"Close Encounters of the Human Kind" by DJ Clawson First draft - 5/5/98 Final draft - 10/17/98 Edited by Rygar 12/25/03 SCENE 1 - CHAIRMAN WARNER'S OFFICE CHAIRMAN FRITZ WARNER sits behind his desk, doing paperwork, when CAPTAIN BUCKY O'HARE charges in. Fritz is obviously expecting Bucky's arrival. BUCKY (steaming, stamping on the desk) I refuse to accept this mission! FRITZ (calmly) What's the problem, Bucky? BUCKY (throwing his paws up in the air) This is a babysitting job! And the worst part is, I'm babysitting a terrorist! FRITZ Lucas MacArthur has been cleared of all of his charges. He can no longer be held accountable for any crimes he may have been involved in. BUCKY Only because you pardoned him! (storming around) Fritz, he's dangerous. He's unstable, and having him around is putting my crew in danger. FRITZ We have the finest psychiatrists in the aniverse carefully watching over him, Bucky. BUCKY You can't make excuses for what he's done! He's bombed three UAC outposts! He's killed five soldiers and two civilians, and he's responsible for the selling of illegal maser machinery to civilians! FRITZ You don't have to remind *me* of any of that stuff. BUCKY But you pardoned him! He deserves to be in either a penitentiary or a mental institution, not running around free. FRITZ He's not free. He's on parole, and he's being watched carefully. (shuffles papers) Besides, I had to. Too many politics between us and the raccoons for me to do otherwise -- which is why the Security Council has demanded that I give him to you for transport. BUCKY But why *me*? Why my ship? FRITZ Because your crew is the most equipped to handle him. (sighs) You'll understand when you get him, I promise. Now go, please. (seriously) And that's an order. Anger still visible in his eyes, Bucky salutes reluctantly and leaves. SCENE 2 - SPACE STATION, ORBIT OF GENUS The Righteous Indignation is in docking bay. Bucky is pacing in front of the open hatch, with FIRST MATE JENNY and ENGINEER WILLY DUWITT waiting with him. JENNY Relax, Bucky. All we have to do is transport him from here to Rigel IV. WILLY What's on Rigel IV? BUCKY The raccoons. They've been relocated there ever since ... (pauses, chooses his words carefully) ... ever since their planet was conquered by toads and the climate was changed by their climate converter to make it too hostile for mammals to live on. MacArthur is part of a group of raccoon terrorists dedicated to reconquering their homeland. WILLY Why are they considered terrorists? It doesn't sound like they want anything different than what the hares wanted on Warren. BUCKY Yes, but the Security Council won't give them the funding for the mission. WILLY Why not? BUCKY Because they have a limited war budget as it is, and there are more pressing matter than the raccoons. They've simply been relocated. There are other mammal populations that have been enslaved and aren't free to even be relocated, and they need the attention first. JENNY No wonder MacArthur is upset. BUCKY Which is why I don't like this transport idea. I don't want him to be Around ... Bucky is interrupted as an OFFICER arrives, dragging along a large figure wearing a clock and a space helmet that obscures his appearance. This is LUCAS MACARTHUR. He is wearing a heavy set of handcuffs and is pulled along by a chain. LUCAS I *was* pardoned, you know. OFFICER (gruffly) You'll be pardoned when I say you can be. (turns to Bucky) Captain O'Hare? BUCKY (salutes) Do we have to let him out of that? OFFICER Unfortunately, yes. (hands him papers) Here's the paperwork. LUCAS (insistently) *And* my pardon. OFFICER Right, right. The officer goes to unlock Lucas's manacles, but he's already watching his new guards. He stops when he gets a look at Willy. LUCAS I didn't know there were going to be *humans* on this ride. (pulls his wrists free) Ugly, smelly, hairless hu ... OFFICER Oh, shut up. The officer removes his helmet, revealing Lucas to be an adult human. He has long hair and a short beard, which is a silvery white despite the fact he has the body and looks of someone in his mid- twenties. Standing at more than five feet tall, he towers over the crew. WILLY (shocked) You're ... LUCAS Human? You're awfully quick. What are you, twelve? The officer is in no mood for games. He slaps a metal bracelet on Lucas's left arm, then passes a handpiece to Bucky. OFFICER This is his leash. If he gives you any trouble, don't hesitate to give him a little shock. LUCAS I have rights, you know. Trampled on as they may be, as a citizen of the United Animal ... The officer takes the handpiece and activates it. Lucas cries out as he receives a small shock as his wristband lights up. OFFICER (handing it back to Bucky) See what I mean? BUCKY (understand) So this is why I was given him for the transport. OFFICER (noticing Willy, turning to Bucky) I hope they're not all like Lucas. BUCKY They aren't. OFFICER Good for you. Well, you've got your paws full with this guy. Good luck! The officer walks off, happy to be gone. Lucas gives him a hand gesture only Willy understands, then turns angrily to Bucky and the crew. LUCAS Let's get some lunch. I'm starved. BUCKY (commanding tone) Now wait a minute, Mr. MacArthur. Let's get a few things straight here ... LUCAS (interrupting him) You're not here to babysit me, even though you are, I know. You don't like it, I know. But you're going to do it, because you're a good boy and always listen to orders, I know. So I should sit down and shut up for the transport and try not to act psychotic for a few hours so you can get me to Rigel IV without me escaping or killing half your crew; otherwise, you're not afraid to give me a hell of a shock with that thing in your paws. (beat) Lecture over? Can we eat now? BUCKY (resigning sigh) All right, last snacks before we leave. The crew rushes off. SCENE 3 - SPACE BAR The crew of the Righteous is sitting at one of the tables, enjoying their meal. Bucky alone keeps a trained eye on the loner Lucas, who sits at the space bar, muttering and downing drinks. Unable to sustain his curiosity, Willy sits down next to him at the bar. LUCAS What do *you* want? WILLY (taken back) I ... I just wanted to ask ... LUCAS How I got here? What I'm doing here? (ponders) Shouldn't I ask you the same question? WILLY I have a photon ... Willy stops. LUCAS You don't want to tell me. Of course. Otherwise, I'll steal your way home and escape through into the human world -- assuming you even have a way? (sneers at Willy) C'mon, man ... this bracelet still works. Go ahead. WILLY (warily) I have a photon accelerator at home that has a link with the one on the ship, and it's created a doorway between the universe and the aniverse. LUCAS So what is this? A part-time job for you? Grade school student by day and aniversian engineer by night? WILLY (rankled) I'm in high school. LUCAS Riiiiight. (takes a gulp) So I suppose you want to know how I got here. WILLY Actually ... LUCAS Cosmic accident involving a rather stupid and careless regen. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, that's probably the way you would see my *real* story, because you're obviously a factoid brain and you take things as realistically as possible. WILLY (curious) What are you *really* here because of, then? LUCAS Frith delivered me to help me find my true calling. WILLY Who? LUCAS Frith. G-d. I'm a Lopinenean priest. I'm the son of a Memphis preacher, but when I was ten, I fell off my bike and started receiving prophecies from the L-rd Frith-Rah. WILLY (shakes his head) That's completely crazy. LUCAS That's what they said about Paul, when he fell off his horse. WILLY So what happened? LUCAS What do you think happens to a kid who thinks he can see the future and it doesn't have anything to do with Jesus? My dad thought I was the spawn of the devil, and my mom wanted to put me in a mental asylum. (takes gulp) So Frith sent a regen who brought me to the raccoons when I was sixteen. And I've been with them ever since. WILLY You never miss Earth? LUCAS I miss things from Earth ... I miss coffee, I miss apple pie, and I miss brand-name clothing. (looks down at his robes) Definitely. (takes another gulp) But I don't miss the people. WILLY Not even your family? LUCAS Why the hell would I? I was an outcast! The raccoons love me and respect me as the holy man and seer that I am. Mankind never bothered to take notice of my talents. WILLY (disapprovingly) So now you run guns for raccoon terrorists. LUCAS I look out for my own, or at least who I consider to be my own, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Willy is about to say something, but Bucky intercedes. BUCKY Let's go. Lucas reluctantly pays his tab and leaves with the crew. Bucky is a little concerned about his engineer's interest in Lucas. BUCKY (taking Willy aside as they board the ship) Willy, stay away from Lucas, OK? WILLY What do you expect me to do? He's the only other human in the aniverse! BUCKY He doesn't consider himself to be a member of your kind, and I don't think you should, either. (cautiously) Just stay away from him. That's an order. WILLY (salutes) Aye-aye, Captain. SCENE 4 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION The ship is en route to Rigel IV. Jenny is in the upper bay, fiddling with her controls, when Willy pokes his head up, holding a clipboard and pen in his mouth. JENNY Hi, Willy. What do you need? WILLY (climbs up into bay) Just a few readings, if you don't mind. Where's Bucky? JENNY He's taking a nap. He was really tired. Willy climbs into the captain's chair and immediately begins pulling up information on Bucky's console. Jenny watches him work. WILLY What are you doing? JENNY (returning to what she was doing) Oh, just setting the ship into autopilot. (smiles) Unless, of course, you want to fly. WILLY Me? Fly? But, I'm just an engineer ... JENNY (waves it off) It's simple. It's not like there aren't any electronics on this ship you don't understand anyway. Flying is just about keeping focused and keeping a steady paw. Jenny takes Willy's hand and places it over the steering lever. JENNY Just push forward. WILLY Um ... are you sure ... JENNY Just push. Willy does so, and the ship flies past a nearby planet. WILLY (excited) Cool. SCENE 5 - ENGINEERING BAY, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION BRUISER is eating his banana, watching Lucas, who watches AFC BLINKY work on the photon accelerator. The human is totally focused on the android, and it worries Bruiser. BRUISER Hey! LUCAS (looks up) What? Am I doing something wrong? Bruiser suddenly realizes he isn't, and his yelling was unjustified. BRUISER Uh ... no. Sorry. Lucas sneers, muttering something about an under-evolved baboon, and stands. He starts to poke around the panel when Bruiser stops him. BRUISER Hey! LUCAS (annoyed) What this time? Am I breathing too hard for you? Bruiser is so busy pulling on one of Lucas's hands that he doesn't see the other one slip into the cargo bay and retrieve a blaster, which he slips beneath his robes quickly. BRUISER Just ... be good. LUCAS Yeah, whatever. (goes to leave) Well, I'll get off your back. BRUISER (demanding) Where're ya goin'? LUCAS Where could I go? I'm on the ship the size of a peanut ... not to mention a crew with brains the size of one. (rolls his eyes at Bruiser's look) I'm going to the toilet, for Frith's sake. BRUISER OK. But do it quickly. I don't want ya runnin' around. Lucas gives an aggravated sigh and leaves engineering. He goes to head up into the upper bay, but is stopped at the ladder by Deadeye. DEADEYE An' where're ye goin', matey? LUCAS (rolls his eyes) To plunder for booty? Sail the open seas? Didn't pirates die out with space travel? DEADEYE And ye be insultin' me accent? LUCAS Yes, I be insultin' ye accent. Geez! Can't I get to a bathroom without it involving witless conversation with conventional stereotypes? (sees Deadeye's confusion) Well, I've overloaded your brain, I bet. I'll be back. Lucas climbs up the ladder. SCENE 6 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Willy is still steering in upper bay when he hears the hatch swing open and notices Lucas's head pop up. Instantly, he turns to Jenny. WILLY (nudges her) Jenny, Lucas is ... Willy suddenly notices Jenny has drifted off. WILLY Jenny? (nudges her more) You can wake up now. LUCAS (fully climbing into the bay) She's in for a nice nap, my friend. Willy stops, realizing what Lucas's tone insinuates. WILLY You ... LUCAS Don't think about it. And don't take your hand off that g-ddamn stick! Lucas pulls out his blaster, which he presses into the back of Willy's neck. WILLY (swallowing) What do you think you're doing? LUCAS Pointing a gun at your neck. Which is all you have to know at this point. So shut up and fly. Without removing his gun from its dangerous position, Lucas makes his way over to Jenny, whom he lies down on the floor of the bay before he settles down in her chair. WILLY (admitting) I can't really fly ... LUCAS I noticed. I was hoping to have the Aldebaran do it, but she drank too much of Bucky's soda. MS-59 is a powerful sedative. They're both going to have bad headaches when they wake up, and in the meantime, I'm going to have to deal with you. (looks at the controls) Set course for Warren. WILLY Warren? But I thought ... LUCAS (harshly) Shut up and fly! Willy swallows again and does his best to set a course. WILLY They're gonna find out. Deadeye and Bruiser ... LUCAS (clicking safety off blaster) ... aren't going to find out anything, understand? At least until we get where we're going. WILLY But why would you ... (suddenly realizes) You want the climate converter. For the raccoon homeland. LUCAS You're smart for someone barely pushing puberty. (cocking blaster in his direction) Now fly. Willy swallows hard and continues to fly the ship. SCENE 7 - MAIN BAY, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Deadeye is pacing the main bay, nervous as he notices Warren approach on his screens. He raps on the closed hatch that leads up to the piloting bay after checking it to find it locked. DEADEYE Cap'n! Jenny! One of ye had better have a good explanation fer all this! Bruiser comes up from behind. DEADEYE (upset) What do ye want, Bruiser? BRUISER It's the Cap'n. He's asleep in the back. DEADEYE So? BRUISER *Really* asleep. I can't wake 'im. Blinky's watchin' im. DEADEYE An' what about the terrorist? BRUISER He's in the bathroom. (beat) Uh, I think. DEADEYE (rubbing his beak) This doesn't sound good. They are both thrown across the bay by a very shaky landing. By the time they manage to get up, they notice the upper hatch open and Willy climb down. DEADEYE Willy, me lad! What's goin' ... Deadeye is silenced as Lucas follows him down, putting Willy between them and him and pointing his blaster at Willy's head. LUCAS Shut your beak, or whiz kid gets his overgrown brains blown out. DEADEYE (angrily) Of all of the slimy, sleazy ... Lucas fires up his blaster, and Deadeye quiets down. LUCAS Now, I've had nerd boy here put in a little call with the hares on Warren, so they should have that climate converter ready momentarily. In the meantime, I don't want you ... (pointing blaster at Deadeye) ... or you ... (blaster at Bruiser) ... or anyone else getting any funny ideas about tipping them off about my little plan. This is just a routine pickup that they weren't informed about by the Chairman himself because of a communications error. Understand? Deadeye and Bruiser nod. LUCAS And if you want to know what I've done with your captain and your first mate, I wouldn't worry too much about the little couple. They'll come around in a bit. Now, if you excuse me ... Lucas is suddenly cut off. The color drains from his face as he moans in pain, letting go of Willy and his blaster as he drops to his knees and holds his head. Willy runs free, and Deadeye goes for his blaster. LUCAS No you don't, you stupid pirate ... Lucas recuperates quickly enough to grab the blaster and point it at Deadeye's beak. Deadeye backs off, paws up. Lucas, still in pain, sits shakily on Deadeye's gunner seat, facing them with his finger nervously on the trigger. WILLY (to Deadeye, quietly) What's wrong with him? LUCAS (having heard it) SHUT UP! (holds up blaster in Willy's direction, calmer, trembling) I need to think. Lucas is cut off again by what appears to be another wave of pain and disorientation. Quickly, before Deadeye can even begin to approach him while he's in his vulnerable state, he fires the blaster at the duck. It misses his webbed feet by inches. LUCAS (shouting) GET BACK! NOW! Deadeye backs away. LUCAS AND STAY THERE! Lucas is obviously having problems concentrating and keeping his handle on the situation. LUCAS (pain in his voice) Willy ... you can go home ... right? WILLY Yes ... LUCAS Get me ... get me something to drink. Willy gives him a confused look. LUCAS Alcohol, you underage moron! (fires at his feet) *Now!* Willy looks at him, then runs into engineering. LUCAS (shaking head) Kids ... SCENE 8 - MAIN BAY, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Lucas sits in the gunner's seat, watching through the window as officials approach the Righteous. In his hand is a bottle of beer with a new age-looking label. He looks anxious but greatly relieved. Willy approaches him. LUCAS (not looking in Willy's direction) If you're wondering ... WILLY You always seem to know what I'm thinking. LUCAS Of course. I'm a vilthuril. WILLY (confused) A what? LUCAS A prophet. A seer. I always know what you're going to say. WILLY (interested) You're seeing the future ... now? LUCAS I was. Alcohol tends to stop the visions. (sips beer) They're very painful. Willy looks at him as if he's totally crazy. LUCAS Fine, don't believe me. It doesn't matter anyway. It's not what's important right now. WILLY You really think the hares will ... LUCAS I never think anything. I know. (sipping again) They don't need it anymore. They're just keeping a hold on it because it's too expensive to move anywhere. Besides, they're not giving it to me; they're giving it to the crew of The Righteous Indignation, who were responsible for them having it in the first place. WILLY You realize you're not going to get away with this. LUCAS You realize I probably know more about the outcome of this than you do. Who's the prophet here? Willy backs off. LUCAS (watching carefully) Well, let the show begin. Lucas picks up his space helmet, which he places over his head. He opens the hatch and jerks his blaster in the direction of the hatch. LUCAS (to Willy) You go first. And don't make it look like anything's wrong. Just because you don't see my blaster doesn't mean it's not pointed at you. DEADEYE (angrily) Where're ye goin'? LUCAS To pick up my climate converter. BRUISER You ain't takin' Willy! LUCAS I do need *some* assurance that you'll be nice and quiet until I'm safely off the planet. (grins maliciously) You'll get him back. Don't worry. I wouldn't deprive you of the only person on this ship who knows how to do anything past flush its toilets. Or do you need his help for that, too? Bruiser growls, but Deadeye holds him back. DEADEYE Let 'im go, matey. We don't have a choice. They watch as Willy goes out, followed by Lucas, who's disguised by his headgear. A few feet outside sits the launch platform, where a few hare OFFICIALS wait eagerly. The climate converter is on the pad behind them. OFFICIAL #1 (looking them over) I thought Captain O'Hare was in charge of this frigate. Willy is quickly nudged by Lucas. WILLY Um ... he can't make it. OFFICIAL #1 Do you know how to fly the climate converter? WILLY Yeah. LUCAS So we'll take it from here. CAPTAIN MIMI LAFLEUR enters from behind the Righteous. MIMI Not on my watch, you won't. Lucas recognizes her, and backs up. He does not see the approach of FIRST MATE JONATHAN WEISSMAN, a beagle, who tackles him from behind before he has time to grab Willy and use him as protection. The two take it to the ground, and Lucas barely manages to escape. He runs in the direction of the exposed climate converter, pushing past the officials. MIMI Someone shoot the stupid baboon! (to Willy) No offense. WILLY None taken. GUNNER HARRY CALLAN, a brown hare, appears from behind the Righteous and kneels, firing his blaster at Lucas. The human barely manages to avoid the fire before climbing up through the hatch of the converter and shutting it behind him. HARRY Crud! He got away! Jonathan gets up from the ground. He's a 2'6" tan-furred dawg with long black ears. He wears a black shirt, black jeans, and a yellow utility belt. Wrapped over one shoulder is a sash of a purple- and blue-striped tartan. JONATHAN Slippery guy for someone five-foot-seven. They watch helplessly as Lucas fires up the climate converter and takes off. MIMI (to Willy) Are you all right, Willy? WILLY I've been better. MIMI Is everyone else OK? WILLY Bucky and Jenny are drugged, but Lucas said they'd be OK. MIMI (snorts) Lucas lies a lot. We should check on them. (to Harry and Jonathan) Return to the ship and prepare to take off. Get a homing beacon on the converter, if you can. Jonathan and Harry salute, then run off. SCENE 9 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Bucky is just beginning to come to. He moans painfully. MIMI Easy, Bucky. BUCKY (sitting up, disoriented) What ... DEADEYE It's a long story, Cap'n. BUCKY Lucas! Did he? ... MIMI Yes, he drugged you. And your first mate. BUCKY (worried) Jenny ... is she OK? MIMI She'll be awake in a bit. She appears to be fine. Bucky begins to piece the situation together, gaining orientation and stability in his voice. BUCKY Where are we? WILLY Warren. Lucas's orders. He stole the climate converter. BUCKY Any idea where he's heading? MIMI My guess would be Rigel IV. But he might be hiding out so things could cool down before he actually brings the converter there. Bucky stands, with Bruiser's help. BUCKY (assuming his usual assertive tone) I'm going to set a course for Rigel IV. MIMI I'll bring my ship. BUCKY You know MacArthur? MIMI We've had a lot of dealings with him. My crew was responsible for his capture. BUCKY Then why ... why would Fritz give him to *me* for transport? MIMI That's a question for the Chairman. He's the person who told us to be here for your ship's arrival. WILLY Wait ... Chairman Warner knew that Lucas had taken over the ship? MIMI No, but he told us to go to Warren and be ready for something. BUCKY That's odd. I'm going to have a little chat with the Chairman ... later. (heads up to the upper bay) Thanks for the help. MIMI (softly) Anytime. SCENE 10 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Bucky and Jenny are in upper bay, in their seats. Jenny is a little tired but awake and moving. JENNY Buck, I think I've located the climate converter. BUCKY Where is it? JENNY On Noctur VIII. BUCKY That's by ... (suddenly very disturbed) Noctur II, the old raccoon home world ... JENNY (giving Bucky a strange look) Of course. It's a swamp now, controlled by the toads. Noctur VIII is abandoned. Bucky shakes his head briefly, as if he's trying to get something terrible off his mind. After a second, he looks back up. BUCKY Lucas is waiting for something. JENNY Well, Noctur II is still under toad control. He can't exactly land the converter on it and expect them to make way for him ... (hears beeping) We have an incoming call from ... how about that, Chairman Warner. BUCKY Good. Just the rabbit I wanted to hear from. (angrily) He'd better have a darn good explanation for this. Bucky punches down on the video comm-link controls, and Fritz's face comes up on the screen. BUCKY (angrily) Fritz, I want ... FRITZ (waves it off) Not now, Bucky. (authoritative tone) You are under orders to proceed with an immediate invasion of Noctur II. BUCKY (shocked) WHAT?!? FRITZ I'm giving Captain LaFleur duplicate orders. Commander Dogstar will be arriving shortly with The Indefatigable as a backup. BUCKY But what about ... FRITZ (cutting him off again) When you are finished reconquering the raccoon home world, you are to send someone to assist Mr. MacArthur with getting the climate converter to Noctur II and activating it. BUCKY I'm not going to Noctur II, Fritz, and you know it! Why ... FRITZ (looking stern) If I wanted your questions, I would have asked for them. Those are your orders. Warner out. Fritz severs the communications. Bucky smacks his console with his fist in frustration. BUCKY I've never seen him act like that. JENNY Then he must have a good reason. I'm sure he'll explain it later. BUCKY (grimly, gritting his teeth) He had better. (begins breathing heavily) OK, I can do this. I can do this ... (activates intercom) Attention all crewmembers. We have received orders to proceed with an immediate invasion of Noctur II. Prepare for battle. (turns off intercom, under his breath) I'm going to get Fritz for this. SCENE 11 - MAIN BAY, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Deadeye and Willy have just received their orders. DEADEYE Ach! I don't like it, Willy me boy. WILLY I don't, either. But if Bucky says we follow orders, than I guess we have to follow orders. The Captain knows what he's doing. DEADEYE I sure hope *someone* does. SCENE 12 - TOAD SHIP, ORBIT OF NOCTUR II The toad guard ship in orbit is taken totally by surprise by the approach of the Righteous and The Screaming Mimi. It withstands only minimal firepower before it is forced to abandon the planet. SCENE 13 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Bucky is talking with Mimi over the comm-link. BUCKY I just don't like it. MIMI We cleared a path to Noctur II. There's no immediate danger there. BUCKY But I don't like helping MacArthur, orders or no. And I don't like sending my engineer to do the job, either. And ... I just don't want to be here, dammit! MIMI Willy is the only one who can handle the converter technology in the area. If it really makes you feel better, I'll send my first mate for protection. He's very experienced at handling Lucas. BUCKY (resigned) I still don't like it. MIMI I don't think you're supposed to, Bucky. See you on Noctur II. Mimi cuts off the link. Bucky scowls and begins breathing heavily again. BUCKY (thinking) SCENE 14 - NOCTUR II Willy and Bucky, both suited up, enter the climate converter. They are met by Jonathan. JONATHAN (nonchalantly) He's in the control room. BUCKY (looking around uneasily) You're not worried about an ambush? JONATHAN I wouldn't put it past him, but there's no reason for him to do it now. He's getting everything he wants. BUCKY Why? JONATHAN (shrugs) The Chairman is arriving with The Indefatigable in a few minutes. You can ask him then. They enter the control room cautiously. Lucas is sitting at the control chair, bent over in pain. He watches them enter. LUCAS (weakly) Do it. Lucas moves aside for Willy to sit down in the chair and begin firing up the controls. Groaning in agony, Lucas sits himself on the floor, up against the wall, curling up protectively. He is relatively unconcerned about Bucky and Jonathan's presence. BUCKY (to Jonathan) How long is he like this? JONATHAN For days, sometimes. BUCKY You don't do anything about it? JONATHAN There's nothing I *can* do about it. It's the curse of having foresight. BUCKY If he can see the future, why didn't he see you guys waiting for him on Warren? JONATHAN He might have. Would it have mattered? He still got what he wanted. Willy looks up. WILLY It's activated. Now all it needs is time. Bucky and Jonathan nod. Hearing this, Lucas suddenly gets up out of his fetal position and dashes out the door. BUCKY Stop him! Jonathan does nothing. Bucky looks at him expectantly. JONATHAN Sorry. Orders. I'm supposed to let him escape, provided he doesn't hurt anyone on the way out. BUCKY From Mimi? JONATHAN From the Chairman. Bucky growls and pursues Lucas, who dashes into the Righteous. Pushing past the surprised crew, he disappears into engineering, locking the hatch behind him. BUCKY Bruiser! Break through that hatch before he destroys something in there! BRUISER Right, Cap'n! Bruiser hurls himself against the hatch, causing it to swing open. Bucky enters, blaster drawn, and finds absolutely nothing. WILLY (running in past him) He's activated the accelerator. BUCKY But that means ... WILLY ... he's in my dimension. On Earth. (thoughtfully) I guess he really did miss it. JENNY You can't pursue him? WILLY (fiddling with the accelerator controls) He has a twenty-minute lock on it. By the time I can activate my door, he'll be long gone. The Earth is a big place. It has lots of places to hide. (under his breath, fiddling with the accelerator) How'd he figure out how to *do* this? Bucky looks frustrated and marches past them all and out of the Righteous. Outside on the launch pad, the Indefatigable has just landed, and COMMANDER DOGSTAR is getting out. DOGSTAR Bucky, old chap, Chairman Warner wants ... BUCKY ... to speak with me. I know. I have a few things to say, myself. Is he inside? DOGSTAR. Why, yes, he ... Bucky gives him not a moment more and rushes into The Indefatigable. Chairman Fritz Warner is waiting for him. FRITZ (calmly) Bucky, let me explain ... BUCKY (interrupting him) No! Don't pull that with me. Just because I'm your friend doesn't mean I'm going to let something like this slide by. FRITZ (sits down) What do you want to know first? BUCKY (not masking the anger in his voice) You knew about everything. You knew MacArthur had taken over my ship. FRITZ I gave him the orders to do it. BUCKY He takes orders from you? FRITZ Yes, he does. BUCKY But why? Why didn't you tell me? FRITZ I wanted to, but MacArthur refused to do it if anyone knew. All I could get from him was a guarantee that no one would be harmed. (beat) Allow me to explain. As you know, I've been unable to get the funding for any kind of project to recapture the raccoon homeland and use the climate converter. Now that the raccoons are settled safely on Rigel IV, no one's been taking their pleas to have their homeland back very seriously. They simply don't have the political influence the hares had, or an important and insistent S.P.A.C.E. captain to back them the way the hares had you. (beat) The terrorists were already planning to steal the converter, but they couldn't figure a way to get it safely to Noctur II, and they couldn't find anyone who knew how to run it. Then I realized that there was no "terrorist" budget, and that they would work for free, so I wouldn't have to justify any of my orders with the Security Council because the project required no monetary support. (beat) Lucas has always been entirely obedient to me. He's a religious Lopinenean, and I'm higher on the Lopine hierarchy than he is. He *has* to listen to me. So I made a deal with him that I would help him steal the converter and get him someone to work it for him and free the planet, provided he guaranteed your safety. (beat) Of course, I didn't totally trust him, so I sent the crew of The Screaming Mimi just to make sure he didn't steal Willy too early on Warren. After he stole the climate converter, all you had to do was pursue you, and there you were, the entire S.P.A.C.E. fleet, all ready and waiting to invade. Everything was happening so quickly that the Security Council had no choice but to agree to ratify my invasion orders. And Noctur II was freed and converted back for raccoon use, all practically for free. BUCKY (not satisfied) You put my crew in danger ... FRITZ It was a risk I had to take. BUCKY You had me drugged ... FRITZ That was Lucas's idea, not mine. BUCKY (furious) YOU SENT ME BACK TO NOCTUR II! (beat, weakly) You know what happened there, Fritz! How *dare* you ... (tearing up, just a little) Why did you ... FRITZ (standing, gently) I'm sorry, Bucky, but believe me when I say it had to be done this way. And look at all the good it accomplished. BUCKY But I ... (beat, shakes off the tears) But Lucas is ... FRITZ Gone. He's not going to bother anybody, at least not for a while. He's happy on his own. So I guess you could say you rid the aniverse of a dangerous terrorist, too. Bucky takes a minute to let all of this sink in. FRITZ I know you may find it hard to forgive me for a while. And I promise not to pull this on you, ever again. But don't tell me you haven't left a few people in the dark to forward your own purposes a few times. BUCKY (admittedly, still weakly) That you have me on. (shakes head) My crew was still in danger. FRITZ (genuinely) I'm sorry, Bucky. Bucky hesitates. BUCKY I need more time. Not just for today, for ... you know. FRITZ That's understandable. (looks outside) Looks like your crew is getting impatient for an explanation. BUCKY I know how they feel. FRITZ Then you'd better go tell them all the news. Bucky turns to leave. He stops at the hatch, and resigning salutes before leaving. As Bucky exits, Fritz watches him go, a sad expression on his face. THE END