"Control" Part 2 by Dawvitch Night-Fall Additions by DJ Clawson First draft - 5/3/00 Edited by Rygar 1/8/04 SCENE 1 - CAYTON CITY, ULTESS In this city on the planet Ultess, buildings range from small to towering in size, with many different styles of architecture. The city is crowded with various methods of transportation: ground, air, rail, and tube. A golden sun is just beginning to touch the horizon. In one mid-sized building, people are gathering in a large conference room on the upper floors. In the room is a long, black marble table with many occupants in its chairs. BUSINESSPEOPLE from different races and governments have assembled together and are having a discussion. A few of the businesspeople are speaking to a male DUCK off to the side. CHIMP BUSINESSMAN These results are very impressive. Your research team has made exceptional progress. HARE BUSINESSWOMAN I agree with Carl. These are impressive discoveries, but your team is still slightly behind schedule for the deadline. DUCK I assure you that my research department will make up for the lost time and that they will meet your deadlines. CARL I hope so, Mr. Drayke. Not that I'm doubting your company's abilities personally, but financially ... that is another issue. GERMAN SHEPHERD BUSINESSMAN Yes, that is the other side, indeed. Once a project starts falling behind schedule, the fund providers begin to withdraw their contributions in fear that the project will fail. And I must emphasize that statement by saying that I will do exactly that. DRAYKE I am well aware of the financial way of business, Dan. I am also aware of the presence of war. And because of the war, delays will happen. Also because of the war, this research is critical for the medical services for everyone in the aniverse. So keep that in mind before you decide to foolishly let this research go to waste. The group begins to talk among themselves for a few moments as Drayke remains silent. Drayke is obviously a Corsair Canard. He is standing up between his chair and the table with all four palms on the tabletop. DAN Are there any ways that your research speed can be improved? DRAYKE Only by allowing us live test subjects, but that would be immoral ... even if the subject volunteered. (sitting down) That course of action has already been discussed and denied by me, personally. HARE Do you still believe that this cybernetic research will be used for medical purposes only? DRAYKE Helping others is the driving force for my research and development team. If my team is successful, we will be able to create artificial limbs that will have little or no difference from the real things. We will also be able to correct neurological disorders and cure various forms of paralysis. And ... Drayke is cut short by a flashing light over the table. An expression of annoyance crosses his face. DRAYKE Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's all the time we have today. In our next meeting, I am sure that I will have the proposed phases for our implementation process ready for presentation. The group gets up and proceeds to exit the conference room. Once the room is empty save for Drayke and two other Canards, who appear to be his personal ASSISTANTS, Drayke scoots his chair up close to the table. DRAYKE (to his assistants) Well, let's get this over with. Drayke opens a small panel in front of him on the table to reveal some controls. He presses a series of buttons on the control panel, causing the lights in the room to dim slightly. Moments later, heavy metal shields begin to close up all of the windows, isolating the room from the outside world. Once all panels have shut, a section of the wall, opposite of the windows in the room, slides up to show a vid-comm. The screen activates immediately to show the AIR MARSHAL on the other end of the transmission. AIR MARSHAL Is that compassion that I'm detecting out of you, Drayke? DRAYKE Still resorting to eavesdropping, I see ... AIR MARSHAL (cutting in sharply) Watch your tongue, duck. Anger quickly builds up on Drayke's face, but it slowly fades away. AIR MARSHAL (grinning) You're getting better at holding yourself back, I see. DRAYKE (choking back an angered tone) Just what do you want this time? AIR MARSHAL I want your true report on the research, of course, not the fake one that you give to everyone else. Drayke, still sitting at the table, punches a few more buttons. The table itself begins to rise up from the floor as a holo-display comes up through the floor under the table. The table locks itself in place in the ceiling, where it seemingly becomes a part of the ceiling's design. The holo-display activates once it has stopped moving. The image appears to be some kind of advanced robotic arm. The image rotates a few times, stops, and mostly fades away, leaving just a disk-shaped device at the shoulder joint of the arm. DRAYKE Our most advanced Neurological-to-Digital Transformer: the NDT51SL. AIR MARSHAL Is it completed? DRAYKE Yes. AIR MARSHAL It's about time. We were about to revoke our little deal. DRAYKE (standing up and snapping back) It's not our fault that some previous prototypes were lost, costing us years of research! AIR MARSHAL (commanding) I suggest that you sit down and not get up again, duck! Drayke clenches all four fists, lowers his head, and shuts his eyes for a moment. He then sits back down in his chair. His two assistants show concern on their faces. AIR MARSHAL Now then, so what is so advanced about this NDT compared to your other prototypes? DRAYKE All previous NDTs were just barely sufficient to carry out simple neuromechanics such as joint movements in limbs and basic internal organ functions such as hearts and lungs. However, this NDT uses neuromechanics much more efficiently. AIR MARSHAL How so? DRAYKE Let me put it to you how everyone else thinks that it will work. (clears throat) This NDT is capable of taking artificial limbs to where they have never been before. Instead of just simply giving the person a robotic arm, we will be able to give them an arm that has a sense of touch. We could never recreate that sense before, because no NDT could handle the vast amounts of neurological signals coming from all over the entire limb. But this NDT can. (takes a breath) Now think of what it can do for the cybernetic soldier. Of course, a soldier could care less about the sense of touch while in battle. Pain is probably the last thing that he would want to feel. So think about all of that extra usable neuropower. Strong interest is apparent in the Air Marshal's facial expression. AIR MARSHAL (sounding eager) Go on. DRAYKE Take this, for example. The holo-image changes to show a kind of blaster weapon and arm combination. DRAYKE Before, a soldier's only control over his arm weapon was simple movement and the weapon trigger. If he wanted to change the weapon's settings, he had to do that manually with his other paw. Now, he will be able to change his weapon's settings to whatever he wanted with just a thought. (beat) This NDT also eliminates the problem that we had with other models concerning epileptic short-outs. AIR MARSHAL What? DRAYKE (explaining) When a soldier goes through a state of neuro-shock with a kind of seizure, the NDT typically experiences an overload and becomes severely damaged -- most of the time, beyond repair. The Air Marshal sits with his arms crossed while thinking for a moment. Drayke remains sitting and seems to be very tense. AIR MARSHAL (sounding pleased) Excellent work. When can we expect you to mass-produce this item for us? DRAYKE On our next funding salary. We have shown to the suppliers that our next phase will take a large amount of funding to complete. In actuality, the funds we ask for will be enough to complete their project and to build enough of these NDTs to fit one per soldier for about six squadrons. AIR MARSHAL Is it necessary for you to wait that long? DRAYKE You warned me to never do anything that would attract attention to my corporation. For me to pull funding and make adjustments required for mass production, it would cause a severe tremor for every investor in the whole galactic market to see. AIR MARSHAL (thinks for a moment) And what of the special protein supplement? DRAYKE That is still being worked on. It's more stable than before, but it still isn't stable enough for races with body masses smaller than that of baboons. AIR MARSHAL But progress is still being made? DRAYKE Yes, every day. AIR MARSHAL (smiling) Well then, I guess you've managed to convince me to stick to our little bargain. Anger begins to show on Drayke's face again. AIR MARSHAL I will be in contact with you, Drayke. Pray that you don't displease me. The comm screen goes dark. Just as it has done so, Drayke slowly walks to the back of the room where his personal desk is. He stands at the front of his desk for a moment, then suddenly swings his upper right fist to knock an ornament off of the top of the desk to crash onto the floor. Drayke then raises all of his arms over his head and yells loudly. Once he quiets down, he drops his arms and lowers his head. One of his assistants walks up to him. ASSISTANT #1 Ach, Drayke, why do ye continue to serve the toads? Drayke turns to give him a sharp gaze. ASSISTANT #1 (defending) I know why ye do, but why must ye go on like this? DRAYKE (turning gaze to the floor) Because I ... must ... SCENE 2 - UACSC BUILDING, GENUS CAPTAIN BUCKY O'HARE, along with FIRST MATE JENNY, walks through the large hallways of the building toward the main council chamber. As they approach the large doors of the room, they can hear loud VOICES and the sharp tones of a serious argument. After opening the doors, they see about fifteen persons standing in front of the council, including some COUNCILMEN. VOICE #1 ... and I am willing to do whatever it takes to get my daughter back! COUNCILMAN #1 Sir, I assure you, if we had the resources to rescue your and the others' family members, we would ... but we don't. We are straining all of our power to keep the toads from advancing their territory. COUNCILMAN #2 And when we do get the ability to start freeing those who the toads have enslaved? There are dozens of worlds out there that were enslaved years before your daughters were taken. VOICE #2 We all know that the UACSC is too busy paying their own salaries to expand the fleet! COUNCILMAN #1 Now, that was uncalled for! VOICE #2 Why? Because it's true?! COUNCILMAN #3 I warn all of you, if you do not settle down this instant, I will have security escort you out. VOICE #3 I will not leave until I get some answers and some action put into motion! The noise level in the room begins to escalate again. Bucky and Jenny just hang their heads. BUCKY Our political system at work. JENNY Why doesn't Fritz do anything? Bucky looks up to see CHAIRMAN FRITZ WARNER just sitting back in his chair. He appears to be partially listening to the commotion. BUCKY Fritz has always known when a conversation was going nowhere. He probably stopped talking about five minutes into the discussion. JENNY Yeah, I guess that makes sense. After another few minutes of incoherent yelling, Fritz stands and slams down the chairman's gavel. The group comes to a near silence. FRITZ Captain O'Hare ... Bucky's attention is grabbed instantly. FRITZ ... please escort this group out of the building. VOICE #2 We are not leaving until we are heard! FRITZ Don't worry; we heard you. (to Bucky) Captain, if you would please ... Bucky and Jenny step up to the group and motion toward the doors. The group goes into another uproar, refusing to leave the chambers. Fritz sits down in his chair and presses a button on the top of the table. Just a few seconds later, three BABOONS and two security droids enter the room. BABOON #1 (holding a blaster) Awright, that's enough! You heard da Chairman. Now, git! Seeing the armed baboons and droids, the group quiets down. With a beaten look on all of their faces, they begin to leave. The old HUSKY from the slave ship stops in front of Bucky and Jenny. HUSKY Please, Captain O'Hare, please save my daughter from the toads, I beg you! I am very wealthy and I would pay you all that I am capable of in order to get her back. Fritz, still sitting, raises a brow at that comment. BUCKY I'm sorry, but I can't forego my duties in favor of a single person. I have to worry about the entire aniverse. Besides, to carry out your request on the basis of money would be considered bribery. HUSKY (quiet for a moment) I'm sorry ... you're right. JENNY If we had the ability to help you, sir, we would. I'm sorry. The old husky looks at Jenny with heavy eyes for a few moments, lowers his gaze, then walks out to follow the rest, who have already left the room. Jenny, in turn, also lowers her gaze to the floor. Once all of the civilians are out of the chamber, Fritz stands back up. FRITZ Captain O'Hare, the council and I have some matters to discuss, after which we will want to speak with your and Mimi's crew when she docks. That should be within the hour. You can give your reports then -- so, don't go running off somewhere unless it's an emergency. BUCKY Yes, sir. Bucky and Jenny turn to leave the chamber. SCENE 3 - SPACE DOCKS, GENUS Inside the Righteous, ENGINEER WILLY DUWITT, GUNNER DEADEYE DUCK, and AFC BLINKY are working on a few control panels on the main deck. Deadeye is on his back on the deck under a control station, while Willy is working on the upper section. Blinky is projecting a schematic image on the wall next to Willy. WILLY (pointing on the image) OK, Blinky, place an "OK" mark over this node. A small gold circle appears on the image where Willy was pointing. DEADEYE (twisting a few wires together) Erh ... I tell ye, Willy, bein' around all this blasted open circuitry makes me nervous. Ye sure the power's off? WILLY (sounding a little amused by Deadeye's tone) Yeah, the power's off, Deadeye. And all of the meters are in the green, meaning all the stored power has been perfectly discharged. Everything is dead under there. Don't worry. DEADEYE Sorry, lad, it's just that I'm only used ta seein' this kind o' thing several paces away from a toad droid I'd just destroyed. Even then, a good charge'll come out and bite ye! (finishes with the wires and tucks them in place) Ha hah! All finished down here. WILLY OK, let's fire this up and see if we fixed it. Deadeye gets out and stands beside Willy. Willy plugs a few cables together, then closes the upper panel. He then flips a switch to activate the console. All the power lights turn on, but the main display screen remains dark. WILLY (confused) Aw, c'mon! I just fixed ... wait a minute. Willy steps over to the console and lifts the panel back up. WILLY (slapping his forehead with his palm) Duh! Willy reaches down into the circuitry with his free hand. After a few seconds, a small spark comes up, and the screen lights up. WILLY (closing and sealing the panel) That's better. DEADEYE (teasing tone) You forget to plug somethin' in, didn't ye? WILLY Yeah, I forgot that I had unplugged the main power line to the screen in order to reach some of the inner circuits. Deadeye and Willy laugh for a bit. WILLY So, where is everybody? DEADEYE The Cap'n and Jenny are givin' a debriefing to the council about yesterday's operation. And Bruiser, knowin' that these things take forever, has gone t' the gym. WILLY How long have they been gone? DEADEYE They left just before ye arrived. WILLY So, they've only been gone for two hours. I guess that means it'll still be a long time until they get back. DEADEYE Aye, matey. That blasted council'll go into a financial lecture as soon as Bucky and Jenny finish with their report. I'd bet me life on it. SCENE 4 - UACSC BUILDING, GENUS Bucky and Jenny sit and wait in a small lounge not too far away from the main council chamber. Both are drinking a liquid refreshment. Just a few moments later, Fritz and CAPTAIN MIMI LAFLEUR enter the room. FRITZ Now, about that report. BUCKY What? (jerks to pull glass away from his mouth) Sorry, you caught me off guard there. FRITZ I thought I would; you're used to giving reports to the whole council. BUCKY Yeah, that's what I was expecting. MIMI So, what is this about not all of the captives being on the same slave ship? JENNY Apparently, from what little information that we got from the toad leader, they were to be used for other purposes rather than slave labor for the toads. FRITZ About the leader ... how did he manage to escape? You captured everyone else on board. Actually, there were more dead than alive ... not your style at all, Bucky. Not even Bruiser's. BUCKY (clears throat at Fritz's observations) Captain Greeman is his name, and he used some gas spheres and stasis shockers to get away from us. MIMI Greeman? That's a new one. Can't say I ever heard of him, even when I was a slave. JENNY It sounded like he's only in charge of supply and abduction missions. Dallion kind of confirmed that when he indicated that he himself was abducted by Greeman at one point. FRITZ (feigning ignorance) Dallion? Who's Dallion? JENNY He's ... BUCKY (cutting Jenny off) He's an unpredictable time bomb. One moment, he's one of the most calm and rational beings you'll ever meet, then all of a sudden, he becomes the worst-tempered, irrational, uncontrollable, and violent creature in the aniverse. FRITZ (thinking, looking at Bucky) (out loud) So he's responsible for a lot of the dead toads, I take it. BUCKY I would say responsible for *all* of them. FRITZ So, why did you involve him in an S.P.A.C.E. mission -- much less a rescue mission -- if he's so unstable? BUCKY I had no idea at the time how severe his temperament was. Plus, he gave us more options to work with to rescue the hostages. JENNY I don't think the mission could have gone as smoothly as it did without him. BUCKY At least not until the end. JENNY True. FRITZ Well, we can worry about this Dallion character later. The more important subject is what the toads are doing with this "select" group of slaves. Were you able to find out any info at all from Greeman about it? JENNY All he said was that it's difficult to get labor value from weaker slaves, so they had other uses for them. What those uses are, we don't know. MIMI From my experience, most of the weaker slaves are used for experiments and sometimes even target practice for toad soldiers and new weapon developments. JENNY (aghast) My stars ... BUCKY Just can't put anything past a toad anymore. MIMI But this other use must have been urgent, since they separated the slaves before they even returned to the Toad Homeworld. BUCKY You're right. And that brings up the risk that the alternate slave ships could be tracked to the other slave holding area. FRITZ That explains the number of speed carriers that the salvage crews found in the slave ship that you brought back to us. It's normal to find one or two per slave ship, but there were about five or six of them in this one, not counting the ones that were used to carry off the missing captives. (beat) Using speed carriers definitely decreases the risk of being followed. MIMI If the slave ships have speed carriers on board, then that means they want any suitable subjects to be quickly transported back to the alternate holding area. BUCKY The toads have something big going on. FRITZ OK, if the toads are gathering subjects like this, then they'll be at it again sometime soon. We just need to catch them when they do, so we can find out more of what is going on. Consider it a mission of high priority. BUCKY and MIMI Yes, sir. SCENE 5 - DRAYKE LABORATORIES, CAYTON CITY This advanced lab is a large, well-lit room filled with computer terminals, desks, robotics, and workstations. There are about ten to fifteen SCIENTISTS from different races at work in the laboratory. On many of the workstations, objects that look similar to the holo-image displayed in Drayke's office are being assembled, tested, and worked on. At one workstation, two raccoon scientists are celebrating their latest advancement. SCIENTIST #1 Man, I am really proud of this one! SCIENTIST #2 Yeah, this NDT has given the least amount of trouble of any one we've had to calibrate. SCIENTIST #1 But we still have to see how it will hold up with the neuro-interface simulations. (beat) To tell the truth, I'd like to see that simulation system. I bet that has to be one hell of a computer system. SCIENTIST #2 No kidding! And they seem to trust the results so much. But, I doubt that they'll allow contracted laborers like us to see such technology. It must be a protected, patented system. SCIENTIST #1 I don't doubt it, either. I also don't blame the company for keeping it under such high security restrictions. The two scientists continue to make some final adjustments to the NDT when one of Drayke's personal assistants enters the lab and comes up to the table. Unlike the other assistant, he doesn't have a pirate accent. ASSISTANT #2 Is this the one that's just about ready for testing? SCIENTIST #1 Yep, sure is, and it's a good one! ASSISTANT #2 Well, let's hope that it continues to be a good one. SCIENTIST #2 Yeah, I'm hoping for it as well ... (pauses, then smiles) ... I could really use the pay raise, Eric. ERIC (smiling back) Who couldn't? (pauses, then serious again) Is it ready now? SCIENTIST #1 Just give us a few minutes to seal it up and case it. ERIC Sure. I'll be back. Eric leaves the table and proceeds to the other side of the lab, where there is a set of large, heavy, automatic doors. The doors slide open to show another lab about the same size as the first one, but with different equipment. This one contains vats and tanks of chemicals, along with gas and chemical chambers, microscopes, and holographic displays. Some of the displays appear to be showing DNA strands, and others show maps of the nervous systems of different races. There are about ten scientists in this lab. Eric walks up to one of them, a non-Aldebaran female CAT. ERIC Any new findings yet, Anne? ANNE Right now, we have narrowed our focus down to about six sections of DNA. ERIC Well, that's better than the previous thirty-eight, I must say. (beat) How did you manage that? ANNE Well, taking the facts that our nerve growth-stimulating protein isn't stable for medium- to small-mass subjects where potency of the stimulant is not a variable ... Anne's voice trails off as she notices the grin on Eric's face that clearly says "I don't know what the hell you are saying." ANNE (holding back a laugh) You know about the body mass problem, don't you? ERIC That much, yes. ANNE Well, regardless of whether we inject a pure dose of this protein or one part per trillion, the outcome is the exact same. The only thing that the potency affects is how quickly the protein works. ERIC So, exact same final effect, just different rates of change, right? ANNE That's right. So, based on those facts, we're looking at the sections of DNA that contain genes coding for important proteins that deal with the nervous system growth. ERIC So, if a final product is made, it seems most likely that it will be in several different dosage types? Like dose-A for fifty to one hundred pounds, dose-B for one hundred to one hundred fifty pounds, dose-C for one hundred fifty to two hundred pounds, etc. ... right? ANNE Yes, but actually more like ranges that overlap each other, so that way, there won't be much risk with those near the end marks. (beat) But first, we need to research our theories with these genes. ERIC OK, sounds good. Let me know as much info as you can when you can. ANNE (smiling and winking in a friendly way) Sure thing, Eric. Anne turns away from Eric to move to another part of the lab. Eric turns to head back to the engineering lab. He proceeds back to the table where he was speaking with the two raccoon scientists. ERIC Got it ready yet? SCIENTIST #2 Yep, here it is. The raccoon hands Eric a large black case. Eric takes it and proceeds to leave the lab via the set of doors through which he entered. He steps out into a fairly wide hallway that runs adjacent to the two labs. Eric turns to his left and starts to walk down the hall. As he walks, the engineering lab is visible through some large windows, then the genetics lab. Eric walks to the end of the hall, where there is a door with a large security panel beside it. He reaches into his suit and pulls out four cards, each with a symbol on it. He sets the black case down and takes one card in each paw. He places them near slots that have the respective symbols and slowly pushes them in. A white light at the top of the security panel changes to red. Eric grunts slightly, pulls each card out, and pushes them back in slowly again. The light, which went back to white when Eric pulled the cards out, changes back to red. ERIC (pulling cards back out) Dammit! (mumbling to himself) Getting all four cards in simultaneously is a real pain in the ass. Once again, Eric pushes the four cards in, even slower this time. Finally, the white light changes to green, and a panel slides up to reveal a keypad. Eric punches in a code, and the door begins to move. The door slides to the right for about ten seconds before the edge passes by. On the other side of the door is a short hallway that leads to an elevator. Eric places the four cards back in his suit, picks up the case, and heads for the elevator. The large security door closes almost immediately behind Eric. Eric walks down another hallway, this one with an elevator at the end. The elevator doors open, he steps in, and the doors close. SCENE 6 - WARREN On a grassy landscape with rolling hills, the tall grass waves like water in the gentle breeze. Suddenly, a small wave of blue light uproots a path in the grass. It emanated from DALLION, who stands with his natural left arm outstretched. After standing still for a moment, Dallion reaches down with his left paw to place it on the ground. Within a few seconds of making contact with the ground, the blue aura comes up from the ground and envelopes his paw. Lifting his arm back up, Dallion swings his arm forward like the time before, and a burst of energy is thrown out along the ground for about twenty feet. Dallion repeats this process several times. He is obviously performing this skill with a lot less strain and concentration than he needed before. KADAF Are you sure this is the right thing to do? SCENE SHIFTS TO CHAIRMAN WARNER'S OFFICE Fritz is at his file cabinet, sorting through the files with his fingertips. Kadaf is sitting in Fritz's chair with his webbed feet up on the desk. FRITZ I'm sure of this. KADAF But Dallion is better suited for assassination missions, not rescues. (beat) You must see something in him that I sure don't. He's not exactly the most caring person. He's more of a crazed loon. FRITZ I've heard the same words used to describe you. KADAF (lights up) That was on my résumé. Doesn't count. FRITZ Trust me, it's a Luporian thing. Sure, Dallion is neurotic and eccentric. That's exactly what is amplifying his nature. KADAF (sarcastic tone) "Amplifying" meaning he kills almost everything in sight. FRITZ (rolling eyes) No, no ... well, yes, but not like that. (looks up at Kadaf) Dallion is trying his best to hang on to what little bit of Luporian he has left in him. KADAF He's changing into another species or something? (grins maliciously) We all know what that's like. FRITZ This has nothing to do with us! But to tell the truth, it *is* almost something like that ... in a sense. (beat) Think of a situation where someone is put against everything he has ever believed in, where the logical and surviving choice to make is against everything they believed in. Wouldn't they try to right themselves in all ways possible to make amends? That is, unless they didn't drop everything they believed in in the first place. KADAF So, are you saying that since Luporians are hardcore naturalists, the fact that Dallion is a cyborg means that he isn't a Luporian? FRITZ In his eyes, exactly. KADAF OK, so he has some identity issues. And this justifies sending him on a rescue mission where he's guaranteed to murder everyone in sight *how*? FRITZ Preserving life is one of a Luporian's highest morals. KADAF (sounding falsely calm) Uh, that kind of brings me back around to my first argument ... Kadaf holds up a gory photograph of Dallion's work on Greeman's ship. KADAF (his tone of voice rising) See exhibit A. FRITZ He's only killed toads ... so far. KADAF Oh, so you think that he views them as threats to life? FRITZ Well, that and the fact that he has a seemingly unlimited bloodlust for them. Luporians have been known to be very vengeful. KADAF Right ... FRITZ Anyway, tell Dallion about the assignment, and see if we can point him and our fleet in the right direction. KADAF (mockingly salutes) Yes, sir. (beat) You know, Dallion's not a wind-up toy you can set loose to crush little toad toy sets. FRITZ Watch me. Kadaf grins and leaves. SCENE 7 - WARREN Dallion's long, silver hair flows in the breeze. The background is filled by a blue sky, with light clouds passing by. Dallion appears to be reveling in the moment as he closes his eyes and take slow, deep breaths of the fresh air. His nose is slightly raised. Dallion stands on the edge of a cliff that overlooks a grassy valley below him. He remains motionless as he stands tall with his arms slightly apart from his sides with open paws, palms forward. A short distance away, out of Dallion's earshot, two female VOICES can be heard. VOICE #1 OK, this is getting stupid. Why the hell are we here? VOICE #2 We're supposed to be studying this guy. VOICE #1 Why? OK, I'll admit that he's, uh ... unusual-looking, aside from the fact that he's a cyborg, but special abilities? Please. I haven't so much as sensed a tremor out of him since we've been here. (sighs) Not only that, but he doesn't even move! This is, as I said before, stupid. VOICE #2 Well, he does seem to be enjoying himself out here. VOICE #1 What does that have to do with anything? VOICE #2 You're not taking any of this seriously, are you? We're seeing how closely he matches the descriptions of Luporians in our ancient texts. One of those characteristics, which you fail to remember, is that they have a high love for nature. I mean, look how he's standing. It's almost like he's meditating or something. VOICE #1 OK, he has lustrous silver hair and a tall, and he's a tree-hugger. Can we go now? I'm getting ... VOICE #2 (cutting in) Wait, did you sense something? VOICE #1 Yeah, I kind of did ... felt like a temporal displacement. But from where? VOICE #2 Do you think it came from him? VOICE #1 Don't know, maybe ... Suddenly, they spot Kadaf walking up toward Dallion. VOICE #1 Hey, isn't that Fritz's lackey? VOICE #2 Uh ... yes, it is. Well, that explains the temporal rip. VOICE #1 Yeah, what's he doing here? VOICE #2 I guess we'll find out in a minute. Dallion turns around just as Kadaf reaches him. Their conversation is inaudible. After a few minutes of talking, Dallion turns and blasts off into the atmosphere. Kadaf, lowering his arms where he was shielding his face, brushes dust off of his coat. Then there is a twisting optical effect around Kadaf, and he is gone. VOICE #1 What do you suppose that was all about? Do you think the Luporians are affiliated with the regens? VOICE #2 It seems that way, but there's no way we can confirm it yet. It could be a total alliance, or could be just a "you help me, and I help you" situation. Who knows? VOICE #1 Anyway, let's just get out of here and report what we can. VOICE #2 Yes. The two shadow-like figures whisk away. SCENE 8 - ELEVATOR, DRAYKE LABORATORIES Eric stands in the center of the elevator, clutching the black case and keeping a close eye on the floor indicator. The panel above the doors indicates that the elevator has been descending for a while. As the indicator gets closer to the bottom, Eric's face seems to become harder and harder with seriousness. A tone is heard, and the doors slide open to reveal another large laboratory. This one is slightly larger than the previous two. There are four rows of computer terminals and desks lined up in the center of the lab. Along all of the walls are large, cylindrical glass tanks that reach from the floor to the ceiling -- a distance of about nine feet. They are all filled with a clear, light blue fluid, along with some other contents that can't be made out just yet. There are gauges, readouts, controls, and display screens that line the bottom and the sides of each tank. Strangely, there are no scientists in the lab at the moment. Eric steps out of the elevator and proceeds to walk straight ahead toward the back of the lab. He closes in on a few tanks against the left wall. Inside the tanks, submerged in the blue fluid, is a living male HARE. There is a respirator mask over his muzzle and sensor patches all over his chest. About five IV-like tubes enter into his left arm. Air bubbles burst out of the mask each time the hare exhales. He is unconscious. The hare has no right arm. At his shoulder joint, there is an NDT device with lights flashing all over it. Moments later, a robotic arm lowers down inside the tank with the hare. A network of probes and clamps protrude out of the arm and begin to tamper with the hare's NDT disk. Soon after, a cybernetic arm is attached to the hare. It lights up almost instantly with the connection. The hare slightly twitches from all of this but doesn't wake up. The rest of the tanks have the same contents, except each one holds a different species. VOICE Well, well ... Eric stops at the presence of the other VOICE. His face shows that he was slightly startled, but it quickly hardens back. VOICE ... if it isn't our little delivery boy. The sound of footsteps comes from the dark hallway beyond the open door. A figure steps through -- a TOAD SCIENTIST dressed in a lab coat. His body structure is more similar to Frix and Frax's than to the short stocky body of the Air Marshal. As the toad enters into the lab, about five stormtoad SOLDIERS file into the room behind him. Each one is armed with a blaster rifle. The toad walks up to Eric, who is standing perfectly still with an expression of contempt on his face toward the toad. TOAD SCIENTIST You have some more toys for me to play with? Without saying a word, Eric lifts up the black case in front of the toad. One of the soldiers steps up and takes the case from Eric, then opens it up to show the contents to the scientist. He reaches in and picks it up, apparently judging its weight. TOAD SCIENTIST Well, your engineers *have* been making progress. It's a lot lighter than the previous ones you brought to me two days ago. (looks at Eric with a devious smile) Perhaps you would like to try it on? As if something snapped inside Eric, he reaches into his suit with all four palms and pulls out two daggers and two small blasters. Before he can take aim, he is tackled by the five soldiers and thrown to the floor. Eric's weapons are knocked out of his grip, and he is pinned to the floor by two soldiers, each with a foot on Eric's chest and a rifle just inches from his head. TOAD SCIENTIST (bending down to Eric) You know, you are so much fun to play with. Rage radiates from Eric's face. TOAD SCIENTIST (highly sarcastic) You really brighten my day. You know that, don't you? You bring me gifts and make me laugh. You are almost my best friend. (beat) Don't worry; I'm not going to throw you into one of my experiment tanks. I need you for other things. The scientist moves over to a desk and picks up some folders that are filled with papers and disks. TOAD SCIENTIST Here are the results of my latest projects that your genetic and cyber labs are expecting. The scientist drops the papers onto Eric's chest just as the soldiers remove their restraints on him. Eric slowly gets up, holding the documents that were given to him. He then reaches down to pick up his weapons off of the floor. SOLDIER #1 (pressing the barrel of his rifle to Eric's back) I don't think so. TOAD SCIENTIST Let him have his toys. The soldier backs off slightly from Eric as he continues to retrieve his weapons and place them back into his suit. After doing so, he turns to head back to the elevator. The six toads can be heard laughing slightly at Eric as they head back into the room opposite of the elevator. Just before Eric reaches the doors of the elevator, he hears a tapping noise coming from his right side. He turns to look toward the source of the tapping to see a COLLIE female in one of the cyber- experimental tanks. Her eyes are fixed on Eric in an almost pleading manner. Her left arm and half of her belly have been replaced by cybernetics. She is using her real right arm to tap her index claw onto the glass of the tank to get Eric's attention. The desire to get her out of the tank surges through Eric, but he cannot do so, as the toads would definitely then throw him in one of those tanks, and also, there is no guarantee that she could live outside of the tank now. With his impotent anger, Eric steps into the elevator, and the doors shut behind him. As the elevator begins to ascend the shaft, Eric closes his eyes. ERIC (thinking) SCENE 9 - TOAD HANGAR This moderately large facility boasts rows of cargo transports and escort fighters. Toad soldiers are busily loading and unloading the cargo ships while engineers run typical inspections on every part of the ships. Not too much later, an overhead shaft opens up as a group of four escorts and a single speed carrier descend into the hangar. The escorts break formation and land on the far edge of the hangar as the carrier lands on the end opposite the escorts. Once landed, the doors to the carrier open to show cage-like structures with many mammals in them.. Soldiers quickly rush up and into the carrier's cargo hold to move out the cages. After three cages are moved out, the fourth one comes into view to show the three females kidnapped from the resort cruiser. After the fourth cage has been taken, CAPTAIN GREEMAN steps up from the back of the cargo hold and smiles evilly. SCENE 10 - ORBIT OF GENUS A huge array of defense satellites orbits the planet. Dallion flies up to them, then stops and hovers as he looks to his right arm and opens up the comm panel on his forearm. The display indicates that there are multiple blaster lock-ons fixed on Dallion from the defense satellites. Dallion presses a series of buttons and fades away as his cloaking device takes effect. His faded form heads down toward the planet. SCENE 11 - ROOFTOP, UACSC BUILDING Fritz is standing near the edge of the building, looking out over the city. He then turns away to walk back toward the center of the roof and begins to pace a few times. A loud rumble is heard, and Fritz looks upward. Dallion's ghostlike form descends down and onto the roof just in front of Fritz, dust blowing in all directions from his thrusters. As soon as he lands, he becomes fully visible. FRITZ (in a greeting manner) Dallion. I heard you were on your way to see me. (beat) Kadaf told me you had a problem with my request. DALLION (plainly) This wasn't what we agreed on. We agreed that I would destroy toads for you and you would help me out just a bit. FRITZ (shrugging) Destroying toads will more than likely be a part of the job. DALLION You need a rescue team, not an assassin. The lives of others can't be my responsibility. Besides, Kadaf didn't state it as much of a request. More like an order. FRITZ This is a very urgent matter, Dallion. I want you involved in this because we need to find the slaves first. Besides, I believe it would be in your best interests to save these slaves. DALLION (a little angry) How would you know of my best interests? FRITZ Perhaps one would be the preservation of one's life. (beat) Especially the life of an innocent. DALLION (suddenly at a loss for words) I ... but ... FRITZ I told you that I know a lot about Luporians. As if outraged by that comment, Dallion runs up into Fritz's face. DALLION (very anger now) You may know about my race, but you don't know me! I can't be trusted with the lives of others! FRITZ (mood unchanged) You must get rid of that rage inside of you, Dallion ... (beat) ... if you still wish to cling on to that shred of Luporian that remains under your metallic shell. A strong silence grips Dallion as he stares into Fritz's face for a moment. He then turns his back to Fritz and takes a few steps away. FRITZ (sincere) You're right about our deal. (beat) You help me, and I help you. You help us save those missing girls and other slaves, and you can start to get your life back on track. (beat) Besides, I'm sure that where you find the slaves, you'll find Greeman. Dallion turns to look over his shoulder at Fritz. SCENE 12 - LOWER DECK, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Bucky is talking to the whole crew. BUCKY ... so, that's the situation. Normally, once captives are securely in the toads' grasp, their priority with us has to drop considerably. But in this case, the telltale signs indicate that the toads have something big going on. (beat) So, our priority over these particular slaves is pretty high. JENNY Since we really have no idea where to start looking, we're just going to have to do some detective work as we go along. BUCKY (sounding irritated, speaking mostly to himself) Would have had more to go on if Dallion hadn't screwed up and let Greeman get away. (pauses, then to everyone else) Deadeye, it might be a good idea if you could consult the Canards. The underground would be a good place to start gathering information. DEADEYE Aye, Cap'n, had the same thing in mind. If there's any kind o' big operation goin' on with them toadies, more than likely, there's launderin' and smugglin' attached to it. And when ye got that, ye got some of me old mates mixed in wit' it. BUCKY Good, get on that ASAP. Orders are for each frigate to send out one of their members as a scout. That way, we can get some widespread coverage without depleting our manpower. WILLY Each frigate? Who are the others? BUCKY Most likely Wolf and ... well, I'm not sure who on Mimi's crew is the most streetwise. Might be Mimi herself. (to Willy) Since Deadeye's got another assignment, I need for you to optimize Blinky's targeting programs to fill in as gunman. WILLY Aye-aye, sir. BUCKY Well, we all have our orders. Let's get to it. SCENE 13 - SPACE The Righteous Indignation flies through space. The Toad Croaker flies out of it, with Deadeye on board. SCENE SHIFTS TO ALLEYWAY In a dank and dark alley of some city, LIEUTENANT WOLF walks up to a steel door. He knocks, then enters the door after it opens. SCENE SHIFTS TO CASINO In a casino-style lounge, Mimi approaches another female fox, who is sitting on a couch. After a short conversation, the fox gets up and walks with Mimi to a private room. SCENE SHIFTS TO SPACE Dallion travels through space intently. SCENE SHIFTS TO CORSAIR BASE In a secret Corsair Canard base, Deadeye sits with some of his former mates. SCENE SHIFTS TO BAR Wolf sits down as a bar, orders a drink, then strikes up a conversation with the orangutan bartender. After a few moments, the orangutan points to the back of the bar, where there sits a large round table. Around the table are wolves and other canines playing a gambling card game. SCENE SHIFTS TO SHOP In a weapons dealer's shop, Mimi is talking to the lizard behind the counter. The lizard appears to be uninterested in talking to Mimi. Pulling out her blaster, Mimi grazes the lizard's scales in five different places in a split second. The lizard then appears to be more than happy to tell Mimi whatever she wants to know. SCENE SHIFTS TO THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Three toad soldiers sit tied up inside the lower deck of The Righteous Indignation. Bucky has his blaster pointed at them, while Bruiser is shaking a fourth around in the air. SCENE SHIFTS TO SPACE A small formation of four double bubbles flies somewhere in space. A streak of golden thruster fire follows them moments after. SCENE 14 - BAR This bar, which is different than the one Wolf was in, is filled with almost every sort of criminal. Smugglers, thieves, bounty hunters, gamblers, hit men, pirates, and the like make up the crowd. Both cold- and warm-blooded species make up the composition. Among the dense crowd, Deadeye works his way up to the bar, where he takes a seat. He then snaps a finger from each fist to get the attention of the horse BARTENDER. BARTENDER (turning to face Deadeye) Deadeye! Long time no see. Where have you been? DEADEYE Just about everywhere in th' aniverse, matey. BARTENDER It is good to see that you haven't fared any more bad injuries. DEADEYE Not yet. You look about the same, but your li'l' hovel here ain't as rough as it used ta be. I ain't seen a single fight break out yet. BARTENDER Just keep waiting; one is bound to happen. It has been over five hours since the last quarrel. (reaches under the counter to bring up a drink for Deadeye) So, what brings you here after all this time? DEADEYE I need ta pick at yer brain. BARTENDER That figures. That is just about the only reason why you come here. DEADEYE Ha hah! Ye know I come here fer more'n that. BARTENDER Yeah, and all of that is in your palms right now. Both Deadeye and the bartender laugh for a bit until their laughter is broken by an uproar coming from farther down the bar from them. Two sleazasaurs are at each other's throats. They fight against the bar, then down to the floor. A few others attempt to break them apart, while the rest of the bar seems to be cheering on the fight. DEADEYE (looking at the fight) That's more like it! (to the bartender) Now this is the bar that I remember. BARTENDER I told you so. The bartender raises his left arm to signal towards four rottweiler BOUNCERS. They all nod toward him, then proceed over to the two sleazasaurs. Breaking them apart from one another, they drag the two to the doors of the bar and throw them out of the building. DEADEYE (looking at the bouncers) Seems like ye got some better help these days. BARTENDER Oh, yeah. Those four brothers make cleaning up fights so much easier. (beat) Anyway, back to what we were talking about. DEADEYE Aye, been wantin' to ask ye if ye've seen any strange toad activity lately. BARTENDER I see a lot of toad activity. What do you consider to be strange? DEADEYE Ye know, the kind where everything them toadies do is covered up. Smugglin', launderin', kidnappin', black-market ordeals. Them kinds o' activities. BARTENDER Ah, those kinds. (thinks) I cannot say that I have. The only major dealings that I have been making with toads recently have been with the same old space squadrons that stop here for a drink. Shortly after the bartender's words, the sound of several maser blasts is heard from the entrance of the bar. The noise level of the bar seems to lower just a bit. BARTENDER Speak of the devil. DEADEYE Toads? BARTENDER Yep. They always make the same entrance. Excuse me for a moment. The bartender turns to walk down to the other end of the bar to greet the group of toad soldiers that has just entered the bar. Two toads step up to the bar, while the other six take a seat at a table nearby. DEADEYE (irritated, thinking) Keeping to his thoughts and his drink, Deadeye waits for his friend to finish serving the toads. Several moments later, Deadeye is jerked out of his thoughts by the sound of loud explosions coming from outside the front of the bar. The deafening noise gets the attention of everyone inside. The occupants begin to file out of the bar to see the cause of the explosions that have just ceased. Deadeye himself gets up from his barstool to investigate. Upon exiting the bar, Deadeye looks about the area to find flames erupting from the landing field next to the bar. Following the crowd toward the fire, Deadeye finds that the flames are coming from the remains of four destroyed toad double bubbles. Moments after seeing the destruction, the group of toads arrives and instantly burst into an uproar. However, something about the ships catches Deadeye's eye. Looking closely at the outer hulls of the ships, claw-like patterns cover almost all of the surfaces. DEADEYE (thinking) Deadeye pushes his way through the crowd to get to the Croaker. He quickly jumps onto it and takes off in space. SCENE 15 - ORBIT Once in orbit above the planet, Deadeye sets his comm to Dallion's specific frequency. DEADEYE (into comm) Dallion, this is Deadeye, do ye copy? DALLION (over comm) Yes, this is Dallion, Deadeye. What can I do for you? DEADEYE Did ye just destroy four toad ships just outside of a bar? DALLION (over comm) Yes. How did you know? DEADEYE I was there. In the bar, that is ... where are ye now? DALLION (over comm) I'm watching the ships burn from on top of this ... "bar." DEADEYE Well, join me up here in orbit. I need to talk to ye. DALLION (over comm) Very well. Cutting communications, Deadeye keeps the Croaker hovering as he waits for Dallion. DEADEYE (thinking) After about five minutes, Dallion's thruster streak can be seen rising up from the atmosphere. SCENE 16 - TOAD LAB, DRAYKE CORPORATION The toad scientist from earlier is moving from tank to tank, examining their contents. At one of the tanks, he stops to press a few buttons, bringing up some readings on a terminal screen. While examining the output, he is startled by a loud banging noise. Regaining his composure, he looks into the tank to see the male hare on the inside banging a fist onto the glass. With a slight hint of annoyance on the toad's face, he reaches down to the control panel to press a button. Pulses of electricity surge up into the hare, who goes into severe convulsions until the surges stop. The hare seems to have passed out. The toad's face holds a devious grin. TOAD SCIENTIST (cocky) Never do that to me again. The scientist laughs to himself for a moment. Then, a toad SOLDIER enters the lab. SOLDIER Dr. Cravis? CRAVIS Yes, what is it? SOLDIER The new shipment has arrived. CRAVIS Excellent. Let's have a look, shall we? SOLDIER Certainly, sir. The toads proceed into a dark room that turns out to be a long stone hallway. At the end of the hallway is a large, dark room that resembles a dungeon. The room has cold stone walls with many cells secured with thick iron bars. The dungeon is actually just an extension of the hallway, but with cells lining both sides of it. Some of the cells are empty, but most are filled with mammals. They look tired, beaten, and dirty, as if they have been there for a long time. Toward the end of the dungeon, the captives look a bit healthier, indicating that they haven't been there as long. SOLDIER The newer ones are just down here. The two continue down to about the end of the room, where other toad soldiers are standing. They are forcing mammals into cells. Among the commotion stands Captain Greeman. He is grasping the long hair of the female CAT from the resort cruiser in his left fist while holding the ears of the HARE from the cruiser in his right. The female husky is already inside a locked cage. After forcing the hare and the cat into a cell, Greeman turns to Cravis. GREEMAN (humorously) Well, I believe that this fills your grocery list, Doctor. CRAVIS (sounding pleased) Indeed, but it took longer than before. Why? GREEMAN That cursed O'Hare sacked my slave ship. He got my entire crew and all but three slaves that I sent here. Just as a precaution, I had those three captives bounced around different bases to make sure that O'Hare wouldn't track them here. CRAVIS I see. Well, at least you got them here. I don't think that these remaining subjects are strong enough to survive the primary surgery stage. But these look healthy enough for it. Dr. Cravis points toward a male MOLE that is in the cage next to the husky's cage. CRAVIS (to the soldiers) Take him out for me. The soldiers, upon the order, open up the barred door to bring out the mole. The soldiers are instantly met with a fight. Even though his vision is poor, even for his species, he is still able to follow the figures and swing fists at him. The soldiers are having a tough time trying to get a grip on him. Agitated, Cravis pulls out a small syringe with a light green fluid in it. Showing a lot of dexterity, Cravis moves up to the mole and quickly injects the fluid into him. With a grunt of pain from the needle, the mole swings a fist up to Cravis, who ducks it just in time. The mole rears back for another strike but begins to twitch all over his body. MOLE (grunting) Argh! What ... what is ... The mole drops to one knee, grabbing his right wrist to stabilize it. MOLE What ... is ... happening ... to ... me ... CRAVIS (flippantly) Oh, just an unperfected nerve growth protein. A look of concern flashes across the mole's face upon hearing Cravis's words. CRAVIS And unless we get you inside our experimental tanks, your nervous system will grow and mutate uncontrollably. Most subjects die within fifteen minutes. Only submerged in our growth-suppressant will you be able to live. (beat) So I suggest that you not resist us. Without any more resistance, the mole surrenders to the soldiers to be carried off to the labs. Cravis leaves with the soldiers to head back to the labs. Greeman remains next to the cell doors while laughing to himself. As Cravis walks away, a look of abject horror washes over the face of the three new female prisoners. SCENE 17 - SPACE Deadeye, on the Toad Croaker with Dallion flying beside him, is traveling to meet his old friend. DALLION So, Bucky is not too happy with me right now? DEADEYE Aye, matey. I'd almost say that he'd try ta skin ye the next time he sees ye. The comm on the Croaker suddenly activates, blaring Bucky's voice. BUCKY (over comm) Deadeye, you were supposed to report back an hour ago. You coming? DEADEYE Not quite yet, Cap'n, got one more source ta check out. BUCKY (after a moment) All right, do that, and then get back here. O'Hare out. DALLION How much further to your friend's place? DEADEYE Not much longer. It's in th' next planet system. SCENE 18 - DRAYKE'S OFFICE, CAYTON CITY Drayke is sitting behind his desk. Standing in front of Drayke is Greeman. They are both looking at a large comm screen displaying the Air Marshal. AIR MARSHAL (impatient) So, when can I expect to have my soldiers fitted with these NDTs? DRAYKE As soon as the protein supplement is perfected for a toad's body mass. AIR MARSHAL What is taking so long with that damn supplement? DRAYKE As you might recall, when it was first produced, it was only stable with massive beings. That's the only good thing that came out of your scientists slapping our prototypes onto that wolf on such a whim. That wolf took that seemingly unstable protein without a trace of any side effects. (beat) We then tried it on baboons and got the same results. Going from those massive creatures down to a toad is quite a bit of difference. AIR MARSHAL Well, how close are you now? DRAYKE I believe that ... Drayke is cut short by a tone on his desk communicator. DRAYKE (sounding happy to have something else to do) Excuse me, Air Marshal. Drayke reaches over to press a flashing button. DRAYKE Yes? FEMALE VOICE (over comm) Mr. Drayke, there are two people here to see you. DRAYKE Jessie, you know that I just don't "see" people. JESSIE (over comm) But these two said it's urgent business. DRAYKE Who are they? JESSIE One is a Canard named Deadeye. DRAYKE (sounding surprised) Deadeye? With a patch over his left eye? JESSIE Yes, sir. DRAYKE Give me a moment. Drayke cuts the communication. AIR MARSHAL (angered) O'Hare's gunner is here? I can't have that rodent interfering with the operations. Give me a video confirmation, Greeman. Greeman pushes a few buttons next to the main comm display. A smaller image appears on the comm screen showing the output of a security camera in the main lobby. The image zooms in on the main reception desk, where JESSIE, a mink, is sitting with Deadeye and Dallion standing in front of her. GREEMAN It's the wolf! AIR MARSHAL I don't believe it! How did O'Hare's crew find out ... (beat) Wait, I don't see the rest of the crew. Is it just those two? Greeman works the controls to make the camera pan around the lobby. GREEMAN Yes, sir, it's only them. No sign of the others. AIR MARSHAL Drayke, do you know why Deadeye would be coming here? DRAYKE Deadeye and I are old friends. We both used to be Corsair Canards. He might just be coming to see me. GREEMAN I don't like it. It's too risky to have them here. Greeman turns to face Drayke, who is sitting silently with his attention focused on his personal video screen on his desk with the image from the lobby camera. GREEMAN You're awfully quiet all of a sudden, Drayke. DRAYKE (not looking up from his screen) Isn't that the wolf with our older prototypes on it? AIR MARSHAL Yes, that's him. Drayke is silent for a few more moments. DRAYKE Would it raise your confidence in me, Air Marshal, if I were to capture this wolf and continue your research on it? AIR MARSHAL Actually, he's more useful to us as a war machine now. Get him back under our control. DRAYKE Well, as soon as he gets up here, I can make use of his neuro- controller. AIR MARSHAL That won't do you any good. It's no longer functional. DRAYKE I see ... well, there is another way, but it's a little more risky. AIR MARSHAL If you can pull it off, Drayke, then you just might be on my good side for once. (beat) Get rid of that duck, and obtain that wolf for us. The screen goes blank. TO BE CONTINUED