Shout Into the Machine — Josh Startles Sam Awake
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Sam's phone rings while he is asleep, and his answering machine picks up, playing a pre-recorded message explaining he is sleeping and will wake up if someone shouts into the machine.
Josh yells into the phone, waking Sam abruptly, causing him to nearly fall out of bed and knock over his lamp.
Sam, disoriented, apologizes and tries to compose himself as he answers the phone.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Urgent and insistent—calm urgency with an edge that presumes immediate compliance.
Off-screen on the line, Josh yells Sam's name through the telephone/answering machine; his urgent vocal command functions as the initiating action that forces Sam into motion and sets the day's crisis momentum in motion.
- • Wake Sam immediately so he can handle or be briefed on a pressing issue
- • Cut through delay or excuses by using forceful, unmistakable contact
- • Mobilize available staff resources without losing time
- • Time-critical problems justify abruptness and breaking personal boundaries
- • Sam is the appropriate person to reach and will respond when roused
- • Directness is more effective than procedural gentleness in crisis moments
Startled and groggy on the surface; embarrassed and scrambling to regain professional composure beneath.
Sam is asleep and abruptly jolted awake by a shouted call through his answering machine; he lunges, nearly knocks over a lamp, grabs the phone, apologizes and quickly attempts to compose himself for the call.
- • Answer the call and be immediately available to the caller
- • Minimize the appearance of unpreparedness and calm the situation
- • Physically secure himself (prevent falling/restore control) so he can speak coherently
- • If Josh is calling this way, the matter is urgent and requires immediate attention
- • He is expected to be reachable and responsive even when off-duty
- • Quick composure preserves credibility and prevents escalation
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The corded bedside telephone with integrated answering machine first picks up the incoming call and plays Sam's prerecorded message; after the beep Josh yells Sam's name into the line, and the device becomes the physical mechanism that converts remote urgency into an immediate, jarring stimulus that wakes Sam and starts the conversation.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Sam's bedroom functions as a private refuge abruptly violated by work: its intimacy and sleep-soaked atmosphere make the sudden phone call feel more invasive and emphasize the personal cost of political duty, as the space's domestic objects (bed, lamp, phone) are physically implicated in the scramble.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Key Dialogue
"ANSWER MACHINE: Hi, it's Sam. I'm sleeping for a few hours right now, so you can leave a message or if you really need me, you can shout into the machine, and I'll wake up. [beep]"
"JOSH [ON PHONE]: ([yelling]) Saaaaam!!!"
"SAM: Sorry. It's all right. Hang on. No problem. Hi. Sorry."