"Fallen" Part 2 by Aaron Halsted Edited by DJ Clawson, Fero McPiglet, Claudia Carranza, Dawvitch Night- Fall, and Rygar SCENE 1 - OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL, GENUS On the roof of the hospital, DALLION is still leering at BRIAN and TOMMY. Dallion is still staring down the Aldebaran males. The two felines prepare themselves for the fight of their lives. Dallion stalks them and slashes out. They sidestep him and coordinate a double back wheel kick. Dallion leaps forward, avoiding the kicks, and then answers with one of his own. This sort of sparring goes on for a while, with neither feline given the chance to activate their spell gems and have magic enter the fight. After a while, all three fighters are breathing heavier. They step back a moment to assess their situation. DALLION Before I destroy you, tell me who sent you and who else is in your scheme to kill Willy! TOMMY (outrage clear on his face) Kill him?! We're trying to help him! DALLION (doubt filling his voice) I have been monitoring the others in your group. I have no reason to believe you. Now you die. Dallion throws himself at Brian. Brian is caught unprepared and is slammed against an air-conditioning unit, knocked out cold. Dallion then turns to Tommy. Tommy's face shows anxiety for his friend and anger toward the monstrosity that caused Brian's injuries. Tommy lunges at Dallion. Both combatants get hits through the other's defense, but neither will go down. Dallion has his armor protecting him from most of the blows, while Tommy is running on adrenaline and doesn't feel the scratches on his body or the loss of blood. They continue to battle until Tommy's body cannot take any more. He collapses, just at the end of consciousness. Dallion looks at his opponent and then pulls out some pipes from the roof and uses them to tie up the two felines. When he is done, he examines his work. DALLION (to himself) These felines are some of the best fighters I have seen. These must have been the assassins Warner was talking about. Perhaps it would be of more benefit if I kept them alive for questioning. A faint noise is heard coming from the hospital. Dallion's sensitive hearing picks it up. DALLION A diversion! I have left Willy unguarded! Dallion ignites his jetpack and then flies over the side of the roof. Brian begins to regain consciousness, moaning slightly. As Brian regains his senses, he notices that all four of his limbs are tied together by a piece of metal. He then hears Tommy's moans and locates his friend. He turns pale and looks away. Tommy is bleeding everywhere. Brian senses the use of some magic close by and figures he can get away with some magic of his own. The metal pipe glows slightly, then turns brittle and shatters. Brian sits up, rubbing his wrists and ankles to return circulation. Then he crawls over to Tommy, as his legs cannot support his weight. Upon reaching Tommy, he sees that his friend needs immediate attention. Brian calms down and casts the healing spell. Tommy's wounds close up, and color returns to his face. Then Brian turns the pipe restraining Tommy brittle and shatters it. Tommy is still moaning, and he then loses consciousness. Brian checks his vitals and sees that they are regular and strong. Giving Tommy a quick look-over with his magic, he realizes that Tommy just needs to rest after the intense healing he went through. Suddenly, Brian senses the use of a great deal of magic below him. BRIAN (to himself) Our "friend" seemed to think we were here to kill Willy. Now it feels like someone is fighting Assassin Sisters. I'll bet that our friend is currently engaged. Tommy here is not going anywhere, and I still need those delvings from Willy. (sighs) Well, no rest for the weary. Brian runs to the end of the building and looks down. He sees flashes of light from ENGINEER WILLY DUWITT's room, which has a busted window. Brian scales down the wall until he comes to the window. What he sees inside shocks him. SCENE 2 - WILLY'S ROOM, HOSPITAL, GENUS Two shadows open the door to Willy's room. Outside the door, the glimpse of two guards is barely visible, sprawled on the floor. They are not moving. One of the shadows steps outside, where it picks up the two guards and stands them up so that they appear to still be alert and guarding. Then, the door is shut. VOICE #1 (whispering) Get your readings from this male before we do what must be done -- what should have been done. The second shadow nods and then moves over Willy. A hint of light reveals that these are Aldebarans -- Assassin SISTERS, most likely. Willy starts thrashing around as the Assassin Sister places her paw on his forehead. The other Sister moves over and physically holds down Willy, keeping him in place. The second Assassin then places her palm on Willy's forehead again and goes into a trance. Soon, the Sister comes out of her trance. SISTER #2 (whispers) I have all the information I can get from this male. Let's kill him and be on our way. The first Sister draws a blaster and levels it at Willy's head. To the sound of breaking glass, Dallion bursts through the open window and slaps the blaster out of the Assassin's paw and into a dark corner of the room. The two Sisters turn and face their target. They are not intimidated by Dallion's size or his cybernetics. They move silently as they strike out with their magic, their spell gems glowing. Dallion dodges the magic bolts they level at him. He leaps toward one of the assassins and swipes with his claws. The Assassin nimbly jumps backward. Dallion then barely ducks out of the way of a spell from the other Sister. DALLION (thinking) (out loud) What are you doing here? This room has been restricted by order of the Chairman. SISTER #1 (practically spits) We do not take orders from one of those regens. And we are here to fulfill our orders and eliminate this male who walks around, flaunting his magic. DALLION (thinking) (out loud) I have already taken out two of your comrades. Give up now, and I will allow you to leave here with your skin intact. SISTER #2 (glances at the other Sister) Comrades? The other Sister shrugs lightly. SISTER #2 What comrades? BRIAN (jumping through the broken glass) Me. Brian fires a magic bolt at one of the sisters, taking her completely by surprise and knocking her across the room. SISTER #1 A male! (growls) Prepare to die. Brian neatly sidesteps the rage-induced attack. BRIAN (to Dallion) Now do you believe me? Dallion leaps over Willy and lashes out with his claws at the Sister that is sprawled against the wall from Brian's attack. His claws come back bloody. DALLION (growling) Talk later. The unlikely duo of Brian and Dallion square off against the remaining Sister. Although the numbers are two against one, both Brian and Dallion are tired from their previous battle, so the fight is just about even. The battle rages back and forth until Brian fires a magic blast to the assassin's left side. As the assassin leaps aside, she runs into Dallion's claws. She takes in a short gasp of air in surprise, and then her eyes cloud with death. She slides off of Dallion's claws into a heap on the floor. Dallion then turns and eyes Brian as Brian begins eyeing him. The tension in the air begins to thicken. A moan from the other assassin breaks the tension as both combatants turn to her. She begins to stand up, but then slips down into a sitting position again. They both rush to her. BRIAN (taking her spell gems, over her weak protests) I see that you left one of them alive for questioning. However, I have to heal her so that she can live to answer them. Without waiting for approval from Dallion, Brian activates the healing spell once again. The Sister slowly comes awake. As she wakes up, Brian removes her spell gems and then starts an Anti-Magic Shell spell. Soon, the assassin shakes off her drowsiness. As she sees her enemies staring at her, she growls deep in her throat. As she starts to get up, she discovers that she has been tied down by Dallion as Brian casts the spell. She glares at her captors. DALLION (turning on Brian) Now that that distraction has been taken care of, you still have not proven to me why you are here. BRIAN (turns toward Dallion) I'm here to look over Willy to discover some part of what has happened to him. I did not come here to kill him. (points to the dead Sister) Besides, you saw her reaction to me. Let me look at Willy. I might be able to help him. DALLION (readying himself for battle) I could also conclude that this has all been a hoax just to let down my guard. However, since no one knew about me being here, I will allow you two minutes to study Willy. However, I am going to be watching him closely, and if I detect in change in his condition for the worse, you will not see the sun rise. BRIAN (shakes his head) If that's the best you'll give me, then I'll take it. Brian walks over to Willy and goes into a trance. Dallion moves so that Brian is within striking distance and then watches the monitors that were miraculously untouched in the battle. He then looks toward Willy as his right eye takes on a red glow. Dallion's electronic eye focuses on Willy. Its readings flash between many modes of view, including body heat, blood circulation, and oxygen in the lungs. After two minutes, Brian starts waking from his coma, and Dallion stands next to him. BRIAN (eyes wide) If I had all the time in the world, I couldn't think of a better way to neutralize someone ourselves. I must get these findings back to Tommy. If you will excuse me, I am going to collect my partner and then leave. (turns to leave, then stops) By the way, what is your name? DALLION (suspiciously) Why do you want to know that? BRIAN Just for my own knowledge. My name is Brian. DALLION Dallion. BRIAN You could be a good ally for us. DALLION How do you figure that? BRIAN You are not afraid of us or of our magic, and you can hold your own in a fight. I would like to talk more to you, but the sun is due to come up in about an hour, and I need to not be here. But first ... Brian walks over to the Assassin Sister and places a paw on her forehead. BRIAN (gathering his power) Forget. (removes his paw) Now she can't tell anyone what she saw. Now I say, adieu. Brian walks to the window and starts climbing. After he leaves, Dallion's keen senses hear the sounds of many footsteps. DALLION (activating his cloaking device) That is my cue to leave as well. Dallion gives Willy a quick glance, then jumps out the window and activates his jet pack. Back in the room, the security force that was mobilized by the sounds of the disturbance enter Willy's room to find Willy untouched, much of the room trashed, and two Aldebarans, one breathing and one not. SCENE 3 - VIP QUARTERS, GENUS The next day, the QUEEN OF ALDEBARAN is sipping some tea when there is the sound of a disturbance outside her sitting room. Suddenly, the door swings open with a bang, and CHAIRMAN FRITZ WARNER, with CAPTAIN BUCKY O'HARE and the remains of his crew, barges in. The crew's faces show that they are restraining their anger. QUEEN (setting down her cup and standing to face the interlopers) Chairman! What is the meaning of this? Fritz hands a folder to the Queen. FRITZ (his face showing no anger) Earlier this morning, a security detail assigned to the hospital was alerted to the sounds of fighting in Willy's room. When they arrived, they found my guards knocked out and Willy's room trashed. QUEEN (sudden fear in her voice, quickly covered) What about Willy? BUCKY (livid) Fortunately, he was unharmed. However, we discovered two Aldebarans in his room. One was dead, and the other was restrained. Both of them were part of your escort. QUEEN (thinking) (out loud) What happened? How did they get there? Where are they now? FRITZ (calmly) It appears that the two got to the guards by stating that a last-minute inspiration had hit them and there was no time for a proper escort. That apparently fooled the standard guards at the hospital, but I'm guessing it didn't work for my guards. They were then knocked out cold and left standing like nothing happened. (beat) The next thing we know is that the two entered Willy's room, a fight broke out between them and someone else, and one of your subjects was killed. The other was left bound and had no memory of what had happened. All the details we can find are in that report. As to where they are now, the dead Sister is in the hospital's morgue, and the other is being held in jail, for now. QUEEN This is terrible. I must see them both right away. FRITZ Already arranged. After you. QUEEN Please wait outside for me. Fritz, Bucky, and his crew turn and leave the Queen to contemplate what her next move should be. The Queen rises and walks into her bedroom. She sits down on her bed and closes her eyes. QUEEN (thinking) (calling with her mind) There is a long pause. QUEEN Still there is nothing. Concern crosses the Queen's face. TOMMY (weakly) QUEEN (relieved) TOMMY QUEEN TOMMY QUEEN TOMMY QUEEN TOMMY QUEEN (angered) (pauses with a deep breath) TOMMY QUEEN SCENE 4 - HOSPITAL, GENUS Later, the Queen is standing at the foot of the bed that holds the living Assassin Sister. There are two armed GUARDS standing by the door to the room. QUEEN (to the guards) You may leave us now. GUARD #1 But Majesty, we have explicit instructions from the Chairman not to let the prisoner out of our sights. QUEEN There is nothing to worry about. If the need arises, I will call you. Now you can wait outside the door. GUARDS #1 and #2 (in unison) Yes, Your Majesty. The two guards exit the room and shut the door. QUEEN (to herself) Now that that is taken care of ... (turns to the Assassin Sister) What is going on here? ASSASSIN We were following our moral and ethical imperative to slay the Abomination. However, I have failed. QUEEN That you did. Now how is it that you ended up in this predicament? ASSASSIN I don't remember. QUEEN (to herself) Someone must have tampered with her memory. (out loud) You are hereby ordered to return to Aldebaran as soon as you are well. I will make the arrangements with Genus Security. ASSASSIN Yes, my Queen. The Queen turns and leaves. The two guards reenter the room. SCENE 5 - HOSPITAL, GENUS The Queen, along with Fritz and her escorts, enter into the morgue. The gecko MORTICIAN approaches and greets them. MORTICIAN Chairman Warner, I suppose that you wish to see the body of that Aldebaran that was found in your engineer's room. FRITZ Exactly; please take us to it. The mortician leads the group over to the storage freezers where the bodies are kept. MORTICIAN If anyone has a weak stomach, I suggest that you turn away. This one didn't die comfortably. The good thing is that we were able to place her in here before she began to decompose and take on a rather unpleasant aroma. FRITZ Thanks for the details. Just bring the body out, please. MORTICIAN Just trying to warn everyone, Chairman. The mortician steps over to one of the freezer doors and presses a few buttons. After a moment, the small door lowers down, and a table with a covering sheet comes out of the freezer. MORTICIAN Here it is. The mortician grabs the end of the sheet and pulls it down to expose the lifeless face of the Aldebaran. As he continues to pull, the destroyed chest of the Assassin is revealed. The Queen's eyes widen for a moment, then shut tight as she grits her teeth. Her ESCORTS appear to be angered at the sight of their fallen fellow Aldebaran. FRITZ (thinking) MORTICIAN As you can see, the cause of death was a vicious blow to the chest. There are no other areas of damage to her body. It appears as if she was stabbed to death many times. Her heart and lungs are punctured, and her ribs are shattered. One stab even made its way to her spine. QUEEN (opening her eyes) Leave us for a few moments, please. MORTICIAN (hesitant) I can't just leave anyone in here ... FRITZ (interrupting and grabbing the mortician's arm) It's all right. Just give them a few minutes. Aldebaran ceremonial traditions. They have a right to it. MORTICIAN I guess I can allow that, if it's religious. Fritz and the mortician leave. Once they have done so, the Queen turns to her slain subject. QUEEN I must see her final thoughts. Since the other has absolutely no memories to see, this is our only link to what happened last night. Make sure that no one enters into this room. ESCORT #1 Yes, my Queen. The Queen places a bare palm onto the forehead of the body and then closes her eyes. The Queen sees through the eyes of the dead Aldebaran as she moves down a hallway. A paw comes up, and a bolt of magical energy projects from its fingers and strikes a person at the end of the hallway. She quickly moves up to see that it was the guard outside of Willy's room. She then slowly opens the door as, from the side, the other Aldebaran Assassin Sister comes into view and stands up the guard like a mannequin. They both enter, and the door is closed behind them as they move up to Willy's bed. The Queen sees a paw placed onto Willy's forehead. QUEEN (voiceover) So, you were the one who got to examine Willy. Let us see how much of him you examined. A few moments pass, then the Aldebaran pulls her arm out of view. QUEEN (voiceover) Excellent, you completed a full delving. This is valuable information. The other Aldebaran comes into view pointing a blaster at Willy. QUEEN (voiceover) So, now he is worthless to you. You chose to assassinate him, but where is your opponent? Who stopped you? Suddenly, a massive blur wisps by, knocking the blaster out of the assassin's grip. QUEEN (voiceover) By the stars, what was that? The Queen's sight turns to focus on Dallion just as bolts of magic are hurled at him. QUEEN (voiceover, alarmed) What is this monstrosity? Who are you? Are you the one who wrongfully attacked my son? The Queen notices the faint symbol on Dallion's right ear. She recognizes it as belonging to the Toad Empire. QUEEN (voiceover) A soldier from the toads sent here? I don't understand ... The Queen pauses in thought for a moment. QUEEN (voiceover) Wait. Could it be? Is this the Luporian that Jenny spoke of? Through the Queen's eyes, the Aldebaran jumps to the side as a bolt of magic is thrown from Dallion's location to the other assassin. Brian then comes into view. QUEEN (voiceover) So, Brian was a part of this fight as well. He doesn't seem well. (bear) Ah, the fight he had with this Luporian earlier, along with my son. Dallion leaps over the bed and takes down the other Assassin Sister. Brian casts magical blasts toward the Aldebaran. Blasts are cast back and forth as quickly as they are dodged. Suddenly, the Queen effectively watches herself jump to dodge a blast, only to be impaled on Dallion's claws. In the morgue, the Queen's eyes flare open as she pulls her arms across her chest and drops to her knees. She is breathing and sweating heavily. One of her escorts runs up to assist her. ESCORT #1 My Queen, are you all right? QUEEN (somewhat out of breath) Ye ... yes. ESCORT #2 What did you see? QUEEN Something big ... something dangerous. ESCORT #1 Is it what has killed and injured our kind? QUEEN Yes, but that is not our concern right now. Time is short, and I believe that I have the information I need to prevent another death. (getting to her feet again) We must see to Jenny immediately. I understand now what has to be done. (beat) I just don't know how to do it. SCENE 6 - FRITZ'S SUITE, GENUS The door to the suite opens, and Fritz enters. He notices that in the back of the room, Dallion is kneeling beside a potted plant. He appears to be closely examining it. FRITZ Well, I guess it's safe to say you made some friends last night. DALLION (not looking up to Fritz) Your humor doesn't amuse me. FRITZ (ignoring it) Have you found anything that can help out in this situation? DALLION (silently) No. FRITZ If this was many years ago, back before the toads changed you, could you have done something? DALLION Yes. FRITZ What could you have done, exactly? DALLION (still looking at the plant) I could have reached out into the very energies of nature -- drawing upon that power to form a concentrated force of life-giving energy. (caresses a leaf with a metal claw) I would then use that energy to breathe life back into the body that is being drained of its own life force, leaking out through its wounds. Providing the body with more energy than it needs to stay alive ... the excess energy is used for healing. However ... Dallion's claw rips through the leaf. DALLION A destructive touch is all that I have now. And destruction is all that I can seem to manage. FRITZ Well, what you just described to me is exactly what we need. We need you to heal Jenny's and Willy's bodies. What will it take for you to do this? DALLION (looking at the remains of the torn leaf on the floor) A miracle. Fritz's face hardens for a moment, then relaxes. He turns to leave the room. Just before he closes the door behind him, he looks back at Dallion. FRITZ Well, get to work. DALLION At what? FRITZ Finding a miracle. The door closes, leaving Dallion alone in the room. He appears to ponder Fritz's parting words for quite some time as he looks down at the torn leaf. Then, Dallion's head rises upward. In his mind, Dallion pictures the small regen lizard assassin he fought months ago reattaching his arm to his body. DALLION (thinking) Dallion lets his mind wander. Again, he is fighting the lizard regen assassin. The lizard reattaching his arm to his shoulder. Then, Dallion pictures himself pulling up the blue aura from the earth of Warren. His mind returning to the present, Dallion reaches down to his left arm and removes his gauntlet, exposing his heavily scarred arm and paw. DALLION (aloud) Kadaf, are you still out there? The door opens, and KADAF WARNER sticks his head in. KADAF What? DALLION Come in, please. I have something to ask of you. Kadaf enters, closing the door behind him. KADAF What is it? DALLION (bluntly) Cut yourself. KADAF What? Do you hate me that much? DALLION I'm being serious. I want to observe your regeneration. KADAF Fuck you. DALLION I need this information to complete my task. Or would you prefer I ask your boss to do it himself? KADAF (giving in reluctantly) Fine. Kadaf pulls out a dagger from his boot and slashes his left arm. Within moments, the bleeding from the wound stops as his skin closes back up. Dallion's full attention is on Kadaf's arm. KADAF (sarcastic) Wow, wasn't that amazing? DALLION Do it again. KADAF You want an encore? Fine, here's an encore for you. Kadaf thrusts the blade completely though his arm and removes it. Just after he takes away the blade, Dallion grips Kadaf's arm at the wound with his bare left paw. KADAF Hey, what is this? Dallion doesn't seem to be paying any attention to Kadaf's remarks. All of his focus is on the wound that is closing up. DALLION (aloud but mostly to himself) I can sense your regenerative energy. KADAF (not quite hearing) What's that? DALLION (louder voice) I can even feel it. Dallion releases his grip on Kadaf's arm, turns to look back at the floor, and then picks up the remains of the leaf that he cut apart earlier. Holding the leaf in his right paw, he turns back to Kadaf. DALLION Do it one more time. KADAF This is getting old, Dallion. DALLION (losing patience) Just do it. Kadaf grunts under his breath as he raises the dagger up to his arm once more and slashes his wrist. Dallion immediately grabs the wounded flesh with his left paw. He then holds his right paw close to his left, showing the remains of the leaf in his grasp. KADAF What the hell are you doing now? DALLION Watch ... Dallion and Kadaf both look at the leaf. The pieces seem to move closer together and then attach back to form a complete leaf once again. It even grows in size just a bit and turns greener. KADAF Did you just channel my energy to that leaf? DALLION That is exactly what I did. KADAF If you can do that, then what about Willy and Jenny? DALLION I plan to do the same for them, but it will require a lot more of your regenerative power to heal their wounds than to heal a leaf. How much energy can you generate? KADAF A lot. Depends on how bad I'm hurt. DALLION So you're saying that if I pulverize you almost to the point of death, your body will release a greater amount of energy? KADAF (scowling) Don't even fuckin' think about it. DALLION (urgently) Two lives are on the line. KADAF I don't like 'em *that* much. Kadaf takes out a cigarette and lights it, much to Dallion's disgust. DALLION I'll go to Fritz. He's probably more powerful than you. KADAF (coldly, with surprise) Where did you get that idea? DALLION I know how these societies work. He's the dominant one. He must have more power. KADAF Don't make so many fuckin' assumptions. But Dallion has clearly made the right one. The wolf smiles. SCENE 7 - HOSPITAL, GENUS The Queen and Fritz are standing at the foot of Jenny's bed. They are engaged in conversation. QUEEN There seems to be no way to have it work. I could drain off her excess energy until her body naturally heals, but we do not have that kind of time, and I cannot leave any Sister here to help her. It could take months before she has healed. (beat) Plus, because of that cursed weapon of the toads, her body will only continue to overload itself with energy. (stops and thinks for a moment) If only there was some way for us to harness your natural regenerative capabilities. However, I still cannot figure out a way for our respective magics to mix. FRITZ (sighs) Then there seems to be no alternative, then. I'll give you time to say goodbye. I have other matters to attend to. Fritz turns to leave. DALLION Maybe I can of some help? Fritz and the Queen turn to see Dallion standing near the open window. The Queen's face takes on an expression of total discomfort at the site of Dallion. Meanwhile, Kadaf steps in the door from the hallway, looking distressed and angry. DALLION I couldn't help but overhear. You have stated that your magics will not work together and have no choice but to allow them to die with honor. I believe that I can help. FRITZ You stated before that you were no doctor, nor were you a guardian. All you want is revenge. DALLION As you have said before, I need to find myself before I am completely lost. My training is in the usage of life energies around me. If you are willing, I might be of some help. QUEEN (shaken, but calmly) That is very noble. Our plan, as flawed as it was, was to have me drain off Jenny's built-up energy so that her body can heal. Fritz was going to try to use his regenerating powers to speed up her healing, but he can't directly heal her, nor can I link with him to connect him to her. DALLION I can. FRITZ (smiling slightly) What, you found your miracle? DALLION Not a miracle, just an alternative. With the help of Kadaf, I have discovered that I can channel a regen's healing ability to another person. Whether or not it will be enough to help them is unknown, but I'm willing to give it all that I've got. QUEEN (ecstatic, but still uneasy because of Dallion) That is exactly what we need! (thinking) Almost as if on cue, a voice comes to the Queen's mind. BRIAN QUEEN (thinking) BRIAN QUEEN As the Queen is mentally linked with Brian, Dallion and Fritz continue their conversation. FRITZ So, you've found out how to use my energy for someone else. Dallion's mind flashes back again to when he fought the lizard regen assassin. He watches the lizard reattaching his arm to his shoulder. Then, Dallion pictures himself pulling up the blue aura from the earth of Warren. Dallion reaches down to his left arm and removes his gauntlet, exposing his bare arm and paw. DALLION It seems that way. Chairman, I need you to come over here. Fritz walks over to Dallion. DALLION Now, can you control your regenerative abilities? I mean, is it just a natural involuntary reaction to damage to your body, or can you voluntarily control it? FRITZ It's involuntary. The stronger the damage to the body, the stronger the regenerative reaction. DALLION (to the Queen) If you need to draw off her excess energy, I would suggest you start. QUEEN Are you sure that you can do this? DALLION Not really, but you don't seem to have a better plan. (back to Fritz) So, the greater the damage, the greater the reaction? KADAF (stepping between them) Oh, no. This isn't happening. No fuckin' deal, Dallion. FRITZ Kadaf ... Kadaf is visibly shaking with anger. KADAF I'm your bodyguard, I'm pullin' fuckin' rank. Absolutely no ... Fritz says something to Kadaf in Yiddish, in a more forceful voice than any of them have ever heard him speak. There is a brief exchange that does not come through the Queen's or Dallion's translator. Eventually, Kadaf backs down and leaves the room in a huff. FRITZ (to Dallion) Sorry about that. Would you continue? DALLION This is probably going to hurt, Chairman. Fritz looks at Dallion with a raised brow just before Dallion's fist strikes him in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall behind him. After bouncing off the wall, Fritz lands face first onto the hard tile floor. The Queen is horrified by what she sees. QUEEN (her spell gems beginning to glow) What do you think you're doing? FRITZ (struggling to get to his knees) It ... it's OK, Katrina. I think ... that I know what ... he has in ... mind. (to Dallion) Just ... watch the head ... DALLION Trust me. Dallion walks over to Fritz and picks him back up. While holding him, he releases a fury of punches, kicks, knees, slashes, and gouges. When he finally stops, Fritz is nothing more than a bloody mess in Dallion's grasp. The Queen still stands, looking on in disbelief of Dallion's actions. Dallion then drops Fritz's limp body into a chair next to Jenny's bed. He then looks to the Queen. DALLION (sounding impatient) I thought that you were going to start on Jenny. The Queen blinks and shakes her head a bit, then turns to Jenny. She holds her arms over Jenny, gives Dallion one more quick glance out of the corner of her eye, and then closes both of them as she enters into a trance. Dallion tears off Fritz's already destroyed shirt and places his natural, left paw over his heart, also closing his eyes. FRITZ (barely conscious) Is ... is it ... working? ... DALLION (eyes still closed) Yes. I can feel your energy moving through me. I can also feel Jenny's body taking in all of the energy like a dry sponge in a puddle of water. FRITZ How's it ... going with you ... Katrina? The Queen does not answer. She is deep in a trance, holding her paws over Jenny. SCENE 8 ­ MENTAL PLANE This is a world of energies. In a twisted void, the Queen's spirit moves about. QUEEN Where is your energy, Jenny? According to Brian, it is all pent up somewhere inside her, continually growing, unable to freely flow through her. The Queen continues to travel through this strange landscape until she comes to a sphere of light that is almost as big as a sun to her. QUEEN There it is, like an infectious wound that begs to have the pus drained from it. The Queen begins to fire psychic bolts of her own energy into the sphere. With each hit, the surface of the sphere chips away. She continues to hack away at the sphere for quite some time. SCENE 9 ­ JENNY'S ROOM, HOSPITAL, GENUS Dallion continues to bridge Fritz's energy over to Jenny. Dallion notices that the energy does not feel to be flowing through him as hard anymore. He looks over to see that Fritz's body has almost completely recovered. Without warning, Dallion gives Fritz a deep cut with his claws that starts at his shoulders and ends at his waist. The energy flow quickly becomes much stronger. DALLION That should be enough. SCENE 10 ­ MENTAL PLANE The Queen continues her assault on the outer surface of the sphere until one blast causes a crack in the sphere of light. An even brighter light spills out of the crack. The break gets bigger and spreads all over the entire surface of the sphere. With a tremendous force, the sphere explodes, and waves of energy flow in all directions. Katrina doesn't appear to be directly affected by the explosion; however, a large grin is upon her face. SCENE 11 ­ JENNY'S ROOM, HOSPITAL, GENUS As the link is completed, the Queen starts absorbing the excess energy and dissipating it into the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the buildup of light around Fritz starts to flow through Dallion and into Jenny. The black striations running throughout Jenny's energy fields start to fade, and the energy begins to flow through the newly healed channels. Jenny starts to take deeper breaths. Her eyes flutter and finally open. She takes a look around and, at first, doesn't recognize her surroundings. After a moment, she recognizes those she is surrounded by, and the fear in her eyes disappears. QUEEN (slowly getting his breath) Hello, my child. JENNY (smiles slowly, not really recognizing her) Hi. Jenny loses consciousness almost immediately. QUEEN (tired but exhilarated) You've done it, both of you! Her brain waves are stabilizing and strengthening. FRITZ How about her overload? QUEEN That has all been taken care of. If we have done all that was necessary, she should be now well on her way to recovery. DALLION Then, let us help Willy while Jenny sleeps soundly for the first time in days. Fritz sights tiredly but nods in agreement. He stands, walks over to the Queen, extends his paw, and helps her up. Then they turn and leave. SCENE 12 - WILLY'S ROOM, HOSPITAL, GENUS Some time after the ritual has again been performed, Dallion, the Queen, and Fritz are sitting down in chairs, looking weak but otherwise normal to the other people in the room. The Chairman is wearing Kadaf's black overcoat to hide his bloodied clothing. Also in the room is the Righteous crew, eagerly awaiting Willy's awakening. Willy's eyes slowly open, and he breaths deeply. Bucky and his crew, minus Jenny, pound through the door and surround Willy. Willy is wide-eyed and startled at all the attention he is receiving. BUCKY (authoritatively) Stand back! Give Willy some air. The crew slowly moves away from Willy. Dallion slowly gets to his feet, then stands beside the window that he has opened to leave. Queen Katrina places her paw onto Dallion's shoulder to momentarily stop him. QUEEN Before you go, someone wants to speak to you on the roof. DALLION All right. Dallion then jumps out the window. WILLY (sounding panicked) I've been out for how long?! BUCKY (calmly) Five days. WILLY (still shocked) My parents are going to kill me. I have to get home. DEADEYE (putting a hand on Willy's shoulder) Ye can't move right now, laddie. Ye've just been through hell an' back. Besides, ye've already have been here for a while. What's another day or two? WILLY You don't understand. I have to get home. My alibi can't hold out much longer against my parents, if he hasn't crumbled already. BUCKY What are you talking about? WILLY Dr. Green back on Earth. He's supposed to tell my parents that I'm staying with him if they ever call looking for me. My cover is that I'm working on some highly abstract and difficult concept and I need time to work it out. It could work for maybe three days. I have to get home! FRITZ I can provide some help on that front. While Lucas was back on Earth, he met up with some people who have an interest in keeping knowledge of the aniverse secret. I can call Lucas here, and he can give you a way to contact these people. Let me go get a hold of him. BUCKY Are you sure you want to drag *him* into this mess? Last time we met, he caused us a great deal of trouble. Besides, how do you know where to find him? FRITZ (smiles) I have certain resources at my disposal. (beat) I can convince him not to act irrationally and to answer our questions. BUCKY (unsure) OK. But if anything happens, I am going to be very upset with you. FRITZ Again? I think I can live with that. Fritz slowly leaves the room. WILLY (concerned) I hope Lucas can help. BUCKY So do I. WILLY By the way ... what *happened*? And where's Jenny? Time passes as the crew explains the adventure they had on Genus after they destroyed the toad science vessel to when he woke up. WILLY And Jenny's OK? DEADEYE Ha hah! I wouldn't worry too much about the lass, Willy, me boy. She's as tough as they come! BUCKY She wanted to be here to help us wake you up, but the doctors want her to stay in bed for observation until tomorrow. You can see her then. WILLY Can I please see her now? Willy's DOCTOR speaks up. DOCTOR No, you need to rest. Willy looks reluctant to accept this, but his eyes are starting to close anyway. BUCKY You rest as long as you need to. I'll make sure that someone is waiting for you when you wake up. WILLY Thanks. Bucky and the crew leave while Willy settles down and falls asleep. BUCKY OK then. Who's going to be first to stand watch? BRIUSER I'll do it. BUCKY All right. And after Bruiser? BLINKY This humble robot will be glad to offer assistance. BUCKY That's settled. Now let's go check on Fritz. Bucky, GUNNER DEADEYE DUCK, and AFC BLINKY leave while BRUISER reenters Willy's room and sits down. SCENE 13 ­ HOSPITAL ROOF Dallion lands on the roof to see Brian and Tommy waiting there. Once on the roof, Dallion walks over to them. DALLION I would like to apologize to both of you. I was too quick to judge last night, and I am sorry. TOMMY We know you were just protecting Willy, Dallion. And I believe that you had good reason for what you did. I mean, I wouldn't really think twice about it if I were in your situation. BRIAN I agree. Everything seems to have worked out, anyway. There's just one problem. DALLION What's that? TOMMY (grins) We need to get out of here without being seen by too many people. In response, Dallion grabs both Brian and Tommy in his arms, then jets straight up off the rooftop. SCENE 14 - CHAIRMAN WARNER'S OFFICE Fritz is kneeling behind his desk when a knock is heard. Fritz comes out of his trance, gets up, and takes a seat in his chair. FRITZ Enter. The door opens, and Bucky walks in. FRITZ Bucky, how can I help you? BUCKY Have you gotten a hold of MacArthur yet? FRITZ As a matter of fact, I have. He should be here in a few hours. BUCKY All right, but this had better work. Call me when he arrives. FRITZ I will. SCENE 15 - TOAD HOMEWORLD TOADBORG is kneeling in front of a computer screen with the image of KOMPLEX on it. KOMPLEX Well, Toadborg, what excuse do you have for me this time as to your failure? TOADBORG This time, I have not returned empty-handed, Oh Mighty KOMPLEX. I managed to download the schematics for the energy-dampening cannon, as well as all the data we were able to gather from the battle. If we could manage to make the cannon small enough to fit on our attack craft, it would give us an edge over the mammals that they would not be able to overcome, allowing us to destroy their armada and reign supreme over all the aniverse. KOMPLEX (eyes narrowed) Perhaps. Toadborg, I give you the gift of continuing to live. Go and have the scientists work on your idea. Soon, all will fall before the might of the Toad Empire. TOADBORG Thank you, Oh Mighty KOMPLEX. I will see to it right away. Toadborg exits. SCENE 16 - WILLY'S ROOM, DUWITT RESIDENCE, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH Willy and LUCAS MACARTHUR enter Willy's room through the door and then shut down the photon accelerator. WILLY This had better work. LUCAS Stop worrying and give me your phone. Lucas walks over to Willy's desk and picks up the phone. He then begins to dial a number. He looks up. LUCAS (annoyed) Do you mind? WILLY Oh. Sorry. Willy turns around. LUCAS That's better. (finishes dialing) Hello. This is Lucas MacArthur. Give me Ted. (beat) Ted, it's MacArthur. Yes. Listen. Send a team over to my coordinates. Usual reason. I'll be waiting. Understood. Bye. (hangs up) OK. Now that that's taken care of, I suggest we come up with a believable cover story for you for your parents. WILLY What do you mean? LUCAS My associates are going to put your mom and dad into a hypnotic trance. While in that state, they will believe and accept anything anyone tells them. WILLY (intrigued) Huh. I'd like to know how they do that. LUCAS I wouldn't. There is an uncomfortable pause. WILLY OK. My parents. Uh ... how about that my ship was going through its yearly sea trials to make sure it was still in working order? LUCAS That'll work. How about the school you missed? WILLY I'll just spend a few nights at home catching up. Been there, done that. LUCAS Figures. My associates will wrap up any loose ends. A sound is heard coming from the downstairs. MRS. DUWITT (voice cracking) Willy, where are you? Please be all right. Please come home. MRS. SUSAN DUWITT then starts sobbing. Willy's face shows that his mother's words are breaking his heart. He starts to move toward the door when Lucas pulls him aside. LUCAS (whispers fiercely) Not yet! She's probably been doing this for a couple of days. Don't worry. When this is over, she'll be fine. WILLY (pained) It's just so hard to listen to when I know that all I have to do is go down there and it'll make her happy. LUCAS (bluntly) I wish my family was like that. WILLY How did you know your mom didn't cry when you disappeared? LUCAS Considering she thought I was a child of Satan, I imagine she got over it pretty quickly. WILLY That is so sad. LUCAS It's called life, kid. Willy and Lucas sit down on Willy's bed and wait. After a while, they hear the front door open and close. DR. DUWITT Honey, I'm home. Honey? MRS. DUWITT I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. DR. DUWITT I know. I know. I miss him too, and I'm worried. MRS. DUWITT What has become of my baby? The doorbell rings. DR. DUWITT I wonder who that could be? (sound of the front door opening) Um. Can I help you gentlemen? Downstairs, two MEN stand at the door. Both are dressed in black business suits, including ties and shoes, and are wearing black shades. MAN #1 Not really. We are here to give you some information. DR. DUWITT Information about what? MAN #1 You will find out soon. May we come in? DR. DUWITT Not until I know what this is about. MEN #1 All right. It's about this. A flashing sound is heard, and there is a bright light. MRS. DUWITT What's going on? MAN #2 Nothin' to worry about, ma'am. LUCAS That's our signal. (calling, in a louder voice) That's all of them. (turns to Willy) Now. Lucas and Willy descend the stairs and enter the front entryway. At the bottom of the stairs are four people: DR. DAVID DUWITT, Mrs. DuWitt, and the two men in suits. MAN #2 You gotta cut this stuff out, Lucas. LUCAS Blame the runt, not me. WILLY Hey! LUCAS Anyway, now we have to do damage control. Are they taken care of? MAN #2 Yep. LUCAS All right, Willy. Tell your parents what the cover story is. WILLY (steels himself) All right. Mom, Dad. I have been on my ship for the past five days. I have been on The Righteous Indignation, taking her out for her sea trials. You have cleared me for this event at school. MAN #1 Have you told anybody else that you didn't know where your son was? MRS. DUWITT I was about to call the police and file a missing child report. I also had a long talk with Dr. Green, who said Willy was with him but wouldn't say more. LUCAS I'll tell Green to remember things differently. That wraps this up. We'll finish up here. MAN #1 One last thing. The older man pulls out what appears to be a pen and puts on his shades. The other man and Lucas also put on shades. Willy is looking at them and then at the pen as its top extends; there appear to be some sort of electronics in the pen. Then there is a bright flash and a noise. MAN #1 You never saw us. Fritz never mentioned us. You came home, and Lucas helped you convince your parents that you had been on your ship. The two men leave. Willy blinks, confused. As Lucas closes the door, the DuWitts stir. DR. DUWITT Who are you? LUCAS (muttering) Ah, crap. WILLY (thinking fast) Mom, dad, this is Captain Bucky O'Hare. Remember, you wanted to talk with him. MRS. DUWITT (smiling) That's right. Now that your sea trials are over, we can talk. Lucas curses in Lopine and shoots Willy an angry look. LUCAS (demanding) What is it? I'm a very busy man. DR. DUWITT (a little taken aback) We just ... we've never met you, and we're we wanted to get to know you. After all, you spend so much time with our son. MRS. DUWITT We just want to get to know his influences. He really looks up to you. LUCAS (rolls his eyes) Yeah, Willy's a great engineer, love to have him aboard, blah blah blah -- anything else? What do you want, a report card? Willy nudges Lucas, who doesn't even respond. DR. DUWITT Um, no, not really ... LUCAS Then I'll be off. Lucas leaves before they can respond. As he walks out, he brushes past a confused Willy. WILLY (in an undertone) Where are you going? LUCAS (whispering) Outside, to climb up the grating and into your room. How do you think I got in last time I was on Earth? Willy shrugs and thinks it's better to let him go. Lucas slams the door behind him, leaving a fazed DuWitt family. Willy immediately begins damage control. WILLY Um ... our ship passed the tests, but we got some pretty stern warnings. The Captain took them hard. He's not usually like that ... The DuWitts exchange glances. THE END