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lurkers-guide


								<h3>Synopsis by Matthew Murray (mmurray@wsu.edu)</h3>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/party.gif" alt="">

								While a man and a woman meet a docking ship, Sheridan, Ivanova,

								Garibaldi, and Franklin are celebrating in Earheart's with many other

								officers Corwin's promotion from lieutenant J.G. to full lieutenant.

								Garibaldi asks why Marcus wasn't invited, but Ivanova explains that,

								since Earheart's is for Earth Alliance personnel only, it wasn't

								appropriate for him to be invited.  Sheridan agrees with her, saying

								it's probably best if he keeps a low profile.


								<p>

								Things are not quite as celebratory, however, in Downbelow, where a

								lurker is screaming in pain while a strange small creature, resembling

								a scorpion, burrows itself into his back while the man and the woman

								who met the incoming ship earlier stand over him, watching

								expectantly.  They go over to him after it has integrated itself into

								him, but are dismayed because their plan didn't work.  Security is on

								its way, so they quickly take their leave.


								<p>

								In C&C, Sheridan speaks with Ivanova privately about Corwin, and

								whether or not he should be indoctrinated into their group working

								against the Earth government.  He asks her to meet with Corwin to

								determine whether or not he would be a good choice.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/asleep.gif" alt="">

								Marcus runs into a friend of his, Duncan, who works in a bazaar.  They

								speak for a few moments, and though Marcus tries to convince the sickly

								Duncan to see a physician, he refuses.  Marcus promises to see him

								again soon.


								<p>

								During Dr. Franklin's medical staff meeting, one of the other doctors

								reports the unexplainable death of a man the previous night.

								Franklin, wanting to determine the cause, asks that the body be brought to

								MedLab 1.<br clear=all>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/bar.gif" alt="">

								Marcus is meeting with some of his informants, one of whom tells him

								that the Shadows are beginning to gather around sector 800, on the

								border of Centauri space, and that a package Marcus ordered will arrive

								within a week.  Marcus tells him to learn whatever he can about the

								Shadow buildup.  Marcus speaks with someone else who tells him

								that one of his primary liaisons is no longer interested in working

								with him.  Marcus goes to pay the man a visit.<br clear=all>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/exam.gif" alt="">

								Dr. Franklin begins his analysis of the dead body, and while he finds

								evidence of drugs, he can't find any other possible cause of death.

								The computer, however, completes its scan, and finds one neural

								anomaly.  Franklin asks to see it, and the computer displays it: it is

								the creature that entered the man earlier, and it is wrapped around his

								spinal column.  Franklin prepares to open up the patient.


								<p>

								Marcus finds his contact, Samuel, who seems to be in fine health, but

								has no further interest in working with Marcus, or explaining why he no

								longer wishes to do so.  Marcus is quite suspicious about this, but

								leaves anyway.


								<p>

								While Franklin completes the autopsy, finding a small, worm-like

								creature in the dead man, the man and the woman seen earlier, with

								Samuel, stand over the body of Duncan as yet another creature bores its

								way into his back.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/wiggle.gif" alt="">

								Franklin finishes studying the biomass, discovering that it is 100%

								genetically neutral, meaning it can exist in any life form.  He begins

								working to discover if it came from the station itself, or if it was

								brought there by someone else.


								<p>

								Marcus arrives back at the bazaar, trying to find Duncan, and is quite

								perplexed when he is unable to do so.  He speeks to another merchant,

								who says that she saw Duncan earlier, but hasn't in a while.


								<p>

								Alone in C&C, Ivanova tells Corwin that, since he has been promoted, it

								might be a good idea for them to talk and get to know each other

								better.  Though somewhat apprehensive, Corwin agrees, suggesting they

								meet in the mess hall, but Ivanova suggests a more private venue: her

								quarters.  This startles him further, but he nonetheless agrees.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/strange.gif" alt="">

								Marcus tries to explain to Garibaldi that the recent string of

								disappearances might be a sign of a problem, but since no crime has

								been committed, Garibaldi says there's nothing he can do.  Marcus gets

								angry at Garibaldi, claiming that he should look beyond protocol and

								see what might be a serious problem, but this only angers Garibaldi

								further.  Garibaldi tells him that, if they are acting strangely, they

								should speak to a doctor, but it isn't his jurisdiction.  So, Marcus

								speaks to Dr. Franklin who, at first agitated, eventually agrees to go

								with him to investigate the problem.


								<p>

								Corwin approaches a flower vendor, and tries to explain his situation,

								with some difficulty, since he isn't sure himself what the situation

								is.  Coming to the conclusion that he has a date with someone

								aggressive, the flower vendor gives him a large bouquet of synthetic

								roses, saying that no woman is ever offended by roses, except by their

								absence.  Corwin agrees, and pays 40 credits for them.


								<p>

								Franklin and Marcus go to Duncan's quarters, but despite their

								incessant paging, he doesn't answer.  Franklin reluctantly uses his

								medical override to open the door, and Marcus rushes in, finding

								something troubling inside.  Franklin joins him, where they see that a

								strange substance has eaten through one of the walls.  Marcus goes

								through the hole it created, and Franklin follows.  It leads out into a

								hall, where there is another man on the ground, with another creature

								absorbing into his back.  Franklin rushes to help him, but is stopped

								and held at gunpoint by a group of those previously affected.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/prison.gif" alt="">

								Franklin and Marcus, in a makeshift prison cell, talk about the

								situation, while Franklin explains the parasitic being he examined.  He

								warns that they could take over the whole station, but Marcus doesn't

								understand why the creatures would take over the lurkers

								rather than the crew.  Franklin tries to get some of the

								others to help the fallen man, but they refuse to do anything.  He

								tries to explain that the creatures are controlling them, but they say

								nothing.  Franklin asks if they can understand him, and one of them

								explains that the man will stay there until they are finished, saying

								that Franklin's safety may be in jeopardy should he try to interfere.

								Franklin backs further into the cell, telling Marcus that they need to

								escape, which might be difficult, since two of their three captors have

								firearms.  Marcus says that all they need to do is to get one of them

								to leave, which will even up the odds.  Franklin doesn't understand

								this, but knows that, since Marcus told Garibaldi of their plan, he

								will be there soon.  It turns out, however, that Marcus did in fact not

								inform him.  They are on their own.<br clear=all>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/roses.gif" alt="">

								Corwin arrives in Ivanova's quarters, bearing the bouquet of roses.

								It's quickly clear she doesn't consider the meeting a date;

								desperate to not look foolish he claims to have found the flowers lying

								outside.  She says that it is silly to spend money on high-priced

								synthetics, but that she finds it romantic, and confides in him that

								she has a weakness for roses.  She thanks him for keeping them out of

								someone else's hands, but definitely wants to find out who brought them

								to her.


								<p>

								Duncan arrives at Franklin and Marcus's prison, and tries to explain

								his situation, and how he was helped.  He says that he was Duncan, but

								is now part of another species, the Vindrizi, and warns Marcus that he

								will hurt Marcus if he interferes.  The part of him that was

								Duncan doesn't want that to happen.  Duncan invites them to view the

								process, but all Franklin understands is that the Vindrizi seem to kill

								everyone they inhabit.  Duncan tells him that only certain humans are

								suitable for a merger, and that the Vindrizi want only to save lives,

								and that there is no other way.


								<p>

								Ivanova gives Corwin a cup of real coffee, which she grows in the

								hydroponic gardens, counter to regulations.  She explains that sometimes

								you have to bend the rules to get what you want, and Corwin agrees

								saying that, if it doesn't hurt anyone, or is good for Earth, he has no

								complaints.  She asks him what he does if his orders conflict with what

								is good for Earth.  Corwin tells her that everything will fall apart if

								the chain of command isn't obeyed.  He says that, if he saw someone

								trying to gather officers to act against EarthDome, he would report

								them, and asks if there is anyone she wants him to watch.  She says the

								question is merely hypothetical, asked only to learn where everyone

								stands.  She thanks him for coming, says good night to him, and he

								leaves.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/help.gif" alt="">

								Still in their prison, Marcus asks Franklin about Ivanova, and if he

								has done something to offend her.  Franklin assures him that it just

								takes her time to get to know someone, and that she hasn't adjusted to

								him yet.  Marcus says that he is looking forward to finding out more

								about her.  Franklin finds it funny that they are talking about this

								in their situation.  As Franklin begins to

								convince Marcus that he isn't her type, several of the Vindrizi-inhabited

								lurkers arrive and take Franklin away, saying that one of them is ill,

								and that they need his medical expertise.  They take him to a room

								where a lurker is on the table, dying.  Franklin tries to convince them

								that the only way to save him is to remove the Vindrizi from him, but

								they will not accept no for an answer saying that, should he not help,

								he will be directly responsible for the man's death.


								<p>

								Marcus, alone in his prison, notices that the odds are now two

								against one.  With the odds even as he sees it, he convinces one of the

								guards that a small device sitting on the table is actually a vital

								medical device that Franklin needs.  Marcus instructs him on the use

								the device, which turns out to be his retracting pole; the guard knocks

								himself out with it.

								Marcus is able to defeat the other guard easily, and escapes his

								cell.  He finds Franklin's hand link, and tries to use it, but the

								computer won't let him, since he isn't Franklin.  He grabs his pole

								and runs off, while Ivanova, who detected the attempted use of

								Franklin's link, sends security to brown 84 to find the culprit.


								<p>

								Marcus easily defeats a guard patrolling the hallway.

								He grabs the guard's weapon, and quickly finds Franklin.

								He grabs Franklin away from the Vindrizi.

								The Vindrizi try to convince Franklin to continue helping the lurker, but

								Marcus decides to try to talk to them in order to get away safely.

								When he tries to threaten the Vindrizi, he is interrupted by Duncan,

								who begs him not to do what he's doing.  Marcus asks what sort of a

								life Duncan will have if he is forced to remain merged with a creature.

								Duncan explains that he and the others weren't taken over, but

								volunteered.


								<p>

								While Garibaldi and other security officers mobilize to search the

								sector, Duncan explains that the Vindrizi were created over a hundred

								thousand years ago to be living records of history, bearing evidence of

								planets, cultures, and civilizations that will exist long after the

								other races have died and all other knowledge has been destroyed or

								forgotten.  The only way the Vindrizi can survive is to take

								over the bodies of other races.  They choose those near death, so that

								they may have new life and a purpose, which they may not have had

								before.  Marcus says that he doesn't trust the Duncan he sees now -- only

								the one he knew.  As if by request, the Vindrizi inside Duncan thrusts

								its way out of him and scurries away.  Duncan explains that his life,

								before the Vindrizi, was destined to be completed in Downbelow, but,

								when merged, he saw and knew things that he had never dreamed of before.

								After the explanation, Franklin agrees to help the Vindrizi, but only if he can

								be assured that he can approve all volunteers, and that they all agree

								to it beforehand.  The Vindrizi agree, and Franklin calls Garibaldi,

								informing him of his location, and ordering a medical team.  Marcus

								tries to apologize to Duncan, but it does no good.  Duncan is sad at

								all he has lost, but apparently bears no ill will.


								<p>

								Ivanova approaches Sheridan in C&C.  Sheridan indicates toward Corwin,

								without saying a word, as if asking what her analysis of his potential

								was.  She shakes her head, and they both look away sadly.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/051/leave.gif" alt="">

								Marcus catches up with Duncan in the docking bay, just as he is about

								to leave.  Marcus tries to convince him not to, but Duncan insists he

								must.  In the time while he was inhabited by the Vindrizi, he learned

								that he was special, and he wants to go out and find things that might

								make him feel that way again.  Marcus again apologizes, but Duncan says

								that he realizes he did what he did only because he cared, and tells

								Marcus that he realizes that maybe everyone should become special

								before it's too late.  Duncan tells Marcus that maybe, when he finds

								what he's looking for, he'll return.  Duncan boards his ship,

								leaving Marcus alone.


								<p>

								Back in Earheart's, Franklin explains that so far, everything the

								Vindrizi told him is the truth.  Garibaldi asks what Franklin thinks of

								Marcus; Franklin says Marcus did a good job,

								and tells Ivanova that Marcus might appreciate a second chance with

								her.  "That's it," she says to herself.  "He must have sent them!"  She

								quickly excuses herself and rushes out.


								<p>

								Bearing the bouquet of synthetic roses, she marches forcefully through

								the station, finally arriving at a table where Marcus is eating.  She

								thrusts the roses down on the table in front of him, haltingly ordering

								him to "Keep 'em," before marching away again.


								<p>

								"Thank you," he calls after her.  "I will!"  He picks up the bouquet

								admiringly.  "Well, I guess there's hope for us after all!"