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Original posting of Episode 107:

Date: 20 Aug 1998 02:00:15 -0400
From: pitman@anotherwayout.com (Kent M Pitman)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.soaps.cbs
Subject: Y&R: AWO#107: "Going Out With A Bang" (SPECIAL SHOOTING EDITION)

It wasn't really time for another edition, but recent events cried out
for timely intervention, so I put on my black leather rescue jacket 
and sat at my laptop and did my best to oblige...

INSIDE... * Will Cole figure out the mystery in time?
        * Will Veronica give Nikki a piece of her mind?
      * When Nikki is in trouble, will Victor send help?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANOTHER WAY OUT, Episode 107, 20-Aug-98 by Kent Pitman (kmp@harlequin.com)

                         "Going Out With A Bang"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Veronica is holding a gun to Nikki.  "Say your prayers, Nikki," she advises
her.  "Wait, wait, wait!" Nikki says.  "What is it now?"  Veronica asks in an
irritated tone.  "Won't you tell me why I'm dying?  The real story?" Veronica
eyes her suspiciously.  "I think you're trying to stall things.  You wouldn't
be hoping someone was going to come rescue you, now would you?"  "No, no,
really!  I'd just like to know why I'm dying."  "Alright," Veronica says, "on
one condition."  "Anything," Nikki says, happy to be delaying matters.  "That
we do it over a commercial so the audience doesn't have to hear the whole
damned story yet again."  Nikki is not in a position to argue, and the scene
fades out.

In the tack room, Cole and Malcolm are trying to figure out what to do about
the pictures.  "Ok, look here," Malcolm says proudly, "I got just the trick
for figuring out this little mystery."  "Alright," says Cole, "let's get to
it."  Malcolm spills a jar onto the table.  Out come a bunch of puzzle pieces.
"I don't get it," Cole says.  "Well, what I did was to paste that picture you
gave me onto a piece of cardboard.  And then I did the same for the mug shot
of Veronica, after doctoring the colors. And then I cut them both up into a
mess of pieces with a jigsaw.  So if you're right, the pieces will be
interchangeable and we'll end up putting them together really easily."  Cole
nods.  "That's an incredible idea, Malcolm.  Do you mind if I use it in my
book?"  "Well, if it works, you'll have to," Malcolm says, "since it'll be how
we solved the mystery."

Back at the main house, Victor is talking to Miguel.  "You know, Miguel, I
have the strangest feeling I should put on my black leather jacket and go
riding."  "I'm sure Sra. Newman would love that," Miguel says.  "She's already
gone out herself.  Shall I come along with some lemonade and light snacks?"
"What an excellent idea," Victor says.  "How long will that take to whip up?"
"No time at all, Sen~or," Miguel says.  "I have some waiting in the kitchen
now."  "Very well, you get them and meet me out by the pool," Victor says as
he goes upstairs to change into his rescue jacket.

Back in the tack room, Cole and Malcolm are still working on the puzzle.
"Maybe I should have used fewer pieces," Malcolm says.  "How many are there?"
Cole asks.  "500 in each," Macolm says.  "Two of every piece.  Hey, can I have
that blonde piece there?"  Cole nods.  "Sure, I'll trade you for that little
patch of someone's bathroom rug."

At the poolside, Miguel joins Victor and the two begin to walk toward the
stables.  Just then, there is a gunshot.  "Did you hear that?"  Victor asks.
"It sounded like gunfire," Miguel says.  "You run ahead and assess the
situation, Miguel.  I'm going to call the police."  "What about those security
people all over the ranch?" Miguel asks.  "Oh, it's after 5pm.  I'm sure
they've gone home for the day."  "Of course," says Miguel.  "By the way, it
might be dangerous of me to go in there, so if I don't see you again alive,
it's been nice working for you."  "Thank you, Miguel," Victor says, shaking
his hand.  "Now run along and see what you can figure out, ok?"  Miguel heads
off to the stable as Victor goes back to the pool.  From the pool, off in the
distance, there are more gunshots.

A short time later, Victor is heading back to the stable with a gun and bumps
into Cole and Malcolm going toward the house.  "If you are on your way to call
the police," Victor says without ceremony, "you are too late.  I've already
done it."  "No," says Cole, "we were just exhausted from this puzzle we're
working on and hoping that Miguel could fix us something cool and refreshing
to drink."  "Yeah," adds Malcolm, "and what's with that there gun you're
toting?"  "Well, that gun is just my protection in case the gunfire out at the
stable turns out to be something bad.  I've sent Miguel along to check on
things already."  "Oh, man," says Cole to Malcolm.  "That means no lemonade."
"It's cool," says Malcolm.  "We'll just tag along with your landlord here and
see what's hopping down at the stable."

Just then, Nikki comes running from the stable.  "Victor!" she shouts.  Victor
runs toward her and gives her a big hug and an overly long tongue kiss.
"Nikki, thank goodness you're alright!  I sent Miguel to check on you." "Well,
I almost wasn't alright," she says.  "Well, hey, don't just keep us in
suspense, huh?" Malcom says.

"Well," says Nikki, "Veronica came after me."  "Hey, man, you were right--it
was her!"  Malcolm says to Cole.  "You knew and didn't tell us?"  Victor asks.
"Well, we were still putting the pieces of the puzzle together," Cole
explains.  "And to tell the truth, she was looking an awful lot like a serial
killer," Malcolm adds.  "That's just because you wouldn't give me those pieces
I told you belonged in the other puzzle," Cole says.  "Will you two be quiet
and let my wife talk," Victor says.  They quiet down and Nikki goes on.

"Anyway, she was all set to shoot me.  But I bought some time by asking her to
tell me her whole story."  "And she did?" Cole asks.  "Did you take notes?"
Nikki scowls at him.  "No, I didn't take notes.  She had a gun on me for God's
sake." "So how did you get away?" Victor asks.  "Did your bullet-proof breasts
save you?"  "No, Victor.  She didn't point her gun anywhere near those
specially-augmented breasts you had me get."  "The bullet-proof daisies in
your hair then?" Victor asks. "I couldn't be sure if that was going to work,"
Nikki says.  "She had the gun too close to my head and neck and I couldn't
tell where it was pointed."  "So what happened?" Cole asks, trying to move
things along.  "Well, it's the oddest thing, when she got to the point in the
story where she was telling me about happened last year, she started to get
really confused.  She kept saying the same things over and over.  I guess the
repetition and the monotony of it all just put her to sleep because she was
speaking more and more slowly and then she fell to the ground and dropped the
gun."  "And that's when it went off?" Victor asks.  "Oh no," says Nikki.  "I
picked it up and shot her."  "You did that?" Victor asks, impressed.  "Yes, I
was tired of this plot--the plot she had against me, I mean.  And I wanted it
definitively over."

"So you didn't need Miguel's help then?" Victor asks.  "Well, actually," Nikki
says with a blush, "Miguel wasn't really being all that helpful.  You see, he
didn't believe me that Veronica was Sarah.  And he was quite mad that I'd shot
her, as you can imagine."  "He gave you lip about this?" Victor asks,
surprised.  "No, he didn't do that.  He just lunged at me and said he was
going to kill me.  So I shot him, too."  Victor shakes his head.  "That's very
sad, you know."  "Yes, I know," Nikki says wistfully.  "Ordinarily this would
be a time of celebration--having killed a killer and all." Nikki nods.
"Victor, you don't have to make me feel any worse than I already do.  I'd love
to be celebrating as much as you.  But you're completely right--we can't do
any celebrating until we find someone else to cater all the food for us."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
         Copyright 1998 Kent M. Pitman.  All Rights Reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Another Way Out" takes plotline state at time of publication and shows that
there are interesting places right around the corner.  The goal, besides
having some fun with good-natured parody, is to challenge the notion that we
must be mired in certain tired plotlines for months just to have a good time.
There is always another way out...

   Archives of this and older episodes of "Another Way Out"
    as well as the more serious "morals" that underly them,
    can be found at:  http://world.std.com/~pitman/awo/index.html

   Don't forget to try the "character index" and "ratings index"!