Dancing with the Devil

This takes place very shortly before episode 11.
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Dr. Zack flipped the sign hanging next to his office door to "IN", opened the door, and went into his office.  He went around to the side, flipped on the computer, then sat down.

He didn't expect too many visitors, because the weather outside had been downright wonderful.  He wasn't planning an exam this week, so there would be no last second pleas for mercy or requests for immediate IQ augmentation.  He pulled over a sheaf of quizzes and began grading them while his computer connected to the Internet and downloaded his e-mail.

After finishing the pile, he turned to the computer and glanced down the list of messages.  Many were from Quantum Chemists responding to his recent article in "Quantum Chemistry Journal", and a few from colleagues with the next few steps of derivations for cooperative articles.  He noticed one from Jack Travis and double-clicked on it immediately.
 

From: "Dr. Jack W. Travis" jwtravis@liquidair.com
To: "Dr. Anthony Zacharias" dr_z@meridianet.net
Cc: none
Re: Thanks For the photos!
Message:
Hey Tony!

Thanks for the infared photos of the Mark-2A prototypes we used to ship your order of lnit.  Thanks also for recovering the bottle used to trash that eye and shipping it back to us.  Our bigwigs weren't enthused about this model until they heard what the prototype went through and the use it was put to.  I dread to think what kind of advertising crap Marketing is thinking up right now!

Many thanks also for suggesting some ideas for changing our manufacturing process so we can cover that cold spot the photos showed.  You're right, of course: We weren't thinking outside the box, or the bottle in this case, because we WERE limiting ourselves by the process we used to make the old Dewar models.

By the way, the camera was just fine.  I dunno who the hell the slavedriver is who you work for, but that poor lady with the glasses in the reference pic should have been in bed, not working in a high school with a fever of 102.  You deserve to be at MIT, not in a third rate high school in a third world country that's clueless about public health.  Honestly Tony, all that crap kicked up with that paper about vestigal DNA should have died down by now, you know?

Hey, with all the bad stuff and goings on down there in Meridiana, are you interested in a cozy job here at Liquid Air?  Nah.  We couldn't be that lucky, would we?  But just in case, do keep us, and me, in mind, okay?

Thanks again, Tony.  I owe ya.

"What the hell??" Dr. Zack thought, puzzled.

There was an attachment to the letter.  Dr. Zack clicked on it, and a large JPEG appeared.  An infared photo showing temperature gradients in a wide rainbow of colors was on the left half of the JPEG, and there was Jack's handwriting on the right, with arrows pointing to various spots on the picture.  One identified two dark circles on the face as glasses.  Another marking circled two temperature anomalies on the person's chest with an arrow pointing to them, and a label of "WOOT!!!!" at the other end of the arrow.  A double-headed arrow pointed to a scale at one end and the neck of the person with the other.  It was labeled "102.3".  Two arrows identified a narrowing around the waist, and had "*"'s attached.  At the bottom was the note, "*What's she like in normal light?  In a Bikini? *drool*"

"Womanizing bastard." Dr. Zack muttered with a chuckle, shaking his head and remembering the wild weekends that he and Jack had barely survived while in college, "Its a miracle his gonads are still attached to him.  Hah!  I wonder what he'd think if he knew that 'she' dresses in dr-"

Then he stopped.

Adrian had appeared perfectly healthy that day.

The tank of liquid nitrogen that Cybersix had used had come from HERE.  From Meridiana High School.

And he recalled that her body temperature was higher than normal, due to inefficiencies when burning sustenance.

Dr. Zack grabbed a sheet of paper and began to calculate thermal dissipation rates, pulling down handbooks of chemistry and physics constants to look up the numbers he needed.

He grimaced at the ringing of the phone.  He snatched it up, "Dr. Zacharias here.  What is it?" he demanded irritably, trying to punch some numbers into the Calculator app on his Palm Pilot at the same time.

"Phone call for you, sir."

"From whom?

"He won't say, sir."

"Okay!  Put him on!" There was a clicking on the line, "Hello?  This is Dr. Anth-"

"Dr. Anthony Zacharias, world expert in Quantum Mechanics.  Yes, I know."

Dr. Zack frowned, "Who are you, sir, and what is the purpose of this call, I may ask?"

The voice chuckled maliciously at the other end of the line, "Why, I called to thank you for only humiliating my agent, and not killing her."

Dr. Zack dropped the Palm stylus, hand shaking.  He wheeled around to face his chair away from the door, willing the flesh of his back to stop crawling, "Von Richter." he said, hoping his voice didn't shake as bad as his fingers, "I didn't know you cared."

"Why, I am rather attached to her.  After all, I am not as bad as some make me out to be."

"Do tell." Dr. Zack thought.  "Is that all?"

"No.  Are you trying to duplicate sustenance?"

Dr. Zack thought a long moment, wheeling around nervously in his chair.  He looked out the open door.

Adrian Seidelman was in the hall, pinning a paper to a billboard.

He then glanced at the JPEG glowing on his monitor.

"Yes," He said firmly, glancing back at the disguised Cybersix and realizing for the first time in his life what heroes were for, "I am."

"I wouldn't advise that."

"You're in no position to threaten me!" Dr. Zack replied, feeling his courage rise, "I obtained my research samples in the same way Cybersix does.  I could use a few more!"

Pause, "So you are allied with the renegade!" he spat out, losing his cool.

"I'll figure out how to make sustenance," Dr. Zack said firmly, "You've no clue what that stuff is capable of!"

"Oh Really?" the voice dripped with contempt.

"Yes!  And I'll give you the credit for it too."

"You will?" The voice was startled, caught off guard.

"Of course.  After the world realizes the full potential of sustenance, you'll go down in history as the greatest example of a wasted life!"

There was a snarl, then the sound of a receiver being slammed back on its hook.  Dialtone.

Grinning, Dr. Zack hung his phone up, "No more running," he said to himself.

 He crumpled up the page of half-finished calculations and pocketed his Palm.  He then got up and walked out to the billboard.

"Really Lucas!" Adrian was talking earnestly to Lucas Amato, "It'll be a good talk.  It'll do you some good to get some culture!"

"Adrain, I flunked Literature in high school and barely passed in College!  I wouldn't understand all that gobbledygook!"

"Yes you can, if you just tried!"

Dr. Zack looked at the new poster on the bulletin board.  It read:

"You're giving a talk?" Dr. Zack asked.

"Yes.  It seems that the father of one of my students is on the board, so they extended an invitation to me!"

"Well, that will help with your evaluation."

"IF I can get someone to hear me and write a report!  Lucas!  I could really use your help this time!"

"Uhhh, sorry buddy!  I'd fall asleep half way, and there'd go your report.  Maybe someone else?  How about the librarian?" Lucas said, backing away.

Adrian looked very disappointed, "Oh, okay!" he said resignedly, waving his hand, "May as well ask Lori to attend while I'm at it!" he muttered under his breath.

"Isn't that a typo?" Dr. Zack pointed at the poster, "Shouldn't it be The Playwright AND The Tempest?"

"Oh no!" He sounded amused,  "That's the right word."

"And you're talking about the play, not about a crisis in Shakespeare's life?"

Adrian smiled, "Yes.  The play."

Dr. Zack pulled out his Palm Pilot and began to punch at the screen, "I'm free that night.  I'll attend and write that report on your talk.  It should be interesting."

"You will?" Adrian asked hopefully, almost unbelieving.

"Yes." he said, pocketing his Palm, "It should have a bit more weight than Lucas' anyhow.  See you then!"

"Thank you." he said simply, smiling at him.
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Dr. Zack studied the notes in his hand, turning occasionally to gaze into the vial of sustenance for a few long minutes.  He was interrupted when the security system simultaneously chimed AND beeped.

He quickly put the vial aside, pulled out his pistol, and glanced at the readout.  One indicator showed something VERY large walking toward the front  door along the walkway, while the other indicated someone walking along the wall opposite the library window.  He swiveled toward the library window, body tense.  He relaxed when he saw Cybersix's face, framed by her fedora and the red lining of her cape, appear in the window.  She smiled and tapped at a pane,

"Library Window open!" he commanded, putting away his pistol, "Good evening Cybersix!"

"Good evening Doctor Zacharias.  Were you expecting unwelcome guests?" she asked, eyes sparkling as she stepped inside.

"You're several weeks early." He pointed out, "AND I seem to have a guest at the front door."

"Yes, I Invited him." She wrapped her cape around herself, "I hope you didn't mind."

Curiosity aroused, Dr. Zack went downstairs, Cybersix following him.  He got to the front door, flicked off the alarm system, switched on the light, and took a look at the small CCTV screen to identify his guest.

Cybersix laughed softly at his reaction to a huge Fixed Idea waiting patiently outside his door, "Please don't keep him waiting, Dr. Zack!"
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