BY KAL-EL
I'LL TAKE MANHATTEN
ACT 3
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Everything up until the end of 'Chant Down Babylon'.
Cut to New York City. We see the skyline stretching across the water. People are hurrying through the streets, trying to get to work on time.
In a parking garage, a truck parks itself. The gang piles out.
JESSIE: You see, that�s why I always fly down here. The cost of parking in this town is astronomical.
KYLE: You could have stayed home, you know?
Jessie looks at Kyle, confused.
Liz sneaks a look at Max, then speaks up.
LIZ: Don�t mind him, he�s just a little wired from the trip.
KYLE: Uh, yeah Jessie. No hard feelings, right?
JESSIE: Nah. It�s cool
Kyle goes up to Max and Liz.
MAX: (whispering)Careful, ok?
KYLE: (whispering)Don�t tell me that, tell my �invisible friend�.
Liz sighs.
LIZ: (whispering) Alex, if you can hear me, try to control yourself. Unless you want us to fill the others in on you being here.
They turn back, as the others climb out of the car. Michael gives Kyle the �evil eye�.
KYLE: (muttering) Oh boy.
MAX: We�ll split up, it�ll be easier to find them that way. Those of you without powers, pair up with those who have them.
KYLE: I�ll go with Liz�I�m not fully integrated into the walking nightlight thing yet.
Max nods.
MICHAEL: You sure you want to do that, Maxwell? Let your girlfriend hand around, alone, with her ex?
MAX: I trust him.
Michael snickers.
MICHAEL: You don�t say?
Max looks at him suspiciously.
MICHAEL: Go ahead and play your little �team-up� game. I�ll find them my way.
Michael storms off.
ISABEL: HEY! Just hold on a minute�
Max stops her.
MAX: Let him go. He�ll be back.
He turns to the others.
MAX: Maria, you go with Isabel and Jessie to the summit area. I�m going to meet up with Detective Roland with Valenti.
VALENTI: How will we keep in contact?
MAX: Liz.
LIZ: I�ll appear in astral form and tell you when to meet up.
Maria rolls her eyes.
MARIA: (muttering) �Astral form��
MAX: Everyone be careful. If you find any of our duplicates, don�t confront them unless you have no choice. They�re a lot more dangerous that you would think.
They agree, and go their separate ways.
*****
Cut to Liz and Kyle walking down the street.
LIZ: What was with you and Michael back there? I don�t think he�s acted that coldly to any of us since I first met him.
KYLE: Yeah�I sort of know why.
LIZ: Why?
KYLE: Maybe because of the fact that Maria kissed me right in front of him?
Liz�s eyes go wide.
LIZ: What? Maria KISSED you?
KYLE: I didn�t do anything, ok. I didn�t kiss back, I didn�t send any signals. It�s almost like she did it specifically to make Michael mad.
LIZ: That doesn�t sound like her. Then again, nothing she does lately makes any sense at all. It�s like she�s transformed into this entirely new, angry, malicious person.
Just then, Kyle ducks into an ally.
LIZ: What are you doing?
KYLE: A little tag team. See you later.
Kyle closes his eyes and begins to concentrate. Suddenly, his skin begins to glow as a miraculous transformation takes place. His features mold and change shape, until he becomes Alex Whitman once again.
Alex opens his eyes and looks at Liz.
ALEX: Please tell me we�re near a pizza place.
Liz smiles.
*****
Cut to another street. Max is walking down the street with Valenti and Detective Rolland.
VALENTI: So tell us about this �Zan� anyway. How long has he been doing this?
ROLLAND: No idea. He�s apparently been around awhile, but we didn�t hear anything about him until he and his gang went public.
MAX: Public?
ROLLAND: From the suspects we interrogated, they attempted some kind of hostile takeover over the Manhattan gangs. All of them.
VALENTI: All of them?
ROLLAND: Yeah, it sounds crazy, doesn�t it? But with the kind of firepower they have�
VALENTI: Firepower? These are kids, right. Where on earth did this �firepower� come from?
A cold silence comes over the detective. He sneaks a look at Max.
VALENTI: What?
ROLLAND: I don�t think the kid here should be hearing this.
VALENTI: Believe me, detective�anything you can tell me you can tell Max.
He pauses another moment.
ROLLAND: You�re not going to believe me. I can hardly believe it myself�but, the survivors said it came from them. That they made things explode just by pointing at them.
Valenti grins.
VALENTI: Sure they did.
ROLLAND: I know it sounds crazy, Jim. Hell, I was almost convinced they were doped up. But I�ve seen people scared for their lives. They�re not the best liars.
They stop at a door. It�s locked shut with a giant chain.
ROLLAND: And then there�s this. Mr. Valenti, I�ve heard stories about you. You�ve been known to deal with weirdness. The kind of stuff other people either ignore or won�t touch.
He takes out a key and unlocks it. The heavy chain falls to the ground.
ROLLAND: Whatever did this�I almost don�t want to find them.
They three of them walks into the building and look around. The sight that greets them is horrifying.
Bodies.
At least a dozen of them, spread out along the ground. There were debris everywhere, and the ground was charred in certain places.
MAX: I think I�m going to throw up�
ROLLAND: You wouldn�t be the first one, Mr. Evans. At least two guys from forensics did when they were here two days ago?
Max�s eyes immediately noticed a skeleton in the far corner. She shuddered.
VALENTI: How many times has this happened?
ROLLAND: Three counting this one. It�s almost like a calling card of some kind.
Max continues to stare.
VALENTI: Max? You ok?
Horrified by the needless loss of life, Max clenches his hand into a fist.
MAX: They have to be stopped.
*****
Over at a newsstand, not far away, a mysterious individual takes a paper without paying for it. He then waves his hand over the remaining bundle, causing every single word on them to vanish.
He smiles, proud of himself.
He looks like Michael, at least the physical appearance. Other than that, his hair sticking straight up, in a psudo �Mohawk�. He was dressed in leather, and had piercings in certain parts of his face.
Then there was the grin. He had a constant grin on his face, as if laughing at a joke only he understood.
VOICE: That was unnecessarily cruel, Rath.
He turns towards him friend, annoyed beyond belief.
RATH: So? Don�t tell me you care?
VOICE: Of course not�I just think it�s juvenile to waste your power on practical jokes. We�re made for bigger and better things, remember?
Rath sighs.
RATH: Whatever, Zan. You the man.
Zan steps out of the shadows.
ZAN: That�s right�and don�t you forget it. Or maybe you�ll be the one in front of a truck. No�make that a steamroller. More effective.
Unlike Rath, Zan completely resembled his counterpart, Max Evans. The only noticeable difference being a tattoo on his left shoulder. He�s wearing a sleeveless motorcycle jacket.
ZAN: So�how do I look?
RATH: Like a geek.
Zan laughs.
ZAN: Believe me, it�s so worth it. In a few days, we�re shipping out of here. Like I said�bigger and better things.
RATH: You think Maximillion�s gonna like that?
ZAN: Who the hell cares. As if he could stop me.
Rath smirks, as they walk towards the subway entrance.
Just as they leave, Michael walks out of the ally behind. He narrows his eyes, and slowly follows behind.
*****
Cut to a meeting room. The doorknob begins to glow, the falls off its hinges.
The door opens, and Isabel, Maria, and Jessie walk inside.
JESSIE: I have to admit, among all the new twists I expected married life to bring me�breaking and entering wasn�t one of them.
ISABEL: A necessary evil Jessie.
JESSIE: What�s so special about this office again?
ISABEL: About a year ago, there was a summit in this very room. The leaders from our solar system�s planets were here.
Jessie raises an eyebrow.
JESSIE: There were other aliens�inside an office building? What happened.
ISABEL: I�don�t know. Max didn�t really give us many details.
MARIA: Well, we�re not going to find anything here. Let�s go!
Maria leaves, and Jessie looks at his wife suspiciously.
JESSIE: Is there something wrong with her I don�t know about?
Isabel sighs.
ISABEL: It�s probably a Michael thing.
JESSIE: They fight a lot, huh?
Isabel laughs.
ISABEL: You don�t know the half of it. Fight, make out, fight, make out, fight, make out�it�s their thing.
*****
Cut back to Roswell, specifically the MetaChem offices. The phone rings, and Nicholas picks it up.
NICHOLAS: Yeah?
MARIA: (on phone) Wow, listen to you. All grown up.
His eyes narrow.
NICHOLAS: Miss DeLuca. Now, to what do I owe this intrusion. You do realize I can trace your call.
MARIA: Go ahead. I�m at a pay phone in New York, Nick. Like we planned.
Nicholas raises his eyebrows.
NICHOLAS: Tess? Well, this is a surprise. How long have you�
MARIA: Long enough.
He grins.
NICHOLAS: Do they suspect you?
MARIA: Not a clue.
NICHOLAS: Perfect. Now, I want you to locate the king and report back to me. It�s important that we develop�closer relations. After all, you�re giving him the way to get back home, aren�t you?
MARIA: Like I�d forget a thing like that? It should be right where I left it. All I have to do now is find Zan�then leave this mud ball. In the meantime, let�s just say I�m causing some dissention in the ranks.
Nicholas grins
NICHOLAS: I like the way you think.
*****
Cut to a small outside pizzeria. Liz watches Alex stuff slice after slice of pizza into his face.
LIZ: I�m stuck between scientific curiosity and utter disgust.
Alex wipes his mouth with a napkin.
ALEX: Sorry. It�s just that I haven�t really eaten anything in a long time. Not anything for me. My body gets nutrition when Kyle eats, but�
LIZ: Yeah, I know. It�s fascinating�
ALEX: That�s not what I call it.
He sighs.
LIZ: Look Alex, maybe you should tell somebody else.
ALEX: Yeah, sure Liz. I can see my dad believing I was brought back from the dead by alien intervention.
LIZ: Ok, so you can�t tell your parents. What about the others? Like Maria, or Isabel�
ALEX: NO!
Liz is taken aback.
ALEX: (whispering) I�m sorry, Liz. But I can�t tell Isabel. Especially not her.
LIZ: Why not, Alex? She was in love with you. She�d want to know.
ALEX: She �was�, Liz. Past tense. Come on, you�ve seen her and that�that lawyer! She�s moved on. She�s happy now without me. I shouldn�t try to interfere with that.
Liz looks at him.
LIZ: You know what? I think you�re scared.
ALEX: Huh?
LIZ: You�re scared that you being alive might actually make her reconsider things with Jessie.
ALEX: I didn�t say that.
LIZ: You didn�t have to, Alex�
Before she can continue, however, they hear a commotion across the street at a produce stand.
OWNER: Hey! Stop, THEIF!
A wave of invisible force knocks the owner off his feet, as the shoplifter runs down the alley.
Liz and Alex stare at each other in shock, then get up from their seats. They take off after the culprit, chasing them down the alley.
LIZ: Alex, just in case�
ALEX: Right!
Once again, the bright flash of light appears around Alex, creating the startling transformation back into Kyle Valenti.
Just in time, too. Because a moment later they manage to corner the thief. They can�t see the face, because it�s covered by a hooded sweatshirt.
LIZ: Hold it right there!
KYLE: What she said!
THIEF: No, stay away! I don�t want them to find me.
Kyle�s eyes go wide.
KYLE: Hold on, Liz�that sounds just like�
LIZ: I know.
THIEF: They�ll kill me if they find me. They�ll kill you too.
Liz pauses, thinking about something.
KYLE: Yeah, like you couldn�t stop them if you wanted?
Kyle looks at the stranger angrily.
LIZ: Kyle, wait! It�s not who you think it is.
She turns back towards the person in the corner.
LIZ: We�re not going to hurt you. We�re your friends. It�s me�Liz. Remember? Liz Parker? From Roswell?
THIEF: Liz?
LIZ: It�s ok, Ava. We�re here now.
She removes the hood, to show someone who looks exactly like Tess. Only her hair is colored a bright pink.
AVA: What are you doing here?
ACT IV >>