Timestorm Episode 28 Transcript

VOICE
Previously, on Timestorm…

KAYLEE
I definitely could use someone like you.

LALO
Someone like me?

KAYLEE
Someone to be the face of this community center. 

***

LAURA
Hi, Kaylee. It’s Laura. So, I just got word that the Hellinger Foundation now owns a building in San Juan?

KAYLEE
Hey, Laura. I meant to call you before buying this new property in Puerto Rico. You really should come check out this new building.

***

LALO
All I know is that Kaylee has an arrowhead.

BENI/ALEXA/JOSIE
WHAT?

ALEXA
Lalo, do you know where the arrowhead is?

LALO
I know where I last saw it and I can take you to it.

***

BENI
There’s something tucked into the back of the frame.

BENI REMOVES A ZIPLOCK BAGGIE WITH ARROWHEAD FROM THE BACK OF FRAME.

​​LALO | JOSIE | ALEXA
Mira, eso! | Nice catch! | You found it!

BENI
The arrowhead doesn’t belong to us.

LALO
It’s not like you can travel back in time and bring it back.

ALEXA/BENI/JOSIE
Actually...

LALO
You can travel in time?

***

ATABEY
Kaylee Hellinger. She runs the Hellinger Foundation with her sister, Laura. They own the building next to Josie’s store in San Juan.

***

HORACIO
Atabey. Let me keep this container. It was meant for me.

THE ARROWHEAD GOES INTO THE CLOUD.

BENI
There goes the arrowhead.

HORACIO
Wait! The container—

ALEXA
Do you feel that tug?

THE ARTIFACT CLOUD PULLS IN THE TWINS AND HORACIO.

BENI
Where are we? 

HORACIO
Inside the artifact cloud. 

ALEXA | BENI
Horacio— | Whoa—

THERE IS A STRANGE WHOOSH.

HORACIO
Beni? Alexa?

***

HORACIO LANDS IN THE WOODS. BIRDS CHIRP.

HORACIO 
Earth. This is supposed to be impossible. Abuelo’s shed is—this way!

HORACIO OPENS THE DOOR TO THE SHED.

HORACIO
Abuelo? You’re not here. Adios.

***

A BUZZ INDICATING THE LIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT. KAYLEE OPENS THE DOOR TO HER BUILDING.

KAYLEE
Ugh. Another blackout?

MUSIC: THEME SONG - "IN THE TIMESTORM"

Witness. Find. Remember.
The hidden past seeks its dawn, showing us that we all belong.
Horacio, Alexa, and Beni take back time, find history in the timestorm.
Witness. Find. Remember.

CALLE DE LA FORTALEZA, OLD SAN JUAN.

MUSIC: NOTES ON A CUATRO AS...
THE TWINS LAND IN OLD SAN JUAN DURING A STREET PROTEST. PROTESTORS CHANT: ¡SOMOS MÁS Y NO TENEMOS MEDIO!

BENI
Horacio? This isn’t the artifact cloud.

ALEXA
Old San Juan? What’s going on?

BENI
Sounds like a protest.

ALEXA
I know that. But how did we travel? The barometer never buzzed.

BENI
Maybe the artifact cloud sent us here?

ALEXA
This street’s familiar. Around the corner is...

ALEXA WALKS TO THE CORNER.

ALEXA
It’s Josie’s store!

BENI
Let’s go!

THE TWINS RUN THROUGH THE CROWD TO JOSIE’S STOREFRONT. BENI ALMOST TRIPS OVER A CAT. THE CAT MEOWS.

BENI
I almost stepped on that stray cat. I’ve never seen a brown cat before.

ALEXA
Uh, Beni? Josie’s store isn’t here.

BENI
Centro Cultural. Cómics, juegos, arte y tour de fantasmas. Josie doesn’t do ghost tours. That’s Lalo’s thing.

ALEXA
Look! There’s a picture of Lalo and Josie at a grand opening for this...this cultural center.

BENI
Her building looks like it’s connected to Kaylee’s.

ALEXA
Last I checked, Josie and Lalo don’t run a center together.

BENI
Oh no! What if we’re stuck in another timeline?

THE CHANT SHIFTS TO: ¡CUATRO MIL SIESCIENTOS CUARENTA Y CINCO!

ALEXA
Okay. Let’s figure out how to get back.

BENI
The barometer won’t help.

ALEXA ALMOST TRIPS OVER THE CAT.

ALEXA
Whoa!

THE CAT MEOWS.

ALEXA
Oh, the cat again.

THE CAT MEOWS.

ALEXA
I thought stray cats don’t meow.

BENI
Guess in this timeline they meow.

THE CAT MEOWS.

ALEXA
It’s staring right at us.

BENI
Like all of the other animals that showed us something.

ALEXA
I guess we follow it.

ALEXA AND BENI RUN BACK TO THE STREET WHERE THEY LANDED.

BENI
Excuse me!

ALEXA
¡Perdóname!

THE CROWD CHANTS: ¡RENUNCIA!

BENI
It’s leading us back to where we landed.

ALEXA
Okay, brown kitty. What do you want to show us?

THE CAT MEOWS.

BENI
And it’s batting at the air.

ALEXA
It’s playing, Beni. There’s nothing here.

BENI
Wait a minute. The air above the cat looks like a see-through orb.

ALEXA
Yeah. Oh, I see it now.

BENI
That’s gotta be the way back to the artifact cloud.

THE CAT MEOWS.

ALEXA
Trust the brown cat?

BENI
I mean, he’s headbutting a see-through orb thingy—

ALEXA AND BENI WALK TOWARDS THE CLOUD AND ARE PULLED BACK INTO IT.

INSIDE THE ARTIFACT CLOUD. ANOTHER DIMENSION.

THE TWINS ARE PULLED BACK INTO THE CLOUD.

HORACIO
Beni? Alexa? You’re back!

ALEXA
We traveled—

HORACIO
You traveled? Where to?

ALEXA
San Juan.

HORACIO
I traveled home. I got to say goodbye.

HORACIO RELEASES THE CONTAINER.

THE TIMESTORM. ANOTHER DIMENSION.

HORACIO, ALEXA, AND BENI LAND IN THE TIMESTORM.

ATABEY
It seems there’s been an anomaly.

ALEXA
No kidding.

HORACIO
The cloud pulled me in becuase I held onto the container.

ATABEY
Artifact cloud: retreat.

THE ARTIFACT CLOUD RETREATS.

ALEXA
The artifact cloud sent us to Josie’s store. Only it was an arts center.

BENI
And Josie and Lalo owned it.

ALEXA
Were we in an alternate timeline, Atabey?

ATABEY
I can’t provide details.

ALEXA
You always give us details when we’re sent into the past. Names, dates, places. (imitating ATABEY) Quest: Find some artifact in some place in some year in the past.

BENI
Wait a minute. We didn’t find the three guanín artifacts in the past. We found them in our own time. That means we can give the guanín back to the rightful owners—

ALEXA
—without creating another timeline!

ATABEY
The objects are already in the artifact cloud.

ALEXA
Artifact cloud—

ALEXA/BENI
Emerge.

THE ARTIFACT CLOUD EMERGES.

ALEXA
It worked!

BENI
Guanín artifacts—

ALEXA/BENI
Advance.

THE ARTIFACT CLOUD SPITS OUT THE ARROWHEAD. BENI CATCHES IT.

BENI
The arrowhead!

ALEXA
Nice catch.

THE ARTIFACT CLOUD SPITS OUT THE MEDALLION. ALEXA CATCHES IT.

ALEXA
Got the medallion!

THE ARTIFACT CLOUD SPITS OUT THE CONTAINER. HORACIO CATCHES IT.

HORACIO
The container my father hid en El Yunque.

BENI
Artifact cloud—

ALEXA/BENI
Retreat.

THE ARTIFACT CLOUD RETREATS.

ATABEY
Well, young humans? You’ve taken charge. What will you do now?

BENI
Return these artifacts to the rightful owners. The container belongs to Horacio.

ALEXA
That one’s easy.

HORACIO
Thank you both.

ATABEY
What about the medallion and arrowhead?

BENI
I guess it’s up to us to figure it out.

ALEXA
Yeah. A quest we get to choose.

ALEXA AND BENI YELL AS THEY TRAVEL.

2018. KAYLEE’S PROPERTY. OLD SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO.

MUSIC: “KAYLEE’S JOINT” TRANSITION.
THE TWINS LAUGH AS THEY LAND IN KAYLEE’S BUILDING.

KAYLEE
Who’s there?

LALO
Hi, Kaylee. It’s Lalo.

KAYLEE
That wasn’t you laughing.

LALO
I was just giving Josie and the twins a tour of the building.

ALEXA/BENI/JOSIE
Hi.

KAYLEE
Hi. Well, this is silly. Standing around in the dark like we’re in a cave. I’ll leave the front door open to let in a bit of light. Wish it would stop raining.

LALO
Your sister Laura left a voicemail on the landline. Something about identifying a rare metal alloy?

ALEXA
A rare metal alloy.

BENI TAKES OUT THE ARROWHEAD.

BENI
Like this guanín arrowhead?

KAYLEE
You have the arrowhead?

JOSIE
The one you took from my store.

KAYLEE
I, uh, happened upon it while leaving.

ALEXA
Why didn’t you give it back?

KAYLEE
Well, I found it. So...

JOSIE
Oh. Don’t say finders keepers.

KAYLEE
The truth is...my dad used to find rare relics from across the world. And now that he’s gone, I follow in his footsteps.

BENI | ALEXA
Sorry about your dad. | Yeah.

KAYLEE
Thank you. He loved learning about other cultures. I’m continuing his tradition.

LALO
You can learn about a culture without taking something that’s simply not yours.

KAYLEE
Okay. So the arrowhead belongs to the twins?

BENI
No. But we’re gonna return it to the rightful owner.

KAYLEE
And who’s that?

ALEXA
We’re still working that out.

KAYLEE
Why don’t I hold onto it for safekeeping?

KAYLEE STEPS TOWARDS THE TWINS. JOSIE STEPS FORWARD.

JOSIE
Kaylee. New neighbor of mine. My cousins don’t have to give you the arrowhead. Okay?

KAYLEE
Oh, fine. Good luck finding this rightful owner.

LALO
Yamayra Cruz!

JOSIE
What about Yami Cruz?

LALO
She’s a couple of blocks away allá en la Calle San Francisco. She might be able to help.

BENI
Who’s Yamayra Cruz?

JOSIE
We went to school together. Maybe she knows the rightful owner of the arrowhead?

ALEXA
And this medallion.

KAYLEE
A medallion? You have a medallion?

BENI
A guanín medallion.

KAYLEE
Surely you don’t need both artifacts?

ALEXA
Don’t even think about it, Kaylee.

KAYLEE
I’ve always wanted a medallion.

BENI
Well, you can’t have this one.

JOSIE, BENI, AND ALEXA WALK TOWARDS THE OPEN DOOR.

JOSIE
I’ll take you to Yamayra. Let’s go.

LALO
Ah, chica. Well, tell Yami I’m at work, okay? Give her a kiss for me. And, yes, you can take my umbrella.

JOSIE
Gracias, Lalo.

JOSIE GRABS LALO’S UMBRELLA FROM THE FLOOR.

2018. CALLE SaN FRANCISCO. OLD SAN JUAN, PR.

MUSIC: OLD SAN JUAN STREETS TRANSITION.
THE TWINS AND JOSIE WALK TOGETHER, HUDDLED UNDER AN UMBRELLA.

JOSIE
And that’s when you asked the artifact cloud to give you back the three guanín artifacts?

ALEXA
We gave the container we found in the Mount Britton tower to Horacio since it belonged to his father.

JOSIE
You know, I was thinking it looked just like that tin Beni found the first time we met back in nineteen ninety-nine.

ALEXA
That’s because Horacio’s grandfather made both of those containers.

JOSIE
Amazing. But what about the medallion and arrowhead?

BENI
We’re gonna return them too.

ALEXA
Once we figure out who they belong to.

JOSIE
Which brings us here.

ALEXA, BENI, AND JOSIE STEP ONTO A STOOP. JOSIE RINGS THE BUZZER.

JOSIE
I haven’t seen Yamayra in years.

YAMAYRA
(through the intercom) Hola.

JOSIE
Hola, Yamayra. It’s Liliana Josefina.

YAMAYRA
(through the intercom) Lili Josie?

JOSIE
Si, Yami. Let me in already. I want to introduce you to my cousins.

THE DOOR BUZZES OPEN.

2018. BALCONY OF YAMAYRA’S HOME. OLD SAN JUAN, PR.

MUSIC: RHYTHM TRANSITION.

YAMAYRA
Ah, I think the rain stopped. Now, we just need the power to come back.

BENI
This balcony’s cool.

ALEXA
Oh, nice. You can watch the people walking by.

JOSIE
Yeah. And all these...stray cats.

JOSIE SNIFFS.

YAMAYRA
They hang around because I feed them. You’re not allergic?

BENI/ALEXA
No.

JOSIE SNEEZES.

BENI/ALEXA
Bless you.

YAMAYRA
Salud.

JOSIE
It’s fine. I’ll take Benadryl later.

YAMAYRA
So? Dime. Why did Lalo send you to me?

BENI
He said you might be able to help us find the owner of this.

BENI PLACES THE ARROWHEAD ON A TABLE.

ALEXA
And this.

ALEXA PLACES THE MEDALLION ON THE TABLE.

YAMAYRA
An arrowhead and...an Olympic medal?

ALEXA
A guanín medallion.

YAMAYRA
Like what caciques wore?

BENI
The arrowhead’s made from guanín too.

YAMAYRA
Wow. Where did you get these?

YAMAYRA PICKS UP THE MEDALLION.

BENI
The medallion was in Aguadilla and the arrowhead in Ponce.

YAMAYRA
I’ve read about guanín.

BENI
Like for research? Are you a professor? Archeologist?

YAMAYRA PLACES DOWN THE MEDALLION.

YAMAYRA
Oh no. I do make-up and hair for weddings and quinces. Lalo probably sent you here because I’ve got family in the mountains. To this day, they tell stories and practice traditions that trace back to our indigenous ancestors.

ALEXA
But I heard there weren’t any Taínos left in Puerto Rico.

YAMAYRA
No full-blood Taínos. But our identity has survived in our food, language, and DNA. If you know where to look, you’ll see we’re still here. And we still gather.

BENI
But you don’t seem—uh, what I mean is...

YAMAYRA
You don’t think I look Taíno.

YAMAYRA
Pues, I’m black, too.

JOSIE
And you’ve always been proud of it.

JOSIE AND YAMAYRA HIGH FIVE.

YAMAYRA
How am I not gonna be proud? Mira, mi familia? We run the racial spectrum.

ALEXA | JOSIE
Ours too. | I hear that.

BENI
But even though we have Taíno in us, keeping these artifacts seems...wrong.

ALEXA
Yamayra, do you know who’d be the rightful owner of these?

YAMAYRA
I wish I had an answer. But I’m just one person. I can’t speak for all Puerto Ricans with Taíno ancestry.

ALEXA
Yeah, I guess that makes sense.

BENI
I didn’t think of it that way. Guess this quest is gonna be harder than we thought.

YAMAYRA
Quest? I like that. Sounds like something out of those comics books you sell, Lili Josie.

A CAT LANDS ON THE TABLE BETWEEN THEM, PURRING. JOSIE SNEEZES.

JOSIE
Ay! That cat is so close!

YAMAYRA
Bruno Mars, you know your food is on the floor.

BENI
You name the stray cats?

YAMAYRA
Claro.

ALEXA
Hey, we saw a cat like this once. All brown.

THE CAT MEOWS.

YAMAYRA
I’ve never heard you meow before, Bruno.

ALEXA
It’s the same cat!

THE CAT GRABS THE ARROWHEAD IN ITS MOUTH.

JOSIE
The arrowhead!

BENI/ALEXA
No!

YAMAYRA
That isn’t food!

THE CAT JUMPS BACK ONTO THE BALCONY AND MEOWS (MUFFLED).

YAMAYRA
Bruno Mars. Don’t you dare take that arrowhead onto the street.

THE CAT JUMPS DOWN ONTO THE STREET.

BENI
Come back!

JOSIE SNEEZES.

BENI
We have to get the arrowhead!

ALEXA PICKS UP THE MEDALLION.

ALEXA
I got the medallion!

YAMAYRA
I know where Bruno likes to go. Follow me.

YAMAYRA OPENS THE DOOR TO THE BALCONY.

2018. KAYLEE’S PROPERTY. OLD SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO.

MUSIC: “KAYLEE’S JOINT” TRANSITION.
A BUZZING SOUND INDICATES THE ELECTRICITY HAS RETURNED.

KAYLEE
Thank goodness the lights are back. I could’ve had a medallion.

LALO
Mm-hm. But the twins outsmarted you.

KAYLEE
It was four against one. Hardly fair.

LAURA STEPS THROUGH THE DOORWAY.

LAURA
Hi, Kaylee.

KAYLEE
Laura? When did you get here?

LAURA
My flight got in about an hour ago. Hi, I’m Laura. Kaylee’s sister.

LALO
Lalo, Kaylee’s community manager. So nice to meet you.

LAURA
Mucho gusto.

KAYLEE
Lalo mentioned you left a voicemail. But he left out the part about you visiting.

LAURA
Actually, I didn’t mention it. I wanted it to be a surprise.

KAYLEE
It certainly is a surprise. Anyway, welcome to the future Hellinger Community Center in San Juan.

LAURA WALKS AROUND IN THE EMPTY MAIN AREA.

LAURA
Nice. What’s the plan for it? 

KAYLEE
Tech.

LAURA
What else? Art classes? Ohh! Professional development workshops?

LALO
Kaylee. Have you considered talking to the community about what they want in a center? 

KAYLEE
No. I just figured that...I

LALO
Know what’s best?

KAYLEE
I want to help.

LALO
It’d be great to have other services. I mean, tech is important. But think of the impact that we could have with lots of different programs.

KAYLEE
Thanks for chiming in, Lalo. I’m sure Laura’s exhausted from her trip.

LAURA
Actually, I’d like to hear more, Lalo. 

LALO
What about a cultural storytelling project? I know a lot about legends and folklore. 

KAYLEE WALKS TOWARDS THE BACK. LALO’S VOICE GROWS DISTANT AS KAYLEE ENTERS THE BACK ROOM. KAYLEE WALKS OVER TO THE MAP.

KAYLEE
If Laura wants to take control here in San Juan, I’ll just move on. There are plenty of places left on this map. A whole wide world. Let me see. Where should I buy a building for my next community center? Mm, Lima, Peru?

THE DOOR CREAKS SLIGHTLY AS LAURA ENTERS.

LAURA
What about Lima, Peru?

KAYLEE
Ah! I didn’t hear you there, Laura.

LAURA
I was just telling Lalo about our new foundation policy. All purchases must be pre-approved. 

KAYLEE
Well, shouldn’t I have been notified?

LAURA
I’m notifying you now.

KAYLEE
But it’s our family’s foundation. And I’m the global ambassador.

LAURA
Pre-approval shouldn’t be a problem If you’re doing things fairly.

KAYLEE
You’ve always been like this, Laura. You care so much about what’s fair for others. But what about what’s fair for me?

LAURA
Kaylee, Kaylee, Kaylee. Not everything is about you.

KAYLEE
That’s not what I...

KAYLEE SCOFFS.

LAURA
Look, before you open this center, maybe spend some time listening to the people in the community.

KAYLEE
Like who?

LAURA
Lalo’s ideas are pretty great. You can start with him. And he says your neighbor Josie knows a lot, too.

2018. SAN JUAN GATE/PASEO DEL MORRO. OLD SAN JUAN, PR.

MUSIC: OLD SAN JUAN STREETS TRANSITION.
THE TWINS, YAMAYRA, AND JOSIE RUSH PAST PEOPLE ON THE STREET AS THEY APPROACH THE SAN JUAN GATE.

JOSIE
Chasing a cat sure is a lot of exercise.

YAMAYRA
Straight through La Puerta de San Juan!

ALEXA
To el Paseo del Morro?

YAMAYRA
I know Bruno’s spot.

ALL FOUR REACH THE BAYSIDE OF THE GATE. YAMAYRA WALKS TOWARDS A GARITA (SENTRY BOX) ON THE PATH.

YAMAYRA
Hola, Bruno. It loves sitting in this garita like it’s guarding the gate.

ALEXA
Like a tiny, furry soldier. How cute!

BENI
It’d be cuter without the arrowhead in its mouth. We can’t even get inside with these bars in the way.

THE CAT JUMPS INTO THE WINDOW OF THE GARITA.

ALEXA
It’s jumping out that window!

YAMAYRA
Quick! Around this way towards the rocks.

YAMAYRA RUNS TOWARDS THE ROCKS. THE OTHERS FOLLOW.

JOSIE
This cat sure gets around.

YAMAYRA
Mira, the most dramatic cat in the world. Posing on that rock with that arrowhead in his mouth, the bay in the background.

BENI
He’s looking us.

THE CAT MEOWS.

BENI
He wants us to go on the rocks.

BENI JUMPS ONTO THE ROCKS.

JOSIE
Beni!

BENI
I’ll be careful!

BALEXA
Wait up!

ALEXA JUMPS ONTO THE ROCKS.

JOSIE
Ay, ay, ay.

YAMAYRA
Bruno’s keeping an eye on them.

JOSIE
The cat’s gonna keep my cousins safe?

YAMAYRA
Don’t doubt, Bruno.

WHOOSH TO THE TWINS POV.

THE CAT MEOWS.

ALEXA
Where are you going now, Bruno? Closer to the water? Okay, across the rocks it is.

ALEXA AND BENI WALK ACROSS THE ROCKS.
SWITCH TO: YAMAYRA/JOSIE POV.

YAMAYRA
Bruno sure is taking them the long way around.

JOSIE
Huh?

YAMAYRA
He’s leading them up onto that pier.

JOSIE
Ay. Eso gato.

SWITCH TO: ALEXA/BENI POV.
ALEXA AND BENI WALK TO THE END OF THE PIER.

BENI
He sure loves to stare.

ALEXA
What’s out in the bay, Bruno?

BENI
If he’s trying to get us to jump in the water, it’s not happening.

THE CAT MEOWS SOFTLY.

ALEXA
What are you showing us? How to stare out at nature, contemplating who on this island could possibly be—

THE CAT DROPS THE ARROWHEAD ON THE BEACH.

BENI
The arrowhead!

MUSIC: NOTES PLAY ON A CUATRO UNDER—

BENI
Wait a minute. Guanín is a mix of three metals that came from the land. Things made of guanín, like this medallion and arrowhead, literally came from the island. Maybe it’s not a person we’re returning these to.

ALEXA
The artifacts belong to the island.

BENI
And we can give them back.

ALEXA
By throwing them into the water.

THE CAT MEOWS SOFTLY. ALEXA AND BENI STEP TOWARDS THE EDGE OF THE PIER.

BENI
On three?

ALEXA/BENI
One, two, three.

THE TWINS THROW THE ARTIFACTS INTO THE BAY. A BEAT. ONE FALLS IN THE WATER, THEN NEXT FOLLOWS. THE CAT MEOWS.
MUSIC: A FINAL NOTE ON THE CUATRO.

2018. TAINO COMICS AND GAMES - SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO.

MUSIC: “TAÍNO COMICS AND GAMES - SAN JUAN” TRANSITION.
JOSIE OPENS THE DOOR AND LETS THE TWINS INTO THE STORE.

JOSIE
I still can’t believe you threw the artifacts into the water.

BENI
It felt like the right thing to do.

ALEXA
Yeah. If anyone sees Kaylee hanging around that spot in the bay, send Bruno after her.

JOSIE
Kaylee’s no match for that cat.

A PHONE NOTIFICATIONS SOUNDS.

JOSIE
Hmm. Text from Lalo. What? Kaylee’s sister’s in town and wants to meet to discuss the future of the center. I don’t know if I can trust anyone related to Kaylee.

ALEXA
But you can trust Lalo.

JOSIE
Always. I guess it doesn’t hurt. But if she brings up rare metal alloys, I’ll run. You two have had quite a day.

BENI | ALEXA
Uh-huh. | Oh yeah.

JOSIE
I’m sure you want to get back to Newark.

BENI | ALEXA
Later. | See you.

JOSIE
See you soon!

ALEXA YANKS ASIDE THE CURTAIN AND STEPS TOWARDS THE TAPESTRY.
BUZZ OF ELECTRICITY.

ALEXA
Locus.

ALEXA GASPS AND THEN TRAVELS THROUGH THE PORTAL. BENI STEPS TOWARDS THE TAPESTRY. BUZZ OF ELECTRICITY.

BENI
Locus.

BENI GASPS AND THEN TRAVELS THROUGH THE PORTAL.

2018. TAINO COMICS AND GAMES - NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

MUSIC: “TAÍNO COMICS AND GAMES - NEWARK” SHORT TRANSITION.
THE TWINS WALK TOWARDS THE FRONT COUNTER.

ALEXA
And we’re back in Newark.

DATU
You two look exhausted. What’d you do today?

BENI
(whispers) Hiked in El Yunque.

ALEXA
(whispers) Twice.

BENI
(whispers) Witnessed a huge protest.

ALEXA
(whispers) Solved a case of a stolen artifact.

BENI
(whispers) Chased a cat through the streets of Old San Juan.

ALEXA
(whispers) Twice.

DATU
No wonder you’re tired.

JANELLY APPROACHES THEM.

ALEXA | BENI
Hi, Janelly. | Hey.

JANELLY
Hey. Sonia was looking for you before. I said you had stuff to do out of town.

ALEXA
That was definitely true.

BENI
We can tell you all about it if you want to walk with us.

JANELLY
Yeah. Sure.

DATU
See you soon!

ALEXA | BENI | JANELLY
Bye, Datu. | Later. | See ya.

DOOR OPENS/LASER BELL/CITY STREET.

2018. A SIDEWALK - NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

MUSIC: “CITY LIFE” TRANSITION
JANELLY AND THE TWINS WALK ON THE SIDEWALK.

JANELLY
So after the timestorm gave the artifacts back, you threw them into the bay?

BENI
I mean, the metal came from the land. It belongs to the island.

ALEXA
Yeah, Bruno Mars helped us understand that.

JANELLY
Bruno Mars?

BENI
A stray cat. It showed us the way.

JANELLY
And all of this was after a blackout, calling out a thief, and a hike in the rainforest?

ALEXA
Two hikes.

JANELLY
Wow. I’m tired just hearing about it.

BENI
I think I’m more hungry than tired.

JANELLY
Well, I guess...go eat and sleep. And I’ll see ya around.

ALEXA | BENI
Bye! | Later!

JANELLY STARTS WALKING AWAY.

BENI
Hey, Janelly. Maybe we can play Ancient Americas this weekend?

JANELLY
Sounds good!

THE TWINS START UP THE STOOP TO THEIR HOME.

ALEXA
Hey, Beni, remember when we thought we traveled to another timeline?

BENI
Yeah.

ALEXA
What if the protest and the meowing brown cat were’t in a different timeline?

BENI
There’s only one way that’s possible.

ALEXA
If we were in the future.

BENI
Whoa.

ALEXA
If it’s true, then Josie and Lalo are gonna run a cultural center together someday.

BENI
That’s right.

ALEXA
But we can’t say anything.

BENI
We’re not even sure it was the future. But I can see it happening though.

ALEXA
Yeah. Me, too. You know what’s gonna be weird? Traveling to Puerto Rico by plane next week.

BENI
I know, right? Visiting without having to complete a quest.

ALEXA
(imitating ATABEY) Quest: sit and wait to be transported to Puerto Rico on a winged vehicle.

THE TWINS LAUGH.

BENI
You know you sound nothing like Atabey, right?

ALEXA
I know. Too human.

2018. NEWARK AIRPORT. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

MUSIC: “HOME / AIRPORT” TRANSITION.
THE VENTURAS ARE IN THE PASSENGER WAITING AREA. RUMBLE OF THUNDER.

AIRPORT WORKER
Attention passengers, due to the storm, all flights will be delayed until further notice…

RAMIRO
Which should be in thirty to forty-five minutes.

BENI
You don’t have to update us, Pa.

ALEXA
Definitely not every five minutes.

RAMIRO
I’m used to tracking the weather for flights.

CLARA
But you’re not flying the plane today. You should relax.

RAMIRO
But first I have talk to David about the status of the incoming flight. David!

RAMIRO JUMPS UP FROM HIS CHAIR AND WALKS AWAY.

CLARA
Are you two excited about the trip?

ALEXA | BENI
Yeah. | Of course.

CLARA
You’re finally old enough to have an appreciation of where your father and I were born.

ALEXA | BENI
We do, Ma. | We really do.

CLARA
Our history is complicated.

ALEXA
Especially since it’s really a bunch of histories from three continents all mixed together.

CLARA
And our culture is vibrant and complex.

BENI
Oh yeah. It’s sort of like mashing together art, language, and food from different cultures to make something new.

CLARA
And then there’s the rich and diverse natural resources.

ALEXA
The land.

BENI
Rainforest, desert, mountains, the shore.

ALEXA
And animals.

BENI
Iguacas, iguanas, and, of course, the coquís.

CLARA
Well, okay. You’ve definitely got the basics down.

A RUMBLE OF THUNDER.

CLARA
Wow. That storm is going strong. Bueno, how about some smoothies while we wait?

ALEXA | BENI
Yes, please. | Ooh, yeah.

CLARA
I’ll get the usual.

ALEXA
Okay. We’ll be right where you left us.

A RUMBLE OF THUNDER. CLARA WALKS AWAY. BAROMETER BUZZ.

BENI
Guess the smoothies will have to wait.

RUMBLE OF THUNDER INTO A THUNDERCLAP.

THE TIMESTORM. ANOTHER DIMENSION.

MUSIC: TIMESTORM TRANSITION.
THE TWINS LAUGH AS THEY LAND IN THE TIMESTORM.

HORACIO
Hola, primos.

ALEXA/BENI
Hey, Horacio.

HORACIO
¿Y qué pasó? What’d you do with the arrowhead and medallion?

ALEXA
We gave them back to Puerto Rico.

BENI
The metal came from the land. So we gave it back.

ALEXA
We tossed the guanín into the bay.

HORACIO
You gave it back. On your own terms.

A CHANNEL CHANGE.

ATABEY
You followed your instincts. And you were open to accepting help. Quest: complete.

HORACIO
You’ve come so far since I summoned you into the timestorm. Back then, I wasn’t sure you’d even want to join the mission.

ALEXA
What just happened?

BENI
Where are we?

HORACIO
It worked!

THE TWINS SCREAM.

HORACIO
But you both showed up, ready to travel across centuries to witness parts of our history that rarely get told. I am so proud of all you’ve done.

A CHANNEL CHANGE. THE ARTIFACTS APPEAR AS SHIMMERING HOLOGRAMS.

BENI
Whoa. All the artifacts we retrieved. They look like holograms in the windshield.

ATABEY
Some of the objects might have seemed insignificant, but each one represented something important.

ALEXA
Hey! Hologram words! Let’s see: Create.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

OLLER
Maybe someday I’ll paint el maestro surrounded by his students.

BENI
Advocate.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

CELESTINA
Please show my girls equal respect. They deserve it.

ALEXA
Defend.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

ROMÁN
You have no right to take private property. And you have no right to kick me from the streets on my San Juan.

BENI
Endure.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

LOLA
The broken bow, I can't bear to see it again. Will you throw it on the stove?

ALEXA
Persist.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

MONSI
He didn't remember me at all.

SEÑORA RAMIREZ
Forget the Profesor Reyeses of the world who can't be bothered to acknowledge your efforts. Go with your gut, nena.

BENI
Give.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

ALEXA
Idrissa, please accept this drumstick as a gift.

ALEXA
Celebrate.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

GRIOT
Youssou!

VILLAGERS
Youssou!

A RHYTHM PLAYS THE VILLAGERS DANCE AND SHOUT IN CELEBRATION.

BENI
Communicate.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

AGUEY
Those who live on the island experience the devastation of Juracán and the beauty of Yucahu's creations. I told the whole story!

ALEXA
Lead.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

BIBI
Oh, Aguey. You know that as Bana’s younger brother, the role could fall on you one day and you could wear the guanín medallion as the island’s chief leader.

YAUCO
Cacique Agueybana.

BENI
Witness.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

RICARDO
Or...maybe that’s why they were here—to see a bit of history with their own eyes.

ALEXA
Find.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

COFRESÍ
You know the search is for more than artifacts.

ALEXA/BENI
Remember.

A SOFT WHOOSH INTO A MUSICAL NOTE.

COQUÍS SING.

ELBA
All the hours we've spent with him under those bright flowers. All the stories he's told us.

PITO
When Manolo's old enough, we'll tell him all of bisabuelo’s stories that we remember.

MUSIC: A SWELL OF MUSIC.

ALEXA
Whoa! The words are all around us! Create.

BENI
Advocate.

ALEXA
Defend.

BENI
Persist.

ALEXA
Endure.

BENI
Communicate.

ALEXA
Celebrate.

BENI
Lead.

ALEXA
Give.

ALEXA/BENI
Witness. Find. Remember.

ATABEY
Witness, find, remember. That was only the beginning. There is so much more to do.

HORACIO
Ready for your next quest?

BENI
Ready to go.

ALEXA
Let’s do this.

ALEXA/BENI
Where to?

A FINAL MUSICAL NOTE FADES.

NARRATION
Thank you for taking this journey with us into the timestorm.

MUSIC: THEME SONG "IN THE TIMESTORM" (INSTRUMENTAL).

NARRATION
This episode was written by me, Dania Ramos, series creator, head writer, and producer. The sound design and original music were by Michael Aquino, the series designer, composer, and producer. Additional music by Deivis Garcia, Lara Gonzalez, Aurora Méndez, Gabriel Muñoz, William Ruiz, and Chris White. Script consultant Andrew Siañez-De La O.

The role of Alexa Ventura was played by Leilany Figueroa. Beni Ventura was played by Claudio Venancio. Horacio Mendéz was played by Orlando Segarra. Atabey was played by Alicia Rivas. Janelly was played by Frances Ramos. Datu Ancheta was played by Joel Arandia. Josie was played by Angelica Ubiera. Lalo was played by Kelmi Bermúdez. Kaylee was played by Kate Hernandez. Laura was played by DeAnna Ramos. Yamayra was played by Andréa Agosto. Clara was played by Jennica Carmona. Ramiro was played by Walter Rodriguez. Additional voices included Michael Aquino, Aaron Catano-Saez, Mia Diaz, Moutarou Diallo, Darin F Earl II, Luis Figueroa, Chris Kent, Isabel Pask, Alexis Pérez, Tanya Pérez, Carlos Ponton, Heriberto Ramos, JF Seary, Andrew Siañez-De La O, Cooper Tate, Brissae Valdes, and Liliana Zertuche. 

Please see show notes for a complete list of the cast, creatives, and consultants for all three seasons of Timestorm.

We want to acknowledge the support that you, our listeners, have given us. We’re truly grateful for every message, review, piece of feedback, share-out, performance of our theme song, plush video, and donation we’ve received. Shoutout to our loyal Patreon community including our newest patron SL Bowman. Special thanks to the team at TRAX from PRX, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Google Podcast creator program, and 3Dio Sound.

Timestorm is produced by Cocotazo Media in Essex County, New Jersey, which is situated on the traditional territory of the Leni Lenape people.

As always, thanks for listening.

ATABEY
Witness. Find. Remember.

END OF EPISODE 28: WITNESS FIND REMEMBER…