Part Three - Undaunted Part Five

LATE SUMMER 2007

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

THE GARDEN OF THE GODS

[9th Wonders Board, Heroes Survival Game, Factions, Undaunted]

James and Trevor land near the field where Trevor first met Seal, leader of the faction Undaunted. James inches away from Trevor. He nods once to Trevor. They turn and face the field.

Trevor - "There's always an exception."

Trevor makes light of the rule that Trevor broke, teleporting them directly to the field instead of at the start of the trail.

[Reference to Part Three]

James - "Isn't that how it always starts?"

Trevor - "The moral gray?"

James - "Murder."

Trevor - "Why, ever teleport anyone into space? How about the Sun? No…shark-infested waters?"

James - "Quit it."

There is a circle of people, members of Undaunted, formed around a single person, Seal. Seal sees them and motions them to come. Some in the crowd turn to look. Murmurs are heard.

[Volume Five "Orientation" and The Carnival]

Seal - "That's everyone."

James and Trevor step forward and joins the group.

Seal - "Several of us have reported meeting strangers not from any faction we met before. Each time, a circus or carnival is mentioned. It's some sort of code…"

[Reference to Part Four]

Trevor steps into the open and cuts in.

Trevor - "It's literal."

Everyone turns to Trevor.

Seal - "Your investigation turned up some leads?"

Trevor - "The lead."

Seal backs up into the circle and Trevor walks to the center.

Trevor - "The rogue Company agent, Eric Thompson Junior has formed ties to a highly mobile faction that uses a carnival as a cover for their powers. We don't have time to but I assume for those who met them, they were in the vicinity of a carnival attraction. Only some of us were approached because they need specific powers. They are preparing for something big."

[iStory Book Six]

Seal - "Big?"

Trevor - "They are building an army."

Murmurs erupt.

"Just a guess."

"He's speculating."

"Where's his proof?"

Trevor - "I remember everything. Words. Images. Body language. I remember and I put it all together, one by one, into the truth. Eric Lee Harrison met two ex-Building 26 special agents in Costa Verde, California. Weeks later, Magdelana Muller was kidnapped. A short time later, two raw recruits were assassinated. Things are escalating. If we continue to do nothing, we lose. People will die and lives will change, forever. Up until now, it has been a fragile armistice between factions. Not anymore. Now, we are either an ally or an enemy."

[iStory Book Six and reference to Part One]

A voice from the crowd - "But why now?"

Trevor - "For the last 50 years, evolution has manifested in the human race. Highly evolved beings emerged. They like anyone else. They hid among the populace and procreated. Now, we have reached a flashpoint. Why did this happen? Natural Selection. But there was no check on us so its up to us to sort through the consequences."

[Charles Darwin]

Seal - "What do you suggest, Trevor?"

Trevor - "Start at the bottom. Work our way up the food chain and accumulate resources. I have compiled eight pages and counting of known and unknown factions. This is Survival of the Fittest."

[Heroes Survival Game, Phase Two]

Voice - "Like we didn't already come up with that idea."

Voice of disdain - "Really? What's with all the Biology references, Darwin?"

Trevor - "Darwin. I-Ching. Bruce Lee. Improvise. We draw lessons from the past but we can't live there."

[Collateral]

Seal exhales and walks up to Trevor. He turns to the crowd.

Seal - "I agree with Trevor. I've been working with other factions on a similar idea. But I want everyone to tell me how they feel about this. One at a time, okay?"

Everyone nods in approval. Trevor walks away and sits on the ground.

A Nearby Voice - "I heard he's the only one that wasn't read by Seal."

[Reference to Part Three]

Another - "Why is that?"

Without looking at them, Trevor answers.

Trevor - "My head isn't a nice place to visit."

[Justice League, Batman, "Only A Dream" Part Two]

The two freeze and walk away.

SOME TIME LATER

"You enjoy scaring the cupcakes out of them, don't you?"

Trevor looks up, it's Seal.

Trevor - "I was shooting for fearful inspiration."

Seal - "Most of them don't believe you. They want me to read you. That's the only way to make them go along with the plan."

Trevor - "What I said was true. It won't be a dance through the rainbows with unicorns in there."

Seal - "If that's the case, I've got aspirin in my back pocket."

Seal reaches his hand forward, waiting for Trevor.

Trevor - "Do I need to concentrate or anything?"

Seal - "No, I'll do the leg work."

Trevor reaches his hand forward, Seal reaches, then Trevor quickly grabs him.

Trevor - "It better be Extra Strength."

[Extra Strength Tylenol PM]

Seal is about to laugh the pauses. The point of view zooms into his eyes.

Leona Mills steps out of her coffin.

[Reference to Part Two]

Above Seal various images float past him, they are of Trevor's past.

Sam's Comics: The Rebellion, Claire Bennet, Rachel Mills, and Callum.

[iStory Book Six Chapter Five "Yesterday's Angels]

Sidewalk: Trevor stands over his stalker from Part Three.

[Reference to Part Three]

Bushes outside a house: Trevor reaches for Callum who fades.

[iStory Book Six Chapter Five "Yesterday's Angels]

Looking into a van with a blood stained leather jacket.

[iStory Book Six Chapter Five "Yesterday's Angels]

The DNA Symbol scratched into his parents' LA home.

[Reference to Part Four]

The shady bar: Samuel Sullivan.

Seal gasps for air but something goes wrong. Images start piling out faster and faster and out of order. The eclipse on December 14, 2001. Trevor kills Agent Dulahey's partner. Trevor is enraged after opening his parents' message. Trevor snaps in a straitjacket. Trevor holds his dead girlfriend. Trevor shoots two Company agents with one of their standard issue guns, execution style. Agent Park furiously punches Trevor.

[Heroes Survival Game - Biography and Parts One to Four]

Then the images pause on the TANAKA headstone of Trevor's girlfriend in Aoyama, Japan. The headstone explodes. Ones and zeroes flood out and carry Seal away into a black void. The numbers change into DNA Symbols and smother Seal. He hears a voice.

"Seal!"

Seal looks up at a white flash and envelops the void.

Trevor shoves Seal away from him. Seal takes a big gasp of air and rests his hands on his knees.

Seal - "I…"

Trevor - "I'll skip the told you so. Well?"

Seal - "How should we do this?"

Trevor - "Squads. Match up powers and personality. At least one cerebral, one biological, one elemental, and one temporal/spatial. Then special strikers…front line offense, mid-range, and long-range. We need to gather up the ones with teleportation capabilities and place them strategically. Set up new outposts. New signals. New Messages. Change them up every couple of hours."

[Heroes Evolutions, Assignment Tracker 2]

Seal nods and stands. He waives everyone back into a circle. They were all watching him and Trevor. They believe.

Trevor - You can either take action or hope for a miracle. We have to be unpredictable.

I wonder if I've been changed in the night.

[Lewis Carroll]

Muted montage begins. Seal orates like he hasn't orated before.

Let me think.

Mags' clone consoles the real deal.

Was I same when I got up this morning?

A tiny Eric Lee Harrison stands on the shoulder of James, the Teleporter.

[DC Comics, The Atom and Hawkman]

I almost think I can remember feeling a little different.

Case watches Seal.

But if I'm not the same, the next question is.

James teleports a group of five away.

"Who in the world am I?"

A finger traces a doorway.

Ah, that is the great puzzle.

UNDAUNTED PART FIVE: UNPREDICTABLE - in Heroes title font

Trevor. The point of view shifts 180 degrees to the field. The field and people turn into ones and zeroes for a second then back to normal. He's been memorizing the teams and anything else.

Trevor - "It's coming."

[Reference to Part Two]

Only Seal and Trevor are left.

Seal - "She was beautiful, Trevor. And you were so different."

Trevor - "We all were."

Seal - "What now?"

Trevor - "We're going to pay an old friend a long overdue visit."

Seal is silent, he doesn't understand. James appears, wiping off a bloody nose with the back of his palm.

[Volume Four and Five, Hiro Nakamura and Arnold, Teleportation]

James - "Where to?"

Trevor - "Lyneboro, Connecticut."

[iStory Book Five]

THE END OF SPECIAL ONE: UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font

SPECIAL TWO

PHASE THREE

[Heroes Survival Game, Phase Three]

LYNEBORO, CONNECTICUT

MABLE'S DINER

The staging area where the waitresses pick up plates is buzzing. It's breakfast time.

Leona Mills lays down a plate for The Neighbor, Tim. She winks at him. He smiles and shrugs.

[iStory Book Five]

Mills walks over to another table. The two patrons are hidden behind their menus.

Leona - "What can I get you two?"

Close up on Leona. She is shocked as the menus are lowered on the table nearly out of frame.

Trevor - "I'll take the Whole Truth."

Seal - "She's younger than I thought."

[Reference to Part Two]

TO BE CONTINUED