Episode 1.03 – “The Fractured Truth”
PREVIOUSLY ON THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE MISFITS OF MAYHEM
Polly Mason’s past came crashing back in the frozen streets of Alaska when Dr. Goodefellow—the man who once controlled her mind—reappeared. His methods failed against her this time, thanks to the work of Dr. Casey, and with the help of the Snake Pit, Polly captured him and sent him to Sanctuary. But the encounter confirmed something far more dangerous: the war tied to Dr. Moreau was far from over. As Polly checked on survivors of Moreau’s experiments, she learned that while others were recovering, Susie Brenner—now Feral—remained deeply conditioned and beyond reach. At Sanctuary, fragmented journals began to surface, hinting at the truth behind Moreau’s work, while Agent Buckle was already in motion chasing the missing pieces. With time running out, Polly set her sights on a mission that could either save Susie… or make things far worse.
Back at the North Pole, a rare moment of peace brought the Misfits together for Sunday dinner—a night of laughter, reflection, and fragile normalcy. Jack Mason warned that darker forces were still moving in the shadows, even as he and Edie shared the news of their upcoming marriage. But the calm didn’t last. Later that night, a desperate man named Wilfred found Polly and handed her a mysterious package before fleeing. Inside was a detailed case file on Feral—Moreau’s work in full, outlining not just what had been done to her, but how. Though it offered hope for a cure, it was anything but trustworthy. Unbeknownst to Polly, the information had been allowed to reach her, part of a larger game orchestrated by Moreau himself.
As Wilfred was captured for his betrayal, Moreau revealed just how far ahead he was—setting his sights on Yeti and the Primal Horde. There, he unveiled his latest creations: the Ultimate Beasts, powerful, stable, and fully controlled. And with a warning delivered directly to Yeti about Polly’s intentions to reclaim Susie, the stage was set. The hunt for a cure had begun… but so had the counterplay.
PART 1 – Sanctuary
SCENE: THE CASEY LABORATORY – SANCTUARY
A low hum fills the air.
The laboratory is vast but precise—glass panels, softly glowing monitors, and rows of secured specimens. The space feels less like a hospital and more like a fortress of knowledge. Notes, diagrams, and neural maps line the walls, layered over one another like a war being fought in equations.
At the center of it all—
A steel examination table has been repurposed as a workspace.
Spread across it:
The journals Polly recovered
Loose papers
Diagrams of neural pathways
Strange symbols woven into scientific notation
POLLY MASON stands still, arms crossed, eyes scanning everything.
Beside her, LEITON SNAKE watches—not the papers—but her.
Across the table in her wheelchair, DR. MIRIAM CASEY adjusts her glasses, flipping a page slowly.
DR. MEREDITH CASEY works at a terminal nearby, data from the documents projected in layered holographic overlays.
And just behind them, composed and observant—
LADY MOLLY.
Silent. Watching. Thinking.
MIRIAM CASEY
(quiet, measured)
These are… impressive.
(She pauses, then looks up.)
But they are not whole.
POLLY
(flat)
I figured.
MEREDITH CASEY
Not just incomplete—altered.
(He brings up a layered comparison—sections of text highlighted in red.)
Sections have been rewritten. Subtly. Intentionally.
LEITON
Trap?
MIRIAM CASEY
Yes.
(She taps a page.)
If followed exactly as written… the subject wouldn’t be stabilized.
They would be pushed further.
MEREDITH CASEY
Deeper into the primal state.
More aggressive. Less recoverable.
POLLY
(eyes narrowing)
Susie… wouldn’t come back.
MIRIAM CASEY
No.
(Softer now.)
She would disappear completely.
A quiet beat.
The weight of that lands.
LADY MOLLY
And the man who delivered these?
POLLY
Scared. Desperate. Didn’t know what he had.
LEITON
Didn’t feel like a setup.
MIRIAM CASEY
I agree.
(She closes one of the journals.)
Whoever altered this… expected it to reach someone capable.
Someone like us.
MEREDITH CASEY
Or you.
(He looks at Polly.)
Meredith shifts the display—now green highlights appear within the chaos.
MEREDITH CASEY
The good news…
Not all of it is compromised.
We were able to isolate the authentic work.
MIRIAM CASEY
The original framework is still here.
The methods. The structure of the conditioning.
Enough to understand what was done.
LEITON
And undo it?
Miriam doesn’t answer immediately.
Instead—
She reaches for one of the journals.
She presses along the spine.
A click.
A thin section pops loose.
Inside—
A small thumb drive.
Polly’s eyes sharpen.
POLLY
Someone hid that there for us to find?
MEREDITH CASEY
Hidden in plain sight.
(Slight smile.)
Clever.
LADY MOLLY
Or meant to be found… by the right person.
Meredith inserts the drive.
The room dims slightly as the main monitor flickers to life.
Static.
Then—
A recording.
Grainy. Clinical.
Cold.
A sterile room.
Chains.
And in the center—
SUSIE.
Not fully Feral yet.
But close.
Her movements twitchy. Unstable.
Eyes darting.
And circling her—
DR. GOODEFELLOW.
Calm.
Smiling.
Controlled.
GOODEFELLOW (ON SCREEN)
Susie… Susie… Susie…
(Sing-song. Gentle. Poisonous.)
Why fight what you are?
You feel it, don’t you?
That strength.
That freedom.
No rules. No pain. No fear.
Just… instinct.
Suzie shakes her head violently.
SUZIE
(weak)
No… that’s not me…
GOODEFELLOW
(smiling wider)
Oh, but it is.
(Steps closer.)
They lied to you.
They made you small.
I’m setting you free.
The room is silent except for the recording.
But something shifts.
Polly’s breathing… slows.
Her eyes don’t blink.
The words—
The tone—
The cadence—
They’re familiar.
Too familiar.
FLASHES—quick, sharp:
A voice just like that
Darkness
Control words
A younger Polly… trapped
Leiton notices immediately.
He steps slightly closer.
Doesn’t touch her.
Just there.
Grounding.
Back to the Video
Goodefellow leans in closer to Suzie.
GOODEFELLOW
Say it.
You’re not Suzie.
Suzie was weak.
You are something… better.
Suzie trembles.
Then—
Barely audible—
SUSIE
…I’m… not… Susie…
Goodefellow smiles.
Victory.
The video continues—
But Polly suddenly steps forward.
POLLY
Stop it.
Meredith pauses the video instantly.
Silence.
Polly stands there.
Still.
Then—
She exhales.
LADY MOLLY
(gently)
Miss Mason…
Polly shakes her head.
Not weak.
Not breaking.
Focused.
Colder.
Stronger.
POLLY
I know that voice.
(She looks at Miriam.)
I know what he does.
And how he breaks you.
A beat.
POLLY (CONT'D)
We’re not letting him keep her.
Miriam and Meredith exchange a look.
This is the moment.
MIRIAM CASEY
There is… a way.
Polly turns immediately.
POLLY
Tell me.
MEREDITH CASEY
It’s not physical.
It’s not force.
It’s… embedded.
(Switches display to waveform patterns.)
The conditioning uses layered triggers—
But at its core…
There’s a fail point.
MIRIAM CASEY
A backdoor.
Hidden inside the programming.
Something Goodefellow never expected anyone to find.
LEITON
What is it?
Miriam looks directly at Polly.
MIRIAM CASEY
A song.
MEREDITH CASEY
Not just words.
Pitch. Tone. Timing.
It has to be exact.
Delivered close.
Directly to her.
MIRIAM CASEY
If done correctly…
It won’t just interrupt the conditioning.
It will break it.
Silence.
Polly absorbs it.
POLLY
And if it’s wrong?
MEREDITH CASEY
Then you reinforce the programming.
Make it worse.
Polly nods slowly.
Thinking.
Then—
A faint, dangerous smile.
POLLY
Close. Precise. Perfect pitch.
(She looks to Lady Molly.)
I know how to get that close.
Leiton glances at her—he knows that tone.
That means risk.
Polly turns back to Lady Molly.
POLLY
What about Moreau?
Where is he?
Lady Molly doesn’t hesitate.
LADY MOLLY
Agent Buckle is tracking him.
(Slight pause.)
And closing in.
Polly nods.
Eyes locked.
Focused.
The hunt is no longer theoretical.
It’s coming together.
FADE OUT.
PART 2 – Shadows Over Veșnicel
The wind cuts like a blade through the Carpathian Mountains.
Snow drifts across jagged stone and skeletal trees. The sky burns in deep purples and dying orange light as night begins to take hold.
At the edge of it all—
A lone figure stands.
AGENT BUCKLE.
Coat pulled tight. Collar high. Eyes sharp.
Before him, nestled like a secret that doesn’t want to be found—
THE VILLAGE OF VEȘNICEL.
And beyond it…
A darkness that doesn’t belong to the world.
THE VALE OF SHADOWS.
Buckle studies it.
Quiet.
Still.
A Memory
His expression softens—just slightly.
BUCKLE (V.O.)
Last time I was here…
FLASH—quick images:
Snow paths through the mountains
A confident woman leading the way
A smirk, a challenge
SORINA.
Back in the present, Buckle exhales.
BUCKLE
(smiling faintly)
Hope you’re doing well, lass.
Maybe breaking a few ribs in the ring.
A beat.
BUCKLE (CONT'D)
I’ll come by when this is done.
That’s a promise.
The softness fades.
Mission returns.
His eyes narrow.
Something is wrong.
Very wrong.
The village…
Is not as it was.
Torches burn where lanterns once glowed.
And moving through the streets—
SOLDIERS.
Black armor. Crimson markings.
Disciplined. Silent.
Watching everything.
THE CRIMSON HAND.
BUCKLE (low, to himself)
Velkan Thorne…
What are you doing here?
And more importantly—
Why are you?
He pulls out a small photo.
DR. MOREAU.
Buckle stares at it.
BUCKLE
What business do you have with the Vale?
A beat.
Then—
Decision.
Buckle moves.
Low. Controlled. Efficient.
He slips between shadows, timing movements with patrol routes.
Boots pass inches from him.
Voices murmur.
A torch swings—
He presses against a wall.
Still.
Gone before the light returns.
A patrol turns a corner faster than expected.
Buckle ducks into an alley—
Too late.
A soldier pauses.
Looks.
Suspicious.
Buckle holds his breath.
A long second.
Then—
A shout from elsewhere.
The soldier moves on.
Buckle exhales.
He reaches it.
THE BELLTOWER OF VEȘNICEL.
Ancient. Silent. Watching.
But—
It’s surrounded.
A full perimeter of Crimson Hand soldiers.
No entry.
No escape.
BUCKLE
…of course.
He studies it.
Calculates.
Shakes his head.
Not tonight.
He turns.
Back toward the village.
THE PALE CHALICE INN.
Halfway there—
A voice cuts through the air.
CRIMSON HAND SOLDIER
You! Stop!
Buckle doesn’t.
He runs.
Boots thunder behind him.
Steel clatters.
Shouts echo.
CRIMSON HAND SOLDIER
After him!
Buckle weaves through narrow streets—
Left—
Right—
Vaults a low fence—
Nearly slips—
Catches himself—
They’re gaining.
The air changes.
Soft.
Strange.
And then—
Light.
Tiny, glowing lights.
FIREFLIES.
Hundreds of them.
They swirl in the dusk—
And at their center—
A small, pale figure.
Barefoot.
Silent.
Holding a basket of candles that burn without melting.
MIRIȘOR. THE CANDLE BOY.
He looks at Buckle.
Raises one small hand.
And gestures.
Follow.
Buckle doesn’t hesitate.
He follows.
The fireflies scatter—
forming a path.
They turn corners—
slip through gaps—
duck through shadows no soldier sees.
Behind them—
The Crimson Hand falters.
Confused.
Lost.
The door opens.
Closes.
Silence.
Safe.
For now.
Warm light.
Low voices.
The smell of old wood and something cooking.
Buckle barely gets his bearings—
Before—
ILEANA appears.
Calm. Composed.
Eyes that see too much.
ILEANA
You shouldn’t be here.
BUCKLE
(charming, breathless)
Funny. I was just thinking the same.
She doesn’t smile.
Instead—
She grabs his arm.
ILEANA
Upstairs.
Now.
A small room.
Hidden.
Safe.
She closes the door behind them.
ILEANA
Stay here.
Do not leave.
I will return when it is safe.
And just like that—
She’s gone.
Dark.
Quiet.
A soft knock.
ILEANA (O.S.)
It’s me.
Buckle opens the door.
She enters—
Carrying food.
They sit.
He eats.
Watches her.
BUCKLE
Why is the Crimson Hand here?
Ileana doesn’t hesitate.
ILEANA
The Vale was healed.
By Van Helsing.
(She studies him.)
That cannot be allowed to happen again.
BUCKLE
Velkan Thorne…
ILEANA
…has taken the village.
No one enters the Vale without his will.
Buckle pulls out a photo.
Slides it across.
BUCKLE
Have you seen him?
Ileana looks.
A pause.
Then—
ILEANA
Yes.
Buckle leans forward.
ILEANA (CONT'D)
A week ago.
He came.
Spoke with Batran Simion.
Then he left.
BUCKLE
Left where?
She meets his eyes.
ILEANA
East.
BUCKLE
Can I reach Batran?
A long beat.
Then—
She nods.
Basement.
Hidden entrance.
Stone steps descending into darkness.
She hands him a map.
ILEANA
The tunnels run beneath the village.
The Hand cannot enter them.
Follow this.
Do not stray.
She hands him a torch.
Flame flickers.
ILEANA (CONT'D)
And be careful.
Not everything down there fears the Hand.
Darkness.
Stone.
Echoes.
Buckle moves carefully.
Following the map.
Twists. Turns.
Narrow passages.
Low ceilings.
Something moves in the distance—
He ignores it.
Keeps moving.
At last—
A rise.
And at the top—
An ornate door.
Ancient.
Carved with symbols older than memory.
Buckle pushes it open.
Silence.
Stillness.
Safe.
He steps inside.
Climbs the stairs.
Each step echoing.
At the top—
Waiting.
BATRAN SIMION.
Still as stone.
Eyes like centuries.
BATRAN
You took your time.
Buckle smirks.
BUCKLE
Had a bit of company.
BUCKLE
The Hand—
BATRAN
Cannot enter here.
The tower is protected.
Always has been.
Always will be.
BUCKLE
Moreau.
You spoke with him.
Batran nods.
BATRAN
He sought a path.
Through the Vale of Shadows.
BUCKLE
And?
BATRAN
The Vale chooses.
Not men.
Not monsters.
If it wished him to enter…
He would have.
It did not.
A beat.
Buckle processes.
Then—
BUCKLE
So he went elsewhere.
BATRAN
Yes.
To the East.
Buckle’s eyes sharpen.
BUCKLE
The monastery.
The Circle of False Light’s base.
Batran nods.
BUCKLE
I need a way out.
One that avoids the Hand.
BATRAN
There is one.
(Slight pause.)
And you will not travel it alone.
Footsteps.
From above.
Two figures descend.
Calm.
Composed.
Iconic.
SHERLOCK HOLMES
Ah… Agent Buckle.
Right on time.
DR. WATSON
(smiling warmly)
Seems we’ll be traveling together.
Buckle blinks.
Then—
Grins.
BUCKLE
Well now…
This just got interesting.
FINAL IMAGE
Three paths converge.
One mission.
One destination.
THE EAST.
FADE OUT.
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