(After "Tonight, on a Very Special TNI...".  Notice how carefully
Angelina and Thielo are avoiding mentioning that Thielo is a clockwork.)


Marleigh: At some point, Thielo comes and finds Angelina somewhere
	  private.

	  "Angelina, I'm afraid I have a problem.  I hate to impose, but
	  I'm worried the rest of you, especially Mrs. Strauss, may be
	  affected.  Someone needs to know.  I've been impressed with
	  your discretion, and I hope you'll listen."

Rose: Receptive but wary, Angelina folds her arms and cocks her head.

      "I'm listening...."

      (I suspect she will be more in the mode of taking in information
      rather than spouting it off, for once.  Thielo quite impressed her
      with his earlier wish *not* to talk about sensitive matters....)

Marleigh: Thielo nods, "Good.  When we were in Louisiana and I was hurt
	  in the car accident, I hit my head very hard.  I don't
	  remember very much after that, except for a sense of urgency
	  that I needed to go home right away.  When I came to myself
	  again, I was in the house in Chicago that Mrs. Strauss and I
	  owned.

	  "I was just about to call in when the phone rang.  The voice
	  on the phone sounded exactly like mine, and the man claimed to
	  be a clockwork version of me, created by Mrs. Strauss.  He
	  said he had some mechanical component that was supposed to
	  allow him to feel emotions, but seemed to tune him to me, such
	  that he could tell that I had been hurt.  He said he also was
	  designed to think the way I do, so knew where I would go.  He
	  also said he was filling in for me at the Hospice so
	  Mrs. Strauss wouldn't be upset.

	  "Not wanting to force him into anything rash while I was away,
	  I asked to meet him in Portland that night.  He agreed.  When
	  I arrived at the appointed place, he had left a note for me.
	  The note said that he had misgivings and was not ready to meet
	  me.  It also outlined what had happened while I was away, so I
	  would be able to play along.

	  "I haven't heard from him since then.  I am not entirely sure
	  what to do about the situation, since I prefer to deal with
	  this quietly.  What worries me most is if he replaces me
	  and... behaves poorly.  All I know about this man is that
	  apparantly looks and acts exactly like me, knows my condition,
	  and the way I think.  I do not know if he can be trusted or if
	  he truly has good intentions.  The best thing I could think of
	  to do is to tell someone, so that if I am replaced, it would
	  be noticed."

Rose: "So how do we know you're not that guy right now?" Angelina asks,
      one hand creeping closer to her .357 for comfort.  "Maybe you
      better tell me something from before that guy showed up, something
      that isn't in the report."  She looks aside for a moment,
      thinking.  "I know, what was I wearing when Esteban and I went to
      that club to find the drug stamp dealer?"

      Thielo shrugs.  "I believe you were wearing a silver dress.  You
      complained that it wouldn't conceal any firearms."

      "Good enough," Angelina smiles a little.  "So, how do we know if
      this guy shows up again?  And what do we do to catch him, or stop
      him?  I mean, if he's a clockwork, he's probably pretty, uh,
      strong, and, um, fast...."  Her voice drifts off, then she clears
      her throat.  "I mean, bein' that you and Alexandra are the big
      experts on that kind of stuff."

Marleigh: "I have a few idea about detection.  Using pass phrases
	  regularly would help, though that may not work, if he knows
	  many of the things I know.  I have also considered carrying
	  some sort of unique item, though that won't help if I am
	  robbed.  Or I could get a tatoo."  Thielo pauses, "I also have
	  a high body temperature for a man.  If he is the sort of
	  clockwork that runs on a main spring, like Gwen, he is likely
	  to be cool to the touch.  A handshake would likely tell the
	  difference, if one was looking for it.  If he has an internal
	  combustion engine, like Graham, the difference may not be
	  detectable.

	  "How to stop him if he becomes violent is a different issue.
	  He is likely to be quite strong and fast if he wants to be.
	  That would cause his main spring would wind down more quickly,
	  so he could not keep it up for extended periods of time.  Guns
	  are not likely to be more damaging than other weapons.  If he
	  has an internal combustion engine, halon might be used to put
	  out the pilot light.  I would recommend confronting him in a
	  group, if you think violence is likely.

	  "It is my hope that a fight won't ever occur, that he is
	  merely curious rather than dangerous.  If he thinks that
	  Mrs. Strauss built him, it seems logical that he be interested
	  in her, in much the same way that Gwen is fascinated by Gustav
	  and Gavin.  If all goes well, this conversation will be
	  unnecessary.  What is the expression?  'Plan for the worst and
	  hope for the best.'"

Rose: "Well," says Angelina, "I don't wanna fight him either, but if we
      catch him hanging around we're gonna wanna talk to him, and if he
      don't wanna talk to us we're gonna have to be ready for a fight.
      So the halon gas is a good idea, and maybe if that don't work we
      can have Esteban, um, *make* him wanna stay, maybe."

      "As for tellin' whether he's the right guy, I take it you don't
      wanna do something to freak out Alexandra, like a 'This is Thielo'
      tattoo.  We could come up with a password to check and change
      every week, maybe.  The cool hi-tech thing would be to hide
      something inside you and be able to pick it up with a
      detector-thing."

      [Aside: this is actually how people travel to certain countries
      with seeing-eye dogs, for instance.  Regular pets need to be
      quarantined to go abroad in some instances, but seeing-eye dogs
      cannot be allowed to wait.  Therefore, they insert a chip of some
      sort behind the ear, which can be scanned at Customs like a
      barcode.  Pretty cool, if you ask me.]

      "So do you wanna keep it at passwords for now, or something more
      permanent?  And, uh, does Mrs. Strauss *know* that someone else
      showed up as you back then?  Or if he was, you know, a clockwork?
      Does she, er, know she made him?  I mean, *remember* she made him?
      You know what, maybe, um..."  At this point Angelina shoves her
      hands in her pockets and looks around uncomfortably.

Marleigh: "Yes, if I got a tattoo, it would have to be something that
	  wouldn't upset Mrs. Strauss.  'This is Thielo' no doubt would.
	  Something small and not usually seen would be best.  Perhaps
	  on the bottom of my foot.

	  "The detector is a good idea, if it only worked at close
	  range.  I wouldn't want anyone with the frequency to be able
	  to track me from across the country.

	  Thielo frowns, "I don't know what to tell Mrs. Strauss.  On
	  the one hand, I want her to be able to protect herself if
	  something happens to me.  On the other hand, I'm not really
	  sure what to tell her.  I think if she built him, she has
	  since forgotten about it."

	  Thielo pauses uncomfortably, as if deciding whether or not to
	  go on.  He seems to come to some sort of resolution.
	  "Mrs. Strauss and I were separated for a few years.  After we
	  got back together, she decided to forget about the whole
	  thing.  I promised not to remind her.  If she built this
	  clockwork, it must have been during that time, otherwise I
	  would remember."

Rose: "Oh, yeah, definitely close range," Angelina agrees.  "Let's see
      if we can get one from Supply, something with a really small
      detector too, and in the mean time set up a password."

      Angelina blinks.  "Hunh.  Um, okay.  Well, seein' how forgetting
      is how she does her thing, I guess nobody would remember."  She
      takes a breath, pauses, then blows it out.  "Okay, so you said you
      wouldn't tell her, so you leave it alone.  But if this guy shows
      up, we gotta at least say something about how we know which one of
      you is...you."

      "Anyway, so we call Supply for a beeper, lay hold of some halon,
      get a password, and nobody says nothin' unless this guy shows.
      Right?"

Marleigh: Thielo agrees that everyone's safety is more important than
	  keeping his promise to Mrs. Strauss, no matter how much it
	  would upset her, but wants to keep things quiet unless the
	  clockwork actually shows up.  Small talk.  Polite good-byes.
	  End of conversation.