hatchbacks on fire: GUEST POST BY HEIDI JAMES, THE HEALING, PART 3/4

The Healing

A Dramatic Series for the imagination

Written by

Heidi James

Overview

AKA Spoilers (for those who prefer not to read on)

Happy couple Mika and Nico have decided to have a baby. Except, an adherent of the Adamites, working at the clinic has used contraband sperm instead of Nico’s DNA and implanted a male embryo. Once the pregnancy is established and a scan confirms the foetus is male, the Adamites kidnap Mika from the clinic and take her to their HQ where she is kept along with other pregnant women (some willing, some not) where the Adamites will try and re-educate them in the necessity of the Boy Child programme. Mika, at first horrified at being a mother of a male, tries to escape. She is captured and kept in a more secure unit with other women who are resisting the Adamites. When she finally escapes with the help of Mattie she returns to Nico who takes her to the clinic to abort. By this time, Mika has bonded with the baby and goes on the run again… belonging to neither side. Meanwhile, the Adamites have revealed their aims to the public and the Council has to act.

Episode Synopses

101 Mother Tongue

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF WOMEN

Opens with Mika and Nico out drinking with friends including Jules. They announce their decision to get pregnant. We notice, slowly, as the episode develops, that this world is all women. Women unharassed, laughing, walking home safe.
The Council meet, to discuss processing unones, Diana states that any unones who wish to stop taking their hormones to re-male are endangering society. Vera argues with her, suggests allowing the unones (who are all over sixty) to transition would be good for society and reminds the council that a core principle of the new regime is that the individual has absolute autonomy over their body. Council votes to allow unones who wish to transition to do so in a secure clinic. Vera is on record agreeing to this.
At work, Mika, gives a lecture to young girls at the museum; she is funny, erudite, inspiring; we learn this is not a lesbian community in our contemporary world, but something else, no men… at all.
The Adamites, with Lucy directing, meet and they discuss the plans of the Man Child operation. They need as many pregnancies as possible, even unwilling ones. The leader, sitting in the shadows, tells them it’s time to go ahead. They must act now.

102 Even the Good Ones…

Mika and Nico have a lunch with their mothers, the older women talking about life with men, how even the good were bad! They are celebrating the potential new daughter. Life is good.
Mika and Nico, both nervous and excited, go to clinic for procedure. Their clinician is very attentive while collecting their DNA.
Nico meets with Diana, to discuss the unones transition process. They discuss transport and clinic. Nico feels it’s too dangerous, that they are still vulnerable to WLVs, Diana agrees that the unones are unlikely to survive. She is trusting Nico to keep the New World safe.
Vera makes a call; she discusses her suspicions and worries about Diana and Nico’s unones plan. She fears that they are planning to kill them.
Working late, Nico overhears Vera on the phone saying that she will get the transport and location details for the unone transition process.

103 Keeping Mum

Mika’s pregnancy is confirmed, they are delighted and go back to bed to celebrate.
At work Nico tells Diana she doesn’t trust Vera, Diana dismisses her. Nico accesses Vera’s computer, finds nothing overtly suspicious, but that she has accessed the unone processing plan.
Mika at work, researching a lecture, we see archive material objectifying and demeaning women and watch as Mika and colleagues create a timeline of female disenfranchisement across a gallery wall. She meets Jules, they go swimming and lunch. Jules is supportive and it seems a little jealous.
The Adamites meet, we recognise Mika and Nico’s pregnancy clinician is one of them. The group get ready to intercept the unones transport before it gets to the clinic and take them to safety.
Unones arrive at a secure unit far out into the woods. Welcomed to their transmogrification process, they’re told that the programme will begin when all their labs are done and the doctors are sure they’re fit and well. But the unit seems more like a prison than a clinic and the doctors more like guards.
The Adamites ambush the transport, but Nico has switched the location and instead sent an armed group of protectors. Most of the Adamites get away, but the protectors capture two, Jo and Cami.

104 Process

Nico reports to the Council that the Unone Process is successfully underway, Vera is visibly shaken. Nico doesn’t mention the ambush or the arrests.
Lucy and Adamites regroup, they are panicked and decide to bring in all the Man Child pregnancies for protection. They are determined to make this work.
Mika goes to the clinic for a scan and check-up, Nico calls, she can’t make it, is held up at work, but will call later. Mika is not happy, but goes in alone.
Protectors are gathering up unones from their work and homes – they don’t want to transition, so protest, but it’s for their protection and on Nico’s orders.
Nico questions Jo and Cami. Jo is tough and doesn’t give in, but Cami does. She tells Nico about the Adamites Boy Child plan. She doesn’t know who their leader is, but she does know she’s on the Council.
Nico reports to Diana, telling her about the Adamites and their plans and that their leader is a member of the council. Diana won’t believe it’s Vera, but they do agree not to share this intelligence with the council for now.
Nico gets home, having not heard from Mika all day, she’s looking forward to seeing her. The house is dark, no one is home and Mika isn’t answering her phone.

105 The Precious Eves

Mika wakes up bewildered in a room full of other women. They are all at various stages of pregnancy. Some are volunteers, Adamites and are happy to be there, the others, like Mika, are confused and frightened. They have no idea how they got there. Lucy arrives and welcomes them to the Boy Child project. They are the chosen ones. Precious Eves. Most of the women are horrified to learn they are carrying boys. It is an impossible nightmare.
Nico calls everyone looking for Mika. No one knows where she is. She goes looking for Mika at work and her usual haunts. Jules helps. Only Nico is really worried, women aren’t in danger anymore, perhaps Mika just needed some space?
Diana calls Nico, she has to come into work now. There have been reports of pregnant women going missing across the country. It’s happening. Nico fears the worst for Mika.
The Council meet, including Vera. While discussing the crisis they receive news that the Adamites have posted a video online. The video shows footage of the pregnant women – the Precious Eves – they are being well cared for, while a voice, Lucy, tells the viewer that the threat of WLVs is over and that they aim to restore a natural balance to humanity. While the Council is alarmed, we see why Diana is the leader. She is calm and decisive. Nico is in shock; Mika was in the video footage.
Diana, alone, orders the completion of the Unone Process with immediate affect.

106 Protest

Arriving at the Council buildings Diana and Nico have to pass through a crowd of protesters. The crowd is made up of two groups, one demanding protection from the Adamites and their Boy Child plan, and a small minority petitioning the Council to negotiate and get the missing women back safely, with their babies.
Jules and Jennifer console each other, they offer support to Nico but she just wants to get to work and find Mika and the rest of the missing women. Jules is horrified when Nico says we need to find Mika and get that parasite out.
At the Adamite HQ Mika and the others are being well cared for and Lucy is attempting to re-educate the women – show them footage of men caring for and loving their families, that ‘not all’ men were bad and that it was the system not individuals that created inequality. Most of the women, including Mika are not convinced. Mika speaks out and contradicts Lucy, and is compelling. Mika is warned not to upset the other women or herself or she will have to have ‘bed rest’ in a room on her own. Despite the gentle care, the women are imprisoned.
Nico wants to bring Vera in to question her. Diana tells her be careful, she warns Nico that Vera has secrets that could be embarrassing for the regime if twisted.
Through Diana’s eyes, we see the beginning of her and Vera’s friendship as students. Vera supporting Diana after a brutal assault on campus by a male student, we understand the depth of their friendship and why Diana is adamant that the New World must be protected.
Diana, makes a statement to the media, addressing the protestors. She tells them that the Council can’t and won’t negotiate. It still isn’t safe for males as a recent programme to aid unones in their transition back to male bodies demonstrated; their bodies, weakened by the transition to the weaker, less robust sex succumbed to illness within days. There were no survivors. Anyone harbouring or assisting the Adamites or the Boy Child project will be tried for treason. It is a sad day, a momentous day for a regime that has known only peace for the last 30 years.
At the Adamite HQ some of the women are becoming agitated. Seeing her chance, Mika tries and fails, to escape. Mika realises the Adamites are heavily armed and prepared to fight for their cause.

107 The Lying In

Mika is placed in the more secure bed rest unit. She is shackled to the bed with soft restraints. In the beds next to her are Mattie and Jean. The women talk, softly. They are being watched. Both Mattie and Jean are disgusted by the male body growing inside them, the babies’ movements and obvious growth is abhorrent to them, but while Mattie is stoic, Jean is anguished. Mika is different, less vehement, ambivalent even. She is beginning to bond with the baby moving and kicking inside her.
Nico and her fellow protectors go to arrest Vera. She’s gone, but at her home they find documents linking her to the Adamites, and more troubling for Diana, a box file of research into the cure for WLVs.
Public protests are getting more dangerous and violently divided.

108 Instinct

Jean strangles herself using her restraints, in the ensuing chaos Mattie helps Mika to escape. The women make it to a road where they are picked up by a family and taken to safety.
Nico and Mika are reunited. After initial checks Mika is allowed home to rest before the termination of the pregnancy. Mika tells Nico she doesn’t want to terminate the baby. Nico is horrified by Mika’s feelings and won’t touch or look at her pregnant belly. Mika realises they are going to abort all the babies at the HQ and refuses to tell Nico the location of the HQ.
Mattie willingly goes to clinic for termination.
Nico enlists the help of Jennifer and Jules to convince Mika to go to the clinic, if she doesn’t, she will be forced to go. Mika describes her feelings to her mother and Jules and begs them to help her. They feel the baby move, he’s just a little baby. They agree and tell Nico to give Mika some space and promise they will take her to the clinic in the morning. Instead they go on the run together.

109 The Cure for All Ills

Devasted, Nico swears to find Mika and the HQ. She is sure Mika will have returned to the Adamites for protection. She is convinced they have brainwashed Mika and that she will be able to rescue her and if not, then so be it.
During their investigation the Protectors find photos of a large compound in Vera’s possessions. Obviously taken during the Old World, a young Vera is in her father’s arms. Could this be the HQ? They search through old records and maps to find it.
Nico confronts Diana with Vera’s box file of research on the WLVs. Diana admits she knew that Vera destroyed the cure, and colluded with her. It was for the cause, and it was right. Nico doesn’t disagree, but she knows if it gets out it will only fan the flames of the protests.
Jennifer and Jules are on the run with Mika. They go out into the wilderness, while trying to decide what to do. They are almost caught but escape on foot. They are in serious trouble; Mika is heavily pregnant.
Nico and the protectors find and surround the HQ. Believing Mika is inside Nico holds them back, she won’t risk Mika’s safety.

110 The Boy Child

With the protests are getting more and more violent, and support for the Adamites growing Diana reveals that Vera is the leader of Adamites and that she suppressed the WLVs vaccine, how can anyone trust a leader who is so inconsistent? The Adamites are reactionaries out to subvert the New World and all its peace and prosperity.
Learning of this the Adamites turn against Vera, she has betrayed them. They surrender to the Protectors waiting outside, except Lucy who fights alone.
The Protectors take the Precious Eves to a clinic for their safety. Diana and the Council will have to decide what to do about the soon to be born babies under scrutiny of society.
Jennifer and Jules build a shelter and set about trying to find a way out of their predicament. They need to get to civilisation, undetected and soon. But then Mika goes into labour.