:52

his death brought the shadow

3:55

of failure onto his surviving

3:57

relatives. Isaiah had never

3:59

been... popular among their peers. They

4:02

asked too many questions, stared too

4:04

much, were direct to the point

4:06

of bluntness. After great Uncle Luke,

4:08

only a few of their peers

4:10

would dain to share more than

4:12

a few words with his eye

4:14

over lunch or in the hall. They did

4:16

not present this. As I knew that

4:18

they were strange, and the taint of

4:20

strangeness was catching. They cherished the friends

4:22

who didn't fear that contagion and counted

4:25

themselves lucky. Those friendships had served them

4:27

well for the last three days, as

4:29

they'd been able to arrange to be

4:31

at Leo's or Matthew's for dinner. Their

4:34

mother always dumped out the bowl before

4:36

cooking in the evening, so the scint

4:38

didn't fill the kitchen during meals and

4:40

put them off their food. But their

4:43

luck couldn't last forever. When they shouldered

4:45

their backpack and attempted to slip out

4:47

the door at 645, they were brought

4:49

up short by a grip on their

4:52

ear. And where are you going? their

4:54

mother demanded. As Iapod at her hand

4:56

ineffectually ineffectually. Ineffectually. Ineffectually. Mom, you don't

4:59

need to grab me. I'm just going

5:01

to Matthews." Isaiah's mother smiled.

5:03

Empty the bowl before

5:05

you go. Their shoulders slumped. Mom?

5:08

The grip on their ear

5:10

tightened to a pinch, just

5:12

for a moment. You can

5:14

lace about with your friends,

5:16

after the chores are done,

5:18

and not before. Their mother had

5:20

a will of steel and

5:22

fingernails to match. Isaiah sagged

5:24

and defeat. Okay. Their

5:27

mother let go with a more genuine

5:29

smile. She walked towards the kitchen, calling

5:31

over her shoulder. Tell Amalia hello for

5:33

me, and that I'm grateful for the

5:36

knitting pattern she lent me. Yes, Mom, As

5:38

I replied, dropping their bag by the

5:40

doors they pulled on the apron and

5:42

gloves required when opening the heart chamber.

5:45

The clothes had been blessed by Dr.

5:47

Moore herself, and the apron was embroidered

5:49

with an arterial red with the prayers

5:52

of incisions. Technically, one

5:54

was supposed to recite the prayers whenever

5:56

they opened the chamber, and thanks to

5:58

Haven for allowing them to access its...

6:00

sacred body. Zaya just held their

6:02

breath to avoid the smell. It

6:04

didn't work. The bone china of

6:06

the bowl on the floor of

6:08

the chamber was almost completely obscured

6:10

by the greenish pus that filled

6:12

it to the brim. The heart

6:14

above beats steadily, but every pump

6:16

sent drops of fluid spattering outward,

6:19

sliding off his eye as apron

6:21

and onto the ground. They swallowed

6:23

hard to keep their gorge from

6:25

rising and picked up the bowl.

6:27

Moving slowly as to not spill

6:29

any of the vile stuff on

6:31

the ground or worse themselves. Six

6:33

steps to the opening in the

6:35

wall that led to the waste

6:37

disposal pipes. They fumbled for the

6:39

hatch with one hand, unlatching it

6:41

with difficulty. Their mother's voice stopped

6:44

them. The prayers, Isaiah, thought a

6:46

quiet curse. Of course she had

6:48

to come back and delay them

6:50

when they were almost done. They

6:52

needed to breathe to speak. They

6:54

took a deep breath through their

6:56

mouth. Tasting green viscera on their

6:58

tongue. Thank you, O great haven,

7:00

whose body houses us, whose flesh

7:02

feeds us, whose blood bays us,

7:04

for taking this which we can

7:07

sign to you for your uses,

7:09

all things are, and we'll be

7:11

amen. Isaiah's prayers were more frantic

7:13

than pious. And they could since

7:15

their mother's disapproval, but she didn't

7:17

insist they repeat them. Like you

7:19

mean it, Isaiah. They were free

7:21

to dump the liquid into the

7:23

vein. Close the vein. Close. As

7:25

I stopped to give their mother

7:27

a kiss on the cheek before

7:29

retreating to their room, to find

7:32

a bottle of squash flower water

7:34

that Matthew had given them for

7:36

their last birthday, infused from the

7:38

imperfect blossoms he picked at his

7:40

after-school job on the hydroponics level.

7:42

As I had dabbed the water

7:44

at their wrists, neck, and put

7:46

a good size drop under their

7:48

nose for good measure. The smell

7:50

didn't go away completely, but it

7:52

receded enough as I could manage

7:55

to keep their stomach from rolling.

7:57

A change of clothes and they

7:59

were out the door in search

8:01

of cleaner of cleaner, in search

8:03

of cleaner air. and to avoid

8:05

their mother's eyes boring into their

8:07

back, worry and sternness mingling in

8:09

her gaze. No parenting advice group

8:11

on Haven ever spoke on what

8:13

to do with an impious child.

8:15

Asaya didn't want to worry her,

8:17

they knew both of their parents

8:20

feared what a reputation of disobedience

8:22

could spell for their future. But

8:24

they couldn't help it. Even when

8:26

they tried, and they did try.

8:28

They couldn't understand why they weren't

8:30

supposed to ask questions, why things

8:32

must be done the way they

8:34

had always been. They hunched their

8:36

shoulders under their backpack. They'd grow

8:38

out of it. Everyone said teenagers

8:40

grew out of unfortunate habits. They

8:43

didn't make their skin anymore. This

8:45

would be no different. Even in

8:47

their own head, the words sounded

8:49

unconvincing. As I knew that there

8:51

was something fundamentally wrong about them.

8:53

Their fervent hope was that no

8:55

one else found out. Lost in

8:57

thought. As I didn't notice the

8:59

flags until they were at Matthew's

9:01

door, their stomach twisted. A white

9:03

square fabric, with a red scalp

9:05

wound lazened on it, hung over

9:08

the door. Someone in the family

9:10

had been chosen for a sacrifice.

9:12

Isaiah stopped dead, trying to calm

9:14

their racing heart. It would be

9:16

fine. Almost everyone who made sacrifices

9:18

came out of it alive and

9:20

well. Mostly. If their movements were

9:22

a little different, if they seemed

9:24

a bit dazed, well... Major surgery

9:26

would do that to a person.

9:28

It would be fine. As I

9:31

rubbed their palms against their pants,

9:33

trying to hide the sweat that

9:35

coated them, they fixed a smile

9:37

on their face for the benefit

9:39

of the empty hallway, then turned

9:41

and walked away. They waited until

9:43

they were around the corner before

9:45

speeding up, but they couldn't run.

9:47

People would wonder why, but they

9:49

walked quickly. Another shame. Another silent

9:51

heresy. Another thing, no

9:53

one, no one could ever,

9:56

ever find out. To sacrifice

9:58

a part of one's body...

10:00

for the good of the

10:02

community was an act of

10:04

outstanding service. It was selfless.

10:06

Moreover, it was natural. Every

10:08

citizen in Haven would be

10:10

expected to do it at

10:12

some time in their life.

10:14

The especially pious or favored

10:16

might sacrifice several times. It

10:18

was the highest of honors.

10:20

It horrified, Isaiah. This, of

10:22

course, was the highest of

10:24

heresies. The body and soul

10:26

belonged to Haven. It

10:29

only spent some time separate from

10:31

the heavenly flesh of the facility

10:33

for the sake of providing maintenance.

10:36

Isaiah knew this. Every child born

10:38

in Haven knew it as surely

10:40

as they knew their own name.

10:42

But no matter what they did,

10:45

Isaiah couldn't seem to squash the

10:47

desire to remain apart. To stay

10:49

in their separate life and never

10:51

move on to the next stage.

10:54

Isaiah accepted their failures. They were

10:56

a heretic. but they would not

10:58

be allowed to practice any of

11:01

the falsehoods they wondered about. They

11:03

would choose a partner, have children,

11:05

sacrifice, and be taken into the

11:07

body of haven. No one would

11:10

ever know. No one could ever

11:12

know. But they still walked briskly.

11:14

Frozen smile plastered on their face.

11:16

In the vain hopes that a

11:19

little distance from the flags would

11:21

buy them time to escape the

11:23

knife entirely. The

11:31

Book of Haven. Gospel of

11:33

Rebecca. Chapter 1, verse 1.

11:35

Shh. Rebecca crooned. Her hand

11:37

was steady on the knife

11:39

as she skillfully guided it

11:42

along the dotted line that

11:44

would become the incision. Her

11:46

other hand stroked the hair

11:48

of the donor. His name

11:50

was Gerald. A 52-year-old hydroponics

11:52

worker. Four children and a

11:55

wife, a wife, a Molly.

11:57

This was his third sacrifice.

11:59

Rebecca approved of Gerald, he

12:01

did his work well, provided

12:03

Haven with a fine set

12:05

of children and submitted to

12:08

the knife without complaint, and

12:10

with a minimum of whimpering.

12:12

A model citizen, in her

12:14

opinion. No wonder he was

12:16

chosen to be blessed by

12:18

her scalpel this many times.

12:21

Gerald had given a lung,

12:23

a liver, and now his

12:25

pancreas to their god. She

12:28

could see the ruby glow

12:30

of the substitute organs shining

12:32

beneath his skin, growing brighter

12:34

as she opened him. Gerald

12:36

did not complain, but she

12:38

kept up a steady stream

12:41

of soothing chatter and gentle

12:43

touches anyway. She did not

12:45

address any comments to him

12:47

directly to spare him the

12:49

effort of composing a response

12:51

when he was focusing on

12:54

remaining still. Instead, she spoke

12:56

to Crane, her chief deacon.

12:58

Their discussion was unimportant enough

13:00

to take up almost none

13:02

of her concentration. She was

13:04

fully intent on her task,

13:06

in perfect union, with her

13:09

duty and the man on

13:11

the table, and her God.

13:13

His hands clenched, white-knuckled as

13:15

his pain worsened. She smiled

13:17

reassuringly, though he could not

13:19

see it. You're doing fine,

13:22

almost there. Gerald nodded, noted

13:24

quickly, his teeth digging into

13:26

his lip to suppress whimppers.

13:28

Rebecca did not hasten her

13:30

movements. Her work would be

13:32

done in good time. She

13:35

found it helped the donors

13:37

to hold fast through the

13:39

discomfort if they were reminded

13:41

of the reason behind it.

13:43

So, Rebecca prayed. She spoke

13:45

the truths upon which Haven

13:48

Society was based. The body

13:50

of the individual was nothing.

13:52

but a component for the

13:54

body of the God, the

13:56

home in which they resided,

13:58

all came from Haven, all

14:01

would return. to Haven. Gerald

14:03

was participating in that glorious

14:05

purpose, bringing himself closer to

14:07

their God by becoming a

14:09

part of it in body

14:11

and soul. And when their

14:14

separate life was over, they

14:16

would be reunited with all

14:18

who came before within the

14:20

body of their God, the

14:22

cradle that held all there

14:24

would ever be. Gerald

14:27

seemed to come a little

14:29

at her voice. The prayers

14:31

were often a comfort to

14:34

her donors, and she said

14:36

them more times than she

14:38

could count. Rebecca did not

14:40

need to pay attention to

14:42

the words. She was watching

14:45

the organs. Enter the lesser

14:47

sack, take down the hepatic

14:49

flexure. Rebecca barely noticed the

14:51

surgery itself. She performed it

14:53

dozens of times. The substitution

14:56

was the most dangerous part.

14:58

She had to place the

15:00

soma in the exact position

15:02

occupied by the organ and

15:04

coax it to assimilate into

15:07

the body. Gently, she lifted

15:09

Gerald's pancreas from the abdominal

15:11

cavity and placed the ruby

15:13

sphere into the gap. The

15:16

soma lay motionless. For a

15:18

long moment, Rebecca's heart dropped.

15:20

Perhaps this was a rejection.

15:22

Unlikely, so unlikely, with two

15:24

successful sacrifices before, but not

15:27

impossible. She reached to caress

15:29

the substitute. Her hands were

15:31

slick with blood and viscera,

15:33

and it was hard to

15:35

get a grip. She settled

15:38

for a hand placed over

15:40

the substitute. You know what

15:42

you want to be. It

15:44

was hard to give a

15:47

whisper authority, but Rebecca had

15:49

been doing this for a

15:51

very long time. His flesh

15:53

is your flesh. His blood

15:55

is your blood. His body.

15:58

is your body?" The sphere

16:00

began to shudder under her

16:02

hands, then to elongate. She

16:04

could cheer, but continued her

16:06

prayer, no stopping now. His

16:09

heart! Beats for you his

16:11

lungs, breathe for you, he

16:13

is you, and you are

16:15

him, as you are all

16:17

of us, you are not

16:20

separate, you are one being,

16:22

except his flesh, for it

16:24

is yours, except your flesh,

16:26

for it is his. The

16:29

soma arrived, wriggling and stretching

16:31

until it settled into place.

16:33

Once it was impossible to

16:35

tell where flesh ended and

16:37

substitute began, Rebecca took her

16:40

hand away. She allowed herself

16:42

a moment to catch her

16:44

breath. Then, conscious of the

16:46

time her donor had spent

16:48

opened on the altar, she

16:51

got back to work. The

16:53

process of closing the body

16:55

cavity and settling the sacrificed

16:57

organ into an ice box

16:59

to be subsumed into the

17:02

body of haven was a

17:04

simple one. Gerald was on

17:06

his feet and on his

17:08

way home in under half

17:11

an hour, though his gray

17:13

face and unsteady feet showed

17:15

just how close they had

17:17

come to a rejection today.

17:19

If he realized that, he

17:22

didn't say as much to

17:24

Rebecca, just clapped her on

17:26

the shoulder with a thank

17:28

you, doctor. Rebecca thanked him

17:30

politely and sent him on

17:33

his way. She waited until

17:35

the door was closed before

17:37

allowing her shoulders to sag.

17:39

It was too close. It

17:41

had been too close too

17:44

many times now. She would

17:46

have thought that it was

17:48

her that her faith was

17:50

waning or her hands were

17:53

unsteady, but the deacons had

17:55

noticed it too. Their own

17:57

ministrations to the God were

17:59

less effective. Infections were growing

18:01

more common. Sacrifices reject and

18:04

now? Now even a man

18:06

who'd sacrificed multiple times with

18:08

no issues nearly passed on

18:10

her altar with no explanation.

18:12

Rebecca knew in her marrow

18:15

that something was wrong with

18:17

Haven. Her chief deacon crane

18:19

raised their eyebrows at her.

18:21

What? Rebecca sighed, stretching her

18:24

arms overhead to get the

18:26

kinks out of her back.

18:29

Again, Crane said. Their eyes

18:32

were on her, but their

18:34

hands did not slow or

18:36

falter as they wrote the

18:38

report of the sacrifice, steady

18:40

as her own on the

18:42

scalpel. She didn't know how

18:44

she'd manage without Crane. Their

18:46

head for numbers and passion

18:48

for forms kept Haven's day-to-day

18:50

affairs running and allowed her

18:52

to focus on the spiritual

18:54

health of the community. They

18:56

passed her the form and

18:58

pen and she signed with

19:00

a flourish. The reddish-brown ink

19:02

dried almost immediately, she noted

19:04

with approval. There had been

19:07

an issue with the blood

19:09

that supplied the last batch.

19:11

It had gone hours without

19:13

drying, making writing anything a

19:15

nightmare. She had to personally

19:17

supervise the cleaning and blessing

19:19

of the veins, but work

19:21

well spent. With reluctance, she

19:23

returned Crane's gaze. The concern

19:25

in them matched her own,

19:27

but... The chief surgeon priest

19:29

of Haven did not have

19:31

the luxury of nerves. If

19:33

she panicked, her faithful would

19:35

panic, so she offered them

19:37

a smile. Almost. Again. The

19:39

soma took with a little

19:41

encouragement. He'll be fine. Crane

19:44

snorted. He's lucky to be

19:46

walking out of here under

19:48

his own power. Rebecca, if

19:50

a man with two successful

19:52

sacrifices under his belt, comes

19:54

that close to failure. I

19:56

know, Rebecca cut them off

19:58

sharply. In another person, that

20:00

remark... would border on heresy.

20:02

If she didn't know the

20:04

deep anxiety that led to

20:06

Crane's bluntness, she might have

20:08

allowed the annoyance that spiked

20:10

at their words to blossom

20:12

into rage. But Crane wasn't

20:14

wrong. Let's not focus entirely

20:16

on the bad here, Crane?

20:19

Gerald is fine. The sacrifice

20:21

was successful, and we can

20:23

implant the donation into the

20:25

education level. I'm not focusing

20:27

entirely on the bad. There's

20:29

so much bad that I

20:31

can't think of much good

20:33

to talk about." Crane replied,

20:35

waspish and stiff. Rebecca sighed

20:37

once more. She placed a

20:39

comforting hand on their shoulder.

20:41

I'm not trying to belittle

20:43

your concerns. You're not wrong

20:45

to worry. But you need

20:47

to have faith in our

20:49

work. Nothing can happen that

20:51

is against the will of

20:54

haven. For some reason,

20:56

this wasn't enough. Rebecca's eyes flitted

20:58

to the ceiling. Most of the

21:00

walls, ceilings, and floors of haven

21:02

were covered with flat bone tiles

21:04

to avoid contamination of the divine

21:07

flesh by the mundane mess of

21:09

mortal living. But here, in the

21:11

operating room, the ceilings and walls

21:13

had multiple spots left bare. To

21:15

allow the donors to be close

21:18

enough to their god to touch.

21:20

Rebecca had always felt at her

21:22

most safe in rooms like these.

21:24

Here, under the watchful eye of

21:26

Haven, she was unable to shake

21:28

the conviction that all will be

21:31

well. How could anything so all-encompassing

21:33

as the very body they reside

21:35

in be fallible? Crane, as far

21:37

as she can tell, did not

21:39

share her comfort. Their devotion to

21:41

their duty had always been admirable,

21:44

and their skill had well made

21:46

up for this lack. But she

21:48

wouldn't be able to induce obedience

21:50

by appealing to faith alone. Before

21:52

they could open their mouth, she

21:55

headed them off. After services, tomorrow...

21:57

I'd like like to

21:59

start a proper

22:01

diagnosis. Will you

22:03

ask Martha to take the

22:05

reading so we can focus

22:07

on reading so we can The peace

22:09

offering worked. peace She could

22:11

see some of the tension

22:13

in their see release. the tension in

22:15

speak to her. release. I'll speak gave

22:17

them another reassuring smile. another

22:19

Relax, smile. Relax, Have Have faith. The

22:36

Gospel of Haven written, produced, and

22:39

edited by Daisy by Daisy McNamara.

22:41

Isaiah was played by played by

22:43

B. Nar. Dr. Rebecca played by played

22:45

by Janine Bauer. Sound was by by

22:47

Derek Music was by Dana

22:49

Dana Kriesman. Our theme song, In

22:52

the Blood, was by Skip

22:54

K .D. Art Art was by

22:56

Cal Script editing was by was

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by Jack and Ash Seguente. Our Our

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executive producer was Pacific S. Obadiah.

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A production of Il Song studios

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FM. FM reserved.