Apollyon

Apollyon is a serialized science fiction audio drama set in a world shaped by pandemic, told through the people working inside the ICRS. It is an independent production from Observer, voiced by an ensemble cast. One character states the goal plainly: taking the job was the only way to have a chance at eradicating a disease called AVS. The path runs through human trials, and those trials are closely held. Before one meeting, Dr. Larson issues a pointed reminder to say nothing about them. Secrets are what move the story. At a banquet, Dr. Khanna starts what one character calls a 'truth tornado', the feed is cut, and she is suddenly gone from the stage, leaving others to wonder aloud whether she is even alive. In another scene, Dr. Weiss has Theo hand over her device so both can go into a Faraday bag before they talk in an official ICRS vehicle. Power is the other engine. A change in position has turned two longtime equal partners into boss and employee, and the boss's grumbling about the job he agreed to take plays as comedy. Gabe, meanwhile, is offered an interim head position and given 24 hours to answer. There is a prison release too, with inmate 52903 stepping over the line and finding someone waiting. What gives Apollyon its texture is the room it makes for ordinary life. A family dinner turns into a gentle interrogation of a teenager about a classmate called Lavon, described as just a partner on an ag project. Theo balks at an invitation to Link's birthday party, and the boss makes clear he has no wish to be alone with a houseful of teenagers. Colleagues riff on whether Dr. Weiss would answer a grocery-store ambush with a slap or a punch, and settle on the slap. The dialogue is quick and teasing, and it swears when tempers flare. The cast turns up outside the story as well: J.K. Robbins, who voices Dr. Xavier Weiss, Pamela Paul, who plays Suvreen Khanna, and Courtney Holly, the voice of Bethany, each pitch the Patreon before an episode, and one pitch comes from Riley, still in character. Faith, who wrote the season three scripts and records director's commentary for patrons, welcomes listeners back after a long hiatus. Storylines carry from one episode to the next, so it rewards listening in order, and one pitch notes that transcripts of every episode are posted on the show's site.