The Bottle | 4.5

[00:00:00] Escaping Denver, Batch 4, Episode 5, The Bottle and the Bullshit

[00:00:22] Last ones.

[00:00:24] Naturally.

[00:00:26] Where did you get this stuff?

[00:00:27] From one of the offices.

[00:00:29] Alcohol doesn't go bad, does it?

[00:00:32] This stuff doesn't.

[00:00:36] It just tastes like burning.

[00:00:38] Burning, exactly. The good stuff.

[00:00:41] Okay, let's take it from the top, but speak legibly.

[00:00:44] We need the stranger to get it all.

[00:00:46] Speak legibly?

[00:00:47] Are you really recording?

[00:00:49] You gotta let them know, like, the plan.

[00:00:51] There's no plan. Just a series of bad ideas.

[00:00:54] That will coalesce into a plan, obvi.

[00:00:58] Obvi.

[00:00:59] Yeah, second thought. I think we're done drinking.

[00:01:03] Good call. I'm buzzed enough.

[00:01:04] No, you're drunk.

[00:01:06] No, you're drunk.

[00:01:07] Yeah, yeah, also that.

[00:01:09] What was the point of drinking?

[00:01:12] Makes you feel good.

[00:01:13] That's why we drank?

[00:01:15] No, it's for the debate.

[00:01:17] If a plan sounds good when drunk, and good when sober, it's a solid plan.

[00:01:22] But the plan sounded terrible sober.

[00:01:25] Well, let's take a pass while drunk.

[00:01:27] Take it from the top.

[00:01:29] Okay.

[00:01:29] We leave here and head to the biodome caverns to look for clues.

[00:01:35] Right.

[00:01:36] Presuming we don't find anything, we head to the last known location of Noah.

[00:01:41] Where he's being tortured?

[00:01:42] Well, yeah.

[00:01:46] We head there and assess the situation.

[00:01:50] Steak out.

[00:01:51] Sneaky-like.

[00:01:52] And then?

[00:01:53] This is where I'm confused.

[00:01:54] I'm to make a distraction?

[00:01:56] Exactly.

[00:01:58] Big distraction.

[00:01:59] Huge.

[00:01:59] Huge.

[00:02:00] And what do we think will come of this huge distraction?

[00:02:03] Well, ideally, distraction.

[00:02:06] By distracting who?

[00:02:08] Them.

[00:02:09] All of them.

[00:02:11] I want this place to be buzzing with activity.

[00:02:13] And in the chaos, I'll slip in and get Noah out.

[00:02:17] And what about me?

[00:02:20] I don't follow.

[00:02:21] That buzz of activity will have people chasing after me, I imagine.

[00:02:25] So what about me while you're slipping in?

[00:02:30] Uh, I just figured you'd, I don't know, be able to handle yourself.

[00:02:35] Handle myself?

[00:02:37] I've lived this long because I've avoided conflict.

[00:02:40] You think I'd still be here if I took a page out of Sarah's survival guide?

[00:02:44] I'd have been hunted, killed, and mounted.

[00:02:46] So, while yes, I can handle myself, that rarely is involved being shot at.

[00:02:52] Rarely?

[00:02:55] I thought you were done drinking.

[00:02:57] Yeah, and I thought we needed it for the debate.

[00:02:59] So go on.

[00:03:00] Convince me.

[00:03:02] Convince you?

[00:03:03] Yeah.

[00:03:04] Pump my tires.

[00:03:05] Fire me up.

[00:03:06] Make this plan make sense.

[00:03:07] You want me to climb out of my trench and storm no man's land, at least give me hope I can survive.

[00:03:13] Of course you can survive.

[00:03:16] That it?

[00:03:17] I've been drinking.

[00:03:19] I'm out.

[00:03:20] You're gonna give up on, well, you.

[00:03:22] No, I'm giving up on plan A.

[00:03:24] Do you have a better plan?

[00:03:26] No.

[00:03:27] But I have a different one.

[00:03:29] I was excited to dive into the specifics of their grand plans.

[00:03:37] Sarah is saving Noah.

[00:03:39] There is bound to be a solid ironclad plan.

[00:03:42] But what did we get?

[00:03:43] The bottle and the bullshit.

[00:03:45] Sarah's grand plan was essentially to sacrifice Tunnel Tarzan.

[00:03:49] Trading a life for a life, but that math doesn't add up.

[00:03:53] What's that train track thing?

[00:03:55] The trolley problem.

[00:03:56] On one track we have, I don't know, a child.

[00:03:59] And on the other track, six adults.

[00:04:00] Which track do you choose?

[00:04:01] Because you have to sacrifice one because you have a runaway trolley.

[00:04:04] Screw the track. Stop the train.

[00:04:07] Maybe all can live.

[00:04:09] We know our Noah.

[00:04:10] He'd try to find a win-win solution.

[00:04:13] Maybe not the best triage decision maker we have, but he's a silver lining guy.

[00:04:18] And I have to think that Tunnel Tarzan is too.

[00:04:24] This time, you understand the gravity of your choices.

[00:04:29] That's your play?

[00:04:30] That my newly gained insight is what's going to have me switch sides?

[00:04:33] Joke's on you.

[00:04:36] I haven't learned anything.

[00:04:38] Switch sides?

[00:04:39] You make it sound like you're the opposition.

[00:04:43] You're not.

[00:04:44] You're inconsequential.

[00:04:47] Irrelevant.

[00:04:48] You don't register.

[00:04:50] Spending an awful lot of time on someone who doesn't matter.

[00:04:54] Throwing you a bone.

[00:04:56] As it were.

[00:04:57] Appreciate it.

[00:04:58] But I'm not biting.

[00:05:00] You want me to just open this door and rinse and repeat my trauma?

[00:05:06] Is to give you.

[00:05:09] What do you mean?

[00:05:11] What do you mean?

[00:05:12] Damn it.

[00:05:16] Riddles.

[00:05:16] Just speak plainly.

[00:05:18] Tell me what's up.

[00:05:19] Throw more of these mind games.

[00:05:22] I hate it.

[00:05:24] Makes me feel like I'm in high school against social traps.

[00:05:27] It's like the testing hasn't stopped.

[00:05:31] Holy shit.

[00:05:33] The testing hasn't stopped.

[00:05:37] I don't know what this is.

[00:05:39] This new test.

[00:05:40] The speaker goes dead.

[00:05:41] The lights on the camera go out.

[00:05:43] A few minutes ago, the air conditioner stopped and we dropped to emergency lighting.

[00:05:47] Is this to what?

[00:05:48] Motivate me to leave?

[00:05:49] Encourage me to stay?

[00:05:51] What do you want from me?

[00:05:54] What was that?

[00:05:56] Hey.

[00:05:57] Fox lady.

[00:05:58] What was that?

[00:06:01] What's going on out there?

[00:06:04] Hello?

[00:06:05] Anyone?

[00:06:10] That was big.

[00:06:11] I felt in my knees.

[00:06:13] My stomach.

[00:06:13] That was big.

[00:06:15] Room shook.

[00:06:16] Whatever just happened was not on purpose.

[00:06:19] Something went wrong, didn't it?

[00:06:21] Didn't it?

[00:06:23] Tells me one thing's for sure.

[00:06:25] Sarah's still out there.

[00:06:30] These wires safe?

[00:06:31] Yes.

[00:06:32] So long as you don't touch them.

[00:06:34] Good to know.

[00:06:35] See that yellow pipe?

[00:06:37] Yeah.

[00:06:38] Don't touch it.

[00:06:39] It's hot.

[00:06:40] Anything else I should know?

[00:06:41] Yes.

[00:06:42] What you do with the music is dangerous.

[00:06:45] Oh, you're not understanding.

[00:06:47] I'm only strong with the music.

[00:06:49] It'd be a lot more dangerous if I was just normal Sarah.

[00:06:52] Trust me.

[00:06:53] She'd be no help.

[00:06:54] You survived long enough without it.

[00:06:56] But barely.

[00:06:57] Barely is enough.

[00:06:59] No, it's not.

[00:07:00] Not for me.

[00:07:01] Not anymore.

[00:07:02] I'm tired of feeling weak.

[00:07:04] You don't strike me as someone who feels weak.

[00:07:07] I was.

[00:07:10] Sarah.

[00:07:11] Yeah.

[00:07:13] Maybe give it a rest.

[00:07:15] What?

[00:07:17] Wait.

[00:07:18] Maybe you don't press play.

[00:07:21] Now's not really the time.

[00:07:22] We need to conserve the batteries.

[00:07:24] What if something happens?

[00:07:26] You don't have powers.

[00:07:27] Well, if something happens you can press play.

[00:07:30] Are you sure?

[00:07:31] Because what if...

[00:07:32] I'm sure.

[00:07:33] Plus, we're just about there.

[00:07:35] So we need to be quiet.

[00:07:36] How did you find this route?

[00:07:41] Same way I found all the others.

[00:07:43] I got lost.

[00:07:45] You get lost a hundred times, you start to know your way.

[00:07:47] Even my dumb luck, you start to stumble on shortcuts and workarounds.

[00:07:52] So is this a shortcut or a workaround?

[00:07:55] Neither.

[00:07:56] It's a last resort.

[00:07:58] Oh, good.

[00:07:59] Third category.

[00:08:02] We gotta go down there?

[00:08:03] That we do.

[00:08:05] Do I wanna ask what's down there?

[00:08:07] I think you just did.

[00:08:09] And it's really just a long ladder and a tight cable run.

[00:08:12] And we're heading to where the cables are headed.

[00:08:14] I follow.

[00:08:16] What's there?

[00:08:17] I opened that too early.

[00:08:20] Felt premature.

[00:08:21] You knew I'd have questions.

[00:08:22] Should've assumed.

[00:08:24] Where do the cables lead?

[00:08:25] This facility has hundreds, if not thousands, of server rooms.

[00:08:29] Scattered and varying levels of sophistication.

[00:08:33] From what feels like the future, all the way back to the space race.

[00:08:37] The deeper we go, the older the tech.

[00:08:39] But the older the tech, the better shot I got at messing with it.

[00:08:43] I'm no hacker, but I can unplug a cord like the best of them.

[00:08:47] And your plan is to just unplug some stuff?

[00:08:50] How do we even know it's associated with where Noah's being held?

[00:08:54] Noah's being held somewhere deep and previously unused.

[00:08:57] Yes.

[00:08:58] Well, server room at the bottom of this ladder kicked to life not long ago.

[00:09:02] I didn't think anything of it because things kick on all the time,

[00:09:05] but it makes sense that it was turned on because this area of the facility is back in action.

[00:09:11] And we can use this server room to, what, find Noah?

[00:09:14] Not only find him, but make them think he's escaped.

[00:09:17] If they think he's already escaped, then they really will go after me when I show myself.

[00:09:22] And that's when I sneak Noah out.

[00:09:24] So, similar to my plan.

[00:09:25] Except this way, they won't immediately see through the ruins and just shoot me.

[00:09:29] This is a plan I can survive.

[00:09:32] At least we hope.

[00:09:33] I thought you said you knew what you were doing.

[00:09:39] I said I knew how to unplug.

[00:09:41] Who expects things to erupt in flames?

[00:09:43] They did, clearly.

[00:09:44] Explains the fire extinguisher and all the warnings.

[00:09:47] I don't read that language.

[00:09:49] We should have deduced.

[00:09:50] Well, Watson, on our next go-around, I'll do better.

[00:09:53] But for now, while we're way steep in it, maybe we focus on our pivot.

[00:09:57] We're gonna have to move.

[00:09:59] They'll know we're here by now.

[00:10:00] Yeah.

[00:10:01] They'll beeline here.

[00:10:02] Let me separate.

[00:10:03] I saw the cell they're keeping him in, and I think I can make it.

[00:10:07] But I'd still need you to cause a distraction.

[00:10:09] I run around screaming that I'm Noah, but your face says that's not what you mean.

[00:10:13] You saw that loading bay on one of the monitors.

[00:10:15] Think you can find your way there?

[00:10:16] Yeah.

[00:10:17] The one with the trucks?

[00:10:18] The one with the fuel trucks.

[00:10:22] I've said it before, and I'll say it again because it bears repeating.

[00:10:25] I don't receive the messages in order.

[00:10:27] I try my best to put them in order that makes sense to me, whether chronological or not.

[00:10:33] Hey, Harper, I know you're listening, and I also know you can probably help with the whole timeline of it all,

[00:10:37] so shoot me an email at escapingdenverpod at gmail.com.

[00:10:41] Let's chat.

[00:10:42] But while I hold my breath on that, let's talk about Tunnel Tarzan.

[00:10:47] He's Noah.

[00:10:48] I know we know he's Noah, but he's Noah.

[00:10:51] Guy unplugs something and starts a fire.

[00:10:53] Noah is the living embodiment of the bread landing Butterside down.

[00:10:57] The only difference is no matter how many times it happens to him,

[00:11:00] how many times he fails or things blow up in his face,

[00:11:03] he always hopes for Butterside up.

[00:11:06] That's Noah.

[00:11:07] Tarzan.

[00:11:08] Wild man of the biodome caverns or not.

[00:11:11] I don't know what the plan is because there really isn't a plan.

[00:11:16] Morons.

[00:11:16] Just had to be authentic.

[00:11:18] Get the details right.

[00:11:20] Really fuck with me.

[00:11:22] Huh.

[00:11:23] Thank you for the weapon.

[00:11:26] Guess I have learned something.

[00:11:28] I don't know what this new stage is, but bring it.

[00:11:32] Ah!

[00:11:34] That's embarrassing.

[00:11:38] What the hell is going on?

[00:11:40] I have no idea.

[00:11:42] All the systems are either dead or gone haywire.

[00:11:44] Does she know already?

[00:11:46] How can she not?

[00:11:48] The whole place is going up.

[00:11:50] Shit.

[00:11:51] Shit, shit, shit.

[00:11:54] I'll pull what resources I can from upstairs, but we have to contain this.

[00:11:58] She'll have our heads for this.

[00:12:05] Well, this worked out better than we expected.

[00:12:07] Talk about failing upwards.

[00:12:10] This whole place has gone to shit.

[00:12:12] Sprinklers, alarms, flashing lights.

[00:12:14] Couldn't have asked for a better distraction.

[00:12:17] Problem is, now I'm lost.

[00:12:20] Nothing looks like I'd expect it to.

[00:12:22] How the hell am I supposed to get to Noah now?

[00:12:25] I also don't know if I can get my phone wet, let alone a Walkman.

[00:12:29] Feels like a no-no.

[00:12:31] But it's been 25 years, so maybe I misremember-

[00:12:33] Oh, I just have to move.

[00:12:40] As long as I move with purpose, nobody will think otherwise in all this chaos.

[00:12:45] I just have to blend in.

[00:12:48] One of these long stretches will be the one with Noah.

[00:12:51] Just have to pick the right one.

[00:12:54] And of course, they all look the same.

[00:12:57] I have half a mind to press play and shake some quick answers out of someone.

[00:13:01] Which I might actually have to do.

[00:13:03] Jesus, how many of these hallways are there?

[00:13:08] Look where you're going!

[00:13:10] Shit.

[00:13:12] I didn't- I'm sorry.

[00:13:13] I was, uh, just, uh-

[00:13:15] You didn't-

[00:13:16] I- I'm sorry- I'm sorry, ma'am.

[00:13:18] Well, you should be.

[00:13:19] Running around like an arsehole.

[00:13:21] I know.

[00:13:22] It won't happen again.

[00:13:23] We're- we're just-

[00:13:24] Just- just what?

[00:13:25] Adding some more chaos to the mix?

[00:13:27] Slow down.

[00:13:28] You said we needed to lock down this floor and stop the water.

[00:13:31] You said you wanted, uh, heads on pikes.

[00:13:33] And did I say to do it like a moron?

[00:13:36] No, ma'am.

[00:13:38] Which way to Noah?

[00:13:39] To-

[00:13:40] The captive?

[00:13:40] Have we secured the captive?

[00:13:42] We sent a team like you requested.

[00:13:45] Pull them back.

[00:13:46] Pull them back, ma'am?

[00:13:48] Yes, because it's a trap.

[00:13:49] The- the radios are down.

[00:13:51] Then get moving!

[00:13:52] Yes- yes, ma'am.

[00:13:56] I think I know what psychopath is keeping Noah captive.

[00:14:00] I am.

[00:14:03] Who is it?

[00:14:06] It's open!

[00:14:08] Monster or soldier?

[00:14:09] Monster or soldier?

[00:14:10] Monster or soldier?

[00:14:11] Monster or-

[00:14:12] Oh.

[00:14:14] Or me.

[00:14:19] Hi.

[00:14:52] Found the loading bay.

[00:14:53] Giant metal ramp.

[00:14:54] And a sea of concrete.

[00:15:00] And it's heavy as hell.

[00:15:02] Where is that wild man?

[00:15:04] He should have been here by now.

[00:15:05] He's the one who knows his way around.

[00:15:09] Unless-

[00:15:11] No.

[00:15:12] No, I can't think that way.

[00:15:13] He's equipped for this.

[00:15:14] He'll swing down any moment with a plan and we'll go get Noah.

[00:15:18] Yep.

[00:15:19] Until then, all I can do is help us to prepare.

[00:15:23] Stay positive, Sarah.

[00:15:24] Focus.

[00:15:27] Well, isn't this adorable?

[00:15:31] This is unexpected.

[00:15:34] That it's me?

[00:15:35] Or that I'm you?

[00:15:36] That you're me.

[00:15:38] Wait.

[00:15:39] Are you-

[00:15:40] The guy who saved your life?

[00:15:41] The guy who cut my hand off.

[00:15:42] Same, same.

[00:15:43] I didn't recognize you without the whole beard at all.

[00:15:46] I didn't know I could even grow a beard like that.

[00:15:49] Something to look forward to.

[00:15:50] Can we continue with the rescue?

[00:15:52] That what this is?

[00:15:53] Well, it ain't a reunion.

[00:15:55] We have to move.

[00:15:56] I heard an explosion.

[00:15:58] Was that you?

[00:15:59] No.

[00:16:00] I think it was Sarah, but I really don't know.

[00:16:02] We separated to find you.

[00:16:04] Sarah's still alive?

[00:16:06] She is.

[00:16:07] And determined to save you.

[00:16:09] I didn't think she'd give up.

[00:16:11] She hasn't.

[00:16:12] But she could be in trouble, so we should move.

[00:16:18] You've caught up.

[00:16:19] So we're trapped?

[00:16:20] Currently.

[00:16:21] Let me think.

[00:16:23] Because it feels like this rescue attempt is just giving them more Noahs.

[00:16:26] Shut up and let me think.

[00:16:28] Does this door lock?

[00:16:29] Not from the inside.

[00:16:31] And this is the only door?

[00:16:32] Only the one way in and out.

[00:16:34] It's like the cells we started in only newer.

[00:16:37] Looks the same.

[00:16:38] Yeah, but it still smelled like paint when I got here.

[00:16:41] Like they rushed to make it.

[00:16:42] If they rushed to make it, then maybe they took shortcuts.

[00:16:46] It makes sense.

[00:16:47] The rust on the AC unit was painted on.

[00:16:50] So what if the bulletproof glass isn't quite bulletproof?

[00:16:53] Only one way to tell.

[00:16:57] They're here.

[00:16:58] You break the glass and I'll hold the door.

[00:17:04] Okay.

[00:17:05] Let's go.

[00:17:12] Let's go.

[00:17:15] It looks clear.

[00:17:17] Let's go.

[00:17:19] I can't.

[00:17:20] The moment I let go of this door, they'll burst in.

[00:17:23] Then we run.

[00:17:24] No.

[00:17:25] We'll die.

[00:17:27] We'll get shot in the back and we'll die.

[00:17:29] Then I'll stay and we fight.

[00:17:31] We don't know how many there are.

[00:17:33] Well, if I stay, I've doubled our numbers.

[00:17:36] We're not fighters, Noah.

[00:17:38] All the more reason to run with me.

[00:17:39] We don't have time.

[00:17:41] Just run.

[00:17:42] There's leaving someone behind and then there's leaving yourself behind.

[00:17:46] It's too messed up.

[00:17:47] I can't do it.

[00:17:48] You can and will.

[00:17:50] We both don't need to die here.

[00:17:52] Nobody needs to die.

[00:17:54] Let's get out of here.

[00:17:55] That one's going to be all on you.

[00:17:58] If it helps, I don't think I'm Noah number one.

[00:18:01] I used to, but I've met a few other Noahs and now I really don't know.

[00:18:05] That doesn't help.

[00:18:07] Who cares if we're clones or robots or whatever?

[00:18:10] Those are future problems.

[00:18:11] Right now, let's find a way to prop the door and move.

[00:18:15] No.

[00:18:16] It's the end of the line for me.

[00:18:18] I literally just met you.

[00:18:20] We're not at the end.

[00:18:21] You know me better than I know you.

[00:18:23] What you have with Sarah, it's the stuff we dreamed of up top.

[00:18:28] Someone who trusts us.

[00:18:30] Someone who cares.

[00:18:31] A proper friend.

[00:18:33] I have friends.

[00:18:34] You're talking to yourself.

[00:18:36] You know that, right?

[00:18:38] I'd know.

[00:18:39] I have all the friends I need.

[00:18:41] Stop lying and listen to me.

[00:18:43] If only one Noah gets to crawl out of this hellhole, it should be the one of us that's still growing.

[00:18:48] Still changing and becoming something greater.

[00:18:51] It's not just the healing.

[00:18:52] You're different.

[00:18:54] You need to run.

[00:18:56] Hit it.

[00:18:58] Run!

[00:19:12] Well, isn't this adorable?

[00:19:14] Who the...

[00:19:15] But...

[00:19:16] What?

[00:19:17] Go on, work it out.

[00:19:19] You're me.

[00:19:21] There we go.

[00:19:22] Not the smartest Harper I see.

[00:19:24] I go by Sarah.

[00:19:26] So I've heard.

[00:19:28] I should have known you were here when everything started going to shit.

[00:19:32] I could say the same.

[00:19:34] I was told Noah was being held by a psychopath.

[00:19:37] Guilty.

[00:19:38] So what do we do?

[00:19:41] We do nothing.

[00:19:43] You put your hands up because I've got the gun.

[00:19:50] Hands where I can see them.

[00:19:52] You won't shoot me.

[00:19:54] Won't you be surprised?

[00:19:56] I'm next to a fuel truck.

[00:19:58] You wouldn't risk blowing yourself up.

[00:20:00] Especially if there's gas everywhere.

[00:20:04] Now if you shoot, we both blow.

[00:20:08] Clever and desperate.

[00:20:10] Now we're both standing in fuel.

[00:20:12] But I still have the gun.

[00:20:15] Wait.

[00:20:15] Stop.

[00:20:16] Put that down.

[00:20:18] Fine.

[00:20:18] Now you have a metal shield, so what?

[00:20:22] Reinforcements are on the way.

[00:20:23] You won't be able to block all our shots.

[00:20:26] You can't heal.

[00:20:29] No.

[00:20:29] But neither can you.

[00:20:31] No!

[00:20:36] I've listened a few times, you know, to ensure I'm hearing what I think I'm hearing.

[00:20:40] To me, it sounded like Sarah used a big metal ramp to cause a spark to blow up the loading bay.

[00:20:45] Is that what it sounded like to you?

[00:20:47] I know this may seem out of order, but it made the most sense to me.

[00:20:52] And continuing to build in bleakness, Noah is back on the run, Tunnel Tarzan is likely dead, and now Sarah and Harper are cooked.

[00:21:00] I'll leave it there.

[00:21:02] If you heard something different or think of anything I'm missing, shoot me an email to escapingdenverpod at gmail.com or join the conversation on Reddit at our escaping Denver.

[00:21:11] Thank you to Curious Cast for continuing to believe in this, and I'll be back next week with another episode of Escaping Denver.

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