Commentary - The Beginning of the End - Part Five

I opened the chapter with an odd, almost poetic scene between Trevor and Future Trevor. It brings home one of the major themes of how one thing comes hand in hand with another. The beginning of the end. I sort of used the scene to address the vulnerable side of Trevor, something you don't see ever. He still feels alone without his fiancee and in a strange way, remembers to think about her everyday, kinda of like when you call your loved one on the phone every day at a certain time. It also sets up the final scene and answers if one can change after such a tragedy.

THE FIGHT

So if you compare Future Trevor's past as seen in the previous issue, you see some similarities that are intended while some other things changed. I thought it'd be interesting that Trevor still uses Future Trevor's death trap idea but puts his twist on it by involving various Undaunted people. And if you think about, Trevor didn't have to do anything other than give the signal, hence his amusement. He was toying with Keith the whole time. The final piece of the puzzle was Athena Leuce. After re-reading her bio about how she can mess with the 5 senses, too, the lightbulb in my head went off.

A-SQUAD

I had fun with pacing out and writing everyone's individual scenes and what power they'd be fighting. I wanted to use Wyatt and Renn Leuce for awhile and I'm glad I was able t fit them in here. I tried to stick to the HSG bios as much as I could; show how smart Renn is, showcase Azuteor's power and personality, making force field's lethal, and Johnston's strategy. After the ending, I had these fight scenes plotted out before writing the actual story.

FUTURE TREVOR

I wanted to end this arc, Future Trevor, Undaunted, and this year's worth on a good note. Out of them, Future Trevor drew the long straw on that. That was probably the first thing I had completed. He was going to change right in front of them then shift back to his world thanks to sci-fi logic. And he appears to be married and with a child. Huh. Cool. That's what you're supposed to think. Then maybe you wonder, can this happen for our Trevor? Will he fall in love again? Is love just going to happen in the other universes not this one because it's the prime? Who is this woman?! As of this time, even I don't know. I have three that can be that woman but I'm saving it for a future story somehow.

EPILOGUE

So I sort of left Undaunted resolved yet unresolved. They are together again but both their hideouts not so secret. United, they vow to redouble themselves and keep on walking forward. And the beginning of the next issue is sort of a placeholder on this year, the overall theme of the series, and something unexpected. So it goes back in time to when Trevor first arrived in Hawai'i to start his last job. The interview is interlaced with scenes from various chapters, sort of for irony and to recap things a bit. Trevor, a father?

DELETED SCENE

Yes, there was actually a small scene I cut out. When I concluded that things must all end on a happy note, I changed the end of the fight in Shawnee. Originally, after Kelly returns from teleporting Keith's cohorts to Gitmo, Keith sort of has his last ditch effort and launches part of a spear tip into Trevor. Then it's ambiguous as to what happened to him, if he survived or not. They take him back to others and the rest happens with the flashback and the alternate universe. I cut it out and am glad I did really. No need for a cliffhanger like that, it was too much, the reader will be distracted to be in awe of the ending, and so on.