Episode 33, originally published 04-Apr-97

Jurassic Pack

"I don't know," Tony says to Grace as they drive along in the car. "I'm not so sure we should have just taken the kid that way." "My name's Cassie!" Cassie says. "We know that, honey," Grace says. "Aren't people going to call it kidnapping?" Tony says. "Oh," Grace whines. "I don't think they would do that. They couldn't. We're taking her to her mother. And the paperwork she had before was a scam. How could that be kidnapping?" "I know how it could be," Cassie says. "How's that?" Grace says to her. "Because I'm a kid. And I'm going to be napping now. So NOW it's kidnapping. Ha, ha. ha, ha!"

Kurt is dining at the Abbott estate with Ashley, Jack, Diane, and John. "Well, Kurt," John says, "it's very nice to finally have a chance to meet you. I've heard so many glowing things about you from my daughter." Kurt darts an exasperated glance at Ashley. "Thank you, sir. I--" John, who is now taking a bite of food, suddenly starts to choke. "Kurt! Save him!" Ashley says. "Somebody call 911!" Diane says. Jack nods to her. "I'll go," he says. He pauses for a moment. "Diane, have I told you how beautiful you look today?" She shakes her head. "Save it, Jack. Your father?" Jack looks at his choking father. "Oh. Right. Hang in there, Dad. Help is on the way." "Kurt, do it. Hurry up!" Ashley says. Kurt goes to John and holds his head in his arms, but does nothing. "He's turning blue!" Ashley says. "Kurt! Save my father!" "Isn't someone calling 911?" Kurt asks. "It'll be too late," Diane says. She tries pounding on John's chest, but to no avail. "Kurt!" Ashley urges. Kurt looks to John and says tearfully, "I can't! I just can't!"

The phone rings and Sharon answers. "It's Grace. I have your child!" Grace says. "Did you arrange that with Nick?" Sharon says, confused. "No, I did it all on my own. I just came in while the child was alone and--" "I don't understand," Sharon says. "Is this a kidnapping?" "I wish people wouldn't call it that. But you can come visit. We'll be in the open field at the edge of Potter's Pond." "We?" "Tony helped me." Sharon sighs. "What time?" "One o'clock. Will you be there?" "Of course I'll be there. What kind of a mother do you think I am?" Sharon hangs up and dials 911. "I can't believe it! My baby has been kidnapped! No, I'm not sure what they want, but I've arranged a meeting place...."

Michael Baldwin is in a room that looks like a restaurant kitchen turned laboratory. He wanders back and forth muttering. "I've waited for this time, Christine. You want to play hardball? I'll show you hardball. You'll wish you never crossed my path." He thumbs through a reference book and reads a passage or two. "Aha! Perfect," he says. He pours some chemicals from one test tube to another and it fizzles dramatically. Then he pours it into a spiralling tube that leads into nearby horizontal freezer unit. And the camera zooms in as he lifts the top of the freezer and peers down into it to see a frozen child inside. "Very, good. Very, very good."

Joshua comes racing into the Abbott dining room but Kurt looks up at him and shakes his head. Joshua puts his hand on John's neck to take a pulse and then shakes his head, too. "I see I'm too late," Joshua says. Ashley bursts into tears--"oh, I'll never forgive myself. I never meant to hurt Dad..." "What are you babbling about, Dogface?" Jack asks. "I put that bone in dad's food--I didn't mean any harm. I was just sad I missed the emergency surgery on Hope the other day, so I figured I'd re-stage the event. And now Dad is dead..." "Sis, I can't believe you'd do such a stupid thing," Jack says. "You are definitely in the doghouse for this little stunt."

Potter's Pond. Sharon is waiting as Grace drives up. "Where is he? Where's little Noah?" Sharon says. "Noah's dead!" Grace says. "Get a grip!" With those words, we hear a booming voice, "Grace Turner. Antonio Viscardi. Place your hands behind your head and lay flat on the ground. You are under arrest for the murder of Noah Newman." "No! You don't understand!" Grace says, running to the car. But she is shot dead by one of the sharpshooters. Tony gets out of the car. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I didn't want to go along with this." Cassie gets out, too. "Well, shoot, I wanted to go along. This is fun!" A sharpshooter, misunderstanding this as a confession, shoots her, too. Music (Bless the Beasts) swells as this plotline comes to a mercifully quick ending.

Michael Baldwin is in another corner of the lab, this time working with some shipping boxes. As he dons some wrist-length rubber gloves, he mutters, "Just wait, Christine. You think you're little Miss Perfect. You think no one can touch you. But I know your weakness. I studied while I was in prison. I focused on this moment. I got early release for good behavior because I was such a bookworm. But do you know what I was studying? No, you don't, do you? But you will...." He reaches into the freezer and lifts the still body of the baby, then carefully deposits it into the shipping crate. "There there, little one. You don't know yet what your mission is, but I promise you--you will doing the world a great service." He seals the box and as he does we see the box is marked "Switzerland. Rush order."

Some days later. Kurt enters a confessional. "Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I held a man's life in my hands, but I couldn't bring myself to save him." A voice comes from the other side of the screen. "Tell me what was in your heart, my son." "It was Ashley-- Ashley Abbot. She was right there--she would have still more cause to be grateful to me. No matter where I went in the world, she would have tracked me down and slobbered all over me. Just like a puppy." "Say no more, my son. All is understood and I forgive thee." Kurt looks surprised. "God forgives me? God understands?" The voice hedges. "Just between you and me? Who knows what God thinks? I'm just speaking for myself--from personal experience. Do you know I gave the woman forgiveness once and I have NEVER heard the last of her thanks on the matter. I know what you mean, believe me. I daresay if that woman turned up dead, I would move Heaven and Earth to find a way to offer absolution to the Saint who did it!" Kurt perks up. "Really? You know, Father, it's been really great chatting with you, but I just remembered-- there's a little something I've got to go and do. I'll talk to you later."

Back to the Baldwin's hideaway. It's some days later here, too. (Wow, the continuity must have been working overtime to get this transition right.) A large shipping crate has arrived. He takes a dolly and turns it up on end, then uses a crowbar to rip it open. As he does, we see the return address on the box. "Switzerland." Michael chortles to himself. "Michael Crichton step aside. What you did ONLY IN A STORY with amber, I've done FOR REAL with the maggots I got from that trash compactor!" The box is turned momentarily away from us as Michael sprays some sort of gas into it and we hear some rustling. "Welcome to the world, my friend. Come out and look around. We have great work to do." And with that, David Kimble steps out of the box!

That's all for this episode. Hope you learned something. Don't miss Episode 34!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.

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