06 – Random Access Memory
Series: Roy Kaplan
Season: Out of Sight
Release Date: March 8, 2025
Episode Summary: Notion, Kaplan’s old friend and tailor, needs some help. They’ve found records of a job they’ve done but can’t remember doing it, nor evidence they’ve been paid. It’s up to Kaplan to unravel the plot, but is this just part of a larger trap?
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
ORIGINAL SCRIPT: Jesse Peng
EDITING and PRODUCTION: Jesse Peng
COVER ART: Jesse Peng
MUSIC: Beacon
VOICE CAST:
KAPLAN: Jesse Peng
WES: Caleb Jensen
NOTION: Zuwie LeFou
KINGSLEY: Melissa J. Lackie
ALLISON: Avery Luna
???: D Casellian
WORKER: Rebecca Clifford
THUG: Wyatt West
Special thanks to our $10/month Patreon subscriber, Jennifer Ford :)
05 – Foul Spirits | Roy Kaplan Home | Out of Sight Home | 07 – Family Dysfunctions
OUT OF SIGHT: RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY
INTRO: Bringing you the kinds of adventures you won’t want to forget–it’s Roy Kaplan, Private Investigator!
(INTRO THEME.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) Kaplan speaking. This might surprise you, but I had a lot of friends as a kid. When you’re that young, adults don’t really care that you’ve got a lot of ‘imaginary friends’ and other kids think talking to ghosts is the coolest thing they’ve ever heard of. It wasn’t until the teens and onwards that the ghosts thing started being less cute and more weird and my social life declined. I’ve had people tell me maybe I should work harder to hide the whole ghost thing, but…I don’t know. I mean, I do talk to ghosts. Pretending I don’t doesn’t mean it isn’t still true, and if talking to people nobody else can see is a dealbreaker, then it’s probably for the best they don’t want to spend time with me. All this is to say that I really do appreciate the friends I have. They’ve stuck it out for a lot of weird parts of my life, so when things go weird for them, it’s the least I can do to help.
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) It was nearly midnight when I got a message from Notion, my old friend and tailor. They wanted to know if I could stop by the shop next morning to look into something. Naturally, I said yes. Around 9 o’clock the next morning, I went to see Notion.
(DOOR OPENS. SHOP BELL RINGS. FOOTSTEPS.)
KAPLAN: It’s quiet in here today. Hello? Notion?
NOTION: (OFF) Hello?
(NOTION ENTERS FROM BACK ROOM.)
NOTION: Oh, I didn’t see you there. Welcome to my shop. Can I help you, sir?
KAPLAN: You don’t need to be so formal, it’s just me. What’s going on?
NOTION: What’s…going on?
KAPLAN: Yeah, what did you want me to look into? Is it a new job or something?
NOTION: You’ll need to refresh my memory.
KAPLAN: You sent me a message last night saying you wanted me to look into something.
(KAPLAN SHOWS PHONE TO NOTION.)
KAPLAN: See? Not too long before midnight.
NOTION: I don’t remember sending that. Why would I ask you for help?
KAPLAN: What do you mean, why? Notion, do you…not remember who I am?
NOTION: Well, obviously you’re one of my clients. I’d recognize my sewing anywhere. But you can’t expect me to remember every single client I have.
KAPLAN: I’m Roy. Roy Kaplan. I helped you out with some debts and we’ve been friends ever since. You asked me for help because I’m a private investigator.
NOTION: Oh, no. No you’re not. That’s thief’s clothes if I’ve ever seen any, but you know what? That’s fine. That’s fine. Past me clearly knows something I don’t. I can use a thief’s help.
KAPLAN: What’s going on?
NOTION: Ah, that’s the thing–I’m not sure. I was going through my records yesterday and I found this.
(PAPER UNFOLDING.)
KAPLAN: Engineering drawings?
NOTION: Not just any engineering drawings–my engineering drawings.
KAPLAN: Okay. So you were designing some kind of device. What about it?
NOTION: I wasn’t designing it, I finished it. My records show that I bought the materials and built it, but I don’t remember doing any of that.
KAPLAN: That’s…not good.
NOTION: No, no, it’s not. And you know what else? This device isn’t anywhere. I can’t find it and I never got paid for it.
KAPLAN: And you don’t remember anything that happened?
NOTION: No. I don’t remember getting the job, designing this thing, or building it. The only reason I know about it is my records.
KAPLAN: You’re sure you’re the one who made those records?
NOTION: If someone could make all these documents, they could make the device on their own instead of stealing it. I don’t know about you, Kaplan, but I don’t like it when people play mind games, and I don’t like it when people steal from me.
KAPLAN: I’m no fan of it, either. So what do you want me to do?
NOTION: I want you to figure out who took this device and why, and I want you to take it back. Can you do that?
KAPLAN: Can I? Notion, I’m insulted you even need to ask. Tell me what you know, and I’ll get it done.
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) I’ll be honest. I wasn’t comfortable with Notion not remembering who I was. I didn’t think it was a bad joke. Notion wasn’t that kind of mean. Still, if Notion didn’t remember me, they were still the friend who’d stuck with me through the rough patches in my life, and that meant I was going to help them.
(FOOTSTEPS.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) Notion didn’t have a lot for me to work with, on account of they didn’t remember what had happened. But one of their notes mentioned a name–Morgan Kingsley. Kingsley owned a body modification shop–anything from your piercings and tattoos to your subdermal implants and cosmetic grafts. It looked the same as any other body shop I’d visited, with walls cluttered up with art and mods on display. It wasn’t as clean as the shop where I’d gotten my ears pierced, but I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it, either.
(KAPLAN ENTERS THE SHOP.)
KAPLAN: Good morning, are you Miss Kingsley?
KINGSLEY: Yeah. You looking for something?
KAPLAN: I was wondering what kind of mods you carry. I’ve got a friend who was interested in getting some neural I/O, but I didn’t know where to look, so…
KINGSLEY: You’re in the wrong place. Neural is cybernetics. Ask around medical district and find a surgeon.
KAPLAN: Oh. I see. My friend was interested in memory mods but if you haven’t got anything like that, I’ll just–
KINGSLEY: (Interrupting) What’s your name?
KAPLAN: Pardon?
KINGSLEY: I said, what is your name?
KAPLAN: It’s Finn. Finn Christie.
KINGSLEY: Christie. I’ll keep that in mind. You looking for anything else? Maybe a septum piercing?
KAPLAN: No, I’m fine. The ears were enough for me.
KINGSLEY: Well, if you think of something, come back here. We’ve only got the best.
KAPLAN: (V.O.) So I left. I didn’t get anything useful out of that, but it’s not like I expected to. I didn’t think Kingsley would straight out tell me what she did to scramble Notion’s memory, I just wanted to see the shop for myself…and stick an audio transmitter under the counter while I was there. The cheap ones don’t transmit far, so I grabbed a spot in the coffee shop next door and settled in to listen.
(LOW NOISE.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) It was boring, eavesdropping on Kingsley’s shop. It didn’t seem to get much business–again, not unexpected. Most body shops operate by appointment. I heard one person get a kinetic tattoo, and a couple other people get subdermal implants, but it wasn’t until almost closing that I heard something actually useful.
(FILTERED: DOOR OPENING. FOOTSTEPS.)
ALLISON: (FILTER) Miss Kingsley?
KINGSLEY: (FILTER) Oh, Chase Allison. What are you doing here? I know you don’t have an appointment.
ALLISON: (FILTER) (Nervous) Uh, a few days ago, you said I could stop by if I needed to find some quick work. Well, I…I’ve got some debts to clear. And I need some cash, and I need it fast. Is there anything you can do to help?
KINGSLEY: (FILTER) Is that all? Of course I can help. If you’ve got time to wait, I can show you a place.
ALLISON: (FILTER) You’d do that? Thank you, thank you. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for this!
KINGSLEY: (FILTER) None of that. I said I’d help, so I’ll help. Just settle down and don’t make so much noise.
KAPLAN: (V.O.) That was interesting. There’s not a lot of work in this city that can pay that many credits in one night. There’s not a lot of ways to rack up the kind of debt that needs to be paid off that fast, either–even if you’re dead broke you can do community service work hours to get free access to city housing and use the food dispensaries, and earn credits to save up for better days. I would know–I’ve been there. The only way you end up in the red is if you get chiseled, whether that’s gambling or you get sucked into something and some friendly people stop by to break your kneecaps over it. The way it looked to me, Kingsley might be helping this Allison guy out of the goodness of her heart, but more likely…she was just digging a deeper hole for him.
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) Kingsley and Allison left the shop a bit after closing time. I pulled on a mask and shadowed them. We took the outbound monorail, six stops to the end of the line, firmly in the outer city. It was about fifteen minutes of walking until we came to the site.
(FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL. SHOVELS AND DIGGING.)
KAPLAN: What the hell is this?
KAPLAN: (V.O.) There was a field with a large torn-up area. Lamps were set up around it, shining down into a wide pit. And in the pit, people…were digging. Not with electric tools, but plain old shovels. Every so often, someone would sweep the area with a device that looked like the blueprints Notion had shown me. Obviously, they were looking for something, but what? I crept closer.
ALLISON: So you just need me to dig, Miss Kingsley?
KINGSLEY: You got it, Allison. They’ll pay you 50 credits for the night, and a hundred extra for any pieces you find. But you won’t get paid for pieces if you break them, so watch where you swing that shovel.
WORKER: (OFF) Kingsley, we found something!
KINGSLEY: Come over and show it to me.
(WORKER APPROACHES, CARRYING A HEAVY LOAD. THEY UNCOVER THE PIECE.)
WORKER: It’s really heavy. Look at it.
(WORKER DUSTS THE PIECE OFF.)
ALLISON: What is that?
WORKER: I think it’s some kind of leg! The joints are a little rusted, but it’s mostly intact.
ALLISON: Rusted? Does that mean that we’re digging up…robots?
KINGSLEY: They’re not robots anymore, just old scrap.
WORKER: This is good, isn’t it? This is what you’re looking for?
KINGSLEY: Sure. Come on, let’s take it inside and get you some credits. And Allison, go join the others, start digging. Sooner you start, the better chance you have of finding something we can pay you for.
ALLISON: Y-yes, Ma’am!
(ALLISON LEAVES IN A HURRY.)
KINGSLEY: There he goes. All right, follow me. I want to take a look at this thing under better light.
(KINGSLEY AND WORKER LEAVE.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) Robots. And from the sound of it, old era robots. I didn’t know why someone would want that, other than melting them down for scrap, but to offer a hundred credits just for one part of a robot? That was too much. It didn’t add up. I followed Kingsley and peeked through the window.
(MUFFLED TALKING.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) They put down the leg. It was short–smaller than a regular adult’s leg, and with the dirt wiped off, it was a grayish-blue metallic color. It didn’t look like a cybernetic leg, or the leg a modern robot surrogate might have. The foot was long and X-shaped, like a bird’s. The leg itself was heavy, maybe even solid construction, with smooth interlocking metal parts that looked like they’d been machined, not stamped or sintered. Maybe before the last war, metal had been cheap enough that they could afford to use this much, or these old robots had somehow needed that extra mass. The two of them started talking again. I cracked the window to hear better.
(WINDOW UNLATCH, SLIDES OPEN.)
WORKER: So this is good, right?
KINGSLEY: It’s impressive.
WORKER: Nobody’s ever pulled up something this good, I’m sure of it. It’s worth a hundred, maybe even a hundred fifty, easy!
KINGSLEY: Hey! Don’t make so much noise. You’ll get paid, don’t you worry.
(KINGSLEY TAKES OUT A TRANQUILIZER GUN.)
WORKER: (Scared) Wh-What is that? Is that a gun?
KINGSLEY: Thanks for your service, kid.
(DART FIRED. WORKER COLLAPSES.)
KINGSLEY: All right, that’s that taken care of.
(DOOR OPENS.)
KINGSLEY: Take this kid to processing. When did he show up?
THUG: About three hours ago, boss.
KINGSLEY: Then erase the last four hours of his memory. Get to it.
THUG: Yes, boss.
(THUG PICKS UP WORKER AND EXITS.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) So that’s the scam. Kingsley hires out work, promising high pay, but when it comes time to show the money, she puts them down and erases their memories. That way she doesn’t have to pay out and what they’re digging for stays secret. Well, I guess they didn’t expect me.
(FOOTSTEPS.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) It would be easy at this point to grab Notion’s device and get out, but I couldn’t do that. I still didn’t understand the reason for all this–just about any other grift would be easier and more profitable. There had to be some ulterior motive, and I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t find out what. I crept around some more, trying to scope out the operation, and found what looked like an office.
(KAPLAN OPENS THE WINDOW AND ENTERS. HE RIFLES THROUGH A DESK.)
KAPLAN: Paper ledgers? What is this, the 20th century? (Pause) Nothing useful in here.
(KAPLAN PUTS THE BOOK BACK. DOOR OPENS. LIGHTS TURN ON.)
KINGSLEY: Well, what’s this? A little rat?
KAPLAN: (Startled) Kingsley?
KINGSLEY: You know, the boss said you’d come around, but I didn’t think it’d be this soon.
KAPLAN: I think there might have been some kind of misunderstanding.
KINGSLEY: Is that so? In that case, I can help you understand.
KAPLAN: No, I don’t think there’s any need for that!
(KINGSLEY GRABS KAPLAN. BRIEF STRUGGLE.)
KINGSLEY: Nighty night.
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
(KAPLAN WAKES SLOWLY.)
KAPLAN: Ugh, my head…Where am I?
(ROPE CREAKING.)
KAPLAN: Okay. Dark room, tied to a chair. This looks bad, but I’ve had worse. I can get out of this. (Deep breaths.) Wes? Wes, if you can hear me, I could really use your help now.
(KAPLAN STRUGGLES. WES APPEARS.)
KAPLAN: Wes, is that you?
WES: It’s me, Roy. When you called me from across the city, I didn’t think I’d find you like this. Pick up some new hobbies?
KAPLAN: I’m not in the mood for jokes right now. Help me out, Wes.
WES: What do you need?
KAPLAN: Some light. That would be a good first step.
(FOOTSTEPS.)
WES: Over here. About ten feet away–can your telekinesis reach?
KAPLAN: No, that’s too far. Can you flip the switch?
WES: I’m not feeling too solid at the moment, but I can try.
(LIGHTS SWITCH ON.)
WES: There you go. Maybe that’ll…what’s this nightmare machine?
KAPLAN: (Laughs nervously) I don’t know, but I can take a pretty good guess. They’re erasing people’s memories here. They did it to the workers, they did it to Notion, and they’re going to do it to me.
WES: What? Then get out of here! You know how to open shackles, just leave.
KAPLAN: No, I can’t move. I think they–I think they drugged me. There’s no point in opening the shackles if I can’t walk to the door.
WES: They doped you?
KAPLAN: It was a setup. Someone warned Kingsley I’d show up. Just–listen to me. They’re digging up old era robots and they’re using Notion’s device to find them. I don’t know why or what for, but they’re erasing people’s memories so they don’t have to pay the workers and to keep the operation a secret. You see this machine? Remember what it looks like. If you can see any names or model numbers on it, remember that, too. Can you do that?
WES: I can.
KAPLAN: I’m trusting you, Wes. Remember this place, it’s close to the last stop on the southwest rail. I’ll be coming back.
WES: Do you have a plan?
KAPLAN: No. But I know what I need to do.
(MUFFLED FOOTSTEPS, KEY IN LOCK.)
KAPLAN: That’s probably them now.
WES: Roy…
KAPLAN: Yeah?
WES: Be careful.
KAPLAN: I always am.
(DOOR OPENS.)
KAPLAN: Kingsley. Nice of you to make a special appearance, but I could do with some better accommodations.
???: Sorry, but I’m not Kingsley.
KAPLAN: Wh–Who are you?
???: Someone a little higher up the chain. You’re the guest of honor, after all.
(??? GRABS KAPLAN.)
KAPLAN: Nngh!
???: It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Red. I think we’ll have a lot of fun together.
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
(OUTDOOR AMBIANCE.)
KAPLAN: Ungh.
WES: Roy. Roy, are you awake? Can you hear me?
KAPLAN: (Strained) Good morning to you, too, Wes. I’m…where the hell am I?
WES: You’re in a ditch.
(KAPLAN SITS UP.)
KAPLAN: I sure feel like it. How did I get here?
WES: You don’t remember?
KAPLAN: If I remembered, I wouldn’t be asking.
WES: What’s the last thing you do remember?
KAPLAN: I remember…I was following Kingsley and that kid, Allison. They got on the monorail. I don’t…I don’t know what happened after that. Did I get caught? I never get caught.
WES: Someone set you up.
KAPLAN: What? Who?
WES: I don’t know. That’s just what you told me.
KAPLAN: I told you? I…of course I did. Someone messed with Notion’s head. They must have done it to me, too. What else did I tell you? Actually, no. First things first, where is the rail station?
WES: The closest one is a few blocks south.
KAPLAN: Great. I want to change clothes then talk to Notion again. Tell me everything you know.
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) Wes told me a story about buried old era robots, a scam preying on folks with too much debt and not enough solutions, and a nightmare machine that could wipe your memory clean. It all sounded nuts, but Wes wouldn’t crack jokes about this kind of thing. If they said it was the truth, then I believed it.
(DOOR OPENS. SHOP BELL RINGS.)
NOTION: Welcome to my shop, sir! I–oh, it’s you.
KAPLAN: Hello, Notion, it’s me.
NOTION: Uh, you look like you had a long night. What happened?
KAPLAN: I don’t know. Someone hit me with an amnesia gun.
NOTION: An amnesia gun?
KAPLAN: Yeah, turns out erasing people’s memories is all the rage right now. Fortunately, I’ve got some backup, so it’s not a total loss. I’ve got the model number of the device they used on me, and maybe you.
NOTION: Oh. Let me see it.
(KAPLAN SHOWS PHONE TO NOTION.)
KAPLAN: Here.
(COMPUTER NOISES.)
NOTION: Hmm. Yeah, I’ve heard of these. Why did you call it a gun? It doesn’t look anything like a gun.
KAPLAN: I didn’t know that’s what it looked like. I got blasted with the amnesia beam, remember?
NOTION: Right. Yeah. I see.
KAPLAN: I’m more surprised there’s a model you can look up. You can just buy a brain-scrambling machine?
NOTION: It’s not that surprising. It’s useful technology–how many people have memory mods? These are faster and don’t need surgery.
KAPLAN: If you say so. Do you think the effects can be reversed?
NOTION: Oh yeah. They should be reversible. It’s easy to stop someone from forming memories, but it’s pretty hard to get rid of memories after you’ve made them. A lot of amnesia is like that–it’s not destroying the information in your brain, it just makes it so you can’t find it anymore.
KAPLAN: Ah. So the information’s there but the address is screwed up.
NOTION: Right. So to fix it you just need to get the right connections again. And for that, all you need is the right kind of neurostimulator.
KAPLAN: Do you have one of those?
NOTION: No, but I know where I can get one.
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) Together, we went to visit Notion’s contact, a guy who worked with neural mods. The two of them spent a long time reading through the design documents for the amnesia gun and talking about how to reverse it while I mostly sat around and did nothing like an asshole. I felt pretty bad doing nothing, so I went to grab lunch for us.
(DOOR OPENS. FOOTSTEPS. PAPER BAG CRINKLE.)
KAPLAN: Hey, I’m back. Got some fish fry and some of those weird cakes you like.
NOTION: Roy, is that you?
KAPLAN: Notion? Did you guys figure it out?
NOTION: Yeah! Yeah, it works!
KAPLAN: So do you remember me now?
NOTION: You’re a repeat customer and I message you sometimes about jobs.
KAPLAN: That’s it?
NOTION: There’s more than that?
KAPLAN: …There’s a bit more than that.
NOTION: Oh. I’m sorry.
KAPLAN: It’s not your fault. You said you remember some things now–do you remember who shot you with the amnesia gun?
NOTION: It’s not a–never mind. Someone visited me the day after I finished building the device. They…they asked me about you, actually.
KAPLAN: Me? What did they ask?
NOTION: General things, I guess? Like what kind of a person you were, and if I saw you often.
KAPLAN: Let me get this straight. A stranger visited you, asked about me, and then made you forget all about it?
NOTION: Oh. I don’t think it was a stranger. I’m pretty sure it was a friend?
KAPLAN: A friend? What friend?
NOTION: It was that, uh… (Realizing) I…I don’t know, I don’t know. I don’t remember, but I should have my memory back. Oh, god, what is going on? My head hurts.
KAPLAN: Notion? It’s fine, forget it. Don’t strain yourself.
NOTION: Sorry.
KAPLAN: It’s not your fault. Someone targeted you to get at me. You can’t help that. You said you figured out how to undo the amnesia gun, right?
NOTION: Yeah, we–we did. But Roy, you’re not thinking of going back there, are you?
KAPLAN: Of course I am. How else am I going to figure out who’s behind all this?
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) I won’t pretend to be some noble hero of tales. I’m a private investigator for personal reasons, and very few of them are “helping people”. I don’t like it when somebody is out there scamming poor saps who are down on their luck and wiping their memories, but under most circumstances, that’s not my business. I’m only one person with a baton and no law behind me. Well, this wasn’t most circumstances. Whoever this person was, they’d messed around with me and they’d messed around with my friends, and I didn’t stand for that.
(MECHANICAL NOISES.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) The neurostimulator device was a nasty looking thing, a sort of electric cage that fastened over your head and eyes. I wasn’t excited to put it on, but sometimes you don’t get a choice about these things.
(BEEPING NOISES.)
NOTION: Let me adjust the settings…There we go. Are you ready?
KAPLAN: (Very reluctant) As ready as I’ll ever be.
(DEVICE ACTIVATES, RUSHING SOUND, BREAKS TO HIGH-PITCHED RINGING.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) It might have hurt a lot. I don’t know, because it blanked me out, like a flash grenade right in front of my eyes. All I know is that when I woke up again, I felt fried. Everything felt jumbled together and my ears were ringing.
NOTION: Hey, is everything okay?
KAPLAN: Notion. Depends on how you define okay. I feel like someone went and stirred my brains a little.
NOTION: That’s normal. The procedure should have worked. Do you remember what happened last night?
KAPLAN: Last night? I…no. I don’t remember anything.
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) It didn’t work. I don’t know why. Maybe something in my brain wasn’t the right shape, or maybe someone had done something a little extra in my head, but it didn’t matter. You don’t get far in this business if you let small things like that get you down. The only thing left was to move forward. I said my goodbyes and called up Wes to show me the way to the dig site. It was just after sunset when we reached the last monorail stop. I stepped out into the fresh air, drinking it all in.
(FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL.)
WES: Are you sure you want to do this?
KAPLAN: No. But it’s the only option I can see.
WES: They caught you and erased your memory only last night. You don’t think this is a little soon?
KAPLAN: Wes, if I don’t go now, then when? I don’t have infinite time–when these guys find what they’re looking for, they’ll disappear. I don’t have time to wait around. Is this the place?
WES: Yes. I found you in this building.
KAPLAN: Here’s a window. Let me take a peek.
(FOOTSTEPS. CLOTH RUSTLE.)
KAPLAN: It’s all dark in here. Isn’t it kind of creepy? (Pause) Hey, wait a second. Isn’t that a person in there?
WES: I think so. He’s been tied to the chair.
KAPLAN: Hm. Then why don’t I see what he’s got to say?
(KAPLAN OPENS THE WINDOW AND HOPS IN.)
KAPLAN: There we go. Wes, keep an eye out. I don’t want to get captured a second time.
WES: Will do.
(FOOTSTEPS.)
KAPLAN: Looks like he’s pretty out of it. Wake up, kid.
(KAPLAN SLAPS ALLISON.)
ALLISON: Ugh, huh? (Scared) What’s–who–who are you? What?
KAPLAN: A friend. Your name’s…Chase Allison, wasn’t it?
ALLISON: How–How do you know my name?
KAPLAN: I keep my ears open. What happened to you?
ALLISON: What? Huh?
KAPLAN: Come on, we don’t have that much time. What happened?
ALLISON: I don’t know! It was Miss Kingsley, she jabbed me with something and, and I woke up here.
KAPLAN: Kingsley isn’t just dosing people for no reason. What happened before then?
ALLISON: I was digging. Out in the pit, you know what I mean? I was just digging for parts because Miss Kingsley said she could get me some money if I did and I really need the money fast because I–
KAPLAN: I don’t care about that. What did you find?
ALLISON: What? Um, I found, uh. I don’t know. It was a weird metal box. It was kind of warm. Looked like it had a lot of parts that were broken off, and–uh, is that bad?
KAPLAN: It means I’ve got less time than I thought. Look, kid. I’m going to cut you free, but you need to do me a favor.
ALLISON: Wh-what? I don’t–I don’t–I mean I don’t know if I can–
KAPLAN: Shut up a second and listen. I have to go shake down your boss right now, but you can help me out. You see this machine over here? It’s a machine these chiselers use to erase people’s memories. They were going to do it to you so they wouldn’t have to pay up.
ALLISON: What, no! That’s crazy! No. Why–Why? How could they do something like that?
KAPLAN: Kingsley’s already drugged you and tied you to a chair! Do you really think a little brain scrambling is beyond them? Listen to me, Allison. You’ve been here before. I don’t know how many times, but I saw you digging here yesterday, doing this exact same thing.
ALLISON: You’re…You’re serious?
KAPLAN: Dead serious.
(SAWING THROUGH ROPES, THEN CUT. ROPES FALL.)
KAPLAN: Here. Take this tool kit and go to town on this thing. When you’re done, maybe try getting out of here. I’ll unlock this door.
ALLISON: Y-yes, sir.
KAPLAN: Great. Wes, we need to find Kingsley now.
(MUSIC TRANSITION.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) Time was ticking down fast. Notion had told me what their device was really for–it wasn’t a simple metal detector but some sort of combination wireless charger and radio receiver, the perfect device to not find just any robot parts, but a robot processing core that still worked. It sounded like Allison had hit the jackpot. I didn’t know what Kingsley would do now that she had her hands on an old era robot heart, but chances were she would make a break for it. I couldn’t let that happen. Not until I had my answers.
WES: Roy, this way! I found Kingsley!
KAPLAN: I’m coming!
(KAPLAN RUNS.)
WES: She’s just through here.
(KAPLAN ENTERS.)
KINGSLEY: (Muffled) The deal is off. I think you forget that I’m the one with the robot. If you ever want to see it again, you’ll pay up.
(TELESCOPING BATON EXTENDS. DOOR UNLOCK, THEN OPEN.)
KAPLAN: Kingsley.
KINGSLEY: Wait a moment. A rat just showed up.
(KINGSLEY PUTS PHONE DOWN.)
KINGSLEY: Gotta hand it to you. You’ve got a lot of nerve, coming here. I didn’t think you would have the guts after yesterday. Or did you not have enough?
KAPLAN: Who put you up to this?
KINGSLEY: I bet you’d like to know, you nosy little detective. What can you give me if I tell you?
KAPLAN: I’ll let you leave here. I don’t care what happens to you–I just want your boss.
KINGSLEY: You think you can threaten me like that with a telescoping baton and no backup? You’re gonna have to try a little harder than that.
KAPLAN: It’s not me you have to worry about, Kingsley. You’re already trying to break your deal with your boss–even if they do give in to your demands, do you think they’ll let you get away with this? You’re not dealing with some regular crook. Surely you realize that by now. If you hand them over, you get away clean, and they won’t come after you.
KINGSLEY: Ha ha! Did you hear that? The little detective thinks he can take you on. What do you think? Should I sell you out? (Pause) Anything I want? You’re too sweet.
KAPLAN: I want an answer, Kingsley.
KINGSLEY: Oh, he wants an answer. Well, here’s a counteroffer. I hear you’re a burglar. I’ll tell you who’s on the other end of this phone, and you come work for me. How does that sound?
KAPLAN: Tell me the name first.
KINGSLEY: Smart boy. Fine, I can give you that much of a down payment. Their name is–
(GUNSHOT. GLASS SHATTERING.)
KINGSLEY: Ah!
KAPLAN: Kingsley!
WES: Roy, get down!
(ANOTHER GUNSHOT. BODY FALLS TO THE GROUND.)
KAPLAN: Where did that come from? Who’s firing?
WES: They shot her through the window…I don’t see the sniper.
KAPLAN: Dammit. Damn it all!
WES: Roy? Keep your head down!
KAPLAN: Give me the phone!
(KAPLAN GRABS PHONE.)
KAPLAN: You. You killed Kingsley!
???: (FILTER) Does that surprise you? She was going to tell you my name.
KAPLAN: So you murdered her? You couldn’t just erase her memory like you erased my friends’ memories?
???: (FILTER) Don’t be so upset. It was always going to end this way. The only thing that changed is you got to see it happen.
KAPLAN: You son of a bitch!
???: (FILTER) It was fun playing with you, Red. I think we’ll see each other again very, very soon.
(END CALL.)
KAPLAN: (V.O.) That’s how it ended. Kingsley murdered right in front of my eyes, the robot Allison dug up was gone, and the person behind it all vanished without a trace. The news about the dig site broke the next day, but I hardly read any of it. I was busy with my own thoughts.
WES: Roy? Are you still awake? It’s late.
KAPLAN: Is it? I hadn’t noticed.
WES: Are you all right?
KAPLAN: Yes. No. I don’t know. (Sigh) I’m…I’m scared, Wes. I’m scared bad.
WES: Is this about your stalker?
KAPLAN: It’s not just a stalker anymore. It’s a murderer, and they’re gunning for me and everyone who’s close to me. Maybe this time they’re happy messing around with some heads, but next time, I might just find Notion dead on the floor. Bang bang. Just like that.
WES: If this bird wanted to snuff you, they already would have. It’s not as if they hadn’t the chance.
KAPLAN: Yeah. And that scares me. This is just some kind of…game to them, and it’s a game I don’t want to play, but I don’t have a choice because I’m not the one making the rules.
WES: I’m sorry.
KAPLAN: Don’t be. We’ll get them. Maybe not next time. Maybe not even the time after that, but we’ll get them.
WES: Do you really believe that?
KAPLAN: Will you help me?
WES: What kind of question is that? Of course I will.
KAPLAN: Then yes, I believe it. We’ll make it out the other side. I’ve made it too far to let some psychic stalker stop me now.
WES: Good. I’d hate to see you die.
KAPLAN: (Laughs) Then that makes two of us. I think between us two we can come up with something. But not today. Good night, Wes.
WES: Good night, Roy.
(ENDING THEME.)
OUTRO: You’ve just heard Random Access Memory, the sixth episode of Roy Kaplan: Out of Sight. Kaplan was played by Jesse Peng, Wes by Caleb Jensen. Our cast also includes: Zuwie LeFou, Melissa J. Lackie, Avery Luna, D Casellian, Rebecca Clifford, and Wyatt West.
Roy Kaplan is written, edited, and produced by Jesse Peng. Our music is composed by Beacon.
This show is brought to you by The Pinwheel Lab. If you like what you hear, you can find us over at roykaplanpod on Tumblr, or on thepinwheellab.com. If you really like what you hear, you can also support us on Patreon, where you can hear the next episode a little sooner than everyone else. All financial support goes to production, and helps make Season 2 more likely to happen.
What secrets wait around the next corner? Tune in next time to find out, and I’ll see you on the other side.
05 – Foul Spirits | Roy Kaplan Home | Out of Sight Home | 07 – Family Dysfunctions