The evening of November 1st, Lori Fitzgerald is running across campus at a breakneck pace with her sneakered feet barely touching the ground. She skids around a corner only to nearly run into Shawn Zimmerman which grinds her to a halt.
"I'm sorry," she apologizes. "I didn't mean-"Then she realizes who it is and promptly folds her arms and grimaces.
He is very much aware of her change in attitude. "I can explain."
She raises an eyebrow. "I have somewhere to be so I have neither the time nor the energy."
"I was sick and-"
"Seriously, can it just wait to tomorrow? I promise I'll be willing to listen." She starts off at a run once again.
"What makes it so different?" he shouts after her.
She glances at the book under her arm and can't help but smile. "Potentially everything!" She heads into the library and towards the computers where Hannah Frost is sitting at the ready. Charlie Prescott stands beside her, and the sight of him makes Lori do a double take. "What are you doing here?"
"We started this together. We finish it together." Lori just ruffles his hair and puts the book on the desk. Hannah turns to her and she nods.
Hannah begins typing like mad. "I'm just sending a message out into the computer. Hopefully, it answers." The trio waits with baited breath when the screen goes black and the letters come up.
'The place where he promised to meet you?' They both turn to Lori who blushes a little.
"The last place both of us will ever be. Together for the end."
Hannah can't help but snort as she types that. "That sounds drearily romantic."
Lori shrugs. "He was like that. I was into it for the time." Hannah finishes and with one last glance at the other two presses Enter.
XXX
So follow me down
(Lori stands with the book)
Where to?
Outta this town
(Charlie examines his map)
With you
Girl, you're movin way
(Hannah is typing away at her computer)
Too slow
So follow me down
(Michael grabs the first aid kit from a cabinet)
Which way?
Down, down, down
(Ben looks at his phone and sighs, adjusting his tie)
I'll show you around
(Kaity is drawing pictures of the group absently in her dorm room)
Okay
There's a place we gotta go
(The Disney Encyclopedia begins to glow. Lori sighs)
Follow me, follow me
(Lori, Charlie, Hannah, Michael, Ben, and Kaity are running through the preserve, freezing once on each of their faces)
Fa la la la la
Follow me, follow me
Fa la la la la
(Lori comes to a halt and the others crash into her, sending them all to the ground)
Lori Disney? (Not Likely!)
Episode Twelve: Maybe Send Me an Angel
XXX
The computer quickly has the word 'Correct' appear and the three lean in on the edge of their seats. A bar appears with 'Loading DIZ v2.9' above it. However, when it hits 10% the computer shuts off. Hannah smacks it but it does no good.
"What just happened?" Lori asks, slightly in shock. Suddenly, the computer in the cubicle next to them has the same message appear. The bar fills to 20% before the power goes out as well. The three rise as the third computer in the row has the same appear on its screen despite someone using it.
"It's taking energy out of the computers to load something- sucking them dry even," Hannah explains, intrigued. As that computer hits 30% it goes black and they follow the trail to the next one. "It's loading your answers," Hannah says, nudging a smiling Lori. They continue to follow it down the line from screen to screen only for it to hit 80% at the last screen in the row.
The three look around wildly when Lori spots a pulsing glow from a study room nearby. "Over there." They run into the room, locking the door behind them, and see it is a projector flickering on and off this time. The screen it is projecting to shows a blurry outline that slowly begins to take the shape of a person's silhouette. "It's a person?" Lori questions.
"Battery running low," a female monotone voice with a hint of smugness and superiority echoes from the speakers under the projector. "Looking for power sources…" The projector flickers once again and this time the book joins it, starting to glow brighter than usual.
Lori groans at it. "Oh no. Not now." The silhouette on the screen becomes clearer and a last burst of light from the book blinds them. They open their eyes as the bulb in the projector pops and are shocked to see the silhouette take sudden three-dimensional shape and appear to fall out of the screen and onto the carpeted floor.
The three look at each other trying to get a handle on the situation. "What just happened?" Hannah finally vocalizes, looking out the window to make sure a librarian didn't notice.
Lori throws the book down frustrated. "We have another character to find is what happened. And I thought this was going to solve our problems." She instantly picks it back up again, though still scowling.
Hannah shakes her head, disagreeing as she reflects on what just happened. "No, it used the book as an energy source."
"Correct," the female voice from earlier says. They all jump back as the figure rises and stands before them. It looks exactly like Lori in every feature except for the fact that this version is sporting a skintight white leather full body outfit with purple gloves and boot and that her face is expressionless. Lori's jaw drops as this version takes in her appearance, expression never changing. "And it has yielded quite unexpected results. I was not meant to have this mode of functioning," she says matter-of-factly in her monotone.
The trio groups closer together, officially freaking out together. "What is it?" Charlie hisses.
"Why does it look like me?" Lori questions, almost hyperventilating. "Why?"
"I appear to have taken on the physical form the book projected onto me- that of its owner," the other Lori answers. "Though my vocal units are still my own." She looks around. "This is most certainly not the setting I was designed for."
Lori takes the smallest of steps forward. "Can you help us out here? Are you a character, because I'm not recognizing-"
The other Lori strides to stand right in front of her real self. "I am DIZ v2.9- a program designed to aid to one who yields the book by serving as mentor and guide in a controlled setting."
This rubs Lori quite the wrong way and she steps back agitated. "Then where have you been?! It's been a year and a half almost. I could have used the advice."
"As I have voiced, I was not meant for this setting," DIZ v2.9 answers, tone and speed never altering as she maintains perfect posture. "The book was intended to be opened under great scrutiny by the DIZ Corporation in a laboratory. Somehow it was brought here and I was programmed into that civilian unit unable to properly fulfill my purpose. I needed to be unlocked first as was intended by Jeremy Steven, so I reached out to the book's magic to know who to communicate with."
Lori grabs her head, cogs going much too fast. "I've been pretty good with taking all this in, but this is much too trippy," she laments. "What do we do with you?"
"Allow me to assist and protect you. It is my primary objective."
Lori realizes something that makes her frown. "So you weren't meant to take the book away?"
"Negative, Lori Fitzgerald." Lori sinks to the ground shakily, unable to even look at DIZ v2.9 as she comes to grips with what this all means.
"Perfect. We're still as lost as ever, but now we also have this to deal with!"
DIZ v2.9 looks at the projector. "I was meant to stay a projection on the screen and serve as guide from there, but it appears using the book as a power source enabled me to transcend my limitation."
Hannah puts it all together. "So we have a computer program alive by magic?" Lori groans and lies back on the floor.
"That's so cool!" Charlie exclaims, excited. Lori just gives him a withering look.
XXX
The next afternoon after classes, Lori is seated in the living area of her dorm with her Companions: Charlie, Hannah, Ben Prescott, Michael Harms, and Kaity Klingbeil. They are all staring warily as DIZ v2.9 that is perched on the couch, expressionless and with perfect posture.
"This is just too weird," Kaity mutters. "How do we send her home?" she almost begs.
Lori bites her nail, lost in thought. "I don't think we can. She's not exactly a character…"
DIZ v2.9 rises and everyone sort of shifts back away from her. "Are we just going to continue bantering or are we going to seek out the character that has been given passage into our world? We have business that must be attended too."
"So a character did some through?" Lori asks, regarding the book.
"My connection to the book tells me that is true." DIZ v2.9 puts two fingers to her forehead, eyes glazing over. "If given a few hours I can-"
"We'll just do it our old fashioned way," Lori interrupts as she rises. "Thank you though." She turns to Kaity, Michael, and Hannah. "So… you three are benched. Charlie is with me and Ben can take the robot. We'll take cafeteria, theater, and art center. You have the rest."
DIZ v2.9 goes to speak up. "I'm not-"
Ben turns to Lori, ignoring it. "Wait, why do I have to-"Lori pulls him over and lowers her voice.
"Because it's me. I can't walk around with me. It's too weird and coming from one of us that really says something," she reasons. "And I don't want to deal with it. So please… just take it for me. Do a friend a favor."
Ben glances at it before sighing in defeat. "Fine. You owe me." Lori smiles as he goes over to his new partner. "It looks like you're with me. I'm Ben Prescott." He offers his hand, but she doesn't seem to even register the gesture so he pulls it away. "Sorry. I was just- we should go." Lori and Charlie are already out the door with the benched Companions having followed.
DIZ v2.9 starts down the hallway, Ben fast walking to keep up with its natural stride. "Affirmative. I do believe I should go with Lori Fitzgerald though, as my primary objective is to-"
"She'll be fine. We can just get to know one another."
"I wish to learn nothing about you. You do not fit into my objective."
Ben gives a fake smile. "Thanks." He sighs as they walk. "That's alright. By the end of this you'll go from being indifferent to just completely hating me. All the new ones do." They just walk as a long awkward pause develops, him playing with his tie for a minute before speaking again. "What should I call you?"
"I am DIZ v2.9."
Ben snorts. "Yeah, but do you expect me to say that every time-"It almost falls as they head up some steps and he tries to catch it only for it to phase through his arms. He mentally takes a moment as she instantly rights herself, almost floating up. "Whoa. Umm… are you okay?"
"Oh-Kay?"
Ben slaps his forehead. "I mean is everything functioning properly?"
It starts walking again and he has to jog to keep up. "My functional status remains the same. I am just adjusting to the new limits of my form. Ignore any errors for I assure you they are temporary. Let us continue with our mission."
XXX
About an hour later, Kaity opens her door to find Hannah and Michael who give an awkward tandem wave as she regards them coldly. "I don't want any." Hannah puts her hand out to stop her from closing the door, taking the lead on the conversation.
"We need to talk. Lori's going to be bogged down by this new development so she needs us out there helping her," she reasons.
Michael nods. "She hasn't even had time to process yet that she still has the book indefinitely."
Kaity rolls her eyes. "So why don't you just go out there? Sure she benched you, but she's not forcing you to-"
"We're already in trouble," Hannah says with a roll of her eyes. "We're not going to blatantly disobey her."
Kaity just looks at her. "Oh, so this time you're going to listen to her?"
Hannah loses it, becoming frustrated. "Can you just stop making this so difficult?!" Kaity's watch beeps.
"I have to get down to the art room. After my first therapy session today, as I was instructed, I feel properly inspired. We're in the home stretch to the art show, so I have a lot of things to do." They just stand in front of her. "I was waiting for the obvious jab at my professor."
Hannah clenches her jaw as Michael elbows her. "I'm working to restrain myself."
Kaity smirks. "Great, because we did. Excuse me." She pushes past them and descends down the stairs as they stare after her.
Hannah throws her arms into the air. "What are we going to do?! She's making it impossible!"
Michael is much calmer. "She's only reciprocating what we gave to her. We dug our own hole. So of course she's going to be less than patient on this."
"But now's not the time," Hannah reminds him, worry bleeding through.
Michael puts a hand on her arm. "I want to get out there to her just as much as you do. But we need to keep trying, though let me take the lead on this one. I think I might know what to do." She nods reluctantly. "Let's head down to the art building."
They start down the hallway towards the stairs. "She slept with him. I just, I worry-it's like you said. It can't be taken back."
Michael gives her a sad smile. "I know what it brings back for you. That's just going to make you even more essential if what I feel is the inevitable happens."
Hannah almost tears up. "I just hope she's stronger than I was," she prays.
XXX
Lori and Charlie exit the theater after an unsuccessful search and start making their way to the cafeteria. He can see she's been in better moods than what she's experiencing right now. "Are you okay?"
She takes a long, deep breath before answering- frustration building with each word. "I honestly should have seen it coming. Of course that mysterious computer presence wasn't someone who could fix everything. Of course Jeremy would screw me over once again and simply provide me with someone he should have over a year ago! Of course I'm still stuck with this book and the punishments and responsibilities that come with it! Forget a normal life! Apparently it isn't in the cards!"
"That didn't answer my question," Charlie notes once she returns to silent fuming.
"I'll just have to be, won't I?" she responds sadly. "We just keep doing whatever it is that we do." There is a crash from the cafeteria as they near it. They run to the doors. "Ben has the keys, doesn't he?"
Charlie nods, but regards the lock. "I'm sure we can still find a way in. You do have a certain set of skill you've never explained." She smirks, pulls two bobby pins out of her jacket, and starts picking the lock.
"It's not as exciting as you'd think. I was just really into Nancy Drew when I was younger- got a magazine and everything. You learn things." The door clicks and she swings it open. "I swear I've never used it before I had to here." They enter the pitch black cafeteria slowly. "Hello!"
They see something in the shadows, Charlie grabbing Lori's arm. She continues to remain calm. "I'm here to help you. You might have heard of me- Lori Fitzgerald." There is a long beat before Stitch emerges from the shadows and walks to stand in front of them- looking up.
"Hi…" he greets, before sticking his tongue up his nose.
Charlie regards him warily. "Okay. Essential question: before or after Lilo? Because that is the difference between essentially two characters."
Stitch hears this and tugs on his pant leg. "You know where Lilo is?"
Charlie sighs in relief. "Okay, we're in the after. We should be safe." Lori sits in front of him on the carpet, warm smile on her face.
"We'll get you back as soon as we can. I promise," she says kindly. "There's just this pesky thing where you have to teach us something first."
Stitch nods, hand going to his chin in thought. "Stitch is very smart. I can help you. What do you need to know?"
Charlie pulls out his phone. "I'll text Ben and… DIZ v2.9 right?"
Lori gives him a flippant gesture, attention still on Stitch. "I don't care."
Charlie starts typing. "Well, I think she's pretty cool," he admits. "We have no idea just what she's capable of."
"First of all, it's not a she. It just looks like me. And the no idea what it's capable of thing terrifies me."
Stitch points to himself. "I used to be terrifying. It was what I was built to do." Lori nods and he looks around, eyes lighting up as he sees the soda machine. "Have you ever been surfing?"
"No," Lori answers as Charlie shakes his head.
Stitch smiles, throwing both hands in the air. "Then I have something I could really teach you." He takes her hand and starts dragging her towards the machine, placing a tray in her hand.
Lori regards it, baffled. "We're indoors. How are we-?"
He pats her hand. "Trust me." He goes climbs onto the drink machine and starts messing with their machinery as the two watch intrigued. "Stitch knows what he's doing."
XXX
Kaity is working on her sculpture like someone possessed, chipping pieces here and there as hair dangles in front of one of her eyes. She barely even looks up when Michael and Hannah silently enter and have a seat. "What part of busy do you two clowns not understand?"
Michael just watches her. "When was the last time you slept?"
She picks chipping from her sweatshirt. "Three days ago. It's no big deal. It happens."
He takes this in before leaning forward, perfectly calm. "We have a lot more in common than you think, you know." She scoffs. "She was my first real friend too." This causes her to look up and he just meets her gaze. "She has this way of seeing potential in others and you just try so desperately to meet it and not let her down. So I felt when I saved you in the theater she got hurt and I let her down. And I took it out on you."
She points her chisel at him. "Which was unfair."
He nods in agreement. "It absolutely was. I don't deny that. That's why I'm trying to fix this, because every new Companion means we have to shift our purpose just a little more. We have to learn to work together."
Kaity takes in his honesty before responding in kind. "She makes me feel like… I have a greater purpose. But those things you said about me being a hindrance… what if they're true?" she ponders, almost crying.
He shakes his head. "They're not. I said them in a moment of anger so you best ignore them." She gives him a small smile and nods. "I really want us to be friends. This- we could be friends."
"I'd like that too," she means, returning to her sculpture. "But that means you need to stop with the hovering and blaming me when I need help too. I'm still bipolar and that means things happen I can't control. Plus, I'm not nearly as in shape as the rest of you. That'll take time."
"And you have to check in with me about how you're doing so I know best how to address the situation and what I need to be prepared for as the Doctor. Once a week work for you?"
She thinks about it. "It'll have to. It sucks but I'll do it. I suppose we have a better chance of growing if we work together rather than fighting. Plus, I'm starting to hate being benched."
Michael shakes her hand, beaming. "I cannot agree more." He elbows Hannah, who has just been taking this in. "Your turn."
She blinks. "Now I have to go? Can't I just be included in…?" They both just give her a look. "I'm sorry I've been such a brat. I actually have a really bad track record with the new people."
Michael pats her on the back as she grimaces. "It's true. She hated me."
"But when we were shopping… I want that. I want a friend like that. So why don't we all be friends?" she offers.
Kaity looks at Michael and they both shrug before looking at Hannah again. "It's a start," Kaity admits, though not impressed. Michael laughs as Hannah just folds her arms.
Michael examines the beginning of her sculpture. "So what're you working on?"
She smiles. "It's a sculpture of… well, you'll just have to come to the art show and see. Dr. Collins thinks I might be the first artist capable of entering every category."
"That's really cool," Hannah admits.
"Can we just watch you for a while?" Michael asks politely.
Kaity shrugs. "I don't see why not." She works for a minute. "What're we going to do about the robot?"
Hannah sighs, putting her head in her hands. "Knowing Lori, by the end of this character we'll either have a hunk of scrap metal of she'll somehow miraculously manage to give it a heart."
"Why does it have to look like her though?" Michael comments. "That's the part I find to be creepy." Hannah and Kaity nod in agreement.
XXX
Ben and DIZ v2.9 exit the gym when he receives a text. He opens it and turns to it smiling. "Oh, they found him. It's Stitch. He's-"
"She's interacting with the character alone?"
Ben shrugs, starting that way. "Charlie's there. It's nothing to be worried about."
"Where is she?"
"Cafeteria. Just down the path here." DIZ v2.9 just takes off at an inhuman running speed. "Wait up! We should really stick together!" He takes off after it. "You don't even know where it is!" He arrives at the door panting as it regards the obstacle. Screams and cries echo from inside.
"The door is blocked."
Ben reaches into his pockets. "One minute. I have the key right-"DIZ v2.9 simply disregards him and gives the door a shove that sends it flying off the hinges. His jaw drops, looking around. "You really shouldn't have done that. The cameras-"
DIZ v2.9 puts the two fingers to its temple for a moment and its eyes glaze over before it resumes her normal stance. "The footage from here on out is being deleted." It strides in and two are stepping in wet, sticky carpet. "What is this?"
Ben notices liquid dripping from the tables. He catches a drop and puts it in his mouth. "I think it's soda."
Just then, a huge wave of soda comes around the corner- both staring up at it. Lori and Charlie are balanced on top of trays surfing on top of it, laughing and carrying on as they have a great time.
"Is this better?!" Charlie shouts behind him, only to crash into Lori and send them both face-first into the wave. Ben and DIZ v2.9 simply watch as it descends on them, leaving Ben soaked from head to toe while DIZ v2.9 emerges perfectly dry.
DIZ v2.9 takes in what just occurred. "I must locate the character immediately. This situation is very unnerving." Lori rises from the carpet, helping Charlie up as they both laugh so hard they're crying.
"I think we're getting the hang of this," Charlie notes.
Lori nods. "Let's go do another wave." They run back around the corner and DIZ v2.9 hastily follows to see the two talking with Stitch. He is perched atop the now gurgling and vibrating soda machine.
Stitch readies his hand on a button. "Remember to bend your legs to help with the balance. Arms out." Lori and Charlie nod, getting ready. DIZ v2.9 locks its eyes onto the alien and holds its arm out, hand pixilating and reforming into a gun which it aims directly at Stitch.
Ben comes bounding around the corner. "Can I have a- Lori!" he shouts as he notices what's happening. Lori turns and sees the situation, managing to jump in front of Stitch just as DIZ v2.9 fires a shot. The blast knocks her off balance and sends her head crashing down onto the machine. She instantly collapses in a heap on the ground.
DIZ v2.9 stands frozen as the panicked Prescott brothers both rush over to her, gun reforming back into its hand. "That was not the intended result." Stitch growls before leaping at it madly.
"You won't hurt my friend!" he shouts, only to be easily thrown into a wall. DIZ v2.9 begins to strangle him.
Ben shakes Lori, but to no avail. "We need to get Harms- benched or not." Charlie dials as Ben suddenly notices what DIZ v2.9 is doing.
"Put him down!" he orders so furiously that DIZ v2.9 complies. "That's not how we do things here!"
"I was subduing him so we can start the learning process."
He regards it coldly. "We don't subdue them." He slaps Lori on the face, still very worried. "Come on, Lori."
Charlie slams his phone shut. "He's not answering. I'm going out to find him." He takes off out the hole where the door once was as fast as he can.
Ben is still shaking her. "Lori! Lori!" DIZ v2.9 takes a step towards the two, but Stitch gets between it.
He is growling with antennas and six arms on display. "You will not hurt my friend anymore."
"It is my job to protect Lori Fitzgerald, not yours."
Ben glares at her, picking up Lori and placing her on a nearby table. "Well, you're doing a great job."
"She jumped in front of my blast. I am 100% not to blame for how the incident occurred. I was only fulfilling my secondary objective to help her subdue the characters that cross over. My third-"
Ben has had enough. "Just… be quiet. I don't want to hear it until Harms gets here and looks her over."
"I could-"
Ben looks at her, eyes narrowed. "You're not taking one more step! You hear me!"
"Don't be illogical. I can."
Stitch continues their stand-off as it tries to take a step forward. "He said stop."
XXX
Michael is sprinting as fast as he can from the art building, throwing the backpack over his shoulders. Charlie and Hannah follow with Kaity bringing up the rear. "Stupid phone battery," he mutters before grinding to a halt at the sight of the cafeteria. The other two follow suit as Charlie runs past them.
"What happened here?" Hannah asks. Michael just follows Charlie around the corner to the table where Ben has Lori laid out, barely casting a glance to the stand-off between Stitch and DIZ v2.9.
"She hasn't woken up yet," Ben explains as Michael starts rooting through his backpack. "She hit her head pretty hard." Kaity and Hannah round the corner, both noticing the entire scene.
"What's going on?" Kaity asks.
"The robot shot her when she got in front of Stitch," Charlie explains, talking as fast as possible. "Before that we were surfing on soda. It was fun. I wish you could have been there." Michael holds up smelling salts to Lori's nose and her eyes shoot open as she sneezes and coughs.
Michael smiles, gently helping her sit up. "Easy, easy, easy. How're we feeling?"
She just looks at him confused. "Who are you? What's going on? Where am I?" Everyone suddenly becomes very frightened. Her face turns into a wide smile. "Ah, I'm just kidding." She grabs her head in agony as everyone glares at her. "I do feel like someone took an axe to my skull though."
Michael shines a penlight in her eye and makes her follow his finger. "You most likely have a concussion," he diagnoses. "We're going to have to take you to the hospital for x-rays and make sure it's not serious. And unfortunately because it's you that means no Tylenol," he sighs.
She cradles her head, almost dizzy. "What exactly happened? It's a little fuzzy up there right now. I know there was surfing and fun…"
"The robot shot you and you hit your head," Ben says coldly. Everyone turns to DIZ v2.9.
"I am not a robot. I am a program designed to protect Lori Fitzgerald-"
Ben cuts it off, still furious. "It was trying to subdue Stitch. It even tried to poke around on you while you were knocked out." Michael helps her up, supporting her.
Lori notices the standoff occurring. "Stitch, it's okay. I'm okay. Let it be." Stitch glances at her before immediately reverting back to normal and sprinting over to her. Lori regards DIZ v2.9 as it walks over. "It just has a lot it needs to learn."
"I have no use for such things. I am flawlessly designed to help-"Lori grabs her head and hisses, nearly falling over.
Michael pulls her tighter to him so he can support her more. "Come on. Let's get you to the hospital." They start walking out, Charlie grabbing the book from atop the still sputtering soda machine. "I'll take her," he tells the others. "The rest of you go hide Stitch and deal with the robot." He exits and heads off one way as Kaity takes Stitch's hand, leading him out the other with Hannah and Ben.
Charlie goes to follow, but looks over his shoulder at DIZ v2.9 that is just standing there. He goes over and puts a hand on her arm. "She'll forgive you," he says kindly.
"I do not understand."
Charlie gives her a sad smile. "You're frowning," he explains. Sure enough the usually stoic face has a definitive down-turned mouth. "That means you're unhappy. But like I said it was a mistake. Now that we know she's going to be okay it'll all blow over. Now you know for next time. Come on." He exits and it just stands there a long moment before simply touching its face.
"Unhappy?"
XXX
The next morning, Michael finishes tucking Lori into bed as the other Companions hover around the bedroom- Hannah on her laptop on her bed. "Now just get some rest. You knocked your marbles around pretty good." He turns to Kaity. "And I will see you in my office in the morning."
Kaity rolls her eyes. "If I have to Doctor."
Michael turns to Ben and Charlie. "You should see this sculpture she's working on. It's pretty impressive."
Lori turns to face the others. "So I take it you three can be taken off the bench?" They all look at one another and nod. She smiles. "Then it's done. You're good."
"Only after we missed surfing in soda," Kaity laments.
Charlie beams. "It was pretty awesome."
Michael starts herding the others out. "Come on. Let's give her some space." He stops by Hannah's bed. "Call me if anything happens."
She nods. "Absolutely." She leans in, voice dropping. "And don't worry I'm already looking into how to deactivate the infernal thing permanently."
Michael nods. "Great. Can't wait." He exits as Lori easily drifts off. Hannah continues her work, skimming through all the endless codes of the DIZ v2.9 program.
XXX
Meanwhile, DIZ v2.9 sits at the library computer, attracting quite a few stares, looking through the same endless stream of programming. It reaches the end quite fast though.
"Just as I suspected, unhappy is nowhere in here. It is not in my programming and thus logically should not be a function." She frowns and catches herself, forcing her face back to its neutral expression. "I do not comprehend why this malfunction is occurring. I must seek a patch immediately."
XXX
Lori lies on the couch of the dorm living area that afternoon, bag of ice to her head as she enjoys her day off of classes. Stitch is in the chair across from her playing with the book. She smiles at him. "The good news is I think they learned enough of a lesson that I could send you home."
"Them?" he asks, confused.
She nods. "I figured it would be my three knuckleheads who would have to deal with Ohana and all that fun stuff. I just thought I'd have some fun while we waited." She extends her hand and he gives her the book.
"I'm sorry you got hurt."
"It wasn't your fault. And I'll be fine. It just hurts a little right now." She opens the book to a glowing poem. "There we go. It looks like you can go home."
"Stitch used to be like that," the alien comments. "I was told I could never be any more than that. But then I found my family all by myself. It was little and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good." Lori considers this, a thought creeping into her brain. "I ended up being more important than what Jumba built me to do," he finishes with a big grin.
Lori can only let out a "Huh…I wonder…"
"May I go back to Lilo now?" Stitch interrupts. "I have to go to a hula lesson this afternoon."
She beams at him. "Of course. Thank you again for showing us a good time, you cute and fluffy little guy." He jumps over and hugs her with her reciprocating.
"I'm glad I could help. Thank you for helping me. You are my Ohana too now."
She takes him in one last time. "That means a lot. It really does. Aloha e aloha e 'Ano 'ai ke aloha e" He vanishes in a burst of light and she closes the book pondering. "Could it have been?"
XXX
In the break room of the DIZ corporation, Commander Lucas sits with his boots on the table swigging coffee as her reads the newspaper for November 3rd. He looks up puzzled when an intern in a white lab coat comes rushing in.
She catches her breath before speaking. "Sir, we just picked up a signal!"
He swings his feet to the floor and rises, engrossed. "What?!" She takes another breath and he slams him cup down impatient. "Out with it!"
She smiles, proud. "When Stevens left, he stole the DIZ v2.9 program we had finished developing for the lab when we opened the book. So we've been tracking the signature in case it ever came to use. It just went online. And wherever that is-"
Lucas gets a huge grin. "The book must be also! What have we got?!"
"We're still honing in on it" she admits. "But so far we have Midwestern United States. By the beginning of December we'll have it pin-pointed exactly and be able to move in. The General and that soldier of his are all ready to move in."
Lucas shakes his head. "Make it the end of November. We have a lot of catching up to do with this individual. I have a lot of questions to ask them." The interns nods and starts to leave, but pauses.
"Do you think they'll hand it over?"
Lucas returns to sitting with his coffee. "Stevens gave it to them for a reason. I doubt they'll come peacefully. They have an agenda just like he did." He can't help but smirk. "And we both know there's only one way to truly separate book from owner." The intern nods and exits, Commander Lucas returning to his November 3rd paper.
XXX
Tune in next week as Kaity faces some struggles, Ben faces a pesky rob- computer program along with some girlfriend issues, and Lori just tries to keep everything together while finally facing Shawn.