Sick, Sad World | Fanfic | Smith | A Prelude to War

Prelude to War: Day 3
By
Chris Smith

Yesterday, Special Agent Winston of the Department of Justice greeted Jake and Helen Morgendorffer with surprising kindness. He was quite calm when he recieved none of the information he required from the Morgendorffer Parents. He kindly said good-bye, and went on his way. Helen's belief that Kain is the terrorist was instantly restored at that moment. Jake forgot about the whole incident in minutes, a new record. When Winston got back in his car (With the windows up), he let out an endless barrage of "Mothafuckin', shitfaced, Crapheaded, Mothafuckin'", then the cellphone rang. That was yesterday.......

Daria and other characters created by MTV Networks
Michael Andrews, Mara Jacobs, and Eddie created by Michael Pfeffer
Reuben Garnet created by Katherine Goodman
Power Rangers created by Saban Entertainment
C.S.'s Power R.A.N.G.E.R.S. created by Chris Smith
Kain, Sally, Right-Handful Trio, Ex-Quinn Clones, Clone #1, and Falcon created by Chris Smith

Scene 1: Kain and Sally's room. They're in bed, Sally is asleep, with her arms tightly around Kain's waist. Kain is awake, he hasn't had a good night's sleep since the Alternapalooza festival. Why everyone hasn't been using the emertrons is anyone's guess. They decide to get up, put on their usual trenchcoats and shoes, but they don't leave.
<Thursday, 6:46 A.M. MST>
Kain: Is this how you pictured being human?
Sally: Sure enough, 'cept we'd be in a psychedelic van solving mysteries.
Kain: I mean it.
Sally: Hey, as long as it's with you, I don't care what being human is like.
Kain: Ah.
Sally: What do you plan to do? I mean, after all this is done.
Kain: You already know what I'm going to do.
Sally: But why?!
Kain: Because it has to be done. The bullshit has gone on long enough.
(Cut to: The elevator. Kain and Sally are holding hands. They walk in to an empty bridge, as it should be. No one should be up yet. They look over some diagnostics.)
Kain: Hmm, the cloak is malfunctioning.
Sally: Try boosting the power output by thirty-percent.
Kain: (Adjusts some knobs and switches) Ah, thereitgoes.
Sally: Anything else?
Kain: Not really. Unless you know how to adjust the main thrusters to the main reactor.
Sally: I do. But we don't have the neccessary materials.
Kain: I shouldn't have rushed production of this giant piece of shit.
Sally: As long we get there in one piece, that's all that matters.
Kain: I guess.
Voice: She right, you know.
Kain: Huh? Oh, It's you. (It turns out to be Jackyl, who's been there the entire time.)
Jackyl: Hey, is that any way to treat a future national treasure?!
Sally: I knew it, the bastard's developed an ego.
Jackyl: HEY!!!
(Cut to: Cafe Falcon. About a half-hour later. Still, only Kain and Sally are up. They're eating breakfast, Sally's eating a rasberry pop-tart. And Kain, well, this is kinda awkward, Kain's eating Chex Cereal {What's so strange about that?}, only you replace the milk with beer {Oh.}.)
Sally: Why are you eating Chex with beer?
Kain: Because we're out of Rice Krispies.
Sally: C'mon. Why the beer?
Kain: I just thought I'd experiment a bit.
Sally: You're twisted.
Kain: There's no harm done.
Sally: But it's 7:15 in the fuckin' morning! Aren't you afraid of getting drunk this early in the morning?!
Kain: Remember immunity serum #39. I can't get drunk. No matter how much I drink, I can't get drunk.
Sally: Isn't that cheating in drinking games?
Kain: Yup. But the opposition never needs to know that. Besides, they wouldn't buy it.
Sally: Yeah, people still think that you get drunk off of one Jack Daniels.
Kain: People can be so weak-minded at times.
Sally: Not all of them are like you.
Kain: I know.
(They return to their room to discuss other personal matters that's best left behind closed doors.)
Scene 2: A place Daria found while roaming the ship, a library. It's actually a massive library. It seems to contain copies of all known books known to man, fiction and non. Daria's starting to wonder about how large the ship really is from everything that's inside. Tommy walks in and finds Daria.
<11, on the dot. CST>
Tommy: Hey.
Daria: Hi Tommy.
Tommy: (Pulls a large book out of his trenchcoat {A Tale of Two Cities}, and puts it in an empty slot in the shelf.) I got to catch up on my reading as soon as we started collecting books.
Daria: When was this?
Tommy: About nine years ago.
Daria: Hmmm.
Tommy: What?
Daria: It's nothing. Do you always wear that eyepatch?
Tommy: Unless I'm alone at night.
Daria: Why?
Tommy: Promise not to tell anyone?
Daria: Tell anyone what? (Tommy removes the eyepatch, his left eye is sewn shut.) Oh my god.
Tommy: You see, this infared eye is the only way I can see, period. I would've gotten one for the other eye, but we didn't have enough money. No one knows this, not even Kain.
Daria: Wow. You don't really say much, do you?
Tommy: Well, This is kind of the thing that would gross out almost anyone. But since I'm with you guys, It might not be a big deal. But I'm not taking any chances.
Daria: I was wondering, how big is this ship? I mean, I've been wandering down endless corridors that seem to go for miles, and I see gigantic rooms and stuff. How big is this ship?
Tommy: To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure myself.
Scene 3: Another place that was found while wandering. Jane found a massive art gallery. It carries a lot of famous paintings, even a few exclusive ones. Jane notices a few paintings that bear resemblence to a certain dark-clothed individual. Shotgun walks in and places another painting on the wall, it almost resembles Jane.
<11:15 A.M. CST>
Jane: Well, I'll be damned.
Shotgun: Yeah, Kain and Sally can be quite the artists as well.
Jane: Really? What is that I'm doing?
Shotgun: It's you, creating something out of nothing.
Jane: Wow. (She notices several other suspicious paintings) Who are these guys?
Shotgun: Ah, well. This one here is a guy named Samuel Powers, he's an unappreciated "Nerd/Jock". He was despised by the other students, and slightly repulsed by his own friends. He was almost killed when he was walking home from school one day.
Jane: What happened?
Shotgun: He got caught in the middle of a turf war between rival street gangs. Kain helped Sammy's friends realize just how special he was to them.
Jane: Very interesting. And this one?
Shotgun: This one's name is Stan Johnson, he's a drummer for a band called Chaos up in Seattle. Not much is known about him, other than that he defies all authority, he hates people, and he wants to die. (Walks over to another painting that has a teen girl in a leather jacket) This one is Tori Sky, she's more of a rebellious type. I think Kain used to date her.
Jane: Hm. And what about this guy, he kinda looks evil.
Shotgun: Right on the money, Jane. This guy isn't even human. Every time Kain mentions his name, he does with a disturbed tone. My guess is that he doesn't like the guy at all.
Jane: What's his name?
Shotgun: Well, his name is......
Uziman: (Walking in) Hey Vince! Kain needs you for something. C'mon.
Shotgun: Ok, cool. I guess I'll see you later, Jane. (He and Uziman leave)
Jane: Yeah, later.
Jane (Thinking): I wonder who he is.
(Cut to: The Entertainment Room. Daria, Jane, Quinn, Michael, Mara, Jackyl, Danny, and Reuben are watching an old SNL episode, "Fun With Real Audio".)
<3:45 P.M. CST>
Jane: Pure genius.
Reuben: Oh yes.
Michael: Maybe we could do the same thing, only we'll do it with the audio tapes of the jocks and bimbos.
Mara: But doesn't someone have to animate them first?
Daria: Who'd be stupid enough to draw Kevin and Brittany thousands of times just to make them move?
(QuickCut to: The Main Bridge. Sally, and the Four Horsemen are there. Kain laughs.)
Sally: What's so funny?
Kain: I got a sixth sense when it comes to humor. And someone just said something funny.
Uziman: Really? What?
Kain: Trust me, you don't want to know.
(Cut back to: The Entertainment Room.)
Mara: Where're we at?
Michael: Right now? Hm, I guess we're over Cincinatti at the moment.
Jackyl: Kain told me we'll be in New York by tomorrow morning.
Jane: Speaking of Kain, it appears that he's met a lot of INT'RESTING people.
Reuben: Oh, really?
Jane: Yeah. But there's this one that gets to me.
Daria: What about it?
Jane: I just don't know. It's just that.....
(Just then, the lights go red, and an alarm sounds.)
Mara: What the hell?! Oh.
Kain (From Intercom): Attention, all personel! Emergancy stations! Par-onto!
Michael: This I have to see.
(Cut to: The Main Bridge. Everyone's there, looking at the viewing screen. There's about twenty fighter jets that closely resemble the MJP-911, all staring back at the Falcon, all pulling backward in the same motion.)
<3:57 P.M. CST>
Kain: I didn't think he'd replicate it that quickly.
Michael: Replicate what?!
Kain: The alien technology. Now he has a whole new army at his disposal.
Tommy: Kain, the lead jet's hailing us.
Kain: This oughta be good. Open a channel.
Tommy: Channel open.
LeadJet: This is Death 1 of the HellStorm Battalion, Scorch class. Cease your assault, and surrender your vessel, or we will open fire.
Kain: To whoever you think you are, you've obviously got enough guts to throw your lives away. I've got a pretty good guess who sent you, and here's my reply. You can kiss my ass, and now it's time for you to kiss YOUR asses goodbye!
LeadJet: But I insist. I have a message for you from the man himself.
(As a recorded video message fizzles into view, a stone-cold expression blankets Kain's face. It's him, the other one, and Kain's not happy to see himself.)
Clone #1: This is most surprising, you, on your way to get me. Just as I'm trying to get you. There's no way you can win this war, I've got you beat, every step of the way. While you're coming to get me, I've sent a highly-trained federal agent after your friends........
Kain: He thinks he's got me beat. What a dumbass.
Clone #1: .......he believes that your friends are connected to your terrorist group. Now you'll have nothing again. .......
Kain: Now I know better. There's no way you could be a carbon copy of me. You've developed an ego the size of Jupiter.
Clone #1: ...... Now, you'll feel true pain. Kain, your better half now lives on his own. I don't need you anymore. I've grown beyond that of which a clone's name is just a number. I have a real name. Kraxus!
(As the recording ends, the jets open fire. The rays make small dents in the hull.)
Kain: Shit! He's found a way to penetrate the shields! John! Vince! Open fire!
(The giant plasma cannons on the wings charge up and fire several bursts of energy, but none of the jets are hit.)
Shotgun: They're too small to hit!
Kain: Fuck! I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way. How many of you have had flight combat experience? (Daria, Jane, Michael, Mara, and Jackyl each raise their hands.) Jackyl, put your hand down, downing a Bud while flying is not flight combat experience.
Jackyl: Aaa fuck you, I'm going to go take a nap. Wake me when it's over.
Kain: Idiot. I guess it's just the seven of us. Tommy, Sally, you both said you wanted to blow something up for real? Here's your chance. Let's go.
(Cut to: The elevator, on it's way to the hanger bay. Kain, Sally, Tommy, Daria, Jane, Michael, and Mara are there.)
<4 P.M. CST>
Kain: The Black Omen jets are somewhat different from the Raptor jets you piloted back in Colorado. They're actually easier to pilot than any standard regulation aircraft. In fact, even a senile 85-year-old woman, high on crack could pilot these things.
Daria: That easy, huh?
Kain: It's like driving a car, really. You accelerate, and brake the same way. The only difference is there's a stick instead of a steering wheel.
Michael: Why make it that easy?
Kain: Man has yearned to fly for aeons. I wanted it to be second nature to fly. But those Air Foce bastards made those planes nearly impossible to use. So I made it easier.
(They reach the hangar bay, Daria,Jane, and Tommy climb into random BO jets. Michael and Mara board the 911. Kain and Sally get into their own BO jets, place neural cables on their heads, and prepare to take off. Kain and Sally each have four drone jets piloted by their brain, programmed to mimic their movements until ordered.)
Kain: (Imitating Michael Buffer) Llllllllllllllllllet's get ready to rumblllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllee!!!!!
(The hangar doors open, and the ten jets fly outside.)
Kain: Hey Mike, be careful. Those may look the same, but they're probably modified, maybe even with superior firepower. So fly defensively.
Michael: Please, don't call me Mike.
Kain: Oops, my mistake.
(Daria decides to take the first crack at the enemy. She dives forward, climbs under the squadron while firing. She nails one of them.)
Kain: YES!! Good shot! See if you can do that again!
(Daria's already doing it. She does a 180, and blasts another one to pieces. The Hellstorm squadron breaks formation and starts chasing everyone. Kain and Sally's squads break off and start firing at the other ships. Jane does a quick loop and gets the one behind her, she then does an evilish grin and does another loop while barrelling.)
Jane: Artsy to PartyGirl. He's right, these jets ARE simple to use.
Daria: Since when did you decide to start using your callsign?
Jane: Since I decided that I wanted one of these for Christmas.
(Kain's jet spews out several tiny rockets {Around the size of a cordless phone}, several chase a small group of the 911 clones. Each manage to "hook" themselves onto the cockpits of the four jets, they explode after a few seconds, destroying the entirety of the ships.)
Kain: They work! Lucky me.
Mara: Now, THAT was cool.
Michael: Yeah, I didn't think rockets could be THAT tiny.
Kain: It's the '90s, we're making better weapons just as fast as we're making better computers.
Michael: Whoa! (Swerves away from an oncoming jet) That was a close one.
Kain: You're telling me?
(Tommy jinks back and forth avoiding rockets and missiles. He does a loop to the side and nails a pair of jets.)
Tommy: This is fun.
(The 911 fires off several Sidewinder missiles and prays they'll connect. They don't. He swears, and decides to switch to simple rockets. It was a smart move, because the rockets didn't need to lock onto a target. He takes out three jets in one sitting.)
Michael: They're not perfect copies!
Mara: They don't have shields.
Kain: And neither do you, I'm afraid.
Michael: What?!
Kain: There was a glitch from when Eddie was pulled inside in the first place. When he remembered who he was, he must've forgotten his shield programs, or something. Maybe you can fix that.
Michael: Mara, take over. I'm going back there. (Michael goes in the back, pops open the memory panel, and examines the circuits) Ah, here's the problem. (He switches two specific chips' places) Hey, Eddie?
Eddie: Yes, Michael?
Michael: Do a quick diagnostic on the ship's systems.
Eddie: All systems are functioning normally.
Michael: That should do it.
(Eddie's controls light up, and he takes over the wheel {So to speak}. Eddie rams into a pair of ships, destroying them.)
Kain: That's a new one on me. (Sally fires a concentrated spread-plasma-burst, and downs five jets. Daria blows up one more.) Okay, guys, I got this last one. (Kain presses a button and the last one ejects its passengers. Just then, the Falcon fires a blue beam at the remaining jet, surrounding it. It's a tractor beam) That's right, we're bringing this last one in. Let go of your controls, the Falcon will do the rest.
Michael: We know how to land a plane.
Kain: Yeah, but you all had a rough day, give your wrists a rest.
Scene 4: The Hangar Bay, several minutes later. Kain and Michael both examine the 911 copy closely, while the others look at them from a distance. When they come back to the others.....
<4:34 P.M. CST>
Kain: Well, we got good news, and we got bad news.
Michael: The bad news is, Kraxus can make a whole lot more of these.
Daria: And the good news?
Kain: They're lacking several pieces that make Eddie here a one-of-a-kind here on Earth. Kraxus can't make them with shields, he can't make them with the weapon and food replicators, and most of all, there's no computer inside, they're all manually piloted.
Jane: They're not as cool as us.
Kain: Nope, and now's time to celebrate! Eddie, make us four kegs of beer.
Eddie: What brand?
Tommy: The fuck with the brand, surprise us!
Scene 5: Back in Lawndale, in Winston's car. The phone rings.
<2:41 P.M. PST>
Winston: Talk.
Voice: Did you find any of the requested names?
Winston: No. The Morgendorffer parents haven't seen them, the Lane house is deserted, the Andrews house is deserted. I tried looking over at the remains of the Kain estate.....
Voice: And?
Winston: Nothing, zip, nada. It's nothing but a huge 20-foot hole in the ground.
Voice: Hm. What about the Lawndale Community College?
Winston: That's not a bad idea. Winston out. (He hangs up)
Scene 6: Back at the Falcon, in the Cafe, there's a victory party, with beer. Everyone, except Summer and her kids are there. Daria, Trent, Jane, and Reuben are at a separate table.
<7:32 P.M. EST>
Daria: I could never figure the beer thing, what's up with that?
Trent: It's all about the buzz.
Jane: Buzz?
Reuben: Yeah, after downing a few, you start to let go of yourself. But, it's not good for everyone.
Daria: You mean anyone.
Trent: You're both right. But we do it anyway. It's just a fact of life, there's no escaping the need for the buzz.
Daria: Yeah there is. (Pauses for a few seconds) Hey Jane, have you ever drank a beer?
Jane: Yeah, a few times. We were celebrating Mystik Spiral's fifth gig that didn't end up in a nightclub brawl. We all got hammered, and look what I ended up with (wraps her arm around Reuben's waist). So I figured beer was good for something.
Reuben: Ah, who am I to argue?
Daria: Hey Jane, Trent and I are going to go someplace private.
Jane: Cool. (They leave.) I guess it finally worked.
Reuben: Just be glad they're together.
(Cut to: The other end of the room, everyone's sitting at a huge circular table, drinking and chatting.)
Jesse: (Drunk) You know, Kain, you remind me of someone I thought I'd never meet in my lifetime.
Kain: Oh really? Who'd that be?
Jesse: (Drunk) Some ....... guy. He like created, like, the universe or something.
Mara: (Drunk) Of course! It couldn't be any other way.
Michael: (Drunk) You're saying he's like, god, or something?
Jesse: (Drunk) Yeah! Him! That dude!
Kain: Well, nothing could be further than the truth, I suppose.
Uziman: (Drunk) Whoa!! This guy thinks he's god! Aw, man! And I thought I was crazy!
Jackyl: (Drunk) You're full of shit!
Shotgun: (Drunk) Well? Isn't everybody?
Kain: Uhh, yeah.
(Cut to: Trent and Daria's room, they're on the bed. {Note that they're not IN the bed}.)
<8:45 P.M. EST>
Trent: I guess there's nothing wrong with NOT drinking yourself stupid.
Daria: Beer kills brain cells.
Trent: Yeah, (Strokes her hair) and you need every one of those for that beautiful brain of yours, huh?
Daria: Mm-hmm. I overheard Jane saying that her "plan" worked.
Trent: Well, it did, didn't it?
Daria: Yeah, I guess it did. (They kiss)
(Cut to: The Cafe. Everyone's still talking, but now, Jane and Reuben are slightly drunk. Kain is downing beers, and not even stumbling. Sally is just sitting there, wondering why the fuck is he doing it?)
Kain: (mumbling) This is getting boring.
Shotgun: .....it's how that old saying goes. "Live, drink, and be merry, because tomorrow, we die!"
Everyone: We die!
Kain: You know, guys. You are so right, I even know how I'm gonna go.
Sally: Oh, no you don't. (Gets up and tugs his arm) C'mon, let's go.
Kain: I'm not ready to go.
Sally: Oh, yes you are, c'mon.
Kain: I guess I am. The lady has spoken. (Gets up) See you later, guys.
Everyone: Later!
(Cut to: Winston's new apartment. He's kicking back. The phone rings.)
<7:51 P.M. PST>
Winston: Talk.
Voice: Well? Did you find any of the teenagers?
Winston: No. Are you sure they didn't all leave town?
Voice: We may have to go with that possibility. We'll keep in touch. (CLICK)
Scene 7: The Upper Bridge. Kain and Sally are there.
Kain: Computer. Scan the New York/Bronx/Manhattan area for severe structural damage and causualties.
Computer: Scanning. Found. (A wide screen opens showing a dozen areas of New York in ruins, with dead bodies by the ton.)
Kain: This'll be a lot harder than I thought.
Sally: Can't you find that business building you mentioned yesterday?
Kain: There's some sort of jammer blocking every search of the place. I only have the name, Prestoncorp International.
Sally: I guess we'll have to find it the hard way.
Kain: Yeah. (Pauses for a few seconds) Computer, establish contact with Jake Erikson's communicator.
(After fifteen seconds of waiting.......)
Jake: (BEEP) Jake here.
Kain: It's me, how're you holding up?
Jake: We're at the end of our rope, here. It's just me, Tommy, and Jason. We're dying out here.
Kain: That's rough. But don't worry, we'll be there tomorrow morning. By the way, about those people you'll need to watch. Don't get involved unless you're sure they need help.
Jake: But....
Kain: They can take care of themselves, but they're not superheroes, so they WILL need help sooner or later.
Jake: Right.
Kain: I'll see you then. In the meantime, get some rest. You sound like you guys need it.
Jake: Later. (BEEP)
Sally: Well? Did you do what you said you were going to do?
Kain: Yeah. I put a copy of my journal in Trent and Daria's room, where she's sure to find it. If she's as trustworthy as she seems, she won't tell a soul about the secrets it contains.
Sally: Are you sure you won't reconsider?
Kain: I'm sure. This is the only way. It has to be done.
(Cut to: Daria and Trent's room. They're in bed, asleep. Daria wakes up, carefully gets out of bed, doing her best not to wake Trent. She gets a carton of OJ from the fridge, pours out a cup, and drinks. She notices something that wasn't there before. It's a black binder with hundreds of pages. Daria takes a look at the first page. Her eyes widen.)
Daria (Thinking): What the fuck?!?!

Concluded in "Carnage in the Big Apple".

Questions? E-Mail me at cws@wvinter.net.