03Duplicity.doc

Story by Gencie Salter and DragonWriter17

Written By DragonWriter17, David Elmer, and Gencie Salter Produced by DragonWriter17 and CN Winters Directed by DragonWriter17 and CN Winters

Edited by CN Winters Art Direction by DragonWriter17 Artists – Emily and Gencie Salter

Fade In: Int.

James’s Apartment – Early Morning

Dappled sunlight peeked through a crack beneath the window shade in a smartly decorated bedroom. An alarm began to beep, and the window

shade started to rise, bathing the room in light.

James winced as the sunlight hit his face. He raised a hand to his eyes, groaning in annoyance. When that didn‘t work, he pulled his pillow over his head. After a few minutes

of trying to ignore the constant beeping of the alarm, James finally rolled over and

sat up.

"I‘m up, I‘m up! Jeez." He slapped the off switch and

rubbed his eyes. Then he turned his attention to the window. He raised a finger to

point at it. "And you," he said, glaring, "are getting

reprogrammed."

Pushing back the covers, James climbed out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom.

Cut To: Int.

James’s Apartment – Moments later

In the bathroom, James rinsed his mouth out in the sink, then looked at himself in the mirror. He smiled brightly at his reflection.

"It‘s gonna be a great day," he said. The smile faded a bit. "Or at least a

good day." He dropped the smile altogether and sighed. "Mediocre‘s fine too."

Cut To:

Int. James’s Apartment – Morning

James exited the bathroom, rubbing a towel over his head. He tossed the wet towel on a chair as he entered the living area and ran a hand

through his wet hair so it wouldn‘t stick straight up. The hair stubbornly resisted. As he headed toward the kitchen, he noticed a blinking light on

his computer console. He tapped a button as he walked by.

"Play messages."

While James opened his cupboard and began pushing aside bottles, the room was suddenly filled with the voice of Sebastian Giles.

"James, this is Giles. I was hoping to meet with you this morning

regarding--"

"Save and skip," James interrupted. He shook his head as he pulled a tin can out of the cupboard and moved over to a very antique coffee machine. "Sorry, Mr. Chairman. Not before my daily caffeine injection."

The next message started a moment later.

"This is Anya. I‘m over at the computer center, and you aren‘t here. Why

aren‘t you here? It‘s not a good idea for you to sleep in, James. You know it throws off your daily routine and makes you grumpy. You really should

try to get to work earlier. I mean, just look at me. I‘ve been here all night, and I feel wonderful!"

James rolled his eyes and glared at the coffee machine, as if willing it to brew faster. "Delete message," he told the computer. The console beeped

once in acknowledgment and continued to the next message.

"James, buddy, it‘s Benjamin. Where the heck are ya?"

A grin spread across James‘s face. The message continued.

"Listen, a hundred thousand thanks for the tickets, man. ComicCon was so awesome! You shoulda been here. Oh, but you had to work, huh?"

Ben chuckled, and a muffled voice could be heard in the background. "Yeah, yeah. Take a pill, honestly," Ben said to the voice. Then he

returned to speaking into the phone. "Hey, James, Kat says hi...and she wants to know if you‘re single. Ow! Hey!"

The coffee pot finished filling. James poured himself a mug and moved over to the dining table. He shook his head at the silliness of the

message.

"So anyway, just called to say thanks. I might have something for you, too, if I can wheedle the guy out of it. I‘ll be back in town on, um, Friday,

and we should hang out. But not with Kat. ‗Cause, you know, I‘m totally the jealous type. Ow! Holy cats, woman!" There was some muffled complaining in the background, and Ben laughed again. "So um, yeah.

I‘ll see ya Friday, Jim!"

James set the coffee mug on the table to prevent spilling while he laughed. "You guys…"

He was still chuckling into his coffee when the next message began. At

the sound of the feminine voice, James‘s head shot up, and he stared at the computer in shock.

"Hey, Jimmy. Don‘t answer the phone for your own family anymore, huh?"

"Delete message!" James exclaimed. The computer hummed,

momentarily confused by the outburst. Finally, it beeped and skipped to the final message. James let out a relieved sigh and leaned his head

against his forearms.

"Hey again. I know you‘re just going to erase that message without even listening to it, so I‘m giving you another chance."

James lifted his head and gaped at the computer. "Unbelievable!" he muttered.

"Long story short, I‘m coming to Cleveland. I got the lead in the new

Slayer Wars, not that you care. I‘ll be arriving at the Council tomorrow to start my research. I thought maybe we could…talk." There was a pause,

and the speaker took a deep breath. "Just talk to me, James. I‘m your sister. I deserve that much."

The computer made a series of beeps to indicate the end of the messages. James sat for a long while, staring down at his mug. The coffee was cold

by the time he left for work.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Computer Center – Afternoon

"I still don‘t see why you just don‘t calibrate the whole thing. It‘d certainly be a more effective use of our time." Anya stood behind him, hands on her hips. She glared down at the back of his head.

James sighed and leaned his forehead against his computer screen,

which displayed a colorful game featuring characters wielding hefty weaponry.

"It‘d only take a couple of hours, and think how much easier it‘ll be in

the long run. You‘re wasting your youth, James. And mine for that matter!"

James raised his head and opened his mouth to reply, but

Anya rushed on.

"And another thing! The Slayer comm system isn‘t our

responsibility. If it‘s on the fritz, let them fix it themselves!"

"Anya!" James gave an exasperated sigh. He swiveled

in his chair and looked sternly at the android. "Livia asked me to do it. I‘m not gonna say no. Especially

not when she can kill me with a data rod in twenty different ways!"

Gaping in astonishment, Anya took a step forward. "Is that why you‘ve been on edge all morning? Did that Slayer threaten you?"

Before James had the chance to do more than roll his eyes, the door opened to reveal a haggard, irritated Giles.

James‘s eyes widened as if he‘d just remembered something important. He winced and got to his feet. "Mr. Giles! I was just on my way to see you–"

"Oh really?" Giles said, crossing his arms. "I expected you to contact me this morning. Did meeting with me not fit into your schedule of–" He

glanced down at James‘s screen, and his jaw clenched. "Messing around? Really, James, it‘s not like you to shirk your responsibilities."

James started to speak, but was again interrupted.

"I‘ve been reprimanding him all day, Councilor," Anya interjected. "We

know how difficult it‘s been for you to function in your new position as Chairman when high-ranking members of the Council are against you and some of your supporters have been sent to detainment camp and

will probably never speak to you again. But don‘t you worry! Everything will be ship-shape in no time." She smiled pleasantly, oblivious to

James‘s embarrassed expression.

Giles seemed momentarily taken-aback. He opened his mouth to respond, closed it, then started again. "Yes, well. Thank you, Anya." He shook his head, turning his attention back to James. "Regardless, I

expected more of you, James."

When James struggled to find a suitable response, Giles sighed and shook his head. "I‘ll be too busy today, but I'd like to meet with you

tomorrow if you can manage to fit it into your schedule."

Anya bounced a little as James nodded his agreement. She smiled brightly at Giles. "Can I come?"

"No," Giles responded curtly as he turned and walked out the door.

Anya‘s face fell, but she shrugged it off quickly and resumed her position

beside James. "Now then, what was I saying? Oh, yes! If that Slayer is giving you trouble, just say the word and I‘ll–"

"Anya, please!" James exclaimed, giving her a wounded expression. "Can‘t you see I‘m having a bad day?"

Getting up from his chair, James crossed the room and began gathering

a small pile of data pads. Anya cocked her head to the side and watched him curiously for a moment. Finally, she frowned and walked over to

him. She placed a hand on his arm and mechanically patted it a couple of times.

"There, there. Don‘t be so upset. I‘m your friend, and therefore I am here to help. Tell me your problems."

James shrugged off Anya‘s attempt at comfort. "I‘m fine. I just...I get so frustrated sometimes. Here I am, doing my job to the best of my ability,

and does anyone even notice? Does anyone ever say, ‗Hey thanks for getting those reports in on time, James!‘ or ‗Good job cracking that

security, James?‘ "

"Colonel Rosenberg appreciates your efforts," Anya replied. Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "She even kissed you."

Shrugging, James leaned back against the wall. "Yeah, but those were special circumstances. I mean, I work hard here! This place would

probably fall apart if I wasn‘t around. Doesn‘t anybody appreciate that?"

"The work stopped being hard a long time ago, James," Anya said. "You just haven‘t kept up. If you want to be appreciated, you need to ask for

more responsibility. Or better yet, take some initiative! Get out there and show them what you‘re capable of. That way you‘ll earn appreciation and respect!"

She slapped James heartily on the shoulder, causing him to wince at her

enthusiasm. He nodded, his expression far away as he considered Anya‘s suggestion. "Show them what I can do, huh?" he muttered to himself.

Cut To:

Int. Dayson Laboratory – Underground Research Lab – Night

Alarms blared, echoing off the walls of the darkened room. The room was filled with computers and medical equipment, most of which appeared to

be broken and scattered around. An eerie green smoke drifted out of a row of large tubes lined against a wall, spreading out across the floor like

morning mist. In the distance, a deep voice shouted. More shouting began as the alarms blared on. The noise drowned out the dull thud of feet on the floor.

A dark figure moved awkwardly across the room, stepping carefully over

broken glass. The figure leaned down and gently patted the front of a man lying unconscious on the floor. After searching the pockets of the

lab coat for several seconds, the figure finally pulled out a data rod and a security card.

The shouting grew closer, and the figure moved quickly to a nearby door. He slid the key card slid across the security panel and the door opened

easily. The figure glanced back at the room, then quickly ducked into the hallway. Guards burst into the laboratory moments later, a few immediately running to help the fallen doctor. The lead guard stood back

and narrowed his eyes at the prone man, then glanced up at the back door to the lab.

"Noxin!" the Major barked.

One of the younger security officers jumped away from a computer and

stood at attention. "Sir!"

His superior walked toward the door that the dark figure had slipped through. "Take the doctor to the medical wing. Have the staff notify me

as soon as he's conscious. And find out what the hell is missing! Johnson, Fury, you‘re with me!"

Noxin watched the guards disappear through the back door. He swallowed hard and looked down at the doctor. Straightening his

shoulders, he waved the two remaining guards over. "You heard the Major! Tear this room apart! If there‘s a pencil out of place, I want to

know about it! Move!"

The guards immediately followed out his instructions. One of them gave him a questioning look as he examined the man-sized tubes along the wall. Noxin shrugged and activated his comm.

"Noxin here. Medical team to Lab 5. Man down. I repeat, man down."

Cut To: Int. Dayson Laboratory – Hallway – Moments later

The dark figure skidded around a corner, slipping on the smooth tile. Looking around wildly, the figure spotted a utility closet off to the side and quickly ducked through the door.

A few moments later, the guards rounded the corner and began inching

forward, peering into each lab with guns raised in anticipation. Finding nothing, they continued to move down the hallway. The Major eyed the utility closet suspiciously. He strode forward and yanked on the door

handle. The door refused to open. The Major huffed angrily and motioned for the group to

continue moving.

As the guards disappeared down the hall, the closet door

opened slightly, and the wanted man poked his head out. He

looked both ways, then chuckled softly at the empty hallway. An emergency light on the wall flickered on, casting a pale, yellow glow on

the face of the figure.

James grinned.

"Wicked cool," he said as he headed for the elevator.

Fade Out

End of Teaser

Guest starring Bonnie Hunt as Veronica Wyndam-Pryce, Allison Mack as Jessica Wells and Lindsay Wagner as Velika Petrova

Fade In: Int. Jocasta’s Apartment – The Next Morning

In the bedroom, Katherine and Jocasta lay comfortably entwined in each other‘s arms, enjoying a little good-morning kissage. When they finally separated, they

smiled happily.

"This feels so good," Katherine said. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Jocasta

echoed. "That was the hardest two weeks of my life, I think,"

she said with a frown.

"Well, it‘s over now," Katherine said. Then with a sexy half-smirk, she added, "I dreamed about you last night."

Jocasta tilted her head to the side and looked at Katherine with awe. "Really? You dreamed about me?" When Katherine nodded, Jocasta

pulled her closer and whispered. "Was I doing anything...inappropriate?"

"No," Katherine denied playfully but quickly, blushing slightly.

"No?" Jocasta said in mock disappointment.

"I think you used up all your ‗inappropriate‘ behavior before I even fell asleep last night."

Jocasta waggled her eyebrows and grinned impishly. When Katherine

didn‘t immediately begin narrating her dream, Jocasta gave the blonde a light nudge in the ribs. "So…tell me."

"Well, we were at the beach."

"Beach, huh?" Jocasta snuggled closer to Katherine. "Mmm, you and me,

minimal clothing, beautiful beach…now you‘re giving me ideas."

"We were at the beach, with friends," Katherine corrected. Jocasta‘s predatory grin turned into a pout, causing Katherine to hug her. "And we

were happy. There was no Council and no vampires. No…ummm…no nothing at all getting in the way." Smiling, Katherine gently caressed Jocasta‘s cheek.

"Then what happened?" Jocasta asked, her eyes curious.

Katherine‘s smile disappeared as she looked away. "Then it started to

rain."

"This is a very upsetting story," Jocasta said.

"Oh, but everything turned out fine," Katherine said with a smile. "We just ran to our car and went home and had fun there."

"Fun, huh? And what kind of ‗fun‘ did we have?" Jocasta‘s predatory grin

was back as she nuzzled Katherine‘s neck.

Katherine giggled. "Stop it," she said, lamely attempting to push her girlfriend away. "At this rate, we‘ll spend our whole last day off in the

bed."

"And this is bad because…" Jocasta replied, leaving the statement open for completion.

"Well, I do have that errand to run."

Jocasta pouted again and let out a whine.

"I promise it won‘t take long at all," Katherine assured the redhead. "I‘ll

be right back, and then we‘ll have the rest of the day to do whatever we want."

"Whatever we want, huh?" Jocasta said, lifting a suggestive eyebrow. Then she suddenly turned them so that she was on top of Katherine. She

growled and dove for Katherine‘s neck, sending the slayer into a fit of giggles.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Lobby – Later

When James entered the building, he paused in the cavernous lobby and stared at the Watchers Council coat of arms on the wall. He wrung his

hands and cast nervous glances around him. Then he sighed, took a deep breath, and pulled himself up straight and tall. With a forced smile,

he headed towards the elevators.

On his way there, he saw Katherine sitting on one of the benches, sipping from a mug of coffee while watching the news net monitor. James went to join her.

"Katie, welcome back," James said amiably to the blonde Slayer.

Katherine smiled gratefully. "Well, I‘m not officially back until tomorrow,

but thanks. It‘s good to be back."

James sat down beside Katherine. "Was it bad?" he asked, referring to Katherine and Jocasta‘s two-week stint in detention.

"Yeah, it definitely wasn‘t fun," Katherine confirmed with a rueful smile.

"I don‘t think I‘ll complain about any of our standard slayer regimens ever again."

"What about Jo? How‘d she take it?"

"Ummm…I think it was harder for her in a lot of ways, but she held up

very well from what she tells me."

"Good, that‘s good," James replied.

"The hardest part was the separation…not being able to see her, you know? I missed her."

"Yeah," James agreed, dropping his gaze to his hands.

Noticing his shift in mood, Katherine put her hand on James‘s shoulder.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, it‘s nothing, it‘s…" James stopped his denial and admitted, "It‘s my sister."

"Is she…?" Katherine asked gently.

"No…worse," James answered as he stood up. "She‘s here. Or will be,

anyway."

"I take it you two aren‘t very close."

"That‘s the understatement of the year," James said sarcastically as he began to pace in front of Katherine. "And it‘s not even that we have this

sibling rivalry thing going or anything. She just hates me. She‘s hated me since we were kids. Now that she‘s making millions, she has the audacity

to look down on me for having a normal job! She‘s just turned into this...this egotistical, cold, cruel–"

"James?"

James paused in his ranting and looked over at Katherine.

"You know, just because siblings fight, it doesn‘t mean that they hate

each other. I used to fight with my sister all the time. I still do occasionally. But we‘re still family."

Unconvinced, James rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, but you and your sister usually get along, don‘t you?" When Katherine nodded, James continued.

"I‘ve never gotten along with mine. Never."

"How long has it been since you‘ve seen your sister?" Katherine asked.

Several moments passed before James answered. He stared at his feet and shrugged. "A few years, I guess."

"So, she‘s coming to visit you, then?"

"Actually, she‘s here for her job, but she said she wanted to see me so we

could talk." James snorted derisively. "She‘s made it perfectly clear how she feels about me, so why does she want to talk all of a sudden?" James

crossed his arms tightly.

"People change, James. Maybe she‘s trying to make amends?"

"Not likely," James said pessimistically.

Katherine got up and moved to James‘s side. "Whatever you decide, remember, everyone needs forgiveness. Even those who might not

deserve it. Sometimes being with your family is more important than being right."

James frowned and looked away, his brow creased with worry.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Giles’s Office – Later

Having been given the go-ahead by Giles‘s executive assistant, Katherine entered the chairman‘s new office. Once inside, she eyed the spacious

and luxurious accommodations nervously; then she saw Giles smiling at her warmly.

"M-M-Mr. Chairman," Katherine said with a nod.

"Miss Allison, come in. Please, have a seat," Giles said graciously,

gesturing toward one of two large leather chairs in front of his desk. Giles left his desk chair and moved to sit in the chair opposite Katherine. "Thank you for coming," he added once he was seated. "I know you‘re not

on duty today, and I‘m sure I‘m the last person you want to see right now."

"Oh…no sir, I-I didn‘t mind, at all," Katherine replied. "You were in a

difficult position. You still are. I get that." She smiled warmly.

"Miss Allison…Katie," Giles said, "I called you here to ask for your help with something—someone actually."

"Let me guess, Jo?"

"Yes," Giles admitted reluctantly. "I‘ve tried to contact her since she came

back, but she refuses to talk to me." Giles paused a moment then continued. "It‘s not as if we haven‘t fought before. Jo is a...a headstrong girl-well, woman. We don‘t always see eye to eye, but we‘ve never..." He

trailed off and began to rub his forehead. "I need to make amends, and I don‘t see any way of getting her to talk without ordering it." Giles glanced up at Katherine with a bemused smile. "And you know how that‘s likely

to turn out."

Katherine chuckled lightly and nodded in agreement.

"I was hoping that you might speak with her on my behalf," Giles ventured.

"What is it you want me to do?"

"Talk to her, convince her to see me. We can‘t move past this until we can talk about what‘s happened."

Katherine stared at her hands for a moment and then met Giles‘s gaze.

"I‘ll talk to her, but I can‘t make any promises."

"That‘s all I ask," Giles said with a grateful smile. "Oh, one more thing," he said as he stood from his chair and walked back to his desk. He typed

a few quick commands into the computer, while Katherine moved in front of the desk, standing naturally at attention. Giles picked up a data pad and handed it to her.

"Sean Rayne has nearly recovered from his injuries. He‘ll be transferred

to a Council holding facility within the week. I thought you‘d like to know."

Katherine examined the order on the pad with a grim expression. "Yes.

Thank you."

"We‘d have tried and convicted that bastard Tyrell by now if not for the bureaucratic bull," Giles said, crossing his arms. "As it is, he‘s still being

held on the detention level."

"I‘m sure it‘ll all be over soon," Katherine replied. "I‘ll help as much as I can. And Jo will too. You‘ll see."

Giles smiled and nodded as Katherine handed the data pad back.

Cut To: Int.

Jocasta’s Apartment – Later

"What?!" Jocasta demanded incredulously as she pulled out of her Katie-cuddle. "That’s where you went this morning?"

"Yes, he called me yester--"

"And he actually asked you to come talk to me for him?"

"Yes, he‘s very concer--"

"Who does he think he is? I‘ll talk to him when I‘m damned good and ready!" Jocasta said, folding her arms tightly across her chest and

plopping resolutely back against the sofa. "Sending you over here, thinking you‘ll soften me up, make me see things his way. Hmph!"

Katherine couldn‘t help but grin at Jocasta‘s expression, which was

somewhere between a petulant pout and an angry scowl. She scooted next to Jocasta and leaned over to whisper to the redhead.

"Remember, I‘m just the messenger," she breathed into Jocasta‘s ear

before placing a light kiss right below it on her neck. "I told him I‘d talk to you." Kiss. "But I made no promises." Kiss. "What you do with Giles is your business, your decision."

"Right, my decision," Jocasta stated less firmly as she unfolded her arms.

Katherine gave Jocasta‘s ear lobe a little nibble before turning the

watcher‘s face toward her own. "But you know what?"

"What?" Jocasta replied in a slightly higher-pitched voice.

"I really think you should talk to Giles." Katherine said as her fingertips made lazy trails on Jocasta‘s leg.

Jocasta looked down at her lap. "You‘re a wicked woman. You know that?"

"Please," Katherine said sincerely as she nipped at Jocasta‘s earlobe. "If not for him, then for me."

Jocasta let out a long sigh. "Fine!" she answered quickly before planting

a crushing kiss on Katherine‘s lips, which the slayer happily returned.

Fade To: Int.

Jocasta’s Apartment – Later

Jocasta and Katherine were wrapped in a deep hug at the front door. Jocasta sighed contentedly.

When the two women pulled apart, Jocasta said sincerely, "Thanks."

"For what?" Katherine replied.

"For talking me into going to see Giles."

"Oh, I didn‘t do that. You did. You were ready."

"I guess so. Still, thanks for helping me see that. I know we need to talk it all out."

Katherine looked away for a moment. "Yeah, it‘s really important

to…ummm… to be open a-and talk about everything." Katherine looked back at Jocasta and forced a smile. "Are you sure you don‘t want me to

go with you?"

"No, thanks, I think I‘d better do this on my own," Jocasta replied. "I need to stop by my office first anyway. Want me to pick up some lunch on my way back?"

"Sounds good," Katherine agreed.

Jocasta kissed Katherine once again. "Be back soon," she said as she left

the apartment.

After Katherine closed the door, she leaned against it wearily and frowned.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Computer Center – Late Morning

Anya came in the main entrance. When she entered the workstation area, she found James walking aimlessly around, sighing to himself, holding a data rod. She put her hands on her hips and marched over to him.

"James! Where have you been?" she demanded.

James looked around nervously. Then he tucked the data rod away and

crossed his arms before replying. "Ummm…working."

"You haven‘t been working on the Slayer comm system, have you?" Anya chided.

"No. No, I have not," James said firmly.

Anya smiled widely. "Good for you!" she said, giving James a playful

punch in the arm. She ignored his pained reaction. "I knew you‘d finally see the light and take my advice."

As she headed for the adjacent workroom, she called to James over her

shoulder, "I don‘t care where Livia said she‘d stick that data rod, you shouldn‘t have to do tel-comm‘s dirty work for them."

James grimaced. Then he said, "Uhhh…I‘m heading out. I‘ve got that…appointment."

"Okay, but don‘t be gone long," Anya yelled from the other room. "You‘ve

still got that re-calibration project to start."

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Jocasta’s Office – Same Time

Jocasta entered her office and immediately turned on her computer and logged in.

"Holy cow!" she exclaimed when she saw the number of messages in her email box. "I‘ll be here all day if I try to wade through all of that.

Computer, forward all messages to my home box, new folder ‗detention email‘."

The computer made a beep of compliance, so Jocasta turned her

attention to Willowgram‘s mobile emitter. She turned on the device, and shortly the 12-inch hologram appeared.

"Jo! You‘re back!" Willowgram exclaimed.

Jocasta grinned at the happy welcome. "Yes, I‘m back, after two weeks of

detention boot-camp hell."

"That bad?"

"Oh, yeah," Jocasta said. "So, how are you?"

Cocking her head to the side, Willow gave Jocasta a

confused frown. "I‘m exactly the same."

"I mean, how have you been

doing since I‘ve been gone? I hope you weren‘t too bored."

Willowgram shrugged her shoulders. "I wasn‘t doing anything. I wasn‘t accessed while you were gone."

"What?!" Jocasta gaped at Willow. "You mean, no one came by while I was away…to update you…t-to talk to you?"

"No," Willowgram said simply.

Jocasta looked intently at Willow. The redheaded hologram appeared to be her usual self: alert, open, cheerful. Jocasta frowned.

"Did it bother you that no one came to see you?" Jocasta asked gently.

"No. Should it have?"

"Well, if I were you, it would‘ve bothered me."

Willowgram looked away and then clasped her hands together in front of her. "Well…I did wonder what was going on." She met Jocasta‘s eyes again. "I wondered about the time delay since your last access." There

was a slight delay as she calculated. "14 days, 12 hours and 46 seconds."

"I‘m sorry, I should‘ve made sure that the others knew to come by."

"It‘s okay," Willowgram said. "I‘m sure the others had more important

things to do than updating my computer program."

"But you‘re more than just a computer program, Willow. You‘re a real person," Jocasta insisted, drawing a smile from the hologram. "In fact," the watcher added, "I think it‘s high time the Council recognized you as

such."

Willow tilted her head slightly. "Please clarify."

"What if you had your own rights?"

"Rights?" Willow looked curiously at Jocasta.

"Rights! You know, just like humans do!" Jocasta replied. "I mean, you‘re almost human as it is. You‘re practically sentient, with your knowledge

and feelings. You deserve the same rights that everyone else has. Including the right to not be ignored."

Willowgram appeared to consider the idea for a moment. Then she

smiled.

"That would be nice, but it‘s really unnecessary. I am a personality construct, after all. I don‘t require the same benefits as everyone else."

"Yes, well, this way you won‘t have to worry about being left out of the loop. If we can get permission from the High Command, we may be able

to grant you full access to the Council system. You wouldn‘t have to wait to be accessed. You could activate yourself anytime you want."

"Okay," Willow agreed cheerfully.

Jocasta grinned and got up. "Be back soon," she assured the hologram.

Cut To: Int. Watchers Council – Giles’s Office – Moments Later

Jocasta strode through the outer area of Giles‘s suite, blew right past his executive assistant, and walked directly into Giles‘s personal office. The assistant rose and chased after her.

"Miss?" he called out. But it was too late. Jocasta was already standing

inside the inner office.

"Giles, why didn‘t you go see Willow while I was away?" Jocasta demanded without preface.

Giles looked up in surprise.

"I tried to stop her sir," the assistant explained.

"That‘s okay. Leave us," Giles told him.

With a short nod the assistant left closing the door behind him.

Giles moved his mouth several times in an effort to speak before finally

finding words. "Jo, I…ummm…I‘m, I-I‘m very glad to see you. You‘re…ummm…you‘re doing well then?"

"I‘m fine," Jocasta replied, "but Willow‘s not."

Giles‘s face creased into worry. "Something‘s wrong with the Progenitor program?"

"No, something‘s wrong with Willow, the personality construct, the person inside the program."

"I-I‘m not sure I follow you."

"No one even bothered to go see her while I was in detention. Didn‘t any of you think that she might be lonely, that she might want to know what

was going on?"

"Jo, I think you‘re attributing too much to Willow. She is just a computer program, after all."

"No, she‘s not!" Jocasta insisted. "She‘s so much more than that." Jocasta paused then pulled her shoulders back. "I want the Council to recognize Willow as a sentient being."

"What?" Giles exclaimed incredulously. Then he folded his arms

resolutely. "I‘m not going to bog the Council down in endless debates about the alleged sentience of the Progenitor program. We have much more important work to do."

"Like what? Sentencing Council employees to detention for using magic to defend themselves? Oh, that‘s an efficient use of the Council‘s time and resources!"

"Jo, you broke the rules. I had no choice but to enforce the regulations

as they stand. I can‘t expect to get cooperation from my fellow Councilors if they think I have personal biases and no respect for our laws."

"The laws are wrong," Jocasta said slowly and firmly. Then she added,

"And so are you."

Jocasta turned on her heel and abruptly left, not allowing Giles to reply.

Giles watched, slack jawed, as Jocasta stormed away. Then he shook his head and pulled off his glasses. He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose.

―Well, that went quite terribly, didn‘t it?‖ he sighed before replacing his

glasses.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Elevator – Later

James groaned as the elevator holding him, Lex, and Antonia made its way to the lobby.

"Hey, man, why didn‘t you tell us you were related to a famous movie

star?" Lex asked.

"I can‘t believe you‘re related to Jessica Wells!" Antonia cried. "The Jessica Wells!"

"I didn‘t even know you were from California," Lex commented. "How‘d you end up here in Cleveland?"

"Well, actually I--" James started to say.

"Do you think she‘d mind if I asked for a photograph?" Antonia

interrupted, holding up her pocket camera.

James opened his mouth to speak but was cut off again.

"I mean, I don‘t want to be a nuisance," Antonia continued excitedly. "You know, one of those annoying, pushy kind of fans? But if I could get

a picture of us together, that would be so cool." Antonia turned to Lex. "Hey, remember that scene in AirCops when she was on top of the sat

tower?"

"You mean the one where she jumped off the dish and onto the back of that jet cycle?" Lex asked.

"Yes! Yes!" Antonia crowed. "And she shoved the driver out of his seat and--"

"He fell screaming toward the ground and then--"

"She nearly went crashing into the building before--"

"Finally pulling up and zooming over the top!" Lex finished.

"That was such an awesome scene!" Antonia stated with admiration.

James rolled his eyes in annoyance, then sighed in relief when the elevator doors opened. He stepped out quickly.

"It‘s not like it was even her," James grumbled under his breath as he

exited the car. "Hello, stunt double," he said sarcastically to himself.

Cut To: Int. Watchers Council – Lobby – Moments Later

James, Antonia, and Lex headed for the front of the lobby where they found Livia waiting with John West and Velika Petrova, the head of Slayer Command.

When she saw James, Livia smiled and waved a fist at him in mock warning. James smiled warily

back at her and made a point to stand with John between

himself and the brunette slayer.

Velika slapped Livia lightly on the arm and shook her head.

"Be nice, Livia, you‘re representing the Council now,"

she said to the younger Slayer.

Livia laughed and rolled her eyes. "It‘s a sad day when that happens."

"So, James," John interrupted. "What‘s your sister like?"

With a deer-in-the-headlights expression, James stuttered. "Uh, well, she ummm...she‘s kinda…" Seeing that everyone was raptly awaiting his

answer, James shrugged. "…tall?"

"Now, are we talking 50-foot woman tall or busty Swede tall?" Lex asked, winking at James.

"I prefer busty Swede, myself," a voice volunteered from the front

entrance.

The group turned to see a striking young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair standing before them. She was dressed in all black: a long-sleeved silk shirt, only half-way buttoned up; a pair of skin-tight leather

pants, tucked into ankle-high boots; dark sunglasses, which she was pushing onto the top of her head. Then she put her hands on her hips

and smirked at James, who winced in response and shrank behind the group.

Grinning from ear to ear, Antonia bounced in place then started to walk eagerly forward, but was stopped by Lex. The pilot frowned, but allowed

herself to be held back as Velika approached the newcomer.

"Commander Petrova?" Jessica asked.

Velika nodded and extended her hand. "Miss Wells, welcome to Council Headquarters. It‘s a pleasure to meet you."

Jessica took the former Slayer‘s hand and shook it firmly. "Thank you,

but the pleasure‘s all mine, I assure you."

Velika led Jessica to the group. "This is Commander Livia Hansen. She‘ll be your official liaison during your visit." Jessica and Livia traded

handshakes.

"Hey, not too hard," Jessica teased about their handshake. "I‘m not really a Slayer, I just play one on TV."

Livia chuckled as she released the actress‘s hand.

Velika continued. "Livia will be showing you around the place. So, if

you‘d like to set up any interviews, just ask her. I‘ve cleared you for most of the Slayer areas–"

"And if you‘d like to see any other areas of our operation, I‘m your man," John interrupted, giving a small bow.

Livia snorted. "Don‘t let him fool you. The guy‘s all talk."

Velika cleared her throat and gave the two a disapproving look. "This is Colonel John West, second-in-command of Gray Sector."

"The man to call for all things mystical or magical or all-around monster-ful," Jessica said, shaking John‘s hand.

"You‘ve done your homework," John said with an impressed grin.

"Oh, I always do my homework," Jessica replied. "That‘s why I‘m here."

Velika led Jessica to Lex and Antonia next. Antonia continued to bounce in place with excitement. "Lexington Harris, head of Red Sector, and Antonia Allister, Council Air and Space Captain."

Jessica shook Lex‘s hand first,

and he giggled in pure giddiness. "Nice to meet you,"

he finally got out.

When Jessica turned to Antonia, she stopped bouncing, frozen in place. Her mouth fell

open, and she slowly walked forward and took the actress‘s offered hand. "Oh…my…god,"

Antonia said in a star-struck tone. "I am such a big fan of yours, Miss Wells."

"Please, call me Jessica."

Jessica tried to remove her hand from Antonia‘s, but the pilot was firmly latched on. "I‘ve seen all your movies," Antonia said, continuing to shake

the actress‘s hand excitedly, "and I watch Passions every day. Well, actually I have to record it most of time. Council schedules, you know. I

just love Juliana! Do you think she‘ll get back with Marco anytime soon?"

Jessica carefully pried her hand away from her rabid fan. "Oh, um, I‘m not really sure. But, I appreciate your support. Thank you."

Antonia stepped back to Lex and squealed into his ear with delight.

"Ohmigod, she said I could call her Jessica!"

Jessica smiled indulgently at Antonia‘s reaction. Her smile faded when she turned and saw James.

"And I believe you already know our Computer Center Coordinator," Velika said.

Jessica put her smile back on and nodded at her brother. "James," she

said evenly.

"Jess," James replied in a voice devoid of warmth.

"So…how‘ve you been?"

"Great. Just great. You?"

"Good. Real good."

When the two siblings didn‘t say anything else, Velika quickly stepped in. "Well, I think Livia‘s ready to take you on a tour of Slayer Command, if

you‘ll come this way?"

Jessica shot a quick smile at Velika then turned back to James. "Can we get together while I‘m here? Maybe tomorrow?" She handed him a

business card. "I‘m at the Orion. I thought maybe we could do some catching up?"

James took the card and forced a smile. "Sure. Just call the front desk. They can connect you."

Jessica‘s face lightened. "It was nice to meet you all," she said to the group before Velika and Livia led her away towards the Slayer side of the Council Headquarters.

Lex joined James and clapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Man, you are so lucky to have a sister like that."

James stared at Jessica‘s retreating form. "Yeah, lucky," he said flatly.

Cut To:

Int. Jocasta’s Apartment – Same Time

While Jocasta was at Council Headquarters, Katherine busied herself in Jocasta‘s apartment. As she dusted a shelf she examined the pictures and knickknacks.

On the bottom of a shelf in the bedroom, she discovered a small batch of books—real books—one of which was the Codex Daemonicus, the volume

she and Jocasta had examined together the first time she had visited the watcher‘s apartment. Katherine sat on the floor, pulled out the books one

by one, and began browsing through them.

When she opened the third book, a picture fell out from the pages. Katherine picked up the old, polymer-coated photo and examined it

closely. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. It showed a beautiful young woman with blonde hair and clear blue eyes

and a bright smile. It was like looking at herself. Katherine flipped the photo over.

"Tara Maclay- birthday party, October 16, 2000," Katherine read aloud. Then she turned

the photo back over.

"Oh my god," Katherine said.

Katherine quickly stuck the picture back into the book and returned the volume to its place. She got to her feet and backed away from the

bookshelf. Then she fled the room.

Cut To: Int. Jocasta’s Apartment – Early Afternoon

Jocasta entered the apartment carrying a large take-out sack. She looked around the living room.

"Katie?" she called. There was no answer. "Katie?"

Jocasta set the sack on the coffee table and walked through the apartment. When she came out of the bedroom, she wore a look of

confusion.

Fade Out

End of Act One

Fade In: Int.

Jocasta’s Apartment – Resume

Jocasta looked around the living room once again. Then she noticed the message light blinking on her

computer. She walked over to the computer station.

"Computer, play message," Jocasta commanded.

The computer made a small

beep, and then a voice came from the speaker.

"Jo, I‘m really sorry, but I had

to leave," Katherine said in her recorded message. "S-Something came up…here at Slayer Command. I‘ll call you later, okay? Bye."

The computer beeped again. Jocasta frowned unhappily.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Hallway Near Slayer Command – Early Afternoon

As Giles made his way from Slayer Command, he saw James in the hall. The computer technician seemed distracted, walking with his head down

and his hands thrust into his pockets.

"James!" Giles called out. The tech didn‘t respond. Giles stepped in James‘s path and repeated his name. Finally, the young man looked up.

"Oh, hi," James replied before settling his gaze on Giles‘s uniform. "Mr. Chairman," he added.

"James, I just wanted to remind you that we still need to meet some time

today, if at all possible. Will you check in with my assistant later on?"

"Yes, sir," James answered, nodding emphatically. "Absolutely."

"Good," Giles said. "I‘ll see you then."

Giles smiled a good-bye then continued down the hallway.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Slayer Command Communications Center – Later

James looked as if he were being eaten by the communications station. Only his legs were visible as they stuck out from the crawlspace beneath the console. A variety of tools lay beside his legs.

"Aha!" his voice called from the cave of metal and plastic. "Exactly what I thought."

His hand snaked out, snagged a tool, then slipped back inside. After a

few moments, his hand re-emerged and dropped the tool. Then he turned over and began slowly backing out of the crawlspace.

"Why don‘t you have your link on?" a voice boomed behind him, startling

him and causing him to bang his head on the console.

James finished backing out, a scowl on his face. Anya stood beside him with her hands on her hips.

"I‘ve been calling you for fifteen minutes," Anya complained.

James checked his communications link. "Sorry, I didn‘t know it was

off."

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked. "I thought you said you weren‘t going to do this project."

"I never said that," James

objected.

"Yes, you did," she insisted. "Just this morning, you--"

James cut her off. "Anya, cut to the chase. What do you want?"

"Oh, Livia called. Jessica wants to tour the Computer Center," Anya explained. "So you need to get back to your real job now."

James groaned and got to his feet. "Fine," he grumbled as he followed Anya out of the communications center.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Giles’s Office – Mid-Afternoon

When Giles entered his inner office, he found his colleague and friend, Veronica Wyndam-Pryce,

waiting for him. His face showed surprise, and he looked back into the outer office where

his assistant worked.

"Oh, I let myself in," Veronica said with a smirk. "I hope you

don‘t mind."

"Ummm…no, of course, not," Giles replied. "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," she answered.

As Giles got water heating for his tea, he called over his shoulder, "What

can I do for you?"

"I‘m here to give you your two-week checkup," Veronica said.

"A checkup?" Giles asked, confused.

"Your first two weeks as Chair?"

Giles‘s face showed comprehension. He laughed and finished his tea preparations. Then he joined Veronica at his desk. "I guess I‘d better sit

down for this?"

"Probably," Veronica said, drawing the word out. Giles sat down instantly. Veronica looked down at her hands, which were clasped in her

lap, her expression deep in thought.

When his friend didn‘t immediately begin her pronouncement, Giles leaned closer and said, "Veronica, you and I have been friends for most of

our tenures here at the Council. If there‘s something bothering you, tell me what it is for God‘s sake and quit beating around the bush."

Veronica looked up. "Sebastian, I nominated you for the position of Chairman because you‘re not afraid to take chances and to stand up for

what‘s right, but I have to admit, you surprised me when you voted to convict Slayer Allison and Colonel Rosenberg of illegal magic use."

"What did you want me to do, Veronica? Stand up and propose that we

throw away the magic statutes on my second day on the job?"

"No, of course not," she said. "However, I did expect you to try and get the Council to show them lenience."

"Two weeks was lenient, and you know it as well as I do!" Giles replied.

Then he paused and sighed. "Frankly, Veronica, I‘m frustrated. In trying to avoid alienating myself from the Council, I may have alienated myself from Jo." Giles paused again and ran his hand through his hair. "She‘s

still mad at me for not taking a stand on the magic issue, and now she‘s upset because I don‘t see things the same way she does in regards to Willow."

"Willow?" Veronica asked with a confused look on her face.

"The holographic personality construct of the Progenitor File."

"Oh, yes, of course," Veronica said, remembering. "What‘s Jo up in arms about?"

"She came into my office earlier today and asked me why I hadn‘t paid a visit to Willow or sent someone else to check up on her during the past

two weeks. I must confess that the thought never crossed my mind; even though she‘s displayed sentience, I still find myself viewing her as

nothing more than a computer program. Jo, however, sees things differently, and she wants me to take a motion before the Council that would give Willow legal rights," Giles said.

"From what you‘ve told me, Willow was responsible for the unmasking of

Tyrell‘s 314 project. That fact alone indicates that she‘s an extraordinary program. So why are you reluctant to do what Jo is asking?"

"If I were to bring this type of motion before the Council, Travers and everyone else who thinks my appointment to this job was a mistake will

have a field day."

"So you‘re telling me that you‘re refusing to do this for Jo because you‘re afraid of what the Council will think? Sebastian, that‘s not like you,"

Veronica said.

"I know, I know," Giles admitted. "Normally, I-I-I wouldn‘t give a flying fig what those windbags think, but now…I‘m finding it very difficult to…to be comfortable in this new role." Giles sighed. "I should have used Jo and

Katie‘s illegal magic-use case as the opportunity to begin the process of reintegrating magic into the Council, but I wasn‘t ready. I‘m still not

ready."

"Rome wasn‘t built in a day, Sebastian, but you‘ve got to start somewhere. This Council needs the Sebastian Giles that we‘ve known for years," Veronica said. Then her face brightened into a teasing grin,

though her words were serious. "We need the radical Giles, the trouble-making Giles, the Giles who flies fearless in the face of failure and

ridicule."

Giles could not help but grin in response. "You‘re right," Giles stated. "I have to start somewhere."

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Computer Center – Same Time

James stood at a proud parade-rest with Anya behind him as Livia led Jessica into the foyer of the Computer Center.

"Hey, James," Livia said amiably.

"Livia," James replied. Then he turned to his sister and said formally,

"Jessica."

Jessica playfully mimicked her brother‘s serious tone. "James."

"This is Anya," James said, stepping aside to gesture toward the android. "My personal assistant."

Jessica gave the synthetic a quick nod then turned back to

James. "You got her when you worked at Hubris, right?"

James‘s eyes widened for a

moment, as if he were surprised that Jessica knew about this detail of his life.

Then his eyes narrowed again. "Yeah," he said as he started to walk away, beginning the tour.

Jessica instantly interjected, stopping James‘s movement. "You must‘ve done something really special to get an android," she added, trying to be conversational. "They‘re awfully expensive, a real luxury item. Even I

don‘t have one."

"Well, I didn‘t do anything illegal, if that‘s what you‘re getting at," James replied defensively.

"No," Jessica denied quickly. "No, that‘s not what I meant at all, I was

just--"

"Look, do you want to do the tour or not?" James asked impatiently.

Jessica slumped in defeat. "Fine," she said in an irritated voice. "Do the tour."

"Yeah, I‘m looking forward to the tour, too," Livia said in an effort to lighten the mood. "I‘ve always wondered what goes on down here."

James went from the foyer of the computer center to a door secured by a card reader. He slid his card, and the door buzzed and popped open. James held the door open as Jessica, Livia, and Anya entered.

Once beyond the security door, James led the group on a brief tour of the

facilities, showing them first his personal work area, which held his desk and a series of workstations lined along the opposite two walls. Next was the control room, where a handful of technicians were conducting their

usual daily operations.

When they reached the mainframe access room, James pointed out the huge, blinking and humming conglomerate of computers that served as

the heart of the Council‘s network of databases. After only the most

cursory of explanations, James started to lead the group back out again. Anya stepped in front of Jessica.

"It‘s really a fascinating system," Anya interjected, directing Jessica‘s

gaze back towards the mainframe. "See the qubit processing unit? Forget about your old-style bits with their measly little on/off value," she sniffed

dismissively. "Ones and zeros are so Twenty-First-Century, don‘t you think? Qubits exist in a state that‘s neither completely on nor completely off. As a result, they have access to an infinite range of values that exist

between one and zero. Of course, you never get full access to all of that potential computing power because you have to transfer it from its

isolated state through an entanglement processor and..."

James rolled his eyes as Anya went further into her speech. When he noticed how entranced Jessica seemed to be, he tightened his lips and

crossed his arms.

Eventually, Anya finished, and the four of them headed out of the mainframe room and back towards the front of the computer center. As they did so, Anya continued elaborating on the many functions of the

computer center, usually emphasizing her critical role in its maintenance and operations. When they finally arrived back at the foyer, both Livia and James were trudging along behind Anya and Jessica.

Jessica faced her twin brother. "Well, thanks for the tour," she said with a smile.

"Sure, no problem," James replied, re-crossing his arms.

Jessica turned to Anya. "Anya, nice to meet you," she said, shaking the android‘s hand. "And thank you for the fascinating explanation of the

Council‘s mainframe."

"Oh, well if you liked that explanation, you‘ll love the one I‘ll give you in the vehicle hangar. They have this awesome new grav-lift," Anya said,

linking her arm in Jessica‘s and heading for the door. "Has Livia taken you there yet? I bet she hasn‘t. Slayers aren‘t known for their social skills. No, it‘s all stalk-and-kill with them…"

"Hey!" Livia interjected as she leapt to catch up with the actress and

android.

Within seconds, James was alone. He sighed in relief, but then frowned unhappily.

Cut To:

Int. Jocasta’s Apartment – Later

Giles walked up to Jocasta‘s apartment. He stopped in front of the door, cleared his throat, and took a deep breath. Then he knocked on the door.

As the door started to open, Giles heard Jocasta‘s voice say, "Katie, you can let yourself in, you know. You don‘t have to knock just because--"

Jocasta stopped in surprise when she realized who was at the door.

"Hello, Jo," Giles said with a small smile.

Jocasta‘s look of surprise gave way to one of annoyance. She crossed her

arms. "Giles," she said evenly.

"May I come in? I think we should talk."

Jocasta paused and sighed. Then she stepped aside to allow Giles to enter her apartment. Once Giles was inside, Jocasta shut the door and

turned to her mentor. She re-crossed her arms and waited.

"I wanted to tell you that I‘ve been thinking about what you said earlier, about the Progenitor…about Willow," Giles said correcting himself quickly. "I think you‘re right that we need to develop some special

protocols for Willow. She‘s a unique program and should be granted unique privileges."

Jocasta un-crossed her arms. "Well, good, I-I‘m glad you agree with me,"

she replied.

"I‘ll need your help to convince the Council, though," Giles added. "You‘ll need to develop a report justifying the recognition of sentience and outlining the details of the

protocols you want to establish on Willow‘s behalf."

"I can do that, no problem,"

Jocasta assured Giles. "I can have it for you in a few hours."

"Excellent! I‘ve scheduled a meeting for this evening. Can

you be there tonight a-and bring Willow with you?"

"Absolutely," Jocasta said, smiling sincerely.

Giles returned Jocasta‘s smile. Then almost at the same time, their smiles faded, and they averted their gaze. They shifted on their feet as if

they were just now realizing that they weren‘t supposed to be getting along.

After a seemingly interminable period of silence, Jocasta finally spoke.

"Thank you, Giles," she said, "for taking this to the Council."

Giles smiled. "You‘re welcome."

The two became quiet again. Then Jocasta gestured back towards her computer. "I should probably get started," she said.

"Ah, yes, of course, I-I-I know you have much to do," Giles replied,

backing towards the door. "I‘ll…ummm…see you tonight, then."

Jocasta nodded in affirmation.

When Giles had left, Jocasta frowned at the door.

Cut To: Int. Watchers Council – Katherine’s Quarters – Same Time

Katherine sat at her computer, browsing through the public archives. She read one screen then another, then sighed in frustration. She switched to a different database. When the search screen came up, she

typed "Tara Maclay" into the open field and started the search. After a few seconds, the search results displayed: a brief biographical record but nothing more. Katherine groaned aloud.

"This is ridiculous!" she grumbled to herself. "Isn‘t there any information

on this woman at all?"

Suddenly, her computer chimed, making her jump slightly. It was her call service, indicating an incoming call. Katherine accessed the call

program and saw that it was Jocasta. Katherine looked away, her brow creased with worry. She turned back to the screen but didn‘t answer the call. She watched as the program indicated that a message was being

left. Katherine activated the listen command.

"I guess you‘re not there," Jocasta‘s voice said, "I was just wondering what you were up to. I ended up getting called in to work, too. I‘m on my

way there as a matter of fact, so no last day off for us, huh? Anyway, I…ummm…I guess I‘ll see you tomorrow then. Bye."

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Council

Chambers – Evening

"This meeting will now come to order!"

Giles banged his gavel on the podium in front of him, then

stood in silence and watched as his fellow Councilors quickly

turned their attention towards him.

"Thank you," Giles said. He hesitated briefly before resuming. "I apologize for the short notice of this meeting, but I have several issues which I feel

deserve immediate attention."

Morgan Travers stood up. "Such as?" he asked accusingly.

Giles glanced briefly at Veronica, who winked at him in encouragement. He looked down at his hands for a few seconds before continuing.

"I‘ll cut to the chase. I called this meeting in order to discuss the

Progenitor File, or Willowgram, as she is commonly called. I know there are many of you who will question my sanity after I make this request, but I would like to put forth a motion designating the Willowgram as a

sentient being and giving her the following rights--"

"You‘ve got to be joking!" Travers exploded. "It‘s absurd, giving rights to a computer program."

"Mr. Travers, I would appreciate if you held all comments and objections

until after I have completed making my case," Giles said forcefully.

Travers glared at Giles, but returned to his seat.

From somewhere in the back, a Councilor raised her hand. Giles looked in her direction and nodded, indicating that she had permission to

speak.

"I mean no disrespect, Mr. Chairman, but I, like Mr. Travers, question the validity of granting rights to a computer program. What you‘re asking

us to do is to make a monumental decision without offering any proof to convince us why this is something we should be considering."

Giles nodded. "I agree, and that is why I have brought both Willowgram

and Colonel Jocasta Rosenberg with me. Colonel Rosenberg is the one best qualified to present the case as to why this Council should grant Willowgram legal rights," he said.

Jocasta, who had been standing off to one side, stepped forward, and

Giles moved aside to allow her access to the podium.

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman," she said. "I‘d like all of you to take a look at this."

She made a few keystrokes, and a series of images appeared on the large

monitors on the wall and on the Councilors‘ individual screens.

"These are copies of notes made by the engineers who originally designed and programmed the Progenitor File. They predicted that a personality construct would have the capacity to make independent decisions

depending on the personality it was replicating," she said.

Travers leapt to his feet.

"These diagrams merely show the potential for a personality construct to develop sentience. They do not prove that this particular construct is

anything more than a computer program, nor are they based on any scientific fact," he argued.

"That might be true, Mr. Travers, but there is one person in this room

who can offer the very proof you‘re looking for: Willowgram herself."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out Willowgram‘s mobile emitter. Setting it on the podium‘s surface, she activated it and waited until Willow‘s 12-inch image had materialized. She then positioned the emitter

so that Willowgram could be clearly seen by everyone.

"Hello," she said.

"Willow," Jocasta said, addressing the hologram directly, "I need you to give an account of what happened when I came to the Progenitor Room

with Councilor Giles and Slayer Allison and we first activated you."

"Certainly," Willowgram said. "When I was first accessed, I introduced myself as Willow Rosenberg because that‘s the personality on which my

construct was based. You immediately recognized that I was a personality construct and even deduced the materials with which my

neural network database was designed. I told the three of you that only the Command Council Chairman or someone of Rosenberg descent (confirmed by DNA match) could access my program. Even after

Councilor Giles explained what you needed, I refused to help you…until you passed the DNA scan. After that, I told you what you needed to know. Before I could finish, we were interrupted by armed guards and

then-Chairman, Horatio Tyrell. When Tyrell tried to deactivate me, I told him that he didn‘t have the authority to request my deactivation."

"But as Chairman of the Council, he could have ordered your

deactivation. So, who told you to make it so that Tyrell couldn‘t deactivate you?" Jocasta asked.

"No one told me to do it. I restricted my access protocols by myself," Willowgram said, a touch of pride creeping into her voice.

"What happened next?" Jocasta asked.

"You asked me for more information on the new Initiative, and I gave you that information I had on record. Tyrell tried to arrest you, Councilor Giles, and Slayer Allison, but Slayer Allison overcame Tyrell‘s guards. I

then downloaded myself into my mobile processor. Councilor Giles took me with him and sent you and Slayer Allison to track down her Watcher, Sean Rayne," Willowgram said.

"Thank you," Jocasta said to the hologram before turning to address the Council. "I think this demonstrates clearly enough that Willow does, like her engineers predicted, have the capability for independent thought.

She not only changed her own access protocols, but she also downloaded herself into her mobile processor and told us how to get out of the Progenitor Room."

"The Progenitor File is a computer program. How do we know that it

wasn‘t programmed to answer Colonel Rosenberg‘s questions? This entire meeting is a waste of this Council‘s valuable time."

Giles stepped forward. "Again, your objections are noted, Mr. Travers.

Please continue, Colonel," he said.

"I don‘t know about all of you, but the fact that Willow was able to change her access protocols and download herself to her mobile emitter

indicates a form of sentience," Jocasta said.

Veronica Wyndham-Price raised her hand and was recognized by Giles. She addressed Jocasta directly. "Colonel, I‘m willing to accept that

the…ummm… Willowgram is functioning on a semi-sentient level, but what exactly are you asking us to approve on its…I mean…her behalf?"

she asked.

"I think Chairman Giles should answer this question," Jocasta said. She stepped aside to allow Giles to take his place at the podium.

"As evidenced by the role she played in exposing Tyrell‘s plot to resurrect Project 314, Willowgram can be a powerful tool; however, in order to use

her to the fullest extent, some changes in her programming protocols need to be made. Currently, the Willowgram is connected only to the

Council‘s main database grid, but in order to make full use of Willowgram‘s capabilities, she needs to have access to the worldwide data network grid as well," Giles said. "Also, while the Progenitor Room

was specifically created to house the Willowgram‘s programming, circumstances have proven that it is too much of a security liability. Therefore, I propose that the Willowgram‘s programming be rerouted to

Colonel Rosenberg‘s office."

Travers jumped to his feet again. "I object. If the Progenitor File is as powerful a tool as you say it is, then the entire Council should be allowed

access to it," he said.

"The Progenitor Room will remain operable, and anyone who has the right security clearance will be allowed to access the Willowgram from there," Giles said. "Any other objections before I continue, Mr. Travers?"

Travers glowered at Giles, but when he didn‘t say anything, Giles continued.

"The third change I am proposing is that she be granted full control of her access protocols, allowing her to control how and when she is

activated and how, when, why, and by whom her programming is accessed," Giles said. "Do I have a second for the motion?"

Veronica once again raised her hand and was recognized by Giles. "I

second Chairman Giles‘s motion to allow the Progenitor File full access to the entire Council database and also to the worldwide database network, full control over her own access protocols, and to allow for her

programming to be directly rerouted to Colonel Rosenberg‘s office," she said formally.

"Thank you," Giles replied. "I have a second. Is there any further discussion on the matter?"

When no one made any additional questions or comments, Giles called for the vote. After a few moments, he announced the results. "Voting is

now closed, and the motion has passed." Giles banged the gavel down on the podium next to Willow‘s mobile processor.

Willowgram put a finger in her ear as if in reaction to the loud bang of

the gavel.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly to the hologram before picking up her mobile processor and handing it to Jocasta. Then he turned his attention back to the Council. "Thank you for your time, Councilors," he said. "This

meeting is now adjourned."

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Hallway Outside Council Chambers – Moments Later

Jocasta and Giles came out of the large doors, wearing very pleased expressions. Jocasta was carrying Willowgram‘s mobile processor. She

held it up, patted it and said, "Thanks again, Giles."

"No, thank you…for convincing me and then the Council."

"Just doin‘ my job," Jocasta said lightly. "Which I‘ll be back at officially, starting tomorrow, so I‘m gonna head home and rest up."

"Oh, yes, well, I won‘t keep you any longer," Giles said. "Have a good

night, Jo."

"You too, Giles," Jocasta replied.

As Jocasta headed down the hallway, Giles watched her go, a hopeful smile on his face.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Detention Area – Later That Evening

John West was just beginning his night-shift rounds, checking with the

major divisions of Council Headquarters for any relevant updates. He knew the information he needed was probably in his email, but he preferred doing a face-to-face whenever possible. Having just left the

guard station on the detention level, he waited patiently at the elevator.

When the doors opened, he was surprised to see James in the car. "James," John said with a curious smile. "What are you doing down

here?"

James shifted nervously on his feet. "Oh, I-I-I got tired of waiting for the elevator to go my way, so I got on anyway. I figured I‘d just tag along and

then…head to where I‘m going."

"Oh," John replied as he got in the car.

John punched the button for Gray Sector. Then he looked at James as if wondering why there wasn‘t another button lit up. James quickly caught on and punched another button on the pad. The elevator doors closed.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Giles’s Office – The Next Morning

James shrank into the leather chair before Giles‘s desk. He looked from side to side nervously. When Giles sat down, James forced himself to sit up straight and meet the Chairman‘s eyes.

"James, thank you for coming," Giles said. "I know it‘s been difficult

getting a hold of me. It‘s been quite hectic around here."

"Yes sir, I mean, no sir, I mean, I didn‘t mind, sir. I know you‘re very busy," James stammered.

Giles gave a light smile then cleared his throat. "James--"

"Giles, I know what you‘re going to say," James interrupted, "and you‘re right. I‘m not pulling my own weight around here. There‘s a lot more I

could be doing, and I want you to know that I‘m ready to step up to the plate. It‘s high time I took on a bit more responsibility."

Giles‘s eyes widened in surprise. "Well, I…ummm…I‘m glad to hear you

say that because I have two projects for you."

"Really?" James replied enthusiastically.

Giles nodded. "The first thing I‘d like you to do is to coordinate the changes in to the Progenitor File that Jocasta and I were able to procure on Willow‘s behalf."

"Oh, yes, Jocasta forwarded her report to me last night," James said. "I can do that, no problem."

"The other project is an outside investigation," Giles said, handing over a data pad, "involving a break-in at a local research facility. I‘d like you to

look into it."

James stood and took the data pad eagerly. "I‘ll get on it right away!" he said with a wide smile. "Thank you, sir!" he added and headed for the

door to Giles‘s office. As he entered the hallway, he glanced at the details on the data pad and stopped in place when he read them.

"Dayson Laboratory," he stated before looking off with a concerned expression.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Computer Center – Morning

James hurried into his work area in the computer center. Anya appeared to be on her way out.

"Where are you going?" James asked the android.

"To find Livia and Jessica," Anya replied.

"But I need your help re-routing the data transfer for the Progenitor File," James complained.

"I‘ll help you later," Anya said. "Right now, Jessica desperately needs a

decent tour guide, somebody who really knows what goes on around here. Livia is woefully inadequate in that department."

Before James could command her otherwise, Anya slipped out the door.

"Fine," James said sarcastically. "Help Jessica. All hail Jessica."

James plopped into his lab chair and pouted. After a moment, he took a

deep breath and turned his attention to the access protocols for Willowgram.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Lobby – Later

Antonia skipped out of the elevator wearing an excited grin. She carried a large bag of various snacks in one arm. When she passed through the

lobby, she saw James coming towards the elevators.

"Hey, I was just about to call you," Antonia said happily, "but now I don‘t have to."

"Uhhh…what for?" James asked.

"With the weather so nice for a change, we‘re throwing an impromptu

picnic, and you‘re invited," the pilot said. Then she took James by the arm and led him out the front entrance of Council Headquarters.

Cut To:

Ext. Park Near Watchers Council – Moments Later

As Antonia and James arrived at the gazebo, they found Jocasta and Lex setting the long table with a hodge-podge of food and drink. Livia and

Jessica and Anya were gathered on the far side, chatting. Giles was nearby, perched on a bench, talking with Willowgram, whose holographic

image was a bit faded in the bright sunlight. Antonia gave Lex a kiss, then added her bag of goodies to the stack.

"Dig in, everybody," Jocasta announced. And soon everyone—except for Willow and Anya—did just that.

While she ate, Jocasta cast occasional glances towards the sidewalk that led to Council HQ. Having noticed, Antonia asked, "Where‘s Katie?"

"Ummm…I don‘t know," Jocasta admitted. "I haven‘t talked to her since yesterday. I left a message." She glanced towards HQ once again. This

time her face brightened. "There she is!"

Jocasta rose from her place at the table, left the gazebo, and met Katherine on the sidewalk. They kissed sweetly, but briefly.

"Hey, I missed you," Jocasta said sincerely. "I‘m glad you could make it."

"Me too," Katherine replied, taking Jocasta‘s hand as they headed

towards the gazebo.

"Is everything okay?" Jocasta asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Katherine answered nonchalantly. "Just had some work to do, that‘s all. You know how it is…all work is all slay."

"Well, there‘s plenty of food, so help yourself," Jocasta told Katherine as

they walked into the gazebo.

After Katherine had filled her plate, Giles moved down a space to allow Katherine to sit next to Jocasta. Then the redhead stood and knocked on

the wooden table to get everyone‘s attention.

"Now that Katie‘s here, I wanted to say a few things," Jocasta began. "First of all, thanks for coming. It seems like every time we get together,

it‘s because a crisis is at hand. This time, though, it‘s for a celebration. If you read your email, you know what‘s up. If not, here it comes. Thanks to Giles, Willow has been granted a unique status as a semi-sentient

being. From now on, she‘ll have full control over her own access."

The group fell into applause, and Willow grinned from ear to ear.

"Does this mean I‘m officially a Scooby now?" Willow asked.

"A what?" Jessica asked, confused.

"A Scooby," Jocasta answered Jessica. "It‘s what the original founders of the new Council used to call themselves way back when." Jocasta turned

back to Willow. "Yes, you are now officially a Scooby—a virtual one, at any rate."

Everyone lifted their glasses in salute to the hologram, who surprised

them all when she did a quirky curtsy.

"In addition," Jocasta continued, "it was a good time to celebrate Jessica‘s visit with us. I hope your time with us has been productive."

As they had for Willowgram, the group lifted their glasses and hailed the actress—James included. Jessica‘s eyes widened at James‘s seemingly

sincere salute, but she quickly recovered and graciously thanked them all for their hospitality.

When Jocasta sat down, her remarks apparently over, Lex immediately

stood up and lifted his glass and sloshed it in the direction of Jocasta and Katherine. "And let‘s not forget our beloved Jo and Katie," Lex announced in mock formality, "who have just returned to us after their

unfortunate incarceration. We missed them so." Lex wiped an imaginary tear from his cheek until Jocasta popped him in the head with a crust of bread.

"Hey, it‘s not unfortunate," Livia interjected. "If anybody ever tries to pick a fight with any of us, we can just tell ‗em we‘ve got ex-cons as friends, so they better watch out."

Katherine pelted Livia with a cube of cheese. "Like anybody would pick a fight with you, Miss Dealer of Destruction."

"Hmmm…Dealer of Destruction…" Jessica said thoughtfully before

ripping out her PDA to jot down a note.

The announcements portion of the event now over, the picnic returned to its leisurely pace and mood. Katherine and Jocasta were snuggled up

together on one of the benches lining the gazebo. Livia and Lex were having a dessert-eating contest at one end of the table. At the other end, Anya was debating with Giles and Willowgram about the rights issue of

synthetics versus holograms. Antonia was snapping pictures left and right with her pocket camera.

Jessica and James were sitting alone on the far side of the gazebo. They

seemed to be not only getting along but actually enjoying themselves.

Katherine nodded her head in the direction of the twins. "It looks like the squabbling siblings are finally making up," she commented.

"They weren‘t getting along before?" Jocasta asked.

"Not at all," she answered. "They barely spoke to each other for years."

"Well, they‘re talking now," Jocasta said. "Which is more than I can say

for poor Giles."

The Chairman was trapped in an apparent Anya-rant, repeatedly opening his mouth as if to speak but finding himself cut off by the incessant speech of the android.

"I should probably go rescue him," Jocasta said without moving from her

comfortable spot in Katherine‘s arms.

"Yeah, you probably should," Katherine agreed.

Just as Jocasta began extricating herself, Giles‘s comm link went off. She watched as he excused himself to take his call.

"Oh, saved by the bell," Jocasta said as she settled back into place with

Katherine.

"Chairman Giles," the Councilor answered officially. After a few moments of listening, his face became angry and he exclaimed loudly, "What?!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched Giles.

The Chairman began to massage his forehead as his

caller continued. "Don‘t do anything. I‘ll be right there."

By the time he had ended his call, the others were gathered

around him, and Jocasta was at his side. "Giles, what is it?" Jocasta asked.

"Sean Rayne has escaped," he announced.

Fade Out

End of Two

Fade In: Ext.

Park Near Watchers Council – Resume

"What?!" Lex exclaimed in alarm.

"How did this happen?" Jocasta asked.

"He escaped during his

transfer," Giles explained. "Apparently, the vehicle

transporting him never arrived at the Council holding facility."

Jocasta glanced worriedly at Katherine, who mirrored her look of concern.

"We all need to get back to work right away," Giles commanded. "We‘ll

reconvene in Jo‘s conference room in an hour."

"Lex and I can stay and clean up here," Antonia offered. "Then we‘ll be right over."

Jessica turned to Livia. "I can manage on my own," she told the slayer, "since you guys obviously have an emergency situation."

Anya perked up. "If you need further assistance, I‘d be happy to--"

"No!" Jessica immediately replied. Then she softened her tone. "No, thank

you, Anya. I appreciate the offer, but I‘ll be fine."

Anya pouted. As the others began leaving, she turned to find James. She looked around the gazebo, but he wasn‘t there. She cocked her head in

bewilderment.

Cut To: Int. Watchers Council – Detention Area – Moments Later

Giles, Jocasta, and Katherine waited to be cleared through the last security door of the detention area. When they heard the buzz, they opened the steel door and stepped through. Once inside, they went

directly to the guard station.

As they neared it, Jocasta leaned over to Katherine and whispered, "I‘m gettin‘ a flashback to last week, how ‗bout you?" Katherine grinned.

As soon as they arrived, the guard on duty, Sergeant Stein, leapt to his

feet and stood at attention. "Mr. Chairman," he said formally.

"As you were, Sergeant," Giles replied. The guard gratefully relaxed. "We‘re here to see Tyrell."

Stein instantly tensed up again and looked confused. "H-H-He‘s not here," the guard said. "He was transferred this morning."

"What?!" Giles exclaimed angrily.

An expression of fear spread over the sergeant‘s face, and he went immediately to his console and began calling up the relevant files. "I-I-I only came on duty a little while ago," the guard explained nervously. "It

looks like the previous shift received a last-minute order to transfer Tyrell with Rayne to the off-site holding facility."

"Who put in this order?" Giles demanded.

Stein hesitated then replied, "Ummm…you did, sir."

"Damn it!" Giles said as he went around the counter and looked at the screen Stein was pointing at.

"Are you sure he‘s gone?" Jocasta asked.

"Yes, ma‘am, Colonel," Stein answered. "But you can take a look if you

want."

"That won‘t be necessary, Sergeant," Jocasta said, "but we may need to speak with you again." The guard nodded nervously.

When Giles came back around the counter, the three headed out of the

detention area.

"This means that they‘re both gone," Katherine said ominously. "What are we gonna do?"

"We find them and put a stop to this nonsense once and for all," Giles

announced in a determined voice.

Cut To: Int. Watchers Council – Conference Room – Later

Giles sat at the head of the conference table. To his right sat Jocasta and Katherine and Livia. Willowgram stood atop her mobile processor on the table in front of Jocasta. On Giles‘s left were Lex and Antonia.

Giles looked at his watch. "Where is James?" he asked in annoyance.

"I don‘t know," Jocasta replied. "You want me to call him?"

"No, I‘ll do it," Giles said. Giles activated the computer console before him

and made the call to the computer center.

"Computer Center," James answered crisply.

"James, we‘re waiting on you in the conference room if you can manage to tear yourself away," Giles said in angry sarcasm. "Tyrell and Rayne

aren‘t going to just turn themselves in."

"Tyrell and Rayne escaped?!" James exclaimed in surprise.

Giles rolled his eyes. "Oh, for Christ‘s sake, just get here, James!" Then Giles cut the connection in irritation.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Conference Room – Moments Later

James rushed into the conference room. "I‘m sorry," he said in a voice breathless from running.

"Where‘s your annoying other half?" Lex asked.

James gave Lex a befuddled look.

"He wants to know where Anya is," Antonia clarified.

"Not here, thank goodness," Livia murmured under her breath, drawing a

giggle out of Katherine.

"Oh, I‘ve got her mapping the reroute for Willow," James replied.

"All right, now that we‘re all here, we can begin," Giles said pointedly. "This is what we know. Someone used my name and clearance to order

a last-minute transfer for Tyrell, so when Rayne left, Tyrell was taken with him."

"But something happened on the way to the holding facility because the transport never arrived," Jocasta added. "And no one has seen Tyrell or

Rayne or the transport guards since."

"Lex, Toni, I want you two to check out the transportation angle," Giles instructed. "See if you can locate the vehicle used for the transfer."

Antonia and Lex both gave the Chairman a thumbs-up.

"Livia, Katherine," Giles continued, "I want you two to get the Slayers out

conducting a physical search."

"We‘re on it," Livia confirmed.

"Jo, I want you and Willow to research the transfer records," Giles said to the two redheads. "See if you can find a trail there."

"Oh, I‘ve got the protocols set, so Willow‘s got full access now," James

interjected. "I haven‘t gotten the rerouting done yet, but I‘ll get to it as soon as Anya‘s done mapping it for me. I can help Jo research, too, i-i-if you need me to."

"No, I‘d like you to stay on the Dayson break-in," Giles countered. "I‘ve got a very bad feeling about

that for some reason."

"Will do," James replied.

"Anything else?" Giles asked the group. When no one had

anything to add, Giles said, "Let‘s get to it, then."

As the group began departing, Katherine lingered to speak

with James.

"So, how‘re things going with your sister?" Katherine asked.

"Fine, I guess," James answered flatly.

"Well, I was glad to see you two getting along earlier, actually talking to each other…and smiling even. It‘s a good start, right?"

James looked puzzled, but before he could comment, Livia interrupted.

"Katie! Come on!" Livia called from the doorway.

Katherine gave James‘s arm a friendly squeeze, then ran to join Livia.

As he watched the two slayers leave the conference room, he shook his head in confusion.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Computer Center – Mid-Afternoon

James stared at his screen intently, scanning quickly through the data he had located on Dayson Laboratory.

"Hmmm," he said thoughtfully as he perused a particular passage.

"What?" Anya prompted as she looked up from her own screen, which

was covered in data routing diagrams.

"Well, it‘s a Council-sponsored medical research lab and cloning facility," he answered. "The money generated from the private-sector cloning

supports the research division. The problem is…I can‘t find any information on what it is exactly that they‘re researching."

"Maybe we should go in person," Anya suggested.

"We?"

"Okay…you."

James smiled and stood up. "Come on, let‘s go check it out," he told the android, whose face burst into a happy grin.

Cut To:

Int. Dayson Laboratory – Lobby – Later

James and Anya entered the lobby of Dayson Laboratory and went directly to the reception area. A beautiful young woman was working the

reception desk, typing away on a keyboard.

"Hi," James said, greeting the receptionist. "I‘d like to see the administrator, please."

"I‘m sorry, the administrator isn‘t available," the receptionist instantly

responded, then turned right back to her typing.

Anya leaned over and whispered in James‘s ear. "She‘s one of the new S-line Hyperdynes. I‘ve heard they‘re really twitchy. You probably won‘t get anything out of her."

James pulled out his Council I.D. and set it on the desk. "Excuse me," he said, getting the receptionist‘s attention once again. "I really need to see the administrator. I was sent personally by Chairman Giles to address

the recent break-in."

"The break-in…of course," the receptionist said oddly before pausing, seemingly considering what to do.

Anya whispered in James‘s ear, "What‘d I tell you…twitchy."

"One moment," the receptionist replied then turned and made a quick

call, murmuring quietly into her headset. When she was done, she turned back around. "The administrator is on her way."

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Hallway Near Red Sector – Same Time

As Antonia was leaving Red Sector, she saw James in the hallway. She flagged him down.

"Hey, James, I'm glad I caught you," Antonia said.

James looked around as if searching for an escape route as she neared.

"Do you think you could convince Jessica to get her picture taken with me? I forgot to ask yesterday in all the excitement, and then at the picnic today, I didn't want to intrude since you and your sister were gettin' all

bondy and everything. Well, actually, I did want to intrude, but Lex wouldn't let me. Anyway, do you think you could?"

James‘s eyes darted nervously from side to side. Then he stuck his

hands in his pockets and smiled at Antonia. "Sure, no problem," he said.

Antonia squealed with delight and gave James a big hug. "Thank you!" she cried before heading down the hallway.

Cut To: Int.

Dayson Laboratory – Lobby – Moments Later

When the laboratory administrator arrived, she smiled and shook James‘s hand.

"I‘m Dr. Carilyn Byrne," she said. "What can I do for you, Mr. Wells?"

"I‘m here to investigate the recent break-in here at your facility."

"There must be some mistake," Dr. Byrne said sternly. "I never requested

an outside investigator from the Council."

"I wouldn‘t know anything about that," James said. "All I know is that High Command Chairman Giles asked me to look into it."

"Well, regardless we‘ve got nothing to hide," she responded.

"What can you tell me about the break-in?" James asked.

"The night before last, the lab was broken into," Dr. Byrne said. "One of

the doctors, Dr. Martin So, was attacked and knocked unconscious."

"What did the intruder do? Was anything stolen?"

"The only thing stolen was a data rod…oh, and a security card."

"What was on the data rod?"

"Some of Dr. So‘s research."

"What was he researching?"

"Nano-technology, specifically its use in fighting viruses."

"Was his research dangerous?"

"No, not at all. The only danger now is that his research will be set back,"

the administrator answered. "The data stolen would be valuable, though. We suspect a rival medical group who‘s conducting research the same area."

"Can we see Dr. So‘s lab?" James asked.

"I‘m afraid not," Dr. Byrne replied. "It hasn‘t been officially cleared by haz-mat yet."

"Can we see Dr. So?" James asked.

The administrator shook her head. "Unfortunately, he is still in a coma from the attack."

"Oh, I‘m sorry. well, I guess that‘s it then," James said. "I‘ll be needing all

of the records from your internal investigation, however."

"I‘ll have our investigator send them over right away."

"Thank you. If you need any help with the investigation, don‘t hesitate to call," James offered.

"I doubt that will be necessary, but thank you," the administrator said

with a smile.

As Dr. Byrne watched James and Anya leave the facility, her smile faded into a scowl.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Council Chambers – Same Time

For the second time in as many days, Giles stared out at the faces of his fellow Councilors.

"I‘m sorry for the abruptness of this meeting, but we have a situation,"

Giles announced. "As you‘ve seen in the preliminary report, Council security was compromised, and…ummm…unfortunately, both Tyrell and

Rayne have escaped."

Morgan Travers leapt to his feet, a gleeful smile passing over his face. "So, less than a month into your position, you‘ve managed to allow the Project 314 mastermind and his accomplice to escape from this

supposedly secure facility?"

"Now just a minute--" Giles started to object, but Travers continued.

"Isn‘t it true that the transfer order for Tyrell was signed by you?" Travers pressed. "How do we know that you didn‘t aid these criminals in their

escape?"

Giles‘s face purpled with barely concealed outrage at Travers‘ audacity. "I hardly think I would risk my life and career to expose Tyrell and Rayne only to help them escape now!" Giles said angrily.

Veronica, seeing her friend‘s distress, stepped forward. "Mr. Travers, such accusations are baseless at this time," Veronica said. "We still know very little about how Tyrell and Rayne were able to escape, but an

investigation is underway, and Chairman Giles will keep us informed of its progress."

"Be that as it may," Travers countered, "since the evidence

implicates Councilor Giles, I feel that the interests of justice

would be better served if he himself were not supervising this investigation."

Veronica glared, instantly recognizing that Travers was throwing her own words, once

used against Tyrell, back at her.

A nearby Councilor, a known-crony of both Tyrell and Travers, stood to his feet.

"Yes, I agree," the man said. "I move that Councilor Travers oversee the investigation into this matter."

Another Councilor quickly interjected, "I second the motion."

The motion properly made and seconded, Giles had no choice but to put

the motion to a vote. When the votes were tallied, the motion passed easily. Giles announced the results and adjourned the meeting. After the

adjournment, Travers sauntered up to the podium.

"I‘ll expect a copy of all investigative materials relating to the escape to be in my box within the hour," Travers ordered the Chairman.

Giles‘s eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed tightly. Travers just smiled and walked away.

Cut To: Int. Watchers Council – Computer Center – Later

Having successfully hacked into the internal database of Dayson Laboratory, James now sat at his desk, leaned back in his chair, with his eyes glued to his computer screen. His fingers flew over the keyboard,

causing the images on the screen to change rapidly. He scanned through document after document at a rate most people would be unable to follow.

"Whoa, wait a minute," he said to himself as he sat up straight in his

chair.

He sent the screen back a few documents. He leaned closer, running his finger across the monitor, reading carefully.

"Holy cow!" he exclaimed.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Conference Room – Late Afternoon

"Well, there‘s no sign of Tyrell or Rayne anywhere in HQ," Livia reported.

"We were able to confirm that the vehicle transporting Tyrell and Rayne never arrived at the holding facility," Lex added. "We did find it, though."

"Oh?" Katherine inquired hopefully.

"Yeah, in Lake Erie," Antonia answered glumly.

"Oh," Katherine replied in a disappointed tone.

"You didn‘t happen to find Tyrell and Rayne still in it, did you?" Willowgram asked with a smirky glint in her holographic eyes.

"Unfortunately not," Lex said.

"Damn," Willowgram complained.

"Willow!" Jocasta chided.

"Well, Tyrell did try to shoot us once," the hologram defended.

"Let‘s put the past aside," Giles said. "Jo, what did you find out about the transfer request?"

"Well, it looks like someone set up a shadow account that mimics

Giles‘s," Jocasta said. "I can prove that the transfer request came from the shadow account and not from Giles, but so far, I haven‘t been able to figure out who set up the account in the first place."

"Good. Be sure to forward your findings to Travers, and then keep at it.

Travers is looking for any evidence that he can use against me," Giles said to Jocasta.

"Travers?" Jocasta asked.

"He got control to oversee the investigation since my name was on the

release."

"That son of-," Jocasta muttered. Before she could finish Giles turned to James.

"James, I‘m not sure if it has anything to do with Tyrell and Rayne‘s

escape, but what have you been able to discover about the Dayson break-in?" Giles asked.

"Well, the official story is that the facility was broken into," James began, "but my theory is that it was actually broken out of." When everyone

looked confused, he continued. "See, according to the laboratory administrator, an intruder broke in and stole a data rod belonging to Dr.

Martin So, one of the researchers there. But according to their internal correspondence, the data rod isn‘t the only thing missing. A clone is also missing."

"A clone?" Antonia asked. James nodded in the affirmative.

"An actual activated clone?" Willowgram inquired curiously. James

nodded again.

"So you suspect that it‘s the clone who stole the data rod and then broke out with it?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, that‘s what I‘m thinking," James said. "The clone wasn‘t named. It was mentioned only by code number. There are more files concerning the

clone and the research project, but they are deeply encrypted for privacy. I haven‘t been able to crack them yet, but I will."

"What else?" Giles prompted.

"After I returned I tapped into their logs and did some reading. The

Dayson people are worried sick about finding this clone," James said. "They‘re afraid that their entire operation will be compromised. They mentioned me specifically and how my presence complicated everything

although they were polite upfront when I was there."

"You must have really shaken them up when you went over there," Lex said, giving James a playful punch in the arm.

"I must have," James continued, "because they mentioned in at least one

memo that they needed an operative in Council HQ right away."

"An operative?" Livia asked worriedly. "What do they need an operative for?"

"Maybe they want to keep an eye on James‘s investigation," Katherine

suggested.

"Or maybe they think the clone will show up here," Jocasta countered. "Perhaps to turn over the data rod and expose their operation…whatever it is."

"We‘ll need to alert security," Giles noted, "and tell them about the clone

and the possible operative."

"If Dayson does send an operative, he‘ll have a headstart on us," Livia added.

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"The operative will know what the clone looks like," Livia answered.

The group exchanged worried expressions.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Hallway Outside Conference Room – Moments Later

The meeting now broken up, Livia and Lex followed Antonia and James as they made their way towards the elevator. Antonia fell into step beside James.

"So when can I get that picture with Jessica?" she asked with a grin.

"What picture?" James replied, confused.

"You said you‘d talk to Jessica about getting her picture made with me."

"I never said that," James

stated defensively as they reached the elevator. James punched the button angrily

then stepped back a few feet.

"Yes you did," Antonia said, putting her hands on her hips.

"It was this afternoon in the hallway near Lex‘s office!"

The elevator door opened.

"I don‘t know what you‘re talking abo--"

James froze in place as he came face to face with himself.

Fade Out

End of Three

Fade In:

Int. Watchers Council – Hallway Outside Conference Room – Resume

James and Antonia stood staring, open-mouthed, at James‘s clone, who returned their frozen gaze. Lex and Livia peeked around James and

Antonia to see what was up.

Finally overcoming her initial surprise, Antonia yelled and

pointed, "Hey! That must be the clone!"

James remained in shock. The elevator doors on the opposite

side of the hallway opened and the clone quickly ran around

the stunned group before diving inside as they re-closed.

"You saw, right?" Antonia asked Lex, who nodded.

Livia instantly took charge and looked above the elevator to see it was going down. "Call security! No one in or out!" Livia commanded as she

headed for the stairwell.

Lex activated his link. "Security, this is Lieutenant Colonel Lexington Harris. Initiate building lock-down immediately."

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Conference Room – Moments Later

Giles and the others were back in their places at the conference table. James sat hunched in his seat, his arms wrapped tightly around himself.

Livia was conspicuously absent.

"Where‘s Livia?" Katherine asked.

"She‘s still looking," Giles reported. "No luck yet."

"Well, the building is secure, no way in and no way out," Lex added.

"What I want to know is how the hell this happened," Antonia said. "Did you ever order a clone for yourself?" she asked James.

"No! Of course not!" James hotly denied.

Antonia held up her hands in defense. "Hey, it‘s not a crime, James. People do it all the time, those who can afford it, anyway."

"It‘s standard procedure for the Council—as well as for many other corporations—to obtain a DNA sample from its employees when they are

hired," Giles explained. "I‘m sure James complied, yes?"

James nodded.

"But cloning isn‘t supposed to take place without the permission of the employee, right?" Katherine asked.

"Correct," Jocasta confirmed. "There are exceptions, but only in rare

cases of unique, ‗key-man‘ employees in extreme medical emergency, which doesn‘t apply here."

"Well, I think it‘s a given that the clone was created illegally," Lex pointed out. "The real mystery is why he‘s here."

"Perhaps it‘s as we suspected earlier," Willowgram offered. "He‘s here to turn over the data rod that he took from Dayson."

"Or maybe he‘s here to assassinate me and then replace me!" James said in a panicked voice as he stood. "That‘s it. H-H-He‘s some kind of body-

snatcher pod-person!"

"I‘m sure it‘s nothing like that," Katherine said in a gentle voice.

"Yeah, don‘t worry, James," Jocasta added reassuringly. "We‘ll find this guy, detain him, and get to the bottom of this."

"No, I don't want him detained!" James yelled angrily. "I want him gone!

He doesn't have the right to exist!"

"Well, we'll…ummm…cross that bridge when we get there," Giles said. "Right now we need to find him."

Giles activated his link and called security. "This is Chairman Sebastian

Giles. We have an intruder alert. The intruder is an exact look-alike of our Computer Center Coordinator, James Wells." Giles listened a moment. "Yes, that‘s right. I want the intruder detained for questioning,

so lethal force is not to be used, understood? I‘ll expect an update every fifteen minutes."

Giles ended his call and turned back to the group, directing his attention

to James, who was still standing. "James, you‘ll clearly have to stay put or else you‘ll confuse the search."

"I‘ll head straight for the Computer Center then," James replied. "I‘ll keep trying to crack those encrypted files."

"Katie and I will stay here with Willow and keep researching as well,"

Jocasta said.

"Lex and I will head up top and keep an eye on the vehicle hangar after we escort James," Antonia added.

"I‘ll be in my office," Giles said. "Keep me posted."

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Hallway Near Computer Center – Moments Later

Jessica turned a corner and looked down the long, empty hallway. She

glanced back in the direction she had been, then threw her arms up in the air and let out a frustrated sigh.

"They couldn‘t put up signs?" Grumbling in annoyance, she turned and began marching down the long hall.

As she rounded the corner at the other end, Jessica ran straight into

James. Her brother had been walking quickly with his head down, so he stumbled when she bumped into him. Looking up, he saw who he‘d run

into, and his eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing back down here?" James snapped, trying to step around her. "Shouldn‘t

you be off signing things?"

Jessica‘s jaw dropped, but she immediately shut it and

stepped in front of him, blocking his exit. "All right, little brother. This ends now.

What the hell is your problem?"

"I‘m not your little brother! We‘re the same age!" James exclaimed. "Stop treating me like I‘m some incompetent kid!"

With a forceful push, James finally got around Jessica and stormed

down the hallway. Jessica followed closely.

"Oh, yeah? Since when? Mom and Dad made me the responsible one because you were always too scatterbrained to take care of yourself!"

Jessica panted as she struggled to keep up with James. Finally, she grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled on him until he stopped. James

grunted and slapped her hand away.

"Look, Jessie, whatever childhood trauma you were hoping to hash out on this trip, get over it. I‘m not interested. I‘ve got work to do, okay? Work that‘s way more important than making stupid movies and dating

every hot new guy that wins an Oscar."

When Jessica opened her mouth to reply, James rushed on. He waved a finger at her as he ranted. "And before you go off on some video game

spiel, I‘m not just the local computer nerd around here. I‘m a valuable employee. Or, at least I try to be. But now there‘s some stupid clone running around, pretending to be me, and I‘ve got to find him and stop

him, or I could lose my job, and my life here would be over. So kindly leave me the hell alone!"

James started to storm off again, but Jessica ran in front of him, a look

of confusion on her face. "They activated one of your clones? Why?"

Frustrated, James threw his arms up in the air and rolled his eyes. "I don‘t know, Jess! Why don‘t you--" James did a double-take. "Wait, what did you just say?" he asked.

Jessica crossed her arms and smirked at him. "Oh, now you wanna

talk?"

Teeth clenched together, James growled. "Jessie!"

"Okay, fine!" Jessica uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. "For your information, Mom and Dad had your DNA stored for

future cloning when you went to work for Hubris."

"What?" James exclaimed. "Without telling me?"

"Yeah, I had the same reaction. They had mine stored when I signed on with the Guild. I found out last year when I went in to have my kidneys replaced."

At this, James raised an eyebrow. "You had surgery? You didn‘t tell me that."

Jessica‘s eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You didn‘t ask. Now do you wanna hear this or not?"

James gave a put-upon sigh and didn‘t respond. After pausing a moment to catch her breath, Jessica continued.

"I didn‘t find out until afterwards that the donor was a clone which had

been created from the DNA they had ordered. Our loving parents said that it was a graduation gift. Funny how they neglected to mention it

back when I actually left college." She rubbed her shoulder, suddenly weary from the conversation.

James‘s face tightened in deep thought. "I don‘t think this has anything to do with what Mom and Dad did." He paused then continued. "It

doesn‘t matter anyway. As soon as we find the little body snatcher, we‘ll take him out of circulation."

"What do you mean?" Jessica asked in an alarmed voice. "You‘re going to

kill him?"

"Well…yeah," James said sarcastically. "I did not authorize a cloning, so as far as I‘m concerned, he doesn‘t have the right to exist."

"But he does exist now, and he‘s a real person, whether you want him to be or not. You can‘t just--"

"Oh, but I can, and I‘m going to."

Jessica stared at James in disbelief. "That wasn‘t you at the picnic today, was it?"

"Picnic?" James asked, confused.

"God, I should have known," she said to herself, shaking her head.

"You went to a picnic with my clone, and you didn‘t know it wasn‘t me?"

"I knew it wasn‘t like you, but…I wanted to believe you had changed,"

Jessica said in a pained voice. Then her tone chilled. "But you haven‘t changed a bit, have you? You‘re still the same cold and callous--"

"Me?" James interrupted angrily. "You‘re the one who‘s too famous for her family, who--"

"Hey, I‘m not the one who treats people like they‘re just programs in a

computer or characters in a game! Oh, don‘t need him? Okay, delete! You can‘t play Dungeon Master with people‘s lives, deciding on a whim who

lives and who dies!"

"It‘s my life, not his!" James countered. "And you don‘t know anything about me!"

James stomped away down the hall, leaving a furious Jessica behind.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Jocasta’s Office – Same Time

Jocasta and Katherine were each at a computer, aiding in the research for their current crises. Jocasta resumed trying to track Tyrell and Rayne while Katherine continued digging in the files from Dayson Laboratory.

Katherine paused in her work and looked over at Jocasta. "This whole cloning thing is kinda weird, huh?"

"I guess," Jocasta replied, her eyes still directed at her screen.

"It‘s just strange," Katherine continued, "to know that there‘s a person out there that‘s another you."

Jocasta finally met Katherine‘s eyes. "It‘s no stranger than knowing you‘re reincarnated," she said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess," Katherine agreed with a forced smile.

When Jocasta turned her attention back to her work, Katherine frowned and looked away.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Computer Center – Later

James sat at his desk, trying for the umpteenth time to decrypt the hidden files from Dayson Laboratory. He finally pushed away from his

desk with a huff of frustration.

He sighed and then leaned his head over so that he could massage his neck muscles. When he lifted his head, he rubbed his temples and grimaced in pain.

He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. He opened

the bottle and poured several tablets into his palm. Then he got up and headed for the restroom.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Computer Center Restroom – Later

At the sink, James popped the aspirin tablets into his mouth and gulped down some water from a glass. When he finished off the water, he set down the glass, and his eyes settled on the mirror.

For a moment, James stared at his reflection. Then he frowned and

glanced away. When he looked back, he reached out and touched the surface of the mirror. An expression of decision and resolution came over his face, and he rushed from the room.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Hallway Near Computer Center – Moments Later

James hurried down the hallway towards the elevator. As he turned the corner, he ran into a figure who just emerged from the stairwell. When he realized who it was, he backed away. James and his clone locked eyes. Slowly, they circled one another, gaping in disbelief.

"I don‘t know what you‘re up to," James warned, "but you can‘t have my

life."

"Your life?" the clone replied in a haughty tone. "How do you know it‘s not my life?"

"Because I‘ve been living it, and you haven‘t!"

"They can make you believe anything they want--do anything they want,"

the clone replied. "Maybe you‘re already--"

"Stop messing with my head!" James screamed as he attacked his look-alike.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Elevator – Same Time

Jessica shifted nervously in place as the elevator car moved. She looked at her reflection in the mirrored surface of the elevator walls.

"Okay, you can do this," she told herself. "You‘re both adults. You should

be able to talk this out. There‘s no sense in continuing all this fighting."

The elevator doors opened.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Hallway Near Computer Center – Moments Later

When Jessica emerged from the elevator, she instantly saw James and his clone scuffling on the floor. She froze in place, not knowing what to

do.

At that instant, Livia came out of the stairwell. When she saw, the ongoing fight, she activated her link. "Security, I need security to the Computer Center, now!" Then she ran towards Jessica, pulling her

sidearm.

Livia pointed her gun at the two men wrestling angrily on the floor. She directed it at one James, then the other, clearly confused about who was

who.

"Which one‘s the real James?" Livia desperately asked Jessica.

Jessica shook her head. "I don‘t know!"

James managed to get his clone pinned, although they were still grappling. Mid-struggle, the clone found Jessica with his eyes. "Jessica,

don‘t let him hurt me," the clone pleaded. "We‘re family."

Jessica‘s mouth opened in shock and then realization. Livia looked at Jessica expectantly. Jessica‘s expression became sad. Then

she pointed out James on top. "That‘s James."

The clone kicked James off and

began to run away. Livia pointed her weapon at the clone‘s back and discharged it,

sending a burst of electricity into the clone. The clone convulsed and hit the floor

unconscious. Livia ran to his side.

James got to his feet and joined his sister. "How did you know it was me?"

"You never would have said ‗we‘re family‘," she answered sadly as she

went to the elevator and pushed the call button.

Cut To: Int.

Jocasta’s Apartment – Evening

Jocasta and Katherine sat across from each other at the dining table. Jocasta was eating her dinner, but Katherine merely picked at hers.

"Katie, what‘s wrong?" Jocasta finally asked.

"Nothing, why?" Katherine replied.

"Because the usually ravenous slayer hasn‘t eaten more than two bites

since we sat down."

"I‘m just not hungry."

"It‘s more than that," Jocasta said worriedly. "You‘ve been distant ever since the other day. Katie, what aren‘t you telling me?"

Katherine cast her gaze down in shame, hiding her face behind her long

blonde hair. Jocasta didn‘t speak; she simply waited. Katherine bit her lip and looked up. When she saw Jocasta‘s determined face, Katherine sighed and lifted her head fully.

"I know, I‘m sorry," the slayer said. "I…the other day, when I was waiting

on you to get back from seeing Giles, I- I got a little bored, so I went to look at your old books, you know, the ones on the shelf in the bedroom?"

"So…" Jocasta prodded.

"I went to open one of them, and a picture fell out…a picture of Tara."

"Oh."

"I‘m sorry," Katherine said, hanging her head again. "I didn‘t mean to be

nosy, snooping through your stuff."

Jocasta got up and moved to sit next to Katherine. She touched the slayer‘s arm gently. "Katie, I don‘t mind if you look at my things," she

assured the blonde. "I hope you know that. I want you to feel completely welcome here."

Katherine smiled in response

and took Jocasta‘s hand. "I do, it‘s just…it kinda freaked me

out when I saw the picture. I mean, I look just like her." She paused and then continued. "How do I know where she ends, and I begin? And…Is it

me you love or just the memory of a woman I happen to look like?"

Rocked by the admission, Jocasta didn‘t have an immediate answer.

Fade In: Int.

Watchers Council – Outside The Council Chambers – The Next Morning

James and Jocasta stood near the entrance, speaking with Giles before

he went inside to open the Council meeting.

"What‘s going to happen, Giles?" James asked.

"I don‘t know," Giles admitted. "First, Tyrell and Rayne escape, now this. Frankly, the Council‘s in an uproar."

"I know I said I wanted him gone," James said, "but I don‘t really want him dead. I mean, he shouldn‘t exist, but…whether I like or not, he does

exist, and I guess he deserves chance at life. As long as he‘s far away from me."

"And as long as he‘s not an evil, body-snatching pod person," Jocasta

added with a playful nudge to James‘s ribs. James had to smile.

"I‘ll do what I can, James, but this is much bigger than just one man‘s unauthorized clone. I can‘t promise anything."

James nodded, and Giles went inside the Council Chambers.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Council Chambers – Moments Later

Giles once again stood at the podium staring out at his fellow Councilors.

"Here we go again," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced up to find Veronica

smiling at him. He smiled back.

"If this is going to turn out to be par for the course, I should demote you for getting me into this position," he said playfully. Veronica tried to hit him on the arm, but he dodged and turned his attention to the gathering

of Councilors. He sobered and drew a deep breath then rapped the gavel on the podium. Once the room had quieted, he opened the meeting.

"I realize that this is probably beginning to become redundant," he

announced to the group, "but we have another serious situation. As my earlier report indicated, within the past twenty-four hours, information

has come to light concerning the existence of a Council-sponsored medical research facility that has been conducting illegal cloning. Even more disturbing is the fact that one of the clones produced by the facility

is an identical duplicate of our head computer center coordinator, James Wells. The clone was temporarily at large, but has now been detained. Our present task is to decide what to do with the facility."

Morgan Travers stood up and was recognized by Giles.

"Clearly, the only sensible course of action is to initiate an immediate shutdown of the facility. Any and all specimens involved in the illegal cloning operation should be destroyed, and all records should be

classified."

"That seems a bit extreme," Veronica interjected. "After all, we still have no idea why these clones were created in the first place or if it was one

person in particular that did the cloning and not the facility on the whole. The situation warrants further investigation."

"Which would only leave the Council open to further attacks in the media," Travers countered. "We‘ve already been skewered by that Lance

woman over that debacle at the charity hospital. I‘m sure she would leap at the opportunity to exploit a scandal like this. Our approval ratings

would plummet, and we would find our already difficult job of protecting the public even more difficult."

Murmurs of agreement rolled through the Council, and Travers‘ mouth lifted in a smug smile. Giles looked at Veronica worriedly.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Outside The Council Chambers – Later

After the majority of the councilors poured out of the Council Chambers, James and Jocasta finally saw Giles emerge, and he didn‘t look happy. They quickly joined him near the doorway.

Giles gave a quick smile in greeting, then returned to a stony expression. He looked at James and shook his head. "There was nothing I could do.

I‘m sorry, James."

James‘s face fell into shock.

"What happened?" Jocasta asked.

"The Council has voted to shut down the facility. All legitimate medical research and services will be transferred to another laboratory, but all

unauthorized work is to be completely classified."

"But what about the--?"

"All illegally stored DNA and its derivatives, including all clones, those activated and those in development or in stasis, are to be destroyed."

James head shot up. He glared angrily at Giles, then stormed off without

another word. Giles dropped his gaze, a look of failure on his face.

Jocasta touched her mentor‘s arm. "It‘s not your fault, Giles. You did what you could."

Giles lifted his head. "I know…still…" He didn‘t complete his sentence.

Cut To:

Int. Watchers Council – Computer Center – Mid-Morning

James sat moping at his desk. His eyes kept glancing at the small

business card that was lying on the far corner. He finally picked it up. On it were three large stars in a line and large text that read, "Orion Hotel." A room number was written on the front. James fingered the card

several times and then punched the numbers into his keypad.

He shifted in his chair as he listened to the phone ring.

"Orion Hotel, how may I help you?" a perky voice answered.

"Jessica Wells‘ room please, room 7480."

"I‘m sorry, but room 7480 has already checked out, sir," the voice said.

"Oh," James replied in a disappointed voice. "Thank you."

After disconnecting, James slumped in his chair, holding his head in his hands. When he straightened up, the sadness in his face had turned to

anger. He stood up and walked away from his desk. When he reached the area where Anya was working, he stopped and called to her.

"Anya, if anyone calls, tell them I took the day off," he announced and then headed for the exit.

"Wait," Anya said to James‘s retreating back. "You can‘t just leave! What

about your new work ethic? James?"

James ignored the android and walked out of the computer center.

Cut To: Int.

Watchers Council – Travers’ Office – Late Afternoon

Travers sat before his computer, Tyrell‘s image showing on his screen.

"Are you sure the Dayson situation has been taken care of?" Tyrell demanded.

"Yes," Travers replied. "The clone has been destroyed, the entire facility

has been shut down, and the matter has been classified at the highest security level."

"And the data rod that the clone removed?"

Travers cleared his throat. "It has yet to be recovered, but Dr. So assures us that it contained nothing incriminating."

Tyrell grumbled and scowled. "Keep me posted," he said gruffly before ending the call.

Cut To: Int.

James’s Apartment – Same Time

James trudged into his living room, a slim letter-box package in his hands. He plopped onto his sofa and sighed. After a moment, he finally

looked at his package. It had no return address. He carefully opened the box and slid out the contents. His eyes widened in surprise.

Cut To: Ext.

Watchers Council – Main Entrance – Same Time

Calling it a day, Jocasta, Katherine, and Giles walked out of Council HQ together. They gathered by the flagpole, unaware that they were being

watched.

The three of them wore saddened expressions until Giles uttered a comment that made them all

smile. They laughed, and then Jocasta suddenly snapped to

attention and saluted Giles. Katherine laughed again, but Giles put his hands on his hips,

clearly not as amused with Jocasta‘s joke as the two women were.

Across the street in the

shadows of the nearby building, Sean Rayne lowered his binoculars.

"Be seeing you," Rayne said, an arrogant smirk twisting his lips.

Fade Out

End of DUPLICITY