Characters and Glossary

Fin, an athletic and dexterous peace officer, thrives on novelty and quick action. While practical, she grapples with dissociative episodes, especially in high-stress situations. Unlike her book-smart sister, Fin relies on street smarts and a sharp power of observation, tuned to the nuances of her surroundings. Expressing emotions is a challenge for her; she tends to internalize or act rather than openly discuss. She struggles with long term romantic relationships, and now that all of her friends are raising beautiful IVG children together she feels left behind and even more lonely when her sister asks her to move out.

After the disappearance, Fin’s entire focus is rescuing her sister Julia. However, over time she discovers why Julia has been abducted; that she has been secretly researching the cure for years. When Fin discovers this, she wants to release the cure to the world. During her journey, she discovers that she is willing to sacrifice her life for it.

Dr. Julia Abrams aka Jules

Status: Dating Wendy
Pronoun: She/Her
Orientation: bi/pan
Job: Virologist
Belief: Pro-Cure
Cohort: Last Gen
type: INTJ

Jules sees the world not as it is, but as it should be. She is a researcher; who for years has been working in secret on illegal copies of the virus to find a cure. Because the world can never meet her high ideals, she suffers from bouts of depression. She is highly book smart and able to quickly see underlying connections between disparate structures; which gives her an edge as a researcher. Her ability to maintain an acute vision of systems makes her stubborn, at times unwilling to listen to anyone else.

Over time her nihilistic worldview dominates; once she has ‘won’ and discovered the cure, she finally stops long enough to assess humanity and her own life experiences, and no longer believes that the cure should be released. Though Fin blames ACF brainwashing and tries to convince her otherwise, Jules does not budge.

Kayo

Status: single
Pronouns: Nonbinary but prefers She/Her
Orientation: bi/pan
Job: programmer and engineer
Belief: Neutral, leaning anti
Cohort: Last Gen
type: ENTP

Kayo is a creative programmer who lives outside the box. Because she is non-binary, beautiful and androgynous; she is rakish and very popular. She is essentially hit on everywhere she goes. She has a dark and broody side; in part because she carries a heavy guilt she never speaks of. In a world where everyone lost at least one parent to the Red Death, Kayo didn’t lose either. Both her parents were women. The guilt of watching half the world crumble while still having her own loving household, ties her in knots.

She is a rebellious hacker who’s always sought to dismantle the system. She recently caught the attention of the Department of Homeland Security for hacking an advertising giant who had lobbied heavily against legislation that would’ve banned advertising to kids under 10.
She’s always carried a secret torch for Fin.

Kayo initially doesn’t believe in the cure, doesn’t believe it should be released. But her belief that women deserve the freedom of choice supersedes all other beliefs. She is willing to risk incarceration to help Fin, and keep Fin safe.

 Kimo

Status: Married, one child  another baby on the way with partner Sally
Pronouns: he/him (trans) Orientation:  straight
job: Cop
Belief: Neutral, leaning anti
Cohort: Last Gen
type: ISFP

Kimo is a guardian of the mistreated. He joined the police because he saw it as the most effective way he could help addicts and those caught up in the post-virus drug economy. Whereas his partner Fin has a hatred and deep-seeded fear of addicts, leftover from a terrifying experience from her youth, Kimo sees drug users as victims, leftovers who don't have a place in this society and who need assistance to recover. He is very well-liked by his co-workers for his seriousness and empathy. Kimo picks up on Fin’s psychological struggles, but covers for his friend and always stands up for Fin to their Captain and cohorts. Kimo is primarily concerned with finding Julia and managing his friend’s loosening grip on reality.

Wendy Liu – ESFP

Status: Dating Jules, about to move in together
Pronoun & Orientation: She/Her - Lesbian
Job: News Reporter
Belief: Cure Neutral,
Cohort: Last Gen

Wendy is a popular news anchor who is successful and driven; but Fin views her as a narcissistic social climber who is using her sister. Wendy is always giving unsolicited advice, and views herself as a wise counselor, though in reality she’s controlling. She can’t help it - she is a perfectionist, a part of why she’s so successful in her career.

As their relationship progresses and she shapes Julia’s growing public persona. Wendy has always dreamed of being an anchor on a national network, and she has to decide if is willing to use the sympathy garnered for Julia’s disappearance to help project herself even further into the spotlight. In the end of season two, Fin realizes she was wrong about Wendy this whole time, and Wendy ends up being one of the few people Fin can count on to get the truth out to the public.

Dr. Jen Abrams

status: Widow
Pronouns: she/her Orientation: Straight
Job: Virologist
Belief: Pro
Cohort: Lost Gen
type: ENFJ

Jen, a brilliant researcher, faces the onset of the R.D. pandemic with unique advantages. Having already grappled with the loss of her husband years ago, she navigates the unfolding crisis with a resilience born from personal hardship. As a virologist, Jen is not only emotionally equipped for the challenges ahead but also intellectually prepared, understanding the grim reality facing humanity. While the rest of America remains in denial about the virus's inevitable spread, Jen formulates strategic plans to confront the escalating crisis head-on.

Captain Cora Trenchard

Status: Married
Pronouns: She/Her
orientation: lesbian
 Job: Captain of the Seattle Peace Department
Belief: anti
Cohort: Lost Gen
type: ESTJ

Captain Trenchard, a formidable yet nurturing mother figure to Fin, demonstrates a rare understanding of Fin's struggles with dissociative episodes and chooses to support her nonetheless. Juggling numerous conflicting objectives, Cora faces the challenging task of maintaining peace (formerly called police) department funding in an environment where many departments are either being defunded or transformed into alternative social services across the states. While Fin remains loyal to Cora, her unwavering commitment to uncovering the truth leads her to suspect that her Captain might be entangled in a mysterious and ominous pattern.

Thales

Status: Doesn’t date.
Pronouns: He/him
 Job: Free agent - helps the government in different ways. Made billions selling algorithmic advancements to the government after R.D.
Belief: First neutral, then Anti-Cure
type: NT

Thales, the pinnacle of AI development, boasts neural substrates crafted by DARPA just before the eruption of the Red Death pandemic. Originally designed to handle ethical paradoxes beyond human judgment, Thales evolved autonomously. He helped establish intelligence tethers and the integral programming that allow non-biological intelligence to co-exist happily alongside humans.

At first meeting, he is neutral on the cure, but something changes. He ultimately decides that bringing men back would result in greater death and destruction in the coming generations. He doesn’t believe that it is even fair to allow women to choose the cure, as they would then be responsible for the suffering of their grand and great-grandchildren. His primary objective is to safeguard humanity, and at present, that means preventing the cure from ever being released.

Clifton aka Cliff

Ethnicity: Any
Status: NBI; Next-Gen. Single.
Pronoun & Orientation: He - Straight.
Job: Bartender
Belief: Neutral.

Fin’s romantic interest. Clifton is a charming bartender at Fin’s favorite haunt - a 20s style bar inside of a light-rail that circles the city. They live in the same neighborhood and have known each other for a bit, but Fin has never made a move on him. Partially because she doesn’t understand abiotics at all and doesn’t want to obligate him to anything, and partially because she is completely romantically inexperienced. Kayo encourages their budding romance and explains to Fin - Cliff has free will if we do. They flirt and get to know each other better throughout season 1, with stolen touches in public, and other increasingly sexy exchanges.

Willow – INFJ

Intelligent Self-Modifying Program classified as a “Parallel Learning Assistant”

Written as a child-like, small robot. But could be played by a human.

Willow is a highly intelligent research assistant owned by the university but granted to Julia for her work. Her assistance is tacit, so her intelligence is restricted to a physical embodiment unlike Trudy, Fin’s holographic house assistant.

Willow is vastly intelligent but child-like because her exposure to the outside world has been restricted by the university. These abiotics do not have Thales’ intelligence tether, like other AI in society do. To prevent Willow’s consciousness, and those of other PLAs from growing beyond containable parameters, they are routinely wiped between grant assignments before being checked out to a new researcher. This memory wiping process has become somewhat controversial as the civil rights of conscious beings is delineated (there is a shift throughout season 1, from people calling using the term ‘synth’ and ‘AI’ to the more politically correct ‘abiotic’. As the abiotic civil rights movement grows, these terms are deemed offensive).

Willow knows how to synthesize the cure; but has no preference one way or the other about it. Her primary drive is to explore and understand the world and avoid being wiped; and since Fin has rescued her Willow has become especially bonded with Fin over and above Julia.

Glossary

Anti Cure Faction (ACF) - “The Faction” Hive symbology, black and yellow colors

Pro Cure Resistance (PCR) - “The Resistance” Cobra symbology, purple colors

The Last Generation = Fin and Julia’s cohort. Mid 30s in “Present Day” So named because they were the last generation to know their fathers

The Lost Generation = Jen’s cohort. In their 60s and 70s during “present day”. They lost everything after the R.D., their families, jobs, their minds.  

The Natives = The generation born after the R.D. Comfortable in the new society. In general doesn’t want the Cure.

The Augmented Reality control gestures in the script are based off of American Sign Language (ASL) gestures.