Sunday, 10 December 2000 (continued)
Late in the afternoon, Jane Munroe flies from Fairbanks to arrive
in Dallas in time to attend Joshua Blackthorne's honorary degree
ceremony. She leaves strict instructions that 'Michael Hunt' is
to be transferred to a hospital in Wichita as soon as he is well
enough to be moved.
Tuesday, 12 December 2000
Joshua Blackthorne arrives in Dallas after an uneventful flight.
Recently out of hospital Josh is relieved that his anus seems to
be holding up. He has been instructed by Eisenstein to meet three
new agents: Philip McKraken, Jack Burchill and Doctor Bradley Ecks.
He learns Jane will also be attending, although the rest of team
are trapped by snow drifts in Wyoming. Joshua is excited because
this will be his last mission for evidence response. He has decided
to retire.
Josh meets the three new agents: a giant Scotsman, a taciturn and
scarred hard man and a sci-fi übernerd; he despairs. Soon Jane
arrives. He tells Jane that he is planning to retire, she is shocked
and tries to talk him out of it (especially seeing as though he
is only 38). Josh is adamant. He tells Jane that Eisenstein is using
them, he is getting out and he advises Jane to get out too. Realising
Josh's resolve and delicate mental health, Jane decides not to tell
him about what has been happening on the Joker and Apache Joe cases.
Blackthorne telephones Artemis Black to complain that Black should
be orientating new agents and not him. Black says that he is busy
tying up the Wyoming case, but wishes Josh luck on his retirement.
The group arrive at the hotel at 11:00am, and everyone heads to
their rooms except McKraken who hits the bar.
Josh finds his bed covered in rose petals, scent in the air and
a woman in a negligée reclining on his bed. It is Veronica
'Ronnie' Cunningham, the wife of Leading Agent Paul Cunningham of
the High Threat Response team. It was his affair with Ronnie that
led to Joshua being shunted to evidence response in the first place.
Blackthorne rejects her advances and she leaves the room in a foul
temper. On a table Blackthorne discovered an inverted tarot card:
the Lovers. He calls Jane in a panic.
Jane arrives and tries to calm Blackthorne down. He tells Jane
about his past, and his affair. Jane dusts the card for prints.
When she touches it a change comes over her. She suddenly finds
Joshua extremely attractive. Jane (of all people) recognises these
as very alien feelings and she fights them down with difficulty.
Meanwhile Veronica goes down to the bar where Special Agent McKraken
attempts to pick her up. She allows McKraken to buy her a drink,
and the Scot volunteers to drive her home as she "can't stand
be in the same hotel as that prig". He doesn't have a car,
so he rushes out and hires one (with the help of passer-by).
At Veronica's house McKraken notices an FBI modified sedan in the
drive. Inside he sees a number of hunting trophies and realises
who Veronica is married to. He also finds an old photo of Veronica
and Blackthorne and begins to put two and two together, he looks
for a way out of this mess. Ronnie returns with drinks and tells
McKraken that she works at the university on the board of trustees
(that awarded Josh his degree). When she finds out Philip is an
FBI agent she asks him to leave, which he swiftly does. On the windscreen
of his car is a tarot card: The Magician. McKraken doesn't remove
it until he returns to the hotel, when he does so he suddenly feels
a profound longing and love for Veronica.
In Dallas, the local television broadcast is interrupted by breaking
news. The governor of Texas (George W. Bush) announces that Apache
Joe has been captured by agents Vitrano and Lavin! Ecks and Burchill
(who were watching Star Trek and Monster Truck racing respectively)
head to the bar. Jane is also in the bar, taking McKraken to task
about going off with Veronica. When she hears the news Jane is deeply
shocked, but the picture of the "Apache Joe" on the TV
is not the same man who attacked her. She tries to phone Todd O'Connell
but there is no reply.
Josh arrives in the bar an is appraised of the situation. He thinks
that this could play into the hands of the work evidence response
has to do. He promises to help Jane and the others with Apache Joe.
Josh socialises with the other agents - although McKraken gets off
on the wrong foot by telling Josh of his affection for Veronica.
Fortunately Josh is distracted by the appearance of Artemis Black
Sings the Blues on the television.
A woman called Josephine McKenna approaches Burchill and offers
him a tarot card. Burchill takes an inverted Tower, when he takes
it he begins to feel increasingly megalomaniacal. Jane realises
that something odd is going on, and phones Black to find out what
the cards mean. All the agents' feelings (including Jane's increasing
desire for Joshua) fit the descriptions of the cards. They head
to the degree ceremony.
In the limousine, Ecks finds another tarot car (the Star) - this
one means theft and Ecks discovers that someone has stolen his wallet,
badge and gun (and Star Trek pin badge). By the time they arrive
at the degree ceremony the group has descended into farce. Jane
is trying to hide and suppress her feelings for Josh, McKraken is
in tears over 'losing' Veronica, Ecks is increasingly happy and
optimistic about everything, and Burchill is simply convinced that
everything he does his right.
After an altercation with the dean that ends with Burchill sitting
in his seat, Josh finally gets onto the stage. Veronica Cunningham
and her husband Paul are also there. Paul berates Josh for being
an appalling FBI agent, but Josh doesn't rise to it. Doctor Franklin
Jennifer (president of Dallas University) introduces Josh. He gives
an inspirational speech (despite the fact McKraken is using the
last page of his notes to write a love poem to Veronica).
After the speech, Veronica comes over to present the degree. She
slips Josh the tarot card of death (inverted to represent stagnation).
The effect is almost immediate. Josh's hands turn grey where he
touches the card. A creeping cancer travels up his arms and moments
later he has been turned into a statue! There are screams around
the room, many people pass out at the sight and there is general
chaos.
Josephine McKenna is in the audience close to Burchill. Burchill
asks her if she can do anything. She implies that Veronica is far
more powerful in this sort of magic than she is. She says that she
was only in it to ferment a bit of chaos and now things have go
out of hand. She disappears into the crowd and vanishes.
Jane leaps onto the stage and threatens Veronica at gunpoint to
undo what she has done. Jane dismisses a direct order from Paul
Cunningham to let her go, but Veronica coolly refuses to tell her
anything. Fortunately the effects of the tarot cards on the rest
of the agents are beginning to wear off. Jane orders Burchill to
get the limousine and gets Ecks and McKraken to pick up the stone
Josh and carry him to the car. She arrests Veronica and bundles
her out of the building. Burchill drives off.
A few blocks away the car stops in an alley. Veronica's calm and
arrogance is infuriating. She thinks that Jane won't make good on
her threats to shoot her, but she doesn't realise quite how close
Jane comes to doing just that. In the end Jane phones Eisenstein
and appraises him of the situation. Eisenstein orders a containment
and a quick cover-up. Jane argues with him, saying that restoring
Josh should be their priority. Eisenstein orders her to release
Veronica and get back to the university and destroy any record of
what happened. Jane doesn't like it, but she accepts it.
Burchill is ordered to drive Josh back to the Wichita HQ. Doctor
Ecks takes Veronica home in a taxi while Jane and McKraken return
to the university, where McKraken manages to talk him way into acquiring
all copies of the videotaped speech. They put about a story that
Josh hasn't been well, and that he had a stroke on the stage. However,
many witnesses don't agree with this. Fortunately, Doctor Ecks turns
up and launches into an inspired bout of technobabble that would
make Star Trek proud. He convinces almost everyone that sun spot
activity caused a massive hallucination (and wiped out all recordings
of the incident).
Jane puts out an APB on Josephine McKenna, hoping that she might
be able to undo what has happened with Josh. On the whole, the situation
is a big mess.
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