"On The Brink" by Rygar First draft - 5/25/10 Final draft - 6/6/10 Edited by WatsonSword SCENE 1 - BEDROOM, BUCKY'S APARTMENT, GENUS CAPTAIN BUCKY O'HARE wakes with a start. He practically jumps into a sitting position, startled, as if waking from a nightmare. He blinks and takes in his surroundings, then calms down. BUCKY (sleepy) Ugh. Rubbing his eyes with his paws, Bucky grumbles to himself. BUCKY I feel like shit. Taking a few deep breaths, Bucky swivels himself out of bed and stands up. Still groggy, he wobbles a bit, unsure of his footing. Finally, his feet plant firmly and steadily on the ground. Still shaking off cobwebs, Bucky stumbles into the bathroom and turns on the faucet. He cups his paws to collect some water, then splashes himself in the face with it. He blinks, looking at his haggard appearance in the mirror. His expression is dull and hazy, as if he doesn't quite recognize himself but doesn't care. BUCKY C'mon, snap out of it. Bucky looks at the various items strewn about the sink: a toothbrush, toothpaste, a fur brush, and the like. Mumbling, he swats at all the items, knocking them to the ground. BUCKY (mumbling) Buncha junk. Bucky turns to the shower and looks for a moment, debating whether to get in. Finally, he decides against it. Instead, he shuffles back into his bedroom. He swings open his closet and pulls out his red and yellow uniform. He slips off his pajamas and eases into his uniform. It's a little loose on him, and he is visibly unnerved by the fact that it doesn't quite fit him right. Shaking his head, Bucky goes back to the bathroom and looks at himself in the mirror. Seeing how unkempt the fur on his head is, he bends over, picks up the brush, and tries to tidy himself up. Try as he might, there are a few licks of fur he can't tame. Finally, his temper wins, and he slams the brush on the ground. BUCKY Ugh! It doesn't matter anyway. Irritated, Bucky stomps out of the bathroom. Taking a moment to compose himself, he grabs the maser pistol laying on the stand beside the bed. He gazes at it for a moment, feeling its weight in his paw. Then, his gaze wanders over to another closet door, which is shut. He looks at it, then just as quickly turns away. With an odd resolve, he walks out of the room, through the kitchen, and out of the apartment. SCENE 2 - THE DUWITT RESIDENCE, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH It's early evening, and gray clouds cover the sky. ENGINEER WILLY DUWITT walks in the front door, with his mother, MRS. SUSAN DUWITT, right behind him. MRS. DUWITT Thank you so much for joining me at work today, Willy. WILLY No problem, Mom. MRS. DUWITT What did you think? WILLY Honestly? MRS. DUWITT Of course. WILLY I dunno, Mom. I know this stuff is important to you, but it just doesn't speak to me. Dreamcatchers, quartz crystals, incense, horoscopes ... it just seems like mumbo-jumbo. Mrs. DuWitt nods, expecting this response from her son. MRS. DUWITT You'll come around some day. Your father did. I mean, he was so into computers when he was younger, but now ... WILLY I don't *want* to come around, Mom. I like my beliefs the way they are. And besides, just because I don't see things they way you do doesn't mean I've got no respect for you or your beliefs. MRS. DUWITT (thinking) What was it you told me about that friend of yours? The one we met. The white cat. WILLY Jenny? MRS. DUWITT Yes, her. Her adornments were breathtaking. WILLY Oh, those. Yeah, her society is based on the use of magic. MRS. DUWITT And you believe in her magic? WILLY Well ... I think her magic can be explained scientifically, just like everything else out there. MRS. DUWITT And how could you possibly apply *science* to *magic*? WILLY Because magic's just a word people use to describe something they can't understand. MRS. DUWITT And you think cat magic will be explained scientifically some day? WILLY Probably not, no. MRS. DUWITT Then clearly, it's beyond science. WILLY (irritated) No, it's not! MRS. DUWITT You're not making any sense here, Willy. Willy, anticipating his mother's answers, talks faster than she can respond. WILLY Think about trying to teach calculus to a rat. You can't. Calculus is beyond a rat's comprehension. It's the same with what we're calling magic. It's something we can't understand, just like a rat can't understand calculus. That doesn't mean it transcends nature or science or whatever. It doesn't mean there isn't a scientific explanation. It just means our brains aren't capable of understanding that explanation -- so we *call* it magic instead. MRS. DUWITT (nodding) All right. But whatever you call it, what makes you think Jenny's is real and mine's not? WILLY Evidence. I've seen what it can do. I've seen it with my own eyes. I've never seen anything from yours except scribbles and crystals and potions. MRS. DUWITT So maybe you're just having trouble seeing what my own little brand of magic can do. WILLY And still, I wouldn't call your mysticism "magic." I ... Mrs. DuWitt looks at her son with a stern but loving look. MRS. DUWITT Try it? You're being so resistant. And I don't even think it's a conscious thing. You've just always charted your own course with these things. If I gave you a book -- one that helped me understand things -- would you read it? WILLY Sure, I guess. Mrs. DuWitt walks over to the living room bookshelf and takes down a purple book. She brings it to Willy and hands it to him. MRS. DUWITT (smiles) Thank you, Willy. WILLY (looking at the book) I'll read it, but I can't promise you anything. MRS. DUWITT I know. We can discuss it later. WILLY Thanks, Mom. Willy smiles a little as he walks upstairs to his bedroom. SCENE 3 - UAC HEADQUARTERS, GENUS Bucky enters the grand front doors of the building, seemingly preoccupied. He steals quick glances at the people passing him in the hallway as he walks toward the elevators. He enters an empty one, then swipes a passcard into a slot. With a ding, the elevator shoots up to the top floor of the building. Bucky exits the elevator a few dozen feet from the doorway that leads to the hallway before the Chairman's office. Bucky takes a deep breath, then begins striding in that direction. As he nears the doorway, FIRST MATE JENNY bursts through, seemingly out of nowhere. JENNY (irritated) There you are! I've been trying to call you! BUCKY (surprised) What? Why? JENNY Because we're on patrol in ten minutes. BUCKY What? (thinking) I thought Captain LaFleur was on patrol today. JENNY She was, until yesterday. Something came up, and she said you'd cover the patrol. BUCKY I ... what? JENNY According to Dogstar, Mimi said you owed it to her. BUCKY (confused) I don't have any idea what you're talking about. JENNY Well, that's too bad. We're still on patrol. Come on. Jenny grabs Bucky by the arm and tries to pull him back toward the elevator. BUCKY No, wait! I need to talk to Dogstar ... JENNY It can wait. You've got to meet your new engineer. BUCKY My new what? Bucky blinks, confused. BUCKY (thinking) SCENE 4 - WILLY'S BEDROOM, THE DUWITT RESIDENCE, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH Willy sits on his bed, talking into a new cell phone. He's having a conversation with JEFF BURTON. WILLY (into phone) Hey Jeff, what's up? JEFF (over phone) Hey, dude, sorry I haven't called. WILLY It's no problem. Are you, me, and Susie still on for the movie tonight? JEFF Ah, actually ... WILLY What? JEFF There's kind of a party going on. Last-minute thing. A buddy of ours is getting deployed, and we wanted to have a goodbye party. WILLY Oh. (beat, disappointed) Well, maybe some other time? JEFF I mean, you're welcome to come, Willy. WILLY Really? (thinks) I haven't been to a party in years. JEFF Then come to this one! Meet me at my place at nine, and we can head on over. WILLY (unsure) OK. Sounds good. See you then. Willy hangs up, pleasantly surprised by the conversation. WILLY Well, that's weird. Though it'll be good to meet new people, I guess. As Willy is thinking, he hears a beeping noise. He looks over at his desk, where a receiver the size of a deck of cards is blinking. WILLY Huh. I guess they need me for something. But we're not scheduled for patrol ... Willy walks up to the receiver and picks it up. WILLY I almost forgot about this thing. Willy turns around and looks to the door. WILLY I should probably tell Mom ... but I don't want her to worry. Besides, it's probably nothing big. Willy sets down the receiver, then walks over and closes the door to his bedroom. He steps up to the photon accelerator and activates it. With a low hum, the room turns dark. As if by reflex, Willy spins around and opens the door to the aniverse. SCENE 5 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Willy steps through his door and onboard The Righteous Indignation. AFC BLINKY and BRUISER are present in the main deck. Bruiser jumps slightly in surprise, while Blinky barely reacts. BLINKY Welcome aboard The Righteous Indignation, friend Willy. BRUISER Hey, Willy! Ain't seen ya inna while! WILLY Hey, guys. Good to see you, too. I guess you haven't heard? BRUISER Heard what? WILLY I'm engineer again. I asked Dogstar, and he said it was OK. It was just a couple days ago. BRUISER Aw, that's great! BLINKY Indeed! This humble android is pleased that you will be on ship with us again. And additionally, that self will no longer be breaking law by acting as engineer. WILLY (smiles) What are friends for, right? BRUISER (scratching his head) Ya know, I coulda swore I heard dat yer accelerator connected ya to that lab yer workin' in now. WILLY I found a way to split the connection frequency. I can link myself either to this photon accelerator or the one in my lab. BRUISER Oh. OK. GUNNER DEADEYE DUCK, having heard the commotion, bounds into the room. DEADEYE Ha hah! Willy, boy! Yer a sight fer a sore eye. Did I hear ye right? WILLY Yep, I'm back on board. DEADEYE (shaking Willy's hand) Well, if that ain't the best news I heard all week! WILLY It's good to be back, guys. Now, do any of you know why I just contacted? DEADEYE Yeah, Jenny told us just a few minutes ago. We got patrol today. WILLY Patrol? But I saw the schedule. We're not due for another week. DEADEYE (shrugs) Don't look at me, lad. Yer the one who's been talkin' to Dogstar. WILLY Hmm. Is Bucky here? BRUISER Nope. He must be wit' Jenny. WILLY I guess we'll ask them when they get here. After another minute of conversation, the group turns as they hear the hatch open. Jenny walks in, followed by a sullen Bucky. JENNY ... honestly, don't know what your problem is today. BUCKY I told you, we're not supposed to be on patrol! I have other things to take care of! JENNY I can't imagine what would be more important than helming your own ship. Bucky grumbles something, then turns to face his crew. BUCKY Deadeye. Bruiser. Blinky. Bucky walks up to Willy. He cranes his head upward, to try and look the human in the eyes. He can't; Willy is too tall. BUCKY You shouldn't be here. WILLY Well, tough. I am. BUCKY You quit. WILLY Well, I'm back. And I'm keeping an eye on you. I don't trust you. Bucky takes a quick step back and gets a wild look in his eyes. He blinks, and it's gone. He's calm again. BUCKY I'll deal with you later. (to Jenny) Come on. Let's get this over with. Jenny says nothing as she climbs the ladder to the cockpit. Bucky follows behind her. Willy, Deadeye, and Bruiser eye each other, uncomfortably. Blinky acts nonchalant, as usual. BRUISER Uh ... what was dat all about? WILLY Nothing. Don't worry about it. DEADEYE There ain't gonna be trouble between you an' the Cap'n, is there, Willy? WILLY Hopefully not more than there already is. DEADEYE (musing) Well, leave me out of it. I don't wanna hafta pick 'tween the two of ye. WILLY Just forget it. Let's focus on patrol. Everyone nods and assumes their stations. In the cockpit, Bucky takes his chair as Jenny begins starting up the ship. Bucky checks over the controls and readouts, only half paying attention. BUCKY What's our route today? JENNY Whatever Mimi's was. It's in the computer. BUCKY OK. The frigate takes off, leaving its dock on Orwell Station above Genus. The ship travels a few hundred miles, then takes off into hyperspace. SCENE 6 - COCKPIT, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION A few hours later, Bucky sits slumped in his chair, a terminally bored look on his face. BUCKY This is terrible. Nothing is even happening. Why are we here? JENNY You act like you've never been on patrol before. BUCKY (grumbles) I hate this. Silence returns to the air. Eventually, Jenny speaks again. JENNY Look. This might not be the best time, but I need to talk to you. About us. Bucky gets a look of near-disgust on his face. BUCKY You're right. This is not the time. I have a lot on my mind, and I don't have anything to say to you. Jenny bites her lower lip and nods. She stares back out into space, a stoic look on her face. JENNY (thinking) A few minutes later, the comm activates. WILLY (over comm) Hey guys. We're almost done, right? JENNY (into comm) Just another hour or so. WILLY Any chance I can go ahead and leave? I made plans for tonight before I knew about patrol. Blinky can take over. JENNY I guess that's fine. BUCKY What, he gets to leave? JENNY (ignoring Bucky) Hopefully, this won't happen again, and we can stick to schedule. WILLY Not likely, but it's cool. Good to fly with you guys again. I'll be in touch. JENNY Bye, Willy. A moment later, a flash emanates from the hatch leading down to the main bay, signaling the disappearance of Willy's door. Bucky jumps slightly with a start. JENNY What? BUCKY Just ... startled. JENNY (confused) Willy's door came and went for years. You go a few weeks without it, and now it's surprising? BUCKY Forget it. Jenny just shakes her head. Dozens more minutes pass in silence. Jenny notes the navigational path and speaks out loud. JENNY OK. Now we're just going to round past Sector Eighteen, and then we're done. BUCKY (blinking) Sector Eighteen? JENNY Yeah. It just got added to the patrol route recently. BUCKY But ... (thinking) ... there's no life in Sector Eighteen. JENNY Well, since the toads haven't been conquering inhabited planets lately, maybe they're lurking about in uninhabited sectors. BUCKY Maybe. Jenny works her console and scans the area. After a minute, the display starts blinking. JENNY Be careful what you wish for, I suppose. BUCKY What do you have? JENNY I'm definitely getting a toad signal. It's coming from the system straight ahead of us. BUCKY (closing his eyes) Well, let's go check it out. SCENE 7 - RESIDENTIAL AREA, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH Jeff's car pulls up along the side of the road and parks behind a row of about ten cars. Jeff parks the car and turns it off, then steps out of the car. Willy opens the passenger-side front door and also exits. They begin walking down the street. WILLY Is anyone I know gonna be here? JEFF Susie is. Maybe some other folks. Um ... Amanda Park? WILLY Nope. JEFF Gary Senentz? WILLY (thinks) Not ringing a bell. JEFF Well, then you'll just have to meet them. WILLY I dunno. I'm not good with people I don't know. JEFF I'll vouch for ya. Just grab a bite to eat and talk to people. Willy and Jeff approach one of the houses on the street. Three teenage guys are outside on the porch, sitting on rickety chairs at a rickety table. Two of them are drinking soda cans. JEFF What's up, guys? The three guys -- GREG, CHRIS, and PETER -- turn to Jeff. GREG Hey man, what's happening? Greg and Jeff exchange high-fives. JEFF Guys, this is my friend Willy. Willy, this is Greg, Chris, and Peter. WILLY (a bit sheepish) Hey. CHRIS What's up, man? Good to meet ya. JEFF Where's Bill? PETER Inside drowning his sorrows. JEFF He ships out Monday? PETER Yep. JEFF He OK with it? PETER Nope. JEFF Yeah, I'll go talk to him. Jeff walks toward the front door. WILLY (following) Seeya. Once Willy and Jeff are inside, Greg gets a puzzled look on his face. GREG Was that Weird Willy? CHRIS Who? GREG (shakes his head) Never mind. As Jeff and Willy walk through the front door, Willy has a realization. WILLY Drowning his sorrows ... is there beer here? JEFF Nah. Bill actually used to be good friends with Doug, but then he saw what drinking did to Doug. So Bill doesn't allow booze at his house parties. WILLY Wait, this guy was friends with Doug? JEFF (shrugs) So was I, once. We were kinda stupid back then. Only, Bill and I grew out of it. SCENE 8 - SECTOR EIGHTEEN The Righteous Indignation flies closer to one of the unnamed planets in this sector, the signal on Jenny's display growing ever brighter. BUCKY What are you getting? JENNY It's coming from that planet, whatever it is. (beat) It's definitely a toad signal, though it's hard to say what they're transmitting. The encryption scheme is a little off from what I'm used to. BUCKY Well ... let's go take care of it. (into comm) We've locked into a toad signal, everyone. Be ready. The frigate enters the atmosphere of the planet. The land before them is flat and gray-green, with no distinguishing landmarks. JENNY This is really out of the way, that's for sure. BUCKY No wonder we haven't picked up on it before. JENNY OK, I can follow the signal from here. Looks like it's due east. Jenny steers the Righteous to follow the signal. After a few minutes of tracing it, a small gray structure is visible on the distant horizon. JENNY That must be it. BUCKY It doesn't look very big. JENNY No, but it might extend underground. The hazy atmosphere obscures visibility less and less as the ship gets within a few miles of the toad structure. Bucky and Jenny are now able to make out that it's a blocky metal structure with fairly nondescript features. JENNY What is it? BUCKY I don't know. (studying the structure) Maybe either storage for a trade route, or just some general communications outpost. JENNY Do you think we should go in? BUCKY (thinking) It doesn't look like there are weapons anywhere. I say we just have Deadeye blast it and be done with it. JENNY Are you sure? We should probably investigate. BUCKY Just because we don't see any weapons now doesn't mean there aren't any. Shoot first and ask questions later. (into comm) Deadeye, you see that thing? DEADEYE (over comm) Yep! You want me t' fry th' roof off? BUCKY Go for it. As The Righteous Indignation swoops toward the structure, Deadeye gives the toad structure all the firepower he's got, scorching its outer surface on the first pass. Every maser blast hits its mark, and as the frigate swings past, most of the outer surface looks gutted. BUCKY That took out any communications they may have had. I think we're good. JENNY That's it? You don't want to go in? BUCKY We've got a recording of their signal, so we can decode that later. If it's a communications outpost, they're no real threat. If it's a weapons stockpile, then it's the last place we want to be. (beat) I'm not walking into a trap. JENNY You live for traps! Bucky, what is wrong with you? BUCKY What? We torched the building! It's fine! Jenny just looks at Bucky, dumbfounded. JENNY Fine. You can stay on the ship, with whatever's eating you. The rest of us are going in. (over comm) All hands, prepare to investigate that toad structure. I'm bringing the ship in. Bucky starts to protest but can't get an argument in. BUCKY Fine! You want to raid that building, we'll raid that building. SCENE 9 - BILL'S HOUSE, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH Willy and Jeff walk into the kitchen, where three guys and two girls are standing in front of a table, chatting. Jeff walks up to the table and grabs two plastic cups. JEFF You want anything, Willy? WILLY Water's fine, thanks. Jeff hands Willy a cup. JEFF You can find the sink yourself. Jeff heads off to the backyard to look for Bill. Willy walks up to the sink and pours himself a cup of water. He looks around the room, feeling awkward. The five people at the table don't seem to have noticed him. Willy steps out of the kitchen and into the living room. The first person he sees is BILL, a scraggly teenager with a day of stubble and a short-cropped haircut. He's wearing military fatigues. Bill doesn't seem to be paying attention to the party; instead, he's throwing darts at a dartboard, retrieving them, and throwing them again. Willy gives Bill another look-over before walking up to him. WILLY You Bill? BILL (throwing a dart) Yeah. WILLY You all right? BILL Nope. Willy just watches as Bill throws a few more darts. BILL What, you wanna play? WILLY (shrugs) I'll give it a try. Bill, glum but not rude, hands Willy the darts. Willy takes his position, squints, aims, and throws the first dart. It hits the bull's- eye. Willy throws another dart that lands barely off-center. The third dart also hits the bull's-eye. BILL Damn. Nice aim. WILLY (retrieving the darts) A guy named Deadeye taught me. (beat) So you're headed to basic training tomorrow? BILL That obvious, huh? WILLY Well, you're wearing the uniform. BILL Heh. Yeah. I'm trying to get comfortable in them. WILLY It's gonna take more than a day. BILL (tugs on his uniform) Yeah. WILLY (handing Bill the darts) Why are you doing this? BILL What, the army? Money, man. I gotta support myself somehow. WILLY Can't argue with that. But there's plenty of ways to make money. What made you pick this one? BILL (throwing the darts) Seemed like a good idea. See the world, serve my country. But now ... now, I'm not so sure. WILLY Well, I'm just going to tell you one thing: Find a reason. BILL Huh? WILLY You're gonna be miles from home, getting shot at or who knows what else. You're gonna make some friends, but you've got to learn that you're the only person you can rely on. And if you're not doing this for a reason -- a good reason that deep down really means something to you -- then don't do it. The worst thing in the world is to get shot at for no good reason. Bill just stares at Willy, dumbfounded. BILL Kid, how old are you? WILLY Sixteen. Why? BILL Where the heck is all this crap coming from? You sound like you've already been in a war or something. WILLY You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Willy grabs the darts out of the board and throws them again. He doesn't do as well as his first throws, but he still gets close to the bull's-eye all three times. WILLY Don't lose yourself in this. You're all you've got. Bill just blinks. A moment later, Jeff steps in the room, his cup half full of soda. JEFF Bill! What's up, man? BILL Jeff, hey, thanks for making it. JEFF No way I was gonna miss this. I see you met Willy. BILL We, uh, didn't get introduced. Bill offers his hand, which Willy shakes. WILLY Willy. BILL Good to meet ya. (to Jeff) This kid with you? He's kicking my ass at darts. JEFF Huh. I wouldn't have guessed that. (to Willy) Come on out back. Susie's there. WILLY OK. Be right there. Willy turns around and looks Bill in the eyes. WILLY Good luck. BILL (blinks) Thanks. JEFF (calling) Catch up with you in a minute, Bill. Willy follows Jeff out back. Bill just stands still for a moment, turning the conversation over in his head. SCENE 10 - TOAD STRUCTURE, UNNAMED PLANET Jenny lands The Righteous Indignation just in front of the apparent entrance to the toad structure. Without saying a word to Bucky, she climbs down the cockpit and sets foot in the main bay. Bucky stews silently for a moment, then follows. In the main bay, Jenny puts on her space helmet; Deadeye and Bruiser already have theirs on. Bucky looks around for a moment, then grabs the only remaining helmet from the storage bin. He puts it on and fiddles with the internal comm. BUCKY OK. Let's go check it out. Jenny opens the hatch and exits the ship, the rest of the crew behind her. The main entrance to the structure is a thick metal door. Bucky walks up to the keypad on the wall and inspects it. BUCKY This needs a code. Blinky, you think you can crack this? JENNY Oh, no. Blinky's not getting attached to any more toad machines. Bruiser, you got this? BRUISER (pulling out a grenade) No problem! Bruiser activates the grenade and places it next to the door. BRUISER (running away) Take cover! Everyone gets clear of the grenade, which goes off a few seconds later. When the smoke clears, the doors have been blown wide open. DEADEYE Nice one, matey! BUCKY Good work. (peering through the hole) Let's check it out. Bucky takes the lead and enters the structure first. Jenny is right behind him, with Deadeye, Bruiser, and Blinky trailing behind. The structure's main room is small and nondescript. The walls are made of metal glistening a sickeningly pale green. Holes in the ceiling and the upper portion of the walls let in weak sunlight. No life can be seen. Each of the four walls has a door, counting the one the crew just blew their way through. BUCKY Nothing so far. BRUISER I betcha there's toads somewhere! I can practically smell 'em! BUCKY (concerned) Probably. Well, we've got three doors to choose from. Any votes? JENNY Let's go straight. Easier to backtrack that way. Bucky pauses and thinks for a moment. BUCKY Can't argue with that. The crew approaches the door, which was damaged by Deadeye's maser fire from earlier. They enter the room, which is dimly lit compared to the previous one. This room took a lot of damage from the Righteous's assault. Most of it is littered with metallic debris and hunks of concrete, though a few computer terminals still stand, deactivated. JENNY What is this place? Blinky walks up to one of the computer terminals. BLINKY Computers inactive. Blinky looks over the machine, then observes the contents of the tables adjoining it. He spies various components of disassembled guns and various types of energy ammunition packs. BLINKY Identifiable objects indicate this building is a toad science laboratory involved in the development and manufacture of new weaponry. Blinky's shoulder is suddenly singed by a burst of plasma fire. BLINKY Alert! Alert! Danger! Danger! A huge volley of plasma fire bursts out from several points in the large mass of twisted, wrecked metal on the other side of the room. Bucky, Jenny, Bruiser, Deadeye, and Blinky quickly take cover. JENNY It was a trap! BUCKY No, we just didn't get them all the first time! The plasma fire keeps coming, thick and continuous. DEADEYE Shiver me timbers! I don't think I can even get a shot in. BUCKY Let's get out of here the way we came! In response, a blast door comes down, sealing off the only way out of the room. Bucky's face flares in anger at this. BUCKY No! JENNY They've got to run out of firepower eventually. BUCKY (intense) This is new weaponry! We can't count on that! We've got to take them out! DEADEYE Bruiser, think ye can toss them a surprise? BRUISER I guess I can try ... Bruiser picks out another grenade, activates it, and prepares to throw it. BUCKY No, wait! Before he can respond to Bucky, Bruiser throws the grenade toward the toad fire. Several plasma blasts strike it during its path, quickly destroying its outer casing. The grenade explodes only a few feet from the mammals. While their cover takes the brunt of the blast, the shockwave knocks Bruiser down and Deadeye unconscious. BLINKY Calamity and woe! BUCKY Argh! Dammit! Incensed, Bucky fires up both his maser pistols. He waits for only a moment. The toad plasma fire has died down in response to the unexpected explosion. Bucky takes the opportunity to leap from his hiding spot and run toward the structure, maser blasts blazing. BUCKY Argh! Bucky's shots, seemingly wild at first, hit their targets. Most of the toads had chosen to peer out of their hiding places after the explosion, and Bucky mows them down before they can react. The few left standing duck, startled. Bucky shoots near where they were, destroying their makeshift cover even further and, in places, making it collapse on them. By the time Bucky has approached the toads' hiding place, not a one is still shooting at him. BUCKY (furious) That's what you get! That's what you get for doing this to me! Jenny, wide-eyed, observes Bucky from across the room. Her look is a mixture of awe and fear. Bucky, breathing heavily, slowly calms down. Realizing that Jenny witnessed his outburst, he turns around, an apologetic look on his face. BUCKY (panting) I ... I don't know what came over me there. JENNY (stunned) It's ... it's OK, Bucky. Bucky approaches Jenny. BUCKY (sullen) Uh ... is everyone OK? Jenny gets up and tends to Deadeye. JENNY Deadeye is out cold but doesn't seem hurt. Bruiser, are you all right? BRUISER (a bit stunned) Yeah. Sorry 'bout dat. JENNY Don't worry about it. Can you carry Deadeye back to the ship? BRUISER (standing up) Sure. Bruiser takes Deadeye in his arms. Noticing that the grenade blast from earlier blew a hole in the wall, Bruiser steps through it and works his way toward the Righteous. Blinky follows behind him. Bucky approaches Jenny. BUCKY Are you all right? JENNY (concerned) Fine. I'm fine. Let's just get out of here. Dogstar can send in a team of investigators later. Jenny walks briskly back to the ship, alone. Bucky stands by himself for a moment, looking at the ruined room. He casts a glance back toward the rubble containing the dead and dying toads he slaughtered. He closes his eyes for a minute and tries to achieve peace. None comes. Back on the frigate, Jenny climbs into the cockpit and prepares to blast off. She watches Bucky exit the building and waits until he has climbed aboard before she takes off. JENNY (thinking) (beat) SCENE 11 - BILL'S HOUSE, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH Willy follows Jeff outside and steps foot onto the porch. Three people are sitting and talking as they lean on the railing. One of the guys is holding a flask; the other two people have soda cans. Willy glances their way and recognizes SUSIE. WILLY (walking up) Hey, Susie. Susie turns to Willy and smiles as she recognizes him. SUSIE There you are! Susie gets up and gives Willy a hug, which he wasn't expecting. SUSIE Jeff told me you guys got here like twenty minutes ago. WILLY Something like that. SUSIE And you didn't come say hi to me immediately? I'm hurt! WILLY Uh ... SUSIE (grins) Kidding. You are still such a dweeb, you know that? WILLY I've been called worse. SUSIE So have I. C'mon, sit down. Susie sits down a few feet away from the people she was talking to earlier. Willy sits down next to her as Jeff goes and talks to the others. SUSIE So spill. We didn't really get to catch up at the reunion. What have you been up to since middle school? WILLY Oh, you know ... stuff. Still working hard in school. Got a job on a ship. SUSIE A ship? What kind of ship? Willy pauses. WILLY Just a pleasure cruiser. I'm their engineer. It's pretty low- maintenance equipment, but it's fun to work with. SUSIE Ah. (beat) I was thinking maybe like a military ship or something. I was wondering what made you stand up to Doug like that. WILLY (thinking) Well, most of the crew on the ship was in the military. I guess I picked up the vibe from them. SUSIE Well, you could talk to Bill about it. He's heading off tomorrow. WILLY Yeah, we already chatted. Seems like a decent guy. It's too bad he's gonna get caught in this mess he doesn't care about. SUSIE (taking a sip) That sounds like life right there. (beat) You enjoying the party? Having a good time? WILLY I guess. I don't really know anyone besides you and Jeff, so it's kind of weird. SUSIE You said you talked to Bill, though. WILLY Yeah, but that just kind of happened. I'm pretty awkward around people I don't know. SUSIE (teasing) Don't kid yourself, Willy. You're pretty awkward around people you *do* know, too. WILLY Hah. What was your first clue? SUSIE Probably that dance in middle school. WILLY (covers his eyes) Oh, God. You remember that? SUSIE Barely. My mom drove us both there, we got some punch, and then we kinda stared at each other all night. WILLY To be fair, pretty much everyone was just standing on the walls, not talking to anyone. SUSIE Yeah, but you raised it to an art form. WILLY Geez, enough about me. What have you been up to? SUSIE (shrugs) Just growing up. Taking things as they come. WILLY Well ... how are your folks? SUSIE (looking away briefly) My dad died last year. My mom didn't take it well. WILLY Oh, geez. I'm sorry. SUSIE Hey, not your fault. You're just keeping the conversation going. (beat) I don't have anything much to say. Typical high school crap. Made some bad decisions, made some good decisions. Trying to decide whether to go to college next year. WILLY What? Why wouldn't you go to college? SUSIE (shrugs) Not sure if it's right for me. (smiles) I guess I shouldn't say that around you though, right? You probably already have a college degree, knowing you. WILLY Uh, no. I'm trying to figure the college thing out, too. Not sure where I want to go. SUSIE Who have you narrowed it down to, Harvard and Yale? WILLY MIT and CalTech, actually. SUSIE Ah, that sounds right. At least CalTech wouldn't be far. I mean, if I go to college, I would want to go someplace new, someplace exciting ... but I really don't know if I want to leave my friends and family all behind. WILLY Hmm. That's a good point. SUSIE A good point? You sound like you haven't thought about it. (looks at Willy) Please tell me you've got some friends, Willy. WILLY I mean ... you and Jeff are my friends. SUSIE We bumped into each other like a month ago. Who have you been hanging out with all this time? WILLY Mostly just the folks at work. SUSIE The ex-military ship people? Nobody your age? WILLY I ... I can't really think of anyone. SUSIE (a bit sad) Aw, Willy. I really hoped you'd grown out of your shell a bit and made some friends when we all changed schools. Nobody? WILLY I've known my friend Scott for about half a year, but other than that ... SUSIE Well, damn, Willy. Not a single friend? How about a girl? WILLY What? SUSIE Have you had a girlfriend or anything? WILLY (gives Susie a look) Do I look like the kind of guy a girl would be interested in? SUSIE The right kind of girl, sure. There's got to be some nerd chicks at your school. (beat) Seriously, no girl has ever made a pass at you? Willy tenses up. WILLY Once. It was ... she ... she wasn't my type. SUSIE Well then, what is your type? WILLY (looks away) I dunno. I never really gave it much thought. (beat) *You're* not coming on to me, are you? SUSIE (laughs) You're way too much of a dweeb for me, sorry. WILLY OK, good. I wanted to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting this conversation. Willy and Susie just look at each other for a moment, awkwardly. A mischievous smile spreads across Susie's lips. SUSIE Well, now I can dare you. WILLY Dare me? SUSIE Dare you to meet a girl. WILLY I ... I dunno. I've got too much on my plate right now. You said it yourself -- I don't even have any friends yet. SUSIE Hey now. I said you *didn't* have any. You do now. Me and Jeff. And this Scott kid. We're your friends. WILLY (thinking) Yeah, I guess you're right. SUSIE (calling) Hey Jeff, get over here! Jeff excuses himself from the other group and comes over. JEFF Hey. You guys made wedding plans yet? Susie kicks at Jeff playfully. SUSIE Sit down. Willy here says he doesn't have any friends. JEFF That's not true. WILLY Hey, I said you were right, Susie. SUSIE Damn straight I'm right. You've got two friends right here. We got your back. Willy turns this over in his mind. He knows it's still something new -- it's not like he's spent years forming friendships with Jeff and Susie. But still, it's something. He thinks about Scott as well, realizing he's got friends from multiple different walks of life. Willy reflects for a minute. For the first time he can think of, he feels like he belongs with kids his own age. The feeling comforts him more than it confuses him. He smiles his goofy grin. Almost imperceptibly, the hairs on Willy's head all raise slightly, as if exposed to a minute burst of static electricity. SCENE 12 - BUCKY'S APARTMENT, GENUS Bucky trudges into his apartment, dragging his feet. He swings the door closed halfheartedly, lost in thought. As he walks through the kitchen, his stomach rumbles. He glances at the food cabinets but doesn't open them. Instead, he proceeds to the bathroom, where he grips the sink with his paws and stares at his reflection. BUCKY (out loud) I can't believe I lost it like that. (beat) That was stupid. That was really stupid. Bucky shakes his head. Tired, he glances at himself again, with sunken eyes. BUCKY It's late. He might not even be there anymore. (beat) No. I've got to do this. I can do this. I know I can. Bucky's expression changes to one of worry. BUCKY I don't even recognize myself anymore. Slowly, Bucky steps into his living room. Taking a deep breath, he visibly steels himself before leaving the apartment. SCENE 13 - UAC HEADQUARTERS, GENUS It's late in the evening, and few people are milling about. Bucky walks toward Dogstar's office. At the entrance of the long hallway, two SECURITY GUARDS block the entrance. BUCKY Hey. GUARD #1 Captain O'Hare. Is Dogstar expecting you? BUCKY I don't think so. I just needed to talk to him for a bit about today's patrol. Is he even in? GUARD #2 He is. Did you call ahead? BUCKY (shrugs) Can't find my comm. Can you call him? The first guard activates his comm. GUARD #1 (into comm) Chairman, it's Captain O'Hare to see you, sir. DOGSTAR (over comm) Hmm. Let him in. GUARD #1 Yes, sir. (to Bucky) You're clear to enter. BUCKY Thanks. The guards step aside. Bucky stands still in front of the locked door. BUCKY What, you're not gonna open it for me? GUARD #2 (blinking) Uh, sure. The guard enters a code, and the door swings open. Bucky steps through and walks down a short hallway, showing pictures of all the former UAC chairmen. The door slides shut behind them. Bucky steps into the room where Claire Sheffield's unoccupied desk is. The door to the Chairman's office is cracked open. BUCKY (calling) Dogstar? DOGSTAR Captain O'Hare. Come in, I suppose. Bucky opens the door and steps inside. CHAIRMAN SIRIUS DOGSTAR sits at his desk, holding a file of papers. DOGSTAR Your unannounced visits are becoming irksome, I must admit. BUCKY I just needed to tell you something. DOGSTAR About today's patrol, I imagine? In response, Bucky pulls out his maser pistol and points it at Dogstar. The bulldog's eyes go wide. BUCKY You deserve this. Bucky fires, hitting Dogstar in the chest. The startled bulldog doesn't have time to respond before Bucky fires again, hitting him in the shoulder. Dogstar's face is frozen in confusion and fear. With the little strength he still has, he tries to rise from his chair. Instead, he falls on the ground, landing on his stomach. Bucky steps around the desk and approaches Dogstar's fallen body. Without a word, he fires twice at the back of Dogstar's head, scorching holes straight through. Dogstar twitches, then ceases to move. Bucky sneers. As he walks away from the body, he moves to holster his blaster, then looks up to see the room's security camera pointed at him. Bucky raises his blaster and shoots the camera, which explodes in a shower of sparks. Bucky then puts away his weapon and walks calmly out of the room, shutting the door behind him. TO BE CONTINUED