#Lexington Code

[sageshouldknowbetter]

I love how much Helly’s clothes have to say not just about her outie’s identity, but the origin of her rebellion as a whole.

Like… she breaks the dress code. Constantly. We know from The Lexington Letter that Lumon only allows white, black, navy, gray, and pastels. And what does Helly wear? Bright blues, green, orange, and at one point, even a dress that is unapologetically crayon-yellow.

For most of season one, the audience thinks this symbolizes Helly’s rebellious nature. Of course her outfits break the rules and stand out like a sore thumb in the muted halls of MDR — so does she! Helly is a new wild card spicing up the lives of her coworkers and shaking up the system. She doesn’t care a whit for Lumon and their stupid regulations, and her clothing reflects that.

But remember… Helly R. doesn’t dress herself.

Helena does.

If Helly could choose to break the dress code, she would — but she has no say in what she puts on every morning. It isn’t her who’s doing this. It’s Helena Eagan who wakes up and, every time she gets ready for work, purposefully dresses herself in ways contrary to her own father’s company.

Whatever her reasons, the point is this: the only reason Helly can unashamedly break the dress code is that no one has the guts to tell the CEO’s daughter to follow the rules. That rebellion, that defiant warmth? Only there because of privilege.

And isn’t that the point? Isn’t that so much of what Helly R.’s “moxie” is? Yes, she fights against MDR’s mistreatment and galvanizes the innies to revolution! Which is awesome! But a lot of it’s because when she first woke up on that table, something inside her went, “This isn’t right.

“This isn’t how people are supposed to treat me.”

It is SO deliciously ironic that almost every sliver, every atom of resistance Helly has against Lumon is an inversion from a sense of entitlement that they gave her in the first place. Helly R. goes to work with someone else’s power over her skin. It’s both the flaming crest of her defiance and a constant, quiet reminder that it is only there because she is not like the others. That she is only rebellious because on the outside… she is used to getting her way.

[kirianthedivorce]

Right so the last episode of Severance gave a major hint to what MDR is doing. The files are linked to rooms on the testing floor where multiple severed versions of Gemma are put through suffering to test if Gemma’s “outie” can remember any of it, implying the end goal of severance is to use it to cut out all unpleasantness from life.

Which made me wonder how the Lexington Letter fit into all this, and honestly I think the Lexington letter is the last piece in understanding exactly what MDR is doing.

If you don’t know, the Lexington letter is a short story about a severed woman named Peggy/Peg (innie is Peggy, outie Peg) who worked in MDR at the Topeka lumon branch who was able to communicate with her innie through a made up, pictographical language she invented as a child which was not picked up by the code detectors. It’s short and free, so I recommend giving it a read.

The main thing though, is that Peggy sends a letter mentioning how she finished her file (named Lexington) that afternoon. She notes it was a particularly difficult file (peg also noticed the stress), and her bosses were very happy she completed it, giving her extra rewards. She also notes the time she completed it, 2:30pm.

At 2:32pm that day, a truck belonging to Lumons biggest competitor blew up in New York, resulting in six deaths, two of which burned alive in the truck, and the destruction of several prototypes belonging to the competitor. Peg strongly suspects the two are linked, and the story ends with her being killed for trying to share it with a journalist (who’s boss is named Jim Milchick, as a fun fact), which seems to confirm it.

A bomb going off in New York is not a room in the lumon basement. If what the MDR departments are doing is to do with the rooms in the testing floor AND the bomb going off, then what they’re doing can’t be making the simulations that people like Gemma are going through. But it also must have something to do with them.

They’re building the severance barriers. They are identifying the emotions and instincts that would be present in a given situation, and sorting them so that those emotions do not carry over across severance.

Allentown was done quickly because Mark knew Gemma, sure. But also because Allentown is writing a bunch of Christmas thank you notes, it’s tedium, not danger.

Lexington was not for a room on the testing floor, it was for a real life situation. And that real life situation was setting off a bomb. They had a severed employee there, and created a severed identity to do this task and die in the process. The instinct not to do that would be a difficult one to overcome, and that’s why the Lexington file was so difficult. It was also a real life situation lumon was dealing with and needed to be dealt with urgently, which is why Peggy’s bosses were so happy it was finished on time.

So what they’re doing is identifying the strong emotions a certain situation would evoke and making sure they don’t cross over between severed identities, to ensure that those severed identities do what they’re there to do, and that the original identity (if they survive) is unaffected by it.

[sapphiresaphics]

I recently made a post about Severance that speculated about what Lumon is doing, based on all the evidence we’ve been given so far. And in my theory crafting I posited that the severance procedure is being marketed to the general public as a convenient way for you to bypass unpleasant situations, but in actuality what Lumon is hoping for is to create millions of sleeper agents for their corporate interests. I mean, the OTC proves that you can wake innies up whenever and that the separation isn’t exclusive to the Lumon building. And the shit they’re doing to Gemma indicates that you can have more than one innie.

So imagine my surprise when I found out Ben Stiller published a short story that acts as a companion piece to Severance, and in this short story that theory I came up with is basically confirmed!

The short story follow a different branch of Lumon where a woman working at MDR manages to make contact with her innie through a coded language she had developed as a child and which isn’t detectable by the code detectors. By passing notes between her innie and outtie she learns that when certain MDR files are completed they often correspond to tragic events on the outside. A rival companies proprietary software mysteriously fire bombed hours after a MDR file with a similar name was completed for example. Scared about what this could mean she tries to raise awareness about it, and promptly her innie gets punished by Lumon, and then shortly afterwards the protagonist herself mysteriously dies in a car accident.

This short story heavily implies that whatever the files are that MDR are refining have real world consequences. It implies that severed people might be planted all over the world and Lumon can activate them whenever to perform a certain task (plant a bomb, smuggle information, dispose of a threat, etc) and the outtie would be none the wiser. And if they’re doing that already, imagine how much power and control they’d have if the general population were to buy in to getting the severance procedure.

The short story is called The Lexington Letter by the way, in case anyone is curious.

[enjoyerofmitski]

the “dorner truck explosion” mentioned in The Lexington Letter (a companion short story for Severance) is also mentioned in The You You Are.

in The Lexington Letter, peg kincaid details her experience as a severed employee. peg and her innie, peggy k, begin to communicate using a made up language from peg’s youth. peggy k initiates the contact explaining that the language has been in her head for weeks. since the language is made of symbols rather than letters, the code detectors are seemingly unable to detect the notes. she eventually explains her decision to leave the company after connecting the dorner therapeutics truck explosion with her innie’s completion of the lexington file.

peg explains this weird connection to her innie, and their communication goes dark for some time. peggy k ends up telling peg to leave lumon after many shifts in the break room. with this final note, peg is given a microdata refinement orientation booklet.

in The You You Are, the dorner truck explosion is mentioned again.

this has got me wondering if we will be seeing a mention of this in the show itself, or if we may see a connection between microdata refinement and some type of corporate espionage?

[aworldofpattern]

Zendaya at the Met Gala 2024, wearing custom Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano, and hat by Stephen Jones.

The fruit, flowers, insects and birds on the gown fit the dress code of the night, 'The Garden of Time', inspired by J.G. Ballard's 1962 short story (explained here by the BBC).

The gown also references John Galliano’s Spring 1999 couture collection for Dior, in particular the gown below, decorated with grapes.

Maison Margiela said:

'A sage lamé bias-cut ‘siren dress’ overlaid with iridescent electric blue organza with ‘retrograding’ in undulating bands of hand-painted metallic crin, swathed in an aluminium material and iridescent organza drape and bow, with a corsage hand-embroidered in a bacchanal of hand-painted impasto in the grammar of the electric blues and emerald greens of scarab amulets, with formations of birds, flowers, vines, grapes and nuts, worn over a boudoir-coloured duchess satin corset. A silver metal-wire ‘reverse swatching’ hat and a black hand-painted voile crafted in the memory of plume and enveloped in matching coloured stockings by Stephen Jones for Maison Margiela, and Eau de Nil velour and faux lizard Tabi interlaced ankle-strap pumps by Christian Louboutin for Maison Margiela.

Created for Zendaya by John Galliano for Maison Margiela, the haute couture silhouette was inspired by the 1930s mythological works of the photographer Madame Yevonde and imbued with the memory of the orgiastic sceneries of the bacchanals of Ancient Greece. In a dance between painterly cutting and draping techniques – unique to each layer of the construction – and the superposition of fabric textures such as tin foil with transparent iridescent organza overlay, the composition conjures the staccato brushstrokes of Giovanni Boldini. The bias-cut ‘siren dress’ is a key expression in the creative practice of John Galliano, which first appeared at Maison Margiela in the Spring-Summer 2020 Artisanal Collection. Infused with a certain ‘snobisme’, the look is given the epithet of ‘86 and Lexington’, a nod to the subway station near The Met.

The dress was crafted with ‘retrograding’, a technique through which variations of thread-work, appliqué or encrustation degrade from the bottom to the top of a garment like the linear base drawing of a painting that hasn’t yet been finished. The ‘reverse swatching’ technique employed in the hat exchanges the fabrics traditionally used for certain parts of dressmaking with materials of a contrasting value.' X

[ohwhatagloomyshow]

Ah ha! I posted about the fire exit the other day and, if the Lexington Letter & its introductory handbook are to be trusted as canon, there still are code detectors at the fire exit (until I reread s1 transcripts and find hard proof that there weren’t, lol). Why do they lock those doors! They shouldn’t have to!

[sourgrenadine]

thinking about like, severance and childhood

these people have no life experiences, no context for the world around them besides what theyre told by authority. before questioning everything, theyre incentivized by trinkets and rewards, and avoidance of punishment, but as they grow and learn about more abstract ideas and motivations, these no longer keep them in line.

they have experiences like children might. first kisses, diets controlled by their superiors, making "pillow" forts out of plastic sheets and office desks, field trips to the outdoors.

if youve read the lexington letter, peg even states that lumon told her that innies are child-like, and she views her innie almost like a child version of herself. she communicates via a code language that she and her sister came up with when they were children.

idk its just really interesting to me. i know the main thing of the show is corporate hell, but i cant help but compare it to like, elementary-middle-high school and the development of children as they grow more independent and gain more awareness of everything.

maybe its because ive never actually worked an office job who knows.

[riceandcurry3]

Severance spoilers

According to the Lexington letter, we see that finishing the MDR files have outside effect. Such as the car accident of Lumons rival company.

We also see cold harbour is connected to Gemma, and only mark can work on it.

What if the reason they are separating the numbers based on fear and how bad it feels is cause they are trying to clone a version of gemma

And mark is the only one that able to do it cause he was the closest to her. He can feel the good things about her and maybe the bad code they got from her dead body.

This would give Lumon incentive to keep people in, the more people they get, the more people they are connected to, the more people they can clone or affect.

[whoreiorcats]

Ok well Mark S is definitely rearranging Gemma’s brain cells or whatever, I’m not sure if that’s what every macrodat is doing?

I have a few thoughts here; first, I truly think whatever it is the macrodats do, it’s essential to the operation of Lumon. Every Severed location seems to have an MDR department, it’s not just at the Kier location. Also, Cobel and Milchick are genuinely also concerned with the performance of MDR. We can see this when it’s not clear if Helly will meet quota for the quarter. Meeting quota, files expiring, all of that is not incidental or arbitrary, there is pressure from above Cobel to get that shit done. It actively helps Lumon.

Second, they’re definitely not all doing the same thing. PLEASE read the Lexington Letter, it’s a fun read and gives really interesting insight into the world and I’m about to spoil it.

So Peg Kincaid (the narrator) is a refiner at her location who ends up being able to send coded messages to her innie and they correspond for weeks. Peggy K finishes a file at 2:30 and at 2:32 a truck belonging to a Lumon competitor explodes in New York, killing 6 people. Peg makes this connection and tells Peggy K to stop refining, in turn Peggy K is sent to the Break Room for like a week (at one point Peg comes to with wet hair! Hmmm pineapple bobbing…) and tells Peg that she’s probably right. Peg later flees her town, feeling as though she’s being constantly watched and followed. Soon thereafter she dies “due to complications after a car accident”.

So I’m gonna say that Peg Kincaid was correct that her macrodata file was tied to the explosion of the truck. I can’t see how what she was doing could have resembled what we assume Mark S is doing. It’s definitely possible that everyone at the show’s location is doing the same thing (cleaning up cadaver brains on the testing floor) but it seems unlikely that that was what was happening at Peggy K’s location.

Every location could serve a different corporate purpose, who knows. Helly, Dylan, Irving, and Mark could be doing four completely separate things (I doubt it but it seems possible atp).

UGH I don’t even have a conclusion, I just think the answer won’t be as simple as they’re rewiring people or reconstructing personalities onto chips or whatever. People have been saying that but it’s not like Ms Casey acts anything like Gemma did? (Or close enough to satisfy someone seeking to bring back a dead loved one or long dead CEO) So I don’t know if it’s all resurrecting people from the dead like I’ve seen proposed.

[theamateurreviewer]

Review: Star Trek: The Original Series Season Two

Rating: 9/10

Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! So many different Star Trek classics in this season, and it was truly the peak of the show. The cast pairings became solidified, and the synergy was at an all-time high. When I think classic Kirk-Bones-Spock moments, I think Season Two.

What follows are spoilers for a handful of great (and one or two bad) episodes of the season. Logically, I would avoid these spoilers until watching the episodes, but humans are rarely logical creatures, Captain.

Hands down, my two favorite episodes of Season Two (and even in the top 5 for the entire show) are The Doomsday Machine and The Ultimate Computer, both for similar reasons.

Strengths:

While The Doomsday Machine (S2E6) is a fairly standard retelling of a classic story in a new and interesting setting, this one being Moby Dick, the impact of the story is not lessened by this knowledge. The story begins as the Enterprise discovers the wreck of the USS Constellation, NCC-1017, and Captain Decker as her only survivor. It was destroyed by the Planet Crusher, an enormous Bugle chip that can destroy entire planets in a single pass. Decker's crew beamed down to a planet in order to escape the crippled ship, but were instead killed by that weapon. The acting, while hammy, is never disingenuous, and the madness in Decker wanting at all costs to destroy the Planet Crusher, even at the risk of loosing the Enterprise, is palpable and downright big screen worthy. Kirk uses the barely space-worthy Constellation as a makeshift weapon, arming the impulse reactors as a makeshift nuclear weapon. The climactic destruction of the Constellation, the last second escape of Kirk, and the message that 'this was the only time when nuclear weapons have been used to save,' was nothing if not timely, given the original air date in autumn of '67.

And, of course, The Ultimate Computer (S2E24) is no different in quality. The Enterprise was selected to test the M-5 Computer as a replacement for human operators aboard a starship. Of course, Kirk and the gang, with the exception of Spock, are dubious in their belief that the M-5 can replace them. Dr. Daystrom (played by the excellent William Marshall, an African-American playing a doctor in 1967) assures them that the computer is completely safe, and will ensure future crews won't perish to the unlimited dangers of space. The computer, however, begins to take full control of the ship, not listening to override codes or commands. All of this as she is to participate in a non-lethal wargame with four other Constitution-class ships, the Lexington, Excalibur, Potemkin, and Hood. En route, the M-5 destroys an unmanned freighter, hinting at the carnage to come if they cannot disable the computer. Without being able to warn the fleet, or stop it from operating, the Enterprise opens fire with full-powered phasers, killing 53 aboard the Lexington and all aboard the Excalibur. The palpable horror, even with the original cheesy special effects, is not diminished, as we watch the Chekhov, Sulu, Uhura, and the rest of the gang as they destroy an entire vessel. Kirk flies off the handle, and, after Spock neutralizes Dr. Daystrom, he convinces the M-5 that it violated its programming, the preservation of life, and that it needed to be punished. Absolutely A+ acting.

Of course, any discussion of Season Two would be incomplete if it failed to mention either The Trouble with Tribbles or Mirror, Mirror. The first of these is perhaps the most famous of all episodes, due just to how silly but endearing it is. Truly an episode where it's not trying to make an important point or be profound, but one of the greatest episodes of the original show. Mirror, Mirror (S2E4) has been so important that it has been referenced or outright continued in nearly every subsequent production of the Star Trek universe. Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, Discovery, and Prodigy all explicitly mention or visit the Mirror universe, and the concept of our heroes acting in exactly the opposite way as they normally do, and becoming the worst version of themselves, is such an interesting and thought-provoking story. Of course, while most of our heroes are evil in the Mirror universe, nothing can stop Miles Edward O'Brien from being just the greatest man.

There are plenty of other banger episodes, like Journey to Babel (our first look at other Federation member races like the Andorians and the Tellarites), Obsession, A Piece of the Action, Immunity Syndrome, Private Little War, and Patterns of Force. Just watch it already!

Weaknesses:

Season Two has less in the way of weak episodes than Season One, that's for certain, but there is one absolute garbage episode, truly keeping Season Two from a 10/10 for me. It's The Omega Glory. The episode starts of normal and intriguing. The Enterprise discovers the Exeter in orbit of a planet, completely abandoned. Upon boarding the ship, we discover that the crew have been reduced to salt crystals for an unknown reason. Alright, we've got our hook! It's good, even. They beam to the planet to find a very 19th century humanoid culture, known as the Kohms. They have the appearance of Asians, a key part of this story. The former captain of the Exeter is here, and in control of these Kohms. According to him, they have secured the fountain of youth, and that leaving this planet will reduce the away team to the crystalline residue left aboard the Exeter.

Okay, to me we're starting to loose the plot, but I'll let it cook.

The Captain of the Exeter warns that the Kohms are under attack by a group of savage barbarians known as the Yangs. These savages are white, with blond hair. To me, this was an interesting reversal of the traditional Civilized and Savage stereotypes. Having the white men and women reduced to this stereotype usually reserved for non-whites was thought provoking. However, it soon lost any respect I had for it.

Shortly after, we learn that the Yangs were forcibly removed from their birthright lands long ago. Kirk learns that Kohms and Yangs are corruptions of Communists and Yankees (a very stupid plot point, I may add), postulating that this is Earth if it took a very different course of history. And, the cherry on the cringe cake was the Yang reverently appearing with an American flag, and bearing the Constitution. The cheesy studio orchestra rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner nearly made me click the episode off in second-hand embarrassment. Nothing, not even Spock's Brain is worse than The Omega Glory.

In summation, Season Two of TOS is perhaps the best Trek there is with the original crew, with perhaps the exception of a couple of the films. If you haven't seen it, there's so much more that I haven't spoiled that will make it worth while.

[nationsandcannons]

In honor of the 250th anniversary of Lexington & Concord, the shots that started it all, our sale is live now through April 26. Use code AMERICA250, at checkout, for 10% off all items. Time to gear up for revolution.

[jcs-study]

I speak to you this evening, JCS fans, on behalf of the Manhattan-based Utopia Opera, Ltd. I call 'em "the little light opera company that could."

Well, they're taking their first bite at a big-boy rock opera, and they chose my favorite. More than that, they engaged me as a creative consultant to help massage the production to its fullest potential. (I also wound up doing program design and layout to go for that classic Brown Album look, go me!)

To quote Stefon from Saturday Night Live, "This... has... everything!"

Prominent female(-presenting) performers as male leads! Jesus, Judas (two of them, one for a night the other has off), Caiaphas and Annas (at least one night each), Pilate (two of them, one for each weekend), two miscellaneous priests... the fun never stops!

Incredibly talented singers with impressive ranges!

A full complement of musicians! Indeed, possibly the biggest orchestra to take this on in the Big Apple since the show debuted at the Mark Hellinger over 50 years ago.

Accessibility! Every performance will be equipped with projected English surtitles!

Cheap admission! The tickets are the tightest in town, especially for New York New York, and if that's not enough...

A queer-friendly discount! March 15 is "Queer Community Night," meaning at the link above, enter the code QUEERJESUS to get discounted tickets that almost literally cut the price in half for that evening's performance.

And now for the details:

Where?

Ida K. Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College, south side of East 69th Street between Park and Lexington, New York City.

When?

The weekends of March 14-16 and March 21-23, exact times at the BrownPaperTickets link above. (If you might just buy in person, instructions are in the event description at the link as well.)

What if I can't go?

Well, you can still reward their pluck! If you can't make it physically, there's also an option at the ticket link to donate to support this fine crew in all their endeavors.

Don't let me down, people -- check it out!

[melmac78]

OK… read this prompt by @call-me-casual and decided to give John a break for a bit before the USS Lexington story continued.

Hope you enjoy.

••••••••

Scott groaned as he came to his senses.

He wasn't sure where he was or what was going on...

"Wasn't I on a mission?" he thought groggily.

As he became more conscious, he realized that it wasn't the sound of birds and gentle ocean waves at home.

It was the roar of Thunderbird One.

That woke him up... but at the same time... he felt like he couldn't move.

There was a bitter licorice aftertaste to his mouth, his head felt like cotton.

It was only the faint memory of this occurring before in Thunderbird Four that he realized what happened.

He had been drugged... by the ship using its Omicron protocol.

Scott opened his eyes, head still bowed though.

A light was flashing on the console… in Morse code his still fuzzy mind recognized.

"TB1 - taken - over - by - AI - STOP - Put - on - helmet - STOP - Will - explain - in - helmet."

Well, if that wasn't an alert, Scott mused.

He then heard a voice, not unlike John's permeate his ears.

"Alert - enemy is conscious. Omicron protocol activated."

That wasn’t calm assurance, and something said “do it this time.”

Scott didn't hesitate at that internal order - especially as a hiss shortly followed.

He held his breath and grabbed the emergency air mask underneath his seat.

Putting it on, he quickly unbuckled and went for his helmet.

Thunderbird One didn't like that, and tried to shake him.

Scott crashed into multiple walls, including the one with an intake that looked like a lemon squeezer. "Definitely a squeeze," he mused internally as he picked up his helmet.

Putting it on, he turned on the radio to a frequency even EOS didn't know how to reach - herself at least. "Thunderbird One to anyone." He said in a not quite calm tone as he worked to get back to his chair.

Sitting in it, and buckling tight, he looked at the controls. "That can't be right," he said looking at the coordinates.

He last remembered being in Crook County, Wyoming finishing up aiding a trapped hiker rescue at the top of a fiery Devil's Tower.

Readouts said he was flying over Almaty, Kazakhstan.

A tenor voice pestered his voice. "Scott... Scott do you read?" said John.

The eldest narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you're John?" he said.

There was a sigh - probably with rolled eyes, as the middle brother spoke. "Tuesday Alan and Gordon decided to send me up a burger that was nothing but pickles in my from home gift... along with two dozen of Grandma's Sweet Onion cookies - that I said were good because she managed to keep them soft," he said.

Scott paused, then nodded. "You're ... you,” he said relieved, “A moment ago you tried to render me unconscious.”

A uncommonly heard cat like growl from John filtered his ears. "I didn't - it was One," he said and continued after Scott's puzzled grunt. "You were on your way home from the rescue when EOS reported you lost consciousness. I did a scan and found Omicron had been administered."

"Wouldn't that mean she goes back to GDF or home?" he said, remembering the protocol. "I just passed Almaty."

"For the fourth time,”John said and heard Scott's grunt of confusion. “You were unconscious for about an hour.”

“An hour?”

“The AI kept using the protocol if you started coming around. It just didn’t catch it now - thankfully.”

Scott groaned, knowing he’d have a headache eventually. “WHY is it doing that though?”

The space brother then coughed, which Scott knew he'd not like hearing this. "The AI Brains created for One thinks you are the hiker who kicked her... snuck aboard TB1, and sedated - maybe harmed or worse - ‘Scott’ after a fight.”

"That explains Omicron," said Scott, who did a double take. "Wait... it was the reverse - I sedated him after he tried punching me. He went with the authorities…”

“… I know. The facial ID glitched and - as the hiker has a similar look to you, it got confused.”

There was a shudder by One as two thumps sounded from the front. "What was that Five?”

John didn’t miss the - fair enough - panic in the tone, "Thunderbirds Three and Two just lassoed One. We're trying to get her to slow down before she runs out of fuel,” he said.

"Right..." Scott tried to play it cool. but was indeed panicked.

Based on fuel load, One could circle the globe 6 times, so they had two rotations to stop her before...

Then a baritone voice, similar to Virgil's dwarfed the conversation in the helmet.

“Please do not be alarmed. You have 30 minutes of air left in Scott's air tank before you will crash and die," it said. "It would be easier on you if you were unconscious for it. A mercy given you hurt Scott.”

The real Virgil's voice however filtered in Scott's helmet. "Hey, I'd *never* tell someone to deal with that skunky stuff," he said, much to Scott's mild amusement.

The engineering brother continued. "John and EOS are trying to get the AI to listen to us, and Brains is working on a failsafe code to fix the face scanner,” he said. “Alan and I have securely lassoed One just in case she tries to crash herself."

"As if I didn't need anything else," muttered Scott, facepalming over the mask. "What can I do?"

"Sit as calm as you can - I know... I know ... too difficult, but try," said Virgil. "If you can, talk to it. It seems to like to be our voices."

"FAB," said Scott and leaned back. "So... why are you doing this?"

"I must protect Scott," “Virgil” said.

"By rendering Scott unconscious?" said the pilot. When it chirped in confusion, he continued. "Check my face again - I'm Scott."

"No. You are the hiker who harmed him," the voice, now sounding like Alan said.

"No - again I’m Scott..." he said, deciding the next thing he did would be worth the ironic lecture from John.

“I'm going to take off my helmet and hold my breath... Please use the scanner again - twice if necessary - to see that it's me,” he said, ignoring the others’ protests.

The man took a deep breath and pulled his helmet off. The AI scanned him, and based on how much his lungs were begging him to take a breath of anesthetic gas and oxygen, twice.

Fortunately, the AI recognized it was Scott.

"You're Scott," it said in Virgil's voice as Scott quickly put the helmet back on, gasping for air. “Where is the person who sedated you?"

"The hiker who kicked you in spite is with the authorities - not here," said Scott said, trying to placate the AI.

"But it still tried to kill you and me... it hit sensitive components," "John" responded. "It's since escaped and had two ships try to bind me. I will destroy them if they do not let go."

Scott winced as the AI spun One, which would affect Two more than Three.

When it stopped, Scott contacted the other two 'Birds. Alan said he was all right as his cockpit was designed to take spins, while Virgil admitted he was a little dizzy but he and TB2 were unharmed.

Scott then looked around his ship, hoping it wasn't going to be a tomb. "Listen, they’re not with the creep. These two are trying to bind you because they want to protect me too," he said.

"Protect you?" said AI, now choosing to be in Gordon's voice. "I protect you."

"Yes, like you do... and I do you every rescue," he said, then took a deep breath. "But those two ships? They're Thunderbirds Two and Three. They're trying to slow us down because you're doing loops around earth. If you keep doing it, you'll run out of fuel and crash."

The AI hummed a bit in John's vocals and commented. "But - won't people such as the hiker go and hurt you again?" it said.

Scott pursed his lips, thinking how to respond. He didn't want to give the honest answer, as he was afraid she'd just crash One into a city, causing countless deaths in injuries.

But he couldn't lie either.

So he chose the straightforward route. "One - I can't say they will or won't. You know we're in a rescue business. There's always the chance there will be a distraught person or criminal who will attack me for many reasons," he said.

“And me?”

“Yes, you too because you’re a very special ship,” he said, then sighed. "The point is - I know that when I go on rescues, when my brothers go on rescues, you - Two, Three, Four and Five - do your absolute best to protect us."

He just read the coordinates for Almaty again... he hoped this last part would hit home.

"Just - please - Brains is working on a way to help you better discern an annoyed rescuee versus someone who really wants to harm or kill us, such as the Hood," he said, and heard Gordon's ironic grumble in response as it pondered.

Scott continued pleading. "Just please protect me, Alan, Virgil and countless others by slowing down before we all get hurt?"

There was a pause - making Scott feel as though he was probably going to have to decide if he just accepted being drugged again so he felt nothing - including guilt - when One elected to crash.

Instead... he felt the ship slow down, and a chirp from the AI.

"Understood. I am letting Two and Three assist me back to the Island," said "John's" voice as the real John and other brothers cheered in relief in Scott's helmet. "Omicron protocol disengaged."

Scott however smiled as he felt the craft turn around. "Thank you One. Can you tell me when the gas will disperse," he said.

"In about 20 minutes, but you will be home before then," said "John." "Recommend you wear the helmet until you arrive, and any family who may come near the ship to wear gas masks.

Scott nodded and leaned back, knowing that his brothers would safely fly his 'Bird - and him - home safely.

Besides - he needed a bit of a snooze.

Then the AI chirped. "Um... Scott, one question."

"Name it."

"Can I change my voice to something other than your brothers?" it said. "I do not like any of them."

The pilot chuckled. "You can try any voice you want - for as long as you want," he said, yawning slightly from the last vestiges of the gas. "As long as you remember my voice and double check to make sure I'm all right first before enacting protocols again."

"FAB - rest easy - my colleagues and I will get you home safely - as always."

[the-dirt-eater]

BROOOOO how many of you severance enjoyers have read the lexington letter. i highly recommend it here’s a link https://severance.wiki/_media/the_lexington_letter.pdf

it’s a canon letter written by the writer of the show.

warning for spoilers beyond here

we learn sm about the code detector and its evolution, we see the whole handbook which is sooo weird and infantilizing.

we maybe learn what the files do when MDR finishes them?? or at least what they maybe can do. in this letter the file is called Lexington, which like Cold Harbor is the name of an important historical battle. i wonder what the significance of that is.

it also gets into what counts as a skill that the innies can access, which answered some questions i had.

andddd it gave me more questions, especially about how the files work (some are harder than others, and those files garner the attention of bosses and bosses bosses upon completion) AND THE EDITORS LAST NAME????

anyway. definitely read if you’re interested in the world of severance it’s well done and fills in some gaps

[fitzcrald]

starter for: staff at lexington @scrubshqstarters location: lexington university hospital break room

The shift has been quiet—eerily so. The kind of quiet that makes seasoned doctors tense, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Emma’s curled up in one of the break room chairs, legs tucked under her scrubs, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee like it’s the only thing anchoring her to the earth.

When she sees one of her coworkers open their mouth, she doesn’t even let them get a word out.

“No,” she says flatly, eyes narrowing over the rim of her mug. “Don’t say it. Don’t you dare jinx us.”

She takes a long sip, then adds, deadpan, “Last time someone said the ‘q’ word, we had three codes in a row and a guy tried to remove his own appendix in the lobby. So. Try silence instead. It’s underrated.”

[nandangel]

 Chapter 4 - Warnings From an Enemy

1633 words | mainlist

The dry click of the keyboard echoes in the silent office as Yoongi reads the email. His brows knit into a hard line as his eyes meticulously scan each word. John, the man handling Lexington's dirty operations, is apparently involved with the Yakuza. The betrayal cuts deep, but the fury burning within him is even more intense.

Yoongi wastes no time. He doesn't inform Lauren or ask for clarifications. After all, she probably doesn't know shit. But that doesn't matter right now. He's too pissed to deal with her at the moment.

[...]

Back at the hotel where he and his allies are staying, Yoongi calls for an urgent meeting. The atmosphere in the room is heavy, and everyone is tense, sensing the seriousness of the situation.

— John is involved. — Yoongi states, his voice low and controlled. But his eyes? Burning. — He diverted money and shipments to the Yakuza. This is more than betrayal. It's a fucking declaration of war.

Namjoon, the calm strategist, asks:

— And Lauren? Is she involved?

— Doesn't seem like it. — Yoongi replies with a curt nod. — But until we're sure, no one is above suspicion.

The group murmurs in agreement. He finishes with a warning:

— Be careful. Anyone could be the next traitor.

At the end of the meeting, Yoongi issues another order.

— I want Lauren Lexington's number. We need to talk.

[...]

Lauren, on the other hand, is restless in her office. She noticed Yoongi's absence upon her return and can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. The memory of the email she asked him to check makes her shiver. Although it seemed like a routine notice, Lauren knows mafia messages are often cryptic, with codes only the right recipients can decipher.

She tries to focus on work, but her thoughts keep returning to Yoongi. He's an intense presence, someone she shouldn't want near, but somehow stirs deep and conflicting feelings within her.

Later, Lauren tries to call Mark again. As always, the call goes to voicemail. She huffs, frustrated. They've known each other forever; Mark was her first boyfriend and, in a way, she thought he'd be her last. But he's always been complicated, toxic, and his promises to change never materialized. His cocaine addiction and constant absences weigh heavily on her.

When she finally decides to return to work, the phone rings. She answers quickly, expecting to hear Mark.

— Mark? — her voice is almost hopeful.

— Not exactly. — Yoongi responds, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Lauren straightens her posture, her face flushing with anger and embarrassment.

— What do you want?

Yoongi chuckles. She can hear it, the low and rough sound making her shiver.

— We need to talk about John.

She explains John's history with her father and how he took over the company's "dirty tasks" after her father's death. Yoongi, for a moment, hesitates to reveal the betrayal, something that even surprises himself. In the end, he merely says he needs to investigate something related to John's operations.

— And Mark? Who is he?

Lauren takes a deep breath and answers:

— He's John's only son. And before you ask, yes, he works here too.

— Doing what?

— John had him handle deals because he's always been good at convincing people.

— Do you and he have a relationship?

Lauren hesitated to respond because, honestly, she didn't know if she and Mark were anything at this point.

— Yes, but it's complicated.

Yoongi takes his time to respond, but before hanging up, he warns:

— Save my number. And stay alert, Lauren. Enemies are awake and hungry.

She tries to ignore the weight of his words, but she feels the gravity of his warning.

[...]

Later, when Lauren arrives at her apartment, it's already past seven in the evening. The night air carries a light breeze, but the sense that something is wrong lingers even before she reaches the door. As she inserts the key into the lock, she notices no resistance—the door is unlocked.

Her heart races. Yoongi's words echo in her mind like an alarm: "Stay alert, Lauren. Enemies are awake and hungry."

She takes a deep breath, trying to suppress the panic threatening to overwhelm her. With trembling hands, she reaches into her bag and grabs her pepper spray. An impulse makes her peek through the small gap as she opens the door slowly, but she sees nothing beyond the darkness of the hallway.

As she pushes the door open, a metallic smell invades her nostrils. Her stomach churns, and the sight before her momentarily halts her world. The floor is stained red. Blood.

Lauren holds her breath and follows the trail with her eyes, each step echoing in the funeral silence. The trail leads her to the corner of the living room, where she sees Snow, her angora cat, lying on the floor, her white fur tinged with red. The small creature is injured, emitting a faint, irregular sound.

— Oh, my God! No... no... — Lauren's voice falters, and she collapses to her knees beside Snow, tears streaming down her face. With trembling hands, she touches the cat's fur, feeling the fragile warmth still lingering in her body.

Lauren quickly runs to her bedroom for something to help. Upon opening the door, another shock hits her: Autumn, her other cat, is hiding in the wardrobe, his eyes wide with fear. He's unharmed, but his behavior reveals the terror he witnessed.

— It's okay, baby. Mommy's here. — Lauren whispers, picking up Autumn in her arms.

Back in the living room, Lauren improvises with a cloth to stop Snow's bleeding. Her body trembles as she tries to stay calm. Every second feels like an eternity, but she knows she can't waste time.

Carrying both cats carefully, Lauren rushes to the car, her heart pounding erratically. The silence of the night now feels oppressive, and she can't help but look back at every step, fearing someone might be watching her.

Inside the car, as she drives toward the nearest vet, Lauren can't shake the question hammering in her mind: Who did this? And why?

[...]

While waiting in the reception area, the seconds drag on, each tick of the clock on the wall a cruel reminder of her helplessness. Autumn, nestled in her arms, meows softly, as if sensing the anguish consuming Lauren. She runs her fingers through his soft fur, seeking comfort in the animal's warmth, but the tension in her chest is suffocating.

The scene of Snow, bloodied on the floor, replays in her mind with brutal clarity. The question echoes repeatedly: Who could do something so cruel? Guilt and fear intertwine, forming a knot in her throat. Lauren squeezes her eyes shut to hold back tears, but they insist on falling.

It's then that she notices something on Autumn's collar. A protrusion that shouldn't be there. With trembling fingers, she pulls out the object attached. A piece of paper, folded with disturbing precision. She unfolds it slowly, as if afraid the words might jump out and attack her.

"Traitor. What's coming will be much worse."

The words scream from the paper, raw and threatening. The air seems sucked out of the room, and her heart races so fast it makes her feel nauseous. Who wrote this? How did they know where to find her? The feeling of being watched makes her look around quickly, but the reception area is empty except for a distracted attendant.

Without thinking, Lauren grabs her phone. Her fingers hesitate for just a moment before dialing Yoongi's number. The call is answered on the third ring, his deep, gravelly voice an anchor amidst the chaos.

— What happened? — he asks, direct, as if already sensing the weight in her breathing.

— I... need protection. — Lauren says, surprising even herself. The words escape before she can pull them back. The pride she had so carefully built over the years feels irrelevant now. She feels like she's being dragged into something bigger and more dangerous than she ever imagined.

Yoongi remains silent for a moment, but when he speaks, his voice carries a cutting firmness:

— What happened, Lauren?

Lauren tries to respond, but the words catch in her throat. The knot she felt earlier now seems impossible to untangle, and before she realizes it, tears begin to fall uncontrollably.

— They hurt my cat... — she says between sobs, the words coming out broken. — And... and left a note.

— What note? — Yoongi presses, but his tone remains calm, as if knowing that pushing her would only make things worse.

She takes a deep breath, trying to contain the crying, but her voice still trembles.

— They called me a traitor and said what's coming will be worse.

On the other end of the line, Yoongi remains silent for a few seconds, but she knows he's processing every detail with ruthless precision. When he speaks again, his voice is lower, laden with an authority that sends a shiver down her spine.

— Listen, Lauren. Send me your location now. I'll send some of my men immediately.

— What? You don't have to... — she starts to say, but he cuts her off firmly. 

— It's not optional, damn it! Do it now!

The command in his voice makes her stop. For a moment, Lauren feels a mix of relief and panic. She hesitates but quickly realizes he's right. Trembling, she opens the app on her phone and sends her location.

— Done... sent it.

She hangs up, her hands still trembling, holding Autumn against her chest as if he were her only anchor in this sea of chaos. Even with Yoongi's promise, Lauren knows she's far from safe. The fear and adrenaline don't subside, but amidst it all, she feels something unexpected: a strange sense of trust.

As dangerous as Yoongi might be, at this moment, he seemed like the only person capable of keeping her alive.