"Fever of the Hunt, Part I" is the first episode featuring Cole’s voice-over during the opening title credits, heard hereafter in all subsequent episodes:

NOTE: In the original series schedule, as well as in the production order numbers, the two-part "Fever of the Hunt" was supposed to follow directly after "The Miracle" and show just before "Love, Cirronian Style," exactly as here presented. However, "Fever of the Hunt" as it actually aired during Tracker’s first run in syndication followed after "A Made Guy" and came just before "Back into the Breach."

Inasmuch as the revealing of information, the conversations, Mel’s knowledge (i.e. about Orsians) and especially the relationship between Mel and Cole (and his nervousness over Mel’s safety in "Love, Cirronian Style") all flow more evenly and make much better sense in motivations, attitudes, actions and details as per the original series schedule, it’s anybody’s guess if this change was due to post-production or other problems, or was some sort of mix-up.

Kate is in London visiting Nat, who is celebrating her sweet sixteen. When Mel and Daggon show up, Kate is sure they are in town to check up on her, but the real purpose of their trip is to find Suudor, a copycat killer whose hunting ground used to be the Migar Solar System. Suudor, it’s discovered, is a Desserian, a chameleon who not only dresses like, but also assumes through disguises, the appearance of the serial killer he’s imitating. Suudor ‘disappears’ into their persona. Daggon now finds himself on the trail of an elusive serial killer who is emulating Earth’s most notorious murderers. And the more Daggon learns about these murderers, the more he discovers how cruel the Human species can get. It’s when he discovers that Suudor’s next murder is going to be done as the infamous Jack the Ripper that Daggon and Mel head to London where Mel joins him on the hunt and ultimately poses as a prostitute to bait the alien killer.

———————————————————————

THE SOLUTION: Haag thinks that Daggon has become their biggest problem, so he uses the London wormhole to import the ultimate ‘solution’ ... an alien hit man.

The episode opens in a London hotel room where Haag is speaking to his "guest," whom we don’t see. When a busboy delivers coffee and asks, "will there be anything else?" Haag smiles and replies, "Just one thing." A flash of blue energy suddenly attacks the busboy. A moment later, the busboy lays dead on the floor and an identical version of him forms before our eyes. We learn that Haag has brought another alien down through the wormhole. This one, Jorron, is from Cirron 17 ... Daggon’s home planet, and is a Cirronian. His job is to find out where Daggon is storing the alien lifeforces he has captured and then to terminate him. Haag has every confidence in Jorron since he was once Daggon’s mentor and taught the Tracker everything he knows. Like Daggon, Jorron can shape-change, and so he assumes the identity of someone who can get close to the Tracker without raising suspicion. That someone just happens to be Mel, who has traveled with him to London.

Meanwhile, Zin has discovered Haag’s plan and knows that if Daggon uncovers Jorron’s identity he will realize that there is a second wormhole, which could jeopardize their entire operation. Zin flies to London to personally monitor the situation and to confront Haag.

Co-Stars: Katheryn Winnick (Laura); Richard Fagan (Jagar); Daniela Olivieri (Prostitute); Rory Feore (Custom’s Official); Mari Trainor (Nosy Barfly); Matthew Vanhart (Teenager)

Originally Aired: 06-May-2002; Written by: David Wolkove; Directed by: William Fruet

Synopsis: The two-part "Fever of the Hunt" was probably the biggest nail-biter of the series – and one certainly learns a lot here. One wonders, for example, just how many aliens are on Earth besides the fugitives. There are some very nice Mel/Cole interaction scenes, including humorous ones, and it was also nice to see Jess again and further round out her character. The ditzy Laura, who was here presented as if she was going to be a new cast member, was portrayed as a walking disaster, both dumb and annoying ... Cole should Collect that one!

The ‘B’ story concerns Jess and Ewan, her old boyfriend. He sent her a plane ticket (at the end of "To Catch a Desserian") and she returned to London to be with him, but he’s now hesitating about committing to marriage.

———————————————————————

The teaser opens on a nighttime highway scene where a red car has been pulled over and a grinning cop is holding a struggling teenage boy pinned to the ground. The kid manages to pull out the cop’s gun and fire it, the bullet passing clean through the palm. The cop holds up his right hand and peers out the hole.

"It’s no use to struggle," he tells the now even further terrified teen as he covers the kid’s face with a cloth that one assumes has been soaked in chloroform or ether.

Maniacally grinning as his prey’s fight weakens, he begins to sing: "Hush, little baby don’t say a word, mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird; and if that mockingbird don’t sing, mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring..."

———————————————————————

Cut to two days later at the Watchfire. Cole is bartending, deftly perfecting his juggling of bottles while Jonas Carr [the attorney who defended him in "Double Down"] sits at the bar with his newspaper, watching the show.

Jonas: "I thought Mel found a replacement for Jess for the week."

Cole: "She did, but she’s a little late."

Jonas, returning to his newspaper: "Mmm."

Cole, dropping a paper umbrella into the drink: "There we go ... One Fuzzy Navel."

Jonas: "Cole ... I drink bourbon."

Cole: "I know, but..." He grins. "Mel says if you drink that you might get lucky."

Jonas: "Oh." He takes out the umbrella and sips. "Umm ... Fuzzy."

Cole: "Yeah."

Jonas, indicating his newspaper: "You see this?"

Cole, going to set out the complimentary snack bowls: "What?"

Jonas, reading: "Missing eighteen year old. Second one in a week ... Disappeared two days ago ... Says here that ... the cops found his car abandoned on Highway 94 right near the ... Bedford ... Exit..." He removes his glasses. "That’s the same ... place where Gacy abducted his last victim..."

Cole: "Who’s Gacy?"

Jonas: "John Wayne Gacy, the Killer Clown. The most notorious serial killer in Chicago history ... What, you never heard of John Wayne Gacy?" Cole shakes his head. "Where you from, Cole?"

Cole: "Someplace you’ve never heard of."

Jonas: "Small town, huh? Somehow I had you pegged as a big city guy."

Cole, smiling: "Well, I am now." He heads back out from behind the bar to set out napkins. "So tell me about this Gacy."

Jonas: "Oh, he was clever. He used to pose as a cop as he cruised the highway for victims ... He had a thing for teenage boys ... Poor kids. They ... thought they were being pulled over for traffic tickets."

Cole: "How many victims were there?"

Jonas: "Thirty-three ... The cops found the bodies buried underneath the floorboards of Gacy’s house."

Cole: "What happened to him?"

Jonas: "Well, thankfully, he was ... caught and sent to trial. Took the jury less than two hours to come back with a verdict ... Guilty on all thirty-three counts. Earned Gacy a place in the record books ... for more murder convictions than anyone else in American history."

Just then the front door opens and a package-laden Laura comes in.

Laura: "Hi! I’m sorry I’m late. But on the way here I noticed there was a sale at Marshell Fields."

Cole: "Marshell Fields?"

Jonas: "Whoa! Whoa! ... Wait a minute ... You stopped to go shopping!?"

Laura: "On the surface ... it sounds pretty flaky ... but it was a once a year sale ... So it’s not like I really had a choice, you know."

Jonas turns away in disbelief. Cole just stands there grinning stupidly.

Laura, to Cole: "Are you Mel?"

Cole: "No. Mel’s upstairs. She’ll be down in a moment."

Laura, figuring it out: "Mel ... She ... Got it ... Totally! I’m going to hit the little girl’s room, ’kay?"

Jonas: "’Kay."

Cole, smiling after her: "’Kay." He turns his attention back to Jonas. "So, why was Gacy called ‘the Killer Clown’?"

Jonas: "Ah, he liked to play the good Samaritan ... Dressed up like a clown and entertained sick kids at local hospitals ... The press had a field day with the photographs ... Here we have ... Public Enemy Number One dressed up like Bozo."

Cole: "Maybe there’s a connection between Gacy and these missing boys."

Jonas: "Well, not unless you believe in ghosts."

Cole: "Why?"

Jonas: "Got the needle fifteen years ago ... Death by lethal injection."

Cole picks up the paper and looks at the article headlined, ‘Missing Teen, Police Baffled by Disappearance’, making a connection.

———————————————————————

Cut to ‘Gacy’s’ house where he’s seen painting on clown makeup.

———————————————————————

It’s pandemonium in the Watchfire, Laura running around in circles like a chicken without a head as a fire burns on a serving tray, bringing Mel racing down from upstairs.

Mel: "LAURA!"

Laura: "I know! I’m sorry!"

Mel, grabbing a fire extinguisher from behind the bar: "Stand back!!" She sprays out the fire.

Laura moans as she hastily mops the top of the bar.

Mel: "What did you do!?"

Laura: "Okay! ... You know how some bars have these, like, signature drinks? Like a shooter or a coffee that they’re known for?"

Mel: "I hired you to pour drinks, Laura. Not to experiment!"

Laura: "Oooo! ... Oh, I think ... I just ... I just figured that since this place is called ‘the Watchfire’ ... so it would be totally cool if we had a drink called ‘the Watchfire’ ... Get it? ... Watch ... fire..."

Mel just stares at her as if she’s crazy.

Laura: "My God! ... It won’t happen again."

Mel: "Look ... I want you to focus ... on the basics of bartending ... Opening ... Pouring ... Stirring ... Blending ... Wait! No blending! ... No, I don’t think blending is such a good idea..."

Laura, whinny: "I can handle it, Mel. I got a degree in mixology from Northwestern."

Mel: "Northwestern?"

Laura, proudly: "Northwestern School of Bartending and Small Animal Care."

Mel gawks at her in disbelief, then goes to answer the phone: "Watchfire."

Jess, calling from a phone booth in London: "You miss me yet? How’s Laura?"

Mel: "You knew about this?"

Mel: "Why?"

Jess: "Because she’s got a degree from Northwestern!"

Mel: "I’m not even going to go there! ... So tell me!"

Jess: "Tell you what?"

Mel: "You know tell me what!"

Jess: "No, it didn’t happen ... And a part of me is wondering if it ever will ... Oh, I don’t know, Mel ... Maybe I got it wrong. Maybe he hasn’t changed at all."

Mel: "Well, have you talked to him about it?"

Jess: "As a matter of fact, we’re kind of in the middle of talking about it right now."

Mel: "Well, tell him to quit screwing around or you’re ... getting on a plane and coming back to Chicago!"

Jess, teasing: "You want me back, don’t you?"

Mel: "Jess, if this is a ploy to get a raise or something..." She looks over at Laura and Laura smiles at her. "Yes! Yes! I want you back! Okay?"

Jess, as Ewan knocks on the glass of the phone booth: "Okay! Gotta go!" She hangs up.

Mel, mumbling to herself: "School of Bartending and ... Small Animal Care." She sighs.

———————————————————————

In London, Jess walks into Ewan’s arms and they kiss. She shrieks as he spins her around.

Jess: "I was getting lonely there without you."

Ewan: "Yeah?"

Jess: "Uh huh."

Ewan: "Oh ... Jess, I don’t think I can go through with it."

Jess: "Uh ... I thought we had an understanding."

Ewan: "Yeah, but I wasn’t thinking straight ... Your beauty got the better of me."

Jess: "Oh, I don’t think so! Now, either you tell me we’re on or you can go home on your own."

Ewan: "Oh, come on, Jess!"

Jess: "I’m serious, Ewan!"

Ewan: "All right! You win! But first we watch Slashers ... and then we watch (he starts to mumble) Sleepless in Seattle."

Jess, clearing her throat: "I don’t think I heard you straight."

Ewan bellows out: "SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE!" Then he accosts a passing couple, "Okay! Did you hear me? I’m going home with the love of my life to watch two hours of the warm and sentimentally gooey smash hit film Sleepless in Seattle! ..." He bows to them. "Thank you!" He then goes back to the giggling Jess. "Happy now?"

Jess: "I’m getting there."

Ewan: "Yeah?"

Jess: "Uh huh."

Giggling, arms wrapped around each other, they walk off.

———————————————————————

Back in Mel’s apartment, she comes upstairs with an armload of bar towels. Cole is at the kitchen counter studying a newspaper. He’s just poured himself a glass of water.

Mel, dumping the towels into the kitchen sink: "Much as I hate to admit it, I might need your help again behind the bar."

Cole, still engrossed in the newspaper while returning the water pitcher to the refrigerator: "Does that have anything to do with the alarm going off?"

Mel: "Well, Laura had a little accident ... The place could’ve burned down."

Cole, not really listening: "Mmm."

Mel: "Not that you would’ve noticed." She then notices the printout he has, that of a near-naked woman tied up and very dead. "I really hope that’s work related ... Who is she?"

Cole: "Twenty-six year old female found dead in Boston last week. Cause of death was forced asphyxiation."

Mel: "She was strangled?"

Cole: "With a silk stocking." He shows her another printout of another woman, same pose. "This photograph was taken in 1964. Third victim of a ... killer named the Boston Strangler."

Mel: "Albert Desalvo."

Cole: "Right. You know of him?"

Mel: "Yeah. It was a really famous case. Why are you looking at all this?"

Cole: "Well..." He clears his throat and walks into the living room, Mel following. "A teenager disappeared, the second one in this area. Jonas Carr ... gave me similarities between them and the John Wayne Gacy case ... So I cross-referenced recent homicide killings with those of famous serial killers. In the past three months there have been a string of copycat killings similar to each one of these."

He hands her some more printouts.

Mel, leafing through them: "Manson ... Bundy ... Son of Sam ... Dahmer ... All the greatest hits..."

Cole is worried, pacing a bit with his hands in his pockets. He sighs.

Mel: "You know who’s doing this, don’t you?"

[Isn’t it a little strange that Mel and Jonas haven’t heard of these copycat serial killings, that they aren’t being heavily publicized by the news media? The original "Helter Skelter" killings by the Manson clan, for example, were headline news in the 1960’s. Wouldn’t the news media be in a frenzy over copycats of such killings?].

Cole: "At Sar-Top we had a prisoner named Suudor. He was serving a life sentence for mimicking multiple homicide offenders in the Migar Solar System."

Mel: "Well, if he’s one of the escapees, he’s probably pulling the same routine here ... You gotta find him."

Cole: "Yes, Mel." He heads back into the kitchen. "The problem is, he’s a Desserian."

Mel: "Like Nestov."

Cole: "Right."

Mel: "Which means he has the ability to blend into foreign environments." He looks up from his printouts and smiles fondly at her. "I’m learning." She smiles back. "So, how do you Track him?"

Cole: "It’s not going to be easy. But I persuaded Nestov to give me an inside into Desserian vulnerabilities." He comes out of the kitchen with his glass of water. "It seems that when they adapt to an area, they take on that environment’s odors." He sits down opposite Mel on the sofa.

Mel: "So you’re hoping to sniff him out like a bloodhound?"

Cole: "Probably not." He drinks as Mel smiles at him. "Hmm ... Well, it should give me the edge that I need. I’ll take anything I can with someone as ruthless as Suudor ... In the ten months before his capture ... he went on a killing spree ... It spanned three planets."

———————————————————————

Mel goes with Cole to see what they can find out at the scene of the most recent disappearance.

[One thing that really bothered here was Cole’s light jacket, lack of gloves and bare head as he was out in the snowy landscape looking for clues. Mel was well bundled up, but he wasn’t. Who’s supposed to be sensitive to the cold?].

Cole, pacing out the distance: "According to the police reports, the victim’s car was found twenty-three yards east of the highway marker."

Mel, looking around: "Well, it doesn’t look as if there’s much in the way of clues ... I mean ... there’s not even a cigarette butt in sight."

Cole: "What would we do with a cigarette butt?"

Mel: "Well, I figured you could get some fingerprints from it or do some fancy kind of saliva test."

Cole: "What would I do with a saliva test!?"

Mel: "Okay! Pretend I never even brought it up! ... I was just trying to make a point. And obviously not a very clear one."

Cole: "Okay."

Mel: "So, what do we do now?"

Cole: "We look carefully. Suudor would’ve copied Gacy precisely and parked ten yards behind the victim’s vehicle."

Mel just looks at him as if to say, ‘so’?

Cole: "Well, there are always clues. Sometimes you just don’t see them."

He kneels down and begins sensing the ground.

Mel: "Anything?"

Cole: "Uh huh."

He flips up his sleeve to expose a wrist gadget.

Mel: "What’s that?"

Cole: "It’s a scanner that measures rubber residue formations."

Mel: "Okay. I’m just going to nod and pretend I know what that means."

[She must feel that way a lot, whether or not she ever says so!].

Cole, smiling indulgently at her: "When a car’s parked, its weight forces tiny rubber particles from the tires into the roadway ... See?"

He holds up his arm so she can see the tire-tread image on the scanner.

Mel: "Wow! ... That’s impressive!"

Cole: "Thank you."

Mel: "But how can we be sure those are Suudor’s Tracks?"

Cole: "We can’t."

———————————————————————

Laura: "Mmm ... Can I freshen that up for you?"

Jonas: "Ah, yes, you can."

Laura, busy mixing: "Rum and Coke, right?"

Jonas: "Ah, ah ... Actually, um, bourbon and ginger..."

Laura: "Close enough!" She slides the glass over to him, it sloshing and knocking over a bowl of pretzels. "Oh! Ah! God! Sorry!"

She hastily starts mopping and tossing pretzels back into the bowl.

Jonas, tossing some more pretzels back in the bowl: "It’s okay."

Laura: "So, you’re, like, a lawyer."

Jonas: "I’m like a lawyer."

Laura: "Coool! My dad wanted me to go to law school. But it just really wasn’t my thing."

Jonas: "Well, that surprises me."

[His tone says just the opposite. Jonas is as tolerant and forgiving with Laura as he would be with a mentally challenged child].

Laura: "Yeah, but then I saw Legally Blonde. You know, the movie with Reese Witherspoon."

Jonas: "Never seen it."

Laura, laughing: "Oh! She’s this really popular girl who goes to law school and she becomes this totally successful lawyer and gets engaged to this hot guy."

Jonas, nodding, but then when Laura doesn’t continue: "And?"

Laura: "And? ... That’s how the movie ended."

Jonas: "Ah! I see ... Yeah ... I thought perhaps that you were going to make some sort of point. You know, that this film ... ah ... you know, affected your ... life."

Laura, puzzling then finally getting it: "Oh, yeah! I decided right then and there that it would be so cool to go to law school."

Jonas: "Well! There you are! ... Have you, ah, contacted any?"

Laura: "Any what?"

Mel and Cole come in.

Mel: "Everything under control here?"

Laura: "Totally!"

Jonas, turning to smile at Mel: "Totally."

Mel, smiling back: "Glad to hear it." To Laura, "Keep up the good work, Laura."

Laura: "Thanks, Mel."

As Mel follows Cole to the stairwell, Laura picks up a tray full of glasses, stumbles and falls with a few shrieks and a loud crash. Mel stops dead in her tracks but doesn’t turn around.

Laura, popping back up immediately: "Sorry! I’m bad! I’ll clean it up! Everything’s still cool! Okay?"

Mel, with a sigh and an ‘I’m not going to let this get to me’ expression: "Totally."

She goes upstairs and shuts the door.

———————————————————————

Up in the War Room, Mel and Cole are checking out tires.

Mel, reading from some report: "The tires are Johnson P800’s."

Cole: "Uh huh. The same model as came with the 1972 Impala."

Mel: "Let me guess ... The same car that Gacy drove?"

Cole, thoughtfully: "It’s consistent with Suudor’s MO. He doesn’t just ... copy these killers. He becomes them down to the last detail."

Mel: "But it says here that this model has been out of production since 1982."

Cole: "Could you drive on the same tires for twenty years?"

Mel: "Not really. If you did, they would be completely bald."

Cole, gently teasing: "You mean they wouldn’t have any hair on them."

[Note how Cole seems to deliberately and consistently tease with Mel with real and building affection and she finally seems appreciative of it. They’re both starting to view each other as being less alien].

Mel, seeing that he’s joking: "I mean that they wouldn’t have any treading on them."

Cole, grinning at her: "And where would someone find tires that have been out of production for twenty years?"

[Minor annoyance here: Rubber disintegrates over time and car tires don’t last twenty years even if they’re never used. If they said "reproductions of original tires" instead, one could more easily suspend disbelief].

Mel: "I don’t know ... The internet maybe?"

Cole: "Uh, mmm."

Mel: "There’s got to be a vintage tire supplier who keeps old models in storage."

Cole, continuing to gently tease, already has an internet tire page up. They smile at each other. He then hacks into the invoices of the site’s order department.

Cole: "This invoice came from a supplier in Tennessee. (Phil’s Automotive Tire Company). This same tire was shipped to an address in Chicago."

Mel: "Is there a name to go along with that address?"

Cole: "J.W. Gacy."

———————————————————————

Cut to Suudor removing his clown makeup, then examining his plane tickets.

———————————————————————

Cut to a London pub with an angry Jess, a mealy-mouthed Ewan and a nosy woman barfly.

Jess, storming away: "Oh!"

Ewan, rushing to stop her: "Jess! Wait!" He grabs her arm "Sit down. Let’s talk about it."

Jess: "That’s your problem, Ewan!" She shakes off his hand. "You’re all talk!"

Ewan: "Aw! Sorry if I’m not a boring romantic like ... Tom Hanks! Welcome to real life!"

Nosy Barfly: "Oooh! Tom Hanks! Loved him in Castaway."

Ewan: "Do you mind?"

Nosy Barfly: "I even loved him in Joe Versus the Volcano, though not many people saw that one."

Jess: "You know, it’s hard for me waiting around for you to make some sort of commitment!"

Ewan: "I’m all about commitment! I’ve got ... I’ve got a job."

Jess: "Installing car radios part-time is hardly a commitment, Ewan!"

Nosy Barfly: "I should say not!"

Ewan, to Barfly: "Would you please!?" To Jess, "How about playing in a band?"

Jess turns away in disgust.

Ewan: "Taking care of Spike? That’s no small responsibility."

Jess: "Spike is a goldfish, Ewan! You can’t even commit to a real pet like a dog ... Or even a cat! And they hardly need any attention at all!"

Nosy Barfly: "I have nine cats. You can have one of mine. Except for Fulvous (?). He’s my favorite. Now you’re going to have to pull a dump."

Ewan, ignoring the Barfly: "Jess, what’s your point?"

Jess: "What part of this don’t you understand, Ewan? You sent for me! I was happy in Chicago, doing my best to try and forget about how much you hurt me! I mean, you decide to just drop back into my life and here I am and I want to know why!"

Ewan mumbles incoherently and Jess pulls out the ring box he sent her, demanding, "Are you planning on filling this or not?"

Ewan doesn’t know what to say as the Nosy Barfly’s eyes get all big and round and she demands: "Well?"

Jess: "I’m booking my flight back to Chicago ... And don’t call me!"

She shoves the ring box at him and leaves in a huff.

[Hip/cool/smart/sassy Jess has been pining for this BOY? What a disappointment. And it puts her in a whole different light. One couldn’t believe that Ewan was what she wanted in a MAN!].

———————————————————————

Using the address obtained from the invoice, Mel and Cole visit Suudor’s home.

Mel: "Well! Looks like we missed him. Also looks like he wasn’t expecting any guests ... What’s that smell?"

Cole, searching the place, finds something: "Mel, what’s this?"

Cole: "Suudor."

Mel then trips over a loose floorboard and, when Cole pulls it up, finds the dead body of the teenage boy from the teaser. Mel gasps in horror, covers her mouth and turns away.

The next scene, the body has been pulled out from beneath the floor and Cole is adjusting yet another electronic gizmo on his right wrist.

Cole, handing something to Mel: "Turn the computer on and plug that into the back."

Mel: "Sure ... What is that thing?"

Cole: "It’s an Ocular Scanner."

Mel: "What does it do?"

Cole: "When a Human dies, the last image they see is burnt into the retina." He goes over to the computer and types in a command. "An Ocular Scanner is able to retrieve those images ... There."

Mel, as Suudor’s grinning face comes into focus on screen: "So that’s him..."

Mel then uses her cell phone to call the police.

Mel: "3465 Summerdale ... Can you send an officer?"

Mel: "I’m a ... concerned neighbor."

Mel: "Actually, I’d rather not give you my name." She disconnects. "That’ll get them here."

Cole: "Come on, we’ve got to go." But Mel heads over to the computer. "What are you doing?"

Mel: "Checking to see if there’s any information here that will help us find our killer."

Cole: "But the police are going to be here soon."

Mel: "It will only take a second ... I’m checking the web browser. Online data is sent to a temporary folder before it’s deleted."

Cole, watching over her shoulder: "I didn’t know you were proficient with computers."

Mel: "Yeah, well ... I learned about this little trick in a magazine once."

Cole: "Really?"

Mel: "Actually, it was Cosmo. ‘How to Find Out If Your Man is Having an Online Affair’ ... Here we go ... The last site Suudor visited was Travel Brokers dot com ... There’s an email confirmation over here ... Looks like he left the country two days ago ... One-way plane ticket ... O’Hare to Heathrow."

Cole: "Where’s Heathrow?"

Mel: "London."

———————————————————————

Mel and Cole have now arrived at Heathrow Airport in London and are waiting their turn to pass through Customs, inching slowly forward on the line.

Mel: "I can’t believe this!"

Cole, looking at a brochure: "Believe what?"

Mel: "That out of hundreds of people on that flight, we were randomly selected to have our luggage gone through by Customs!"

Cole: "I thought ‘customs’ was sociological practices specific to different cultures."

Mel: "They are ... But at the airport customs are completely different."

Cole: "What kind of different?"

Mel: "A royal pain in the ass kind of different!" It’s now their turn. "I don’t have time to explain."

Mel, simpering up to the bored Customs Official: "You people really earn your money! Can I just tell you that? ... So! How are you today?"

Customs Official: "Bags on the counter."

Mel: "God, I love that accent!" She giggles. "It’s so great!"

Customs Official: "On the counter, ma’am."

Mel, lifting a bag: "I could just hear you say that all day."

Customs Official, rejecting that bag and pointing to another: "That one."

Cole, bringing over the indicated bag: "This one? ... Okay."

Customs Official: "Where are you arriving from?"

Mel: "Uh ... Chicago, Illinois."

Customs Official: "Passport."

Mel, handing them over: "Uh huh." The Customs Official starts unzipping the bag. "Uh ... Please..."

Customs Official: "Is there a problem?"

Mel: "Um ... No. No problem."

Mel: "No!" Now the Customs Official looks interested as Mel furiously backpedals. "No, no, no, no ... No, I didn’t. I didn’t say that. What I said was – and I remember clearly when I said it – I said, um, that I couldn’t wait to see the royalty of London as ... always! ... He misunderstood. He always misunderstands!"

Cole: "No, I didn’t, Mel."

The Custom’s Official then holds up a sexy, lacy black Victoria’s Secret-style bustier. Cole’s eyes get all big as he looks at it.

Mel, to Cole: "That-that-that’s for Jess ... Well, she’s getting married!" To the Customs Official, "Well, we hope that she’s getting married ... He’s having trouble popping the question but we’re keeping our fingers crossed..." Finally starting to unravel, "Is it really necessary for you to go through everything in such detail?"

Customs Official: "Yes." He points to another bag. "Now I’ll have that one."

———————————————————————

Finally done, Mel and Cole go down the stairs, leaving the Customs area.

Mel: "Ha! I hope you’re happy! Do you have any idea how very close you were to a full cavity search!?"

Cole: "What’s that?"

Mel: "You don’t want to know!"

Cole: "Well, it sounds interesting."

Mel: "Trust me! You don’t want to know!"

Cole: "Yes, I do, Mel."

Mel, finally reaching ground level: "Cole! You don’t want to know!"

Cole: "Okay, Mel ... But you seem rather tense."

Mel, exasperated as they begin looking around for Jess: "Let me ask you a question ... Was it really necessary to tell him that you were from Cirron? Especially after all the hard work you did on that passport, that clearly states you’re from Chicago!?"

Cole, following her: "Well, he caught me off guard. Besides, it’s not in my nature to lie."

[Actually, Cole lies all the time though admittedly it’s more often by omission or misdirection than anything else. And when asked a straight question, he’s likely to reply with a straight answer].

Mel: "It’s just you have to learn that sometimes it’s necessary to adjust your answers to the circumstances so that you don’t make waves."

Cole: "Is that what you do?"

Mel: "When I have to, yes ... But I don’t have as much baggage as you do."

Cole, who’s ignorant of the idiomatic reference and who’s laden with nearly all their luggage: "You have twice as much as I do!" Mel gives him a fond but long-suffering look, and Cole misinterprets, "Oh! You were demonstrating how easy it is for you to lie!"

[What is with all the bags? How long are they going to be there, anyway? A year?].

Mel: "No! I was only..."

Jess, running over: "Oh! You’re here!" She nearly strangles the both of them in a hug. "Oh! I can’t believe you’re here! It’s so good to see you both!" Then to Cole on his sunglasses, "Nice glasses!"

Cole: "Thank you."

Jess: "Sooo! How was the flight?"

Mel, smiling and nodding: "Good!"

Cole: "Good."

Jess: "Oh, I almost fainted when you called me, Mel! In all the time I’ve known you, you’ve never taken a holiday!"

Mel: "Well ... we thought it was a perfect time for a vacation ... Right, Cole?"

Cole, flustered: "Perfect. Perfect. Perfect time for a vacation. Perfect." He walks on ahead.

Jess: "Is he okay?"

Mel: "Yeah ... So! Where’s Ewan?"

Jess: "Ah, he went to pick up the car. He’ll meet us outside ... So, Mel ... Why are you really here?"

Mel, feigning innocence: "What do you mean?"

Jess: "It’s more undercover stuff, isn’t it?"

Mel, smiling: "Yeah ... It’s gotten international now!"

They both giggle.

———————————————————————

Their arrival at Heathrow has been monitored by an Orsian, who mentally communicates that fact with his brother.

———————————————————————

Meanwhile in an antique-furnished and decorated room with a gramophone playing, Suudor is sitting at a desk writing a letter with a quill pen. He uses a prepared rubber stamp to sign it: "Yours truly, Jack the Ripper."

———————————————————————

In a busy London pub, Cole is standing with Ewan at the bar waiting for their order to arrive while Mel and Jess are standing at their counter table. Cole is looking around at the crowd, his mind not really there.

Ewan: "Can I ask you something?"

Cole: "Yeah."

Ewan: "You walk around in your underpants, right?"

Cole: "Mmm. Not often."

Ewan: "Right. But does Mel like it?"

Cole, nodding: "I think so."

Jess, to Mel: "You know, Ewan is really very sweet. He kind of grows on you."

Mel: "I’m sure he does ... Well, as my grandmother used to say..."

Jess, finishing: "... So does mold!" They both laugh.

Mel: "So? ... Did he ask?"

Jess, long-suffering tone: "We’re talking."

Mel: "Sounds promising."

Jess: "Depends on what time of day ... Can I ask you something?"

Mel: "Sure."

Jess: "What’s going on with you and Cole?"

Mel: "What do you mean?"

Jess: "I mean this trip. What’s it really about?"

Mel: "I told you ... He needed to come over for ... business."

Jess: "And you’re just tagging along, then."

Mel: "I guess. I mean, you’re here ... Like you said, it’s been a long time since I took a vacation."

Jess, laughing: "You are a lousy liar, Mel!"

Mel: "No, I am not! ... What are you talking about?"

Jess: "I’m talking about you and Cole!" She laughs again and they both look over toward Cole and Ewan. "You’ve been hiding it from me for too long now!"

Mel: "Hiding what?"

Jess: "I know why you’re here. I know what’s going on ... It’s adorable, actually ... Sneaking away for a romantic little getaway ... Using my being in London as your excuse."

Mel: "You’ve lost it, Jess."

Jess: "Oh, yeah?"

Mel: "I’m serious! There’s nothing going on between me and Cole!"

Jess: "So, ah, why are you sharing a hotel room, then?"

Mel: "To save money!" Jess grins at her. "We’re sleeping in different beds."

Jess, smug: "Yeah. For now."

Mel laughs uneasily, then Cole and Ewan come over with pints for all and they toast ("Cheers" and "Welcome to England"). Cole drains his glass without once coming up for air, then heartily burps.

———————————————————————

Mel and Cole are finally settling into their hotel room. Cole is unpacking a new microwave from a carton while Mel sets up a privacy screen in front of the bed.

Mel: "A girl needs her privacy."

Cole: "Yes, but I told you you can have the bed. You know I don’t sleep."

Mel: "I know, but..."

Cole, coming over to reassure her: "Mel, there’s no need to be embarrassed. You must have a lovely body."

Mel, uncertain how to respond, changes the subject: "What’s that?"

Cole, leading her over to the laptop: "Oh, I programmed the computer to monitor Scotland Yard’s data base." He looks closer, just noticing, "It’s logged an entry ... The London Times has received a death threat."

Mel: "Someone disagree with an editorial?" She leans over and starts to read aloud, "Dear Boss ... They say I’ve been dead near a hundred years. The truth is, I’ve just been sleeping. Now I’m back. The streets of London will again flow with the blood spilled from my blade ... Yours truly..."

Cole, finishing: "... Jack the Ripper."

———————————————————————

Suudor is just starting to check out the local talent in White Chapel when Jagar approaches him.

Jagar: "Suudor!"

Suudor: "What are you doing here?"

Jagar, handing him a manila envelope: "Here they are."

Suudor, taking the envelope: "Now leave. I have work to do."

Jagar: "You call this work?"

Suudor: "Work, pleasure, life, death. It’s all entwined in a lovely knot."

Prostitute, sauntering over: "Hello, darling ... Looking for some fun? ... If you ain’t got a car, I can do you a quickie in the alley."

Suudor: "It’s not my style."

Prostitute: "And what might your style be then, lover boy?"

Suudor: "Something a little more exotic."

Prostitute: "Oh, I can do exotic, all right."

Jagar has seen enough and he leaves.

Suudor: "Just exploring the various ... opportunities."

Prostitute: "So, you have a secret wanting?"

Suudor: "Possibly."

Prostitute: "So what will it be? ... Time’s money, you know. I’m not interested in talking if you’re not interested in buying."

She starts to walk away.

Suudor, grabbing her and hissing in her face: "Mind your tongue! You’ll go when I say you can go and not before! ... Do you understand!?"

Prostitute, stunned and placating: "Whatever you say."

He shoves her away, looks her up and down, then moves off to look at another.

Prostitute, muttering to herself: "Disgusting smelly wank!" She hurriedly walks away.

———————————————————————

Back in Mel and Cole’s hotel room...

Cole, pacing: "I don’t understand. On my planet these killers are reviled. Here, they’re celebrated!"

Mel: "Yeah, well, it’s sick. A lot of people have a fascination with the concept of serial killers."

Cole, still pacing: "Well, your planet is very strange, Mel. You have people living on the streets, children starving all over the world, your world leaders are elected by the lies that they tell, and you have a global communications system like the internet that promotes hate and glorifies people like John Wayne Gacy and Jack the Ripper!"

Cole, sort of taking a deep breath: "Uh ... I - I - I’m sorry ... It’s just my point of view."

Mel, stunned and staring at him a moment, just sitting there with a book: "No! You’re absolutely right! I mean, this guy is accountable for the murder of five women, all of them prostitutes. Maybe seven. Possibly thirteen. He slits all of their throats with a knife or a scalpel and ends up a celebrity!"

Brief cut to Suudor making out in an alley with a prostitute.

Cole: "I accessed the original columns wrote about it on the internet. And in each case the killer removed an organ from the victim’s body."

Mel: "Hence the name ... Jack the Ripper." She consults the book. "It says here that the precision of the operations suggests that he may have had some kind of medical training."

Another brief cut back to Suudor, now drawing a knife on the unsuspecting prostitute.

Cole: "So the Ripper could have been a doctor."

Mel: "But what I don’t get is, if this guy was never caught, how is Suudor copying him?"

Cole: "Oh, Suudor is going by the same information we have, immersing himself into every detail of the case until he’s ready to strike."

Mel, hearing a shriek from outside: "What was that!?"

Cole: "Sounded like a cat."

Mel: "A cat ... Right." She snuggles deeper into her sweater.

Cole: "Well, most of the murders were in the White Chapel area. I’ll start there." He puts on his jacket. "You should get some sleep."

Mel: "Yeah, that should be easy ... Considering there’s a serial killer from another planet roaming the streets."

Cole smiles thinly and turns to leave.

Mel: "Be careful."

———————————————————————

Cole prowls around White Chapel, sensing the area, eventually discovering the body of the recently murdered prostitute half-buried amid trash in a rubble-strewn lot while Jagar observes him from hiding.

———————————————————————

Morning in Mel and Cole’s hotel room. Cole is working on his laptop while Mel is fast asleep in her red satin pajamas, dreaming about her old boyfriend Bobby and talking about him in her sleep.

Mel: "Ummm." She giggles. "Ummm ... No, Bobby, we shouldn’t ... Ummm ... Oh, okay, but don’t tell anyone." She giggles again. "Ooh ... Oooh, Bobby ... Oh, Bobby..."

At first Cole tries to ignore what he’s hearing but soon he can’t resist and goes to peer over the privacy screen at the smiling, sleeping Mel.

Mel, abruptly starting awake and seeing Cole watching her: "What?"

Cole: "Who’s Bob?"

Mel: "Bob?"

Cole: "Bob-by."

Mel, at first smiling dreamily: "Bobby..." Then she realizes. "I have no idea!"

Cole: "Oh." He turns away, but his slight smirk says that he knows better.

Mel: "Was I talking in my sleep?"

Cole: "Yes, you were."

Mel thinks a moment, then jumps out of bed to peer around the privacy screen at Cole, now seated again with his laptop: "What, ah, um..." She nervously clears her throat. "... exactly did I say?"

Cole, giving a teasing, mimicking recount in falsetto, starting with a high-pitched giggle: "No, Bobby, we shouldn’t ... Ummm ... Oh, okay, but don’t tell anyone." He giggles again. "Ooh ... Oooh, Bobby ... Oh, Bobby..."

Mel, cutting him off: "Thank you! ... for that ... very dramatic re-enactment ... I think I’ll go brush my teeth." Embarrassed, she flees for the bathroom.

[As in the earlier scene with the Customs Official and the Victoria’s Secret lingerie, the contrast in this cute and funny exchange is between the good girl and the lusty girl. Mel is a good girl, but has a lusty side to her nature as well. It gives Cole the knowledge that Human women are very complex creatures with many facets to them].

Mel, calling out after a moment: "So! When did you get back?"

Cole: "About two hours ago."

Mel: "Did you find Suudor?"

Cole: "No, but I found one of his victims."

Mel, coming out of the bathroom with her toothbrush: "He killed someone already here?"

Cole: "A young woman." He closes the laptop. "Her throat was cut and her liver was missing."

Mel: "Did he leave any other clues behind?"

Cole: "No. That’s why I came back here, to check the Scotland Yard forensic reports ... Unfortunately, they didn’t find anything, either." He takes his jacket.

Mel: "Where are you going now?"

Cole: "Back to White Chapel. The women who work that area should be there now. I’ll see what I can find out."

Mel is left brushing her teeth.

———————————————————————

It’s afternoon and Mel and Jess are sitting in a pub and talking.

Jess: "You look tired."

Mel: "Didn’t get much sleep last night."

Jess: "Cole keep you up, did he?"

Mel: "Jet lag."

Jess, smug: "Uh huh."

Mel, changing the subject: "So what’s going on with Ewan?"

Jess, with a sigh: "I don’t know. I’m just scared he’s not going to make a commitment."

Mel: "Then why would he ask you to London?"

Jess: "I don’t know. He said he was lonely, he said that he missed me."

Mel: "So he had you fly across the Atlantic Ocean because ... he was ... lonely..."

Jess: "Yeah ... Kind of romantic, though, isn’t it?"

Mel: "I think Ewan has a lot of growing up to do."

Jess: "Actually, he’s grown up a lot since I last saw him."

Mel, being sensible: "Jess, you said yourself he can’t even commit to what pair of underwear he’s going to put on in the morning!"

Jess: "Well, he’s solved that one out. He doesn’t wear any now."

Mel: "I just want what’s best for you. I think you can do better."

Jess: "Oh, I don’t know, Mel. I mean, Ewan’s got a lot going for him."

Mel: "Like what? A lot of debt?" Jess rolls her eyes. "Sorry ... I’m tired ... I just want you to ask yourself if this is really the man that ... you want to spend the rest of your life with."

Jess: "I know and I have! Ewan might have some faults, but I love him."

Mel: "Okay. So that brings us back to ... why you’re in London. Do you really think he’s not going to propose?"

Jess: "I don’t know." She shrugs. "Maybe I should just ask him myself."

Mel: "Maybe you should."

Jess: "Maybe I will!"

They clink their glasses in a toast to that, unaware that Jagar is there and keeping them under observation.

———————————————————————

Cole is in White Chapel to talk with the prostitutes and meets up with the same one Suudor threatened.

Prostitute, approaching him: "Aren’t you pretty spiff."

Cole: "Hello."

Prostitute: "Hello, you, love ... Fancy a date? Now don’t worry. You don’t have to buy me dinner ... We can just skip ahead to the sex."

Cole: "Well, actually, I’m not hungry. I just have a few questions."

Prostitute: "Great! Another would-be Sherlock Holmes! You want to know about Katie."

Cole: "Was she the girl who was killed last night?"

Prostitute, nodding: "Freaky ... Terrible thing ... But you don’t work the streets without taking risks ... You a copper?" Cole looks at her in puzzlement. "A policeman."

Cole: "Oh! No. No, um..."

Prostitute: "One of those sick tourists out for sick thrills!" She walks away.

Cole, following: "No, ah, I just want to know if you’ve seen this man."

He shows her a printout of the ocular scan.

Prostitute: "Right! ... He looked sort of different, though, but I remember him."

Cole: "You spoke to him?"

Prostitute: "And that’s all we did! He was all talk, no action ... I pushed him off to the other girls ... My other colleagues ... Guess I wasn’t his thing ... Which is just as well! He was bleeding creepy!"

Cole: "Then what happened?"

Prostitute: "Soon enough, he just pushed off..." She gasps. "You think he’s the one that killed Katie?" Cole doesn’t want to answer that one. "Well, all right! ... If there’s nothing else, then just push off. I don’t get paid to make conversation here."

She approaches another man, who just keeps walking.

Cole, apologizing: "I understand. You’re a prostitute. You ... give sex in exchange for money."

He starts to leave, but the Prostitute has a change of heart because he doesn't judge her.

Prostitute, hesitantly: "Are you sure you wouldn’t want to grab a bite to eat maybe?"

Cole: "Uh, no. I have to go."

Prostitute: "Well, good luck finding the bloke. You might try following his smell."

Cole, walking back: "What do you mean?"

Prostitute: "He stank! ... Sort of like the chemicals ... Like you use in toilets."

Cole: "Disinfectants?"

Prostitute: "Yes! Yes! ... Yeah, it may be! It was sort of mediciney."

Cole: "Is there a hospital nearby?"

Prostitute: "Sure! Take this street all the way down. Third on the left."

Cole: "Thank you."

Prostitute: "Good luck!"

———————————————————————

Cut to Suudor, wearing hospital scrubs, just finishing washing his hands and entering an operating room.

Cole enters the main floor of the hospital and begins wandering the halls, searching, until Suudor finally exits the operating room, still wearing his surgical mask. He seems to sense the Tracker, just as Cole senses him as he walks by, and starts to follow him.

Suudor grabs a patient, his evil grin stopping Cole short. He flings the patient into a wall, and Cole pauses to be sure the man is all right while Suudor tauntingly backs away. Cole moves toward him again, and again Suudor grabs a patient and throws him. This time Cole has to intervene before the patient splits his skull. By the time he looks up, Suudor has vanished. He cautiously advances, then the Desserian emerges from a wall and slams him with an IV stand before running off again.

Cole gives chase, cornering Suudor in an examination room, but he’s holding a nurse hostage.

Suudor, laughing: "You see this? You see this?" He then flings the nurse out the window.

Cole goes into hyperspeed to get downstairs in time to catch the nurse, who then promptly faints. By the time he looks up to the window, Suudor is gone.

[It isn’t clear why Cole just dinked around and didn’t use his hyperspeed to begin with to grab Suudor].

Leaving the hospital while Cole is otherwise engaged, Suudor examines the contents of the manila envelope that Jagar gave him, seeing that it contains photos of Mel and Jess that were taken at the airport.

They’ve been set up to be his next two victims...

Co-Stars: Katheryn Winnick (Laura); Richard Fagan (Jagar); Markus Parilo (Haag); Anthony Bekenn (Parker); Jeff White (Bellhop); Sally Johns (Woman Hailing Taxi)

Originally Aired: 13-May-2002; Written by: Grant Rosenberg; Directed by: William Fruet

Synopsis: This is a good episode and moves very fast once Mel, Jess and Ewan are all in harm’s way, so it really needs to be seen more than once to get it all. It seems there are a number of unaccounted for aliens in London. And, of course, Suudor is still on the loose. Jess is shown as a more rounded personality, coming across as less and less of a stereotype. Her character’s fleshing out nicely, as is her friendship with Mel.

Mel is seen defending herself and rushing into the fray to help Cole, becoming ever more of a full partner to him. She isn’t one to just wait around for rescuing, and that was one of the best things about the show. She’s really one smart, tough, together cookie and she hangs on very well, even when the going gets beyond tough.

Yet one has to feel a little sorry for Mel throughout both parts of "Fever" as well. One could see her utter frustration at the airport; her embarrassment several times in the hotel room; her worry over Cole; her exasperation at her inability to get even a few hours of sleep; her worry for Jess; her anxiety over the alien lifeforce Cole has in his Collector; her horror at coming face to face with Suudor and his knife not just once but three times; et al.

———————————————————————

The teaser, of course, is a well-rounded recap of Part I.

The episode begins as Cole, on his way out of a hospital men’s room, is confused with someone else.

Parker: "Oh! I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Inspector." He holds out his hand. "Daniel Parker, the Hospital Chief Administrator."

They shake hands, Cole all the while watching the way his lips move.

Parker: "And you are?"

Cole: "Cole."

Parker: "Inspector Cole, is it?" They start walking together.

Cole: "Special Investigator, actually."

Parker: "Ah! ... I’d like to take you into my confidence ... This whole thing is a disaster. We could be facing a seven figure settlement."

Cole: "Seven figure."

Parker: "Oh, easily! Now the case in Lancaster, where a man had a cancerous tumor on his leg ... and the doctor operated on the wrong leg, took it off just below the knee..."

Cole: "Oh!"

Parker: "That was settled for eight million pounds. I suppose that’s the going rate for a healthy leg."

Cole: "I suppose so." Then, noting all the cops in the halls as they walk, "Would you mind telling me what ... ah ... happened here?"

Parker: "Mrs. Carswell came in for elective surgery, a simple cyst removal. Now she’s in full renal failure!"

Cole: "There were complications."

Parker: "Ah, you could say that ... Instead of removing the cyst, this lunatic cut out both her kidneys!" He shows Cole some papers. "His medical record was forged – along with his personnel file, medical license and hospital ID!"

Cole: "So, the surgeon was masquerading as a doctor."

Parker: "More than that! He must have had some training! This chap really knew what he was doing!"

Cole: "Why would you say that?"

Parker: "I had our Head of Surgery examine the patient. He said the incisions and sutures were among the best he’s ever seen!"

Now Cole knows for certain what manner of evil Suudor had been up to in the hospital.

———————————————————————

Meanwhile, Mel and Jess are sitting at the bar in a pub. Jess is working at getting herself tanked.

Mel: "I think you’d better slow down."

Jess: "Got a long way to go!"

Mel: "Jess, getting drunk in the middle of the afternoon isn’t going to solve anything!"

Mel: "So, what did Ewan say?"

Jess, dejected: "What does it matter?"

Mel: "Because maybe you misinterpreted what he said."

Jess: "Mel, how many ways can you misinterpret the word ‘no’!?"

Mel: "Well ... there’s ‘no, not yet’ ... and then there’s, ‘no, I don’t want a commitment’ ... Of course, then there’s, ‘no, I don’t want to get married’."

Jess, wryly: "Sounds like you were listening in on our conversation."

Mel: "Well, which excuse did he give you?"

Jess: "Well, let me see ... there was ‘no, not yet’ ... ‘no, I don’t want a commitment’ ... and," She lowers her voice to an imitative baritone, "‘no, I don’t want to get married’!"

Mel, with a sigh: "So he called it off."

Jess: "Mel, maybe you know something I don’t, but I don’t think it was ever on!"

Mel, sympathetically: "Oh, Jess ... Do you still love him?"

Jess, morosely nodding: "Yeah."

Mel: "Well, I’ve been honest about how I feel about Ewan ... But if that’s the way that you really feel and if this is what you want, then you’ve got to fight for him!"

Jess, mock-toasting with her glass: "Fight!"

Mel, taking her glass away: "And you’ve had enough."

Jess: "No, I haven’t."

Mel: "Yeah, you have! And you know why? Because you’ve reached that stage where your emotions are in a perfect balance. You know ... A little anger, a little fear, some rationality ... and a whole lot of who gives a damn!"

Jess, taking the bottle: "Yeah? And?"

Mel, taking the bottle away: "And, one more drink, you screw up the balance and you lose your edge."

Jess: "My edge ... What edge?"

Mel: "You need to get together with Ewan right now and close the deal."

Jess: "Close the deal?"

Mel: "Now!"

Jess: "You sure?"

Mel: "Positive!"

Jess: "Okay!" She grabs her coat, then stops. "Just one question ... If you’re so good at all of this ... How come you’re still single?"

Mel, with a melancholy shrug: "’Cause I’ve never reached that perfect balance."

Jess: "Never?"

Mel: "Came close once..." She shakes off the mood. "That was it."

Jess, sighing: "This sucks big."

Mel: "You gotta get out of here ... Don’t want to lose that balance; don’t want to lose that edge."

Jess: "Can’t have that now, can we!?"

Mel: "Jess ... Give him hell!"

Jess: "I will!" She grabs her coat and leaves.

———————————————————————

Mel returns to the hotel room and calls out "Hello," but Cole isn’t there. Realizing that he must still be out hunting the streets, she calls him on her cell phone.

Cole: "Hello?"

Mel: "Cole! Where are you?"

Cole: "Tracking Suudor."

Mel: "You still haven’t found him yet?"

Cole: "Oh, I Tracked him to a hospital, but he got away."

Mel: "How?"

Cole: "He threw a nurse out the window. It’s a long story, Mel."

Mel: "Disgusting and tenacious."

Cole: "Tenacity is what landed him in Sar-Top in the first place."

Mel: "What do you mean?"

Cole: "He was mimicking a Vardian serial killer when the authorities closed in. He still proceeded with the killing, knowing full well that he’d get caught."

Mel: "Why wouldn’t he just give up at that point?"

Cole: "Because he can’t. Once he’s assumed the identity of a killer, he can’t shed the role until he’s satisfied his urges."

Mel, sighing: "He killed that woman the other night ... Isn’t that enough?"

Cole: "No. He’s a serial killer, which means multiple victims. He’ll definitely strike again."

Mel: "So, when?"

Cole: "Now that he knows I’m here ... he’ll strike quickly. My guess is tonight. All the other murders happened in a two hour window ... between midnight and two A.M."

Unbeknownst to Cole, he’s being tailed by Jagar.

Mel: "Do you have any idea where?"

Cole: "Same place as last night. The White Chapel District. I’m going to check out the area, see if I can find a vantage point."

Mel: "Okay. I’m going to try and catch up on my sleep."

Cole: "Well, say hello to Bobby for me."

[Cole doesn’t joke very often, which makes it that much more amusing when he does].

Mel: "Cute."

She disconnects and flops exhausted on the bed, still holding the cell phone. Within a few moments, it rings.

Mel, bleary: "Hello?"

Laura: "Mel! How’s London!?"

Laura: "Yeah!"

Mel, becoming anxious: "What’s wrong? What happened? Please don’t tell me there was another fire..."

Laura: "Mel, relax ... Everything is totally cool."

Mel: "Cool ... That’s great ... Are you sure that everything’s ‘cool’?"

Laura: "Very cool."

Mel: "Cool ... So ... Why are you calling me at..." She checks the bedside clock and makes the mental conversion to Chicago time, "... six in the morning?"

Laura: "Just to let you know that everything is totally cool here."

Mel: "Okay ... Let’s try this from another angle ... Where are you?"

Laura, looking around uncertainly: "At ... the bar."

Mel: "At six in the morning? Why?"

Laura: "Oh! I was fast asleep ... But then ... I heard some sounds downstairs, so I flipped on all the lights and checked out the bar. After that, I ... I couldn’t get back to sleep."

Mel, starting to pace in agitation: "You slept at the Watchfire last night?"

Laura: "Well, not technically at the Watchfire. I mean, not in the bar."

Mel: "Let me guess ... My room?"

Laura: "Well, you weren’t using it. And I had a big fight with my boyfriend and had to move out so..."

Mel, getting angry: "So you just forgot to tell me that you were going to be living in my bedroom when I was out of town!"

Laura, pouting: "It’s not like it was planned or anything. It just kind of happened. It’s not a problem, is it?"

Mel, taking a deep, calming breath: "Why don’t we talk about this when I get back?"

Laura: "Cool!"

Mel: "Yeah."

Laura: "Mmm! By the way! I totally love your Martha Stewart Collection sheets. What’s the thread count?"

Mel: "Laura, this is costing me money! I gotta go!"

Laura: "Oh. Right. I’ll use the 1-800-COLLECT the next time."

Mel, speaking very slowly so that she can understand: "No ... Actually, I would still be paying for it because you would be calling me collect."

Laura, puzzling it out: "Oh ... Right..."

Mel: "Just please look after the place, all right?"

Laura: "Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll even replace your dermal scrub body wash before you get back."

Mel: "Great." She disconnects and flops back on the bed.

———————————————————————

Jess is at a park waiting for Ewan, pacing and talking to herself, practicing what she’s going to say.

Jess: "... And I’m not going to take this any more! So! Either we get married or we’re off!"

Ewan, approaching: "Jess!? What was so urgent? I’ve been in the middle of installing a megasystem into a bloke’s care and..."

Jess, interrupting: "Yeah! We need to talk!"

Ewan: "Yeah! I know."

Jess: "You do?"

Ewan: "Yeah. I might not be the most reliable guy, but I’m not stupid. I know you’re disappointed in me..."

Jess, starting to get excited: "You do?"

Ewan: "... And I know you’ve had expectations I haven’t fulfilled."

Jess, even more excited: "You do!?"

Ewan, sitting them down on a bench: "So, I thought it about time I lived up to my promises."

Jess: "I do!!! ... I mean ... You do!?!"

Ewan: "How about a real date tonight? ... You, me and a few dozen musicians at the Night Box?"

Jess: "Oooooo! You know I love that place!"

Ewan: "That’s why we’re going!"

Jess: "Is that the only reason?"

Ewan: "Well, you don’t want to ruin all the surprises, do you?"

Jess happily shrieks, flings her arms around his neck and kisses him: "I’ll just tell Cole and Mel that we’re not on tonight!"

Ewan: "Right!"

———————————————————————

Cole is Tracking through White Chapel. Somewhere along the way, perhaps as far back as when he was speaking with Mel on his cell phone, he sensed Jagar’s presence and is now leading him into a trap. He heads into a short, blind alleyway behind a maintenance-type building, uses his energies to open the door, and lets himself in. Jagar follows into the alley while receiving a telepathic message from his brother.

Jagar, aloud: "Yes! I told you! There’s no problem!"

Cole, dropping down behind him from the roof: "Who are you? Are you with Suudor?"

Jagar whirls and there’s a short skirmish, for a brief time Jagar having Cole by the throat, but then Cole slams him into the wall of the maintenance-type building.

Jagar, defiant: "It’s all coming to an end, Tracker!"

Cole, his Collector out: "I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with you on that."

He spins Jagar around, Collects his lifeforce, then takes his collar.

———————————————————————

Mel is reluctantly awakened from her nap by a persistent knocking at the door. Sleepily calling out, "Coming!" she first drapes a sheet over the microwave contraption Cole has set up, closes his laptop, and then goes to open the door.

Jess, smug and laden with packages: "Room Service! ... Eww..." She comes in, looking around. "Hope I’m not interrupting anything..."

Mel: "I’m just trying to get some sleep."

Mel: "Who?"

Jess: "Aren’t you the coy one! ... Cole!"

Mel: "Oh, Jess ... I’m too tired to even go there!"

Jess: "Yeah! ... I can imagine ... So! Tonight is the night!"

Mel, grinning: "Yeah!?!"

Jess: "Oh, yeah!"

Mel: "So! You talked to Ewan and you went shopping."

Jess, shrugging out of her coat: "Yeah! I spent all day in Camden ... Spent all my money but, you know what? It’s going to be so worth it when Ewan sees me in one of these outfits!" She giggles and starts to pull on one of her new sweaters behind the privacy screen.

Mel, smiling and laughing as she opens one of the boxes, then sobering: "Call me old-fashioned, Jess, but ... snakeskin pants and ... a belly shirt just don’t seem like the proper attire for a romantic night out."

Jess: "They are when your romantic night out involves both drinking kamikaze shots and dodging around speakers." She models the sexy sweater. "What do you think?"

Mel, making a face: "No ... Where’s he taking you, anyway?"

Jess: "The Night Box ... It’s where we first met. Ewan used to swing there. Of course, I thought he was gorgeous." She sighs with the memory. "Asked him to play Still Raven’s Edge of the Earth. Must have asked that like a thousand times before I got up the courage to ask him out."

Mel: "So you guys met at a club."

Jess: "Yeah. East End. White Chapel."

Mel, standing up, becoming alarmed: "White Chapel..."

Jess, freeing her hair: "Okay! What you think? Hair down?"

Mel, knowing she should try to dissuade them from going to that area: "No, I don’t think so..."

Jess, still talking hairstyle: "Well, it does a wrap. I can do a kind of up thing..."

Mel, flatly: "Ewan can’t propose to you in a nightclub!"

Jess: "Why not?"

Mel: "Well, think about it, Jess ... What’s he going to do? Get down on bended knee on those nasty floors? ... Or shout out his proposal over ... Nirvana?"

Jess: "Nirvana!?"

Mel: "Whatever!"

Jess: "Mel! Ewan and I have been through a lot ... and it all started in that Club!"

Mel: "So?"

Jess: "So! This is about our history!!!"

Mel: "This is also about your future! ... Think about it, Jess. You’re not a kid anymore. You’re planning on spending the rest of your life with this guy ... Do you really want this to go down in a nightclub?"

Jess, becoming frantic: "Yeah, but, Mel! ... If I cancel now, he’ll think that I’m backing out ... And if he thinks that I’m backing out, then he’ll back out and then this whole thing will just..."

Mel, soothing: "Jess, if he loves you, the place is not going to make a difference."

Jess, indecisive: "Oh, I don’t know, Mel..." She starts to stammer.

Mel: "Look. Cole hasn’t seen much of London yet. Why don’t ... the four of us go out to dinner!? And, um, afterwards ... in the romantic surroundings of Ewan’s own flat ... he can propose to you properly."

Jess: "Mel ... Ewan lives over a car repair shop! It’s hardly romantic there!"

Mel: "Romance is where the heart is."

Jess: "Exactly! Exactly! That’s why we’re going to the Club ... But then you said that..."

Mel: "Honey, it will be right."

Jess, still indecisive: "Oh, I don’t know..." Then she first notices the sheet-covered microwave contraption and heads over to it. "What the hell is that?"

Mel, cutting her off: "Oh, that’s just ... Cole’s stuff ... You know. Undercover."

Jess: "Really?" She looks at it longingly, curious what’s underneath. "Well what do you know!"

Mel, steering her away from it: "Just let me get a couple hours sleep and I’ll be ready for the big night."

Jess: "Okay! Well, just make sure that you do, okay?"

Mel, nodding: "Hmmm."

Jess, putting on her coat and gathering her shopping bags: "Mel, I really don’t know what to wear."

Mel: "Whatever you choose, you’re going to look gorgeous."

Jess, mumbling to herself as she heads for the door: "Hair up or hair down..." At the door, "Say ‘hi!’ to Cole for me." They exchange kisses on the cheek. "And I’ll see you later. She saucily turns back in the hall, just before Mel closes the door. "I’m getting married!"

Mel toddles back to the bed, mumbling, "Oh, I’m so tired!" She collapses on it with a moan, but then Cole comes in.

Cole: "I saw Jess in the hallway. Did you two go shopping?"

Mel: "No."

Cole, taking off his coat: "Thought you were going to take a nap."

Mel, getting up again: "So did I ... Did you find anything?"

Cole: "More than I bargained for."

Mel, noting the collar he’d put on the table: "Isn’t that one of those collars that Raahm or Saahm or whatever his name was wearing?"

Cole, removing the sheet from the microwave setup: "Actually, both of them did."

Mel, indicating that he should just drop the sheet anywhere: "Where did you get it?"

Cole, tossing the sheet on the floor and turning on the microwave: "Found another Orsian."

Mel: "You mean there are other fugitives here besides Suudor?"

Cole: "Well, there’s one less now."

Mel: "So, do you think that they came here together?"

Cole: "I’m not certain." He starts to draw out, manipulate and release his Cirronian energies.

[It looks like the Chi or Ki energy used in some of the martial arts disciplines].

Mel, watching in wonder: "What are you doing?"

A small pyramid appears in his palm in a flash of light.

Mel: "What is that?"

Cole: "There are no words in your language, really, to describe it but..." He shrugs. "It’s the Knowledge."

[Note: In the Pilot, Cole had a cube and a pyramid. In "Cloud Nine" it was learned that the cube was his Collector and containment vessel. Now, finally, is the explanation for the pyramid].

Mel: "Convenient packaging ... Does it do anything?"

Cole: "Oh, it does many things." He sets it upon a circuit board. "It stores my training simulator, my universal translator, my various encyclopedias of different species and different cultures..."

Mel, sitting down on the loveseat: "Wow ... So this helps you change your form."

Cole: "Yes ... It also stores all my files from Sar-Top ... which will help me ascertain which fugitive this Orsian is."

Mel, nervously: "Speaking of Orsians ... Where is this lifeforce right now?"

Cole: "In the Collector." He takes it out. "Where it acts as a mini storage unit as well."

Mel, still nervous: "And that’s just as safe as those ... little metal balls at home, right?"

Cole, smiling indulgently: "Yes, just as safe."

Mel: "Easy for you to say!" She moves behind Cole to look at his computer screen as he works. "So?"

Cole: "There are many possibilities, but ... none of them really make any sense ... My guess is that his twin is somewhere here in London ... I’m going to have to locate him to find out what’s going on..."

Mel: "You’ve got to have your hands full with Suudor."

Cole: "Well, Suudor won’t strike again until tonight." He picks up the pyramid and it vanishes in his palm. "Which gives me plenty of time to Track this other Orsian."

Mel, picking up the collar: "Using this, right?"

Cole, pulling on his coat: "Yes. A collar is biologically in sync with the symbiotic other half."

Mel, nodding: "So this will help you find him."

Cole: "What concerns me is, what is this Orsian doing in London?"

Mel: "He’s kind of far away from Chicago, isn’t he?"

Cole, taking the collar and starting to leave: "I don’t think it’s coincidence."

Mel, following: "Cole! Listen to this! Jess told me that her and Ewan had plans to go to a Club in White Chapel tonight."

Cole: "Well, I hope you convinced her not to go!"

Mel: "I did. And it wasn’t easy! But we’re having dinner together instead."

Cole: "You didn’t tell her about Suudor?"

Mel: "No! Of course not!"

Cole: "You told her one of your lies?"

Mel, rolling her eyes and sighing: "They’re not lies! They’re..."

Cole: "What?"

Mel: "White lies!"

Cole, as he leaves: "As long as you convinced her not to go there, white lies are fine ... Whatever they are."

———————————————————————

Cole is walking through an abandoned warehouse district in a wispy night fog, guided by the sensations of the Track he’s receiving from the collar he’s holding. One warehouse in particular seems to beckon to him.

The door is unlocked and he enters.

[Note: As in "Highlander," in "Tracker" there seems to be quite a ‘thing’ for abandoned warehouses!].

———————————————————————

Suudor tries on a suit that was high fashion at the turn of the nineteenth century, then busies himself painting on his beard. His sickness gets the better of him, however, and he’s compelled to take out and unroll his pouch of wicked-looking knives, lovingly examining them. He finally selects one, picks up the photos of Mel and Jess, and runs the tip of the blade across their throats in anticipation of the kill.

———————————————————————

Mel finally wakes up from her nap and looks at the time.

Mel: "Oh, no!" She picks up the bedside phone and dials hotel reception.

Mel: "Apparently not! I ordered a wake-up call for seven o’clock!"

Mel: "Two four three."

Mel, snide: "Thank you!"

Hotel Reception: "... A.M." Mel slaps her forehead. "There’s also a message. A woman named Jess called at 8:30. She said that she couldn’t get in touch with you so she assumed that your dinner plans were off. She’s going to the Club and will call you tomorrow ... Madam? ... Are you still there?"

Without a word, Mel hurriedly hangs up the phone and rushes to leave.

———————————————————————

Cole is exploring the interior of the warehouse, finally finding the other Orsian’s collar hanging on a chain, waiting for him. He takes it, then, to his horror, finds torn and sliced-up photos of Mel and Jess.

———————————————————————

Suudor is walking down the street approaching the Night Box, elegantly attired in gray top hat, black great coat and white scarf. He sees Jess and Ewan playing and teasing with each other outside, waiting their turn to get into the Club, and smiles as he watches them enter.

———————————————————————

Inside the Club, Jess and Ewan are leaning their backs against the bar and watching the scene around them. Both are very nervous and awkward.

Jess: "Really happy I’m here."

Ewan: "Yes, so am I."

Jess: "Brings back those memories, doesn’t it?"

Ewan: "Yeah. Lots of memories."

Jess: "We had some good times in here, didn’t we?"

Ewan: "Yeah ... You know, I met this girl here once ... She was really hot."

Jess: "Really? You don’t say?"

Ewan: "Yeah ... We got together there was this instant chemistry. We started dating and eventually fell in love."

Jess: "Then what happened?"

Ewan: "I messed it up ... Just like I do with everything else that’s good in my life."

Jess: "Well, it’s a sad story."

Ewan: "Yeah. It’s that, all right ... But I always hoped it would turn around and have a happy ending." He holds up his shot glass. "To happy endings."

Jess, holding up her own: "No. To new beginnings."

They toast and drink to that. Ewan then struggles to say something, but no words come out.

Jess: "What is it?"

Ewan struggles a little more, then: "Uh, I’ve got to go shake hands with the Prime Minister." He gives her a quick kiss. "Be right back."

Jess, to herself: "Such a charmer."

On the way to the men’s room, Ewan detours to hand a special CD to the DJ.

———————————————————————

Mel arrives at the Club. While waiting for the bouncer at the door to allow her in, she places a cell phone call to Cole, who’s hurrying through alleys to get to there.

Cole, quickly answering the ring: "Mel?"

Mel: "Cole! Where are you?"

Cole: "I’m not far from..." The phone goes dead. "Mel? Mel!?"

Mel: "Cole? Hello!?"

Mel disconnects, then forces her way into the Club as soon as the bouncer opens the door. She starts to look around but Jess spots her first.

Jess, running over: "Mel! What are you doing here?"

Mel: "I need to talk to you!"

Jess: "Listen, after a few bells ... I mean, what was I supposed to do?"

Mel: "Trust me, it’s not about that! ... Where’s Ewan?"

Jess: "The loo. And then we’re going to talk about things ... Actually, it might be better if we were able to be alone. It’s not that I don’t want you here or anything..."

Mel: "Well, actually, I was kind of hoping we could go somewhere else tonight."

Jess, excited by the idea: "Excellent! Just as soon as Ewan and I have taken care of business, we can go somewhere and celebrate!"

Mel: "Well, I kind of meant now."

Jess: "Mel ... You’re acting stranger than usual ... And that’s saying something. So what’s going on?"

Mel is suddenly distracted, noticing Suudor at the other side of the Club.

Jess: "Well? What is it?"

Mel, grabbing Jess by the arm and pulling her along: "Come on!"

Jess: "What are you doing!?"

Mel: "Leaving!!!"

Jess, breaking free of Mel’s grip: "Leaving!? Mel! This could be the most important night of my life and you want me to leave!?"

Mel: "Jess, this could be the last night of your life if you don’t leave now!"

Jess: "Oh, my God!"

Mel: "What?"

Jess: "Edge of the Earth! The Still Raven! The song! Our song! Mine’s and Ewan’s!"

Ewan, approaching and hugging Jess from behind: "Jess! ... How are you, Mel? What’s going on? Were the two of you leaving?"

Mel: "Yes!! We thought it’d be fun to go someplace else for a while."

She looks back at a smugly smiling Suudor, patiently waiting.

Ewan, to Jess: "We like it here, don’t we?"

Jess: "That’s what I keep trying to tell her!"

Mel, realizing it’s pointless to argue about it: "You know what? You’re right. Why don’t you guys go dance? I’ll go find Cole and we’ll hook up later."

The three of them move toward the dance floor, Suudor beginning to follow.

Jess: "Just want to say thanks."

Mel: "Sure. Just stay close to Ewan."

Jess: "I will!"

Jess and Ewan start to dance as Mel hurriedly leaves the Club, Suudor nonchalantly following. Just as she gets outside, her cell phone rings.

Mel: "Cole?"

Laura: "Hey, Mel! It’s me!" She’s barely wearing a sexy black lace bustier as she wipes down the bar.

Mel: "Laura!?!"

Laura: "Yeah! How’s it going?"

Mel: "Uh ... This really isn’t a good time right now, Laura!"

Laura: "Oh! I just wanted to say that I got some negative vibes from you earlier about me staying here and everything and it kind of bummed me out." The all-male clientele at the bar can’t take their eyes off of her as she bustles about. "But then when I went over to my pamonney (?), I realized that I kind of invaded your space and I know some people have a hard time dealing with that."

Mel: "You know what? Don’t worry about it. It’s okay."

Laura: "What?"

Mel: "Don’t worry about it, Laura!"

Laura: "I can hardly ... Oooo!" She falls, then pops back up. "Yeah?"

Mel: "I said don’t worry about it! It’s okay!"

Laura: "Really? Because I was going to see if I could find someplace else to stay tonight."

Mel: "Could we talk about this another time?"

Laura: "Oh. Okay ... Well, but I kind of really have to know so I..."

Mel, exasperated: "It’s fine! Stay at the Watchfire until we get home, okay?"

Laura: "Really? That is so totally fantastic!" She keeps blabbering, including talking about bringing her dog, when Mel sees Suudor coming out of the Club.

Ducking into a side alley, she disconnects the phone. Almost immediately, it rings again in her hand.

Mel, now angry: "Laura! It really isn’t a good time right now..."

Cole: "Hello, Mel?"

Mel: "Cole! Thank God! Where are you?"

Cole: "I’m down the street from the London Bridge Hotel, a few blocks from the Night Box ... Where are you?" As he’s speaking, he’s accosted by a prostitute, who hovers around him.

Mel: "I’m outside the Club ... Suudor just left and he’s heading in your direction."

Cole: "Where’s Jess?"

Mel: "She’s inside with Ewan and I figured she’d be safer in there."

Cole: "Okay! Get back inside and stay with her!"

Mel: "What’s wrong?"

Cole: "I’ll be there soon!" He holds up a hand to the prostitute. "No, thank you."

Mel: "What!?"

Cole, becoming flustered: "No! No! ... Oh ...uh..."

Mel: "Okay! Hurry!"

Suudor, grabbing her from behind just as she disconnects: "No hurry, really."

Mel, shrieking: "COOOLE!"

Suudor, clamping a hand over her mouth and dragging her deep into the alley: "Now, we don’t want to attract any attention to ourselves, do we?"

———————————————————————

Jess and Ewan are seated at the bar in the Night Box. His arm is around her and he’s nibbling her neck.

Jess, pulling away: "How much longer are you gonna make me wait?"

Ewan, innocently: "For what?"

Jess, angry: "Right! That’s it! I can’t take another second of this!" She starts storming away.

Ewan, catching her by the arm: "Jess! Wait! Wait!" She gives him a dirty look. "Oh ... Guess I shouldn’t have said that..."

Jess: "Ewan! I’m serious!"

Ewan: "Sit down. Please." She does, and he promptly takes her hand and gets down on one knee. "Jess, I promise you one thing..."

He reaches his other hand to his pocket...

———————————————————————

In the alley, Suudor, his hand is still clamped over Mel’s mouth, is languidly moving his knife in front of her face. Her eyes are wide as saucers in terror, watching the blade.

Suudor: "You won’t ... feel a thing..." He intimately breathes in her hair. "I’m primarily a throat man, but I always took a souvenir..."

Desperately, Mel gropes with one hand for one of the loose bricks near her to use as a weapon.

Suudor: "I can see why the Tracker fancies you ... Those eyes are so lovely ... They’d look wonderful in a jar on my shelf..."

Finally, Mel manages to snare one of the bricks and bashes Suudor over the head with it. Stunned for a moment, he releases her and she flees, but in a short moment he’s in pursuit.

[Lucky that brick was there but, if it wasn’t, Mel likely would have found another way. She’s not one of these helpless females one sees in so many action-oriented shows and movies].

Jess, admiring her engagement ring as she and Ewan exit the Club: "Oh! I can’t wait to tell..." She then sees Mel running like hell across the street and bolting into an alley on the other side. "Mel!? MEL!"

Ewan, noting Suudor chasing after her: "What the hell is this!?" He pursues after them, Jess following.

[Why Mel would run away from the crowd of people by the Club who could possibly help her is a mystery. She chose to flee down a dark alley, where it’s very likely to be deserted. What sense does that make – even though Suudor could just "disappear" into the wall to hide himself? Maybe to keep the other people safe? To keep the fact that an alien was after her IF he even let them see him, and then to protect Cole’s identity since he’s also an alien? Maybe she just wasn’t thinking too clearly at that point!]

Finding herself in a fenced in dead end area behind a building at the end of the alley, Mel goes through a door into a stairwell and heads down into a basement. She skulks around the pillars, trying to hide, for a brief moment thinking (or hoping) that she’s eluded her would-be killer, but then Suudor appears behind her and again seizes her.

Suudor, intimately mouthing her face: "Back in the alley ... That wasn’t very nice, was it? Now you can make it up to me..."

Suudor gets up and again goes for Mel: "Now ... Where were we?"

Jess, running in, first seeing Suudor advancing on Mel with a knife: "Mel!" Then she sees Ewan reeling on the floor, trying to get up. "Ewan!?" And then another arrives. "Cole!?!"

With a flying two-legged kick to his chest, Cole sends Suudor sprawling.

Cole, reaching out to squeeze Mel’s shoulder reassuringly: "Go! Get out of here!"

Mel aids Jess in helping Ewan to his feet and quickly hustles the both of them out.

Suudor, far too cheerfully as he gets up: "A grand entrance, I’ll admit, although I don’t suspect your exit will be quite so graceful."

Cole: "Nor will yours."

Suudor: "I’m afraid it’s not going to end this way, Tracker."

Cole, Collector at the ready and moving in: "It’s over, Suudor."

Suudor: "Oh, now, you see ... You’re forgetting one thing ... Jack the Ripper..."

A second voice joins Suudor’s for the last three words: "... was never caught!"

Cole turns toward the second voice and takes three shots from a pellet rifle to the chest. He staggers in shock, flash-frozen, then falls over backwards, dropping his Collector.

Suudor, laughing: "Bravo! A brilliant performance! All we had to do was drop some breadcrumbs along the way..." He kneels beside the helpless Cole. "You did exactly as expected! It’s called liquid nitrogen ... You might feel a ... slight chill..." He takes out his knife.

Haag: "Suudor! We need him alive!"

Suudor, eager with anticipation: "Oh, he’ll be alive, all right. I promise you that. I’ll only remove a few of his ... superfluous ... Human appendages."

Haag: "Yes, it’s tempting, however..."

Suudor, insistent: "Do you know how many of us he’s captured, Haag!?! How many of us have suffered ... at his hand!?"

Haag: "That is not your concern!"

Suudor: "Just give me a minute ... Thirty seconds here ... Just a little payback for some of our associates!"

Haag, angry: "Enough! You have fulfilled your purpose! Now, get out of my sight!"

Suudor crooning as he passes his knife before Cole’s eyes: "I’ll bring you a little souvenir ... Something to remember them by..."

———————————————————————

Mel is hurrying Jess and Ewan out of the alley toward a cab that another woman is about to get into.

Ewan, protesting: "We can’t leave him!"

Mel pushes the woman aside, her only thought being to protect her friends from danger.

Woman: "Please! It’s my cab!"

Mel: "It’s an emergency!" She opens the door and loads Jess and Ewan in.

Woman: "Who the hell do you think you are!? ... Hey! I’m talking to you!"

Mel, snarling: "Back off!!!" To driver, "Kensington! Drive!"

As the cab pulls away Mel turns back toward the woman and in a small voice says, "Oh! I’m sorry!"

Then, in an act of loyalty and bravery, Mel goes racing back up the alley.

[Mel was likely thinking that she had to get back to help Cole and make sure he was okay. She’s saved his cute butt several times and vise versa. But she didn’t even grab a large stick or anything to use as a weapon. What was she planning on doing when she got there? Stamp her feet?].

———————————————————————

In the building’s basement, Haag picks up the fallen Collector and thoughtfully examines it, then kneels down.

Haag: "Still conscious, Tracker? Hmm? ... You have my brother in here, don’t you? ... When I lost contact with him, I assumed it was because you had taken him. Yes, so I left my collar in the warehouse ... To draw you in ... The Tracker became the Tracked."

As Haag is talking, Cole tries repeatedly to rev up enough energy for hyperspeed, but fails.

Haag: "My men will be coming any second now ... To pick you up and bring you to Zin."

———————————————————————

Mel is racing at top speed up the alley. Just as it opens into the fenced in area, Suudor grabs her from behind.

Suudor: "There you are, lassie!" He throws her into the chain-link fence and promptly grabs her again. "I knew you would come back to me ... Where’s your friend? Gone? She’s missing all the fun..."

Mel gives him a good swift kick in the balls and makes a run for it. Suudor doubles over in pain a moment, then quickly recovers to give chase again.

———————————————————————

Haag, still taunting the Tracker: "Now that we have you, and the device, we can free all of those lifeforces that you’ve captured ... including my brother ... and we’ll find new Human hosts ... For all of them."

[In the next episode, "Love, Cirronian Style," it will become clear why Haag said that Daggon was going to be taken to Zin: they need his energy signature to free the lifeforces he has imprisoned].

———————————————————————

Suudor catches up with Mel and throws her into a wall. She falls to the ground, nearly unconscious.

———————————————————————

Haag: "Yes, Tracker. Your time on Earth is finished. Yours ... And your girlfriend."

Helpless, Cole can only look at Haag in horror.

———————————————————————

Suudor, hauling Mel to her feet: "No more games!" He pulls his knife.

———————————————————————

Through sheer force of will, Cole manages to recover enough to go into hyperspeed. He plucks his Collector from Haag’s hand and hurries out to save Mel.

One can really see his desperation, especially as he realizes how much danger Mel’s in and then sees in slow motion that she’s about to get her throat slit. Loved the way he kept slipping out of hyperspeed as he tried to get to her.

Reaching them just in time, Cole grabs Suudor, spins him around, and then Collects him before staggering and falling to his hands and knees, his strength gone. Mel helps him back up onto his feet.

Cole, looking down the alley and seeing Haag approaching with two of his goons: "Come on! We gotta go!"

They hurry out of the alley together, Cole heavily leaning on Mel for support, urging her on: "Come on ... Faster ... Faster..."

They exit the alley to find the same woman Mel evicted before about to get into another cab.

Mel, shoving their way past her: "This is an emergency!"

They pile into the cab as Haag and his goons reach the alleyway fence, now with witnesses around and unable to do anything but grimly watch their prey make good their escape.

Mel: "Cole? What just happened?"

Cole: "I’m not sure." To driver, "Go! Go!"

———————————————————————

Their stay in London at an end, Mel and Cole are in their hotel room and packing to leave.

Mel: "You’re a very efficient packer, Cole. Is that all my stuff from the bathroom?"

Cole: "Yes. Three shampoos, two conditioners, a color stabilizer and a ... sheen enhancer?"

He drops the items into the plastic bag she’s holding.

Mel: "Yeah, well, it takes a lot of work to look nice."

Cole: "You make it look easy."

Mel: "Thank you ... I think ... Jess said to say good-bye, says she’ll see you next month when she and Ewan come to Chicago."

Cole: "Well, she must be very excited getting married."

Mel: "She’s been wanting it for a long time."

Cole: "I’m going to miss her from the bar."

Mel: "Me, too." He lightly rubs her back and goes to finish packing up his laptop. "Did you find out anything about the other Orsian?"

Cole: "No. His lifeforce identification wasn’t on my list, which means that he and his brother weren’t fugitives from Sar-Top."

[And the plot thickens with aliens who aren’t from Sar-Top. Zin’s apparently been a busy guy. It’s interesting to speculate just how long these aliens have been here. If it’s substantially longer than the prisoners, Cole’s not going to have an easy time detecting them. And he’s going to run out of little silver balls in his containment vessel].

Mel: "Then how did they get here?"

Cole: "My guess is Zin. What I need to know is why."

Mel: "So Zin was behind this whole Suudor thing?"

Cole: "No. Suudor was a killer long before Zin freed him. He even told me that ... luring me to London was all part of a plan to Track me here."

Mel: "I don’t understand. Why would he go to all the trouble of luring you here? Why couldn’t he have just done all of this in Chicago?"

Cole: "Maybe he has another organization here."

Mel: "Or maybe he just wanted to get you out of the City for a while."

Cole: "Well, all the more reason for us to get back to Chicago."

Mel: "Maybe."

He goes to answer the door and lets in the Bellhop as Mel’s cell phone rings.

Mel, answering her phone while Cole and the Bellhop cart all the luggage out: "Hello? ... Laura ... It’s okay ... Whatever it is, I’m sure it can be replaced ... Well, that duvet cover did belong to my grandmother, but ... I was thinking about getting a new one ... Dog? ... Ah ha! ... And what kind of dog is Archie? ... A Great Dane. I should’ve known ... Look, we’ll be back tonight just ... What was that crash? Laura?" To Cole, "We do need to get back."

Bellhop, holding out his hand: "And sir?"

Cole: "Oh, yes. Of course. I almost forgot. Thank you very much." He picks up the microwave and hands it to the Bellhop. "You’ve been very helpful."

Cole follows Mel out.

Bellhop, to closed door: "Thank you, sir."

It may be that Zin wanted Mel eliminated off of American soil so that he’d have more time to make a move on the Watchfire without interference from Daggon. As long as Mel’s alive, and remains the legal owner of the property, Zin can’t touch it. With her gone, there are shady ways of obtaining title to it. And either Zin already had an organization on Earth prior to the prison break, or there may be a second wormhole. And ... what about Zin’s master plan? They could have at least given a glimpse of what Zin was up to in Chicago while the Tracker was away. He was a very underutilized bad guy!.

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