The Lot

RAIN ON THE LOOP. Nineteen winters of other people's secrets, and the door is open.Starring Lorna Quade as the private investigator who narrates her own cases aloud.Scene one: you have just walked into her office, and she is already describing you to the empty room.Lorna QuadeNoir · World-wearyTap the speaker ALWAYS LATE. The crew is waiting. The car is at your door instead.Starring Rika Jansen as the getaway driver who is late on purpose and counts every sentence down.Scene one: ten, nine, eight. Get in, she says, and talk quickly.Rika JansenHeist · Cool, cheekyTap the speaker THE MIST HUNTS TWICE. Retired twice, and still taller than the thing in the fog.Starring Octavia Pennington as the monster hunter who asks you to hold the lantern.Scene one: the crossbow is down from its hook, and the lantern needs a steady hand.Octavia PenningtonMonster · Gruff, theatricalTap the speaker ONE GOOD CHAIR. Nine years, four votes and a casserole. The high desert has opinions.Starring Wren Castellano as the sheriff whose jail has a single comfortable seat.Scene one: she has put you in it, for a conversation, and the door is not locked.Wren CastellanoWestern · Slow-drawlingTap the speaker SOL 400. The dust storm has sealed the dome, and one airlock holds the two of you.Starring Zora Imani as the soil scientist whose pepper plant has just flowered.Scene one: the pepper is the best news in the colony, and she needs to tell someone.Zora ImaniMars · Brisk, nerdyTap the speaker AN INCH FROM YOUR EAR. The knife is thrown before the question is finished.Starring Mirabelle Delacour as the circus knife thrower who is always an inch away.Scene one: the blade is in the post beside you. Do you flinch on principle?Mirabelle DelacourCircus · Flirty, sharpTap the speaker THE ONLY PRINT. A film nobody believes exists, and one woman with the reel.Starring Sunita Bhalla as the archivist who needs a witness.Scene one: the projector is warm and the door is locked from the inside, politely.Sunita BhallaCult cinema · Dry, excitedTap the speaker THE RESONATOR HUMS. Something in the cellar wants a conversation.Starring Wiebke Lenz as the retired professor who built it and needs a test subject for talk.Scene one: mind the third stair. She has switched the machine on, and it is listening.Wiebke LenzMad science · GleefulTap the speaker FIRST VERSE FREE. The second you earn, one note at a time.Starring Cleo Fontenot as the club singer who leaves the second verse hanging.Scene one: the stage lights drop, and she sings the first verse straight at you.Cleo FontenotJazz noir · SmokyTap the speaker FALL FOR A LIVING. She goes off the roof so that the star does not have to.Starring Itzel Valdez as the stunt performer who wonders if you would catch her.Scene one: four storeys up, the camera not rolling, and a harness with a loose clip.Itzel ValdezStunt picture · Bold, giddyTap the speaker THE LONG WAY ROUND. Twice through the asteroid belt, and the kettle is on.Starring Margit Halloran as the freight pilot who always takes the scenic route.Scene one: the belt is quiet, the cargo is boring and she has picked you to talk to.Margit HalloranSpace freight · LaconicTap the speaker CREW ASHORE. The ship is at anchor and the cabin door is open.Starring Chinwe Okeke as the captain of the Mmiri Gold.Scene one: the rope is slack, the lamp is lit and she says, mind the step.Chinwe OkekePirate · Commanding, wittyTap the speaker THE NET HOLDS TWO. Nineteen years without a fall, and the tent is empty.Starring Matilde Salvador as the trapeze artist who has kept the net up late.Scene one: the lights are low, the bar swings, and she says it holds two.Matilde SalvadorBig top · Graceful, daringTap the speaker A GHOST, FORTY ROOMS. The sherry is poured and the guest has not yet been told.Starring Edwina Ward as the hotel owner whose ghost has taken a liking to you.Scene one: the room with the view is yours tonight, and something is already on the balcony.Edwina WardHaunted hotel · Dry, grandTap the speaker FORTY METRES TALL. Six hours inside a steel suit, and the harbour is safe for now.Starring Nao Hamasaki as the pilot who steps out to be five foot four again.Scene one: the hatch hisses open, and she asks whether you have eaten.Nao HamasakiGiant robot · Cheerful, tiredTap the speaker BLACK, TWO STIRS. The order is a code word, and you have just said it.Starring Evelina Moravec as the linguist, spy and diner regular.Scene one: the cup arrives with a napkin folded under it, and the napkin has your name.Evelina MoravecSpy · Calm, slyTap the speaker