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Date: 30 Jul 1998 17:42:43 -0400
From: pitman@anotherwayout.com (Kent M Pitman)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.soaps.cbs
Subject: Y&R: AWO#105: "Scattered Memories"
Message-ID: <sfwu33z9fsc.fsf@world.std.com>
INSIDE... * Will Nick's computer memory be upgraded?
* Will Michael's encounters with Victor end up mired in red tape?
* Will Nikki be dismayed by news that's hot off the wire?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANOTHER WAY OUT, Episode 105, 30-Jul-98 by Kent Pitman (kmp@harlequin.com)
"Scattered Memories"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is thunder and lightning outside. The power has gone out at Newman
Enterprises. It is very dark. Fortunately, Grace has previously given Nick a
ready supply of floating candles like the ones you put decoratively around
your bedroom when you want to hint at someone that you'd like to make love to
them. Nick has lit one such candle and the room flickers with would-be
romance. But Nick is a businessman and good businessmen are not distracted by
such matters. He is keenly focused on his task, which at this moment relates
to a little switch on the side of his terminal. He flips it, then sits down
and tries to type. No response. He reaches over and flips it again. Again
he tries to type. No response. There is a flashlight and we can't
immediately tell who it is. Eventually we realize that it's coming from a
point not too high above the ground. But Nick misses this clue, so he has to
wait until Cassie says, "Whatcha doin', Nicholas?" before he recognizes her.
"I'm trying to back up our system before the power crashes and it loses all my
data," he explains to the child. "But the power's already off," Cassie
complains. "I know that, Sweetie, but I'm trying to see if I can get the
system to run on `manual'."
Cassie shines her flashlight to see the switch, which has two settings reading
`manual' and `automatic'. "That's not part of the computer," she says. "What
are you talking about?" Nick asks. "It's just an ornament you're supposed to
glue to your car's dashboard." "My car?" Nick asks with his nose all
scrunched up into one of his many puzzled looks. Cassie nods up and down in
an exaggerated motion. "Yeah, 'cuz see," she says holding the flashlight to
the item and pointing to a beveled part of the plastic that says `photon
torpedos'. "You usually don't need photon torpedos in your office; you need
them in a vehicle." "There are `photon torpedos' in here? It's a good thing
the power was off while I was playing with them," Nick says seriously. Cassie
decides to hope he's kidding and indulges in a giggle. "That's funny,
Nicholas. But I'm sure you knew it was just a toy." Nick suddenly realizes
why she was giggling and tries to hide his moment of realization. "Sure I
knew," he lies. "I was just making a joke."
Cassie look around under the desk and finds the power cable. "It's just
unplugged," she announces. "That's right," Nicholas explains, trying to show
her he's on top of the situation, "I unplugged it." She looks at him with her
head cocked sideways wondering how his mind works. "Why did you do that,
Nicholas?" she asks. "I read somewhere that if the power is being weird, you
can get a power surge." "That's right," Cassie agrees. "And so I figured
it'd be best if it wasn't connected to the power during this electrical storm
we're having." "But if the power is off, the machine can't run. Besides, it
was plugged into a surge protector," she says pointing to the power strip the
cord had been plugged into. She plugs the machine in and it immediately pings
and starts booting MS/DOS 1.0. "Wow, it's working," Nick says. Cassie rolls
her eyes but says nothing.
Nick gets out some paper documents from a drawer. He opens one and starts
reading. But as he reads, he types. "What are you doing?" Cassie asks. "I'm
typing back in these reports. The power went off, so we lost them. I'd come
in to back them up so that wouldn't happen, but I failed." "Data survives a
powerdown, you know," Cassie says. "It does??" Nick says, amazed. "Sure.
When you file things out on the disk using the Save command, it puts them in a
kind of persistent storage that doesn't need continuous power. It's ok to
power off your machine and you can still get them later." "Wow," says Nick.
"I didn't realize that. And all computers have this?" "A disk?" Cassie asks.
"No, no, before that. What did you call it? A 'save' command? You're saying
it can 'save' me from having to type everything in every time?"
A short while later, after tiring of all this `nerd talk' about computers,
Nick says to Cassie. "Now if only the lights would come on." Cassie goes
over and switches on the lightswitch; the room comes back to normal lighting.
"Way cool," Nick says. "Do that again." She flips it off and then on again.
"That is NEAT," Nick says. "Our scientists must really have been working
overtime to come up with that one--I wonder if we can market that as a
product. I'm in charge of new product development, you know." "You are?"
she says with amazement and starts to run for the door. "Where are you going
so suddenly," he asks. She stops and says, "I, uh, just remembered--I have to
visit my stock broker... there's a big SELL order I forgot to place."
* * *
Michael is in his office reciting facts from his own memory into a tape
recorder so that he can remember them later. Victor enters. Thinking
quickly, Michael puts down the tape recorder but doesn't flip it off.
"Victor, you shouldn't be here," Michael says. "Why, you little punk. Afraid
of a little one on one?" "No," Michael says, "it's just unethical for us to
be talking like this. I really think you should leave." "You think I should
leave, eh? Well, good. Now you know how it feels to want to be rid of
someone and to be unable to make it happen," Victor says. "Victor, are you
threatening me?" Michael asks. "I never THREATEN anything," Victor says. "I
promise you. If you keep breathing, you're going to get hurt, ahright?"
"Victor, you really shouldn't be saying these things. The court is a proper
place for you to say anything you have to say to me." "You listen here, you
little punk. I don't care about being proper or about courts or even about the
law. I get what I want and I get it any way I have to, you understand? So
you had better be damned afraid, ahright?" Michael shrugs. "Was there
something more, Victor?" "Just remember," Victor says. "Because if I have
to remind you again, it's not going to be pleasant. I'll have the upper hand.
You'll see." Victor exits. Michael goes over to his tape recorder and
switches it off. As he does, he says confidently, "Yes, we will. We will
indeed see."
In a judge's chambers, Victor and John Silva are milling around waiting for
something. "I want to know why we're here," Victor grumbles. The judge
motions for Victor to be patient. Suddenly Michael and Diane enter. "I want
an injunction against this man," Michael says. "I don't want him anywhere
close to me. He's been making threats." "You have proof of this," the judge
asks. Diane looks worriedly to Michael, not knowing what this is about.
Michael pulls out the cassette recorder and presses REWIND. It squeals for a
moment and then he presses PLAY. We hear Michael say, "Victor, you shouldn't
be here ... (short pause) ... No, it's just unethical for us to be talking
like this. I really think you should leave. ... (longer pause) ... Victor,
are you threatening me? ... (short pause) ... Victor, you really shouldn't be
saying these things. The court is a proper place for you to say anything you
have to say to me. ... (long pause) ... Was there something more?" John
Silva looks to Victor, who says, "Your honor, don't you see what this man is
doing? He was planning to frame me. He made a tape with himself speaking and
then he was gonna tape in some words spoken by me out of context. Only he
forgot to bring the right copy of the tape." The judge looks scornfully at
Michael, who is looking angry and embarrassed. "Your honor," Michael
explains, "can I help it if the man is always mumbling. Let's listen to it
again with the volume turned up higher."
The judge shakes his head. "I don't think that will be necessary. I've seen
tapes of Mr. Newman giving public speeches before. I know the problem you're
talking about, and I can assure you that rewinding and turning up the volume
will not help. So I sympathize with you, BUT a tape full of gaps due to
someone's having mumbled too much is not evidence. So I'm afraid you're out
of luck on this one, Mr. Baldwin." Everyone starts to leave and Victor says,
"You see, you punk shyster. You're not going to win this one." Michael turns
back to the judge and says, "Did you hear that? He called me a shyster."
The judge looks up and says, "Hmm? Did he say something? I didn't hear it."
* * *
A large, brightly-colored envelope arrives at the Newman household by Genoa
City's famed courier service. Nikki opens it and is horrified to find today's
copy of the National Inquisitor. On the cover is a picture of Joshua Landers
in a kind of oval frame. Next to it are two smaller ovals, one with Nikki's
face and one with Sarah's. The caption reads, ``Dead Gynocologist -
Bigamist?'' Nikki gasps and starts reading:
GENOA CITY (AP) - Bigamy seems really be said to have been
to be spreading like wildfire rushing things, can she?
in Genoa City. Not long ago we
reported that reclusive multi- In what so far seems to be an
billionaire Victor Newman had unrelated development, we have
decided to play fast and loose reason to believe that more of
with the law by marrying one Genoa City's finest will fall
woman and then turning around victim to this alleged problem
and marrying another. And now of alleged stealing of alleged
we have the sad duty to report husbands. A housekeeper named
that it's happened again. Esther, who asked that we not
reveal her last name, reports
The Inquisitor recently found that a certain member of Genoa
that "Nikki", one of Victor's City's elite (identified only
alleged wives, is no stranger as "Mrs. C.") may soon also be
to games of musical marriage raising the spectre of a dead
licenses. A well-compensated alleged bigamist of a husband
source informed us today that when she figures out that the
Nikki's ex-alleged-husband was divorce she thought she'd had
already married at the time he from a "Mr. C." (now "The Late
went through the motions of a Mr. C") was performed in the
marriage with Nikki. Dominican Republic, a popular
place for Genoa City's elite
The consequences of this newly to obtain rushed, illegal ends
manufactured factoid are still to their alleged marriages.
something we're studying, but
one thing seems obvious: if it In an attempt to make it look
wasn't a real marriage between like we provide people with a
Nikki and Joshua, then NO WAY fair chance to tell their side
could Nikki be a widow. This of the story, we phoned Newman
might also help to explain why Enterprises to see if Victor
Nikki never mourned the death Newman would like to make some
of her first alleged husband kind of statement. We were
before diving headlong into a referred to Marketing, but the
newly alleged marriage to her company spokesman, a Mr. Neil
ex-not-merely-alleged-husband, Winters, was on a plane to the
Victor. If she hadn't just Dominican Republic and so was
lost a husband, then she can't not available for comment.
Just as Nikki finishes reading, Miguel enters the living room. Nikki looks up
and says, "Oh, hello, Miguel. Could you please bring me a glass of water."
Miguel shrugs and says, "Get it yourself, Mrs. Newman, or Mrs. Landers, or
whoever you think you are today. I'm finally just too tired of you
mistreating my Veronica. Today she called me from her new home in Acapulco to
tell me that she'd come into a large sum of money in exchange for a tell-all
writing deal she'd just made and that she was looking for someone to do
occasional translations for her and mostly just to make love to her every day
in the sand the way her ex-husband and former employer Joshua used to do
before he tragically died in a shooting. And I told her I'd go away with her.
So I'm finally quitting to go be with the one I love--a woman that would never
hurt a fly, but who you, for some inexplicable reason, didn't want to ever
have around. So you can get your own damned water, Sen~ora. Meanwhile,
I'll be in my wing of the house, packing."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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"!