Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:16:49 -0400
From: chris james <drmeta4@gmail.com>
Subject: Adam Conquers Earth, Chapter 17

Dear Reader: the following is a story of adult fiction, persons under the
age of 18 are not permitted to view this material.

	I'm a firm beliver in karma, you reap what you sow and all that
jazz. The collective karma of Hollywood is pretty low these days, and in
television land it's never been more obvious, just tune in and you'll see
what I mean. My solution: read a book, or a story like this.

	Otherwise, I'm happy to see that some of you have joined the fun at
www.NiftyWriters.org, the author and reader information sharing site (NOT a
part of the Nifty Archive Alliance, this is a private entity). Lately I
have been posting my comments there about the new authors writing on Nifty
and the kinds of stories they post. I hope it helps them feel appreciated,
and I want it to also help the readers find the newest and best stories on
the site. All comments welcomed. Chris James.

<drmeta4@gmail.com>



			 Adam Conquers Earth (M/B)


Chapter Seventeen

	Butch stood in the corner of the set surrounded by girls. The
basement party room had been thrown together in Studio B in about
twenty-four hours by the production carpenters. Mitch was standing in the
middle of the room with his Steadicam focused on Butch and his admirers.

	The boy was all dressed up for the big moment, his debut on the
social scene. He was smiling and talking to Denise as the others stood and
listened. Mitch slowly panned the camera in a half circle and zoomed in on
Beverly and Adam.

	"I never would have believed it," Beverly said. "He looks great,
and Denise is all over him."

	"I told him there were three things he could talk about," Adam
said. "School, movies and Zac Efron."

	Beverly giggled. "That was clever; no wonder they're hanging on his
every word. So...like what was this big thing you wanted to tell me?"

	"We better sit down first," Adam said. "Is there anywhere private?"

	Beverly grinned, thinking Adam was making a move. "Um, sure, we can
go upstairs, but then everyone will think something bad. I know, let's go
in the laundry room."

	She led Adam over to a doorway and slid open a folding door. Inside
there was a washer, a dryer, and little room for anything else. Alan had
two cameras on the scene, both hidden behind the false walls of the
set. Beverly turned on the light and then slid the door shut, turning to
face Adam. Her face said she was expecting something, maybe another kiss.

	"Is this private enough?" Beverly asked.

	"I guess."

	"Are you going to kiss me again?"

	"Oh...I hadn't thought about that, but that will work," Adam said.

	Beverly closed her eyes and Adam leaned in for the contact. The
instant their lips touched her eyes flew open and she froze. The kiss
lasted for at least ten seconds and then Adam pulled away.

	"Beverly...are you OK?" He asked.

	"Uh...uh, what was that place...who are you?"

	"I'm a Regalian...I'm not human. We live on the other side of the
galaxy and I just came here for a visit, you don't need to be afraid of
me," Adam said.

	"No, I'm not afraid...you're Adam. Why...why didn't you tell me
before?" Beverly asked.

	"Because I like you," Adam said. "And because I don't want you to
think I'm crazy when I do this." And with that Adam kissed her again, and
Beverly melted in his arms. This time she pulled back and stared at him.

	"I'm...I'm kissing an alien."

	"See, its fun...but I can't be your boyfriend, Beverly. I might not
be here much longer," Adam said.

	She nodded. "Yes, you'll have to go home. What was that place, was
that your planet?"

	"Yes, I gave you an image of my home world...I can put thoughts in
your head."

	"You read minds?"

	Adam nodded. "Yeah...sorta, the human mind is open to me."

	Beverly gave him a coy smile. "So...then what am I thinking now?"

	Adam reached out a hand and touched her shoulder. His eyes got wide
and he grinned.
 "OK, that would be awesome." And then Beverly reached over and turned out
the light.

	"Cut," Alan yelled.

	The lights came back up and Mark laughed. "Thank you, Ms. Cooper,
two kisses in one day."

	"Long as it's in the script," Beverly laughed.

	Her fame on the show had made her quite popular in the Hollywood
scene. And with her mother's approval, Beverly now had her first real
boyfriend, a sixteen year old singer. Mark had laughed when he saw her
photo with the boy in a teen magazine, now it was her turn to fight off the
fans.

	The kid extras were back at work, and they were shooting things
like this party scene and school activities all week long. Tomorrow there
was a shoot in the neighborhood with Casey over something the Vernon's dog
was seen doing.

	It wasn't that Adam was naive when it came to understanding human
reproduction; Regalians did it too, and in much the same fashion. But it
was inevitable that the subject would come up on the show and Mark had
written the scene he would play with Martin Barnes. The other writers had
been only too glad to side-step the issue, Mark had made it funny. Besides
they had a trained dog on the show now, a dead ringer for Sugar, Alan's
golden retriever.

	The scene was to open with Max, an amazingly talented animal
belonging to Jeff Inman. This dog had starred in films for over eight years
and so being around strange people and funny equipment didn't matter. The
only thing Max focused on was Jeff, and the myriad of hand signals the man
used to control his four legged actor.

	Max had taken an instant liking to Mark and always stood patiently
awaiting their scenes. In this one Max would be seen trotting down the
street with Adam and then he would pull the leash from the boy's hand and
scurry off into Barnes' yard. The man had a huge garden of precious flowers
and shrubs which he carefully guarded; Max's transgression would soon be
noted.

	But when Adam rounded the fence he came upon Max and another dog
copulating, although that would not be shown on screen. Adam's reaction and
understanding of what Max was doing would be priceless, and then Barnes
would look over the gate and see it as well. His frown would turn to a
smile when he saw Adam watching, and the discussion would take them
carefully through a minefield of sexual expression.

	That would all happen tomorrow, it was now late morning and Mark
had a meeting with Todd before his school classes began. Unlike most public
school students, Mark and the other cast members under contract had school
year round, except for notable events and two solid vacation periods. But
Todd offering to take him to lunch was unusual, and Mark wondered what was
up.

	By now Todd had figured out what Brian and Mark shared. Not that it
mattered; Rosie set the policy when it came to the boy. But this was client
business, and Brian would come along to listen since Mark never went
anywhere without him, that was a given.

	The back room at Tia's Grill was empty, Todd made sure of that. The
party room could hold fifty; today it was only the three of them. Todd
waited until they had ordered and then lay out what was on his mind.

	"As a performer you belong to SAG, and as a writer the WGA. Both
guilds have a contract on you, this you know. I think we have an issue
coming up, and so far it's only rumor," Todd said.

	"OK, what have you heard?" Mark asked.

	"Have any of the writers said anything to you about joining a
strike?"

	"A strike, whatever for?"

	"The contracts go up for renewal in two months, yours
included. There's been some buzz about payment for new media after the
season ends. A lot of shows are being sold out on DVD, and the writers have
nothing in their contracts to cover that."

	"Oh crap," Mark said. "This is only our first season, are they
going to DVD us as well?"

	"Triton has the option, but you have a piece of that in your
contract because I wrote it, the others don't," Todd said.

	"So if the Writers Guild goes on strike we don't have a season two,
is that what I hear?"

	"Afraid so, depends on how long it lasts. It might even spill over
into film studios, and Lord knows what the Screen Actors Guild will do
about that," Todd said.

	"You mean my deal with Hank? Fuck, Todd...that's all I need," Mark
said.

	"You have a SAG rule that says you cannot strike while under
contract and a WGA contract that says you have to honor the picket
line. Your position is pretty unique, except that there are a lot of
directors and producers in the same boat."

	"So if the WGA strikes I just get a long vacation until they come
back?" Mark asked.

	"If Triton plans to be understanding, otherwise we might be facing
a breach of contract suit," Todd said.

	"It's Lee isn't it, he would do something like that to protect his
money," Mark said.

	Todd nodded. "You have a good grasp of the situation."

	"Damn, we have three weeks to go on the shooting schedule, at least
it's all written. Would they stop the production completely?"

	"I don't know what the stagehands will do...Brian?"

	"The trades usually take their own vote, they'll be reluctant to
support a strike, and they'll be out of work for who knows how long if they
do."

	Mark nodded. "OK, so we have to get the whole thing shot pronto, at
least finish the season. If there's a strike I guess we can't produce any
further script material, at least publicly. I know the guys, we might get
them to meet and talk about next season. Now I'm worried about the film,
does Hank know?"

	Todd nodded. "I heard all this from him in the first place, he has
spies everywhere. But he also has a finished script and he's producing,
I'll bet he gets to shoot his movie."

	Mark sighed. "That's something at least."

	"Just do your work, Alan will probably know about this very
soon. Then he can push to finish up ahead of schedule if necessary," Todd
said.

	"We were only supposed to cover two-thirds of a season, sixteen
episodes. The rest was preempted by specials and such, maybe that's a good
thing," Mark said.

	"Either way, your reputation is made, Mark. Let's just ride this
out and see what happens," Brian said.

	"Good advice," Todd agreed.

	Three weeks of production, which meant three full episodes to
shoot. At least they had shot bits and pieces into the future, but they had
the major scenes to configure. The sexcapades with Martin Barnes led into
the revelation that Adam's 'mother' was once again pregnant. Vera had
already been outfitted with a pregnant suit to begin showing the
swelling. The baby was to be born next season.

	Adam was to begin his end of the year science project, producing
what could only be called a 'thingy' at the moment. It was this device that
was to create the final episode; Adam's father was to arrive on Earth. It
all had that E.T. phone home feeling about it, Mark thought that was
perfect.

	Mark went home that night and couldn't sleep a wink. Brian knew the
boy was immersed in thought, he accepted a kiss good night and nothing
more. But Mark lay there and stared up at the ceiling, so Brian got up and
made them some hot chocolate.

	They sat in the darkness of Brian's living room and talked. "I
never figured it to end like this," Mark said.

	"It's not over, sweetie...it just might get delayed," Brian
replied.

	"No, I mean my debut on television is over no matter what
happens. It's like I've stepped through a curtain and I'm in a new place. I
thought Adam would be the ticket for a long time, but now I can see beyond
that."

	"You want to quit the show?" Brian asked.

	"No, but I want greater things to start happening. Hank will give
me that chance. I feel a commitment to Steve and the others. Poor Wayne
will be crushed if the show dies; he sees this as his last chance at
glory." Mark sat his mug down and slid over beside Brian. "You've grown
too, made some good career moves."

	"I'd run a camera while you sell pencils on Hollywood Boulevard,"
Brian said.

	Mark laughed. "Yeah, like that will ever happen. We have a
partnership here, we're engaged, nothing is going to separate us. But the
others, I feel responsible for them. I want to go over and kick Lee Real's
ass if he doesn't stand behind us."

	Now Brian laughed. "Take Tim with you, because if Steve is out of
work that man is gonna be seriously mad."

	"If the writers strike I'll be mad at them, and then go stand on
the picket lines because I agree with them. If Lee makes money off what I
write and he finds a new way to do it then he has to share, that's only
fair. My guys make less than a hundred thousand a year just to make his
millions. Lord, I sound like a socialist," Mark said.

	He turned to Brian and smiled. "If Lee screws me over then I'm
going to quit the show, I'm sure I can find a technicality somewhere. Let
him have a show without its star and see where that gets him."

	"Mark...stuff like that sounds good, but it will hurt your
reputation as well. What's most likely to happen is the writers go out and
we get a month or two vacation before things get settled. Don't forecast
disaster before it even begins."

	"Action," Alan yelled, and Adam led Max down the street towards
home. The dog strained at the leash and pulled Adam along until he finally
let go. Max ran across Martin's yard and around the corner of the
house. There was some growling and then silence, Adam ran to see what was
happening.

	He rounded the corner and looked down, skidding to a stop. Adam's
eyes stood wide open, then his head tilted to the side, then tilted the
other way. He had this silly smile on his face until a pair of hands
dropped on the gate and Martin looked over.

	"Hello, Adam, what...?" And then Martin saw the dogs. He frowned
and then smiled as he saw Adam watching.

	"Dogs have no sense of shame," Martin said. "But it's not like they
can get a room at the motel, is it?"

	"Why would they go to a motel?" Adam asked.

	"Humans need privacy, animals don't bother it seems," Martin said.

	"I saw a guy and his girlfriend down at the park, they didn't seem
to mind either," Adam said.

	Martin nodded as Max growled, signaling his finish. "Go home, Max,"
Martin said and the dog did just that.

	"Just because some kids don't have any sense doesn't mean you
should follow their example," Martin said. "One day you'll be married and
understand how foolish it is to do things like that in public."

	"Yeah, I'll wait," Adam said. "My father would be really mad if I
started having kids before I find a mate."

	Martin smiled. "A wise decision. You're very smart for a teenager."

	"Cut," Alan yelled.

	Mark turned around wondering why Alan had stopped the scene, they
weren't finished yet. But Tina was over whispering in Alan's ear and the
look on his face wasn't good. Alan nodded at her words and then shook his
head.

	"Break, sorry guys...I have to take a break," Alan said.

	The crew moved the cameras and Casey took a walk back to the cast
trailer. Mark looked for Brian and saw him with Tommy over by the limo.

	"What was that all about?" Mark asked. "Do you know?"

	"Yeah, bad news...Wayne was sent to the hospital complaining of
chest pains last night," Brian said.

	"Oh shit, is he all right?"

	"Too soon to tell, Tim was going to run over there and call me,"
Brian said.

	The event put a damper on the day's shooting, not something they
could really afford. But Tina made the rounds telling everyone they were on
hold and by eleven they knew the worst. Wayne had a heart attack, he might
be out indefinitely.

	Alan cancelled the shoot and called a meeting back at the studio
for one o'clock, Mark and Brian boarded the limo and headed back into town.

	"So what does this mean to the show?" Brian asked.

	"It takes Puckett out of the equation, that's for sure," Mark
said. "Jeez, didn't anyone know he had a heart problem? They gave everyone
a physical three months ago when we got started."

	"He may not have known, or maybe he was hiding the problem from us,
I don't know," Brian said. "How do we get around not having a Puckett in
the scenes?"

	"We have Brenda, Thank God. I guess we'll have to make a few
changes, do you think he'll be OK?"

	"It's too soon to tell," Brian said.

	The meeting was pretty low key; the only news was that Wayne was in
intensive care and stable. There had only been one major scene left for
Wayne in the season, the PTA meeting. Mark said they could put Brenda in
his place with some re-writing, and it was agreed to go ahead with that.

	Mark opted out of classes for the afternoon and sat down with the
writers to hash out the scene change. It was a somber bunch; Wayne was well
liked by the writers group.

	"I suppose having Jones stonewall the PTA is just as good as
Puckett kissing their ass as we planned," Mike said.

	"That will work," Mark said. "But the whole issue of bake sales to
raise money seems pretty lame now with her, any suggestions?"

	"We started off the show with Steve selling raffle tickets so
that's been used," Tony said.

	"This is all a setup for season two, isn't it?" Evan asked. "Are we
looking for some controversial event that the PTA won't like?"

	"Yeah, I was thinking about something like gambling," Mark
said. "They could fight about that and then settle for...say a spaghetti
dinner. Adam, the kids and a few parents ought to create some great moments
of culinary disaster."

	"Adam cooking? That would be a riot," Mike said. "We haven't talked
much about next season."

	Mark looked around the room and saw that there were some questions
on everyone's face. Maybe it ought to be discussed. "Are we going to have
one, is that what you're thinking?" He asked. "I know you've all heard the
rumors, any thoughts?"

	Mike sighed, he was the senior man. "If the WGA calls it we have to
go out, Mark."

	"Oh, I get that, I'll be there too. But I have a different
relationship to Triton than you guys, Todd says I may get my ass sued for
picketing because of my SAG contract."

	"Well that plain sucks," Pete said.

	Mark nodded. "The point is we don't know how long anything like
that might last...a month...two months? If we don't get back at it quickly
then season two is in trouble. I was just hoping they don't call us up and
say they want twenty-four episodes, and that just might happen."

	Mike shook his head. "You've seen the ratings so far, I don't see
them cutting back, expansion is the only way to go."

	"And what if we don't have a Puckett?" Pete asked.

	"That's a whole new issue," Mark said. "If Wayne can't come back
I'd say we're pretty screwed. Anyone remember replacing a main character
like that which ever worked?"

	"No...that's what killed a lot of shows," Mike said.

	"I know I'm still one of the new guys learning what can and can't
be, but what if we cloned Puckett, could Adam do something like that?" Stan
asked.

	Mark stared at him for a moment. "Never thought of that, someone
write that down and...Oh My God, what a thought. What did Evan Taylor do
best when he started in films?"

	Evan was to play Adam's father, episode sixteen was to start
shooting in less than ten days.

	Mike smiled. "Evan played that doctor character, the evil
scientist. A 'B' movie for sure, but hell this is television. I see what
you're suggesting."

	They spent an hour talking about cloning Puckett, a purely Regalian
solution. Mark didn't want to think it would be necessary, but it might if
Wayne couldn't come back. But the meeting broke up and Mark found Brian in
Alan's office.

	"Any word?" Mark asked, and Brian shook his head. Alan looked
dejected so Mark shut the door and sat down.

	"OK, the guys know about the WGA situation, and they're not happy
about it," Mark said. "With Wayne out we suggest putting Brenda in the PTA
scenes; I'll have the script changes by tomorrow. That was the obstacle we
can deal with, as for Wayne himself and what we might do for next
season...I have a suggestion."

	He went on to explain Evan and what they might do to create a
duplicate Puckett if necessary. Alan looked skeptical at first but as Mark
went on talking about Adam's father as the Regalian scientist he seemed to
brighten up.

	"Wow...you work fast," Alan finally said. "It would give season two
one hell of a bang for the opening episode."

	"I don't want to replace Wayne," Mark said. "We have months before
the scheduled work starts, he might be recovered by then. But even if he
does come back to work we might still want to use the clone thing as a
gimmick. Can we get Evan to stay on with us?"

	"Probably...I'll make sure he's available. So rather than send
Adam's father back to Regalia we leave him here for several episodes next
season, and that works." Alan sighed and then smiled. "You know, kiddo,
you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

	Mark laughed. "Thank you, boss."

	"I'm going to see Wayne this evening; Tina is over at the hospital
now trying to find out anything new. As I see it, if the Writer's Guild
calls a strike then we have to close down for a period of time to satisfy
them. No one will be happy with that; we may lose some key people on staff
if it drags on. I'm going to talk with Triton this afternoon, he gets to
decide," Alan said.

	"Whatever they do will slow us down," Mark said. "I'll spend some
of my off time working on the story line, but I need a vacation too."

	Alan nodded. "You deserve it, you all do. I think we can knock this
out in two weeks, finish the season and begin prep for season two before
anything starts."

	"Yeah, let's do that," Mark said.

	Mark and the writers were just finishing up the changes to the PTA
scene when Tina got back from the hospital. When the meeting broke up Brian
pulled Mark into his office and shut the door.

	"I don't think Wayne will be coming back, he had a stroke this
morning. A one-two punch like that at his age is devastating," Brian said.

	"But he's gonna live, isn't he?" Mark asked, tears forming in his
eyes.

	Brian pulled him in for a hug. "I don't know, sweetie. He's in the
best place right now. If he can survive the next few days his chances are
much better."

	Mark sobbed, it was all too much for him to absorb at once. The boy
might be a strong player in the show, but he was still just a kid. Brian
let the boy's tears flow uninterrupted for a while and then he sat Mark
down.

	"I want to do something for him," Mark said, wiping his face with a
tissue. "What can we do?"

	Brian nodded and thought for a while. "Triton will have to make a
public statement about this, would you like to be the spokesman?"

	"Me? Oh God, how can I talk without crying?"

	"You cry, that will be just fine. The fans of the show adore you,
and I think you're just the one they'd like to hear this from."

	Mark nodded. "OK...I'll do it, will Triton let me?"

	"Let's find out," Brian said. He picked up the phone and called Lee
Real's office. Within in a minute Lee was on the line.

	"Brian, any new word on Wayne Edwards?" Lee asked. "I have Walter
Triton and Alan here in the office."

	"He had a stroke this morning, at least he was under medical care
when it happened," Brian said. "Lee, Mark wants to make a public statement
about Wayne before the fans find out the hard way."

	"Mark does? Is he sure, that's a pretty brave thing to do," Lee
replied. "Hold on."

	He had covered the phone and Brian knew he was asking the others
what they thought. In less than a minute he was back. "Alan says about what
he expected from his star player, and Walter has no problems. Where is he
going to do this?"

	"Where will you talk, Mark?" Brian asked.

	"In front of the hospital, four o'clock today," Mark said.

	"The main entrance of the hospital at four," Brian relayed.

	"You handle security, I'll get the press over there at four," Lee
said. "And just to make sure he's the focus of the announcement we'll stay
away until after he's done, OK?"

	"Thank you, Lee," Brian said and he hung up. "Do you want to
change?"

	"Yes, I want this to be a solemn statement," Mark said.

	Brian called Tim and gave him a heads up, Tommy was at the studio
fifteen minutes later and they took the limo back to the house for a change
of clothes. Tim called back and said he and Steve would meet them there.

	Mark was quiet until right before they got to the hospital. "I
don't want this to come off like Wayne is about to pass away, even if that
is close to the truth. I would much rather have it seem like a celebration
of his career and just simply more about how much we love him."

	Brian nodded, feeling the boy's emotions wash over him. "You have
the right idea; let's celebrate him as a good man."

	They pulled up into the hospital grounds and a gaggle of news vans
was damn near blocking the entrance. James steered the limo up close to the
entrance and they could see several of Tim's men, a podium and several
dozens camera crews. Whatever Lee said to the media it had gone over
big. The limo was surrounded by reporters with microphones as Tommy stepped
out of the car and held them back, and then Mark made his appearance.

	  The first thing he saw was Tim and Steve, both dressed in suits
and ties, a very professional image. And that was how Mark felt, their
image here was important; this wasn't about fun and games. Mark ignored the
shouted questions, but he got the message, no one had been told why they
were here.

	Mark shook hands with Tim and Steve then turned and approached the
podium. He had written no prepared statement, the facts would speak for
themselves. Mark cleared his throat and began.

	"Hello...my name is Mark Harrison and I'm here today because a dear
friend of mine is in this hospital. Last night Wayne Edwards, who works
with me on the television show, was stricken with a heart attack, he's now
in critical condition.

	"I wanted the fans of the program to know how much we love this man
and care deeply about what has happened to him. I know your thoughts and
prayers will go out to him in this moment of personal crisis.

	"The past eight months of working with Wayne has been the best time
of my life and I've learned a lot from him. He was chosen for the role of
Mr. Puckett because no one else could play that part like he can, and we
knew that before the show even began. His career has spanned almost five
decades, giving us great and memorable character performances no matter
what medium he chose.

	"His patience with those of us who had little experience has been
wonderful; he is still very much a part of our cast. Wayne has taught me so
much about life, and for that I am grateful. But I'm here today to tell you
how much he is loved, by me and the entire cast. The show is not over; we
have done our job for this season and look forward to the next.

	"I want each and every one of our fans to share their feelings with
Wayne in any way that they can. I would love to see an avalanche of cards
and letters sent here to Wayne, I also know he loves cats in case you just
have to send him a stuffed toy. Wayne needs to feel your love to get
better, he has mine...and now it's your turn."

	He turned and gestured to Steve who joined him and they embraced
before Mark continued. "We're going inside to see Wayne if we can. They
won't allow him many visitors so I will have to take your best wishes in
there with me as I give him mine. My thanks to the media here today for
allowing me to share my feelings about Wayne, I suppose the hospital will
keep you informed as to his condition...that's all."

	Mark and Steve turned away towards the hospital entrance and Tim's
crew kept the media from following. The boys would not be allowed into the
intensive care unit, the only person who had visited was Wayne's younger
sister, and she met with them in waiting room. It didn't matter that the
boys had never met her before, she recognized them.

	"Hello...I'm Marsha Beall, Wayne's sister," She said.

	She went to shake Mark's hand and he hugged her instead. It was a
moment of sincere affection, and she held him for a long time before they
could talk.

	"He knew you were coming and said to tell you the truth," Marsha
said. "The stroke has left one side of his body paralyzed and he can barely
talk. But the doctors say he will recover, they just don't know how soon. I
think he's upset that this will hurt your program."

	Mark shook his head. "The show is nothing compared to his life, you
tell him that. I want him to know that we care about him, a lot of people
feel that way...give him our love."

	Marsha and her husband would take Wayne back to San Diego during
his period of recovery; Mark agreed it would be a good way to get him out
of the spotlight for some quiet time. But within twenty-four hours of the
media announcement the response of the fans was heard, and felt.

	Cards, letters, stuffed toy cats and flowers deluged both the
studio and hospital. Mark had photos taken of the cast standing knee deep
in all that outpouring of affection. Marsha called and said Wayne couldn't
stop smiling when he saw them. The cards and letters were boxed and sent to
Wayne, the toys donated to the Children's Hospital. Wayne would be moved to
San Diego, and the final weeks of the show progressed.

	Brenda understood the importance of assuming the leadership role
with Wayne out for the rest of the season. The script reading for the PTA
scene was slated to be a sober affair and Mark worried that the humor would
be lost. But Brenda was a pro, and when the time came she would be
everything the character needed to make people laugh.

	The scene included Mr. Blake (Leonard Avery) for the science
department, Mrs. Congreve (Beth Schultz) for English and introduced Nyla
Osolo as the math teacher. Alan had been delighted to discover this
Nigerian born actress to play the part, her dark features provided a much
needed contrast to Brenda's blonde image.

	Besides the four school related characters, Alan had cast eight
unknown actors to play the roles of parents for the episode. The script
reading session that morning had a different feeling; they didn't have a
close association with Wayne. Alan sat at the head of the long table when
the session began.

	"The set up is that Brighton Middle School always has some silly
fund raising effort to support the sports teams, the band and other school
activities for the kids. This year Mr. Trent's daughter has encouraged her
father to put forth the idea of a casino night and several of the other
parents are against gambling. After a lot of wrangling it will be decided
to hold a spaghetti dinner instead."

	Alan stopped and smiled. "We're going to be setting up what I have
no doubt will be one of the funniest scenes this show has seen so far. Mark
has only outlined for me the writers thoughts on the chaos Adam, Steve and
Butch will create as the volunteers chosen by Ms. Jones to run the kitchen
for the dinner. I imagine there will be a lot of cleanup after the scene is
shot. OK, let's begin."

	The good thing about being an assistant on the show was that Brian
got to hear everything in these meetings before the work actually
began. Script readings were where they hashed out problems, and it worked
well because the cast always seemed to have a feel for the work.

	Just talking through the lines showed Alan where there might be
tongue tied situations due to phrasing and he could change that. Characters
would be given their first directions on motivation for the lines they were
saying, and would have immediate feedback to the director if needed. This
was the place to accomplish that, not when the meter was running on
expensive crew participation in the studio.

	The new people were only new to the show; they had small part
experience in a myriad of performance venues. As the moderator for the PTA
meeting, Brenda led the cast through the ten minute scene like a pro.

	Ten minutes was a long time for one scene, it would be presented
wall to wall with commercials on either end and thus had to be a completed
piece of the episode. Coming back from a commercial after that scene the
plot would jump to something else and the audience had to grasp the entire
concept in one go.

	Commercials were the necessary evil as sponsors paid the
bills. Adam Conquers Earth was in the top twenty on demand programs for the
season, sponsors were beating down the door to get in. The great thing was
that this show was spread out over the audience demographic charts. People
from six to sixty had tuned in during that preliminary short season; Triton
was one of the happiest producers on the media street.

	Brenda smiled and assumed the role of Vice-Principal. "May I have
your attention please," She began. "From the minutes of our last meeting it
seems there is some debate about the means of fundraising at our next
scheduled event."

	"Yah, I don't want no gambling in my kid's school, it sets a bad
example," The man playing Mr. Trent said.

	"Yeah, what he says," Another parent threw out.

	Brenda nodded. "I see, and since I'm new here will you explain the
problem? It seems Brighton has always had a Casino Night, it's a good
fundraising idea."

	"It rewards bad behavior, isn't that what you guys are supposed to
prevent?" Trent said. "I don't want my kids thinking that gambling for
money is a good idea."

	"Yeah, what he says," The same man threw out.

	"And you sir, I don't recognize you...will you tell me your name?"
Brenda asked.

	"I'm Melvin Trent, Benny is my brother."

	"It figures," A woman said, "You don't even have kids at this
school."

	"I'm not married, but my niece and nephew go here," Melvin replied.

	"Mr. Trent...both of you, this is a meeting for parents. I
appreciate you have strong feelings about gambling, but stuffing the ballot
box with relatives is out of order, Mr. Trent...Melvin."

	"Yeah, what she says," The woman said.

	"Oh shut up, Doris," Melvin said, "You and your daughter never come
to these events anyway."

	"Don't you tell me to shut up, I have every right..."

	"Quiet, please," Brenda said. "I want a quick show of hands, who
thinks a Casino Night is a good thing?" Three hands went up. "And those
opposed?" Six hands went up.

	"Mr. Blake, you don't get to vote, you work here," Brenda said.

	"Oh, sorry," Blake said.

	"The majority doesn't seem to want a Casino Night, so is there
another suggestion to raise finds?"

	"Why do we need to raise money, doesn't the school board give you
guys enough?" Melvin asked.

	"I suggest you keep quiet Mr. Trent, you don't have a vote here,"
Brenda said. "But the question is valid, and no, the school board doesn't
directly support our extracurricular activities. The school pays for the
lights and the air conditioning, the water and the cleaning of facilities
after games, but there are other costs they don't fund."

	"Yes, like the basketball team uniforms," Mr. Meyers said. "My
son's uniform doesn't fit him anymore, he's a growing boy."

	"You feed him too much as it is," Doris said.

	"Well your daughter looks like a walking advertisement for an
anorexia clinic," Meyers said.

	"Quiet, please," Brenda said. "I want suggestions for another type
of event because a naked basketball team is out of the question."

	"I'd like to see a spaghetti dinner," Melvin said.

	"Yeah, what he said," Benny said.

	"We did that before and it was a success," Meyers said.

	"I worked on that, I'm Nina Stewart's father," A man said.

	"And was it a success, Mr. Stewart?" Brenda asked.

	"Yeah, I suppose. About two hundred showed up, we made a lot of
sauce and pasta that night, and then cleaned up a huge mess. If you do it
again I suggest you have student volunteers this time, the parents can't do
it all alone."

	"We have a large basketball team," Brenda said. "I think we can get
them to volunteer."

	"Well my son can't cook worth a damn," Meyers said.

	"Then maybe he'd rather go naked," Doris said. "Let him empty the
trash."

	Meyers laughed. "He hasn't figured that one out either."

	"Break," Alan said. "This all sounds fine so far. Build the
aggression slowly; your blocking will address that this afternoon. What I
want to see is a mirror of what the boys will create when we do this
scene."

	If we get a chance to do this scene, Alan thought, but he couldn't
say that out loud. He was actually looking forward to staging a food fight
in a huge kitchen. The 1965 film, The Great Race, had one of the greatest
pie fights in film history, now he would get to direct a pasta fight. But
none of his characters would come through it unscathed like Tony Curtis.

	Evan Taylor arrived just before lunch and Alan was still in
rehearsal. Mark left the line reading to meet with the man. Evan shook
Mark's hand and smiled, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

	"I really admire your work; we're going to have fun with this,
aren't we?" Evan said.

	"Yes, it's just things are a little subdued around here with Wayne
Edwards in the hospital, but we'll do our best," Mark said.

	"I was very sorry to hear that, Wayne and I worked together on
several projects," Evan said. "I was thoroughly enjoying his role on the
show here, what are you going to do now?"

	"We have some ideas that might pan out; I don't know what they'll
decide yet. Right now we're going to see if we can sell you as Uncle
Neila. The audience will know you're Adam's real father, and so will the
character of Jones, our other alien."

	"Oh? That ought to be interesting," Evan said.

	"Let's go find Brenda, she's about to do the PTA scene this
afternoon," Mark said. "And I have a thingy to set off."

	Evan laughed. "A thingy? Now there's a highly technical television
term."

	"Adam built it from his Regalian iPod device; it was only supposed
to broadcast sound from one side of a room to another in his science
project. But the sound is supposed to have gone hyper-space and that's what
attracts you to this place. Simple, but then a lot of what we do in the way
of plot is silly, kinda like Star Trek."

	"Oh don't go there," Evan said. "I'm a Trekkie from way back."

	"Oh Lord, you and about half the cast and crew. Well, you'll see we
let that show influence ours in your episode," Mark said. "Come on, let's
go find Brenda."

	They slid into the conference room just as the line rehearsal was
breaking up and Brenda headed straight for Mark. "I can work with this, but
I think Alan wants a few tweaks to the script. Hello, Evan."

	"Brenda, good to see you again," Evan replied, giving her a hug.

	"Oh, you know each other," Mark said.

	"Divine Women, I was a minor villain on the show several times,"
Evan explained.

	"You were a great villain, and I bet neither of us ever thought
we'd be here playing aliens, you'll love it," Brenda said.

	"I will, you can count on it."

	"Unfortunately Evan only gets about three minutes of screen time in
this episode, but there are greater plans in the works for that role," Mark
said. "And since even aliens live by eating, how about we do something for
lunch?"

	"That's good for me," Brenda said.

	Mark said a few words to Tommy as they boarded the limo and left
the studio. Evan had given the large man a glance and Mark almost
laughed. Once they settled in for the ride Evan asked.

	"Goodness, he's a rather large fellow," Evan said.

	"Tommy? He's been my security for months, he works for Tim Real,"
Mark said.

	"You know Tim?" Evan said.

	"Oh yes, he's a close friend."

	Evan looked over at Brenda and smiled. That one glance said that
Evan knew all about Tim, and yet he wouldn't say anything in mixed
company. Mark couldn't wait to get the man alone, but at least he
understood that Evan was in all probability gay.

	The Beverly Wilshire was a trendy upscale spot for lunch, and the
limo deposited them on the sidewalk where Mark led the way inside.

	"Good afternoon, Mr. Harrison...table for three?" Antonio asked as
they swept through the door.

	"Yes, please," Mark replied. "Any room on the patio?"

	"Absolutely...right this way."

	The familiarity was not lost on Evan. Mark might still be a boy,
but he had the name recognition here in town. The Beverly Wilshire was one
of the most elegant restaurants on the boulevard, a place to be seen.

	They were shown to a quiet shaded table and the waiter handed out
menus and then took their order.

	"You come here often?" Evan asked.

	"It's convenient, and Triton runs a tab for me," Mark said. "At
least the fans don't bother me here."
	"I suppose that's an issue at your age," Evan said.

	"We all get too much attention," Brenda said. "Excuse me, will
you?"

	Brenda left the table and Mark couldn't wait a second
longer. "So...how do you know Tim? I take it you're not a member of the
dojo."

	Evan smiled. "Um, I've been to his club...you know about the club?"

	"Sure, I'm a member," Mark said.

	"Oh...really? He lets you go there?"

	"I can, just not in the public spaces. We eat in his private dining
room and watch the club through the mirror; I really enjoy the comedy
acts. I'm gay, Evan...my partner is one of the assistant directors of the
show, you'll meet him this afternoon."

	Evan studied him for a moment and then smiled. "You really are one
of the most unique young men I've ever met. I see that none of this
Hollywood nonsense has gone to your head."

	Mark nodded. "I have people who won't allow that, Brian being
foremost on that list. I made him a promise to avoid the trap a lot of kids
fall into; it's one of the most important things about our relationship."

	"I take it he's a lot older, isn't that a risk?" Evan asked.

	"This is all a risk, you know that. I chose him, and only our
closest friends know...I'd like to include you in the circle."

	Evan smiled. "It would be my pleasure. Tim and I are the same age
and I think he's a handsome man. But my partner and I have been together
since college, and neither of us has allowed anything to come between us."

	"Outstanding," Mark said. "But for obvious reasons I have to
maintain secrecy on my partnership, and I don't think it would do my career
any good to come out. OK and enough about that...here's Brenda..."

	Lunch was excellent and just as they were finishing up Hank Dobbs
walked in the restaurant. He was with several men and nodded Mark's way,
and then giving it a second thought he rose from his table and came over.

	"Hello, Mark...just wanted you to know everything is going fine,
Todd said you were worried."

	"Thanks for telling me, I was concerned," Mark said. "Have you met
Brenda and Evan before?"

	"Ahh, the lovely vice-principal on your show," Hank said, taking
Brenda's hand and smiling. "So nice to meet you...Hello, Evan."

	"Hank...you staying busy?" Evan asked.

	"As ever...ask Mark, he can tell you now, the secret is out as of
this morning. I have to get back, nice to see you all...and Mark, see you
this weekend, OK?"

	"Sure, Hank, I'll be there," Mark replied.

	They were no sooner seated in the limo then Brenda had to
ask. "What secret are you keeping?"

	Mark laughed. "Hank has given me a part in his next film; I'm going
to be his co-star."

	"Really?" Brenda squealed and she grabbed Mark in a hug. "That's
great...you're headed right for the top, baby."

	Mark blushed at the attention and Evan laughed. "I can't think of a
more deserving person," He said.

	Brian drove the four of them to Hank's estate off Mulholland on
Saturday afternoon. The limo seemed a silly way to attract attention so
they took the Jeep, with Tim and Steve sitting in back. Steve had been
looking forward to the event all week long; this was going to be his first
Hollywood cookout.

	The boys had pondered the 'dating' situation, wondering what it
would look like when they appeared with two older men. But Tim had assured
them that if anyone thought something about it they would think he was
Brian's man-friend. There was a guard at the gate to the community and
Brian handed him the invitation. The man checked his list and waved them on
through.

	There was more star power in this enclave of homes than probably
any other in the hills surrounding the film capital of America. Cars lined
the road some distance from Hank's driveway, but a valet took the car and
they walked up onto the property.

	The scene looked like nothing more than a huge family picnic, with
kids and dogs running in the yard and smoke rising from a barbeque pit over
on one side. The only difference was that in the first two minutes Mark saw
ten of the most popular film stars on the Hollywood scene. And then a young
lady ran up and smiled.

	"Hi, Mark," She said. "I'm Trisha Dobbs; Daddy said you would be
coming."

	"Hello, Trisha," Mark said. "This is Steve Biddle, Brian Simmons
and Tim Real."

	The star struck look on her face didn't wander past Steve and he
smiled, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Trisha," Steve said, the
girl looked like she was about to faint as she took his hand and shook it.

	"Is your father around?" Mark asked.

	Trisha snapped back from her adoration and nodded. "Just follow the
smoke, he's burning dinner."

	Steve understood his role and walked with Trisha as they crossed
the yard; Brian and Tim wanted to laugh but didn't dare. This girl was the
daughter of what was probably the biggest star in town, and yet she was
agog at Steve's presence.

	Mark found humor in the situation, he always had. Just because he
was the star of the show didn't mean he was the fan's favorite target,
Steve had held that place from the beginning. Hank was fussing over the
grill when they walked up and he looked up with a grin.

	"Hey great, you're here. It's been a while since I cooked like
this." Then he turned to a young man who seemed to be hovering in the
background. "Francis, take over here, will you?" Francis nodded and moved
right in; Tim couldn't help but notice he was an attractive Hawaiian boy.

	"So, Mark...Brian, glad you could come," Hank said.

	"Hank this is Tim Real, one of my closest friends...and that one
over there attached to your daughter is Steve Biddle," Mark said.

	Hank laughed. "She's been pestering me all morning, I'm glad you
brought him along. Tim, nice to meet you. Real, any relation to Lee?"

	"My father," Tim said.

	"Of course, I was just joking," Hank said, and then he turned to
Steve. "Hello, Steve...so glad to finally meet you."

	"My pleasure, Mr. Dobbs," Steve said.

	"Please, its Hank...don't let the age fool ya, I'm the biggest kid
in town."

	Trisha nodded. "He isn't kidding, just stay off the basketball
court with him."

	Hank had quickly zeroed in on Steve, and Mark hoped there was
something in the works for his friend. Hank had said he wanted Steve to
meet some people.

	"Steve, I wanted you here for a reason...you see those two men over
there?" Hank said, pointing at two guys sprawled out in lawn chairs by the
pool. "That's Nathan Pierce and Michael Burton; I know they'd like to meet
you."

	"OK, what do they do?" Steve asked.

	"Movies, mostly independent films. Nathan just directed 'Baseline,'
I'm sure you saw that."

	"Wow, that was awesome," Steve said.

	"Yup, I was one of the producers," Hank said. "I really like
working with all these new people. There's so much unknown talent out there
and discovering them is my kind of fun," Hank said. "Come on, I'll give you
an intro. Trisha, why don't you show Mark my game room, I'm sure he'll be
amused."

	Hank led Steve across the lawn while Mark followed Trisha into the
house. Brian and Tim looked around, wondering what they ought to be
doing. Tim smiled at Francis who was turning the meat on the grill.

	"So Francis, are you Hank's permanent backup on the grill?"

	"I am if you folks want to eat. It's a good thing he knows how to
act, cooking is not his thing," Francis said. "Hey, I know you; my brudda
took lessons at your dojo. I saw you in combat a few times, you still doing
that?"

	"Not really, I run a security business now," Tim said. "You work
for Hank?"

	"Sometimes, my brudda and I run a business, we cook for people,
make a luau and bring a little of the Islands along too. All traditional,
none of that tourist crap," Francis said. "I cook for you sometime if you
like." He pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket and handed it
over.

	"I'll remember that," Tim said, pocketing the card. He was watching
Steve and Hank talking to these two guys in the chairs. Maybe something
would come of it, Steve needed a project. It wasn't about the money; the
boy needed something to sink his teeth into.

	Ever since Mark had mentioned his film project with Hank, Steve had
been on edge. His role in the television show had kept him busy, but now
they were facing the end of that for a while and the boy needed something
to do. They had spent hours sailing during the lag times and Steve was
becoming quite the little sailor, but it didn't satisfy him.

	Being in a relationship with someone this young never would have
happened if the boy had been anyone but Steve. Yes, there were the childish
moments of expression, but Steve was possessed by the desire to
perform. His steely eyed concentration during scenes before the camera, and
the intense focus he brought to his part on the show spoke volumes about
the way Steve accepted his calling as an actor.

	Now he was ready for a breakaway, a moment of his own when the
glory wouldn't be shared. Given the chance Steve would become a super-star
in just a few short years, Tim knew all of this, and it worried him. What
if the boy was changed by it all?

	He and Brian had spent hours in conversation about such things as
they stood behind the cameras and watched their boys perform. Mark was a
different breed all together; he was a source of creative talent and always
would be. But Steve, he needed the right vehicle for his talents, he needed
guidance that Tim knew he couldn't provide.

	And that left him with thoughts about doing what was right for the
boy. If it came down to it he would step aside to allow Steve room to
grow. Tim only hoped it wouldn't be necessary, because if it happened it
would break his heart, and it would prove Jean was right all along.

	These thoughts were still in his head as Steve broke away from the
small gathering and approached. "I think I've got something going on here,
you think Todd Mason would manage me?"

	"I don't see why not, you need some negotiating power now I
assume?"

	"Yeah, he needs to check this all out," Steve said. "They want to
put me in a film and they're looking for scripts. Hank says this happens a
lot, many producers choose a star before the film."

	"Yes, my father says that happens too."

	"It's all so vague, but Hank says not to worry, he has options on
dozens of scripts and maybe we can use one of them." Steve smiled. "It
feels good that someone wants me in a film."

	"I'll call Todd, unless you want your mother to do it," Tim said.

	"No, you do it. I want to keep her at arms length on this; these
are my decisions to make, not hers."

	Tim grinned. "I love it when you get aggressive."

	Steve laughed. "Yeah, I know...later, OK?"

	Trisha and Mark returned from the house and she want back to
staring at Steve. He knew better than to take off anywhere alone with her
so he turned to Mark.

	"Maybe I got something going with those guys Hank knows," Steve
said.

	"I hope so, Hank seems to be backing you...I do too," Mark said.

	"I know you do, I still need your support. Seems they haven't
chosen a story line yet and when they do I want your opinion."

	"Done deal. If I had the time I'd write a story that would include
the both of us, maybe next year," Mark said. "But I think we both need to
learn a lot more about making movies so keep your eyes open."

	Steve smiled. "You know I'd kiss you right this second, but Trisha
would totally freak."

	Mark grinned. "Yeah, it'd almost be worth it just to see that." And
they both dissolved in laughter.