Season 2 / Eloise Carter - "No Show" [Second Trial Projection]

MILGRAM

It’s time for the last of the prisoners’ projections, and it’s been… longer than usual. Like the wardens are dragging their heels a bit. But they can’t put it off for too long, can they?

So, with a sigh, Warden Bea approaches cell number 008 and raps her knuckles on the door.

“Ellie? Prisoner 008? You in there?”

No response. She flings the door open.

“It’s time for your second projection, if you have any comments you’d like to make regarding the circumstances of your crime… Ah.”

Ellie has been staying fairly isolated in her room. She looks up and gives Bea a hell of a glare, still not having forgiven any of the wardens for the punishment and theft she received as a result of her verdict.

Bea blows a lock of red hair out of her face. “Look, let’s just get this over with, ’kay? It’s not like we’re having a grand ol’ time here either. Now c’mon…”

Ellie still doesn’t respond, but she stands up. She closes her eyes and lets out a slow breath. Alright. It’s showtime.

Again, Bea shoos you away so the chosen prisoner can be guided down the long hallway alone. By now it’s clear this walk is the only thing the wardens are so particular about keeping the prisoner alone for. Once they reach the courtroom, they don’t bother to keep you away as they set the prisoner up in the burnt chair as properly as they can. Perhaps it’s not worth the effort. Perhaps how you behave in the projections is a test in itself.

Regardless of their motives, a few of you make the trek yourselves today, finding the hallway only marginally less lonely with your company. The walls still seem stifling, the unnatural murmurs pressing in on you tighter.

But the courtroom is wide open, if barren, and there’s not much else to be uncomfortable about until the prisoner of the day is secured in place. A strange…—machine? Somehow enough of it remains in shadow to obscure any useful details—emerges from the wall to hover around the prisoner’s head, then everything but you and the wardens is swallowed by utter darkness.

It only lasts a moment, though. Once the shadow subsides, you find yourself seemingly somewhere else…

Ellie Carter

This time you find yourself wearing a uniform— a solid-color polo, khakis, and a bright blue vest. It’s easily identifiable to the Americans, the yellow sun ray logo embroidered on the chest belongs to Walmart. You’re Walmart employees.

The four of you sit in the backroom of the warehouse store when a shift lead walks in, leading a few others in a more formal uniform. The wardens seem to have a slightly higher rank than the lot of you, per usual.

You’re given a quick rundown of employee responsibilities. You get this sense it goes on and on, but it just goes in one ear and drips out the other in a way that makes the passage of time difficult to quantify. But the gist that does stick with you: stock shelves, clean, then go home with middling pay.

Exiting the backroom brings you directly to the shop floor, the rows upon rows of merchandise stretching out to infinity. The glaring lights and bare floors give the place a sterile feel, more like that of a morgue than a hospital.

Ellie Carter

To stock shelves, you’re led behind them to stay out of customer sight. From the back there are shaped holes, like a toddler’s learning toy. Squares, triangles, rectangles, circles repeat across endless shelves. You’re given items. Cylinder cans that fit through the circle, rectangular cereal boxes, triangular shaped chip bag, comically square milk carton… The wardens sit back and watch as they always do in these projections, but this time it suits their roles as leads.

Voices carry through the shelves, from other employees working the front—

“Wasn’t this shift usually Eloise?”
“She stopped showing up.”
“Did she find a new job?”

The two voices laugh loudly at the idea. Coworkers come and go, but not Ellie.

“I heard the police were at her parent’s house.”
“Oh my god, do you think she got murdered?”
“No way, she probably just got caught… … What the fuck does she even do?”
“I dunno, she’s just been here forever. I bet she just sleeps in the back with the dumpsters.”
“Maybe she sleeps in her car.”
“Do you think she even leaves the parking lot?”

The task requires no thought. Shape fits into shape. The work is repetitive and empty. Nothing changes when it is finished. There is no chime nor cheer. You do your work.

Bow-wow

Oh my god.

Being a minimum-wage retail employee, it’s just what Luca had always dreamed of!

Despite everyone else’s likely very poor opinions of the Walmart Corporate Fashion Sense, Luca is way too happy about this projection in particular. He even considers asking the wardens if they could keep Ellie in the chair for longer, just so he could experience shelf stacking and dealing with problematic customers.

To be quite real, he’s definitely heard similar sentiments said about himself… it bothers him, just a tad. But he’s far more locked in than he has any right to be, just stacking his shelves. He does, however, for fun, attempt to put one item in the wrong place… a cylinder in the square hole….

Emmy | Akemi

Akemi wondered why there was such a long break from the previous projection to this one. Had the wardens been lazy? Had something broken? She had been keeping track, loosely, of who had gone in thus far, and as far as she could tell Ellie was the only holdout.

Ellie was practically a ghost, lately. Aside from her brief appearance to help her during the fire, she hadn’t seen many signs of her out and about. Was she OK? A stupid question. No one is, in here.

Upon seeing Ellie being led toward the projection room, Akemi resolved to tail them. Ellie had, at one point at least, wanted her interpretation of these things, so she would make that process a little easier by attending it herself. She somehow doubted much could be worse than the last couple she had gone to.

As they arrive in this space, Akemi is immediately aware of the outfit change, and she can only look down at her khakis and horrendous polo in abject hatred. There are few outfits she could wear that seem less fitting for her than this.

The sour expression remains on her face as she’s given a dull and lengthy job description and is led out to the floor. Even being watched by the wardens and expected to match shapes, Akemi is not doing her job with any degree of speed or urgency. She instead focuses on the gossip with a frown.

Andrew Edgeworth

Seems that Andrew happens to be in the right place for the last projection to be had. While the last projection of Ellie’s didn’t exactly end on a fun note, he has no qualms attending this one; especially with the company that’s going to be present this time.

Though…the regret sets in immediately. Shelf-stocking wasn’t exactly a thrilling job the first time, it certainly still is not the second time. The projection retelling is going to be much, much less fun for the pirate queen this time-

Andrew simply does what he’s “told” with as much of a blank expression as usual for him, an occasional glance over at the others or in the direction of the gossip being what shows that he’s paying attention.

Robert McCay

Robert enters the projection room with an uncharacteristically quiet frown. He makes eye contact with Ellie, nods and scratches the back of his neck, hanging towards the back of the group as the machine activates. Even Bow-wow he only gives a brief smile to… Guess something’s on his mind.

…Walmart, huh? He’s more of a Target or Whole Foods guy himself. He shrugs and follows his orders, though, even picking up the slack a little from the more reluctant participants. But still he looks strangely tense…

Ellie Carter

The projection— or the shift lead it takes form through— pushes the wardens forward as it sees Bow-wow fucking about. It doesn’t seem as bothered by Akemi’s slowness or Andrew’s lack of smiles about it. It doesn’t need enthusiasm, just obedience and normality.

MILGRAM

Bea steps towards Bow-wow with a condescending smile.

“…Sweet pea, do you need some help.”

Ei squints at her– she knows he’s just trying to piss them off, right? Sie seems distracted by the gossip as well.

Bow-wow

Luca seems to startle a bit as Bea approaches him. He turns around, blinking with the biggest puppy dog eyes he seems to have unintentionally mustered.

“Oh, hi, Miss Bea!” His curiosity seems to have gotten the better of him, but… “Maybe? I’m a bit confused, clearly. They all fit in this one.” He points to the rectangular hole.

Considering his low intelligence track record… who knows if he’s even being serious.

“I can do something else, if you think I’m real bad at this, though!”

Emmy | Akemi

As Bea approaches with that condescending smile, Akemi’s already slow works slows even further. She narrows her eyes at the warden, already having zero respect for Bea especially.

“Oh, so you can speak up and interfere during these. Consider me surprised. Here I imagined you were simply enjoying the show. Perhaps we can switch roles if you feel so strongly that you can do it better.”

MILGRAM

Bea whips around to snap back at Akemi.

“Hey now, I’m just trying to get this shit over with, ’kay? If we don’t play along, how are we supposed to…”

The shift lead looms behind them.

“…”

“… This is taking a while, though…” Sie mumbles quietly.

Robert McCay

Up until now, Robert had complied unobtrusively. This wasn’t that much more monotonous than the scanning and data entry he did for a day job, after all.

As the task drags on, though, it’s clear he’s getting more and more restless. Looking at people, looking past people, like he’s watching for something…

And now, here it was, the chance he was looking for. The bickering alone might have been enough of a distraction already– but more importantly, Bea was separated from the other two wardens, the mysterious shift lead was absorbed in its paperwork, and no one else was in his way.

A humorless grin spreads across his face as he finally speaks, in a growling flat affect…

MILGRAM “… This is taking a while, though…”

“…Sure is, huh? I quit.”

In a split second, the man with no name rips off his badge and sprints down the endless aisle, shoving his way vindictively past the wardens, sending Sie flying into a shelf of canned peas.

He didn’t know exactly where he was going– just what needed to happen. How long would it take? Would he have to… do it himself?

He runs and runs, scanning the shelves at every junction, equal parts dreading and anticipating.

Andrew Edgeworth

Andrew’s hand stills when Bea approaches Luca, and then his attention is taken entirely right after when she snaps at Akemi. He may not be saying anything, but his sharp glare towards the wardens sure does communicate what he’s thinking.

Ellie Carter

The shift lead doesn’t seem very satisfied with that, but can’t help when an employee is just plain stupid… It notes something down on a clipboard for a future performance review.

Bow-wow

Luca startles again- this time when Sheriff’s outburst completely snaps his attention from the fact he was definitely getting bad points for his anti-compliance. Sie goes flying, and he scuttles forwards, attempting to help them up-

“Sie- are you okay?!” He practically squeaks, eyes round as he looks over to Andrew and Akemi for help. “We… We should probably stop him!” His voice warbles with sudden anxiety- oh god, his first day on the job, and things were going to shit. He’s frantically picking up peas and re-stacking them in the meantime, though.

MILGRAM

“Ow! Jesus!” Ei yelps, staggering to keep his footing.

“What the hell?! Where does he think he’s going?” Bea automatically runs a few steps after him before deciding the escapee has too much of a head start.

“Ghh… wait– oh no–” Sie peels themself off of the shelving with a wince, just barely having time to acknowledge Bow-wow’s presence before…

Ellie Carter

The shift lead, however, barely reacts. It just watches with an ambivalent smile as the inevitable occurs.

It starts with a single can of Bud Lite, flying off the shelf like a bullet, striking the runaway in the shoulder. A few more cans launch themselves across the aisle, then a six-pack of glass bottles, shattering and sparkling against the concrete floor. The man yelps and hesitates for just a second…

And that’s all it takes for the shelf to topple and collapse, crushing him under pallets of cheap beer and liquor.

Emmy | Akemi

When Bea snaps back, Akemi simply looks at her with her characteristic scowl.

“Oh, so we’re not moving fast enough for your liking?” She purposefully takes several seconds to move one single item.

“Then do it yourself, or shut your mouth and continue to watch uselessly.”

She hardly has a moment more to sass the wardens before Robert– or perhaps this is yet again the Sheriff– has his outburst and runs off. As the shelves and bottles tumble down and crush the fleeing man, Akemi steps back and covers her mouth. It never got easier to watch, did it?

Ah.

It was going to be like this, wasn’t it? She simply gives another sharp glance toward the wardens, keeping up her vague and uncaring pace.

“Excellent job supervising us, truly.”

Andrew Edgeworth

Andrew realises that Sheriff is the one who’s present too late to do anything before the guy is crushed. Logically, he’s just in another section of the projection or waiting outside, but he still winces at the impact. A little fall isn’t going to kill Sie, so Andrew just ignores the downed warden to address Bow-Wow.

“Let’s…hold back for a moment, Luca.” Even though Andrew raises a protective hand in front of Bow-Wow, he’s considering that Sheriff’s little stunt might be the way forward.