Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part Two V2)

JUNO STEEL AND THE CASE OF THE MURDEROUS MASK (PART TWO V2)

SOUND: DOOR OPENS. BELL RINGS.

MUSIC: STARTS.

CONCIERGE: Ah, good evening Traveler! Welcome to The Penumbra. May I take your coat? You’ve picked an excellent place to spend the night, dear Traveler. The Penumbra is the grandest hotel this side of nowhere. Countless rooms and countless halls. Just look ahead of you. See the doors go on and on… even we aren’t sure how many there are, or what lies behind them all.

Will you be staying long? Many of our guests do. You’re in good company, Traveler. The Penumbra draws guests from everywhere and everywhen. And all of them have stories to tell. Stories that will excite you, delight you, and maybe even terrify you.

Don’t believe me? Well, see for yourself.

SOUND: KEYS JANGLING.

A death threat from an ancient king, a death mask that tears its wearers to shreds, and a very strange special agent have made this case one of Detective Juno Steel’s most unpredictable yet.But then that’s what happens when you enter Casa Kanagawa: plot twists and cliffhangers abound, and the cameras are always rolling. Those cameras are keeping a close eye on Detective Steel and Agent Glass now. They say everyone gets 15 minutes of fame, but when you get them on one of Cecil Kanagawa’s game shows, those 15 minutes might just be the last of your life.

SOUND: KNOCKING ON A DOOR. A CROWD ‘BOOING.’

What luck! Sounds like he’s in. Come, Traveler. Come with me into room J12.

SOUND: DOOR CREAKING OPEN.

Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask.

MUSIC: ENDS.

Scene: 1

CECIL: That’s it… thaaaaaat’s it! Hold still just a moment longer, Junebug; you should never underestimate the value of the makeup department.

JUNO: (COUGHING) The hell is this? Powdered cyanide?

CECIL: Only mostly. When did you get so delicate, Juno? (LAUGHING) You next, Agent. Breathe deeply, please. We’ll be adding your pulse in post.

JUNO (NARRATOR): A galaxy of bulbs hot as tiny suns surrounded us. In the distance: half-a-dozen Camera Men, their lenses flashing, their hulking, mutated chests heaving as they clung to a forest of torture racks and adamantium maidens and laser guillotines. From the look of it, though, the most dangerous thing in the room was the one I was tied to: the Throne of Spinning Blades, which was set to Spinning Blade us into a thousand tiny pieces.

Just your typical wholesome family entertainment in Hyperion City.

REX: (COUGHING)

My, that is a potent blend, isn’t it?

CECIL: It’s the very best on the market. And I should know, Agent: I invented it.

JUNO:

This isn’t gonna work out well for you, Cecil--

SOUND: WHIRRING MOTOR NOISE.

The hell is that?

CECIL: Lip stain, Junebug. Pucker up.

JUNO:

Hey, back off, you— umf!

JUNO (NARRATOR): The man smearing technicolor neurotoxins on my face was Cecil Kanagawa, the creative mind behind primetime stream blockbusters like “Classic Gangland Hits, Demonstrated” and “These Are Your Nightmares” and “Coliseum 2: We Gave the Lion a Gun And You Won’t Believe What Happens Next.” Cecil was the natural conclusion when you gave a mad scientist a spotlight and a near-unlimited budget.

Actually, that’s not quite fair. Cecil wasn’t mad. He was worse than that: he was a genius.

CECIL: Be sure to look to the cameras, friends, or we might have to do a second take. Recording a pilot live is a fool’s game. You never know what might go wrong.

REX: Ah, I see! Then you’re filming ahead of time just in case one of us is hurt during this game?

CECIL: (CACKLING) No, no, no. I’m filming it just in case one of you isn’t hurt. There. All done, Junebug. Here, take a look at yourself.

JUNO:

Damn it, Cecil, I said you’re not gonna get away with— nope, you know what, you’re right, that color looks pretty good on me.

CECIL: Of course it does. I’ve never been wrong before. (LAUGHING)

JUNO: Anyway, Cecil, you’re not exactly helping your case by locking us up like this! This whole stupid setup is halfway to a confession and you know it!

CECIL:

Oh? A confession of what, Junebug?

JUNO: You know what I mean! You were grounded here last night, you were the only one here last night that could open the case to his stupid Mask, and we both know you have it against me enough to smear my name in blood all over the wall. You had the motive, the means, and the ten tons of pure, uncut crazy to kill--

CECIL: My, you do go on, don’t you? I have no idea what you mean, Junebug.

You’re much more cooperative, Agent. I might have to keep you around after all.

REX: I try my best, Mr. Kanagawa.

CECIL: Well, boys, it’s just about time to start the show. Good luck. And remember: we re making people smile out there. It ’ does your heart good to think of that, doesn’t it?

JUNO: Damn it, Cecil! I saved your life, and this is how you thank me?

CECIL: You did. And you even gave me a reason to get this special arm of mine. And now I’m thanking you for all the good you’ve done for me the only way I know how: I’m making you a star, baby. (FADING LAUGHTER)

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS. DOOR CLOSING.

JUNO:

Well. We’re probably dead.

REX: Speak for yourself, Detective. Cecil said he wanted to keep me around.

JUNO:

He didn’t mean alive.

REX:

… Well. That changes things a bit.

JUNO (NARRATOR): The guy I was tied to was Rex Glass, Special Agent with Dark Matters. He’d been assigned to help me with the Croesus Kanagawa murder case for two reasons: first, because of some stupid story about a curse on the Mask that killed Croesus; and second, because whoever killed Croesus had promised to come for me next.

So far Glass’s mission had been a smashing success. We were tied back-to-back in two torture chairs after finding out that Cecil was probably the murderer, which meant that, A, he’d disproved the curse, and B, I wasn’t going to be the second victim because the blades on Glass’s chair looked sharper than mine. Definitely third, though.

CECIL (OVER INTERCOM): Places, Camera Men! Filming begins in one minute!

REX: Juno, would you mind shifting slightly? I would rather the

cameras didn’t catch my face.

JUNO: I’m not exactly thrilled about it either, Rex. Clients aren’t going to be thrilled about a Private Eye made Public.

REX: How do you think Dark Matters would feel about a Secret Agent who can’t stay a Secret?

JUNO: Look, if you want to keep your face hidden that badly, we ve just got to stop Cecil from uploading the footage. ’ Take down the Camera Men–

REX: Or, better yet, take care of that transmitter in his bionic arm.

JUNO:

Now you’re talkin’. Only question is how the hell we’re going to do that.

REX: Do you have a blaster on you?

JUNO: No, but I got one off me. It’s over by the door; the straps on the chair cut my holster before the Camera Men dragged us over.

REX:

Well, then, we’ll just have to get creative, won’t we?

MUSIC: STARTS.

What in the world?

JUNO:

Get out the popcorn, Rex. The show’s about to start.

CECIL (ANNOUNCER): Welcome back, viewers! This is From the Jaws of Death, and I am your host, Cecil Kanagawa! But of course, who doesn’t know me? (LAUGHING)

SOUND: A LAUGH TRACK, DISTORTED AND DISTANT.

Now, let’s meet our contestants, shall we?

SOUND: RECORDING OF CROWD CHEERING.

In chair number one: Rex Glass! He’s a Special Agent with Dark Matters, viewers… but our talented team of researchers could find nothing else on him! Not a thing! Can this man who appeared without a trace vanish without one, too?

JUNO: Impressive, Glass. No record at all?

REX: Of course not. Dark Matters scrubs them for you.

JUNO: Hmm.

CECIL (ANNOUNCER): And in chair number two: Juno Steel, Private Eye. Detective Steel has lost just about everything a person can lose: his career, his friends, and even his own brother! Doesn’t it just tear your heart out?

SOUND: RECORDING OF AUDIENCE GASPING.

REX:

What? Juno…?

JUNO:

Don’t say anything.

CECIL (ANNOUNCER): There’s only one question we have about Detective Steel tonight, viewers: will he fight through the tears and live -eight year for his little baby brother… or does this thirty tragedy end tonight? Let’s find out!

Now, here are the rules: Detective Steel and Agent Glass are chained, back-to-back, in the Throne of Spinning Blades. This classic piece dates back to the Fascist Renaissance of the twenty-fifth century, friends, and the Detective and the Agent better watch out: those blades are made of genuine venom-brass, and boy, are they sharp!

SOUND: RECORDING OF CROWD CHEERING AGAIN.

Our contestants will have five minutes to escape before the Spinning Blades drop onto them… but there is a twist.

JUNO: Of course there is.

REX: Shh! Shh! I want to know the twist!

CECIL (ANNOUNCER): The chain that binds them together is also affixed to a gear in the Throne s bladeworks. Should they pull too hard, ’ they will hear this noise…

SOUND: A CLICK, THEN A SOUND LIKE A REVVING MOTOR.

… and the blades above them will descend, inch by fatal

inch! So don’t struggle too much, boys: this could be a hell of a haircut. (LAUGHING)

SOUND: AUDIENCE LAUGH TRACK.

Well, contestants? Are you ready?

JUNO: No.

CECIL (ANNOUNCER):

Good! You have five minutes to escape…

CECIL + IMAGINARY NIGHTMARE GAMESHOW CROWD: From the Jaws of Death!

CECIL (ANNOUNCER):

Starting… now!

REX: People on Mars really take their entertainment seriously,

don’t they? What spectacle!

JUNO: Well, cooperate and maybe you’ll live to catch the rerun. Got any plans?

REX: Pulling on the chain is a non-starter, I m afraid. ’ We’ll have to cut it.

JUNO: Hold on, I think I might have something for that.

JUNO (NARRATOR): When you get chained up as often as I do, you eventually learn to prepare. My prep was cheaper than most: didn't cost any more than a spool of thread, the sleeve of my coat, and a ten-cred plasma-blade box cutter. I untied the threads in my sleeve and pulled the cutter out.

REX:

What is that? I can’t see.

JUNO:

Doesn’t matter. Just stay still.

REX:

But—

JUNO: Stay still.

SOUND: LOW HUM OF THE PLASMA CUTTER.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I twisted it in my fingers slowly. A single twitch and that thing would be down by our feet, and then we'd be six feet under that. I pushed the blade against the chain.

SOUND: JANGLING OF THE CHAINS.

JUNO:

Damn it… it won’t cut through!

REX: Careful where you put that, Juno.

JUNO: Careful as I can be.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I didn't mention that I couldn’t look at the cutter, the chains, or either of our hands. Maybe I should've. He might've been more ready.

REX: Ah!

SOUND: A CLICK -- THE SOUND OF THE BLADES DESCENDING

JUNO (NARRATOR): He pulled away his hand... and my plasma cutter along with it.

SOUND: CHAINS JANGLING, A LEVER BEING PULLED.

CECIL (ANNOUNCER): Our first yank of the chain! Come on now, boys, you aren’t going to end the show that quickly, are you? (LAUGHING)

SOUND: CROWD BOOS.

JUNO:

Oh, shut up! You’re the reason there’s nothing good on TV anymore!

REX:

You know there’s no actual crowd here, don’t you, Juno?

JUNO: Hm...

REX: Can you reach that cutter you just dropped?

JUNO: Sure, if you don’t mind wearing that blender above us for a hat.

REX: Well, I’d rather not do this, but… check my back pockets. They're too far from my hands for me to reach, but… you're back there. Just be careful. Who knows what you'll find?

JUNO (NARRATOR): Glass wasn't kidding. He kept more per pound in those pockets than most kangaroos. Pens, keys, cards, tablets…

JUNO: Ow!

REX: Oh, what now?

JUNO: Damn, do you keep broken glass in your pockets? Something just pricked me!

CECIL (ANNOUNCER): Only two minutes remain! What do you say, viewers? Should

we make this a little more… interesting?

SOUND: CHEERS.

That s what I thought! Camera Men! Go and give that chain a ’ little tug, won’t you? Ha ha!

REX:

There’s no time! Keep looking!

JUNO (NARRATOR): So I kept looking. A toothbrush, a dozen loose breath mints. I found it between half a sandwich and the other half of the sandwich: a heavy-duty plasma cutter. Not exactly the kind they hand out to civilians.

JUNO: Would've been nice to know about this before.

REX: You said you had it under control. Just cut the chain!

CECIL (ANNOUNCER): While we wait to see it in action, here are a few interesting facts about the Throne of Spinning Blades…

SOUND: SIZZLING.

… invented in the year 2432 by Doctor Gustav Hopperman, the Throne was originally intended as a response to the guillotine, which Hopperman called, “an overly clean device…

SOUND: CHAIN SNAP. ANOTHER SIZZLE.

JUNO:

That’s one!

REX: Quickly, Detective! The Camera Men are coming closer!

CECIL: … better suited to the operating-room than the public execution. What a card! I m sure Hopperman would be ” ’ delighted to see these two…

SOUND: SIZZLE, AND ANOTHER CHAIN SNAP.

… escape from my device?! How?!

JUNO:

That’s it! Go, go!

SOUND: THEY BOTH HIT THE GROUND, CLICKING AS GEARS TURN AND THE SPINNING BLADES FALL.

CECIL (ANNOUNCER):

This is… no! Camera Men! Get them back in those chairs! We’ll edit this out later!

JUNO: Rex, you any good with a knife?

REX:

Yes, but…

JUNO:

Take this one, then. I’ll go for my gun.

REX: But how? Those things are in the way!

JUNO: So long as you take one, I can figure out the other. Come on, big guy! I’m ready for my closeup!

JUNO (NARRATOR): Two Camera Men came barreling towards us, all bulging muscles and twitching lenses. One of them headed for Rex, but he didn’t last long: just one flick of the wrist and Glass had carved the mutant a clean set of gills.

I didn’t like to look at blood, so I didn’t. Luckily, ape number two loved the stuff… which meant he was too distracted to look at me. I grabbed the gorilla by the shoulders and flung him into the Throne of Spinning Blades.

JUNO:

You look a little tired, buddy… (GRUNTING)

Why don’t you have a seat?

JUNO (NARRATOR):

SOUND: A THUD AS THE CAMERA MAN HITS THE CHAIR.

JUNO: Rex! Pull the chain!

REX: My pleasure!

SOUND: ANOTHER CLICK AS THE BLADES DESCEND. A MOTOR REVS. BLOOD SPURTING AS CAMERA MAN SCREECHES AND ROARS.

CECIL (ANNOUNCER): No! Camera Men, get them, seize them!

REX: Juno, Cecil is getting away!

JUNO: We’ll deal with him in a second. Hold the Camera Men back while I go for my gun!

SOUND: BLADES WHIRRING, CAMERA MAN SCREECHING IN THE BACKGROUND.

JUNO (NARRATOR): My blaster was across the room, on the other side of a herd of Brazen Bulls. I got to it quickly… but, looking at the monster clinging to the wall, I apparently wasn’t the only one who had that idea.

JUNO: Hey there, Camera Man. Looking to take a few good shots?

SOUND: BLASTER FIRES.

Well, that’s too bad. I take the only shots that count.

REX: Juno! Some assistance, please!

JUNO: Right on it! Duck!

SOUND: THREE BLASTER SHOTS AND GLASS SHATTERING.

REX: Well, that was… really something. A laser straight through each of their lenses!

JUNO: Yeah, I’m amazing, you’ve never seen anything like me, I’ve heard it all before. You’re welcome. Now we just gotta torch whatever footage Cecil has backed up on that arm of

his.

REX: He just ran into that grove of Pear-of-Anguish Trees. Keep your blaster ready; there’s no telling what kinds of tricks he has planned in there.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I should’ve known what kinds of tricks he had planned in there, actually. I’d dealt with Cecil’s tricks before. And that meant as soon as I saw the camera hanging from the first tree in that forest I should’ve known that Cecil would be behind the second tree.

SOUND: CAMERA SHUTTERS.

CECIL:

Surprise, Agent! Let’s see you keep this a secret!

SOUND: THE SHINK! OF A BLADE.

JUNO (NARRATOR): A line of nasty-looking titanium spikes were sticking out from Cecil s bionic fist and those spikes were headed ’ – straight for Rex’s head.

I pushed Glass out of the way and raised my arm. I always was a good catch.

CECIL: Ha!

SOUND: METAL BLADES PIERCING FLESH.

JUNO: Ugh!

CECIL:

Damn you, Junebug…! My hand is stuck!

JUNO: How do you think I feel about it? Oh, wait: this is how.

SOUND: PUNCH AFTER PUNCH AFTER PUNCH. CECIL: Ow! Ow! Ow! Not the face! Ah!

JUNO (NARRATOR): I punched Cecil for a while. It was pretty great.

Then, after about a dozen auditions as my speed bag, the twerp finally hit the floor… and his claw passed out of my arm.

JUNO: (GASP)

REX: Well, it appears your show has been canceled, Mr. Kanagawa.

CECIL: (CHOKING) Ahh… ah…

REX: And unless you’d like me to press my foot down a little harder on your just impossibly skinny throat, you’re going to cooperate while Detective Steel takes care of your recording operation. Juno?

SOUND: BLASTER FIRES. GLITCHY BUZZING AND ZAPPING NOISES.

CECIL’S BIONIC ARM POWERS OFF.

Very good.

CECIL: My arm! You have no idea how much that cost, you--

JUNO: Oh, stop it. I didn’t destroy your arm. I just blasted its data drive.

CECIL:

Well… well, could you? It would be exactly the kind of thing to bump us up in the ratings—

JUNO: Enough showbiz talk, Cecil. Your dad’s dead. You did it. Just confess already, and then tell me where you keep the painkillers.

CECIL:

Wh… what did you say? Get off me, get off me!

(COUGHING) What was that about Daddy?

JUNO:

Oh, don’t play dumb.

REX:

Your father is dead, Cecil. You… did know that, didn’t you?

CECIL: Daddy… Daddums… Papa is dead? (SOBBING)

REX:

Juno… do these seem like crocodile tears to you?

CECIL: W-when did it happen? Where? What was it? It was his heart, wasn t it? He forgot his medicine, didn t he? Oh, he was ’ ’ always shouting, oh, Diddles, Diddy-Doo, Peepaw, Da-Da—

REX: Detective Steel and I are here to investigate the murder of your father, Cecil. Why did you think we were here?

CECIL: I thought Junebug was finally going to be on my

shoooooooooooow…

JUNO: Oh, give me a goddamn break. You wanted revenge and we both know it.

CECIL: Revenge? Never! Why, Junebug, you re my closest friend! ’ Well, second-closest, after… (SNIFFLING)

after… Daddy…

JUNO: Nope, nuh-uh, no way. The last time I was on one of your stupid shows you lost your arm!

CECIL: And the ratings were glorious! Yes, so I admit, designing a program around the premise that I had been kidnapped by

mobsters was not very safe. And of course, it was even less safe to hire real mobsters to fit the roles.

But you were amazing, Junebug, a real star! If it weren’t for that sticky clause in your contract that prevented us from using your face or name, you’d be on every billboard in Hyperion City! People have been begging to know who you are! So when Min told me that you and Agent Glass were

coming, I assumed— REX: Min? Your stepmother? But… if she told you that, then she knew—

JUNO:

Shh, Glass. Don’t spill it all just yet.

REX:

… Right. Excellent judgment, Detective.

CECIL: She came by with some scheduling papers this morning, but I asked her to sign them for me, she can do our signatures so well I didn t think it was important, and I didn ’ ’t listen… Or maybe she didn’t say… But I just didn’t knooooooow…

JUNO: Alright, Cecil, alright. Let s say you really didn t know. ’ ’ Let’s say you didn’t kill Croesus.

CECIL: Daddyyyyyyyy!!

JUNO: Yeah, that guy. There s a lot of evidence that doesn t line ’ ’ up if that’s the case. Like… the case.

REX: The one your father kept the Mask of Grimpotheuthis in.

CECIL: What about it?

JUNO: It was open. And you and your dad were the only ones here

who could’ve opened it last night.

CECIL: What? I couldn’t have opened that case last night. I wasn’t even in the mansion.

JUNO: Yeah, nice try, but we’ve got footage on you. Records say you’re grounded and you’re not on any of the security footage entering or leaving the mansion last night.

CECIL: Oh, the footage! You flatter me. I knew my disguise was

good, but to slip past Junebug Steel, Private Eye—

REX: Disguise?

CECIL: You saw Cassandra leave the mansion, didn’t you? Thought you saw, I should say.

JUNO:

That’s… you?

CECIL: We’ve been doing it for years, Juno. One of the many perks of having a twin. It became a little more difficult when I lost my arm, but that’s nothing a little latex and some spray-paint can’t fix. Here, watch the footage on my comms. I always record myself coming out of disguise – I so love a transformation.

SOUND: COMMS BEEPING.

REX:

… Juno?

JUNO:

Damn. That’s really you, isn’t it?

CECIL: Very convincing, isn’t it? Cassandra does the prosthetics very well. If you look closely enough you’ll see that I even took over a few episodes of her shows for her – so that she could plan those silly documentaries.

JUNO: So… Cass was here last night. And she could’ve opened the

case.

CECIL:

The case… Daddums!

REX: … Juno? Are you alright?

JUNO: Shouldn’t be too surprised, I guess. Things were almost looking up for a minute there. But I guess Cassandra was right. There are some mysteries you really don’t want to solve.

REX:

I… suppose so. Should I… call the HCPD for Cecil, now?

JUNO: Don t bother. We probably signed a liability agreement on ’ our way in through the door. Ain’t that right, Cecil?

CECIL: (BAWLING) Of course you diiiiiiiiiid!

JUNO: Let s just go, Rex. I m so sick of this family I feel like ’ ’ I’m gonna pass out.

REX:

That… may be the blood loss talking, Juno.

CECIL: Junebug, on your way out, could you just make sure that camera up there is facing me? I need it to catch my makeup running. Juno? Agent Glass?

JUNO:

Huh. Yeah, kind of a lot of blood, isn’t there.

REX:

Let’s take care of that first. Cassandra can wait.

CECIL: Junebuuuuuuuuuuuuug! Wah!!

Scene: 2

JUNO (NARRATOR): I barely made it two steps out of that creepy hallway when my legs decided it just wasn’t worth it anymore. Luckily, Rex got to me before the floor did.

SOUND: A SOFT THUMP AS JUNO FALLS INTO AGENT GLASS.

REX: Whoa! Careful, Juno. Are you alright?

JUNO:

I’m doing fine. How’re you?

REX: Why don t you sit for a minute, Detective? I ll look for a ’ ’ first aid kit. Just don’t move, understand?

JUNO: Couldn’t if I wanted to, Rex. Hey, anybody ever tell you you gotta nice smell? What’s a guy gotta eat to smell like that?

REX:

It’s… cologne, Detective.

JUNO: Huh. Never tried eating cologne before. Have fun with your first aid kit.

JUNO (NARRATOR): My vision sat still long enough for me to watch Rex leave. Then I got on the comms, made a quick call, and waited. There was a lead I needed to follow up on.

About a minute later I got the call back.

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

JUNO: Took you longer than I expected.

RITA: Well sorr-ee, Boss. It ain t every day you ask me to search ’ for somethin’ like that thing. Every other day, maybe, but—

JUNO:

Rita, I’ve got no time and even less blood. What is it?

RITA: Pretty much exactly what you thought, Boss. You said you found it underneath a door handle?

JUNO:

I didn’t find it there, but that’s where it was.

RITA: That’s one scary door! What’s a door need with someone’s blood--

JUNO: Shh. You don’t need to say it, Rita. We’re both thinking it.

RITA: Gosh, Mista Steel, we sure are talkin about this vaguely. You speakin in code or somethin? Ooh, OOH, are you surrounded by super spies?

JUNO: Worse. Entertainment executives.

RITA: (WHISPERING)

Ooh, I’d better whisper, then.

JUNO:

What? I can’t hear—

RITA: (SCREAMING) I SAID I BETTER WHISPER THEN!!

JUNO: … Sure. Rita, I need you to do a little more research for me.

RITA: But Mista Steel, the commercial’s almost over!

JUNO:

Make it quick, then! I need you to find whatever you can

on—

Nevermind. Gotta go.

RITA:

But Boss—

SOUND: COMMS BEEP. APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS.

REX: Are you alright, Juno? It sounded like you were talking to yourself.

JUNO:

Just calling my secretary. Making sure my will’s in order.

REX: You won’t be dying here today, Detective. Doctor Glass has everything he needs for a successful operation. Stitches,

disinfectant, hacksaw, bionic arm…

JUNO: Not funny.

REX:

What’s the matter, Juno? You’ve never played doctor before?

JUNO: Not really in the mood for games, Rex. You gonna patch me up or what?

REX:

Testy, testy…

SOUND: FIRST AID KIT OPENING. THE CLATTERING OF WHAT’S INSIDE AS AGENT GLASS SIFTS THROUGH IT.

So… What do you make of this case?

JUNO: Well… She’s the only one who could’ve opened the case. She was here last night. She lied about it.Yeah, it all looks

pretty open and shut, doesn’t it.

REX: You don’t sound satisfied with that answer.

JUNO: I m not. There s something else going on here. At least one ’ ’ something. Damn it, I just gotta figure out—

REX:

Don’t exert yourself. We still have time.

SOUND: RUSTLING. DISINFECTANT BEING POURED ONTO CLOTH, RUBBED OVER JUNO’S WOUNDS.

Juno… about your brother…

JUNO:

Don’t.

REX: I apologize if I pried. I didn’t realize… the topic would be so personal.

JUNO:

Look, Rex… Remember how I said my mother never killed me?

REX:

… Yes.

JUNO:

Well, my brother wasn’t so lucky.

REX:

I’m… so sorry, Juno.

JUNO: I’m not telling you that so you’ll be sorry. I’m telling you that so you won t ask me any more goddamn questions ’ about it. Just drop it, alright? It’s done. It’s over.

REX: Of course. If that’s what you’d like. Now, hold still. The stitches come next.

SOUND: A SEWING MACHINE?

JUNO: (GRUNTS)

REX:

Shh, shh. Almost there… and… done.

JUNO:

Wow. That was… fast.

REX:

I’m a man of many talents, Juno.

JUNO:

I… bet you are. Hey, uh, Rex?

REX: Juno.

JUNO:

Where are you going… after this case, I mean?

REX: Oh, Dark Matters never keeps me in one place for very long, I’m afraid. As soon as the curse on Grim’s Mask has been disproven I’ll be off on the interstellar breeze, after some other imaginary spirit on some other planet. Why do you

ask? That wasn’t an invitation, was it?

JUNO:

Don’t read too much into it.

REX: Oh, don’t get cranky, Detective. We still have this case, after all. Who knows what we’ll tangle ourselves up in, before the day is done?

JUNO: Y-yeah. Still have a few leads to follow.

REX: Min, for example. She seems to be the name on everyone s ’ lips today, doesn’t she? And yet she’s nowhere to be found.

JUNO:

Right. Something’s going on there.

REX: Do you think she killed Croesus?

JUNO:

No. Big messy death like that… not her style. She’s Croesus’s second wife, and there’s good money on the theory that she opened that position herself. But that job was so clean it took five experts just to prove the woman was dead.

REX: Then what could she be up to?

JUNO:

I don’t know. So we’ve got to find her. Ask her a few questions And so long as we’ve got time on our side we’ll get to the bottom of it. Right, Agent?

REX: Right, Detective.

JUNO:

Good. Yeah, I think we will. I think we will…

VOICE: (Through a closed door) Help!

REX: What in the world?

JUNO: It came from the Mask’s display room. Come on! And get your knife ready!

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS AND PANTING THEY RUN.

VOICE: Help! Help!

SOUND: DOOR OPENS.

CASSANDRA: Where the hell is it, Min? I know you have it!

MIN (THE VOICE): Cassandra, I have no idea what you’re talking—

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

CASSANDRA: Juno! God damn it, you have the worst timing!

JUNO (NARRATOR): “So long as we have time,” I’d said. Why the hell did I have to open my big, stupid mouth?

Cassandra stood by the Mask’s case, gun in her hand and wildfire in her eyes. Pissed enough to do something dangerous. Scared enough to do something stupid.

Closer by: Min Kanagawa, the shadow behind the Kanagawa empire, looking cold and smart and scared, but not nearly scared enough. Only Min could still look like she ran the world with a trillion volts of laser fire pointed right between her eyes.

I wasn’t so calm. All I could see was that message on the wall, written in blood: “YOU’RE NEXT, JUNO STEEL.” With Cass waving that gun around, I couldn ’t help but think… Maybe it’d come true after all.

MIN:

Detective Steel! It’s lovely to see you again.

JUNO: Min.

REX: How do you do, Mrs. Kanagawa. I’m Special Agent Rex Glass, with Dark Matters--

CASSANDRA: Juno. You mind teaching Agent Shades over there how to read a room?

JUNO: Maybe save the schmoozing until after we stop a murder, Rex.

REX: Ah, yes, good note, good note.

JUNO: Cass, put down the gun. This doesn’t end anywhere good and you know it.

CASSANDRA: Do I, Juno? Do I? Because I remember a string of stream

specials between the ages of 15 and 25 that suggest I’ve got real bad impulse control, and I think I’m feeling a relapse coming on.

MIN: Isn’t that just the way with children? You can bring a horse to a therapist, but you can’t make her take her antidepressants.

CASSANDRA: SHUT UP!

REX:

This doesn’t look good, Juno.

JUNO: I know.

REX: (WHISPERING)

Then what’s the plan?

JUNO: Make another three hours appear out of thin air and use them to wrap this case up.

REX:

Juno…

CASSANDRA: Hey! You two are gonna knock whatever the hell that is off right now, alright? And hands up, both of you!

JUNO: Alright, alright, hands up. You got me.

CASSANDRA:

You’re damn right I got you. Alright, Agent Glass. Unless you want to be able to see the wall through Juno’s forehead, you’re gonna go over to that woman and check her pockets, bag, everything.

JUNO:

Cass—

CASSANDRA: Did I ask you to talk? Has anyone ever asked you to talk?

Shut up.

REX: Yes, Cassandra. Right away.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS.

Please excuse me, Mrs. Kanagawa—

MIN: Not at all.

SOUND: RUSTLING.

CASSANDRA: You’re looking for a piece of paper, Agent. You’ll know it from my father’s signature at the bottom and a lot of broken promises above that.

JUNO: What promises, Cass?

SOUND: GUNSHOT. SOMETHING SHATTERS.

CASSANDRA:

There. You believe I’m serious now?

JUNO: Nope, but that vase back there sure does.

CASSANDRA: You’re just asking for it, you know that? I should do Mars a favor and plug a laser bolt through your stupid skull right now.

JUNO: Maybe you should.

CASSANDRA:

Don’t test me.

JUNO: Not that hard a test, Cass. You either shoot me or you don’t.

CASSANDRA: You smug little--!

REX: Cassandra, I ve completed my search of your stepmother s ’ ’ belongings. But…

CASSANDRA: But what? Give me the papers, already!

REX: There are no papers, Ms. Kanagawa. Min had nothing in her bag besides a prescription for antihallucinogens… made out to you.

CASSANDRA:

What? But… that’s not… she’s got to have…

MIN: Oh, I know this comes as a bit of a shock, Cassandra. I’m so sorry. But your doctor and I discussed it and she thought that these would suit you, and so after your next

appointment—

CASSANDRA: I do not hallucinate! I’m clean, god damn it! I’ve been clean for years! I saw those papers in here. I know you have them. Nobody else could have taken them.

JUNO: What papers?

CASSANDRA:

If you ask one more goddamn question, Juno—

JUNO: You’re not going to shoot anybody, Cassandra. I know that about you because I know you aren t a murderer. Some people ’ got it in em. You don’t.

CASSANDRA: You t it? Another Juno Steel ’re… this is a trick, isn’ original. You think you’re real funny, don’t you?

JUNO:

I don’t joke, Cass. The universe does it for me.

CASSANDRA: Alright, clown. Put on the red nose and let’s talk. Tell me

what happened last night. If I like your answer, maybe I ll ’ let you go. Hell, maybe I’ll let everyone go.

JUNO: Mind if I confer with the Agent for a second? I’m gonna need a specialist in horror shows to sort this one out.

CASSANDRA: Y’know, I think I do mind. I think I mind a whole lot. And so long as I got this gun in my hand, everyone minds what I mind. Got it?

MIN: You had better listen to her, Juno. One never knows what Cassandra will break when she gets like this.

JUNO (NARRATOR): I looked to Glass, and his eyes were waiting for me. They said a lot, those two dark eyes: “was I sure?” they wanted to know. And who could blame em? I wanted to know, too.

But this was the way it had to go, and he saw that in me, and he nodded. Effortlessly. Like trusting me was the easiest thing there was.

Wish I had that much faith in me. Feels like you could fix the whole damn galaxy, with someone looking at you that way.

CASSANDRA: You two gonna stop batting eyelashes anytime soon? I’m ready for your story, Steel. Tell it.

JUNO: Alright, Cass. If you say so.

Those papers… they’re what you were in here looking for earlier, aren’t they? Something you must’ve dropped in here last night… like a schedule for the next season of Kanagawa programs.

CASSANDRA:

So what if it was? That doesn’t prove anything.

JUNO: Never said it did. Only… you seemed pretty upset with Croesus when I saw you this morning. You pulled back

eventually, but at first you seemed pretty burned.

CASSANDRA: He cheated me, sure. But he cheated everyone. And hey, genius Detective, I wasn’t here last night, remember?

JUNO: You were, actually. Cecil told us about your switcheroo. Had some video evidence to that effect, too.

CASSANDRA:

Oh, come on. You don’t believe that little snake, do you?

JUNO: In the house of the Kanagawas I don’t believe anyone, Cass. If he didn’t have that camera feed he’d be in handcuffs right now.

CASSANDRA: I thought you said I wasn’t a killer, Juno. Was that just another trick?

JUNO (NARRATOR): Cassandra was shaking, now, with rage or regret or some other feeling too dark to imagine. I didn’t like doing this to her, but I needed to. With her vision shaking so much, she couldn’t see Rex – slinking out of her periphery, and then closer and closer, inch by inch.

CASSANDRA: Answer me, damn it! JUNO: I know you aren’t a killer, Cass. You’ve threatened every single person in this room with that gun by now, but you

haven’t even gotten close to firing it.

CASSANDRA:

I’ll show you who’s not close--!

JUNO: Rex, now!

SOUND: QUICK FOOTSTEPS.

REX: Ah!

CASSANDRA: (GRUNTS)

SOUND: GUNSHOT.

Get offa me!

REX: Juno, the gun!

SOUND: RUSTLING AS THEY STRUGGLE.

JUNO: Got it.

CASSANDRA: I should ve known. You tricked me, Juno. Goddamn it, you re ’ ’ just like him. You cheat everyone, don’t you?

JUNO: I didn’t lie. I don’t think you’re a killer. I think it was a mistake.

CASSANDRA:

A mistake? Does it count as a mistake if you don’t regret it, Juno?

MIN:

Now Cassandra! You don’t mean that!

JUNO: For once I’m gonna agree with Min, Cass. I don’t think you do mean it. You wanna tell me what happened?

CASSANDRA: I told you. He lied to me. I saw it. He promised me he d ’ give it to me and then… and then…

JUNO: Your show, you mean. He gave the slot to Cecil.

CASSANDRA: Yeah, my show. What the hell else? The moron left a schedule for next season on my set, and there it was, From the Jaws “ of Death,” a Cecil Kanagawa joint. That cheat.

I knew I’d never be able to have a conversation with him in

daylight, with all those cameras around. So I had to wait. Then I heard him, bumming around with his stupid tombstone collection in the middle of the night. So I came to confront him.

MIN: And you killed him. Killed him for a silly little show.

Cassandra, I can’t believe--

JUNO: Shut up, Min. Then what?

CASSANDRA: I had the schedule on me. I brought it in here and I waved it around in his face, asked him what the hell his promises were worth. But he didn t care! He just kept shouting about ’ that goddamn case of his with its goddamn defective locks—

JUNO: Its what?

CASSANDRA: How d you open it without me, what were you trying to do “ ’ ” “ with my Mask,” and that was just like him, wasn’t it?

JUNO:

Cassandra, stop, hang on for a second—

CASSANDRA: Crying about his stupid toys when he d cheated me, he d ’ ’ cheated me out of my life, and I just got so mad, I, I, I… I didn’t know… I didn’t know the case was open behind him. I didn’t look. But honestly, I’m not sure I cared. I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.So I pushed him. He fell into the case. I watched the Mask close around his face, and then… it ripped him apart.

And all this creepy stuff, the message on the wall, I… I didn’t do it, Juno. I mean, I don’t think I did. But I didn’t mean to push him, either, not really, and now every time I close my eyes all I see is that Mask… ripping him… apart.

JUNO:

Cass… I’m…

SOUND: CAMERA FLASHES.

MIN: Did you get all that?

KANAGAWA WORKER: Got it all on tape, Mrs. Kanagawa.

MIN: Good. Gentlemen, I think it’s time to take my daughter away now.

CASSANDRA: Juno… what did I do?

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS, AS SHE’S LED AWAY.

JUNO: You can’t blame a puppet for moving when the strings get pulled, Cass. Only question is how many of us in here are strung.

SOUND: DOOR OPENS.

KANAGAWA WORKER: Let’s go, Ms. Kanagawa. SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

MIN: Well. A patriarch gone, a daughter behind bars… this is very sad day for the Kanagawa family.

JUNO: (SNORTS, THEN BITTER LAUGHTER) REX: Juno!

JUNO:

Wow, Min, you really love to lay it on thick, don’t you?

MIN: I have no idea what you mean.

REX:

I’m afraid I’m a bit lost too.

JUNO: There are just two things about this case that still don’t

sit right with me, Rex. That schedule… that’s the first one. Where the hell did it go?

MIN: That’s assuming there was ever a schedule to begin with… which I highly doubt. Hallucinations, Detective; delusions. Our psychiatric professionals will get right on it.

JUNO:

Your shrinks. Heh. That must be where she’s headed, then.

REX:

I’m not sure I follow--

JUNO: Hoosegow. The local lock-up owned and operated by Croesus… Sorry. By Min Kanagawa. There are cameras everywhere in Hoosegow, Glass. It’s for security, they say. But… hey, who owns that footage, Min?

MIN:

Cecil, technically. It’s for his shows.

JUNO:

Cecil owns the footage. So if someone owns Cecil… It’s funny about that contract. Funny how a paper with Croesus’s signature on it goes missing. And it must be hard for you, Min, but if you take the long view of it, you’re doing alright, aren’t you? Croesus had been leaking your profits for years--

REX: Juno!

JUNO: You were gonna be down Cecil’s blockbuster and up Cassandra’s dud. But now… You’ve got a special on the starlet who killed her father. You’ve got a show about her rotting away in jail. And you still have her brother to

milk for all he’s worth.

That sound about right, Min? Theoretically, I mean.

MIN: Theoretically. If only you had the evidence to prove it.

JUNO:

I almost had you figured out. I was this close. But you probably know that already, Min. After all, you’ve been steering us around ever since we got here.

MIN:

Absurd. I haven’t even seen you until ten minutes ago.

JUNO: You didn’t need to. You knew exactly how to lead me around. Hey, Glass. You know what’s the surest way to get Juno Steel to come over to your place?

REX:

An… invitation?

JUNO: A death threat. So you must’ve painted that one on the wall, there. You knew I’d head straight for the crime s cene. You knew I’d head straight for Cecil. You knew I’d beat him.

MIN: You sound very angry, Juno. But I would have you ask yourself one simple question: if all of your reasoning is the true – which, again, you cannot prove – and you really are as predictable as you say, who, precisely, should you be angry with?

I thought as much. The door is behind you, gentlemen.

JUNO: We re taking the Mask to the PI Registry, Min. If there s ’ ’ one hair, one clue that puts you here—

MIN: There won’t be, but you two strapping men are free to spend your evening as you please. Just know that… well, if you do decide to undergo that investigation, I’d recommend you stay clear of dark alleys for a while. Some members of the Kanagawa family don’t take well to those who hurt their own.

JUNO: Then I’d watch your back if I was you, Min. You’re not going to keep getting away with this forever.

MIN:

Tell yourself whatever you’d like, Juno. Goodbye, now.

Scene: 3

JUNO (NARRATOR): We dropped by my office and put the Mask in my safe. The PI Registry was closed for the night, but that wouldn’t have been enough to keep me away… if Rex hadn’t said something.

SOUND: RAINFALL ON PAVEMENT,

REX: It s so cold, Juno. I d hate to wait out here all night ’ ’ until the Registry opens. You… wouldn’t want to show me someplace warmer, would you?

JUNO: Take a look around, Rex. Everything in this district is closed this time of night.

REX:

I didn’t mean a restaurant.

JUNO:

… Oh.

JUNO (NARRATOR): So I… uh… brought him back to my place.

SOUND: CLOCK TICKING FAINTLY.

REX:

Well. All’s well that ends well, eh, Juno? Admittedly we ll need to broaden our definition of well, ’ “ ” but…

SOUND: GLASSES POURING.

Oh, you aren’t going to be silent all evening, are you? Your overbearing misanthropy may be part of your charm, but this is a bit much.

JUNO: Not really in the mood to celebrate, Glass.

REX: Oh, come now. You aren’t going to spend my last evening on Mars sobbing into your drink, are you?

JUNO: Never been much of a sobber.

I m more of a catch your reflection in the bottom of the ’ “ glass and feel sick” kind of guy.

REX:

Juno… You’ve done nothing wrong, you know. She did still kill her father.

JUNO:

That’s true.

REX: It’s over. We all survived, if you don’t count my poor hand. My wound still throbs when it rains, you brute.

Only… I was wondering. In Kanagawa’s office, you said there were two things bothering you, but you only mentioned one. What was the other?

SOUND: DRINK POURING.

JUNO: Refill?

REX: (LAUGHING) So that s how it is, is it? re very handsome ’ You know… You’ when you’re like this.

JUNO: Getting drunker by the second?

REX: Morally outraged.

s Look at him… standing up against the big, mean world… It’ so… futile, and foolish, and…

Sexy.

JUNO:

You… You don’t have to go, Rex.

REX: (GIGGLING) See? This is exactly what I mean.

JUNO: Listen to me. You don’t have to do this. You know that, right?

REX: Oh, but of course I do. The galaxy is much bigger than the two of us, Juno. My work, my life… I belong out there. I have to leave.

But life can wait one night, Juno. Come here.

SOUND: THEY KISS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): Lips like silk. Strong hands, pulling on my coat. It was the kind of kiss that feels like it’s going to last the rest of your life… until it’s over, and you know you got as much as you deserved.

JUNO:

Rex…

REX: Juno.

JUNO:

Has anyone ever told you…

SOUND: HANDCUFFS CLICKING.

… that you’re under arrest?

REX:

Oh, Juno! Usually not until the second date, but…

JUNO:

I mean it, Glass. Or… whoever the hell you are.

REX:

I… I take it from your tone that this is not another layer to the fantasy. Fine, I’ll play along. Under arrest for what?

JUNO:

The attempted theft of the Mask of Grimpotheuthis…

REX:

I haven’t the first idea what you’re talking about.

JUNO:

… and for stealing the keys to my safe straight out of my pocket.

SOUND: KEYS CLINKING.

REX:

Ha ha… yes, well, that does sound more familiar.

JUNO: You want to know what the second thing bothering me was? It was the Mask’s case. According to Cassandra it was open before she ever got there… and you had just the tool to open it.

SOUND: TINKLING GLASS.

Hidden glass syringes, tucked underneath the Kanagawas’ doorknobs. That’s why you kept insisting on opening the doors.

I saw you pull this one from the door in the Mask’s room when I was talking to Cassandra. I started getting worried when you pretended not to know what it was. So I took it from your pocket when you sent me after your plasma cutter.

REX: I knew I d regret letting you root around in there. But I ’ couldn’t resist.

JUNO: So I took a picture of the thing, and asked Rita to look into it for me. A hidden needle – small enough to leave a prick and take a drop of blood without anyone noticing. The perfect way to collect DNA samples… and to open the Mask’s case.

REX: Oh, is this the part where the Detective tells us all how he solved the crime?

Go ahead, Juno. I’m enjoying myself immensely.

JUNO: Cassandra said it was open before she ever got there.

That’s… that’s how I knew for sure. But you didn’t take the Mask then, which means you must have been interrupted. You

opened the case… and right then, Croesus came along. REX: I had to make good my escape, and quickly – the security is so tight in that mansion! So many cameras! You have no idea how long it took me to memorize the floor plan to ensure that my face would never be seen.

JUNO: Who are you really?

REX:

A name? Is that what you’re after, Detective? Oh, well, a name would make things simpler, of course. A signifier to your senses, a sound that means a smell, a feeling, a

taste…

JUNO: Just answer the damn question.

REX: But I’m afraid I don’t tell anyone my name. It would take someone very special for me to tell it now.

JUNO:

I knew it was you. But I thought you’d… So is Sasha in on it too, then? You two working together?

REX: Who? Oh, do you mean Dark Matters? No no, Juno. They told you the truth. The truth as they knew it, at any rate. I do

answer to the name Rex Glass – for the moment.

JUNO: You got into Dark Matters? On your own?

REX:

Not alone. It pays to have powerful friends, Juno, when one makes powerful enemies. You’ve demonstrated as much with the Kanagawas.

Allow me to shift the focus of our conversation, will you?

SOUND: COMMS BEEP.

JUNO: You’ve got about two minutes before the cops get here. You can say whatever you want until then.

REX: Hyperion City isn’t the safest place for you at the moment, is it? From the sound of things the Kanagawas are very upset with you. It sounds to me like you need to… disappear.

And I happen to be an expert in disappearances.

JUNO:

We’ll see how much of an expert you are after this one.

REX: It could be so simple. You can leave Hyperion City behind; I’ll leave my powerful friends behind. We’ll sell the Mask and live a life of thrills and decadence across the Galaxy, always running, never looking back. We could have quite a time together, Juno. Who knows what kind of trouble we could cause?

SOUND: DOOR KNOCK. DOOR OPEN.

JUNO: Officers.

OFFICER: Steel. Guess I’m not so surprised to see you spending the night with a treasure thief.

JUNO: Yeah, yeah, happy to see you too, McCrory. Just be careful

with this one, alright? He’s slippery.

OFFICER:

Oh, come on. He can’t be that bad if you caught him.

SOUND: FOOTSTEPS. THEY ESCORT HIM TO THE DOOR.

REX: It could be quite an adventure.

JUNO:

I’m sure it will be. Wish I could come along. I’ll be at the station in a minute.

OFFICER: If you are, bring a helmet. Kapoor’s been saving a lead pipe for you.

REX: Well, then. Farewell, Juno. Until we meet again.

SOUND: DOOR CLOSES.

JUNO (NARRATOR): He was gone. His smell still lingered in the air – that cologne I could never place. A scent from some other planet, like nothing I’d ever smelled before. It’d take weeks to get that stink out.

I needed to clear my head a minute before I drove over. I

poured myself another drink…

SOUND: DRINK POURING.

… and that’s when I saw it. A little slip of paper, sticking up between the cushions.

He must’ve written it behind his back. I’d believe he could do anything.

REX (NARRATOR): Juno,

If you wish for one last glimpse of me, watch the public access feed for Route 742. Somewhere around Mercury Drive, I suspect… but no farther than Vulcanis Way. Get a good look, detective: it may be your last.

I do hope it isn’t, though. I meant every word I said, Juno. It will be quite an adventure. I’ll be waiting for you to join me.

Signed, Your Better Half, Peter Nureyev

JUNO: (PAUSE) Damn!

SOUND: COMMS BLIP.

JUNO: Rita!

RITA:

Mista Steel…? Whatta you doin--

JUNO: Rita, I need you to get me a call with Sasha Wire. Now.

RITA:

The… Dark Matters lady?

JUNO: Just tell her to call me, damn it!

SOUND: COMM BLIP.

JUNO (NARRATOR):

I couldn’t wait. I had to know.

SOUND: CLICK AS VIDEO MONITOR TURNS ON, AND JUNO FLIPS THROUGH CHANNELS.

JUNO: Come on, come on, god damn it, Nureyev, where are you?

SOUND: CLICKING. FINALLY, HE STOPS. A SIREN.

No… damn it!

MUSIC: STARTS.

JUNO (NARRATOR): It was exactly where he said it would be. Route 742.

Mercury Drive. The cop car was parked on the sidewalk. Sitting on the ground beside it, in nothing but their skin and their skivvies, were the two cops who’d picked him up earlier. They were hog-tied, their mouths gagged. And Nureyev was nowhere in sight.

I checked my pocket. The key to my safe was gone.

JUNO: No!

SOUND: COMMS BLIP.

WIRE: Juno! This line is confidential! If you needed me so badly, you should have had Agent Glass call! Where is he?

JUNO: Wish I knew, Sasha. Come on down sometime and I’ll tell you the whole story.

WIRE:

You’ll tell me the story now, Juno. Juno!

SOUND: COMM BLIP.

JUNO (NARRATOR): That’s how things go, in Hyperion City. One day, she’s your daughter; next day, she s your killer. One minute, he s ’ ’ your partner; the next minute… he’s gone.

I drank until I couldn’t think anymore and then I passed out on the couch. Sasha might have called a few times, but I didn’t answer. Couldn’t trust her. Couldn’t trust anyone just then.

But when you get hurt by the big mean world, you lick your wounds, you start over. The world gets a little bigger, a little meaner. Maybe you do, too.

And in the meantime, sleep; sleep, and the smell of Peter Nureyev in the air. It d take weeks for that smell to fade. ’ I’ve missed it ever since.

MUSIC: ENDS.

CONCIERGE: If you’ve enjoyed this tale, please consider supporting the Penumbra on Patreon. Every dollar helps. You can find that at Patreon.com/ThePenumbraPodcast. If you support us on Patreon on the 10 dollar level or higher, you’ll receive access to commentary tracks like this one, from actors Noah Simes and Leslie Drescher and lead writer Kevin Vibert…

SOUND: DOOR CREAKING OPEN

LESLIE DRESCHER, VOICE OF KANAGAWA TWINS: Ruby Rod! That’s fantastic, thank you. Um, yeah, it’s great. Ruby Rod is a great character goddamnit. Um, I also needed to go back to when I was playing Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice because the voice was very similar, and so before…

SOUND: DOOR CREAKING CLOSED.

CONCIERGE: We would like to give special thanks to all who support us on Patreon but especially Jamie Gunther, Eliza Grey, The Princess and the Scrivener, Hannah Jim, Elizabeth Miller, and Angel Asavato for their incredibly generous contributions per episode. Thank you.

You can also support The Penumbra by ‘liking’ us on Facebook,following us on Twitter (@ThePenumbraPod), following us on Tumblr (@ThePenumbraPodast), telling your friends about us, telling your friends to tell their friends about us, and especially by rating and reviewing our podcast on itunes. Every rating, comment and kind word spreads our stories farther and inspires us to keep creating more and better tales to come.

This tale, “Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask,” was told by the following people:

Joshua Ilon as Juno Steel Kate Jones as Min Kanagawa and Rita Sophie Kaner as Agent Sasha Wire Leslie Dreshcher as Cassandra and Cecil Kanagawa and Noah Simes as Peter Nureyev

On staff at The Penumbra:

Kevin Vibert as our lead writer and recording engineer Sophie Kaner as our director and sound designer Graham Turner as our script editor and original music by Ryan Vibert.

The Penumbra is created and produced by Sophie Kaner and Kevin Vibert.

I’m so sorry you’ve been called away, dear Traveler. We eagerly await your return.