"Traditions" by DJ Clawson and Claudia Carranza First draft - 10/16/98 Final draft - 4/17/99 Edited by Rygar 1/5/04 SCENE 1 - UNDERGROUND CAVERN, ALDEBARAN TOMMY is sitting at his desk, typing in front of a computer screen, when he hears a knock at the door. TOMMY Come on in, Ponce. PONCE enters, curious. PONCE You wanted to see me? TOMMY (gesturing him close) Yes. Tommy types something on the keyboard, and a picture of The Righteous Indignation appears on the screen. TOMMY It's the Righteous. PONCE What about it? TOMMY I put a listening device on it last time it was on Aldebaran. They're going to stop at Canis III for the night to refuel. PONCE Canis III -- that's right near Aldebaran. TOMMY I know. That's why it's probably the best chance we're going to get. I didn't want to do it while they were on Aldebaran because I knew Jenny would suspect us immediately. Ponce grins understandingly. TOMMY (seriously) Are you sure you can do this? PONCE (confidently) Piece of cake. Tommy nods and watches the screen. SCENE 2 - CANIS III The Righteous Indignation is parked on a launch pad. CAPTAIN BUCKY O'HARE and FIRST MATE JENNY emerge from the ship, talking cordially. BUCKY If everything goes as planned, we might be able to push the presentation up to a month from now. JENNY Are you sure you want to put Willy under all that pressure? BUCKY He's the one who suggested it. (smirks) I think he just wants to get the presentation over with as soon as possible. He seems a little nervous about it. JENNY It's probably his first public speaking job. Maybe Fritz could coach him. Bucky laughs and shakes his head as they walk off. BRUISER and GUNNER DEADEYE DUCK also step out of the main hatch and climb down the ladder. BRUISER Wasn't dis the planet wit' dat awesome ice cream place? DEADEYE (scratches his head) I think so. (turning back to the ship, calling out) Willy? You comin', matey? ENGINEER WILLY DUWITT appears in the hatch. WILLY (shakes his head) I've got a lot of work to do. Get me a soda or something, OK? BRUISER No problem, buddy. The two of them wave and leave. AFC BLINKY appears next to Willy and hands him a wrench. WILLY Yeah, I know. (sighs) At least it's almost done. Willy goes back inside and closes the ship's hatch behind him. SCENE 3 - CANIS III It is dark now on the planet, and the only light on the launch pad is from the ship's inside lights pouring out from the windows. Ponce and Tommy enter, dressed in black fatigues. They approach the ship silently. Tommy stops by the side, and he concentrates as his spell gems glitter softly. TOMMY One mammal inside. I'd put my simoleans on our target. (thinks) And maybe the android. Ponce nods and removes a dart gun from his pack, as well as a black electric taser. TOMMY (looking at it) I hope you aren't planning on using ... PONCE It's for the android. TOMMY Oh. (beat) C'mon -- let's do this before the others get back. Ponce climbs the ladder to the main hatch. He puts an electronic keypad up to the lock hatch and activates it, punching in a code and overriding the lock. The hatch swings open, and they cautiously enter the Righteous, Ponce with his gun drawn. Tommy gestures over to engineering, which is closed off. PONCE Perfect. Ponce puts the keypad up to the hatch lock. Tommy and Ponce position themselves on both sides of the hatch, and Ponce unlocks the hatch. It creaks open. Inside, Willy and Blinky look up from their work. WILLY What the? ... Willy stands, removing his headphones, and steps through the hatch. He does not see Tommy and Ponce positioned with their backs up against the wall. Ponce fires on him. Willy hears it and spins around, getting hit in the chest with a tranquilizer dart. Almost instantaneously, he drops to the ground, unconscious. TOMMY That was almost too ... Blinky, his eye flashing red and releasing a siren, charges through the hatch. Ponce quickly takes him out with the taser. In a bright flash of exploding circuitry, Blinky lands on the ground, sparks still bursting from his dented metal skull. PONCE Don't jinx it like that. (walks over to Willy, kneeling beside him and touching him) He's out. TOMMY What did you give him? PONCE A baboon dose. TOMMY Are you crazy? We don't want to kill him. He doesn't have the bulk of a baboon. PONCE But he makes up for it in height. (stands) Besides, it wasn't like I had some decent specs to work with. TOMMY Point taken. Let's just get him out of here. You take the legs. Tommy walks over to Willy's head, while Ponce positions himself at his feet. Together, they attempt to lift the limp human. TOMMY (straining) My stars, he's heavy. PONCE I told you, it's all in the height. They simultaneously drop Willy back onto the ground. PONCE I suggest we use a spell for this one. TOMMY Jenny might sense it when she gets back. PONCE So what? She probably uses magic all the time on this ship. It won't be anything abnormal. TOMMY (considering) All right. They concentrate as their spell gems begin to glitter. SCENE 4 - UNKNOWN LOCATION Willy groans as he begins to regain consciousness. Disoriented, he opens his eyes to a blurry picture of the area around him. All of the shapes around him are fuzzy and unfamiliar, and the bright light above his head makes him blink constantly. Attempting to reach out and grasp for his glasses, he finds himself in a chair with his arms bound behind him. The figures in front of him are talking among themselves. Willy does not recognize them. FIGURE #1 Look, he's finally coming out of it. Sort of. FIGURE #2 He's *supposed* to be a little groggy. It's a tranquilizer, not a sleeping pill. FIGURE #3 He would be with the amount *you* gave him. Though still somewhat incoherent to Willy, he gathers that the voices are definitely male. FIGURE #3 What about the dampener? Should that be affecting him like this? FIGURE #2 No. It's not draining his powers. It's just containing them. FIGURE #3 You'd better be right about this. FIGURE #2 Will you shut up and trust me? Struggling for further awareness, Willy squints in an attempt to see his captors. The first figure seems to notice this and reaches over to the desk beside his chair. He then approaches Willy and sticks the glasses back on his face. With his vision cleared, Willy is now able to get a good look at everything around him. The first figure, Tommy, is sitting in the middle. On his right side is Ponce, the second figure, and on his left is a black-furred CAT. All three are wearing a full set of spell gems. To the side is a desk and work area, dimly lit, and behind them is a large television monitor. On one of the walls, there is a mirror, and Willy is able to see that a large wire attachment has been added to his normally concealed cap. WILLY (still a little disoriented) What ... is this? TOMMY Welcome to the headquarters of the Male Resistance on Aldebaran, William DuWitt. WILLY (confused) The what? TOMMY (laughs) I thought you might ask. It seems Jenny hasn't told you a lot about us, rather conveniently. By the way, I'm Tommy, son of the Queen and head of the Male Resistance. And this is Ponce ... (points to the black cat) ... and Brian. The rest of us I'm sure you'll be thrilled to meet later. WILLY What ... what are you talking about? TOMMY The Male Resistance is the movement dedicated to gaining equality for males and females in Aldebaran society. Willy looks at him quizzically. TOMMY Haven't you ever wondered why you never see any males on Aldebaran? WILLY Well ... no. I've never really thought about it -- I mean, I didn't want to ask, and ... TOMMY And invade their privacy. Of course, they've never been receptive to you, being male. WILLY (thinks) They've never really been receptive to any non-Aldebarans ... but I do remember when the Voren attacked and I went to Aldebaran, and one of the women made a point of it. I thought that was just an Outsider thing ... TOMMY No, it wasn't. Go anywhere else on Aldebaran without Jenny, and you'll be treated the same way. WILLY What? TOMMY Didn't you know? "Males are inferior, used for breeding purposes only." (beat) Sorry, I occasionally like to quote from Aldebaran codes of law. Willy's mind is clearly taking a little longer than usual to process all of this. TOMMY Oh, and I forgot to add the ending. "Except for males with magic. They should be killed at birth." WILLY (shakes his head) That's ridiculous. That can't be true; they'd never lay a hand on me ... TOMMY Oh? What about the assassination squad you dealt with a few weeks ago? They seemed pretty intent on laying a paw on you. WILLY They were just ... crazy. TOMMY Or acting on orders. Didn't they charge you with unlawful possession of magical abilities? WILLY I thought that was an Outsider thing. TOMMY Willy, *I've* been charged with that -- about eight times. And I'm an Aldebaran. (beat) The only reason they let you live when they discovered you had magical abilities is because the Queen didn't want to upset the Security Council by killing its greatest scientific resource -- at least not until the mark-5 was done. WILLY But, Jenny ... she said she would train me ... TOMMY Only because the Queen made her. I believe her line was: (in impression of female voice) "But he's a male! He's not even Aldebaran. Why should he be taught?" (grins) You hear a lot down here. Dirt is thin. WILLY Where are we? TOMMY That's irrelevant at this point. You're not exactly going anywhere. WILLY My captain and Jenny will find you. Maybe even ... Ponce grabs the attachment to Willy's neural cap, jerking it Down. Willy cries out in pain. PONCE Brat. TOMMY (harshly, to Ponce) Ponce! Cut it out! The Aldebaran reluctantly releases Willy's cap. TOMMY As for anyone finding you, that ... (indicating the attachment) ... is to prevent you from attempting to contact anyone. It blocks telepathic transmissions to female Aldebarans and those typically unreceptive to Aldebaran signals. Willy sneers. BRIAN (sighing) This obviously isn't getting anywhere. What say we show him the video and get some food? TOMMY Good idea. As the others shuffle out, Tommy gets up and retrieves a set of headphones from the desk. Placing them over Willy's ears, he hooks them up to a speaker and goes back behind the desk. The large monitor in front of Willy is activated. Tommy dims the lights and leaves. Willy watches as the tape begins to play. The title appears, reading "Aldebaran Male Selection Informational Video #14 -- For Aldebaran Use Only" in aniversian characters. The title fades, and the video cuts to a shot of a maternity ward, where newborn cats lay in their respective cradles. A FEMALE VOICE begins to speak. FEMALE VOICE Several days after birth, if the survival of a newborn male has been ensured, it becomes necessary to test for any indication of magical abilities. If any are found, then the newborns are ... The tape continues, to Willy's horror. SCENE 5 - HOTEL ROOM, CANIS III Bucky is wearing just his pants and is drinking a cup of a warm, dark liquid while reading the screen of the comm station provided in the room. He glances out the window at the ship as Jenny walks into it. He does a double take and leans closer to the window. He blinks and returns to the comm link. BUCKY (softly, to himself) Willy sure is up early this morning. He shouldn't leave the hatch open like that. I need to talk to him about that. As Bucky reads more files, Jenny can be seen rushing out of the ship. Moments later, there is a knock on Bucky's door. BUCKY (still reading, though an ear perks up) Come in. JENNY (rushing in) Willy's gone. BUCKY (looking up) He went to his house, you mean? JENNY (shakes her head, with growing urgency) No, he's gone, and Blinky's been damaged. I'm not quite sure how badly. Bucky stands and cuts his communications quickly, cursing under his breath. BUCKY (moving to grab his shirt) Wake Deadeye and Bruiser, and alert the UAC. I'll get a protocol team to get an investigation under way. JENNY (nods briskly and turns to walk out) Aye-aye, Bucky. Once in uniform, Bucky turns to the comm to notify the local law enforcement. SCENE 6 - MALE RESISTANCE HEADQUARTERS, ALDEBARAN Tommy enters, turning the light back on in the room. The tape has ended, and the Aldebaran shuts off the monitor. Willy, bleary-eyed and worn out, looks relieved when Tommy removes his headphones and turns off the monitor. TOMMY So, did you like the movie? Willy shifts in his chair. Emotionally drained from the contents of the tape, he is slow to speak. WILLY It's ... not true, is it? TOMMY Of course it's true. How would we have staged that? WILLY Why ... why didn't Jenny tell me? TOMMY How would she have told you? She would not only have to face you, but she would have to face the fact she believes her little Willy is an inferior male. WILLY (stubbornly) Jenny wouldn't lie to me. TOMMY She already has. Willy, obviously shaken and defeated, looks away for a moment, then back to Tommy. WILLY Why are you doing this to me? TOMMY Because we need you. You're the only male that's ever been sanctioned to study magic by the Aldebaran government, even if it took some trying on the Queen on my part. And that's the foot we need in the door of the palace if we're ever going to get gender equality. WILLY I ... (stops, thinking) The Queen? TOMMY The very same. WILLY But ... how? I always thought the Queen was a very ... traditional Aldebaran. TOMMY You don't know my mother that well. WILLY Your ... mother? TOMMY That's her: a wonderful women who could never bear to let her son be killed for being born a male with magic -- even if she was royalty. Some example she set for her subjects. (beat) Jenny was the lucky one. She was born female. WILLY Jenny ... what does she have to do with this? Tommy, realizing he's said too much, shuts up. WILLY What? What is it? (thinking) Is Jenny the daughter of the Queen? TOMMY (slightly angrily) Hasn't anyone ever told you you're too smart for your own good? WILLY (sitting up in his chair, attentive and eager) Jenny's your sister, isn't she? Tommy doesn't answer, avoiding Willy's gaze. WILLY Why didn't you ever tell her? TOMMY (harshly) She would never listen to me. I'm the Abomination, remember? Just because I'm male and have magic. Flesh and blood doesn't matter to her. You -- you're the lucky one. Just because you're not Aldebaran, and because she knew you before she knew your magical potential, she cares about you. I didn't think she was capable of feeling love towards any male before she met you. (in disgust, shaking his head) You're just some oblivious kid from another dimension who needs a helping paw, a little nurturing encouragement from a parental figure. All of her life, she's been cold to everyone, and then you come along, and she mothers you like you were her own. WILLY (guiltily) I didn't ask for it. TOMMY (a little coldly) But you got it, you lucky son of a bitch. Willy sits back, unsure of what to say. Tommy looks embarrassed that his jealousy has become so apparent. He collects himself and speaks in a quiet voice. TOMMY Look, I'm not sure if this is helping the Cause or not, but maybe you can at least see where I'm coming from. Ponce enters, and Tommy rises to leave. TOMMY (to Ponce, gesturing toward Willy) Feed him something and let him use the facilities. PONCE Where are you going? TOMMY I need some sleep. PONCE Make any progress? Tommy shrugs tiredly and leaves, shutting the door behind him. SCENE 7 - NOCTUR II On the top of one of the tree-covered mountains of Noctur II is a small ziggurat palace made of soft gray stone. In the darkness of night, there is no light, aside from several lanterns and a soft blue light coming from one of the doorways. The light comes from a small computer, one of many objects in the room filled with ornaments and technological equipment. The soft blue light falls on a figure, laying on a mat in the corner of the room. The figure, cloaked in black, is apparently asleep. Suddenly, as if jerked awake by a violent whack to the head, the figure sits up, breathing heavily. The hood of the dark monk robe falls back to reveal LUCAS MACARTHUR, panting and sweating. He runs both hands through his snow-white hair, obviously aggravated and disturbed. LUCAS Frith leaves me alone for one minute, and someone else ... Lucas stops, as if cut off. Then he speaks, though alone in the room. LUCAS I hear you, for Frith's sakes! (standing) I'm going, I'm going! Straightening his robe, he slips on his sandals and hurries out of the room. SCENE 8 - CANIS III Bucky is pacing furiously in the office while the rest of the Righteous crew sits nervously around a desk. OFFICER FRIDAY, a bull, enters, and they all eagerly turn to him for news. FRIDAY I'm sorry, but we haven't been able to find anything about DuWitt's whereabouts. Bucky audibly curses, and Jenny reaches out to attempt to soothe him with some encouragement. Before she can respond, a harried Lucas enters. LUCAS I need ... (purposely looking in the opposite direction of Jenny) ... to speak to the infidel. BUCKY MacArthur! Is this about Willy? (demanding) What do you know? Jenny tugs on his arm, remaining her stoic self, but forces herself to deal with the insulting priest. JENNY I'm here. LUCAS (rolls his eyes, still not looking at her, and speaking to Bucky) Tell the infidel that I have received -- not by my will -- a message from William DuWitt. BUCKY (to Jenny) Do you know what he's talking about? JENNY Yes, but it doesn't make sense. Why would he contact Lucas and not me directly? LUCAS Tell the infidel that William said he was only able to contact me because I was male, and they had a block on him. JENNY What block? (forcefully, to Lucas) *Who*?! LUCAS (continuing through Bucky) Tell the infidel ... JENNY (angrily) Get to the point! LUCAS ... that it is the Abomination who is holding him. The meaning is lost to Bucky and the crew, but it hits Jenny. She realizes that Lucas had managed to alter Willy's message enough that he would not give any secrets of the Aldebarans away to the crew but still communicate the original message. JENNY (thinking) From the short distance between himself and Jenny, Bucky watches as Jenny's stoic expression melts into a dark rage, unlike anything he has ever seen before. Her grip on his arm becomes tight and painful, and he has to pull out of it. She does not even seem to notice. JENNY (to herself, quietly) When I find that bastard, I'm going to ... (refocusing suddenly on Lucas) Did Willy say where he was? LUCAS He doesn't know. Jenny says something in her own language that does not come through coherently on any of their translators. BUCKY Jenny, what's going ... JENNY (ignoring him, still focused on Lucas) Did he tell you *anything* about where he was? Any clue? LUCAS He didn't know anything. JENNY (grows audibly) We are *going* to find him. Where would ... BUCKY (interrupting, angrily) First Mate, what the *hell* is going on here? JENNY (still enraged, but calms her herself with effort) A criminal from my world seems to have kidnapped Willy. He'll probably try to turn him against us in some way. Lucas sneers at Jenny's choice of words, and Jenny sneers back at him. Bucky chooses to ignore it. BUCKY Then we'd better find where this criminal took Willy, and fast. SCENE 9 - LOWER DECK, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Jenny stands in the center of the deck, her eyes closed and her gems glowing softly. On the floor, off to her right, is a small blackened spot, indicating where Blinky fell. JENNY (softly, quasi-chant) Turn back, Sands of Time, Turn away, Shield in my Mind, Allow me to see into the Past, Allow me to walk into the Past, Turn back, Sands of Time. The events of the previous night slowly play themselves out in small, seemingly incoherent flashes for Jenny. She waits and pieces them together, then growls, clenching her paws into tight fists. A moment passes as she fights to calm herself, and her spell gems fade. She turns and walks out of the ship. The rest of the crew stands and looks at her anxiously. BUCKY Find anything, Jen? JENNY (looking tired) Not much. Jenny seems to have more to say but doesn't. Bucky notices. BUCKY (nods, directing his words to the rest of the crew) Officer Friday was unable to find anything truly significant. His team is analyzing some fur they found on the lower deck, so we'll know more within the hour. (nods to his crew) Until then, no one is allowed off planet. Dismissed. Bruiser and Deadeye stand and leave. Bucky looks over to Jenny, who seems a million miles away. Bucky moves over to her. BUCKY (sitting across from her) Are you feeling OK, Jen? JENNY (almost looking through him) Fine, Captain. Just tired. BUCKY (reaches across to lay his paw over hers) Don't "Captain" me, Jen. Something's bothering you, more than it should, perhaps. I'd like to know what it is, if I could. JENNY (snaps back to reality) I can't tell you, Bucky, you know that. BUCKY (leans forward, digging like a good investigator) So it has something to do with Aldebaran? JNENY (gets exasperated and looks away) Bucky, I can't tell you anyth ... BUCKY (interrupting) Yes or no, Jen. JENNY (sighing and dropping her chin) Yes. BUCKY (lifts her chin with his other paw) I didn't want to tell the rest of the crew, but Officer Friday found cat fur on the ship. Two felines not in the UAC registry or on Aldebaran's public Personal Database. One could very well be the criminal you mentioned. If so, then there's a good chance they hopped a ship and headed for Aldebaran. The dock master is looking into it. JENNY (looks up) We have to go to Aldebaran, Bucky. Quickly. SCENE 10 - SMALL METAL ROOM, MALE RESISTANCE HEADQUARTERS Ponce is retying Willy to his chair, while Willy turns around to try to watch. WILLY Thanks, by the way. PONCE (taken back) Huh? For what? WILLY The food. I haven't had much to eat. PONCE (finishes the knot) Oh. Eh ... er ... you're welcome. Too tight? WILLY (shakes his head) No, thanks. PONCE (moves to an intercom) He's ready, Tom. TOMMY (over comm) Be there in a sec. Ponce moves and sits in a corner, while Willy drops his head tiredly. WILLY (looking up after a while) You know ... I'm going to have to get home soon. My mom'll get worried. PONCE (not looking up as he pulls out a notepad and stats writing) Take it up with Tommy. Willy is about to say more when Tommy enters. TOMMY (moves to the desk, carrying several tapes with him) OK, now that we're all rested ... Willy groans. TOMMY Something you'd like to add? WILLY (turns his head to look at Tommy) Yeah. You're going to have to let me go. TOMMY (unfazed, beings to sort through the tapes) I know. But I don't want you to leave without a full understanding of the Cause. WILLY (continuing as Tommy moves over with a headset) You know Bucky and Jenny aren't stupid. They'll find you. TOMMY (chuckles) Right, Well, I wish them luck. WILLY (getting in one last words) You're a cat. The first place they'll look is *here*, on Aldebaran. And they'll have the Queen to help find you. TOMMY (secures the headphones and turns on the tape) Exactly. Aldebaran. Tommy turns to leave the room when he is intercepted by Brian. BRIAN Um, Tom ... (whispering) Our security systems have detected some intruders. I think it's time we abandon this base and slip back to HQ. TOMMY Good idea. BRIAN (nudges his head in the direction of Willy) What about the human? TOMMY (sighs) We can't keep him here forever. I think we've shown him enough. BRIAN We're letting him go? Tommy leads him out. TOMMY Ponce'll take care of it. SCENE 11 - SURFACE OF ALDEBARAN The Righteous Indignation has landed on Aldebaran's surface. Deadeye and Bruiser eagerly jump out. DEADEYE When I find th' scum suckers who ... JENNY (interrupting) You're not going to do anything. They look up as Jenny steps out of the hatch, followed by Bucky. DEADEYE An' why not? JENNY You can't. You don't have the authority to go rampaging about on Aldebaran. Besides, you wouldn't know the first place to look for Willy. BUCKY You can't seriously be asking us to stay on the Righteous, Jenny. JENNY Well ... (beat) *I'm* not ... (pointing to approaching female police-type characters) ... but *they* will. The three FEMALES approach and salute Jenny. One, the Head Officer, steps forward. HEAD OFFICER (handing her paper) We have the location of a base being used by some of the members of the "Resistance" ... (spitefully) ... if that's what they choose to call themselves ... and your *male* friend. (beat, with a "why is this considered important?" look on her face) We have penetrated the base. It is only a matter of time. BUCKY My crew would like to assist. HEAD OFFICER I'm afraid that is not possible. Bucky sighs and looks at Jenny. BUCKY Bring him back safely, Jen. JENNY I'll make this up to you, Captain. Jenny leaves the nervous crew with the female officers. BUCKY (thinking) (beat, looks at the bored and haughty officers) SCENE 12 - SMALL METAL ROOM, MALE RESISTANCEE HEADQUARTERS Willy is sitting idly in his chair, nodding off. Outside, the sounds of shouting and movement attract Ponce's attention. Glancing at the slumbering human, he leaves him alone in the room to see what's wrong. After a moment, Willy jerks awake and notices Ponce is gone. Relieved, he looks around the room until he spots a box-cutting knife lying on the desk among the piles of paper and assorted junk. Slowly and carefully, so as not to make any noise, he begins to drag his chair across the room toward the desk. SCENE 13 - HALLWAY Tommy is leaning against the wall, looking around a corner. He is so engaged in the hallway he is peering into that he does not see two white feline paws grab him by his shirt and pull him roughly away. Surprised, he turns to see Jenny, her eyes almost ignited in rage as she shoves him back up against the wall. JENNY I swear to the Stars, if you laid a paw on him ... WILLY Jenny! No! Both Aldebarans turn to see Willy climbing up the stairs that lead into their hallway. He stops at the top of the steps. Jenny, obviously relieved beyond words to see him alive, momentarily disregards Tommy, releasing him from her paws and running to Willy. He embraces her, and she releases him and looks him over quickly. JENNY Are you all right? WILLY I'm fine. They turn back to Tommy, who's been shaking his head and clicking his tongue. Jenny's rage is ignited again. JENNY You! Jenny reaches for him again, but Willy grabs her other arm to stop her. JENNY (back to him) What are you doing? He's going to get away! WILLY I know. Jenny tugs, but Willy's superior human strength easily holds her back. JENNY Willy! He's an abomination that must be taken care of! WILLY Why? Because he's male? JENNY (spins around to face him) He's brainwashed you. WILLY (narrows his eyes) So it *is* true. JENNY What's true? WILLY All the stuff about Aldebarans killing males with magic at birth and enslaving the rest of them. Jenny sighs and shakes her head, a look on her face that reads like Willy can't understand anything. This only aggravates him farther. Tommy watches the exchange with growing interest. JENNY *Willy* ... this is just the way things are. WILLY What about me? Why wasn't I killed when you found out I could do magic? JENNY (has an "I don't have time for this" look on her face) Because you're different. WILLY How? JENNY Because ... (frustrated) I don't know, Willy. Because you're young and you're honest and you're ... human. Is that enough for you? WILLY No. JENNY (getting very annoyed) Willy, we *don't* have time for this. WILLY Yes, we do! Groaning, Jenny's spell gems glitter as she prepares for what Willy recognizes as a paralysis spell. In fear, Willy backs up and, finding downward stairs behind him, falls backward. He tumbles down the stairs and hits the ground with a sharp cry. JENNY and TOMMY WILLY! The two Aldebarans race down the stairs to where Willy is lying motionless on the ground. They kneel beside him. TOMMY Is he all right? JENNY I don't know ... (looking him over) He's breathing, and he's not bleeding. It's a good sign. But he needs a doctor. TOMMY I can call Brian. JENNY Who? Tommy ignores the question and closes his eyes, concentrating. His spell gems glitter, and after a moment, he reopens them as the sparkle dies. TOMMY He's on his way. JENNY (relieved, but still checking him over, seething at Tommy) You ... TOMMY I didn't do this! JENNY If you hadn't kidnapped him ... TOMMY If you hadn't threatened to put a spell on him ... Their shouting match escalates. Too busy being angry at each other, they do not see Willy shift uncomfortably and open his eyes. WILLY Will you guys shut up ... Tommy and Jenny abruptly stop talking and look back down, where Willy has covered his ears with his hands. WILLY (making some attempt to get up) ... my head is killing me! JENNY and TOMMY (simultaneously pushing him back down) Don't move! WILLY Ow. Jeez, let go of me! Jenny and Tommy look up the steps as they hear the sound of footsteps. Brian appears, hurrying down. BRIAN What the hell did you guys do to him? (shoving both of them aside, kneeling beside Willy) Can you lift your arms or legs? Willy painfully does so. BRIAN That's a good sign. Might just be a concussion. Or less. The cats perk their ears to the sounds of running footsteps and shouting above them. BRIAN (to Tommy) We should get out of here. Tommy nods, and the two cats take off down the stairs. Jenny moves, as if to follow them, and then stops herself and rejoins Willy, who is desperately trying to sit up. He shakes off her offering of assistance, using the handrail of the steps to heave himself into a standing position. WILLY (aggravated) I'm all right ... Willy is barely standing on his own when Bucky and Deadeye appear at the top of the steps. They hurry down the flight of stairs and join Jenny and Willy. BUCKY Are you all right? WILLY Got any Tylenol? BUCKY What? JENNY (to Bucky) He fell down the steps. WILLY Not exactly. JENNY (sighs) It's a long story, Captain. BUCKY Then it can come later. Let's go. Willy attempts to pull his weight off the rail and stumbles. Deadeye catches him. DEADEYE Ach, ye don't look so good, matey. WILLY I don't feel so good. Deadeye helps him up the stairs. Jenny follows silently, Bucky walking curiously behind her, trying to read the look on her face. JENNY What are you guys doing here, anyway? BUCKY The Queen showed up and gave us permission to take part in the rescue. JENNY The Queen? Why? BUCKY (shrugs) She said something about her being worried about Willy in the paws of those Aldebaran criminals, and about how it was important for Aldebaran that he survived. I didn't really understand what she was talking about. JENNY That's weird. BUCKY And if *you* think it's weird, imagine how it sounds to me. Jenny gives him a quick look, then they continue up the steps. SCENE 14 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Much later, Jenny is alone in the Righteous when Bucky enters, and she rises to great him. JENNY How ... BUCKY He's fine. The hospital just did a scan and gave him a painkiller. JENNY Thank the stars. Willy enters. Bucky, sensing the tenseness of the air, leaves. Willy sits on the bench, leaning against the wall. JENNY I'm glad you're all right. WILLY (gruffly) Thanks. I would've been better if I hadn't practically been pushed down the stairs, though. JENNY It was for your own good, Willy ... or, at least, it was meant to be. WILLY Since when are *you* to decide what's for *my* own good? Jenny pauses for a second as if to answer, then leaves up the ladder in a huff and closes the door to the piloting bay beneath her. Willy, still irritated, shakes his head and jumps when he hears Bucky's voice from behind him. BUCKY Is there a problem, Engineer DuWitt? WILLY (stiffly) No, sir. BUCKY (annoyed) Hey, just because you're fighting with Jenny doesn't mean you have to be rude to *me*. Willy spins around to face him, immediately remorseful. WILLY Sorry, Captain. It's just ... sometimes I let my emotions kind of get control of me. BUCKY (nods knowingly) It happens to the best of us. (raises an eyebrow) Can you tell me what this is about? WILLY Well ... no. (beat) I don't really need *another* reason for the Aldebarans to want to kill me. BUCKY Really ... (crosses his arms, thinking) Can you tell me without telling me? Willy visibly considers it silently. WILLY I think so. But can we go somewhere else? Bucky nods and leads him into engineering. Willy closes the door behind him as they enter and sits down on the workbench. BUCKY So ... WILLY Well ... there's this thing about the Aldebarans -- kind of a social code, or whatever, that's very strictly enforced -- that I just don't agree with. BUCKY Welcome to the club. (beat) Go on. WILLY I mean, not that. The secrecy thing I can understand. And some of the other stuff, that I can't tell you about, I don't really like a lot, but I can see where they're coming from or whatever. (halts, wondering if he's being cryptic enough) Anyway, there's this one ... code that no one really told me about. Purposefully. Jenny intentionally kept it from me because she didn't want me to know about it because she knew I would be against it, and I am. (beat) I mean, I don't like to assume a moral high ground over anybody, but this is just *wrong.* Something like this would never pass in human society, at least not in the time and place that I live. (beat) So the guys who kidnapped me are part of a group that's fighting to have this code thing abolished. No one told me they existed, so they took it upon themselves to tell me by themselves, and they realized that unless they forced me to listen, I never would, because I trusted Jenny and everything. Willy, apparently finished, leans back against the wall as Bucky takes a minute to digest what was said before responding. BUCKY This ... code that we can't discuss -- you really feel it's wrong? Willy nods eagerly. Bucky is a little taken back by the teenager's passion in the matter. BUCKY Have you approached Jenny with that feeling? WILLY That's the weird thing. I thought she was, you know, not so strict -- that she would be open to the idea. But instead, she just started spurting Aldebaran dogma at me like I couldn't understand what she was saying because I didn't respect tradition and because I'm just a kid and whatever. Bucky is very slow to respond, obviously being careful about choosing his words. Willy's passion about the subject, considering his normal nonjudgmental attitude, impresses Bucky, but he clearly hesitates about just blindly siding with the teenager. BUCKY My concern here is that your feelings about this code and Jenny's feelings about this code make you two unable to deal with each other in any situation, which really doesn't work in such a small ship. Do you really think that your relationship with Jenny is worth tossing away over some code? WILLY (hesitantly) Yes ... sort of. Kind of. (shrugs, thinks about it further) Maybe not. Bucky is relieved but does not let it show on his face. BUCKY Now ... I'm not going to make any judgments about each of your stances on the issue here, because I don't know the issue. But I would like to point out that Jenny is a lot more bound to her tradition then you might have noticed. We've all had to deal with it -- especially me, actually -- in some way or another. And I'm not saying it's not frustrating as hell, because it is. But you know why I put up with it? Willy shakes his head. BUCKY First, because I care for Jenny very much and respect her beliefs. The latter part of that doesn't really help you, since you don't seem to respect her beliefs, for reasons I don't know and probably won't ever know, so I won't question it. Second, and more importantly, because I try to look at where Jenny is coming from. (beat) Jenny is from a society that stands on tradition. It's their only foundation in the modern world. Their ... powers have alienated them from mammalian society, and their blood temperature has aliened them from the rest of the aniverse. That doesn't leave them with anyone but themselves. It's only natural that they would look inward for strength. Jenny's an exception to the rule. She went to the Academy, she graduated, she moved off Aldebaran, and now she's part of the UAC fleet. She partakes in regular society. That's why her traditions ... and codes, in this case, become even more important to her. They make her feel Aldebaran, even when she's away from home. Any idea for her to accept that goes against what she has been indoctrinated with since childhood makes her feel aliened from everything she holds dear. That's why it's so hard for her to change anything for us. (beat) Every time she tells us something we shouldn't know, it's like she's giving away a piece of herself, something that makes her special, and now everyone has it, and it's just a normal thing, and there's nothing strange or mystical or wonderfully different about it. WILLY I ... don't understand. BUCKY (thinking hard) It's like ... you realize you're valued in the aniverse, maybe more than you are at home. I'm not talking about you as a person here, because that goes without saying, but to the people in the Graham Institute who study your work, and to Fritz, and to everyone who doesn't spend a lot of time with you and get to know you personally but still admires what you do, you're a very important person. (beat) Now, let's say that every time you told someone how a formula worked or how to fix something, you gave them a few IQ points. So, after a while, the more information you spread around, the more knowledge you give everyone, and everyone in at Graham is like a carbon copy of you. Then you'd be less important, maybe even unimportant, because everyone would know everything you would without you explaining it all the time, and they'd be inventing things left and right like you do. (probes him with his eyes) Do you see what I'm saying? WILLY (trying to wrap his brain around it) Kind of. BUCKY Well, it's like that for Jenny. She's afraid that if everyone knew her secrets, it would be like everyone was an Aldebaran, and Aldebaran itself would have no real identity, and neither would its inhabitants. (beat) You ... she's given so much to you, Willy. I have no idea how much she's shared with you, or why, but it's a hell of a lot more than she has with me. And I've known her for much longer than you have. I like to think that I'm close to her, and I want to be closer ... (stops) By the way, the only reason I'm mentioning this is because I'm assuming you know what's been going on between me and Jenny since Shira was arrested. WILLY I do. BUCKY And none of it leaves this room. WILLY (understandingly) I know. BUCKY Good. (beat, continuing) Going back to what I was saying, there's this relationship of trust between you and Jenny that ... I don't have and haven't been able to build up at all in the last ten years of my life. Something has clicked between you two that hasn't clicked for Jenny and me. I don't know what it is ... WILLY It's a physical thing, Captain. Humans just have the potential for the same powers that Aldebarans have. BUCKY (curiously) And hares don't? WILLY (shakes his head) No. And neither does anyone else in the aniverse, as far as anyone knows. BUCKY Oh. (beat, smiles a little) You know, that makes me feel a lot better. (beat) But getting back to the point, you and Jenny -- I guess because of this physical aspect -- have this relationship that I don't know if you appreciate or not. Willy thumps his hand against the wall, thinking hard before speaking. WILLY I guess ... I don't. (beat) But it doesn't change what I feel about the code thing. BUCKY But if you yelling at Jenny and Jenny yelling at you doesn't change either of your feelings, what does it accomplish? The teenager is silent for several seconds. WILLY I need to think this out. BUCKY But you will take what I said into account? WILLY Yeah. (beat, smiles) Thanks a lot, Captain. Willy stands, salutes, and leaves. Bucky sighs and leans back against the wall, thumping his knuckles against the bench. He does not look up until Deadeye enters. DEADEYE Am I disturbin' ye, Cap'n? BUCKY (tiredly) No. You can come in. Deadeye enters, and Bucky looks at his watch as the duck joins him by his side. DEADEYE Willy didn't look too happy wit' Jenny fer bein' rescued. BUCKY It's a long story, Deadeye. And I don't know half of it. DEADEYE Ha hah! I thought ye'd be used ta that by now. BUCKY (chuckles) I don't think I'll ever understand her. DEADEYE That's what makes 'er interestin'. BUCKY At least. It makes her annoying, too, though. DEADEYE Everybody's gotta have their faults. (beat) Though I did wanna smack them officers and her across the face earlier today. BUCKY Yeah, so did I. Bucky and Deadeye take the opportunity to exchange a tired laughter. SCENE 15 - PILOTING BAY, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Jenny is sitting alone, concentrating on her sensors. A knock on the hatch beneath her interrupts her. JENNY Dammit! (releases the sensors, refocusing) Oh, who am I kidding? I can't concentrate anyway. (pushes the sensors back in their container) Come in. Willy cautiously pops his head up into the bay. Jenny looks back and sees him, the look on her face impassive. JENNY Yes? WILLY I ... wanted to talk. JENNY Then come up and shut the door. Willy does so, careful not to bang his head on the low ceiling, and sits down in Bucky's chair. JENNY Is this going to be a speech about the Cause? WILLY No, it isn't. Still feeling Willy out, Jenny calms immediately. She can sense his uneasiness. Whatever righteous fervor he had earlier is apparently gone. Relieved, she speaks more softly. JENNY You really believe in it, don't you? Tommy didn't brainwash you? WILLY (looking out at the stars, through the window) No -- at least, I don't think so. He didn't drug me or hypnotize me or any of a lot of things I suppose he could have done. He just talked to me and showed me an informational video. (beat) I mean, it makes sense, anyway. JENNY Because you're male? WILLY Well, to be honest, yeah, but not just that. I mean ... how do I put this? (exhaling) On my planet, up until like the last forty years or so, women were forced to stay home in the kitchen and raise the kids and were really just looked down upon as inferior by men because they weren't educated 'cause no one taught them and didn't have the strength to go out and hunt animals for food like men. (beat) I was never taught that that was the way to think of women, but that's because I come from a very progressive country, probably the most progressive on the whole planet. But in some other countries that aren't so wealthy and educated, the same thing's still going on. So when I heard about this whole Aldebaran thing, it was like the reverse was true, and I guess that was the first time I really thought about how unfair it is on my planet that women are still treated that way, considering I was kinda seeing it from their side, now that I'd been insulted and deemed inferior just because of my gender. (beat) I mean, that's just the way I see it. I guess I don't expect you to accept all of that, but that's the way it is for me. Jenny does not look at him, pondering silently what he said. After what seems like forever to Willy, she speaks. JENNY Tommy ... is he my brother? WILLY (not expecting the question) Where'd you get that from? JENNY He called me sister ... once. WILLY I think so. At least, that's what he said. JENNY (looks more confused than hurt) Why didn't he ever tell me? WILLY He said he imagined you probably didn't want to hear it. JENNY (not looking at him) He was probably right. (a long beat) Willy ... if any of the other Aldebarans were ever to find out that you know of or have sympathies towards the Male Resistance, do you realize that they'll kill you without a second thought? (worried) I can't protect you from them that much. WILLY Well, I did manage to survive ... JENNY I'm not talking about one assassination squad, Willy. They'll all come after you. The entire S.P.A.C.E. fleet wouldn't be able to protect you. WILLY Then I won't tell them. JENNY (serious) I'm not joking about this, Willy. You'll have to play dumb in front of them. Like you've never met Tommy and never heard of the Male Resistance and ... WILLY (softly) I know. JENNY (sighing heavily, still not looking at him) All right. WILLY Does that mean you ... Willy stops, realizing that's the best he's going to get, and goes to leave. WILLY Thank you. Jenny turns and watches as Willy climbs back down the hatch and shuts it behind him. Slowly, and quietly, Jenny begins to cry. THE END