Previous | Next

CHANNEL AVATAR Part 2:  Errant Application

CHANNEL AVATAR Issue 2:  Scene 2

[The lab.]   [YONGHUI, NAYA, GARRET, GOLDA, and PERRY have all gathered.  GARRET is at YONGHUI’s computer with YONGHUI nearby.  PERRY is sitting in NAYA’s chair with GOLDA leaning on the desk next to him.  NAYA leans against a lab table.] YONGHUI: [Bent down to eye-level with the screen and watching over GARRET’s shoulder.]  Should you access that openly? GARRET: [Slams his fist on the top of the desk.]  What’s taking so long?  We ought to have neural jacks.  [The computer beeps at him, having failed to find "Jun Suzuki," and he starts a new search under a different name.] NAYA: [Under her breath.]  Sure, I’d love to hook my brain up to a virus-infested— YONGHUI: What happens when someone finds you’ve been in the building logs, Garret?  [Getting to response, she grabs his shoulder.]  Garret! GARRET: What?  [Enters another name, then takes a moment and glances up.]  He’s a missing minor.  That should take priority over just about anything; I’ll get it cleared later. YONGHUI: [Nods and straightens up.]  You’re right about the time it will take, though.  With all the lecture halls on the main floor, there must be dozens of people passing through the building, even on the weekend.  [Turns to GOLDA.]  You had no trouble today? GOLDA: Not that I know of.  You really think this is some plot or something? YONGHUI: It would be a considerable coincidence if Shi-Ying just happens to be cut off from all contact. GOLDA: He probably just went off and got drunk or something.  It’d be like him. NAYA: Very much.  But even drunk or asleep, we ought to be able to make some kind of contact.  I certainly wasn’t getting anything off him . . . GOLDA: Me neither.  You think someone drugged him or something?   [YONGHUI and NAYA look at each other uneasily.  YONGHUI turns back to GARRET.] GOLDA: [Quietly, to NAYA.]  What? NAYA: [Also quietly.]  If someone tried . . . .  Most of his body weight is artificial.  He’d OD. GOLDA: That’s right.  Oh!  What about his meds? NAYA: That, too.  He’s supposed to keep the day’s supply on him, of course, but knowing Shi . . . GOLDA: [Peering at her.]  Heh-heh!  Don’t tell me you have a soft spot for the kid after all. NAYA: [Surprised.]  Like I have to like someone not to want them to . . . ?  [GOLDA grins and NAYA belatedly recognizes the joke.]  Under other conditions, I’d say they could have him. GARRET: Got him!   [The others crowd around GARRET, PERRY following behind.] GARRET: [Pointing to the screen, although he’s the only one who can actually read it.]  There.  He came in at 3:47. YONGHUI: But is he still here? GARRET: [Working the keyboard.]  We’ll need to check the security videos for that.  [After a few minutes he turns to the others.]  But scanning through them will take a lot longer.  It’ll be faster to check the building. YONGHUI: I’ll stay with the computer. GOLDA: And Perry? YONGHUI: [Slightly nonplused at the reminder.]  Of course.   [GOLDA returns PERRY to NAYA’s desk, then GARRET, NAYA, and GOLDA move to the door.] GARRET: Golda, you’d better cover the first floor.  You’re less likely to need to explain yourself in a public area.  Nye, this floor, then go up.  I’ll take the second and third floors.  Anything at all suspicious—anything.  Yes? NAYA: Yes. GOLDA: OK!   [They exit and head off in different directions.]

CHANNEL AVATAR Issue 2:  Scene 3

[Hallway of the lab building.]   [NAYA walks along slowly, looking.  She is passed once by another lab coat, and a couple of the other labs show some minimal activity, but otherwise the trip is uneventful.] GARRET: [Pausing in a nearly identical hallway.]  Anything, anyone? GOLDA: [Watching the doorways to the lecture halls.]  Hard to tell.  Everybody looks suspicious if you want them to. NAYA: There are still people down there?  Just about everyone up here’s gone home.   [NAYA hits the stairway and heads up.] GARRET: Nothing on the security cameras? YONGHUI: Not yet.   [The three continue their search until NAYA stops abruptly at a wing juncture.] NAYA: Uh-oh.  Um, guys? GARRET: Did you find something? NAYA: Not exactly, but I thought of something . . .   [NAYA looks up.  The far wing is blocked off by a door marked with signs:  Warning.  Electromagnetic equipment used in this area.  Use of electronic devices prohibited.  Visitors with vital prosthetics must not enter.]

CHANNEL AVATAR Issue 2:  Scene 4

[The lab.]   [A little time has past.  GOLDA is sitting at YONGHUI’s desk; PERRY still at NAYA’s.  GARRET is pacing.] GARRET: At this rate we could have finished with the rest of the building. GOLDA: I’m sure Yonghui—   [YONGHUI enters on cue.  GARRET quickly moves to her.] YONGHUI: [Shaking her head.]  The door’s been sealed somehow.  [Looks over the lab.]  Where’s Naya? GOLDA: [Indicting the inner door.]  Hiding. GARRET: Nye! NAYA: [Emerging somewhat reluctantly.]  No luck? YONGHUI: I couldn’t get in.  Perhaps we could contact maintenance. GOLDA: On Saturday night? GARRET: I’ll see if I can find someone at Security who can get access . . .  [Goes to phone while watching by the outer door.] NAYA: [Watching him go.]  Can they do anything?  We don’t have any proof he’s in there.  Maybe he isn’t in there. YONGHUI: No, you were right.  That wing is one of the few places on the entire campus that could block you from each other.  Even the physics building doesn’t have the same amount of shielding.  [Looks toward GARRET.]  But we shouldn’t depend on outside cooperation. NAYA: We can’t any of us go in that section ourselves. GOLDA: Oh, come on.  It’s not likely anybody’s doing anything in there right now. NAYA: I’d rather not find out the hard way. YONGHUI: [Considering as she heads to her computer.]  Any device that would be putting out a magnetic field strong enough to be dangerous to you would also be using a lot of power.  [Pauses to look at GOLDA.]  The university tracks power consumption for billing. GOLDA: Sure, but we only get the numbers once a month. YONGHUI: [Going to work.]  The numbers must come from somewhere. GARRET: [Calling over.]  They’re coming, but they want to find someone from the building staff first.  I’m going up.  [Leaves.] GOLDA: [After a moment.]  Should someone go after him? YONGHUI: No, he knows the risks as well as you do, and we’ve got other things to do.  I’ll keep looking for on-line meters, but there must be real meters in the building somewhere.  [Looks at NAYA.]  In the basement, probably.  The plans should be easy to locate. NAYA: Right.  [Going to her desk.]  Sorry, Perry, I need to sit here now.   [NAYA and PERRY switch.] GOLDA: Come on, big guy, we’ll go raid the snack machines. YONGHUI: Be careful.   [GOLDA and PERRY go off.  Some time passes, but YONGHUI and NAYA are still at their computers when the other two return.] GOLDA: [Showing her acquisitions.]  Want anything?   [YONGHUI waves her off, so GOLDA goes over to NAYA, who leans back and takes something.] GOLDA: [Scoping out NAYA’s screen.]  Building plans, I presume? NAYA: For what they’re worth.  The basement windows are only four inches high, and the doors and walls are solid.  Even Shi couldn’t pry his way in there.  Breaking in would cause a lot more damage than I’d want to have in our own building.  Even if I knew how to go about it; attack strategy isn’t my area.  [Looks over at YONGHUI, but she is occupied and doesn’t respond.  NAYA turns toward GOLDA.] GOLDA: Don’t look at me; I just work here.   [NAYA gets up, stretching, and she and GOLDA join PERRY by a lab bench to have their snacks.  More time passes.] YONGHUI: [Not turning.]  Garret says they’re in.   [The other three look up, startled.  NAYA and GOLDA exchange glances.] NAYA: He didn’t say anything to— YONGHUI: Golda, go up and give them a hand, just in case.   [GOLDA looks at NAYA again.] NAYA: Well, if he can report in, I suppose it’s all right up there. GOLDA: [Slightly irked.]  I’ll go see.  But I think I may have a few things to say on the way up!

CHANNEL AVATAR Issue 2:  Scene 5

[The lab.]   [YONGHUI is busy at her computer; NAYA and PERRY are by NAYA’s desk.]   [GARRET ushers SHI-YING in, followed by GOLDA and a security GUARD, who hesitates on seeing the group.] GUARD: Perhaps we should go somewhere more private, Wan?  I need to get a statement. GARRET: It’s OK, they’re family, too. GUARD: [Looking at the assorted assemblage.]  All of them? SHI-YING: [Pointing at YONGHUI.]  She isn’t. NAYA: More to the point, she’s working.  [Indicates the student side of the laboratory.]  How about over there?   [GARRET, SHI-YING, and the GUARD move to the far side of the lab and start conferring.  NAYA and GOLDA go back to the bench with PERRY.] NAYA: Well, Shi’s obviously none the worse for wear.  What happened? GOLDA: He was helping this girl move equipment up to her lab— NAYA: Right. GOLDA: [Laughing.]  No, really.  A cute little coed. NAYA: Ah.  I’m definitely talking to his endocrinologist about reducing the amount of testosterone that boy’s taking. GOLDA: I’m for it.  Where was I? NAYA: Shi was too busy scoping out a coed to pay attention to where he was going. GOLDA: Right.  So he follows her into the lab, and they both wind up sealed in until the cavalry appears. NAYA: Both sealed in?  How? GOLDA: Apparently someone tripped the emergency door.  They had to find a fire key to get them out. NAYA: And she wasn’t in on it? GOLDA: I don’t think so.  She was pretty bent out of shape.  Of course, getting stuck in a room with Shi would do that. NAYA: Hmm.  So this trap could have been for her or Shi. GOLDA: [Shrugs.]  Or entirely random.  No harm done anyway. NAYA: As far as we know. GOLDA: You spend way too much time with Yonghui.  I, for one, am going home.  [To PERRY.]  And you, for two.   [GOLDA and PERRY go to join GARRET’s group.  NAYA goes to YONGHUI, who finally looks up as she approaches.] NAYA: Is everything OK?  It doesn’t look like it was meant for us. YONGHUI: A distraction, perhaps.  Our server’s been hit twice.  Does Shi-Ying have our commitment statement? NAYA: [Somewhat embarrassed.]  Hold on.  [Crosses the lab and after some argument gets two flash drives from SHI-YING.  She returns and gives them to YONGHUI.]  The budget, too.  I think we’d best keep him out of the rest of this. YONGHUI: No need.  [Takes the drives and inserts one in her computer.  She peruses the files briefly.]  That looks all right.  I will file the application tonight. NAYA: Then we’re done? YONGHUI: With our application.  There’s still the competition to consider. NAYA: Now?  I think I should go home and sit on Shi until Lachlan gets back. YONGHUI: [Considers her.]  Monday, then. NAYA: Right.  Monday.   [NAYA follows the others from the lab.]

Previous | Next