3.02.02

[virtualda]

episode: Virtual Dark Angel episode 3.02

season: Virtual Dark Angel season 3









ACT II



San Francisco Waterfront

In an abandoned warehouse, Syl sat in front of one of several tables of various types of electronic and computer equipment. Her attention was focused on one computer screen in particular, when suddenly she jumped to her feet, gun in her hand, and pointed it toward one of the doors. The doorknob turned, and Syl hopped behind the tables and took cover.

The door opened slowly. Krit saw Syl crouched behind a table with her gun out, pointed at him. Krit and Lydecker stopped in their tracks.

"Geez, Syl, it's us. Take it easy and put that gun down," he said as he walked in. "I'm getting tired of people pointing guns at me today."

Syl lowered her gun and placed it on a table.

"It's about damn time you got back," she exclaimed.

Lydecker ignored them and walked over to one of the computers. He grabbed a chair, sat down, and slid the disc he had gotten from Krit into the computer.

"Maybe if you do your job right next time, there won't be any guns pointed at you," Syl teased.

"Stop being a smartass," Krit returned. "I got what we needed."

"Yeah, but you still screwed up. By the way," Syl raised her voice. "Seattle was on the news again. They're still trying to round up the transgenics. Seems they've called in the National Guard."

Lydecker turned around in his chair and looked at Syl.

"Any news on Max?" he asked.

"No. They showed her picture again, but that's about it. Why?"

"Were you able to contact any more of your team?" Lydecker asked, ignoring Syl's last question.

"Yeah. Zane and Jondy," Syl replied, a hint of irritation in her voice. "You're always asking about her. You gonna answer my question about what's up with you and Max?"

"No." He looked directly at Syl. "And I advise you not to pursue that line of questioning again."

A heavy silence filled the room.

"Whatever," Syl replied, rolling her eyes. "Keep your little secret for now. See if I care."

Still staring at Syl, Lydecker asked, "The other two…when will they get here?"

"Hey, I never said they were coming. They aren't exactly thrilled with the idea of working with you, and I can't say I blame them. Besides, they think we should be heading to Seattle."

"Fine, then, we proceed without them."

Syl's jaw tightened, and she shot Lydecker a look, but kept her mouth shut.

Krit spoke up. "What is it with you and this Sandeman anyway? If you worked together, why didn't you stay in touch?"

"We had differing opinions."

"But you need him now…" Krit countered.

Lydecker folded his arms and, with a hint of amusement in his voice, corrected Krit, "Actually, it's Max who needs him."

"All right, so Max needs him," Syl conceded. "Zane and Jondy were right, we should go to Seattle."

"Sandeman's not in Seattle."

"He can't do Max any good if she gets caught," Syl reasoned. "The National Guard has everyone surrounded."

A series of beeps sounded from the computer behind Lydecker. Reaching into a jacket pocket, he pulled out his glasses and put them on. His eyes narrowed slightly as he gave Syl and Krit one last look before he turned around and began typing on the keyboard.

"Max is very capable of handling that for now," Lydecker stated. "First we deal with the good doctor, then Seattle."



Living Quarters, Terminal City - Saturday Morning

Gem tried to ignore the crying baby as she sat hunched over a worktable, doing her best to splice together two razor-thin wires. A frustrated look crossed her face as she peered closer at the tarnished copper.

"You know, Elfie," she said, using the baby as a sounding board while trying to quiet her, "I knew there was a reason I specialized in undercover ops and not surveillance. Mole must've been smoking a different kind of cigar when he thought we could use these old wires in our communications grid."

After picking unsuccessfully at the rubber that encased one of the strands, Gem used the scalpel lying on the table to peel away the material. At that moment, the baby let out a horrific shriek, in an attempt to get her mother's attention. All she succeeded in doing, however, was distracting Gem just enough for her to slice a deep cut in her thumb.

Swearing, she dropped the scalpel and jumped up to grab a rag lying on her bed to wrap around her finger. Hearing footsteps in the hallway, she went over and yanked open the door to reveal Joshua, who had his hand on the knob. He jumped in surprise.

"Joshua." Gem breathed a sigh of relief. "Listen, I just cut my thumb. Gotta go see Aveta. Can you stay with Elfie till I get back?" She looked back nervously at the beat-up wooden desk drawer that served as a crib.

"Me? You want Joshua to…to baby sit?" Joshua had heard Original Cindy use the term, but it rolled awkwardly off his lips, and Gem smiled hesitantly.

"Uh, yeah. It'll just be for a little while. I think this…" she waved her wrapped hand in the air, "…needs stitches."

Joshua shuffled from one foot to the other and ran a hand through his perpetually disheveled hair. "Okay…okay, Gem. Joshua can baby sit. Don't know how to change diapers, though."

"That's okay, big guy. Elfie's just sleepy. Maybe you can pick her up and rock her to sleep. I'll be back as soon as I can." Reaching up to pat Joshua on the shoulder with her good hand, Gem smiled again and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Joshua to stare in apprehension at the drawer in the corner of the room, from which a loud wail emerged.


The Sewers Underneath Seattle

Alec pushed open the heavy iron manhole cover at the top of the ladder and peeked out, checking for signs of life or hoverdrones. Satisfied, he ducked back in and looked down at Logan. "Okay, let's do this."

Logan nodded tensely and grabbed the next rung of the ladder. They quickly and carefully climbed out into the sunlight, making sure to fit the cover back on the drainpipe securely so as not to alert passersby or sector cops.

"Hey, how's my barcode?" Alec asked, pulling down his turned-up collar.

"Fine. You know, you might want to check that little detail before we leave next time," Logan said curtly.

"Yeah, well, not much I can do about it, anyway," Alec muttered. "Forgot to bring my laser with me when we hightailed it into Hades."

In silence, they walked down the trash-littered alley. Logan strode purposefully toward the market just ahead. They could hear people moving along the sidewalk and vendors calling out.

Alec looked nervously over at Logan, then stopped, grabbing his sleeve. Logan stopped and turned almost violently, with an irritated look on his face. "What? We don't have a lot of time here."

"Yeah, listen, Logan, I know you know and you know I know, so let's just clear the air, huh? I'm not used to getting death glares from anyone but Max, and I'd rather keep it that way," Alec said with a hint of a joking smile on his face.

Logan breathed a frustrated sigh. "Okay, you want to know what I think, Alec? I think I've defended you to Max since the day you walked into my apartment and almost killed me. So I'm wondering why you didn't tell me the truth that day at Joshua's."

Alec opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again contritely, appearing to think before he spoke. "You're right. Hey, man, I went there to tell you. But…then I just figured it should come from her, not me." He grinned again. "And you were stomping firewood into little bits at the time, you know."

Logan sighed angrily, turned away, then stopped and whirled around. "Here's a tip, Alec. Real life isn't like Manticore. Out here you make friends by earning their trust, not by blindly following orders. Just for future reference." Although his face was hard, his tone had relented.

"Hey, it was your Manticore alum that dragged me into your twisted little soap opera and then forced me to go along with it. Come on, Logan, I know you've forgiven Max. Isn't it time to let it go? I know, I'll do your latrine duty for a week, whaddya say? Huh?"

Logan impassively regarded the younger man. After a moment, he sighed again and gave a resigned laugh as he turned away. "Come on. I wanted to pick up something at the market before we meet Asha."


Living Quarters, Terminal City

Joshua edged closer to the drawer where Elfie was sleeping, with a hopeful expression on his face. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and he sighed in relief. Then, somewhere down the hall, a door slammed loudly, and instantly the baby began to cry again. Joshua jumped in fear and backed away from the crib. He began to pace up and down in the small bunkroom.

"What can Joshua do? Not good with babies." He continued mumbling to himself, then suddenly stopped in front of the crib. Slowly, carefully, he sniffed the air using his acute canine olfactory sense. Startled, he sniffed again, grimacing, then looked down at the baby with a horrified expression on his face.

"Oh, no…" he breathed.

A few minutes later, Original Cindy came down the hall, accompanied by a teenage X6 male. Her face was scrunched into a disgusted sneer, obviously unhappy with her current condition. She was wearing long, thick, black rubber gloves, carrying a mop in one hand and a bucket filled with cleaning supplies in the other. "That's the last time Original Cindy trips on a damn fine lickety-boo who's trying to sweet talk her into givin' up her cushy mess hall duty so she can scrub some medieval toilet," she muttered as much to herself as to the young soldier walking a half step behind.

"Um, ma'am? It's called a latrine," the X6 said hesitantly. "And…what's a lickety-boo?" the kid repeated in a confused voice. "I never heard that term at Manticore."

"Ask me when you're legal," Cindy retorted saucily. "And don't be callin' me 'ma'am'. Original Cindy ain't catchin' none o' that." They stopped in front of a closet and eagerly unloaded their supplies.

Hearing a commotion from the bunkroom behind them, Original Cindy recognized Joshua's grunting and whining, and rolled her eyes at the X6 before she stepped across the hall. "I got this, baby. You just go ten-hut the guys keeping tabs so they know we done our good deed for the day."

She waited till he was gone, then pushed open the door to see Joshua holding a carton of cornstarch, which Gem had been using as baby powder. He had managed to douse himself with it, and was furiously shaking his head and growling. The baby was lying on one of the cots, gurgling happily. She was stark naked, a dirty diaper rolled into a bundle off to the side.

Original Cindy cracked up laughing, and Joshua jumped again, realizing someone was in the room. "Cindy! You have to help Joshua. Gem cut her finger, had to go see Aveta. She said no diapers, baby just sleeping, but then Joshua smelled it and…" He scrunched up his nose and glanced over helplessly at the baby, then back at his friend, his eyes imploring her to help.

"Don't look at me. Original Cindy don't know nothin' 'bout changin' no diapers. One of the reasons I play for the all-girl team, all that typical male pressure to pop out a crying little mini-me." But the tender look on her face as she walked over to the child belied her harsh words. She turned to Joshua and held out her hand. "Gimme that. That stuff goes on her butt, not on your face."

Together they managed to arrange a fresh cloth diaper on her tiny body, and soon Elfie was fast asleep in Original Cindy's arms. Joshua sat timidly next to her and stared at her over the sheet she was wrapped in.

"Those people…out there," Joshua began, looking out the small, grimy window in the back of the room. "They don't see how we're just like them. Babies are just like them."

"Nah, boo, it don't matter to them how much like them you are. You were made in a lab, that's all they see. Scares 'em."

"Doesn't scare you," Joshua pointed out.

"True, but Original Cindy got the lowdown on you. None of them knows any of you, and people are scared of what they don't know."

"I know, I know." Joshua sighed.

Original Cindy looked at Joshua sympathetically. "Hey, you're the one s'pposed to be doin' the babysitting here." At that, she stood and placed the baby in Joshua's hulking arms. "You're an uncle, boo," she declared.

Joshua looked frightened, but then relaxed a little and smiled at Cindy. He looked down at the baby, and laughed. "An uncle," he repeated happily, then looked up at her in confusion. "What's an uncle?"

Cindy just laughed and rolled her eyes.



Outdoor Market, Sector 9

They'd almost reached the agreed upon meeting place when Logan caught sight of Asha's tall, slender build and blonde hair. He grabbed Alec's shirt to stop him. "Okay, there she is. You stay here and play lookout. I'll just be a minute."

"Fine by me. Asha's not my biggest fan right now, anyway," Alec muttered. Logan gave him a strange look and started to ask, but then just shrugged and turned away. Alec halfway turned to the stall closest to him and pretended to pick through the fake Rolex watches, all the while keeping his senses on high alert.

"Asha," Logan said in a low voice as he approached, and she turned, startled.

"Oh, Logan, it's so good to see you. I'm so glad you're okay," Asha said, throwing her arms around him. Logan stiffened involuntarily.

Asha backed off. Logan gave her a quick smile then flicked his eyes nervously off to the left to see if Alec had seen them. Asha followed the movement and saw the transgenic watching them. Alec's eyebrows jumped at her and he smiled. "What's he doing here?" she asked Logan, sounding irritated.

"Chaperone," he replied shortly. "So you were able to get my stuff?"

"Oh, yeah." Remembering, Asha twisted around to pull a thick envelope out of her backpack, then handed it to him. "Good as new."

Logan took it and stuck it quickly inside his own backpack. "Thanks, Asha. I really appreciate it. Did it look like anybody had been in there?"

"Nobody other than you," she replied.

"Okay. Listen, I have another favor to ask. It's big."

"You know I'll do what I can. But Logan, why are you still in there? Terminal City is…they're saying on the news that it's toxic. And…it's dangerous. This thing can't end well."

"I know but…I have to do what I can. Max and I…we're…"

Logan trailed off, but Asha understood what he was trying to gently tell her, and she nodded, forcing a smile. "I told you she'd come around," she said quietly. She dropped her eyes to the ground, and suddenly looked back up at him, her eyes meeting his in confusion. "You're…where's the exoskeleton?"

Logan looked down then, too, and shrugged. "Long story. Joshua's blood, the transfusion, repaired my spinal cord."

"Wow, that's great, Logan. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. Listen, about that favor. Need you to get hold of some things for us." Logan handed her a list, which she scanned. She looked up at him with a skeptical expression.

"I can try, but some of this stuff is really expensive, even with the S1W's contacts," Asha admitted.

"There's an address there where I have some art in storage, and the customer ID number so they'll let you in. Take whatever you need and fence it."

Asha nodded. "Like I said, I'll try. And I'll need some time. Tell me how to get into Terminal City and I'll bring it to you."

Logan shook his head. "Too risky. Besides, like you said, it's pretty messy in there. If you can get the stuff by tomorrow, I can meet you again. Same time, same place."

"Okay. I'll call you if I have any trouble." Asha looked up at him. "Tell Max 'hi' for me. And Logan, take care."

He nodded and she disappeared into the crowd as Alec approached him, keeping his head down. "Sector cop at two o'clock," he said in a low voice, right near Logan's ear. "Let's do a little more shopping before we head back, give this guy a chance to find the nearest doughnut stall."

"Yeah." The two men strolled casually from stall to stall, pretending not to notice the cop who was standing on the corner, surveying the scene, baton in hand. Finally, he started moving in their direction. Alec and Logan both held their breath and tensed, ready to run at the slightest sign of recognition, but the cop passed within feet of them and continued on his way. As soon as he turned the corner, they looked around and headed back toward the alley and the sewer pipe that would take them back to Terminal City.



Police Headquarters, Detective Clemente's Office

"Ah, Agent White, so good to see you again…I hope that duct tape didn't burn too much when you ripped it off," the detective said with a mocking grin. From the way White glared at him in return, it was clear there was little love lost between the two men. "I'm sure you've heard the mayor's put me in charge of the situation, with the full support of the governor." He emphasized the last word, remembering how smug White had been showing him the governor's letter at the Jam Pony hostage situation. Now the tables were turned. "There something I can help you with?"

"Actually, I'm here to help you." Ames White forced the words out despite the intense dislike clogging his throat. He dropped a manila folder onto the detective's desk, where it landed with a loud thump.

"What's this?" Clemente picked it up and flipped through it, then looked back up at the man in the expensive suit and trench coat standing in front of him with a barely disguised disdainful sneer. "How'd you get this information?"

"That's none of your concern," White snapped. "This man fired a weapon at law enforcement officers, then fought alongside the transgenics to overcome my team and escape with the hostages. I've brought you proof of that so you can put his picture on every lamppost in the city. We're bringing federal charges against him. I'll expect you to let me know as soon as you have him in custody."

Clemente regarded him stonily. Then he nodded shortly. "Thank you, Special Agent White. I'll look into it." His tone was dismissive.

White seemed ready to say something else, but decided against it. He almost bumped into Matt Sung as he strode out of the detective's office. They exchanged passing glances, as White continued on his way, brushing roughly past Sung.

"What was he doing here?"

Clemente silently handed him the folder, and Matt flipped through, trying to disguise his shock and anger. Clear pictures of Logan jumping onto the police car, gun in hand, aiming at the snipers in the building above. Driver's license, credit record, newspaper articles about Cale Industries, even blueprints of his apartment. Articles he'd written over the years for various underground publications, harshly criticizing the military government, uncovering embarrassing scandals.

Matt's voice was tight. "The press will have a field day with this."

Clemente sighed. "I know. And I know he's guilty of aiding and abetting, and probably assaulting an officer, but damned if I wouldn't have done the same thing in his shoes. Those guys were going to shoot randomly. No way they could know which were the transgenics."

Matt managed a smile. "Most of them, anyway."

The two men looked at each other for a few moments. "Put our men on alert, distribute his picture to the National Guard and the sector police, beat cops. We only want him for questioning at this point. No need to get somebody riled up, ready to shoot first and ask questions later. And no press. We don't want any more vigilantism, especially against a regular citizen."

Matt let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "I…" He trailed off, trying to decide whether or not to continue. "I'll get on this right now." He made an about-face and headed to the door.

"Detective Sung," the detective's bass voice rang out, and Matt stopped in his tracks. "Is there something else you wanted to say?"

Matt took a breath but didn't turn around. His face showed indecision and guilt and he knew it. "No, sir." He forced a small smile and turned.

Clemente regarded him much as he had Agent White a few minutes before. "Let me know what else you can dig up on our friend, Mr. Cale."

Sung nodded briefly and closed the door on the way out.

END OF ACT II

Act III