Talamasca: The Secret Order (2025) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[Ominous music plays]
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[Keypad beeping]
[Doorbell buzzing]
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[Door beeps, buzzes]
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[Door buzzes]
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[Indistinct chatter]
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[Indistinct chatter]
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[Dog barking in distance]
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[Eerie chittering]
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[Chittering continues]
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[Eerie chittering in distance]
[Metal door clanging]
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[Train horn blaring in distance]
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[Metal fence clatters]
[Breathing heavily]
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[Train horn blaring loudly]
[Train system chimes]
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[Eerie snarling]
[Breathing heavily]
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♪
[Clicker clicking]
[Creatures snarling]
Father, forgive me.
[Train horn blares]
[Ominous music plays]
[Sighs]
♪
[Theme music plays]
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♪
[Gentle music plays]
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♪
Helen: - Hey, Paul.
Paul: - Good morning.
There's something you gotta see.
From London.
♪
[Tinny music plays]
- Jasper.
- Who else?
Do you think it's real
or just a grotesque attempt
to play clever?
Both.
Soledad signalled a drop,
but never made it.
Freckle in the right eye.
[Solemn music plays]
♪
We'll need to replace her.
Now.
She's dead.
A woman we put in harm's way.
- We have to drop this.
- This was a warning.
A warning means we're close.
We need to be closer.
[Indistinct conversations]
[Voices whispering]
Mr. Anatole?
They're ready for you.
Suttle: Well, that was all
very enlightening.
You're, uh,
near the top of your class.
Law review, Moot Court,
and Mock Trial champion.
Very impressive, Guy.
It's pretty easy to see why
you've made it this far with us.
Your parents
must be very proud.
Yeah.
Osterhaus: I do have one question.
You never applied
for an internship
at this firm or others
during your summer breaks.
I kind of wanted to take
a break when we had our break.
You know, summers.
[Chuckles lightly]
I didn't see you
in South Hampton.
No, I've never been there.
South Hampton. Any Hampton.
[Chuckles dryly]
So, I mean,
what did you do on your breaks?
I worked at the library.
The Law library. NYU.
Didn't you spend
enough time there
when school was in session?
Uh working at this school
was a part
of my scholarship requirement.
How much schooling did
your scholarship pay for?
All. All of it.
Our internship pays pretty well.
I'm sure arrangements
could have been made.
It's quiet.
[Sighs]
At the Library.
I probably should have interned.
Huh.
It's always been a dream
of mine to work here at Cavitt.
Your reputation is is amazing.
But you already know that.
[Voices whispering]
Well, we appreciate your time, Guy.
You're a quality candidate.
Any firm would be lucky
to have you.
[Sighs] Well
[Distorted hearing]
Can I ask you something else?
Yes.
[Intriguing music plays]
What are you looking for?
Not at social events, uh
not at the Hamptons,
but here in this office.
The work you do.
What are you looking for?
The finest legal minds
money can buy.
Then don't let
this opportunity pass
without knowing who I am.
Who I really am.
You asked me
if my parents are proud of me.
My dad skipped town before I was
born, and my mom was a junkie
who overdosed on heroin
when I was 9.
Worst day of my life.
And look, I've never been
to the Hamptons.
But then again, my grandfather
didn't own a mansion there.
I won't be joining your
social clubs, your committees,
because, well, let's face it,
I wouldn't be admitted
to any of those anyway.
So weekends, nights,
we won't be hanging out.
You probably won't be seeing me
because I'll be here.
I'll be working.
I'll be making money for you
and you and you,
and you'll say,
"That is every young associate,
son," but it's not.
I'm different. Me.
And maybe, yeah, just maybe,
right now, I am the finest
legal mind money can buy.
♪
[Exhales deeply]
[Water running]
[Sighs]
Woman: [Whispering]
We have the strength.
to go beyond the boundaries
of what I'm comfortable with.
[Voices whispering]
[Sobbing]
[Eerie music plays]
♪
[Whispering continues]
♪
Woman: It's a gift.
Not a curse, sweetie.
♪
[Door opens]
[Blows raspberry]
- Are you alright there?
- Yeah.
Hey, look. I'm sorry.
Back there, I was out of line.
Out of line? You--
You fucking killed it!
You threw it right back
in our faces.
- That's good?
- Yeah. Good. Very good.
We don't-- We don't hire people
who take shit.
Look, I got you.
Alright?
You-- You're--
You're in.
Welcome to Cavitt.
- Really?
- Yeah.
That's great.
- That's great.
- Oh, God.
- Sorry.
- Oh, the look on Bennett's face.
And what you said
before you left the room.
I was screaming in my head for
you to stand up for yourself.
And then at that exact moment,
you did.
It's almost like you heard me
or something.
Strange.
Well, great minds
Great minds.
[Mid-tempo music plays]
♪
[Indistinct chatter]
♪
♪
[Bike bell dings]
♪
♪
[Siren wailing in distance]
♪
♪
Something I can help you with?
A moment of your time.
You can learn a lot
by following somebody.
How they walk, how
their eyes dance in the street,
how they interact
with the world.
[Siren wailing continues]
- What's this?
- Our organization.
We want to hire you.
Oh, I already have a job,
so
At Cavitt and Associates.
How do you know that
I have a job at Cavitt?
We watch.
And you're always there.
Okay, but, uh, I'm pretty happy
with my career path, so
Don't you want to know
what we do?
It pretty much says it
right here on the card.
Guy.
We've done our due diligence,
and we believe your life's
true purpose lies with us.
And how much does "true purpose"
go for these days?
Do you have any idea what Cavitt's
starting salary is?
No. A lot? We can match it,
if money's so very important to you.
I'll compensate you
to hear me out.
Say 5,000?
Oh, okay.
- What is this?
- An offer.
To hear you out?
Five grand?
Mm-hmm.
- No strings?
- No.
- Well, I'm all ears.
- There's an address on the card.
Meet me there
at quarter past 4:00.
It's time, Guy.
- Woman 2: What about the kids?
- Woman 3: You do. You're a grandma.
[Women continue arguing indistinctly]
[Keys clatter]
[Knocking on door]
Who is it?
Larry.
Larry: Open the damn door.
Guy: Hey, look, Larry.
I'm sorry.
Three months, Guy.
If it was one,
it'd be different.
Two, maybe. But three?
My rent is covered because
I collect everyone else's, man.
I know, look
[Siren wailing in distance]
I got a job.
I got a great job.
Excellent news. Pay me.
It hasn't quite started yet.
[Sniffs]
You got until Friday.
[Exhales deeply]
[Solemn music plays]
♪
[Conversing indistinctly]
♪
[Doorbell ringing]
♪
[Door buzzes]
♪
Yes?
♪
♪
Through that door.
♪
[Intriguing music plays]
♪
[Bell tolling]
How much does it cost you
to clear this place out?
- No need. It's private.
- Oh. It's private?
What, so nobody gets
to come up here?
Not often.
- And you work here?
- Live here.
You live here?
There are a few apartments
on the top floor.
Small, but functional.
Well, I'm still trying
to wrap my brain around this.
Our organisations
have a shared interest.
We like books.
- Oh, "we"?
- Mm.
And, uh, "we" have the money
you promised?
You don't trust me?
Should I?
Perhaps not.
Okay, look.
I just came here because I'm
currently dead-ass broke,
and I am absolutely, 100%,
not taking whatever job
you're offering here.
So all this
is not fair to you.
So you believe in fairness?
- Of course.
- And that people should treat
- one another fairly?
- Sure.
Even if they're different? Even if
their traits and lifestyle's unlike yours?
Yeah. Unless we're talking
about cannibals
or Manson or something.
The definition of fairness is
the quality of making judgments
that are free from discrimination.
And I'm going to guess that is
the literal definition
of fairness.
Look it up.
[Chuckles]
Deal is a deal.
Okay.
Shoot your shot.
We're a private organization
that has been around
a long time.
A very long time.
We don't operate for profit,
but we're extremely well funded.
We have offices, which we call
Mother Houses, in New York,
London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam,
Hong Kong, and New Orleans.
And what do you do
in all these "Mother Houses"?
Primarily endeavours
of academia and discovery.
- You're a think tank.
- In a way, yes. In another, no.
We chronicle historical notes
and keep tabs on certain groups.
- You're a spy?
- No. Well, not exactly.
But you're a nonprofit
and you're offering
more than Cavitt?
We'll never run short of funds.
Anyone working with us
has everything
in their life taken care of.
- CIA? MI6?
- No, no, no, no.
Blackwater?
We attempt to do good
by protecting
the equilibrium of society.
Uh, Soros?
Uh, Koch Brothers?
Talamasca.
Which in Latin means--
Animal mask.
Oh. Who's in charge
of branding?
[Chuckles]
Okay.
Endeavours of academia.
So, what,
you write textbooks?
We're interested in
the world of the supernatural.
[Scoffs]
Tell me, Guy.
Why'd you go to law school?
- Because I want to be a lawyer.
- Why?
Because I want to make
lots and lots of money.
A very cynical goal.
Well, you got me.
I'm a cynic.
Let's just say I've seen a lot.
And heard a lot?
Why me?
Why do you want me?
[Distorted whooshing]
I know what you're doing.
You're trying to listen in.
It won't work on me.
I'm trained from childhood.
If I want you to know something,
you will.
You're not a cynic, Mr. Anatole,
nor a defeatist,
nor a misanthrope.
You believe that the world is,
or ought to be, innately good.
You went to law school to hide.
[Sighs] Hide from what?
Yourself.
You have a rare talent, Guy.
- A talent that you conceal.
- You're the one hiding stuff.
I don't know any more than
when I walked in here.
Not really.
There's only so much
I can share
until we're farther
down the road.
[Clicks tongue]
[Suspenseful music plays]
♪
♪
[Indistinct muffled chatter]
♪
♪
[Keys jangling]
♪
♪
[Keys clatter]
♪
[Siren wailing in distance]
♪
♪
♪
Pilot: Ladies and gentlemen,
this is your captain speaking.
We're about to make our descent
into Sarasota Airport.
The local time is 11:35 A.M.
Temperature
is 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Please make sure your
seat backs and tray tables
are in their full
upright position.
And make sure your seatbelt
is securely--
[Wind blowing]
Hi, Mom.
Ruth: You look really good, Guy.
[Chuckles] So do you.
So what year are you
in college?
Law school.
I just, uh, graduated.
- That's wonderful.
- Oh.
We're very proud of you.
Yeah. Thank you.
[Chuckles softly]
So you like Florida?
Yeah. Condo is paid for.
That was nice.
Who paid for it?
Oh. We did.
That was confusing
the way I said that before.
Someone gave me this.
Stranger.
I'm not sure how they got it.
[Eerie music plays]
♪
Um. Oh, no.
Santa, maybe?
[Laughs]
I always wondered something.
How'd you come to foster me?
♪
[Distorted whooshing]
Hey, hey, hey.
You're afraid.
Why?
Why are you afraid?
Look, honey,
I'm not supposed to
♪
We signed something,
a Non--
Disclosure Agreement.
♪
Just how'd you wind up with me?
Tell me that much.
I think I deserve to know.
Um
This nice woman
reached out to us.
We fostered a child
for a few years before--
This woman
This nice woman
What do you remember about her?
[Sighs]
Sh-- She was--
She was fancy.
She-- She had an accent.
Talamasca.
♪
[Sighs defeatedly]
♪
Let them help you, Guy.
This is hard to say, but
♪
you weren't an easy kid.
You didn't fit in.
You were in your own world.
And the other kids
called you a freak.
But they fixed that.
They fixed that.
Look at all
they've done for you.
All they've done for me?
What have they done for me?
[Thinking]
Oh, I'm in trouble.
Look, honey,
I really have to go.
Ruth: I, uh, um
Well, it was really good
to see you, Guy.
Mom.
Ruth: [Sobs]
Mom!
Mom!
Ruth!
You tell me exactly
what they've done for me.
[Ominous music plays]
Everything.
♪
[Car door closes, engine starts]
♪
[Keyboard keys clacking]
[Indistinct chatter]
♪
Man: Uh. Excuse me.
Uh, ma'am?
Uh, this popped up in a flight
manifest cross search.
Uh, it's a travel itinerary.
Archie's on the move again.
Last five months,
from Istanbul to Bratislava
to Bern to Madrid
and now London.
Rest assured, some poor soul
won't be happy to see him.
Thank you, Jay.
Jasper sent for him.
This certainly accelerates things.
Why does his news seem
to make you happy?
It confirms our suspicions.
Your suspicions?
Very well mine.
Bella: Doesn't exist,
but if we engage any further,
we're going to lose our jobs.
752 is real.
And it's in London.
[Suspenseful music plays]
♪
[Clicker clicking]
[Creatures shrieking]
[Creatures growling and snarling]
[Clicker clicks]
[Snarling, growling stops]
[Suspenseful music continues]
[Clicker clicking]
[Growling, snarling resumes]
♪
[Siren wailing in distance]
♪
♪
♪
[Indistinct chatter]
♪
♪
♪
♪
[Car horns honking]
♪
Something I can help you with?
Turnabout's fair play.
You placed me with the Anatoles.
We selected them. Yes.
Selected?
How long?
How long have
you been involved with my life?
Since you were orphaned.
You checked several boxes--
Disjointed home life, isolated,
smart, secretive,
an intense desire to belong.
What about my family?
- The Anatoles?
- No. My real family.
I know little more than you.
You first came on our radar
through a school counsellor
who recognised your struggles
and your gifts.
Sit with me.
Please.
You hear things others cannot.
We suspect you could converse
with someone
who shares that talent.
You're very, very special, Guy.
I was bused to the best
public high school in Detroit.
Full scholarship to Penn.
Law degree at NYU.
All paid for.
You're quite welcome.
And it was all bullshit.
I didn't earn any of it.
You earned all of it.
Perhaps we guided
your choices a bit,
but without us,
your academic path and success
would have been just as triumphant.
This is wrong.
This is so wrong.
You curated my life
so that I could do what?
To sit in a library
and read antiquated books?
We gently supported
your life to allow you
to make use of your talents.
We have a specific need
in London at present.
Doing what exactly?
You'd be read in
at the appropriate time.
For this to work,
it must work for both of us.
But before you decide,
I'd like you to meet someone.
[Sniffs]
- Who?
- Someone able to answer questions
that I cannot.
Walk with me.
You knew I was following you.
I knew you'd want answers.
Guy: Hey, what's in London?
I don't even have a passport.
Helen: Oh, don't worry, we've
already taken care of that.
- Where are you taking me?
- You'll see.
Hey, wait!
This is The Dakota.
Yes, it is.
We're going up
to the penthouse.
You're kidding me.
Thank you, Frank.
My pleasure, ma'am.
Okay, so what the hell
do you really do?
And you can spare me
the "saving the world" bullshit.
The Talamasca tracks, observes,
and occasionally intervenes
in obfuscates in shadow worlds.
Tracking, observing,
and interfering with whom?
Immortals.
Vampires, Witches, Ghosts, Demons.
- What, no zombies?
- No such thing.
You watch too much telly.
Oh, wait.
You're serious?
I'm being completely forthcoming.
[Doorbell rings]
Because we trust you.
Well, this is insane.
You're insane.
You're telling me that this--
that everything was about
Oh, well, you guys have wasted
a lot of time and money,
because there's a problem.
- There's a really big problem.
- Which is?
I don't believe in Witches,
Vampires, Ghosts, or Demons.
Oh, nobody does.
Until they meet one.
[Lock disengages]
[Gasps] I was hoping it was you.
Nice to see you, Pretty.
Is this a good time?
For you
it's always a good time.
Meet Guy.
Oh. Welcome, Guy.
Come, come. Come in.
Burton is expecting you.
[Mid-tempo music plays
in background]
Burton?
And, uh, Burton's a--
[Whispers] Vampire. Yes.
Be nice. We're guests.
[Scoffs]
- Pretty: Tea?
- Yes, please.
And for you, handsome boy?
I'm fine.
I can't sleep,
you just won't let me be ♪
How does a vampire get approved
for a Dakota penthouse?
I vouched for him at court.
Yoko chimed in,
which didn't hurt.
Helen: Burton, darling.
[Scoffs] My dear, I've missed you.
Of course you have.
It's been too long.
[Gasps]
No. [Gasps]
[Sobs happily]
I haven't worn this
in over a hundred years.
I don't know how you found it,
but thank you.
And who's this beautiful boy?
Is he a gift, as well?
This is Guy.
A friend of ours.
No.
Oh.
Mm.
So
[Clears throat]
How may I be of assistance?
Guy's intrigued
by our dysfunctional family.
I was hoping you two
might converse over the subject.
He's here because, frankly,
he doesn't believe in you or me.
- Thank you, Pretty.
- Mm.
Very well.
It's real. All of it.
Happy?
I should think
my gift is sufficient
for a more thorough interview.
I've-- I've come to hate
that word because of you.
Why in the world
would you publish this?
You know very well
I had nothing to do with that.
Take it up with Amsterdam.
I don't give an Amsterdam.
And you? Have you read this?
No.
Makes one of you.
[Book clatters]
[Thinking]
Oof! We need to go shopping.
Just a friend whispering
in your ear.
Guy: [Thinking] If-- If you can
hear me, nod your head.
I'm not a poodle begging
for a treat.
Of course I hear you.
[Thinking] And you hear me
speaking to you.
Our lady friend seems to think
that you are quite special.
But I'm not so sure.
Painful to listen,
isn't it, dear?
- Yes.
- Burt: You know why?
You view it as a crime.
You're a petty thief,
and right now
you're stuffing candy
in your pockets
and racing away
before you get caught.
The adrenaline hurts.
You need to understand
that the candy is yours.
It belongs to you.
Now, but if it's more
than candy that you want,
well, then you have to learn
to be more stealthy.
More specific.
It takes skill to be
a master thief.
You'll get better at it.
Go slowly.
Learn to accept the pain.
I've had a several centuries'
head start.
How old are you?
39 or 384, depending on how
you gauge time.
And you're a, um, a Vampire?
Card carrying.
Though, I'm not happy with what
that word has come to represent.
it's clearly
cultural appropriation.
Halloween, Death metal, Goth
I mean,
don't even get me started.
And when we're
not being foolishly imitated,
we're being unfairly excoriated,
as if somehow I'm what's wrong
with the world.
- Hey, fella.
- Guy: Ah!
I'm sorry.
What just happened?
Sit down, Guy.
He's just showing off.
[Chuckling]
Next question.
[Distorted whooshing]
I've locked you out,
so you can quit trying.
[Distorted voices]
[Snaps fingers]
The snap's just for theatrics.
Magicians call it the Prestige.
Ah.
So this is a performance?
Why do you need the Talamasca?
Why do you need her?
Oh, God. Please.
I'm the prisoner guilty
of his sins.
The inmate who loves his jailer.
The rebellious teenager
who looks up to his parents
because I need purpose in life.
Which is a terrible burden
when your life is forever.
[Thinking] You are a fool.
A useful idiot
with a parlour trick
you can't even control.
And you
[Thinking]
You're tired of all this.
It's not fun anymore.
How are you doing that?
You turned against your own kind.
You betrayed them.
And you hate yourself for that.
Pretty: The sun is finally do--
[Suspenseful music plays]
It's very dangerous
to have a gift,
yet not understand its power.
Your mind
is a two-way street.
[Shouts]
[Exhales deeply]
[Traffic passing]
Fuck.
How did I get out here?
You opened the window.
You made me do it.
I merely offered you a suggestion.
A suggestion
that you were open to.
[Thinking] Now take
one itty bitty step forward.
Trust me or resist me.
[Inhales sharply]
You think you came here
to see a Vampire?
You're here for my approval.
Congratulations.
I see why she's so fond of you.
For a mortal, you are remarkable.
But hear me well, friend.
My previous associates
won't appreciate you as I do.
They won't play nice.
They will try to bend you
and mould you
and take you.
Are you coming?
♪
[Thinking] They're lying to you.
The dawn of a new day.
Helen: Guy.
What's wrong?
You do realise you're gonna
get that poor boy killed.
Helen: Guy.
Guy.
- Please.
- What if I died up there?
- What if I died?
- There's nothing he could throw at you
that you wouldn't throw
right back at him.
- You're that gifted.
- Oh, yeah, right.
I'm so gifted that he had
me dangling from a ledge.
When you spoke to him privately,
what did you feel?
That he was innately good
or bad?
I don't know.
And what of me?
You?
You're both.
[Solemn music plays]
♪
Wait.
Guy, I'm sorry for everything.
For all of it.
It's a dangerous game. I can't
blame you for walking away.
In fact
perhaps you should.
♪
♪
♪
Burt: Just a friend
whispering in your ear.
They're lying to you.
Trust me or resist me.
They won't play nice.
Try to bend you
and mould you
and take you.
[Gasps deeply]
[Breathes heavily]
[Chair squeaking]
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
Daniel: [Reading]
"The room concussed,
and then Louie's voice,
'Daniel. Daniel.'
I rose from my chair,
dust and damage in all directions,
shuffling to the living room
to see the plane,
which was merely a body
crumpled below a fissured wall.
Armand avoiding the eyes of Louie,
who stood over him like a tidal
wave, pondering its descent."
[Applause]
Okay, so who wants
my hand in their jacket?
[Laughter]
To Willa with an A.
Thank you.
- Hi.
- Guy: Hi.
Page 227.
[Suspenseful music plays]
♪
♪
♪
Thanks.
- Hey, sweetheart.
- Woman 4: Hi.
Can I say sweetheart
in a bookstore these days?
[Laughs]
[Indistinct chatter]
♪
♪
Daniel: Step into the light.
♪
[Inhales] What do you want?
Page 227.
Anna Leamas.
What about Anna Leamas?
She was my mother.
[Thinking] Like I give a shit.
You wrote about her
in your fucking book.
[Speaking] I wrote about a Vampire.
Your mother was a footnote.
What did you know about her?
Only what I was told.
What do you know about her?
Only what I was told--
that she was an addict
who died when I was 9.
[Thinking] This is about the 752.
[Distorted whooshing]
[Speaking] Stop it!
I have a thing about people
fishing around in my head
without asking first.
I didn't write page 227.
They did.
- Talamasca.
- What?
Talamasca.
Oh, wait.
Did you mean
[Shouts] the Talamasca?!
You don't think
they're watching right now?
Come on, man.
You're a clairvoyant.
Then why would they put
my mother's name in your book?
I don't know.
What's 752?
Uh, 749 plus 3.
The monthly payment
on a new Prius.
Something to do with your mom.
They're using you, kid.
Pull out your phone.
I don't like being rewritten.
I did some digging.
[Cellphone chimes]
Look closely.
Was everyone wearing Lululemon
when you were 9?
She's alive.
Tomorrow morning, you'll wake up
and convince yourself
that any good son
would want to save his mother.
Don't.
And if I did want to?
Where would I start?
Ask them.
Maybe I will.
Now get out of here before
I do something I'll regret.
[Suspenseful music plays]
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[Sniffles]
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[Sniffles]
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[Knock on door]
[Door opens]
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[Rain pattering]
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[Car horn honking]
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[Thunder rumbling]
[Voices whispering]
[Theme music plays]
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