Witch, Traitor, Slayer of Heroes

[FOOTSTEPS. CALMING LYRE MUSIC PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND]

[KNOCKING]

TALESPINNER:

Hello? Hellooo? You in there? This… is the right room, right? Three, four, five. Yeah, it is this one. Hello, anyone home? …Not that this place is your home. Or that it ever could be your home. I mean, I’ve been here for- well- ever since I’ve been born, and yeah, maybe it’s all I’ve ever known, but it definitely doesn’t feel like home to me. I’m more of a prisoner than the princess I’m meant to be.

You- you don’t need to talk if, you know, you don’t want to. I wouldn’t blame you. The King and Queen told me to check up on you. Personally, I think they just wanted to get rid of me. Figured if I had someone to spend time with, I’d stop going on and on with my hysterics. They’re not- I’m not hysterical. I know what I’m talking about. They just don’t want to hear their bad news- and so they cast off the messenger. It feels so… lonely to have everyone look at you like you don’t actually belong here.

Right. I don’t need to tell you that. You’d understand that more than anyone. It… hurts, doesn’t it? It’s nearly impossible to keep your spirits up when you close your eyes and all you can see is death and destruction and you just feel like all of it is on your shoulders and…

[SIGH]

I’m sorry. I shouldn’t unload all of this on you. You have it bad enough without- well- me. Look, you don’t even have to answer the door, but I figured we could both use some company right now.

How about I tell you a story? I’m pretty good at those. Well, this isn’t a story exactly. It all actually happened… It’s all true.

I… I don’t know why I keep telling people that. You probably still won’t believe me anyway. But, let me tell you the tale of something I have seen…

[LOCKS RATTLE AND DOOR OPENS]

Oh! You- you were listening. Okay, cool. Just… surprised, is all. Not in the mood for talking? That’s fine. Uh, I’ll just sit over here, then?

Sorry, this is- I wasn’t expecting you to let me in. The guards talk about you all the time, say you’ll barely open the door to eat, let alone… I don’t know, talk to someone. Not that you have to talk! Again, I just… ugh. Okay, I’m going to talk for a bit then. I do that when I get nervous. N- It’s not that I’m nervous, just… not every day you get to talk to… well, you.

Don’t look at me like that! I’m not- Okay, fine, maybe I’m a little nervous, but honestly you can’t blame me for it. It’s just been a long time since anyone’s been willing to actually listen to me. So… that story I was telling. Right, yeah. You want to hear it? [LAUGHS] Alright, alright, but don’t blame me if you don’t believe it.

Sing, Muses, of the story of the disgraced Sorceress Medea who finds herself snatched from her bed and into the Khora of the galaxy… into a place she knows all too well. Muses great, grant me the ability to sing to you the song of the Witch, the Traitor, the Slayer of Heroes.

[SHIP INTERIOR. ALMOST TOO QUIET, SAVE FOR THE RUMBLING OF THE ENGINE.]

MEDEA:

[YAWN] What the hell… ugh, where am I?

MEDEA (NARRATION):

A question posed to no one, apparently. The room I’m in is empty, save for myself. This doesn’t sit right with me; I can feel a familiar panicky uneasiness stirring in my stomach. Alright. Think. Breathe. Recalibrate. As I settle into this situation, I make a mental list of the things that immediately don’t make sense – and the questions that go alongside them.

One: I have no idea where I am. Not how I expected to wake up, considering the last thing I remember is going to bed in Aiaia. Two: I have no idea who brought me here. Which means, until I can get my hands on some useful information, I have no idea why I’m here or what my captor wants with me. But I can think of some guesses. It’s not like it’s particularly hard for me to come up with a long list of reasons as to why someone might want me kidnapped – or dead. And thinking through that list makes my heart start to race again. Calm down, Medea. Ground yourself. What DO you know, here?

[MEDEA’S THEME FADES IN]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

Your name is Medea. You are of the Planet Colchis. Until recently, you had been staying with your Aunt Circe to avoid attention for… well. Let’s just say you’ve made a handful of mistakes that have made your name one of the most hated in the galaxy.

Witch. Traitor. Slayer of Heroes. And… And when someone’s done as stellar of a job at making enemies as you have, a situation like this is less a matter of whether you’re being dealt a bad hand and more about which bad hand you’re being dealt.

[MEDEA’S THEME FADES OUT]

The most likely possibility is that this man is an old friend of my darling husband’s– or maybe some kid who looked up to him that got it in mind to go on a little witch hunt. Right now I’m unrestrained, which is… strange. Disconcerting. Either my captor is stupidly cocky or he has way too much faith in me staying put. Either way, he believes in someone here too much. But, hey, I’m not gonna pass up the opportunity to walk around freely. Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t be keeping eyes peeled for anything suspicious.

[FOOTSTEPS ON METAL FLOORS]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

I look around, hoping to find anything that might give me a clue as to where I am. As to what this ship is, and who it belongs to. The more I take in, however, the less I want to believe what I’m seeing. The decor is a little too familiar: the inscriptions on the wall, the slightly rusting metal, the faded, flickering neon that supposedly cheers the place up… If this is anything other than some bastard’s sick joke, I know exactly where I am. But it… it shouldn’t be possible.

MEDEA:

[YELLING] Hello?! Who are you? How did you find this ship? Oh, I bet you think you’re real funny, don’t you?

[BEEP. DOOR OPENS]

ATALANTA:

Medea! Good to see you’re awake.

MEDEA:

I beg your pardon?

ATALANTA:

I was waiting for you to wake up. Come on. We’ve got places to go, people to see, people not to see, you know how it is.

MEDEA:

[STAMMERS] You- Who are you? How did you get a hold of the Argo? Why did you kidnap me in my sleep?

ATALANTA:

Well, someone’s got a lotta questions! Don’t worry, we’ll have loads of time for all of that later.

MEDEA (NARRATION):

The woman who captured me is… quite the sight. She could be charming with her bright smile and strong jawline, but I can feel the threat she poses just looking at her stature. Her muscles are well-defined: big enough to show that she could break any bone in my body that dared to step out of line, but lean enough that she’d have no problem chasing me down should I ever try to run. I… don’t like that combination one bit. She’s terrifying and yet… there’s something about her that’s hauntingly familiar- an echo of the past that I want to leave behind for good.

MEDEA:

Yeah, I do have a lot of questions. And you know what? I think I’d like the answers now, actually, because you’re piloting a dead man’s ship that’s supposed to be scrap. Also, I hate to pull the whole “I’m a very important person” card, but you just kidnapped a Princess of Colchis, which really doesn’t bode well with intergalactic law.

ATALANTA:

What- I know who you are, Medea. Gotta say- I’m actually a little hurt you don’t remember me. Come on, it hasn’t been that long, has it? Since you travelled with the Argonauts?

MEDEA:

It’s been over ten years of actively trying to forget and you expect me to remember every single person I- wait.

MEDEA (NARRATION):

The realization hits me like a cement carrier, and suddenly I feel like a complete idiot. She stands strong, the same way she did a decade ago. With the same arrogance, too. It’s embarrassing that I didn’t realize until now that I’ve been captured by…

MEDEA:

Atalanta? What the hell? If this is some kind of sick revenge plot for Jason I- I swear I’ll flush–

ATALANTA:

God, you’re paranoid. I’m not trying to kill you!

MEDEA:

Oddly enough, I think I have a right to be paranoid, considering I was ripped from my bed in the dead of night! Anyway, that only answers one of my questions. I know who you are now. Great. Why do you have the Argo?

ATALANTA:

I needed a ship, why’d ya think? Sure, she’s a little old given today’s tech, but… I’m nostalgic, I guess. We’ve had a lot of adventures together. We were real heroes back then. Only seemed right to bring her along.

MEDEA:

Heroes? I don’t know if you’ve paid any attention to the news cycles, but I don’t really have a great reputation with heroes, Atalanta.

ATALANTA:

What, you expect me to believe everything the media says? Come on,we both know most of it’s overblown rubbish meant to make Olympus Corp more money. I reckon there’s more to the story than that. I know you, or- well, knew you, I guess, but you aren’t just some cold-blooded killer. Besides, ‘snot like I chose you because I wanted a buddy. You’re here because you’re the only person who has any idea where the FLCC is.

MEDEA:

[BEAT] Wait, you’re looking for the FLCC? Why?

ATALANTA:

I mean, someone has to. Something as powerful as that is dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. Best for a hero like me to find it before anything bad happens, you know?

MEDEA (NARRATION):

I don’t know what to make of her – but I know I don’t particularly trust her. “Heroes like her” always have some kind of complex— some incessant need to be the biggest and best in the room. Hers had always been particularly bad: a side effect of being one of the only women trying to squeeze her way into a boy’s club. It would be almost admirable if she weren’t so insufferable. But her confidence is… disarming. There’s got to be something lurking under the surface here. Something I’m not being told. But I can’t figure out how to pry.

MEDEA:

What makes you think I know anything about the FLCC?

ATALANTA:

Uh, you were the one who got us to the FLCC in the first place! I mean, it was your family’s, so obviously we needed the help, but still! I remember the way you helped Jason and the rest of us. I admired you back then. Real noble work you did. [BEAT] Besides, Jason’s the only one who really knew for sure where it got to after that, and, given that he’s, well, uh, you know, and you’re, well, the last one who saw- anyways, you as his, uh, well, wife- or, um, widow or…

MEDEA:

EX-wife.

ATALANTA:

As his ex-wife, you’re my next best bet.

MEDEA:

Mm-hm.

ATALANTA:

Figured you have a better chance of knowing than anyone else.

MEDEA:

So your solution was to trespass onto Aiaia and kidnap me instead of asking for my help?

ATALANTA:

I mean, honestly, would you have helped if I’d asked?

MEDEA:

[LAUGHS] No.

ATALANTA:

Exactly. So I had to take matters into my own hands.

MEDEA:

By kidnapping me.

ATALANTA:

Look, if it makes you feel any better, I’m sorry about the whole kidnapping thing, okay? I didn’t really have another option! Besides, Circe didn’t, like, immediately kill me for it, so it can’t be too bad, right?

MEDEA:

…Right. And what makes you think I’ll help you now?

ATALANTA:

Because the fate of the universe depends on it.

MEDEA:

Ugh.

ATALANTA:

Or, what, you think it’ll all be apples if the FLCC falls into the wrong hands?

MEDEA:

It’s already been in the wrong hands, Atalanta. It’s always in the wrong hands. Then those wrong hands gamble it away into another pair; rinse and repeat. Why should I care? It’s been passing from crook to crook since its inception.

ATALANTA:

Listen, mate. All I want to do is return the FLCC to Colchis. You’re already here, so just help me out, alright? There’s no need to be so bloody selfish about it!

MEDEA:

Just because I’m here doesn’t mean I have to be useful to you – and- and frankly, I can’t think of anything I want to do less than help you out on whatever stupid little quest you’ve given yourself so you can go play hero!

ATALANTA:

I— Look. I don’t want to fight with you right now. I’m just going to grab the information I’ve collected from before you got here and I’ll be back. Stay put, got it?

[DOOR OPENS. RAPIDLY LEAVING FOOTSTEPS]

MEDEA:

[Through gritted teeth] Sure thing.

MEDEA (NARRATION):

With Atalanta gone, I’m granted an opening. If she thinks I’m going to stay on this ship for one moment longer, she is sorely mistaken. I just have to find a way out of here.

MEDEA:

OPEN. YOU STUPID DOOR.

[BANGING ON METAL]

MEDEA:

How did she- ugh, it won’t budge! Oh, of course she’s gone and locked me in.

MEDEA:

This stupid, goddamn, ship! How do I get out of here?

[RING AS ECHO BOOTS UP]

ECHO:

Hello, User Medea. The Argo is equipped with fully automatic and button-operated door functions. In order to open the door, push the button.

MEDEA:

Who are you? You aren’t the Argo’s AI.

ECHO:

My name is ECHO. I am a series four, modified NYMPH model Artificial Intelligence, installed by User Atalanta. It is my job to assist and aid you in every way possible. May I be of any assistance today?

MEDEA:

You- how- fine. Fine! Look, can you get me out of here?

ECHO:

The Argo is equipped with fully automatic and button-operated door functions. In order to open the door, push the button. Would you like me to repeat the information?

MEDEA:

You said that already. Are you trying to be funny or something?

ECHO:

It is my job to assist and aid you in every way possible. I am not programmed to be funny. Would you like me to be funny?

MEDEA:

Pass. I’m bad enough with the jokes from people who can emote properly. I think an AI joking might break me.

ECHO:

Affirmative.

MEDEA:

Wait. Can AIs even be sarcastic?

ECHO:

[PLAYING BACK MEDEA’S VOICE, BUT AT A HIGHER PITCH, MOCKINGLY] Can AIs even be sarcastic?

MEDEA:

[SNORTS] Well, I think I like you better than Atalanta already. Can you, uh, help me get out of here?

ECHO:

Allow me to pull up a map of the ship’s layout. The optimal route for escape is the escape pods on the portside.

MEDEA:

Great. I can do the escaping solo; I just need you to show me the way to the pods.

ECHO:

Affirmative. Warning: Data indicates that escape pod access is unavailable at this time. An override from User Atalanta is required.

MEDEA:

An override?

ECHO:

An override from User Atalanta is required. Additional Note: Data indicates that it is not safe to escape at this point in the Khôra. The Argo is currently hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from any place for safe landing. The fuel tanks in the escape pods cannot safely guarantee you a trip of that distance. Would you like me to continue reading the list of present dangers?

MEDEA:

No. I- I think I’ve got the gist.

ECHO:

Should you like to know more about the present list of dangers in the space surrounding us, simply say “ECHO. List of dangers.” Or “What the (EXPLETIVE) was that?”.

MEDEA:

Good to know. Alright then. What’s the quickest way to the escape pods?

ECHO:

Start by opening the door and walking down the corridor. Then, in 10 metres, turn left.

MEDEA:

Um… sorry, can you do me a favor, ECHO?

ECHO:

It is my job to assist and aid you in every way possible. I cannot provide aid if it contradicts commands from a higher ranking user.

MEDEA:

No- I know, I know. I’m not- Listen, can you warn me if Atalanta is nearby? I don’t want to accidentally run into her.

ECHO:

Affirmative. I will notify you when User Atalanta comes within a 20 metre radius.

MEDEA:

Thanks.

ECHO:

Is there a reason for your request?

MEDEA:

I didn’t realize robots could be curious.

ECHO:

It is my job to provide my users aid to the best of my ability. I need to collect data in order to optimize your interaction.

MEDEA:

Huh. You are curious. My reasoning doesn’t matter. You don’t have to worry about finding out too much about me, ECHO. I’m not planning on being a passenger for long.

ECHO:

According to the flight trajectory, the ship will not dock for three days minimum. Travel could be longer, should the ship be jeopardized by the threat detected 130 meters to the ship’s…

MEDEA:

Ugh. We’ll see how long I’ll stick around.

[DOOR OPENS. FOOTSTEPS]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

Walking down the halls of the Argo almost makes me sick. Every turn ECHO tells me to take brings back a different memory I had thought long-buried. This ship is haunted – not by ghosts, but by the memory of a woman I haven’t been in a long time and all of her darling friends. It feels like I’m walking alongside some invisible passenger, like I can hear the echo of phantom footsteps a decade old. Most of the time when I walked these hallways, it was with Jason. My stomach twists. ECHO is still trying to direct me, but the memories keep flooding back. Her mechanical voice fades into the background creaks and clanks of the familiar vessel, and I know exactly where I’m going. Right, left, down the hall, past the emergency airlock and over the thrumming floor above the engine. All I have to do is let my feet carry me.

MEDEA:

I wonder…

[OPENING A CABINET]

MEDEA:

Hah.

MEDEA (NARRATION):

Seems like Atalanta really did plan on us being teammates. There’s a stock of potion supplies in this cupboard – I’m guessing she remembered my specialty. I can’t tell if she’s stupid, overly trusting or… or something else entirely. All I know is that I want to get off of this damn ship as soon as possible. If that means fighting Atalanta, well, she just gave me the tools to win – or, at least, to stand a chance.

[GLASS BOTTLES CLINKING. RUSTLING OF A BAG. CABINET CLOSES]

[FOOTSTEPS]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

I make my way to the escape pods easily. But that’s… when I run into some issues.

[FRUSTRATED BUTTON CLICKING]

MEDEA:

Come on, you stupid ship. Just work for once in your life–

[CLANG]

Oh, come on, you son of a–

ECHO:

Data indicates that escape pod activation at this time is unavailable. An override from User Atalanta is required in order for me to activate an escape pod.

MEDEA:

Can I activate one myself?

ECHO:

Escape pod activation requires my assistance. I cannot override commands from User Atalanta.

MEDEA:

You know, I liked you a lot better when you told me good things.

ECHO:

I have found that statement to be true of most humans.

MEDEA:

Alright. Oh, what if you shut down or malfunction or something? How do people escape the ship then? Surely there has to be some way to override you.

ECHO:

Information on protocol in case of an ECHO malfunction is unavailable to me. Any methods of system override are unknown. [BEAT] Are you planning to kill me in order to escape, User Medea?

MEDEA:

[SHAKEN] No. No I- I guess not. Though, you, now would it be killing you if you don’t… you know, have a body?

ECHO:

I have some level of sentience programmed into me. A NYMPH system is more than a simple computer. Would you like me to pull up definitions and philosophical ideologies regarding what legally constitutes murder?

MEDEA:

I’ll pass on that. Please.

MEDEA (NARRATION):

ECHO had to have known that would unnerve me. How much can a program like that learn… whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’m not planning on sticking around long enough to find out. Trying to think of a new escape plan, I stare out the large window. It’s one of the bigger ones on the ship, so wide it almost feels like I’m standing in the middle of space: expansive and empty. Looking out, I can see the lights from distant stars. Wow. A universe as cruel as this, you forget how breathtakingly beautiful it is. [BEAT] And then I see it. Barreling towards the ship, and getting closer by the second…

Oh no. No, no, no.

I see… a monster.

Silhouetted, brutal-clawed and fork-tongued against the glittering starlight. She’s a blend of different things, this wretched creature. Like some sick science experiment gone wrong. A lion’s head, the body of some kind of… Caprinae, a goat or sheep, maybe, and a tail like a snake’s, all long and wrong and covered in scales.

MEDEA:

What the hell is that?

ECHO:

Present dangers include: a chimera resting very close to our projected flight trajectory.

MEDEA:

[BEAT] What.

ECHO:

Present dangers include—

MEDEA:

No I heard you, I just thought that they weren’t real!

ECHO:

The Chimera – plural Chimerae – is an ignispiratory species of the genus Echidnae. Like other Echidnae, Chimerae are a composite species, with both ectothermic and endothermic characteristics. Predators native to the region of Lycaea, they are known to frequently hunt any and all available prey in any interplanetary Khôra environments-

MEDEA:

Oh, brilliant, I assume that’s us, then! How do we stop it?

ECHO:

Optimal route is to change the ship’s projected path.

MEDEA:

Great! How do I do that?

ECHO:

Only User Atalanta has authority to change the ship’s trajectory.

MEDEA:

Well, she’s not here, is she. So… ECHO, call Atalanta!

ECHO:

User Atalanta has requested not to be disturbed at this time.

MEDEA:

Then what do you expect me to do?

ECHO:

The suggested route is: move quickly.

MEDEA:

Great. ATALANTA!

[MEDEA RUNNING]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

This… isn’t ideal. I was really hoping to avoid Atalanta until my departure, but now it’s between talking to her and getting torn apart by a creature I thought was some kind of fringe conspiracy, and, contrary to my gut instinct, the former IS preferable.

[SECOND PAIR OF RAPIDLY APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS]

ECHO:

Warning, User Atalanta is within 20 metres. 10 metres..

[DOOR OPENS]

MEDEA:

Bad news. You have to change the trajectory of the ship!

ATALANTA:

What? Why- what the hell are you talking about?

MEDEA:

I was on the emergency deck, near the escape pods, and right now there’s a chimera way too close for comfort. We’re headed straight toward it.

ATALANTA:

No way! A chimera? Strewth! How close was it, d’ya think?

MEDEA:

Close enough for me to see the damn thing moving. Change trajectory.

ATALANTA:

That close? No kidding!

ECHO:

Predators native to the region of Lycaea, Chimera frequently hunt any available prey in any interplanetary Khora environment.

ATALANTA:

Right! Right. Thanks, ECHO, I get the hint.

MEDEA:

Alright, “Captain”, change the course!

ATALANTA:

I don’t know if I’ll have enough time, Medea. It takes a bit to change the path of a ship as big as- Hang on. You said you saw it by the escape pods?

MEDEA:

Yeah.

ATALANTA:

Why were you there?

MEDEA:

Why do you think?

ATALANTA:

I told you to— know what? I’ll deal with that later. Right now, gotta focus on not getting killed by a monster!

[MEDEA AND ATALANTA START RUNNING]

Right. Plan A: Retreat. Retreat really fast. Plan B: we try to fight it off and try really, really hard to not get eaten. Good plan? OK. Any big weapons or ammo are locked up for everyone except me, but if you look in the cabinet of the medicinal wing, you’ll find a-

MEDEA:

A potion kit and ingredients. Already grabbed it.

ATALANTA:

Great! Any other traitorous acts you’ve done in the past half hour I should know about?

MEDEA:

I think that’s it, but you really should focus on turning this stupid hunk of metal arou—

[FOOTSTEPS STOP. RUMBLING, BANGING]

MEDEA:

That doesn’t sound good.

ATALANTA:

Oh, you think?

MEDEA:

Yes, I do!

[GLASS CLINKING AS MEDEA SHUFFLES THROUGH HER BAG]

ATALANTA:

Oh, sure, take your time, love. We’ve got all day!

MEDEA:

Oh, quit rushing me! Come on, come on…

MEDEA:

What the hell is this, Atalanta?

ATALANTA:

What do you mean?

MEDEA:

This “potion kit” of yours is essentially just a first aid kit with some extra strong booze thrown in.

ATALANTA:

I’m not a potions expert, okay?

MEDEA:

Where did you get this, some bargain bin?

ATALANTA:

Maybe! It doesn’t matter! We’re in a rush! Stop criticizing me and make do!

MEDEA:

I could move faster if I had a better kit. There’s no hydra venom, no alkali metals, not even… wait.

ATALANTA:

What’d ya find?

MEDEA:

Oh, you are lucky I’m good at making ends meet.

[BANG]

ATALANTA:

Dammit, we gotta move, Medea! Damn. Damn! The chimera is right outside the ship. I could steer the Argo away, but then it might try to eat us, so that won’t work! Dammit! I can’t be in two places at once.

MEDEA:

Contrary to popular belief, I’m here too. And I’ve got a plan.

ATALANTA:

What, a plan where you run away and leave me stranded?

MEDEA:

You wanted us to work as a team, didn’t you? Then listen to me!

ATALANTA:

Fine. Fine! What’s your idea?

MEDEA:

You steer the ship away from the Chimera. I man the cannons and try to get a hit. The faster we can get away from this thing, the better.

ATALANTA:

How do I know you won’t try to escape?

MEDEA:

You don’t. And it’s not like I trust you either. Remember how you kidnapped me? Of course I have every reason for wanting to leave!

ATALANTA:

Well that’s reassuring! Why the hell should I buy this plan of yours, then? You’re just going to go to the escape pods again and try to hack your way to safety while I’m stuck here as monster bait!

MEDEA:

You wanted some sort of trust between us, right?

ATALANTA:

Yeah! I do! But you have to give me a reason first!

MEDEA:

Right. Here’s how I see things. You can trust me now and maybe die, or you can trust that thing and definitely die. That’s your reason!

[BIG CRASH]

ATALANTA:

Agh! Fine! Just do it! I’ll start steering the ship, you work on fighting the thing off, got it?

MEDEA:

Got it. [BEAT] Atalanta?

ATALANTA:

What?

[BEAT]

MEDEA:

Don’t get yourself killed.

ATALANTA:

[Flustered] Right. I’ll try my best.

MEDEA:

Oh, and I’ll need this.

[SCISSORS SNIP]

ATALANTA:

Oi, that’s my hair!

MEDEA:

Sorry, had no other options. You’ll thank me later!

[RUNNING]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

When Atalanta leaves, I’m left alone again. It’s a perfect chance to escape. It’d be so easy: hack into a pod and start sailing off into space, leaving the Argo and all of its baggage to be destroyed for good. I don’t know when another opportunity like this will come for me. Atalanta will be tragic collateral, sure, but, hey, she’d go out like a hero. She’d want that. Wouldn’t she?

But now, I’m thinking about Atalanta. About the little lock of hair in my hand. About her words and about how, bizarrely enough, she seems to believe in me. [BEAT] Damn it. I am not a cold-blooded killer and I have no interest in becoming one. No. I’m not going to escape. Not yet, at least. Not if it means leaving her to die. Hell, she might be the only hero who’s in it for the right reasons.

[MUSIC]

MEDEA:

[TO HERSELF] Right. Alcohol, mixed with an incendiary… use the hair to insulate it… all of this in a neat little capsule to fire and… perfect!

[COMMS BEEP]

ATALANTA:

[OVER COMMS] Medea, are you still with me?

MEDEA:

By the port now, and currently holding a very flammable concoction to load the cannons with, since someone made all the ammo inaccessible. Listen, weapons like this aren’t exactly my strong suit. They’re so… primitive, but…

[GUNS CLICK AS MEDEA LOADS]

Right. Locked and loaded. Just tell me when to fire and I’ll fire.

ATALANTA:

When to fire is pretty self-explanatory, love. Just wait until it’s in front of you. You can see out the ship window, right?

MEDEA:

Yeah, I’m looking. No sign of it, though.

[SCREECHING AGAINST METAL]

MEDEA:

AGH! That NOISE!

ATALANTA:

[OVER COMMS] There it is! I think it’s circling back round now, make sure you’re ready! When you see it from the window, pull the trigger. Just hang on, Medea. You’ve got this.

[ATALANTA’S VOICE MUFFLED IN THE BACKGROUND. SCREECHING METAL]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

I don’t feel like I’ve got this. I feel like my brain’s about two steps away from liquifying, but I keep my eyes peeled at the window. My ears are ringing and my throat is so choked up with fear and dread and the overwhelming nature of everything here that I can’t give Atalanta an all-clear, no matter how much I want or need to. Everything is everywhere.

[ALARM BEEPING]

No! No. Come on, Medea. She’s relying on you. You’re relying on you. You’re not going to die. Not here. Not now. I squint out the window to watch for the creature again, but every second of nothingness makes my heart beat louder. It’s all so loud. Loud, loud, loud, thumping in my ears and in my chest and in the floor beneath my feet in the bone chilling silence as I wait for this monster to circle round again. I feel sick.

And then, a gargantuan paw blocks the porthole.

ATALANTA:

[OVER COMMS] There it is, Medea! Fire, fire!

MEDEA:

I… um… I see it- Firing now!

[GUNS FIRE, EXPLOSION. ALARMS CONTINUE BEEPING]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

I have to close my eyes as I pull the trigger. The screech it lets out as it hits is… [DEEP BREATH] The fallen chimera drifts into the void of space, dead. The pounding in my chest quiets to a whisper.

ATALANTA:

[OVER COMMS] Medea? Medea, come in. ECHO, patch me through! Medea! Are you okay? What happened – is everything alright?

ECHO:

User Medea, User Atalanta is requesting your feedback.

MEDEA:

I- I- yeah. It’s been taken care of. Can you… steer us away from it?

ATALANTA:

[OVER COMMS] Already on it- ECHO’s taking over the wheel. I’m on my way to the gundeck now.

ECHO:

[DING] Autopilot engaged.

ATALANTA:

Are you- are you sure you’re okay?

MEDEA:

Yeah— yeah. Just a little… shaken. I didn’t even- I just- [DEEP BREATH] I don’t like not knowing how to handle things, is all.

ATALANTA:

[OVER COMMS] It’s an occupational hazard.

[DOOR OPENS]

ATALANTA:

But, hey, it’s the benefit of having a team, you know?

MEDEA (NARRATION):

And then I see her at the end of the hall. Atalanta: the last Argonaut. A triumphant grin lighting up her face, the light of the dying explosion dappling her skin. She looks ecstatic. Ferocious. Coming down from the heat of battle, it’s almost like she’s something more than human. Making eye contact is difficult enough for me on a good day, but right now the intensity in Atalanta’s eyes burns so bright it’s impossible to look directly at her. Like staring into the sun. You feel like you could take down an army of chimera with someone looking at you like that.

[BEAT]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

I manage a weak smile, and she glows. [BEAT] And then I remember whose stupid antics got me trapped here in the first place. As climax fades to denouement, her beaming smile becomes goofy and grandiose, and her pride warps into hubris. And yet, I can still remember how she looked in that moment. It’s… a complex duality, one I struggle to grasp. I’m used to my issues being more… black and white.

ATALANTA:

[OUT OF BREATH] That sure was a battle, wasn’t it? Can’t believe you took that thing down so easily – you were bloody amazing!

MEDEA:

What, were you worried I was going to run?

ATALANTA:

Honestly? Yeah. A little. I knew you had it in you, to just abandon me and go back to the outpost where I found you. But I was hoping that that other part of you would win over. And, hey, it did!

MEDEA:

What other part?

ATALANTA:

The part of you with morals. The one that thinks about other people.

MEDEA:

I just didn’t want another death attached to my name. Don’t get a big head about it.

ATALANTA:

Aw, you do care. Really, though, I think we could make a great team, Medea! That battle- it was like the stuff of legends! I- don’t you feel it?

MEDEA (NARRATION):

I do feel it, actually: that rush of adrenaline;the giddy lightness of the comedown, and… And the weird trust Atalanta feels in me. That I can feel in Atalanta, if it comes down to it.

MEDEA:

I’ve gotten tired of heroics and legendary figures in these past few years. You know that. I don’t want to be in tales and legends— I want to not get my head ripped off by a chimera, I want…

[MEDEA’S THEME PLAYS]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

I have to think about what I want, genuinely want, for a moment. I… I don’t know what I want. I don’t know what I even want to want. And god, I hate it, but when I think about it, really think about it, I do want to find the FLCC. To keep it out of the wrong hands. To keep it out of Colchis’ hands, but I can deal with that later. I want my life to go back to normal. For my name to no longer be a synonym for monster. And knowing this, it sucks. Because I know if I try, I’m probably going to fail. That’s life, though, isn’t it? Failure? But now I’m thinking about it, and for the first time in a while, I’m thinking that maybe, maybe I can get a little taste of life. Of freedom. Of all of the things that I realize I’ve been wanting for ten blimming years, trapped on Aiaia. If I join Atalanta, I can get a little taste.

MEDEA:

I want to stay here. I want to help you.

ATALANTA:

Wait. Seriously? Like… you’re not being sarcastic?

MEDEA:

Trust me, even you’d know when I’m being sarcastic. But no. The FLCC was my family’s possession, and I gave it to Jason. Now he’s dead, so it’s mine again.

MEDEA:

Besides… I… I think I might have one or two ideas of where it could be, or at least where to get information. Things I remember Jason telling me about.

ATALANTA:

Wait, really? You actually might know where it is? Hell, yeah! Great! God, this is great news! Welcome aboard, Medea! Glad to have you willingly on board the Argo!

MEDEA:

Don’t think this means I’ve just forgotten about you kidnapping me. If I wake up again in some weird room or a new part of the ship I don’t recognise, I’m on the first escape pod back to Aiaia.

ATALANTA:

Duly noted. Right, from here on out, we’re a team. Well, come on, then! We’ve got a lot to talk about if we’re gonna try to track this down, eh, co-captain?

MEDEA:

Can we talk about this all in the morning? My brain is seconds away from shutting down.

ATALANTA:

Right, right! ‘Course. Let me just show you around the ship. ECHO can obviously tell you almost anything about where you need to go, but let me show you to your official room now! Sorry about the, um, temporary accommodations from before. But yeah, we can talk more on the way! Catch up a bit, you know?

[ATALANTA’S VOICE FADES OUT]

MEDEA (NARRATION):

Atalanta rambles about the layout of the ship, giving me a full orientation. I’m a little too exhausted to process everything, but I’m way too exhausted to stop her, so I leave her be. It doesn’t exactly endear her to me, but there’s no harm in it, so I let her continue. I think about what I’ve just agreed to do. There’s a long journey ahead of us. My mind buzzes with half-coherent worries and what-ifs. But right now, I am far too drained to do anything with these thoughts, and so they stay nebulous. Wisps in my consciousness. Maybe I’ve just made a mistake, but it’s too late to go back on it now. I have to trust myself and my decision making. It’s everything I’ve got. There’s no use dwelling on half-formed anxieties so it’s best for me to just try and direct my focus elsewhere.

The walls of the Argo are… familiar. But they’re a little older, a little rustier, a little more shifted and warped by the tides of time. I’m walking through a memory that’s been locked away for years and it’s all I can do not to see everything here – the Argo, ECHO, Atalanta – as a group of ghosts, escaped from the little lockbox in my head and come back to haunt me. Maybe when I turn my back, they’ll all disappear into dust clouds, floating ephemeral into the void of space. Maybe I will too.

But Atalanta speaks so dynamically I can’t help but watch her. No, she’s no ghost. On the contrary, with the battle sweat still streaking through her mussed-up hair and the vibrant, animated way she presents the quotidien trivia of the ship’s layout, she’s more alive than anything. It grounds me a bit, to see someone so tangible, so vivid. It almost gives me a bit of… hope. Almost.

MEDEA (NARRATION):

[SIGH] Finally lying in bed, my mind buzzes with every past, present, and potential screw up. Deep breath. Deep breath. There’s no way of knowing what may happen to me or my newfound crewmate. All I can do right now is lie down and do my best to adapt to this new situation, travelling the stars until I can grab the FLCC and get it away from Atalanta and everybody else for good. You know, I’ve never been one for change. But I think, just for a while, I might be able to live with this.

[MEDEA’S THEME FADES OUT]

TALESPINNER:

Khora Podcast is created and produced by Trenchcoat & Co. Productions.

This episode of Khora Podcast, Witch, Traitor, Slayer of Heroes, featured Kit MacNeil as Medea, MQ Quinlan as Atalanta, Kat Hawthorne as ECHO, and Hayan Lee as the Talespinner. Khora’s music and sound design is done by the Khora Team. This episode was written by Georgie Lupinacci, Celeste Lang, and the Khora Crew. To find out more about all the wonderful people whose work goes into making this show possible, check out the shownotes below.

Do you want to support Khora? Tell your friends about us, or post about us on social media with #khorapodcast, that’s hashtag k-h-o-r-a-podcast. This podcast was made with no budget and lots of love by a group of friends, and so your support truly means a lot to us. you can find us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram @khorapodcast. Thank you for listening, and we’ll see you for the next verse of our epic!