Postmortem: False Start

ATHAN

REDACTED Postmortem is a spin-off series of our main series, REDACTED. While these are not required listening for the core plot in REDACTED, they provide world-building details and are encouraged for the full experience. We highly recommend you listen to the paired REDACTED episode this is titled after before proceeding. Previously on REDACTED.

JACOB

Bug boy!

SCENE

INT. SLOAN'S OFFICE - EVENING

SLOAN

Postmortem Incident Report regarding last night's aberrant event known as "Mansquito". TRU members in attendance: Eli Reyes. Meeting recording by public relations agent Sloan Summers.

SLOAN

Welcome back, Agent Reyes.

ELI

It's, it's good to be back.

SLOAN

First order of business before we begin, hmm, why isn't Agent Kane in attendance? I expected him to be here, given his level of involvement in the case.

ELI

He had... car trouble. I'm filling in for him.

SLOAN

Hmm.. I see.

SLOAN

Then let's get started. Agent Reyes, your report was very thorough, but for the benefit of The Mezzanine, will you please give us a brief summary of the case leading up to the events of yesterday?

ELI

Of course. So, a few days ago, four bodies were recovered from an alleyway off Langston. Dr. Fleming's autopsy confirmed that all four victims' insides had been liquified and then extracted from a large puncture wound.

ELI

We determined this evidence of aberrant activity was more than enough justification to send a recon team.

ELI

We found what we were looking for. In the sewers beneath Langston, we uncovered approximately 20 more bodies, all in similar condition to the four we had recovered previously.

ELI

That's when the aberration appeared, and attacked. Our initial attempts proved ineffective, but eventually our team was able to take it down. and that's when we called it in.

SLOAN

Thank you Agent Reyes. Cleanup efforts have already concluded. The victims were removed from the site, and what was left of the aberration was moved for further research.

ELI

Good deal. All, All in a day's work.

ELI

I mean, We wouldn't want anything to slip through the cracks after all.

SLOAN

Oh, but wait! There's more! We received this log from Dr. Danse this morning.

ELI

Um, o- okay.

SFX

TV being turned on.

DR. DANSE

This is Dr. Danse. Autopsy report for ATP-1051 the entity presents as a grotesque amalgam of humanoid and insectoid morphology, roughly the size of an adult human. Its appendages are elongated and jointed in a manner reminiscent of a dipteran limb structure.

DR. DANSE

It features a prominent proboscis that extends from the facial cavity, comprised mostly of soft-tissue.

DR. DANSE

These anatomical observations correlate directly with the sexual dimorphism within the Culicidae, or "mosquito" family, wherein m- male specimens possess a flaccid, brush-like proboscis adapted for nectar consumption,

ELI

Did he just say it's got a... flaccid proboscis

SLOAN

Yes.

DR. DANSE

... And females exhibit the rigid, piercing mouthparts necessary for hematophagy.

DR. DANSE

However, these findings raise concern, given that the Mansquito's proboscis lacks both the tensile rigidity and the barbed end cap morphology typically observed in hematophagous feeders.

SFX

TV turns off.

SLOAN

Simply put: the creature you killed would've been incapable of penetrating human skin, let alone piercing deep enough to induce full liquification and internal drainage.

ELI

Wait so that means that the-

SLOAN

-This means that the culprit of the Langston deaths is still at large. yes. We are likely dealing with at least one additional aberration, A mansquito, if you will.

ELI

Well crap.

SLOAN

And, believe it or not, it gets worse. If these two are a breeding pair then of course we have to consider the potential of offspring. One culicidae female can lay a clutch of 100-300 eggs at a time, and the sewer provides an ideal biosphere for reproduction.

SLOAN

Due to the quantity of victims and increased risk of exposure, The Curtain has authorized a special containment team to further investigate the Langston sewers.

SLOAN

In the interest of public containment, I have leaked falsified information of a new prolific serial murderer, dubbed "The Langston Street Killer".

SLOAN

I've contacted multiple news outlets and true crime influencers with falsified information. I also made some social media posts on blogs and in armchair detective circles on Reddit and the likes, all to back up my claims.

SLOAN

He uses an ice pick, hums while he prowls, and drains his victims of their blood. It's practically writing itself.

SLOAN

Honestly....

SLOAN

I believe that concludes our debriefing, unless you have anything else to add?

ELI

There is, yes.

SLOAN

Go on.

ELI

I'm sure you recall that a member of our team is missing in action, Agent Chadwick? We sent in a requisition request, you know, gear we need to help find him. Should I expect this request will be approved?

SLOAN

Ugh, Reyes, you know I'm the wrong person to be asking. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to check with Control, see what she says. I will leave your comment in the recording

ELI

Okay. Okay, great. Thanks.

SLOAN

All right. so, if there is no other pertinent information you wish to report then I think that sums up the meeting.

ELI

Nope. I, I guess I have nothing additional to report.

SLOAN

Cool! Good talk Agent Reyes, can't wait for the next one!

SFX

Slap on the back.

ELI

Ow.

OUTRO

Outro theme

ATHAN

That concludes our first episode of REDACTED Postmortem, our spinoff series featuring Lyssa Jay as Sloan, Athan as Eli Reyes, and Dr. Danse played by Derek Morland. Useful links are theredactedunit.com for more info, episode details, and transcripts, patreon.com/theredactedunit for audience participation, bonus content, behind the scenes, and theredactedunit.com/discord to connect. Thanks for listening

Transcript from the production script, matched to the final audio.