Summary[]
Meet Buster the ape. He needs a favour. Nothing much, just a spot of archaeology, cave running and avoiding a terrifying predator...
Cast[]
Mission Requirements[]
Collect all of the required items to unlock this mission!
- Completed Season 1 Mission 5
- Hold an Operation Ape Pass in your connected wallet
- 20KM Distance Badge
Rewards[]
Potential Rewards[]
- Chipz
- Floppy Disk NFT - Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic or Legendary
Plot[]
Introduction[]
Friendly Days[]
Sketchy dispatches the Dustcap to help get in contact with Buster, a boosted ape who needs a hand. They equip the Dustcap with a BOOSTER STAFF, a device designed to boost communications signals.
New Days[]
The DUSTCAP is introduced to BUSTER, who recruits them to go into the ruins that make up KNIFE EDGE RIDGE to try and find the rest of an audio diary he needs.
Early Days[]
The DUSTCAP discovers some of the VAGABOND’s audio diaries and is ambushed by a TRAPCAT.
Violent Days[]
Fleeing the TRAPCAT, the DUSTCAP is guided deeper into the ruins of the Project CALIBAN living quarters by BUSTER.
Revolutionary Days[]
The DUSTCAP picks up the last of the AUDIO DIARY and BUSTER helps them escape the TRAPCAT.
Transcripts[]
SCENE 1: Friendly Days[]
EXT. GATES OF COYOTE SKULL. DAY.
Morning, Dustcap! Let’s go meet Buster! He’s a boosted ape and he’s currently at the outer edge of comms range so it’s a bit of a run to get out there. To make sure I can still hear you, grab a booster staff from stores. That’ll give us some extra juice.
FX: GATE BELL RINGS
Oh yeah! We’re trying this out today. Bell rings, you get moving. Sound good? Off you go!
SCENE 2: New Days[]
EXT. FOOT HILLS OF GLASS. DAY.
SKETCHY:
Brilliant, welcome to Knife Edge Ridge. This was a White Barrow town until the Flare. Earthquakes shattered the crust here. What you’re running on? Used to be roofs. Wild huh? Also watch your step. Head down to the edge of the Ridge and I’ll fill you in. So, Buster’s a second generation boosted ape. When things got bad at White Barrow, the Dustcaps refused to help so White Barrow went surgical. Boosted apes. Boosted dogs. Anything they could get to run errands for them. It did not end well for them. So the apes rebelled. They broke out and set up their own colony and they’re doing great! Once a year they drive back to the lab where they were altered on a pilgrimage to make sure it’s still destroyed. I RESPECT that. That’s where they’re on their way back from. I’m so glad you’re going to get to meet them.
FX: FANFARE. THIS IS VERY CLEARLY BUSTER MAKING TRUMPET NOISES.
That’s our boy! Dustcap, meet Buster? Buster? Meet my new Dustcap
BUSTER:
OI OIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!
Sketchyyyyyyy! How’s it going? And you have a new Dustcap! I bet they’re good at doing favors.
I’m looking for a lady who helped my family escape from the lab. She used to work for White Barrow and she lived here, kept an audio diary too. I found a bit of it when I fell through the roof and my headset synced up with the building systems. And yes it did hurt and yes I was VERY brave.
Seeing as you’re in the area and probably not as scared of the dark as I am, I’d like you to go see if there’s more. Your headset will pick it up and Sketchy’s patched me into the feed from your camera so I’ll help you out. See that hole in the ground to your right that’s roughly the shape of the world’s coolest ape? Yeah. Go through there.
SCENE 3: Early Days[]
INT: Deserted, ruined remains of the Project CALIBAN staff quarters.
FX: CREAKING DOOR
BUSTER:
Good job! I ran off screaming, in a cool way I add, three floors up so you’re doing really well! Headsets are on so let’s see what you can find and…Here we go!
FX: Audio scrubbing sounds, static.
VAGABOND:
Day 18.201… (chuckles sadly) I found my house today. The staff quarters were right here! We’d watch movie, have cookouts…We…(astounded) there was a PATIO. We’d go out under the shade and watch what was left of the world and convince ourselves that we were making things better. I certainly thought so when I started this. My first audio diary. Fragments of it anyway. It’s chronological but not complete. I’ll upload it here, fix it later when I have time.
EXISTING AUDIO IS USED FOR ALL VAGABOND SECTIONS FROM HERE ON OUT FX: Audio scrubbing sounds, static.
(When she speaks again, VAGABOND sounds much younger, much more enthusiastic.)
VAGABOND
Okay, hi! Doctor Laura Archard, first day on the job at Project CALIBAN. This looks like a good group of folks, Doctor Singh I know from the PROSPERO Archive and Doctors Duffy, Longshore and Falcone were on the same ship as me…before the…before. …Anyway! Early reports are good. The enhancements are relatively non-intrusive, and apes 1 thru 10 took to them really well at first. Now? Rejecting them so badly we have o sedate them according to Doctor Duffy.
VAGABOND:
Second batch.
FX: Skittering. The sound of light feet moving quickly.
BUSTER:
You heard that, right?
FX: STATIC
VAGABOND:
Personal best at the gym today! I’m almost benching my old weight again. Feels GOOD.
FX: STATIC
FX: THE DUSTCAP OPENS ANOTHER DOOR. IT CREAKS
FX: METAL COMPLAINS, DUST AND ROCKS SHIFT.
BUSTER:
Go slow. That looks a bit avalanche-y.
VAGABOND:
Taco Tuesday! At least I think it’s Tuesday. At least…I think these are tacos…
FX: STATIC
…They arrested Duffy today. Apparently he was passing information to the rebels. I…they’ve caused so much damage. I can’t believe he’d help them!
BUSTER:
Did you see those floorboards shift?
FX: RUMBLE
BUSTER:
GO FAST! GO FAST!
FX: ROCKS FALL.
SCENE 4: Violent Days[]
INT: Deserted, ruined remains of the Project CALIBAN staff quarters.
BUSTER:
You okay?! Great job, Runner that ceiling came down a LOT. Right, looking around I think you’re in the old dining room. Run around a bit more, let’s see what else you can find and I’ll get you an exit.
FX: STATIC
VAGABOND:
I got a delivery today. From Duffy. It’s a memory stick.
FX: STATIC
One of the supply trucks got picked off. Everyone’s saying it was the Pallas team but…no one was killed. And they dropped in from above. And I saw what they went for; drugs, after op care equipment, food. They weren’t there to attack the convoy, they were there to plunder it. I wonder about subjects 1-10…
FX: CREAKING DOOR
BUSTER:
That wasn’t you, was it? Keep moving, yeah? Quickly?
FX: STATIC
We had a runner today, a hyper-active little bonobo who pingballed around the lab for a full hour before we got her back under control. I checked the tapes. Subject 13 held the door for the little bonobo. If we can bottle that sort of teamwork we’re going to be unstoppable!
FX: Static
Subject 11 arrived today. A massive gorilla, the sort of beautiful creature whose presence draws all the light in the room. Her name is Jenna. She likes the shape of her number in her fur, and in sign language. She keeps tapping ‘OneOne. OneOne.’ Subject 11 looked at me today. Absolutely calm, completely intelligent and aware. I wanted to leave the room when they worked on her and I…didn’t let myself. She deserved that much.
FX: CREAKING DOOR. AGAIN.
BUSTER:
That does not sound right. I’ve got you an exit, keep going…
FX: STATIC
(When VAGABOND speaks here she is not okay)
She held my hand today. She squeezed it. It was like she was absolving me. I don’t know why.
BUSTER (Awed):
That was my Grandma.
FX: CREAKING DOOR
FX: THE CREAKING DOOR BECOMES A LOW, RUMBLING, AWFUL GROWLING.
And THAT is a very large, angry trapcat! Run! There’s a door up ahead. Close and lock it, I’ll find you a way out. Stealthy Buster!
SCENE 5: Revolutionary Days[]
INT: Deserted, ruined remains of the Project CALIBAN staff quarters.
BUSTER:
GOOD WORK! Oh my DAYS, trapcats! They were made at the same lab we were. Cats with vocal mimicry. They lead you in and then they…yeah it’s not good. But you’re almost there! I’ve got you an exit and the signal’s telling me there’s one more piece of audio between you and it. Head downstairs.
FX: STATIC
VAGABOND:
I looked at the USB Duffy sent me. It’s…EVERYTHING. What White Barrow are really doing, what they’re planning to unleash. (Voice catches) the combat sub-routines they’re having us install… No. NO.
FX: STATIC
Taco Tuesday again! These Tacos sure are DELICIOUS. Apparently. Everyone stops for Taco Tuesday. Even the guards. Even the ones guarding the power core. It’s 1-10. They’re out there, working as a team! They’re amazing! They took another convoy down and it was like watching violent non-lethal ballet! OneOne has a plan. We have a plan.
FX: STATIC:
(Voice catching)
So many of them. SO many of them lost and abandoned like broken toys. And I helped.
FX: Static
FX: ALARMS AND SHOUTING BEHIND THE VAGABOND’S VOICE (THEY SOUND SO RELIEVED WHEN THEY SPEAK).
It’s done. They’re free. Now it’s time for me to hit the road. I’ve seen the orchard. I (voice breaks)...I can go now. They’re going to be okay.
BUSTER:
She saved our lives, Dustcap. Without her, I wouldn’t be here. We’re going to find her and there will be HUGS.
FX: Static.
I thought we’d got every-OH NO, RUN!
FX: Static turns into a huge cat, hissing.
FX: Trapcat ROARS
Door! DOOR DOOR DOOR! GO! FX: TRAPCAT ROARS, SWIPES AT THE RUNNER Fend it off with your…stick! It’s alright, I’ll still be able to hear…STATIC…THAT’S IT! GET OUT……STATIC…DOOR! LOCK IT AND….GOOD JOB! GREAT JOB! fireworks and high fives all around!! STATIC…Just as soon as I do a spot of Justice. BUSTER JUSTICE. Right! See you soon!
FX: Static and tuning sounds.
SKETCHY:
Isn’t he adorable? And clearly up to no good. Thanks, Dustcap. You helpedtoday. A lot. And don’t worry about the Trapcat, they don’t like the daylight. Let’s get you home. And maybe try and rustle up some bail money for our little buddy. Just in case…