The Gentleman From Hell |S1| Ep. 49

Rusty Quill presents

Good evening, gentlemen and gentle ladies of hell.

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Popsicles, sprinklers, a cool breeze.

Talk about refreshing.

You know what else is refreshing this summer?

A brand new phone with Verizon.

Yep, get a new phone on any plan with Select Phone Trade-In and MyPlan.

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Coach, the energy out there felt different.

What changed for the team today?

It was the new game day scratchers from the California Lottery.

Play is everything.

Those games sent the team's energy through the roof.

Are you saying it was the off-field play that made the difference on the field?

Hey, a little play makes your day, and today it made the game.

That's all for now.

Coach, one more question.

Play the new Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams Scratchers from the California Lottery.

A little play can make your day.

Please play responsibly, must be 18 years or older to purchase play or claim.

Your Excellency

Your Excellency

Hello, Robert.

It's been quite a while.

Ambrose.

It's good to see you.

Please, please, have a seat.

Sorry it took me so long to get here, but my flight was delayed at the last minute.

Ah, no need to apologize.

I completely understand.

I had your job not too long ago, it seems.

So I know how things go.

Well, I can tell you

they haven't gotten any better.

I'm certain they haven't.

Is there anything I could get for you before we get down to business?

No, Robert, I'm fine.

I have to tell you, I was a little surprised when I saw Dr.

Philip Lochtram's name cross my desk.

So, you're familiar with him?

We were watching his career with some interest, yes.

There was even talk about approaching him.

We went so far as to supply him with some resources.

A recording of the Belle of Antioch.

Unfortunately, he decided the sidelines better suited him.

Well,

he seems to have come off the bench.

He's been talking up a storm to one of my Monsignors,

Bruce Dyson, my cousin.

And appears he's gotten himself involved with the group I asked you to locate.

Bruce is uh that uh archaeologist brother.

Roger Dyson?

One who perished during the Nakuatala expedition.

The same.

You do realize that Loctrum was a member of that expedition.

I was briefed on it when it happened, but I didn't recall his name until Bruce brought it up at lunch the other day.

That's when I started to look more deeply into things.

By the way, I appreciate the college acting as swiftly as it did.

Hmm.

We tend to do that when a former Arch Exodus puts in an order.

Loctrum was given everything he needed.

What about the group I asked you to find?

Anything there?

Oh, yes, we know all about them.

Yet another case where we've been considering making contact.

Hmm.

It all seems pretty coincidental,

doesn't it?

Maybe.

Maybe the damned and those who would oppose them run in some pretty tight circles.

But I suppose it's possible.

A skeptical exorcist.

I could see why they gave you my job.

They're in Cold Sparrow, New York.

And don't think it didn't take some effort to work that out.

Our people met with some serious opposition.

We've been looking for them long before you asked.

Cold Sparrow?

My God.

What are they doing there?

We're not entirely sure.

And Robert, we think he's behind it.

Good lord.

Many of the sex have moved into the area.

We think they're going to try and bring the Sodders up.

In fact, that's how we were first made aware of the ex-FBI agents and the psychic, Phyllis Chambers.

Anyway, we had our people test the Sodders corpses.

They were all marked.

Some of the heaviest we've ever seen.

And that's why he's involved.

The gentleman.

That's the other reason we were able to move so quickly with Loctrum.

Once we saw this was all connected, we didn't spare the horses.

So, what has the Highmark to say about all this?

Surely he's going to act.

He's like you, superstitious.

What does that mean?

He also thinks this is too coincidental to have happened naturally.

He wants to let the parties involved handle it, as it was intended.

Ambrose, I have as much faith as is required to do my job.

Beyond that, it's a matter of practicality and necessity.

No one even knows who or what is up there, let alone when it might intend anything.

Not according to the reincarnates.

And whatever it is, it flooded the will to destroy the damned.

The fact that it failed to do so should temper your expectations of what it's capable of.

I stand corrected.

You're not superstitious at all.

Or a heretic.

I consider myself a paranoid optimist.

So, my request for additional intervention will likely be denied.

I was told to give Loctrum everything he needed.

And after you have your people drop the good doctor a line concerning the whereabouts of the other group, we have to stand back and take notes.

And if you don't mind me being honest.

We're all friends here.

Well then, I should tell you.

There's not much else we can do but stand round.

And And why is that?

I'm sure you heard about the attacks on the high houses, both here and in Europe.

Of course.

They were a lot worse than we've been allowed to disclose.

There's not many of us left, Robert.

We need time.

To rebuild.

What?

What happened?

I was in the house of Metatron when they emerged from Sheol.

Ancient towering things.

They sang grotesque hymns, mocking our weakness and our half-faith.

While tearing our crosses from the walls, devouring anyone in their path, their lips curled in smiles slick with blood and pile.

When they reached the crypts, they

giggled as they hurled corpses into the systems

just before they pissed into them.

We lost the entire cache.

How is that possible?

We have defenses.

The time,

the

it was someone on the inside.

They've been compromised.

Turns out they've been working for weeks on disarming the place.

Similar story for all the other high houses.

I understand.

But if you're rights and the solders are as dangerous as you say,

now is not the time to let faith cloud reason.

We need to.

I'm sorry, old friend.

It's out of my hands.

And I guess all I can do is

jump on the bandwagon.

Bandwagon?

That all this was intended.

Sounds like they've given up trying to drive us all out of our minds.

For the moment.

It's almost four o'clock.

Maybe we're coming out of it.

Until the next time Black Moon rolls around.

I barely survived this.

I thought of this happening every single night.

I can see why Alex Harmon ended up in the psych ward.

How the hell can we take this?

It'll be like having a permanent day pass while serving out a sentence in hell.

Better no pass at all, I guess.

When the hell did you become such a glass half-full sort of guy?

Since I saw what was at the bottom of the glass.

We know the resonator can hold off whatever that tape did to us.

Which means we're dealing with something that's tractable to science.

We just have to...

Do you really think we have that much time?

Chris, Pat.

It has gotten worse every goddamn day.

We're not in a some holding pattern where we can work from.

We're in a fucking downward spiral.

Then you and I need to work all the faster.

I might not know how or even why, but I know what that godforsaken tape did.

And I'd say downward spiral is as good a way to describe it as any.

The tape, the ritual that was on it, somehow changed our spiritual orbit, I guess you could say.

I'm not following you.

It's like how there's specific times when the Earth's orbit pulls it closer to the moon.

For us, it's like our orbits change to move closer to hell.

But unfortunately for us, with each pass, we're getting pulled closer and closer to it until finally.

So it will just keep getting worse as it goes on.

I.

I think so.

Well, just like in your metaphor, these are physical forces that can be overcome by man-made technology.

We can resist gravity if we can just get ourselves a big enough rocket engine.

My point exactly.

Welcome to the Glass Affair Club.

Doesn't sound like this is over yet.

It's just on the other side of the door, and it's not like the others.

It's

since the first moment you arrived,

I imagined the taste of your flesh.

Yet,

flesh is but the rind that wraps around the soul.

The sweetest feet by far.

The saccharine taste of sacred spoilage, when sins burrow deep like fat, white worms

and I shall suck them out

like marrow

savour them

before devouring you entirely

and remember even as the dawn comes and you rise to meet it

the dark chases the sun forever nipping at its heels

And someday,

when the world can no longer bear the awful burden of this twisted game,

the darks shall catch it,

so it shall go with all of you.

It's morning.

Oh, thank God.

Those two are in there working on the only thing that might get us out of this, and here we are making sure the generators ship shape.

I got news for you.

Without the Jenny, that device of theirs ain't worth the metal it's made of.

We got all our parts to play, don't you worry.

I meant the difference between trying to outsmart the paranormal and making sure the tank's topped off.

They're doing some awful heavy lifting.

I think that the Resonator is capable of far more than they're even aware of.

You mean the mind-reading stuff you did back in Portafoy?

It's more than just that.

I can reach out so much farther than before, feel so much more.

I just wish I knew if this is a positive development.

There's such a thing as feeling too much, after all.

What you said last night about everything being pulled closer to hell it really stuck with me.

Your readings have always been spot on, and usually you've had to consult

well, you know, spirits.

So, how are you getting insights like this if you're not talking to anything?

Is that part of what you mean about being able to detect more?

That's exactly what I mean.

I reach out for answers, and they just come to me.

Well, sometimes they come to me.

In this case, it's like I can feel the world fading away.

In the other world, hell, getting closer.

And I can feel them waiting.

You mean the Sadas?

Yes, they're down there, wandering a burning maze of their own construction.

Trying to find their way to us.

I think you could work better over here.

And you, my dear little screw, need to be tightened.

Hmm.

I wonder if I could condense all these into a smaller frame.

Ah, you're just in time, Margaret.

Could you hand me that wiring harness I left near the table?

I think you should take a break for a bit.

I

found something.

You okay?

What's in the envelope?

It was

tucked into the pocket of my jumper.

Whoever broke in and set the trap, the tape,

likely found it draped over the chair and slipped it there.

What's inside?

A letter from H.R.

Hughes.

Here?

Raid it yourself.

Okay.

To Patricia and Margaret Ingersoll.

I hope this letter finds you in fair health.

Fair health.

Or,

at the very least, as healthy as can be expected under the circumstances.

By now, I trust you've come to understand that the world you once believed in is not the one you now inhabit.

Since we last spoke, no doubt you've uncovered truths best left buried.

Perhaps too many.

The veil has lifted, if only slightly.

And in that glimpse, you've seen the dark machinery grinding beneath the skin of reality.

Forces ancient, unseen, and merciless.

It's natural that you feel powerless in the face of such revelations.

I imagine you, even now, huddled in some dim corner, dreading the slow drag of nightfall, only to fear its coming all the more, knowing that the darkness never truly ends.

It merely circles back again and again, until one day it takes you with it.

Down beneath the skin of the world, past the bones of the earth, into something colder and crueler than death itself.

But that fate is not yet yours.

Understand this.

You were never meant to share in the others' ruin, but their suffering should serve as a message for you, a demonstration.

We wanted you to clearly see what awaits those who choose defiance.

You were chosen not for punishment, but for possibility.

And surely, by now, you know why.

The Parasonic Resonator.

We could, of course, take it from you, but we would much prefer the brilliant minds that conceived it, the capable hands that shaped it.

All we ask is that you do what you were already born to do.

Perfect the science.

Expand its potential.

The door stands open, unlocked by your genius.

Now the time has come to cross the threshold.

In return, you'll have everything you could ever want.

Funding without limit, complete autonomy, and freedom from our presence.

You need never see us again.

In this modern age, partnerships can thrive without so much as a word spoken aloud.

Think of it.

Endless resources for your work.

Wealth for your private comforts.

And peace.

True peace.

In the knowledge that you've chosen wisely.

The alternative, I assure you, is not something either of you is prepared to endure.

Choose carefully.

Choose soon.

H.R.

Hughes.

What do you make of it?

Well, what's to make?

It's just another bullshit attempt to fuck with us.

Right.

You look like you want me to say something else.

Like what?

Did you show this to the others?

No, I...

So you brought it straight to me?

To what?

See if I go along with it?

Jesus, Pat, no.

I didn't show it to him because I didn't want him second-guessing us.

Thinking we might take the deal.

Frankly, I wasn't sure what to do with it, which is why I brought it to you.

Feck's sake, I'm sorry I ever told you how I feel about all this.

How I really felt

just because it scares the living daylights out of me doesn't make me a goddamn traitor.

I'm sorry,

it's just been a lot.

No, shit, it's been a lot.

Here, give that to me.

Where are you going?

I'm giving it to Phyllis.

I don't think they know the Resonator's boost at her clairvoyance.

She might be able to read more from this letter than Hughes would like.

Damn it!

How how can they so easily interfere with this cell reception?

Who were you trying to call?

Sam Childs.

He studied the Wither diaries for decades.

I was hoping to ask him if he'd run across any references to the Great Flood or the Mists of Sheol or even Ungruel Kerr.

I was under the impression that Withers only had access to the first Mephitican codex.

Since the existence of the second codex is known only to you and apparently the church,

why would you assume Withers knows anything about it?

Wither was said to have obtained a book known as the Corpus Mephiticum, which many assumed to be a reference to the Codex Mephitica, the first of the two codices.

However, in the notes I received from our enigmatic contact, Edward, several excerpts are drawn from something repeatedly referred to as the Corpus Mephitica.

I believe this may be the name given to the book created by combining both codices.

If that is the case, then it's possible Wither possessed a complete copy, and may have even unraveled some of its mysteries.

Well, I just unraveled a huge mystery, and I didn't have either codex.

What are you talking about, Martin?

Someone must have slipped this envelope under the door earlier.

It's full of photographs.

I'm willing to bet these are the FBI agents we've been trying to track down.

And this one here, with the signpost?

I'd say that's our clue to where they've been keeping themselves.

Cold Sparrow

The Gentleman from Hell is a Maltopia production.

Today's episode was written by Mark Ansloan and voiced by Stephen Zivik, Sam Stark, Aubrey Akers, Jesse Van Hove, Kelly Baer, Trenton Butt, and Lou Sutcliffe.

Sound editing was completed by Stephen Ansloan and script editing was conducted by Walker Kornfeld.

Be sure to rate and review us on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

And follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Meltopia.

If you want unique art and animations of Meltopia's stories, visit our YouTube page or click on the link in the show notes.

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Popsicles, sprinklers, a cool breeze?

Talk about refreshing.

You know what else is refreshing this summer?

A brand new phone with Verizon.

Yep, get a new phone on any plan with Select Phone Trade In MyPlan and lock down a low price for three years on any plan with MyPlan.

This is a deal for everyone, whether you're a new or existing customer.

Swing by Verizon today for our best phone deals.

Three-year price guarantee applies to then current base monthly rate only.

Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.

We get it.

It's more important than ever to get the most out of your money.

Options are key.

Options like Lyft, where you get great rewards, especially with partners like Dash Pass by DoorDash.

If you're a Dash Pass member, just link your DoorDash account and you'll get 5% off on-demand rides, 10% off scheduled rides to the airport, plus two free priority pickup upgrades every month.

New to Dash Pass?

To sign up for a three-month free trial, check Lyft.

Terms apply.

Coach, the energy out there felt different.

What changed for the team today?

It was the new game day scratches from the California Lottery.

Play is everything.

Those games sent the team's energy through the roof.

Are you saying it was the off-field play that made the the difference on the field?

Hey, a little play makes your day, and today it made the game.

That's all for now.

Coach, one more question.

Play the new Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams Scratchers from the California Lottery.

A little play can make your day.

Please play responsibly, must be 18 years or older to purchase, play, or claim.