Futurama

The Dark Side of the DOOP
By Dave

Fry, Leela and Bender are sitting in front of the TV, watching a cop and his robot compagnion beating the crap out of two civilians for no appearent reason on "Cought on Tape 3". It has been a stressful day for all of them, with two deliveries and loads of minor maintainance jobs on the ship.
Bender: "Hey Fry, you feel like going to the new pub arround the corner? They say its got a really good Band playing tonight, and the hookers are all state-of-the-art models.."
Fry: "Hey, yea! What kind of music do they play?"
Bender: "I dunno, probably the usual smoochy-human stuff..."
Fry: "Wanna come Leela? It'll be fun!"
Leela: "Great Idea! Exactly what I need..."

Leela, Bender and Fry leave the PE building and walk to the new pub. They pass by other people who are part of the NNYC night-life, a few of them are also headed for the new place. The pub is called "Uniquoxon's Hangout" and looks new and shiny. It's pretty big for a pub, almost a nightclub, but the band that plays is too tame to fit into a that category- they play something that sounds remotly like a mixture between Jive and Jazz. Not bad at all, Fry thinks. They sit down at a table and order some drinks as they observe their surroundings.
Bender: "This place isn't bad... If you don't mind I'll just invite myself to the robot-section over there" and points at a little section of the bar that seems to belong to the robots.
Fry and Leela watch Bender walk off eagerley to the robot section where he is soon greeted by two hookerbots.
Fry and Leela very soon get bored over their drinks.
Fry: "Hey, this tune has rythm... you wanna dance?"
Leela: "Umm... okay!"
They both leave their table and head for the dancefloor. Other people are alsy jigging arround, and Fry has no trouble adapting to this style of dancing - they're all the same. Leela is a little shy and doesn't move arround too much, but as she sees Fry jumping arround like a maniac she soon joins in. Leela has to scream to oversound the music: "Hey Fry - where did you learn to dance like that?"
Fry shouts back: "You don't learn it, you do it!" and demonstrates another 15 seconds of improvised dancing madness, only to collapse into a nearby chair after that. "Phu... Gimme a second...Pfft..."
The band finishes the song, and the pub erupst in cheer. After the applause ceased they tune into something more sensitive.
Leela and Fry have another drink and get bored again. Fry has recovered and is eager to get out on the dancefloor again, but he hasn't got a dancepartner.
Leela: "That is more my kind of dance. C'mon!"
Looks like the drinks are doing their work....
Fry asks: "How do you dance to this? It sounds weird"

Leela: "Just do what I do." and as she says that she takes his arms and puts them on her waist. She puts hers arround his neck. Fry gets a surprised look and acts a little clumsy in the first moment because of the surprise - he didn't exactly expect that. But Leela doesn't seem to mind and leans her head on his shoulder as they slowly step together arround the dancefloor - Leela must have had one too much. But he doesn't plan to complain, he had a couple himself. They dance like that for the rest of the tune which lasts almost 20 minutes. When the song stops Leela and Fry loosen their hold on each other, but they both obviously enjoyed it.
Fry: "I like this dance! Hope they play it again."
The announcer steps in front of the microphone: "We all enjoyed that one?" The guests cheer. "That's good to hear, because our next song .."

Late at night Fry and Leela leave the pub. Bender probably won't come before tomorrow morning. As they walk down the road policecars pass by.
Leela: "I really enjoyed this. We have to go there again." and smiles at Fry.
Fry: "Yea, the band was great... Are you sure you'll be alright going home?"
Leela giggles: "Are you kidding? You had more then me"
Fry: "Fine. Just be careful."
Leela has to take another way then: "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
Fry: "Yea, See ya" and watches dreamily as she walks of, then shakes his head and walks home himself.

Next morning Leela awakes with a massive headache. She isn't used to drinking at all, and what she had last night was a fair ammount, if not enough to make her really drunk. When she arrives at the PE Fry and Bender are already there. Bender hums happily, Fry looks terribly tired.
Fry: "Hi Leela"
Leela: "Hi Fry... you look terrible"
Bender: "Just speak for yourself"

The crew has gathered arround the conference table. Leela and Fry stare deep down their coffee mug when Hermes comes in.
Hermes: "All present?"
Everyone: "Yea.."
Hermes: "I will now.." and was interrupted by a massive breaking sound from the landing bay. Everyone gets up and runs to the ship to find a hole in the ceiling of the hangar. A little smoldering object has left a crater in the floor.
Professor: "By God, its a spaceship!"
True enough, its a little flying saucer, about two feet wide. An opening appears on the top of it and a tiny omicronian crawls out, clad in a layer of transparent skin and coughing hard: "*cough* I am Trrr, from the Planet Omicron Persei 8"
Zoidberg: "Not them again..."
Leela: "What do you want?"
Trrr: "A terrible disease has broken out in our system, you have to help us!"

Trrr is standing in the middle of the conference table, the crew is gathered arround him.
Leela: "So tell us what's happened"
Trrr: "Very well then. I don't know much. A desease has infected our people and is resistant to all our cures. All elder omicronians are infected, and many are dead."
Fry: "You little ones don't get infected?"
Trrr: "No. Not yet. It will only be a matter of time until we grow old enough to catch it as well."
Leela: "Why did you come to us?"
Trrr: "Jrrr couldn't come himself but he told me about you. You are the only ones we can ask for help now."
Professor: "Would the desease attack humans as well?"
Trrr: "By our knowledge not. It only attacks elder omicronians. You are safe."
Amy: "Are you sure?"
Trrr: "Very sure."
Zoidberg: "What does the desease do?"
Trrr: "Some go mad. Some grow sick and weak. Eventually they all die."
"The younger ones have gathered for protection in the caves of a moon in orbit arround our planet. Some of the elder ones have turned into cannibals when they were infected!"
Leela: "Oh my god..."
Trrr: "Please help us...."
Leela: "We have to help them! Their entire civilisation is at stake!"
Bender: "Who who... they tried to distroy us twice. Who says they won't do so now?"
Trrr: "I give you my word"
Bender: " Who gave you authority? I'm a conscientus objector..."
Leela: "Well, I don't care. We have to help them!"
Professor: "She is right. Think of how they would repay us..."
Fry: "But what can we do?"
Leela: "I dunno. But we have to try - if we are resistant to the disease nothing much can happen to us."

The crew have decided on what plan of action to take. Leela, Fry, Bender and the Professor will go on the mission. Zoidberg, Amy and Hermes want to stay behind. Leela and Fry are busy loading the Professors scientific equipment onto the ship, amongst loads of other things you need for a mission this magnitude. Soon, they are on their way, Trrr with them on board.

Leela, Fry and Trrr are on the bridge.
Fry: "What's that skin-thing you're wearing?"
Trrr: "That's our shell"
Leela: "Shell?"
Trrr: "It protects us from hazardous enviroments"

Cut to outer space - the PE ship enters the omicronian system. Omicron Persei 8 is a huge brown-green planet surrounded by several small moons. They land on one of the moons where Trrr told them they would be expected by the younger ones. The crew steps out of the ship and is lead by Trrr across the barren landscape.
Fry: "I don't like this world."
Leela: "Me neither..."
Bender: "You people are too picky..."

They arrive in at a cave and are lead into it by Trrr. They soon find that they just entered one entrance of many to a vast system of gigantic caves and tunnels. Finally they arrive in a huge cave, filled with chattering little omicronians. At the sight of the visitors they all grow quiet.
Trrr: "Listen Everyone! I have bought the humans. They will help us!"
The little crowd cheers, happy to have something to look forward to instead of just hiding and waiting. One creature emerges.
Leela: "Jrrr?"
Jrrr: "Yes. How are ya Mom?"
Leela: "Great to see you again. What is happening here?"
Jrrr: "Trrr told you about the disease?"
Fry: "Yep"
Jrrr *sighs*: "Then from now on it's up to you. I will help you but all we have are millions of little omicronians - our fait lies in your hands.
Professor: "Well, I'll start working. I have to set up my Lab here and get tissue samples from the infected omicronians."
Jrrr: "That won't be a problem. We will help you set up your lab. But you have to go to the planet to get near the infected Elder ones. Just don't reveal our position!"

The little omicronians spill out of the cave in hundreds and go to the ship where they transport the lab equipment piece by piece over their heads like on a living conveyer belt. The crew looks impressed.
Leela: "We have to get down on the Planet and talk to their Leaders"
Fry: "Yea, well, good luck. Didn't you hear what he said? Some of them went mad?! Cannibals. I don't want to know what they'll do with us - we will just be an afternoon snack to them!"
Leela: "There's gotta be a way arround this..."

The professor is busy setting up his Lab in the cave and is happy to have so many helpful assistants arround. Leela, Bender and Fry are in the spaceship, leaving the moon. Leela pulls down her vidphone and dials a number. After some time, the face of Lrrr appears on the Screen. He appears weak and sick, and looks tired.
Lrrr: "Who speaks?"
Leela: "This is Leela, from the Planet Express Delivery Ship. We have heard that you need our help"
Lrrr has lost all of his former dignity: "Yes. Good. Land near our Castle. Coordinates follow." and hangs up.
Fry and Bender look concerned.

The ship sets down on Omicron Persei 8. The buildings are as huge as the planet and its inhabitants. Buildings, that look more like they were grown rather then build, reach up so far their tips are hidden in the clouds. Leela set down the ship on a platform high above the ground, just below the clouds. Lrrr and Ndndn are waiting for them. The three leave the ship and are greeted by Lrrr: "Welcome and thank you for coming. Follow us into our conference room, but beware, many behave strange."
Leela, Fry and Bender follow the huge omicronians. Ndndn leans upon Lrrr, both look weak. As they walk through the huge corridors they can hear groans, screams and cries from below and above, but the echo makes impossible to determine the direction from which the sound is coming. Bender pockets the one or other weird item as he passes. They pass something like a sickbay where they find many omicronians lying and sitting, giving a miserable scene. Many seem dead and are brought away by others, but their strength is also fading.
Ndndn: "This is were were we keep our sick. All our technology and knowledge fail to produce a cure against this desease. Many have turned mad and agressive, the streets are roamed with dead and dying omicronians that have died fighting and brawling. The crowds have gone wild, mobs rule the street. We have drawn refuge up here, where it is safe."

They arrive in the conference room, which is as huge as everything else. Lrrr and Ndndn are glad to sit down again.
Leela: "We want to help"
Nrnrn: "we will give you what you want - all we know about the desease is on this disk" she hands Leela the disk.
Fry: "The professor said we need tissue samples."
Lrrr: "We can provide you with all the tissue samples you need."

The three are back in the ship. With them is the memory disk and a stack of tissue samples for the professor to work on. As they take of one of the huge buildings under them is torn apart in a massive explosion which sends a shockwave up to the ship. Leela almost looses control.
Fry: "Watch ouuuuuuut!!!" as they pass by the tip of a tower, scratching the hull.
Bender: "Phuuu.. It's getting dangerous out there."
Leela: "One more reason to get this to the professor quickly"

The Crew arrive at the caves, carying the material for the professor.
Professor: "Excellent. All the information is on this disk you say?"
Leela: "That's what they told us."
Professor: "I'll get to work on this" and leaves into his lab with his flock of little assistants.

Bender is out exploring the caves, Leela and Fry sit against a wall.
Fry: "Do you think we'll ever have to get down there?"
Leela: "We might have to..."
Fry: "Don't we have guns?"
Leela: "Yes, but do you know how to use one?"
Fry: "I've seen it in movies..."
Leela: "Not good enough. C'mon.." and she helps Fry up ".. I'll teach you."

Leela is busy showing Fry how to use the laser (the opposite wall has lots of holes blown into it) when the Professor enters. "Good news everyone. I have found out that the desease broke out first in a deserted mountain region on the planet. You two should take a look arround."

The ship lands on the slope of a huge mountain. The three of them leave the ship, armed. Fry acts like a gunslinger and is enjoying his role. He makes a determined face and quickdraws the gun to shoot a bird-like thing that just flew by. He drops the gun and almost shoots his foot of."
Leela: "You idiot! Don't shoot at harmless animals. Especially not for fun!"
In that moment the bird charges down and carries an elephant-like lizard away with its claws, gutting it with one claw as he flies.
Bender: "umm... I don't like the local fauna"

Bender: "So this is where it broke out first?"
In front of them lies a deserted town, all huge in proportion to the ones that lived in it. The streets are roamed with dead omicronians. The athmosphere is creepy. One of the birds can be heard having a meal behind a wall. Luckily the crew are spared the gruesome sight.
Fry: "I don't like this place."
Leela: "Do you think I do? Lets take a look arround, and be careful!"
The three of them walk down what appears to be the main street.
Leela: "I dunno, I can't find anything here. Have you seen anything guys?"
Bender: "naa"
Fry: "Hey what's this?"

Leela and Bender gather arround what Fry pointed at. It is a human boot print, the track leading into a "forest" nearby....

Stay tuned for the second part coming out soon.