Session 2 — Episode 7
Session 2 — Episode 7
Pre-Production: On Set
In-fiction context: Episode 7. The cast is gathered on the set of Box 13, preparing to film.
Observations: - Tara Orlando is visibly sleep-deprived - Tara has brought sandwiches — specifically Cory's favorite sandwich. (Noted.) - Episode 7 will open with a flashback episode — cast sharing favorite moments from Episodes 1–6
Favorite Moments Flashback Segment
Each cast member is on camera sharing a highlight from the series so far.
Gus (Wade Keegan)
Favorite moment: Missing every single shot in Episode 1 at Kessler. He grouched about it on camera. Characteristically.
Elias (Cory Vandermere)
Favorite moment: Adjusting the laminar flow of water that had been set up to form a ritual circle. The precision of it. The fact that someone built that.
Kip (Daniel Boulton)
Favorite moment: The bio-organisms found — discovery of something biological, anomalous, and deeply wrong.
Mordecai (Beckett Blank)
Favorite moment: The man who jumped from a skyscraper rather than admit what he had done. Did not confess. Did not explain. Just stepped off.
Palmer (C.W. Patrick)
Favorite moment / theory: They may be establishing a recurring killer as the series villain. The kind of antagonist who persists across cases. C.W. finds this prospect exciting — and possibly correct.
Running Log
Why We Aren't Where We Want to Be
The cast goes around. Each one has a reason. None of them are simple.
Beckett (Mordecai): Doesn't look like a hero. Has a scar — reminisces about how he got it. Wants to be a lawman in a western. Gets cast as the villain. Every time.
C.W. (Palmer): Drugs and alcohol. The car accident. That's what derailed it. He doesn't elaborate beyond that, but he doesn't need to.
Daniel (Kip): Believes this show might be the one — or at least the stepping stone to the one. The frustration isn't failure; it's being perpetually second-best. Someone has always been a little better, gotten a little further. Still waiting for his turn.
Cory (Elias): Found acceptance after years of being typecast. Stopped fighting it. Now does it for the love of the craft. That's either peace or surrender — probably some of both.
Wade Keegan (Gus): Walked off a low-budget horror production that later went huge. Rumors spread that he was difficult. Truth: the production was unsafe. Got labeled too sensitive, not a team player. Couldn't shake it.
Pre-Scene: Arrivals and Setup
Tara Orlando rushes back in carrying water, out of breath, apologizing. Whatever she's running on, it isn't sleep.
Sterling Horselover enters: dress pants, dress shirt, crocs. Frenetic energy. Immediately starts talking about going out after the shoot — specifically mentions Silverhorn Jacks. He wants the group there.
Amy O'Nay comes in wearing a frown. Her default expression; impossible to tell if it means anything yet.
Cory Vandermere pulls Tara aside before the scene, tells her to take a break. Encouraging. They share a smile.
On Set: Alan Hangs Art
Alan Ladd is hanging a piece of art in the Box 13 office — a night sky in a cheap gilded frame. When asked about it:
"Mr. Horselover handed it to me. To add to the office decor."
Cory (Hard Success — Astronomy or Spot Hidden): Recognizes the star field. It's Taurus.
Horselover urges everyone to action. Cameras roll.
The Case: Amy Langon
Mr. M reaches for the phone before it rings.
"I can sense financial windfall."
Phone rings. He takes notes. Gathers the team:
"Everybody gather around. We have a new contract — a private one. Not through law enforcement."
Client: Howard Langon (father) Missing person: Amy Langon - Age: 22 - Student: UT Dallas, Art and Design - Lives in an apartment just off campus — address in hand - Physical description: red hair, glasses - Vehicle: tan Ford Taurus - Last seen: October 17th by Mark Travis (roommate or boyfriend — unclear which)
Today's date (in-fiction): October 22nd. Missing 5 days.
Why Box 13: Authorities showed no interest in the case. Travis contacted her parents; parents contacted Box 13.
At the Apartment Complex
Short drive from UT Dallas campus. Arrive just in time — Mark Travis is locking the front door on his way out.
Observed (from provided photo, not GM description): - Brown hair, glasses - Shirt half unbuttoned - Pendant necklace — type unknown
Vehicle: Black Kia
Cory Vandermere's read: Mark is gay. No romantic relationship with Amy — roommate only.
What Mark says: - Last saw Amy Friday (Oct 16) — she was having breakfast, said she'd see him later - Reported her missing Monday (Oct 19) — two days after she was last seen - No significant other that he knows of - No known friends - Amy was working on a research paper about an artist
Psychology roll — Extreme Success: Mark is flustered. He is telling the truth.
Mordecai pushes to get inside Amy's room. Hard Success on the push. Mark texts his boss that he'll be late.
Additional questions before entering:
- Lived together a couple of years
- She occasionally has friends over — they stay in her room; Mark doesn't know them
- Only emergency contact: her father (Howard Langon)
- No mention of meeting anyone new recently
- The Pickman paper is a term project — she's been working on it about a week
- Ex-boyfriend: Oliver — broke up six months ago; Mark says he was a jerk; she got over it quickly
- Physical details: ears pierced, nose pierced — doesn't always wear the nose ring
- Mark assumed she went home, which is why he called her dad rather than police first
- Mark is also an art major
Kip and Elias stay outside. Everyone else goes in.
Amy's Room
Floral scent. Papers and art supplies scattered. Clearly a working space.
What's here: - Print of a red flower on the wall — signed R. Pickman - Multiple books about Pickman's work - Handwritten notes and scraps referencing the books - Two photographs only — appear to be Amy with her parents. No friends, no significant other. Consistent with Mark's account. - Laptop (sleeping) - Car keys: gone. The Taurus was not in the parking lot.
Mark's last detail: She was wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt when he saw her Friday morning.
Laptop — password attempt "Pickman": Success. Unlocks.
Minimized chat window open. Contains a downloaded image.
Handout: Pickman Print (pic.png)
A large, dramatically lit red orchid — striking, almost aggressive composition. Signed R. Pickman. This is the print hanging in her room; she owned additional reproductions and reference books on his work.
Handout: Chat Log (chat.png)
Chat between Amy and Devon Walker. Reconstructed transcript:
Devon is facilitating Amy's access to view Pickman paintings — apparently a restricted or private collection. He vouched for her, told the owners about her class schedule and late hours. Said it looked like it was "good to go."
Devon: "Hey, good news — tomorrow night you can come see them. I'll be here." Arrangements made: come up in the afternoon, go to the main library, then to the building in the evening.
Devon: Reassures her about timing, says "a hesitate [meetup] is fine around 20" (meaning ~8pm?)
Then: Devon goes to the viewing ahead of Amy. Gets to see three artworks. Reports back:
Devon: "Good. I got to see 3 artworks. You will really like the biggest one. You know who else will love it — I'll have it and I'll have you tonight."
Amy: "Good, can't wait. I hope you get whatever you need finished."
Then Devon sends: "Hey, you" — and goes silent.
Amy (last messages, increasingly worried): "Okay, now I'm starting to get worried. Send me a text to let me know you are ok. Hey, Devon???"
No response recorded.
Starbucks
Team heads to a nearby Starbucks. Asking employees if anyone has seen Amy.
Mordecai pushes a roll — success. A barista confirms: she has seen Amy, a couple of days ago, alone, at approximately 8:00 PM.
Manager: Sid Meyer — large Black man — comes out when footage is requested. Resists.
Kip fast talks. Gus intimidates. Combined: Sid relents, grants access to the office.
In the office: Kip, Elias, and Gus with Sid. Footage reviewed.
On camera: Amy, carrying a backpack. Alone — no one else with her at that time.
Team leaves the office.
The Museum
Team arrives at the museum. Amy's cream-colored Ford Taurus spotted immediately in the parking lot.
Critical Spot Hidden — contents of and around the vehicle:
- Several art books and art supplies (in the car)
- A Starbucks cup — grande — consistent with her 8 PM Starbucks stop
- Water still pooled under the car — has not moved since it was parked. She arrived and never left.
- An oversized men's hoodie — not hers; unknown owner
- A pamphlet for the Pickman exhibit — confirms this museum is the destination Devon arranged
- Trunk: nothing of note
Team heads inside.
Inside the Museum
Front desk attendant (unnamed) greets the team. Asked to speak with an administrator; she goes to fetch one.
Mica Daniels — museum administrator. Recognizes the description of Amy immediately: "The young woman who requested through one of her employees to view the Pickman exhibit." Devon Walker is a museum employee.
As Devon's name comes up, Miles Lake steps out from behind the team — young Black man in a security uniform. Nervous.
Psychology roll: Miles is nervous about getting in trouble with his boss. Nothing more sinister than that.
What Miles says: - Amy came to view the exhibit; he was the on-site contact - She left without checking in with him afterward - He checked the exhibit after — nothing was missing - Amy signed in. She did not sign out.
Team proceeds to Gallery A — where the Pickman exhibit is displayed.
Gallery A
Several cameras visible throughout the gallery.
Red speckling on the floor in one section. Closer examination: dried blood.
Elias collects a sample.
Blood pattern: no directional trace — drops fell straight down, as if sprinkled from above. No drag marks. No trail leading anywhere.
The blood is clustered near a door marked Gallery B.
Mica asked about camera footage: Says there is nothing on it. Psychology roll — she is hiding something. Persuasion push: the cameras are non-functional. That's what she was concealing.
Devon Walker's schedule clarified: - Works Sunday through Tuesday only - Was not present the day Amy visited - Showed up the following Sunday — unknown what happened then
Gallery B
Door from Gallery A opens into a room with a jungle motif.
At the center: a life-sized, four-armed amalgamation — a beast rendered in stone. Carved with such precision it appears capable of movement.
Camera Footage Review (Gallery A — Kip)
Kip reviews the Gallery A camera. Feed is white static — only occasionally resolves into an image.
What he sees: - Amy in the middle lobby area - An hour and a half after arriving: Amy gathering her things and heading downstairs
Mica Daniels interprets this as Amy leaving. But — Amy did not go out the front door.
Gallery B — Closer Inspection
Mordecai examines the signage around the beast.
Placard reads: Thul, Cathul — Amazonian Legend
At the left heel of the statue: broken plaster — as if something snapped off, or the figure shifted.
Mordecai calls for Vance.
Elias enters Gallery B.
Kip enters without incident. Made of sterner stuff.
Basement — Gus Explores
Gus searches the basement independently.
Under a table leg: A beer bottle. Everything else in the room is coated in dust. The bottle is clean. Recent.
Smell: beer. Predictably. (That's his.)
The Fight — Basement
Gus forces open a door in the basement.
Amy Langon found: tied up on the floor.
Immediately: Steve Blum rushes Gus screaming — "They can't have her!" — fire axe raised.
Round 1: - Steve swings — misses - Gus: Hard Success, Brawling — 1 damage - Exchange blows — both miss
Meanwhile — Lobby: - Jimmy attempts a Listen roll to hear the fight. Fails. Remains unaware in the lobby.
Meanwhile — Gallery B: - Elias attempts an Occult roll on the Thul Cathul statue. Fails. No additional information.
The Team Heads Downstairs
The rest of the team retraces Amy's path and descends to the basement.
Gus: "WHAT THE SHIT—"
Fire axe connects. Shoulder. 9 damage.
For a single moment between blinks, Gus's arm was gone — severed at the shoulder. Then the next blink: it was back. Intact.
The Final Fight
Gus attempts to talk down Steve Blum. The team hears the screaming and comes running.
Gus dodges, retreats. Steve barricades himself in the small closet. Full team now assembled.
Gus kicks the door in. Steve charges with the axe.
- Gus fires — misses
- Steve swings — connects
- Gus is dead.
Palmer rushes in and fires. Misses.
Kip lands the killing blow. Steve Blum is dead.
Aftermath
Kip: Checks on Amy Langon. Successful Psychoanalysis — calms her down.
Mordecai: Successful Medicine roll on Gus. This being a television show, Gus is no longer dead.
Police arrive. The team responds in character: - Kip takes point — frames it as Amy kidnapped by a violent man who attacked their colleague - Vance is pale, can't form words — points silently at Kip - Palmer relays the story, offers the officers unsolicited tips on note-taking - Mordecai focuses on the medical situation, narrates events clinically
Close-up: Gus in the intensive care unit.
Back at Box 13
The team returns — minus Gus.
Mr. M: "Quite a payday. Poor Gus."
Back at the Studio
Sterling Horselover addresses the cast. He calls Wade "Gus" — catches himself, corrects it. Congratulates everyone on a great shoot. Invites the full group to a diner.
Amy (as herself, out of character) checks the prop axe. It is made of actual metal. She glares at everyone in silence and leaves.
Beckett Blank stares at the prop monster. Wondering.
Bond Phase
Beckett Blank (Mordecai)
Action: Withdraws. Result: −1 to all bonds.
C.W. Patrick (Jimmy Palmer)
Action: Attends his daughter's ballet recital. Roll: Failed. Result: −3 to bond with daughter.
Daniel Boulton (Kip)
Action: Chooses to Obsess. Result: −2 to all bonds.
Cory Vandermere (Elias Vance)
Action: Tries to draw on the Method — analyzes the blood sample as a coping mechanism. Roll: Failed. Result: −4 to anchor bond.
Wade Keegan (Gus)
Action: Visits Elaine Mercer, his mentor. Shares what happened. Result: The conversation strains their relationship. Bond damaged.