DECEMBER 12, 2007
CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK
"We were there to provide protection. Help folks get unstuck and return to a normal life. If it ain't our doing then someone else will make it so we're…Obsolete. Our purpose was to make it so the folks don't need us."
A television is switched on with Claire Bennet's face plastered on the screen. A sub-title flashes screen, "Man arrested identified as Samuel Sullivan, owner of the carnival."
[Volume Six "Brave New World"]
"Coyote Sands. Primatech. Pinehearst. Building 26. The Carnival. They meddled with the world. But in a way, I have to thank them. They made perfect strangers work together for a common cause."
Books, files, papers, and maps are scattered on the floor and furniture. Some that can be made out are a headline about a town falling into a massive sink hole. Another print out shows an aerial view of the Carnival. A Primatech logo and photo of Amanda Strazzulla is visible on a third.
[Volume 5]
"I hope it was a good situation while it lasted."
Trevor Tanaka is standing amid the papers in a room in the Sherry-Netherland hotel, overlooking Central Park. He has a five days' worth of facial hair. In the background outside the window, the Sullivan Bros. Carnival lights up the park but more so police lights and flashes of reporters now. Despite the clutter of work, the room is spacious and evokes a timeless European luxury.
Trevor - "Claire Bennet, did you just save the world? Or doom it further?"
Trevor turns off the television. He stares into the blank screen.
Trevor - "She'll be a shiny new toy to them. At first. Then we go from Astro Boy to Frankenstein in a blink of the eye."
[Volume 2 "The Line"]
DECEMBER 2, 2007
DESOLATION CANYON, UTAH
James and Trevor teleport in with the group of posthumans from last chapter; Darren Summers, Ilja Vanderslagmolen, Daniel Stehlik, Maxxine Falcone, Amber Reed, Jennifer McAllister, Morgan Harvey, Chuck Cox, Erika Stevens, and Brian Cain. James walks up to Seal, Marc, Sparkplug, and Slipshod. Sparkplug says something to him. James nods and teleports away. Seal walks up to Trevor. Trevor seems distracted. He holds up his hand. Seal shakes it.
Trevor - "Very canyon-y."
Seal - "They call it Desolation Canyon."
Trevor - "Great place to boost morale."
Seal - "I thought you'd get a kick out of it."
Trevor - "I'd have taken Tanya and Eloise out here for a vacation."
Seal - "You and vacations?"
Trevor unbuttons his trench coat.
James reappears in the background with more people. Several seconds later, Clara does, too. Everyone is now present.
Seal - "The greater a man's talents, the greater his power to lead astray. It is better that one should suffer than that many should be corrupted."
[Brave New World, Aldous Huxley]
Seal holds out Trevor's briefcase and rips out the secret compartment. The two red files tumble out. Murmurs buzz around the crowd.
Seal - "Good things can't last. We were supposed to protect each other. Now, we're doing things behind each other's backs. Sending out secret messages. Going on undercover missions. That's not us. We don't get each other killed."
Some agreement and confusion circulate among the crowd. Seal takes it in and tries to calm everyone down. Trevor stays where is and doesn't flinch. Sparkplug and Clara half-glance at Trevor.
Seal - "I think it's still worthwhile to protect each other, but in smaller groups and we can still stay in contact with each other."
"Is he disbanding the faction?"
"No way!"
"I think's it's the right thing to do."
"This is total bull-"
"I bet it's all Trevor's fault."
Seal - "No, this is all on me. I'm your leader, I should have been the one to make the hard decisions but I put too much weight on you all. I'm sorry. I let everyone down."
There is silence. Trevor walks forward. Seal looks at him.
Trevor - "You're not Seal."
"What?!"
"Is he nuts?!"
"Of course, that's him!!"
Without warning, Trevor pulls out his gun and shoots Seal in the head. Seal falls over, instantly dead.
"I knew it, he's a double agent!"
"Get him!!"
Trevor - "He's not Seal. He was a shape shifter."
"But look, it's still Seal!"
Trevor - "Shape shifters manipulate their DNA permanently. They don't just shift back to their original appearance when they die. You were all subjected to bad writing in the 90's."
"Well prove it."
Trevor - "Have you seen the final season of Highlander?"
"Get him!!"
Trevor - "Seal walks with his right shoulder slightly forward from his left and walks at a two degree slouch. He walked straight. He shaked my hand. I never shake anyone's hand. I told Seal my daughter's name would have been Elisha if she was born. He didn't correct me when I called her Eloise. Seal quotes television. He quoted literature. Seal's eyes are brown. His were blue."
The crowd calms down a little. But things are still tense.
"How're you going to find Seal?"
"Yeah, you just killed our only lead!!"
Trevor - "Among this crowd of 200 posthumans, there has to be a clairvoyant. A locator? Really? None? Look at the soles of his shoes. This dirt caked in isn't indicative of Utah. Ultisols are the dominant soils in the American South, where the Cecil series is most famous, southeastern China, southeast Asia and some other subtropical and tropical areas. Their northern limit, except fossil soils, is very sharply defined in North America by the limits of maximum glaciation during the Pleistocene because Ultisols typically take hundreds of thousands of years to form - far longer than the length of an interglacial period today."
Silence.
Trevor - "The dirt has faint smell of poultry, swine, peanuts, and cattle. Three main staples of North Carolina and Georgia, where red clay soil is found. Peanuts are strictly from Georgia."
Fake Seal's body makes a sound.
Trevor - "Excuse me."
Trevor delivers his signature second shot.
Trevor - "So…who's up for a field trip?"
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the sky.
INFLUENCE - PART FIVE: FEELING- in Heroes title font - pasted on the red clay soil
DECEMBER 12, 2007
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
Close up on Seal, presumably, with a bag over his head, tied up on a chair. He hears two people talking.
"They're coming."
Seal exhales.
HEROES theme plays as montage sequence begins. The electricity in the building begins to dimmers. Outside, Trevor is shooting. The camera is at a slower speed. Bullets rip into other posthumans. Trevor turns and throws a knife into another's head off-screen. Back in the building, lightning streams out of the light bulbs and attacks the two guards. Sparkplug appears and unmasks Seal. He quickly works to untie him. Azuteor is surrounded on all sides. He easily flips them all into the distance with his gravity repulsion. Sparkplug and Seal burst out the door. Trevor has his cellphone to his ear, kneeling at the building's base. Clara appears. Trevor clicks a device then everyone teleports away. Ten seconds later, the building explodes.
DESOLATION CANYON, UTAH
FIVE MINUTES, 29 SECONDS LATER
Seal - "Thanks. So who were those guys?"
Seal drinks bottled water. Trevor replaces his gun's clip. Fake Seal's body is a short distance away from them.
Trevor - "Who cares? It's a new enemy every week."
[HSG]
Seal - "So that was me, huh?"
Trevor - "Yep."
Seal - "How'd you know it wasn't me?"
Trevor - "I had a feeling. I'd have felt really stupid if I were wrong."
Seal chuckles.
DECEMBER 12, 2007
CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK
Trevor is finishing shaving in the bathroom. He applies aftershave. Unknown time passes. He walks out in with a dress shirt, tie, and slacks on. Trevor stands in front of a full body mirror and finishes his tie. He looks down at his cufflinks to make sure they are straight. Trevor looks over to a night stand were a holster and his gun is waiting. He puts it on then his suit jacket hanging. He walks over to his coat hanger and puts on a black trench coat and black fedora. With the camera now pointed at his back. Trevor exhales then turns around. The camera, from his point of view, sees the room, now completely cleaned up of his research and/or clutter. Trevor bends at the knees and picks up a briefcase. He switches off the light and leaves.
DECEMBER 13, 2007
AOYAMA, JAPAN
Trevor - "This is the way it all ends, not with a bang, not with some casual incident, but in sustained reflection."
[George Santayana, on the Divine Comedy]
The camera zooms out. Trevor is talking to the headstone of his fiancée, Tanya, in the Aoyama Cemetery. He bends down and touches it. Trevor walks away, disappearing under the camera. The camera slowly, steadily, zooms in on the grave until the characters are legible. Then it stares down. Trevor's gun is resting on her headstone.
THE BEGINNING
Showing posts with label Seal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seal. Show all posts
February 11, 2010
January 25, 2010
Part Six - Influence - Part Three
There is nothing but darkness…a void. Like a tidal wave, it recedes to reveal a dried out stone pathway. The camera is positioned like someone has it resting on the ground. Suddenly a pair of black shoes walk in front, past the camera. The sound of steps breaks the silence and they echo like a ticking clock, tick tock tick tock. They walk out what seems like forever until a faint figure is in the background. The person turns around towards the camera and holds his hand out to summon it. The camera zooms in a hurtling speed to the man. The camera rests on the lower half of the man's face. He presses his lips and whispers something.
"Boom."
Suddenly, the screen flashes and a fiery aura of red engulf the whole area. The man's hair and clothes rustle upward as if a wind is blowing. His eyes are red.
The scene shifts to Trevor staring at a barrel with a fire going. He is illuminated red like the dream. He is still dressed in the black outfit from the last chapter. It looks like Trevor is underground in the subway or in a poorly lit slum.
Opposite of Trevor is Frank Tanner. He is unconscious but wakes up.
Tanner - "The instructions have been delivered. Are you sure we should be doing this, Trevor? It's not our problem."
Trevor tosses more newspaper into the barrel to feed the fire. Embers flail about.
Tanner - "We don't know what's going to come of this…"
Trevor - "We can never really be prepared for that which is wholly new…to face drastic change without inner trembling, though heaven shall fall, let thy will be done."
[Eric Hoffer and Anonymous Latin Quote]
Tanner - "I don't like it. We're exposing ourselves again."
Trevor - "Everything hinges on this, Frank. The future, the factions, the co-op, Undaunted, Mulligan, The Watcher; everything. This is our purpose."
Tanner - "I hope you're right."
Trevor - "Don't dwell on that for too long."
Trevor reveals the briefcase he's been carrying around.
Trevor - "Give Seal my regards."
Tanner reaches for the briefcase. He looks up and Trevor is gone. James Kelly teleports next to Tanner.
Trevor walks down the street. A store display has a hat and a sign reading "$35 black outback-style cowboy hat." A newspaper with a headline about Nathan Petrelli flies past.
[Zach Wilson, John Mulligan]
DECEMBER 2, 2007
CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
INFLUENCE - PART THREE: VISION- in Heroes title font - pasted on the grass
Trevor sits down on a park bench, bundled up in his clothes, trench coat buttoned up and hands in his pockets. He looks up at the sky and exhales. Someone walks to the bench.
Man - "Excuse me, but you mind if we split this bench?"
Trevor - "No, go ahead."
Man - "Sorry, man, you want to be alone?"
Trevor - "I am."
Trevor looks up to see Kurt Hasian. Kurt takes a seat.
Trevor - "Well?"
Kurt - "These guys are pretty hardcore. They're ready to go cloberrin' time on the Watcher. But without Mulligan around, things are getting pretty tense."
[Marvel Comics - Fantastic Four]
Trevor - "That's what you five are for."
Kurt - "Five? Don't you mean four?"
Trevor - "Kelly was involved from the start."
Kurt - "Huh. Everybody's got a secret I guess…but we've got another problem. According to Adam Soo Hoo, John switched sides and is working for the Watcher."
Trevor scoffs, probably already figuring out the two are going after the Carnival.
Kurt - "Soo Hoo sees the truth. There's no other explanation."
Trevor - "What once was truth is now pliable, untrustworthy, and slippery now."
[DC Comics - Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #3]
Kurt - "Did you just go Shining Knight on me?!"
Trevor - "I'll be in touch."
Trevor stands up. He looks ahead, the pathway has been changed gold.
[The Wizard of Oz]
Trevor - "Really?"
Kurt - "I couldn't resist it."
Kurt looks down and clicks his shoes together three times.
The world is so full of people.
Utah - Seal is helping an elderly woman cross a street.
So crowded with these miracles that they become commonplace.
Colorado - Marc is directing an AA meeting and puts his hand on someone's shoulder, using his power to help them.
And we forget…I forget.
Boise, Idaho - Mack Johnston has pulled over to the side of the road. He looks under the hood while the driver is at the wheel. The truck suddenly comes to life and the driver cheers whole heartedly. Mack closes the hood and gives a high five to the driver.
We gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions.
Tennessee - Azuteor is in his room buried in textbooks and folder paper. He stares up at his clock and mumbles to himself.
Yet seen from another’s vantage point, as if new, it may still take the breath away.
Paris, France - Clara Zhang is at the top of the Eiffel Tower. She smiles as if the City of Lights is putting on a show for her.
Come…dry your eyes, for you are life, rarer than a quark and unpredictable beyond the dreams of Heisenberg.
New York, New York - Trevor stands out as he walks in a fully crowded street. Across the street on the other side, Mulligan suddenly appears, having been cast out of the Carnival after a chilly reception. Trevor doesn't notice and keeps on walking.
[iStory - Purpose]
The clay in which the forces that shape all things leave their fingerprints most clearly. Dry your eyes…and let's go home.
The Garden of the Gods, months ago, every member is standing in a circle around Seal and listening intently.
[Watchmen]
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
James Kelly teleports with Frank Tanner. They look around and see Seal talking to an elderly woman. She walks away with a smile.
Seal - "Frank. James. Great to see the both of you. What can do I owe this pleasure?
Frank frowns and hands the briefcase to Seal. Seal has a confused look.
Tanner - "Trevor gives his regards."
There's silence.
Seal - "I see."
James - "Factions are banding together to take down a common enemy. We should reactivate Undaunted, Cielo."
[HSG - Seal's new name]
Seal - "I'll take it into consideration. It was good to see you both."
Tanner looks at James. James holds back. He half-smiles and nods. He then puts his right hand on Tanner's right shoulder and they teleport away.
Seal looks at where they stood, lost in thought. He snaps out of it and looks at the briefcase he's holding. He holds it up and opens it. The briefcase is empty. Seal is puzzled but remembers this was from Trevor. He closes it and hurries into an alley.
The screen splits in two. One with Seal, the other with Trevor.
Seal is feeling the inside of the briefcase. Trevor is still walking. He is looking out at something or maybe just zoning out.
Seal stops and tears the inside padding of the briefcase out. He smiles. Trevor crosses the street as cars and trucks honk at the pedestrians.
In silver permanent marker, the words "Save The World," with an arrow pointing down.
[HSG - The World View of Undaunted]
Seal looks down and sees something he's not quite sure of. Trevor makes to the other side. He sees a young Asian girl blowing a pinwheel with glee. Trevor smirks. Trevor looks up. Nothing. The girl is in front of him and gives him the pinwheel. Trevor takes it with care. He looks at it with amazement and blows into it. He hands it back to the girl. She walks away blowing into it. Trevor stands back up straight, amazed something like that can still happen in New York.
Seal is looking inside a red file. It is marked "The Bard." Another in the briefcase is marked "Mulligan, John." Trevor walks to the corner of the frame, a man bumps past him walking up to the crosswalk and stops for some reason. He holds his hand out. People walking past him look at him then keep on walking.
[iStory Purpose Chapter 4]
Seal is sitting on the ground. The files are back in the briefcase. He is thinking.
The man's eyes glow red and he whispers - "Boom."
The man explodes. The frame is on slow. The explosion creeps up and Trevor turns at the last minute to see it. Close up on Trevor as he lights up, then the screen flashes at regular speed covering it in white. Seal is making a call on his cell phone. An automated voice comes up.
Automation - "The number you are dialing is unavailable. Please leave a message for…Trevor, at the tone or if you like to page this person please press 2."
Seal - "Pick up, Trevor. It's time."
A phone lies on the pavement, cracked on the screen. It buzzes silently. A hand is near it, not moving.
TO BE CONTINUED…
"Boom."
Suddenly, the screen flashes and a fiery aura of red engulf the whole area. The man's hair and clothes rustle upward as if a wind is blowing. His eyes are red.
The scene shifts to Trevor staring at a barrel with a fire going. He is illuminated red like the dream. He is still dressed in the black outfit from the last chapter. It looks like Trevor is underground in the subway or in a poorly lit slum.
Opposite of Trevor is Frank Tanner. He is unconscious but wakes up.
Tanner - "The instructions have been delivered. Are you sure we should be doing this, Trevor? It's not our problem."
Trevor tosses more newspaper into the barrel to feed the fire. Embers flail about.
Tanner - "We don't know what's going to come of this…"
Trevor - "We can never really be prepared for that which is wholly new…to face drastic change without inner trembling, though heaven shall fall, let thy will be done."
[Eric Hoffer and Anonymous Latin Quote]
Tanner - "I don't like it. We're exposing ourselves again."
Trevor - "Everything hinges on this, Frank. The future, the factions, the co-op, Undaunted, Mulligan, The Watcher; everything. This is our purpose."
Tanner - "I hope you're right."
Trevor - "Don't dwell on that for too long."
Trevor reveals the briefcase he's been carrying around.
Trevor - "Give Seal my regards."
Tanner reaches for the briefcase. He looks up and Trevor is gone. James Kelly teleports next to Tanner.
Trevor walks down the street. A store display has a hat and a sign reading "$35 black outback-style cowboy hat." A newspaper with a headline about Nathan Petrelli flies past.
[Zach Wilson, John Mulligan]
DECEMBER 2, 2007
CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
INFLUENCE - PART THREE: VISION- in Heroes title font - pasted on the grass
Trevor sits down on a park bench, bundled up in his clothes, trench coat buttoned up and hands in his pockets. He looks up at the sky and exhales. Someone walks to the bench.
Man - "Excuse me, but you mind if we split this bench?"
Trevor - "No, go ahead."
Man - "Sorry, man, you want to be alone?"
Trevor - "I am."
Trevor looks up to see Kurt Hasian. Kurt takes a seat.
Trevor - "Well?"
Kurt - "These guys are pretty hardcore. They're ready to go cloberrin' time on the Watcher. But without Mulligan around, things are getting pretty tense."
[Marvel Comics - Fantastic Four]
Trevor - "That's what you five are for."
Kurt - "Five? Don't you mean four?"
Trevor - "Kelly was involved from the start."
Kurt - "Huh. Everybody's got a secret I guess…but we've got another problem. According to Adam Soo Hoo, John switched sides and is working for the Watcher."
Trevor scoffs, probably already figuring out the two are going after the Carnival.
Kurt - "Soo Hoo sees the truth. There's no other explanation."
Trevor - "What once was truth is now pliable, untrustworthy, and slippery now."
[DC Comics - Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #3]
Kurt - "Did you just go Shining Knight on me?!"
Trevor - "I'll be in touch."
Trevor stands up. He looks ahead, the pathway has been changed gold.
[The Wizard of Oz]
Trevor - "Really?"
Kurt - "I couldn't resist it."
Kurt looks down and clicks his shoes together three times.
The world is so full of people.
Utah - Seal is helping an elderly woman cross a street.
So crowded with these miracles that they become commonplace.
Colorado - Marc is directing an AA meeting and puts his hand on someone's shoulder, using his power to help them.
And we forget…I forget.
Boise, Idaho - Mack Johnston has pulled over to the side of the road. He looks under the hood while the driver is at the wheel. The truck suddenly comes to life and the driver cheers whole heartedly. Mack closes the hood and gives a high five to the driver.
We gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions.
Tennessee - Azuteor is in his room buried in textbooks and folder paper. He stares up at his clock and mumbles to himself.
Yet seen from another’s vantage point, as if new, it may still take the breath away.
Paris, France - Clara Zhang is at the top of the Eiffel Tower. She smiles as if the City of Lights is putting on a show for her.
Come…dry your eyes, for you are life, rarer than a quark and unpredictable beyond the dreams of Heisenberg.
New York, New York - Trevor stands out as he walks in a fully crowded street. Across the street on the other side, Mulligan suddenly appears, having been cast out of the Carnival after a chilly reception. Trevor doesn't notice and keeps on walking.
[iStory - Purpose]
The clay in which the forces that shape all things leave their fingerprints most clearly. Dry your eyes…and let's go home.
The Garden of the Gods, months ago, every member is standing in a circle around Seal and listening intently.
[Watchmen]
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
James Kelly teleports with Frank Tanner. They look around and see Seal talking to an elderly woman. She walks away with a smile.
Seal - "Frank. James. Great to see the both of you. What can do I owe this pleasure?
Frank frowns and hands the briefcase to Seal. Seal has a confused look.
Tanner - "Trevor gives his regards."
There's silence.
Seal - "I see."
James - "Factions are banding together to take down a common enemy. We should reactivate Undaunted, Cielo."
[HSG - Seal's new name]
Seal - "I'll take it into consideration. It was good to see you both."
Tanner looks at James. James holds back. He half-smiles and nods. He then puts his right hand on Tanner's right shoulder and they teleport away.
Seal looks at where they stood, lost in thought. He snaps out of it and looks at the briefcase he's holding. He holds it up and opens it. The briefcase is empty. Seal is puzzled but remembers this was from Trevor. He closes it and hurries into an alley.
The screen splits in two. One with Seal, the other with Trevor.
Seal is feeling the inside of the briefcase. Trevor is still walking. He is looking out at something or maybe just zoning out.
Seal stops and tears the inside padding of the briefcase out. He smiles. Trevor crosses the street as cars and trucks honk at the pedestrians.
In silver permanent marker, the words "Save The World," with an arrow pointing down.
[HSG - The World View of Undaunted]
Seal looks down and sees something he's not quite sure of. Trevor makes to the other side. He sees a young Asian girl blowing a pinwheel with glee. Trevor smirks. Trevor looks up. Nothing. The girl is in front of him and gives him the pinwheel. Trevor takes it with care. He looks at it with amazement and blows into it. He hands it back to the girl. She walks away blowing into it. Trevor stands back up straight, amazed something like that can still happen in New York.
Seal is looking inside a red file. It is marked "The Bard." Another in the briefcase is marked "Mulligan, John." Trevor walks to the corner of the frame, a man bumps past him walking up to the crosswalk and stops for some reason. He holds his hand out. People walking past him look at him then keep on walking.
[iStory Purpose Chapter 4]
Seal is sitting on the ground. The files are back in the briefcase. He is thinking.
The man's eyes glow red and he whispers - "Boom."
The man explodes. The frame is on slow. The explosion creeps up and Trevor turns at the last minute to see it. Close up on Trevor as he lights up, then the screen flashes at regular speed covering it in white. Seal is making a call on his cell phone. An automated voice comes up.
Automation - "The number you are dialing is unavailable. Please leave a message for…Trevor, at the tone or if you like to page this person please press 2."
Seal - "Pick up, Trevor. It's time."
A phone lies on the pavement, cracked on the screen. It buzzes silently. A hand is near it, not moving.
TO BE CONTINUED…
December 10, 2009
Commentary - The Beginning of the End - Part Four
Yes, another possible end to Undaunted on the horizon? And as much as I love making Trevor the X-Factor, I thought, why not throw in a Future Trevor? No, he's got to be one-eyed, one-armed, and four years from the future of his parallel universe's present Trevor. Are you with me?
Ultimately, this chapter was serving to stoke many fires. It set up Future Trevor's story, set up where this arc is going, raise the stakes, and revisit what Trevor is really good at, banter; mixing the comedy and drama of things.
After being explained everything from Future Trevor, all our Trevor cares about is still to save Undaunted. The multiverse, not so much. It's like at this point, Trevor has a purpose and Future Trevor has a higher purpose and the story is mainly about developing their relationship, making them see eye to eye, and ultimately, Trevor deals with the plot point that Lydia revealed in part three about making a choice.
This flashback of how Future Trevor's world turned out was a scene was playing with a lot. At first, it was the last scene in the story. Then it was the beginning to throw the reader off, then in the middle to throw the reader off...but then I figured out a way for it to be credible. Seal pops in and reads Future Trevor, and sees his past, and the reader sees it through Seal's point of view. I'm not kidding but on the to do list, was a scene where Trevor and Seal talk about some sliver of his past while Seal eats a sandwich. Something so normal and relateable, it's perfect to me. But the weird thing for Seal is how do you react to seeing an alternate you getting killed. Hmm.
And going back to the to-do list; page one is almost done...then it's to page two, mwahahaha. Yeah. A-Squad and Steve were some ideas I had for awhile. But some readers will be like huh, what's Azuteor got to do with this? Part Five will be the conclusion of this arc and the last one I'll post this year (unless I really get into the zone). I, however, completely promise this will be a happy ending and not a cliffhanger, big omg, ending even though there will still be small questions left to answer. There won't be a scene where Trevor falls off a cliff and we don't see where he goes. But I admit, one of the final scenes will be a jaw dropper and I'm good for that, right? It's only a coincidence that this happy ending happens during the Christmas season. But course, before the happy ending, there must be a big, fat battle grand royale.
Ultimately, this chapter was serving to stoke many fires. It set up Future Trevor's story, set up where this arc is going, raise the stakes, and revisit what Trevor is really good at, banter; mixing the comedy and drama of things.
After being explained everything from Future Trevor, all our Trevor cares about is still to save Undaunted. The multiverse, not so much. It's like at this point, Trevor has a purpose and Future Trevor has a higher purpose and the story is mainly about developing their relationship, making them see eye to eye, and ultimately, Trevor deals with the plot point that Lydia revealed in part three about making a choice.
This flashback of how Future Trevor's world turned out was a scene was playing with a lot. At first, it was the last scene in the story. Then it was the beginning to throw the reader off, then in the middle to throw the reader off...but then I figured out a way for it to be credible. Seal pops in and reads Future Trevor, and sees his past, and the reader sees it through Seal's point of view. I'm not kidding but on the to do list, was a scene where Trevor and Seal talk about some sliver of his past while Seal eats a sandwich. Something so normal and relateable, it's perfect to me. But the weird thing for Seal is how do you react to seeing an alternate you getting killed. Hmm.
And going back to the to-do list; page one is almost done...then it's to page two, mwahahaha. Yeah. A-Squad and Steve were some ideas I had for awhile. But some readers will be like huh, what's Azuteor got to do with this? Part Five will be the conclusion of this arc and the last one I'll post this year (unless I really get into the zone). I, however, completely promise this will be a happy ending and not a cliffhanger, big omg, ending even though there will still be small questions left to answer. There won't be a scene where Trevor falls off a cliff and we don't see where he goes. But I admit, one of the final scenes will be a jaw dropper and I'm good for that, right? It's only a coincidence that this happy ending happens during the Christmas season. But course, before the happy ending, there must be a big, fat battle grand royale.
Part Five - The Beginning of the End - Part Four
People live their lives thanks to circadian rhythms that allow them to function at their best during a certain time of day through stimuli of familiar objects called associative triggers. We are creatures of routine and systems. But there is that third elusive structure that can lead to all sorts of amazing feats: spontaneity.
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is still staring at Future Trevor.
Trevor - “I hate practical jokes and I’m not above shooting you in the leg to show you my exact level of affection for them. Which one are you, Sterling or Marcusse?”
[Heroes Survival Game - Undaunted members]
Future Trevor - “I’m no shapeshifter. Not an illusion, neither. I am you. A one-eyed, one armed 4 years from the future parallel version of you.”
Trevor - “It’s easier for me to believe you’re a figment of my insanity. Plus, that’s a mouthful.”
Future Trevor - “For us, it was never about belief, not really even purpose, it is about conviction.”
Trevor - “It looks like your conviction got you where you are just fine.”
Future Trevor - “It’s time for both of us to accept the truth. Trevor Tanaka wants to save the world. But what if Trevor Tanaka could save the multiverse?”
[Hiro to Tadashi “Acceptance”]
Trevor - “Bored now, bye bye.”
[Justice League Unlimited - Question to Huntress - “Double Date”]
Trevor raises his gun again.
Future Trevor - “You know that won’t work on us.”
Trevor fires. Close up and slow frame on the bullet as it exits the gun chamber then slowly pan to Future Trevor. He stares at the bullet, counting off in his head, and sidesteps the bullet with ease.
Trevor - “…Because I memorized how long it takes a bullet to travel. That still doesn’t prove anything, only that I have to use a knife or my hands to kill you.”
Future Trevor laughs.
Future Trevor - “This always happens…”
Trevor - “What do…”
Future Trevor - “I mean? I spent 4 years traveling to multiple realities, meeting parallel Trevor’s; I get attacked, I explain everything, and I try to help them rectify one event that will change everything for the better.”
Trevor - “How can you even know what’s better?!”
Trevor drops his gun and tries to punch Future Trevor. Future Trevor sidesteps it, a second punch, a sweep, and punches Trevor as he’s about to deliver another round.
Future Trevor - “Again. Conviction.”
Trevor - “Why now?! You can..you can save her.”
Future Trevor - “Because she always dies.”
Trevor shakes his head in disbelief and strikes Future Trevor and tackles him into the dirt. He punches and punches Future Trevor repeatedly.
Trevor - “Who are you?!! If you don’t tell me now, I’ll have someone rip it out of you!!!”
[Homage to Matt Parkman]
Future Trevor - “My name is Trevor Tanaka. But when I was born, I was named…”
Zoom out. The conversation is inaudible. Trevor is taken aback and adjusts his posture and stands up. His breathing calms down. He offers to help up Future Trevor. Future Trevor is intrigued.
Future Trevor - “They never help me up. Never punched me, for that matter…Could this be the one? Is it true?”
Trevor - “That you’re a glutton for punishment?”
Future Trevor - “I did it. I found the original. Earth-Prime!”
[DC Comics, Dark Tower]
Trevor - “The original universe from which all universes originated from?”
Future Trevor - “Not just that, the keystone!! Change something here and you change the outcome in every universe.”
Trevor - “That’s totally not going to make me self-conscious for the rest of my life.”
Future Trevor - “It was some time before I could find James since I had no resources and was going on memory. We came up with a plan to try and stop this from happening. I’ve tried to save Undaunted 51 times and failed over and over. Then we decided on something more radical…Earth-Prime. This is it. This is my, our chance to make sure no more lives are lost here and anywhere. It takes only one small thing to upset the balance and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years across time and space.”
Montage of Trevor and James visiting various realities.
[DC Comics - 52 and Ray Bradbury “A Sound of Thunder”]
Trevor - “You being here qualifies for that.”
Future Trevor - “They split an atom and dropped it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
[World War II - Atom Bomb]
Trevor - “Oh, well now I get it. But I only have dynamite.”
Future Trevor - “Of all the universes, you are the most abrasive.”
Trevor - “Now you’re just buttering me up.”
Trevor turns at the graves and holsters his gun.
Trevor - “My family is shrinking and our graveyard is getting bigger. Are you here to help me stop that?”
[Samuel - “Once Upon A Time In Texas”]
Seal walks out of the clearing looking at a piece of crumpled paper, not noticing the two Trevor’s.
Seal - “Trevor, you see this? We’ve got a big development going on…”
Seal looks up and sees the Trevor’s.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART FOUR: POINT OF REFERENCE - in Heroes title font -
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is sitting on a stump, going over data on his hacked e-reader. Seal is sitting near him with a sandwich.
Seal - “What would you have named her?”
Trevor - “I don’t name my computers.”
Seal - “Your daughter.”
Trevor - “…We decided on Elisha. After one of my grandmothers.”
Seal - “Elisha.”
Seal is suddenly raised in the air by an unseen telekinetic. Trevor is unresponsive. Then a large explosion goes off in the background. Seal drops, Trevor catches him. He runs within the forest and brushes off a door. It opens and Trevor is about to throw Seal in, they are telekinetically shoved apart. Seal’s neck is snapped and he drops to the ground. More explosions are set off. Trees are seen falling.
Trevor walks toward the explosion. He sees a woman pinned under a tree trunk. He shoots at her offscreen. He keeps walking and shooting at three others, counting off with his free hand. He stops at a dead man.
He telekinetically shoves Trevor into a standing tree. Trevor wheezes. His ribs are broken. The man rises up slowly. He pats himself down, brushing dirt off of his clothes, and wipes blood off his forehead. He raises Trevor up with telekinesis.
Keith - “Explosive perimeter? How uninspiring, Trevor.”
Keith telekinetically slices across Trevor’s forehead.
Keith - “That was your big plan?!”
Keith telekinetically slices down Trevor’s right face through his eye. Trevor screams out loud.
Keith - “This is one big disappointment.”
Trevor - “Sorry, I just love the classic’s.”
Keith - “Famous last words. I’m going to just finish this fast. I’m not a big fan of the outdoors.”
Trevor - “It’s the smell, isn’t it? I’m not too crazy about it myself.”
Keith is unimpressed and is about to slice him again when another explosion detonates right under him. Trevor goes flying. He lands and tries to stand. He looks down and his arm is missing. He is silent, and then crawls into the forest. The smoke is finally clear, camera zooms out for a wide shot, bodies are everywhere, revealing the enemy faction’s handiwork.
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
Camera angle zoomed up on Seal’s face. He read Future Trevor.
Seal - “Trevor, my Trev..umm…can I talk to you over here?”
Trevor’s nod at each other. Trevor walks over to Seal.
Seal - “Alternate realities?”
Trevor - “Do you believe him?”
Seal - “He believes himself.”
Trevor - “Again, he could just believe in his lies.”
Seal - “But Trevor…he’s a future you.”
Trevor - “Yeah…it may get confusing and I have this gut feeling to call him Steve. It feels right.”
Seal frowns.
Trevor - “My objective is to protect everyone that is a member of Undaunted. He has intelligence that may prove useful toward our survival.”
Seal - “And the whole ‘saving the multiverse’?”
Trevor - “Meh.”
The Trevor’s are conversing alone. Future Trevor is typing on Trevor’s e-reader.
Future Trevor - “This is everything I know.”
He passes the tablet to Trevor.
Trevor - “Their leader is a skilled telekinetic. This won’t be the easiest kill.”
Future Trevor - “Two Trevor’s are better than one.”
Trevor - “Ugh. Can’t believe you just said that. I wish I could shoot you.”
Future Trevor - “When else can I use that phrase?”
Trevor - “Ah, good point. Where’s Future James?”
Future Trevor laughs at the term. Then has a grim look. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a stopwatch, running.
Future Trevor - “I have to find him at certain points and times around the planet. His body…couldn’t perceive the space-time continuum anymore and the only thing that could anchor him for a limited time is the planet’s leylines.”
Trevor - “But if this works, your reality at least, will reset and you won’t have to worry about finding your James. You two won’t even have time to click your heels together…”
Future Trevor - “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Trevor - “Meaning it’s not really about your Earth anymore.”
Future Trevor - “Where is Azuteor?”
Trevor - “I don’t know, probably procrastinating for a physics exam…You thinking A-Squad?”
Future Trevor - “A-Squad.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is still staring at Future Trevor.
Trevor - “I hate practical jokes and I’m not above shooting you in the leg to show you my exact level of affection for them. Which one are you, Sterling or Marcusse?”
[Heroes Survival Game - Undaunted members]
Future Trevor - “I’m no shapeshifter. Not an illusion, neither. I am you. A one-eyed, one armed 4 years from the future parallel version of you.”
Trevor - “It’s easier for me to believe you’re a figment of my insanity. Plus, that’s a mouthful.”
Future Trevor - “For us, it was never about belief, not really even purpose, it is about conviction.”
Trevor - “It looks like your conviction got you where you are just fine.”
Future Trevor - “It’s time for both of us to accept the truth. Trevor Tanaka wants to save the world. But what if Trevor Tanaka could save the multiverse?”
[Hiro to Tadashi “Acceptance”]
Trevor - “Bored now, bye bye.”
[Justice League Unlimited - Question to Huntress - “Double Date”]
Trevor raises his gun again.
Future Trevor - “You know that won’t work on us.”
Trevor fires. Close up and slow frame on the bullet as it exits the gun chamber then slowly pan to Future Trevor. He stares at the bullet, counting off in his head, and sidesteps the bullet with ease.
Trevor - “…Because I memorized how long it takes a bullet to travel. That still doesn’t prove anything, only that I have to use a knife or my hands to kill you.”
Future Trevor laughs.
Future Trevor - “This always happens…”
Trevor - “What do…”
Future Trevor - “I mean? I spent 4 years traveling to multiple realities, meeting parallel Trevor’s; I get attacked, I explain everything, and I try to help them rectify one event that will change everything for the better.”
Trevor - “How can you even know what’s better?!”
Trevor drops his gun and tries to punch Future Trevor. Future Trevor sidesteps it, a second punch, a sweep, and punches Trevor as he’s about to deliver another round.
Future Trevor - “Again. Conviction.”
Trevor - “Why now?! You can..you can save her.”
Future Trevor - “Because she always dies.”
Trevor shakes his head in disbelief and strikes Future Trevor and tackles him into the dirt. He punches and punches Future Trevor repeatedly.
Trevor - “Who are you?!! If you don’t tell me now, I’ll have someone rip it out of you!!!”
[Homage to Matt Parkman]
Future Trevor - “My name is Trevor Tanaka. But when I was born, I was named…”
Zoom out. The conversation is inaudible. Trevor is taken aback and adjusts his posture and stands up. His breathing calms down. He offers to help up Future Trevor. Future Trevor is intrigued.
Future Trevor - “They never help me up. Never punched me, for that matter…Could this be the one? Is it true?”
Trevor - “That you’re a glutton for punishment?”
Future Trevor - “I did it. I found the original. Earth-Prime!”
[DC Comics, Dark Tower]
Trevor - “The original universe from which all universes originated from?”
Future Trevor - “Not just that, the keystone!! Change something here and you change the outcome in every universe.”
Trevor - “That’s totally not going to make me self-conscious for the rest of my life.”
Future Trevor - “It was some time before I could find James since I had no resources and was going on memory. We came up with a plan to try and stop this from happening. I’ve tried to save Undaunted 51 times and failed over and over. Then we decided on something more radical…Earth-Prime. This is it. This is my, our chance to make sure no more lives are lost here and anywhere. It takes only one small thing to upset the balance and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years across time and space.”
Montage of Trevor and James visiting various realities.
[DC Comics - 52 and Ray Bradbury “A Sound of Thunder”]
Trevor - “You being here qualifies for that.”
Future Trevor - “They split an atom and dropped it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
[World War II - Atom Bomb]
Trevor - “Oh, well now I get it. But I only have dynamite.”
Future Trevor - “Of all the universes, you are the most abrasive.”
Trevor - “Now you’re just buttering me up.”
Trevor turns at the graves and holsters his gun.
Trevor - “My family is shrinking and our graveyard is getting bigger. Are you here to help me stop that?”
[Samuel - “Once Upon A Time In Texas”]
Seal walks out of the clearing looking at a piece of crumpled paper, not noticing the two Trevor’s.
Seal - “Trevor, you see this? We’ve got a big development going on…”
Seal looks up and sees the Trevor’s.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART FOUR: POINT OF REFERENCE - in Heroes title font -
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is sitting on a stump, going over data on his hacked e-reader. Seal is sitting near him with a sandwich.
Seal - “What would you have named her?”
Trevor - “I don’t name my computers.”
Seal - “Your daughter.”
Trevor - “…We decided on Elisha. After one of my grandmothers.”
Seal - “Elisha.”
Seal is suddenly raised in the air by an unseen telekinetic. Trevor is unresponsive. Then a large explosion goes off in the background. Seal drops, Trevor catches him. He runs within the forest and brushes off a door. It opens and Trevor is about to throw Seal in, they are telekinetically shoved apart. Seal’s neck is snapped and he drops to the ground. More explosions are set off. Trees are seen falling.
Trevor walks toward the explosion. He sees a woman pinned under a tree trunk. He shoots at her offscreen. He keeps walking and shooting at three others, counting off with his free hand. He stops at a dead man.
He telekinetically shoves Trevor into a standing tree. Trevor wheezes. His ribs are broken. The man rises up slowly. He pats himself down, brushing dirt off of his clothes, and wipes blood off his forehead. He raises Trevor up with telekinesis.
Keith - “Explosive perimeter? How uninspiring, Trevor.”
Keith telekinetically slices across Trevor’s forehead.
Keith - “That was your big plan?!”
Keith telekinetically slices down Trevor’s right face through his eye. Trevor screams out loud.
Keith - “This is one big disappointment.”
Trevor - “Sorry, I just love the classic’s.”
Keith - “Famous last words. I’m going to just finish this fast. I’m not a big fan of the outdoors.”
Trevor - “It’s the smell, isn’t it? I’m not too crazy about it myself.”
Keith is unimpressed and is about to slice him again when another explosion detonates right under him. Trevor goes flying. He lands and tries to stand. He looks down and his arm is missing. He is silent, and then crawls into the forest. The smoke is finally clear, camera zooms out for a wide shot, bodies are everywhere, revealing the enemy faction’s handiwork.
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
Camera angle zoomed up on Seal’s face. He read Future Trevor.
Seal - “Trevor, my Trev..umm…can I talk to you over here?”
Trevor’s nod at each other. Trevor walks over to Seal.
Seal - “Alternate realities?”
Trevor - “Do you believe him?”
Seal - “He believes himself.”
Trevor - “Again, he could just believe in his lies.”
Seal - “But Trevor…he’s a future you.”
Trevor - “Yeah…it may get confusing and I have this gut feeling to call him Steve. It feels right.”
Seal frowns.
Trevor - “My objective is to protect everyone that is a member of Undaunted. He has intelligence that may prove useful toward our survival.”
Seal - “And the whole ‘saving the multiverse’?”
Trevor - “Meh.”
The Trevor’s are conversing alone. Future Trevor is typing on Trevor’s e-reader.
Future Trevor - “This is everything I know.”
He passes the tablet to Trevor.
Trevor - “Their leader is a skilled telekinetic. This won’t be the easiest kill.”
Future Trevor - “Two Trevor’s are better than one.”
Trevor - “Ugh. Can’t believe you just said that. I wish I could shoot you.”
Future Trevor - “When else can I use that phrase?”
Trevor - “Ah, good point. Where’s Future James?”
Future Trevor laughs at the term. Then has a grim look. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a stopwatch, running.
Future Trevor - “I have to find him at certain points and times around the planet. His body…couldn’t perceive the space-time continuum anymore and the only thing that could anchor him for a limited time is the planet’s leylines.”
Trevor - “But if this works, your reality at least, will reset and you won’t have to worry about finding your James. You two won’t even have time to click your heels together…”
Future Trevor - “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Trevor - “Meaning it’s not really about your Earth anymore.”
Future Trevor - “Where is Azuteor?”
Trevor - “I don’t know, probably procrastinating for a physics exam…You thinking A-Squad?”
Future Trevor - “A-Squad.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
December 5, 2009
Commentary - The Beginning of the End - Part Three
I'm so happy I questioned my outline and this shifted story to the part three slot. It's a nice epilogue to the previous two while setting up more plots. Einstein, Walt Whitman, and Future Trevor have been on the list for awhile. I never imagined it'd be in the same story.
Anyway, here we are continuing directly after the end of part two and the story shifts back to Trevor. I noticed how he's always has his tech set up before hand and his dynamite on timer so here I threw in the bit of him tinkering. Apparently he knows how to hack a Kindle and turn it into a tablet PC, go figure. Must be from those years growing up on MacGyver. This scene also lends to the idea that Trevor feels he can't return to his hideouts right now because of past events and they might be compromised, too. So it seems like he's setting up something in Shawnee...without tipping off the park rangers.
I also had some fun including some operative terms in Trevor's dialogue. From studying Primatech's files for so long, he starting to talk like them, in a way. Very subtle but if anything it gets a giggle out of me. I also felt the need to bring back the compulsive side of his power, too, with the various quotes and references when he speaks to Sparkplug. And it always seems like Trevor is self-absorbed or two steps ahead of everyone so I planted that here when he's triangulating the Carnival and Sparkplug is still talking or he pulls the ol Batman and vanishes. Then there's the impiled joke that he wants to use Sparkplug as a glorified battery pack jumper.
Seal's opening scene was in the plans from when I had the massacre in mind. Toying with the rules of his power, I figured a horrific event like this is enough to mess with Seal's emotions and control of his power. Trevor knows this and tries to help him get his groove back. It was also an attempt on my part to explore a cynical side of Seal. Even guys like him can have a bad day.
After watching "The Fifth Stage" I did a quick edit of the story and integrated the episode into this story to make things mesh better and take care of continuity. I planned on having Trevor and Lydia meet but modified it after the episode, too. I hope people got the feel that Trevor didn't care or knew what Lydia's reading was before he stepping in there. He just wanted to establish to Lydia that he knows about Amanda and extended an olive branch to her. Never thought I'd quote Gretchen but it works. The Carnival is essentially the opposite of Undaunted. Both want to protect their own but it soon deviates after that. One stays of out of sight, One stays in plain sight. One makes money off their powers, one doesn't. And so on.
And sort of in the theme of the world turned upside down, Seal is down on his luck and Trevor reveals more about his own thoughts on love and such. And to top it off he uses Jennie Bowman, who is adorable, to help Seal remember. And part of it I used Charles Deveaux words with Peter in his precog dream from the season one finale, which is one of my favorite moments to date.
The Versa. Why not? I kept the explanation out, but I suspect Trevor asked Kutar for a car and he got this. It would have been comic gold but some things are best left out for a reason. And to signal that Seal got his powers back, he senses some evil things going down. I imagine this is when Samuel kills the drunk pitcher.
Then do the send off with one my favorite parts of an episode but equally tricky to execute, the montage of muted scenes with the Heroes theme. Walt Whitman is up there with Frost as a favorite poet of mine. But I was little miffed when I saw a Levis commercial that used some of the same verses I did. Go figure. Then just when you're in that mode of awe and the emotions are settling down...bang, I throw you a curve ball! Say hello to Mr. Future Trevor.
I found it logical and silly to make Future Trevor dressed in black and scarred like the rest of the Future Folk. So as one would guess, this sets up a new direction in the arc. A second Beginning of the End scenario! Didn't see that coming didja? So yes, there's going to be one-two more parts left before I take a break from writing this year. It'll address Future Trevor, how'd he get there, what does he want, what happened to his face and arm (I ain't waiting...Future Peter), will he convince our Trevor to do what he wants, will there be a phrase that involves a cheerleader?, all that and a bag of B-Story featuring another Undaunted figure.
Anyway, here we are continuing directly after the end of part two and the story shifts back to Trevor. I noticed how he's always has his tech set up before hand and his dynamite on timer so here I threw in the bit of him tinkering. Apparently he knows how to hack a Kindle and turn it into a tablet PC, go figure. Must be from those years growing up on MacGyver. This scene also lends to the idea that Trevor feels he can't return to his hideouts right now because of past events and they might be compromised, too. So it seems like he's setting up something in Shawnee...without tipping off the park rangers.
I also had some fun including some operative terms in Trevor's dialogue. From studying Primatech's files for so long, he starting to talk like them, in a way. Very subtle but if anything it gets a giggle out of me. I also felt the need to bring back the compulsive side of his power, too, with the various quotes and references when he speaks to Sparkplug. And it always seems like Trevor is self-absorbed or two steps ahead of everyone so I planted that here when he's triangulating the Carnival and Sparkplug is still talking or he pulls the ol Batman and vanishes. Then there's the impiled joke that he wants to use Sparkplug as a glorified battery pack jumper.
Seal's opening scene was in the plans from when I had the massacre in mind. Toying with the rules of his power, I figured a horrific event like this is enough to mess with Seal's emotions and control of his power. Trevor knows this and tries to help him get his groove back. It was also an attempt on my part to explore a cynical side of Seal. Even guys like him can have a bad day.
After watching "The Fifth Stage" I did a quick edit of the story and integrated the episode into this story to make things mesh better and take care of continuity. I planned on having Trevor and Lydia meet but modified it after the episode, too. I hope people got the feel that Trevor didn't care or knew what Lydia's reading was before he stepping in there. He just wanted to establish to Lydia that he knows about Amanda and extended an olive branch to her. Never thought I'd quote Gretchen but it works. The Carnival is essentially the opposite of Undaunted. Both want to protect their own but it soon deviates after that. One stays of out of sight, One stays in plain sight. One makes money off their powers, one doesn't. And so on.
And sort of in the theme of the world turned upside down, Seal is down on his luck and Trevor reveals more about his own thoughts on love and such. And to top it off he uses Jennie Bowman, who is adorable, to help Seal remember. And part of it I used Charles Deveaux words with Peter in his precog dream from the season one finale, which is one of my favorite moments to date.
The Versa. Why not? I kept the explanation out, but I suspect Trevor asked Kutar for a car and he got this. It would have been comic gold but some things are best left out for a reason. And to signal that Seal got his powers back, he senses some evil things going down. I imagine this is when Samuel kills the drunk pitcher.
Then do the send off with one my favorite parts of an episode but equally tricky to execute, the montage of muted scenes with the Heroes theme. Walt Whitman is up there with Frost as a favorite poet of mine. But I was little miffed when I saw a Levis commercial that used some of the same verses I did. Go figure. Then just when you're in that mode of awe and the emotions are settling down...bang, I throw you a curve ball! Say hello to Mr. Future Trevor.
I found it logical and silly to make Future Trevor dressed in black and scarred like the rest of the Future Folk. So as one would guess, this sets up a new direction in the arc. A second Beginning of the End scenario! Didn't see that coming didja? So yes, there's going to be one-two more parts left before I take a break from writing this year. It'll address Future Trevor, how'd he get there, what does he want, what happened to his face and arm (I ain't waiting...Future Peter), will he convince our Trevor to do what he wants, will there be a phrase that involves a cheerleader?, all that and a bag of B-Story featuring another Undaunted figure.
December 4, 2009
Part Five - The Beginning of The End - Part Three
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is sitting on a stump trying to modify an e-reader. He is inserting various components into the reader’s exposed compartment. Trevor closes the compartment back up and turns on the device. It chirps on and boots. After a few seconds, Trevor begins to touch the screen and skims through something. The camera angle swoops around and from Trevor’s point of view, he is looking at a list of messages that are running down the screen. The top of the screen reads “Urgent Requests.”
[Heroes Survival Game - Urgent Requests]
Up ahead, Mack Johnston walks out from the forest, without his signature baseball hat on. Trevor doesn’t look at him and continues reading.
Sparkplug - “Are we going to answer any of them, today?”
Trevor - “No. Seal approved a lockdown protocol and the word is being spread to whoever is still listening or cares.”
Sparkplug - “And that goes for recruiting, as well.”
Trevor - “Especially. Who knows if there is already grass planted.”
Johnston pauses, studying Trevor’s choice of terminology.
Trevor - “The Powers That Be often plant double agents abroad. It takes years, even decades before they are finally commissioned to complete their mission.”
[Lone Wolf and Cub]
Johnston - “A lot of us thought the same thing about you when you arrived without warning from Seal or Marc. But.”
Trevor - “But?”
Johnston - “Since then, most of us concluded on crazed loner, bud.”
[Justice League Unlimited “Flash and Substance”]
Trevor - “Mnn. Close enough.”
Johnston - “Ha. Sometimes, it still amazes me how we’re all together; protecting each other, fighting the good fight, and maybe even saving the world one day.”
Trevor looks up and puts the reader aside.
Trevor - “I’ve been hunted for two years, ten months, and four days by various people. But I hunted them back; criss-crossing the world, never staying in one place for long, that is until Undaunted came to my attention. Along the way, I always learned something new. Everybody has a talent, Mack, it was only a matter of moving around until you discovered what it is.”
[George Lucas]
Sparkplug - “But are you happy?”
Trevor - “…Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason, mastery demands all of a person.”
[Albert Einstein]
Sparkplug - “Huh. Whoever said that was no Einstein.”
Even Trevor laughs at this.
Trevor - “It’s all relative, I suppose.”
Sparkplug - “If you could, Trevor, would you change your past? Do something different?”
Trevor - “No. Another me somewhere in the multiverse made that choice. If I did, this conversation would become hypertime and the other reality would probably implode.”
Sparkplug - “How about if there were no multiverse, just the one?”
[Science, Comic Books]
Trevor - “Whatever happened, happened.”
[Lost]
Sparkplug - “Even if time was running out and you had to make a decision that would kill billions of people?”
Trevor - “Time is fickle. It’s not something you just fight and that’s the end. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a non-spatial continuum in which events occur linearly usually in the direction of increased entropy.”
[Justice League Unlimited “The Once and Future Thing” Part Two: Time Warped]
Sparkplug - “Alright. Say a future you showed up and gave you a set of instructions.”
[Volume One]
Trevor loses interest and picks up the e-reader. He suddenly sees something very important and focuses on it.
Sparkplug - “What is it?”
Trevor - “Looks like Undaunted is answering a message today, after all.”
Trevor stands up. Part of the message can be seen on the screen: “…found the Carnival…Amanda”
[Heroes Survival Game - Faction Message]
Sparkplug - “Need back up?”
Trevor - “Just need to triangulate then Google Map it…Ohio? Well, that’s too good to pass up. I need you for something else. Kutar and Kupe are summoning various electronics I requested for new infrastructure.”
[Google Maps and Heroes Survival Game characters in Undaunted]
Sparkplug - “On it. Be careful, eh?”
Trevor is already gone. Johnston laughs out loud.
[Batman]
Seal is knelt down in the middle of the graveyard. He cups his mouth with his right hand and both eyes are closed.
Trevor - “Even though we’re temporarily shielded and hidden from sight, you shouldn’t be alone out in the open.”
Seal turns around and sees Trevor standing near the forest.
Seal - “How in God’s name could He let this happen, Trevor?”
Trevor - “God doesn’t factor into this. We’re the ones who act as gods and that is always a dangerous game, Clark.”
[Volume Two - Hiro and Kaito Nakamura’s conversation]
Seal staggers up onto his feet.
Seal - “94 deaths and dozens have left in fear. We should…”
Trevor - “I agree. But we can’t recruit right now. We just have to find who’s still with us."
Seal - “Disband.”
Trevor - “Oh.”
Seal - “Undaunted started out to protect people. We didn’t do a very good job lately.”
Trevor - “It’s not your fault, Clark. Not anyone’s.”
Seal - “You’re one man. I am, too. We were hundreds in number and we still got caught offguard in the blink of an eye. Melody didn’t calculate it. The telepaths didn’t detect it. The precogs never saw it. Tell me how we could have known.”
[Melody Beatrix, Undaunted, Heroes Survival Game]
Trevor - “Come with me, Clark. This will do the both of us some good. It’ll help you realign your ability”
Seal - “How did…Where?”
Trevor - “You’ll see.”
The camera zooms in on Seal.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER…
SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN OHIO
Seal and Trevor are standing in the parking lot looking at a colorful sign: Sullivan Bros. Carnival.
Seal - “A Carnival? Never pegged you as the type, Trevor.”
Trevor - “You’re right. I’m not.”
Seal - “You have your gun, don’t you?”
Trevor - “Have I become that predictable? I must be in a rut…”
They walk forward into the entrance.
Seal is eating cotton candy and Trevor picks at popcorn.
Seal - “I’m not sure about this.”
Trevor - “Everything tastes better when you’re a child.”
Seal - “Wasn’t talking about the food.”
Trevor - “Neither was I.”
Seal - “What do we know about this Amanda?”
Trevor - “Today, she’s our pair of dice.”
Seal - “We all pegged you as a man of science.”
Trevor - “Faith has its place. Both intersect eventually.”
[Lost - Man of Science, Man of Faith]
The two walk past a Milk Can Toss booth. A burly man is playing as a young girl, Claire Bennet, and Gretchen Berg watch. They overhear an announcement for Lydia.
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage”]
Trevor - “Speak of the devil.”
They enter the tent. Lydia is sitting inside.
Lydia - “Hello, boys. Which one of you is paying?”
Seal - “Trevor, wait, she…”
Trevor holds Lydia’s hands. She closes her eyes and reads him.
Lydia - “You’re the one that got away, Trevor Tanaka. That is what you call yourself these days, isn’t it?”
Trevor’s face appears on Lydia’s arm as a tattoo. But the right side is obscured in darkness.
Lydia - “Living in two worlds…that must be difficult. The past and present intertwine. You yearn for someone left behind but put it aside for your people…Trevor, you can only have one life. You will become a great man, but you must make a choice.”
Trevor - “So it seems. Thank you, miss.”
Lydia - “You’re welcome. Thank you.”
Seal walks out. Trevor is about to but stops at the entranceway.
Trevor - “Are you the one that needs our help?”
Lydia - “Sorry. Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Trevor - “My mistake. Could you tell me where I can find Amanda Strazzulla’s mother?”
Lydia - “…”
Trevor - “We’ll be watching. When the time is right, Amanda will be extracted. Just don’t lose that cell phone.”
Lydia - “Enjoy the rest of the night, boys.”
Trevor and Seal continue walking through the Carnival.
Seal - “So we’re not rescuing this girl, tonight?”
Trevor - “Just nailing down the lay of the land. Every one of these carnies has an advanced ability. It won’t be a standard op.”
Seal - “But these people don’t have bad intentions…”
Trevor - “They’re super powered con artists, Clark. Completely opposite of how we do things.”
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage” - Gretchen Berg]
Seal - “Why am I here again, Trevor?”
They stop.
Trevor - “You came here because you needed to. When I look into your eyes, Clark, I see compassion, empathy and most of all, I see hope. This world won’t be saved on strength and smarts, alone. It needs heart. Love.”
[Volume One “How To Stop An Exploding Man” - Peter Petrelli and Charles Deveaux]
Seal is more than dumb-founded as Trevor motions him to look forward. The Bowman’s perform their act. Jennie Bowman lets out a pyrokinetic burst in a solo performance. She cheers at her accomplishment. Amanda steps forward and raises two columns of flames. They take acknowledge the crowd’s cheers and clapping, embrace each other, and leave the stage. Seal smiles.
Seal - “Love.”
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART THREE: NEVER THE END - in Heroes title font -
Trevor and Seal are leaving and are entering a blue Nissan Versa. Seal flinches in his seat. A flash of Samuel’s face appears in an instant and vanishes.
Trevor - “What is it, Spidey?”
[Spider-Man]
Seal - “We need to leave, fast.”
The Versa drives off.
A muted montage scene begins with the Heroes theme playing.
For we cannot tarry here
Elle Bishop storms down the hallway of Level 5. The inmates watch.
[Volume Three]
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger
Trevor points his gun out from the shadows.
[Phase Three]
We the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend
Matt Parkman holds his son. Hiro Nakamura and Ando Masahashi watch.
[Volume Four]
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Trevor walks up to a grassy field and sees Seal.
O you youths, Western youths
Hiro Nakamura, Ando Masahashi, and Kimiko Nakamura pose for their photo at the Carnival in Japan.
So impatient, full of action, fully of manly pride and friendship
Claire Bennet hugs Gretchen Berg and says her goodbyes at the Carnival.
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage”]
Plain I see you Western youths, see you tramping with the foremost
Samuel Sullivan and Lydia watch Claire and Gretchen.
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Dr. Mohinder Suresh smiles in glee as he cracks the password on his late father’s program in India.
[Volume One]
Have the elder races halted?
Charles Deveaux and Angela Petrelli have their final discussion together.
[Volume One]
Do they droop and end their lesson, wearied over there beyond the seas?
The Company founders quiet and pose for their group shot.
[Volume 2]
We take up the task eternal and the burden and the lesson
Peter Petrelli, Nathan Petrelli, and Matt Parkman discuss plans in Primatech Paper’s Level 3 Vault.
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
[Walt Whitman]
Trevor and Seal stand in the graveyard. Trevor pats his right hand on Seal’s shoulder. He nods and smiles. Seal says something and walks away. Trevor remains and stares at the graves.
All of a sudden, he turns around with his gun drawn. He is almost literally paralyzed with shock at what he sees. The camera pans around to see who it is. Trevor is aiming at another Trevor. The second Trevor’s right side is half cloaked in the shadow of the forest, just like Lydia’s tattoo.
The second Trevor walks forward two steps and reveals himself. He is dressed and layered in black much like Future Peter and Hiro. His right eye is covered up and a scar runs down it from his forehead to his cheek through the eye. Another scar goes horizontal across his forehead.
From the second Trevor’s point of view, Trevor slowly lowers the gun in disbelief. The camera rotates to give a full shot of the second Trevor. Noticeably, his right arm is missing as his empty sleeve flutters in the breeze. Zoom out as the two stare at each other.
TO BE CONTINUED…
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is sitting on a stump trying to modify an e-reader. He is inserting various components into the reader’s exposed compartment. Trevor closes the compartment back up and turns on the device. It chirps on and boots. After a few seconds, Trevor begins to touch the screen and skims through something. The camera angle swoops around and from Trevor’s point of view, he is looking at a list of messages that are running down the screen. The top of the screen reads “Urgent Requests.”
[Heroes Survival Game - Urgent Requests]
Up ahead, Mack Johnston walks out from the forest, without his signature baseball hat on. Trevor doesn’t look at him and continues reading.
Sparkplug - “Are we going to answer any of them, today?”
Trevor - “No. Seal approved a lockdown protocol and the word is being spread to whoever is still listening or cares.”
Sparkplug - “And that goes for recruiting, as well.”
Trevor - “Especially. Who knows if there is already grass planted.”
Johnston pauses, studying Trevor’s choice of terminology.
Trevor - “The Powers That Be often plant double agents abroad. It takes years, even decades before they are finally commissioned to complete their mission.”
[Lone Wolf and Cub]
Johnston - “A lot of us thought the same thing about you when you arrived without warning from Seal or Marc. But.”
Trevor - “But?”
Johnston - “Since then, most of us concluded on crazed loner, bud.”
[Justice League Unlimited “Flash and Substance”]
Trevor - “Mnn. Close enough.”
Johnston - “Ha. Sometimes, it still amazes me how we’re all together; protecting each other, fighting the good fight, and maybe even saving the world one day.”
Trevor looks up and puts the reader aside.
Trevor - “I’ve been hunted for two years, ten months, and four days by various people. But I hunted them back; criss-crossing the world, never staying in one place for long, that is until Undaunted came to my attention. Along the way, I always learned something new. Everybody has a talent, Mack, it was only a matter of moving around until you discovered what it is.”
[George Lucas]
Sparkplug - “But are you happy?”
Trevor - “…Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason, mastery demands all of a person.”
[Albert Einstein]
Sparkplug - “Huh. Whoever said that was no Einstein.”
Even Trevor laughs at this.
Trevor - “It’s all relative, I suppose.”
Sparkplug - “If you could, Trevor, would you change your past? Do something different?”
Trevor - “No. Another me somewhere in the multiverse made that choice. If I did, this conversation would become hypertime and the other reality would probably implode.”
Sparkplug - “How about if there were no multiverse, just the one?”
[Science, Comic Books]
Trevor - “Whatever happened, happened.”
[Lost]
Sparkplug - “Even if time was running out and you had to make a decision that would kill billions of people?”
Trevor - “Time is fickle. It’s not something you just fight and that’s the end. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a non-spatial continuum in which events occur linearly usually in the direction of increased entropy.”
[Justice League Unlimited “The Once and Future Thing” Part Two: Time Warped]
Sparkplug - “Alright. Say a future you showed up and gave you a set of instructions.”
[Volume One]
Trevor loses interest and picks up the e-reader. He suddenly sees something very important and focuses on it.
Sparkplug - “What is it?”
Trevor - “Looks like Undaunted is answering a message today, after all.”
Trevor stands up. Part of the message can be seen on the screen: “…found the Carnival…Amanda”
[Heroes Survival Game - Faction Message]
Sparkplug - “Need back up?”
Trevor - “Just need to triangulate then Google Map it…Ohio? Well, that’s too good to pass up. I need you for something else. Kutar and Kupe are summoning various electronics I requested for new infrastructure.”
[Google Maps and Heroes Survival Game characters in Undaunted]
Sparkplug - “On it. Be careful, eh?”
Trevor is already gone. Johnston laughs out loud.
[Batman]
Seal is knelt down in the middle of the graveyard. He cups his mouth with his right hand and both eyes are closed.
Trevor - “Even though we’re temporarily shielded and hidden from sight, you shouldn’t be alone out in the open.”
Seal turns around and sees Trevor standing near the forest.
Seal - “How in God’s name could He let this happen, Trevor?”
Trevor - “God doesn’t factor into this. We’re the ones who act as gods and that is always a dangerous game, Clark.”
[Volume Two - Hiro and Kaito Nakamura’s conversation]
Seal staggers up onto his feet.
Seal - “94 deaths and dozens have left in fear. We should…”
Trevor - “I agree. But we can’t recruit right now. We just have to find who’s still with us."
Seal - “Disband.”
Trevor - “Oh.”
Seal - “Undaunted started out to protect people. We didn’t do a very good job lately.”
Trevor - “It’s not your fault, Clark. Not anyone’s.”
Seal - “You’re one man. I am, too. We were hundreds in number and we still got caught offguard in the blink of an eye. Melody didn’t calculate it. The telepaths didn’t detect it. The precogs never saw it. Tell me how we could have known.”
[Melody Beatrix, Undaunted, Heroes Survival Game]
Trevor - “Come with me, Clark. This will do the both of us some good. It’ll help you realign your ability”
Seal - “How did…Where?”
Trevor - “You’ll see.”
The camera zooms in on Seal.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER…
SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN OHIO
Seal and Trevor are standing in the parking lot looking at a colorful sign: Sullivan Bros. Carnival.
Seal - “A Carnival? Never pegged you as the type, Trevor.”
Trevor - “You’re right. I’m not.”
Seal - “You have your gun, don’t you?”
Trevor - “Have I become that predictable? I must be in a rut…”
They walk forward into the entrance.
Seal is eating cotton candy and Trevor picks at popcorn.
Seal - “I’m not sure about this.”
Trevor - “Everything tastes better when you’re a child.”
Seal - “Wasn’t talking about the food.”
Trevor - “Neither was I.”
Seal - “What do we know about this Amanda?”
Trevor - “Today, she’s our pair of dice.”
Seal - “We all pegged you as a man of science.”
Trevor - “Faith has its place. Both intersect eventually.”
[Lost - Man of Science, Man of Faith]
The two walk past a Milk Can Toss booth. A burly man is playing as a young girl, Claire Bennet, and Gretchen Berg watch. They overhear an announcement for Lydia.
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage”]
Trevor - “Speak of the devil.”
They enter the tent. Lydia is sitting inside.
Lydia - “Hello, boys. Which one of you is paying?”
Seal - “Trevor, wait, she…”
Trevor holds Lydia’s hands. She closes her eyes and reads him.
Lydia - “You’re the one that got away, Trevor Tanaka. That is what you call yourself these days, isn’t it?”
Trevor’s face appears on Lydia’s arm as a tattoo. But the right side is obscured in darkness.
Lydia - “Living in two worlds…that must be difficult. The past and present intertwine. You yearn for someone left behind but put it aside for your people…Trevor, you can only have one life. You will become a great man, but you must make a choice.”
Trevor - “So it seems. Thank you, miss.”
Lydia - “You’re welcome. Thank you.”
Seal walks out. Trevor is about to but stops at the entranceway.
Trevor - “Are you the one that needs our help?”
Lydia - “Sorry. Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Trevor - “My mistake. Could you tell me where I can find Amanda Strazzulla’s mother?”
Lydia - “…”
Trevor - “We’ll be watching. When the time is right, Amanda will be extracted. Just don’t lose that cell phone.”
Lydia - “Enjoy the rest of the night, boys.”
Trevor and Seal continue walking through the Carnival.
Seal - “So we’re not rescuing this girl, tonight?”
Trevor - “Just nailing down the lay of the land. Every one of these carnies has an advanced ability. It won’t be a standard op.”
Seal - “But these people don’t have bad intentions…”
Trevor - “They’re super powered con artists, Clark. Completely opposite of how we do things.”
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage” - Gretchen Berg]
Seal - “Why am I here again, Trevor?”
They stop.
Trevor - “You came here because you needed to. When I look into your eyes, Clark, I see compassion, empathy and most of all, I see hope. This world won’t be saved on strength and smarts, alone. It needs heart. Love.”
[Volume One “How To Stop An Exploding Man” - Peter Petrelli and Charles Deveaux]
Seal is more than dumb-founded as Trevor motions him to look forward. The Bowman’s perform their act. Jennie Bowman lets out a pyrokinetic burst in a solo performance. She cheers at her accomplishment. Amanda steps forward and raises two columns of flames. They take acknowledge the crowd’s cheers and clapping, embrace each other, and leave the stage. Seal smiles.
Seal - “Love.”
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART THREE: NEVER THE END - in Heroes title font -
Trevor and Seal are leaving and are entering a blue Nissan Versa. Seal flinches in his seat. A flash of Samuel’s face appears in an instant and vanishes.
Trevor - “What is it, Spidey?”
[Spider-Man]
Seal - “We need to leave, fast.”
The Versa drives off.
A muted montage scene begins with the Heroes theme playing.
For we cannot tarry here
Elle Bishop storms down the hallway of Level 5. The inmates watch.
[Volume Three]
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger
Trevor points his gun out from the shadows.
[Phase Three]
We the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend
Matt Parkman holds his son. Hiro Nakamura and Ando Masahashi watch.
[Volume Four]
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Trevor walks up to a grassy field and sees Seal.
O you youths, Western youths
Hiro Nakamura, Ando Masahashi, and Kimiko Nakamura pose for their photo at the Carnival in Japan.
So impatient, full of action, fully of manly pride and friendship
Claire Bennet hugs Gretchen Berg and says her goodbyes at the Carnival.
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage”]
Plain I see you Western youths, see you tramping with the foremost
Samuel Sullivan and Lydia watch Claire and Gretchen.
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Dr. Mohinder Suresh smiles in glee as he cracks the password on his late father’s program in India.
[Volume One]
Have the elder races halted?
Charles Deveaux and Angela Petrelli have their final discussion together.
[Volume One]
Do they droop and end their lesson, wearied over there beyond the seas?
The Company founders quiet and pose for their group shot.
[Volume 2]
We take up the task eternal and the burden and the lesson
Peter Petrelli, Nathan Petrelli, and Matt Parkman discuss plans in Primatech Paper’s Level 3 Vault.
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
[Walt Whitman]
Trevor and Seal stand in the graveyard. Trevor pats his right hand on Seal’s shoulder. He nods and smiles. Seal says something and walks away. Trevor remains and stares at the graves.
All of a sudden, he turns around with his gun drawn. He is almost literally paralyzed with shock at what he sees. The camera pans around to see who it is. Trevor is aiming at another Trevor. The second Trevor’s right side is half cloaked in the shadow of the forest, just like Lydia’s tattoo.
The second Trevor walks forward two steps and reveals himself. He is dressed and layered in black much like Future Peter and Hiro. His right eye is covered up and a scar runs down it from his forehead to his cheek through the eye. Another scar goes horizontal across his forehead.
From the second Trevor’s point of view, Trevor slowly lowers the gun in disbelief. The camera rotates to give a full shot of the second Trevor. Noticeably, his right arm is missing as his empty sleeve flutters in the breeze. Zoom out as the two stare at each other.
TO BE CONTINUED…
November 24, 2009
Part Five - The Beginning Of The End - Part One
After taking time to do other projects and make sure this one got done right...without further ado, the third arc begins:
NOVEMBER 26, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Dozens of corpses are strewn across the field. Trevor lays motionless, lying on his stomach, with his back to the camera, and a bone-like protrusion is sticking out of his left shoulder. The bone looks broken off from its original source. There is silence for what feels like an eternity.
Then, Trevor gasps for air and wheezes, blood is pooling somewhere in his body. He reaches behind himself with his right hand and rips out the protrusion and tosses it aside. Trevor struggles to stand up and winces over to two bodies that are barely breathing. Trevor kneels between them and uses all his remaining strength to flip them over. One is Regan "Redo" McCairn and the other, Dixon "Nox" Cheung.
Trevor - "Nox…you got to…undo this from ever happening to me…"
Trevor looks around frantically at the dead.
Trevor - "Luna Yu. Mack Johnston. Lilia Chacon. Make them survive, too."
Nox struggles to concentrate then it works, Trevor is unwounded. Nox hacks out blood, then his head drops. Nox is dead. Trevor closes his eyes. Redo was watching what happened.
Trevor - "Reset us as far back as you can, McCairn. Farther than you’ve ever gone. Everyone’s lives depend on it."
Redo uses her time reversing power. Things start to go backwards like a video tape rewinding, then everything turns into a blur of images and sound. Then a white flash envelopes everything.
LATE SUMMER 2007
LYNEBORO, CONNECTICUT
MABLE'S DINER
Leona Mills sits down. Trevor scoots over. He doesn't take his eyes off her. Seal finishes his breakfast. Silence.
Leona - "Well, say it Trevor."
Trevor - "The Omelet Surprise is terrible."
Seal - "You want me to consolidate every faction into one and lead it?"
Leona - "It's more than that."
Trevor - "Tell Mable to lower the heat, next time."
Leona - "All we've ever done was protect each other. But now, all these little honeycombs are popping up and doing whatever they please. Too many. You know what that attracts? Bears. Big, hungry bears."
Trevor - "Bears named Sylar? Yeah, sure. Right away. No problem."
Leona - "The omelet isn't that bad."
Trevor - "But it doesn't mean you could try harder."
Leona - "You can do this. I know you can. You want to."
Trevor - "Don't worry. I'll put it on the to-do list, right under 'punch God in the face.'"
[Sin City - Marv]
Trevor looks away and finishes his food.
Leona - "Seal, you’ve been quiet. What do you think of all this?"
Seal - "Between the Carnival and other factions attacking us for resources…"
[Volume 5 and Heroes Survival Game - Phase Three]
Leona - "You can't. Now's not the time."
Seal - "I'm sorry, it's a great idea."
Leona - "Don't be. These things, they require timing, finesse, and a lot of luck."
Trevor - "Schemes. Do you forget that every time you come up with one, the price goes up? You're willing to sacrifice us like chess pieces but what about Rachel? Would you strap a bomb on her and parade her through Washington?"
[Partial quote from anonymous person and Volume 4 - Matt Parkman - Washington D.C.]
Leona - "Trevor, I'm disappointed. You always had a healthy disregard for the impossible…I'm on the clock. You boys come back again when you can."
[Larry Page]
Leona walks away like nothing happened and right as rain.
Seal - "She was convincing when I read her."
Trevor - "That only means she believes in the lie, too. Think hard about this, Seal. Doing great deeds requires…equal suffering."
[Plutarch]
Seal - "Take her point of view, Trevor. She's been around longer than us and…"
Trevor is worked up and cuts Seal off.
Trevor - "Point of view? Oh, the scarcest of resources. The quintessentially human solution to information overload! An intuitive process of reducing things to an essential, relevant, and manageable maximum…"
[Paul Saffo]
Everyone in Mable's Diner is staring at their booth. Trevor stops. He exhales.
Trevor - "Let's go. I hate Connecticut."
Seal - "Hm. Déjà vu. Feels like I heard you say that before."
[Implied reminder that the timeline is repeating itself thanks to Trevor and Nox]
They exit the Diner and find James.
Seal - "Are we going to do it? Help her?"
Trevor - "To her, this is one big game of survival. Let's go with the Big Stick Diplomacy for now."
[Heroes Survival Game and President Roosevelt’s foreign policy]
The trio teleports away.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART ONE: IT'S ALL RELATIVITY - in Heroes title font -
NOVEMBER 26, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
About half of Undaunted is gathered in the main field. Among them are Trevor Tanaka, Seal, Lilia Chacon, Mack Johnston, Luna Yu, Phillip DeParis, Clara Zhang, Dixon Cheung, and Regan McCairn.
Seal - "I want to thank everyone for coming today and checking in. A little goes a long way to say you're committed to this. Only so many people in the world get to have two families that love them, much less one. I don’t want to ramble so ummm…that's all. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!"
[Places this story during Volume 5 "Thanksgiving" and 9th Wonders! Forum - The good kind of rambling happens among Undaunted members]
The crowd happily murmurs and separate among the main field chatting. Lilia is with Seal, Johnston with Blue, Clara and Luna, Dixon with Redo, and Trevor, by himself as usual. The Heroes theme plays over the muted scene.
What is life?
It becomes apparent there are some here who don't belong.
A madness.
Their faces dissolve, revealing they are all the same man.
[Appearance Alteration, the power of evsdropr, one of them anyway]
What is life?
Trevor, Luna, Mack, and Lilia all notice.
An illusion.
The men, 36 in number, all grin evilly.
[9th wonders! - HERO - 3+6=9]
A shadow.
Bone protrusions, dozens of, erupt from each duplicate and impales everyone.
[Graphic Novel - Perrin Crocker's power]
A story.
Mack Johnston turns his body into electricity and avoids the spikes. DeParis isn't as lucky. Johnston is in shock as DeParis falls over, dead.
And the greater good is little enough.
Lilia Chacon grabs Seal and protects him.
[Chacon was created in HSG to protect Seal]
For all life is a dream.
[A quote from Pedro Calderon de la Bara]
Trevor lunges away but still gets impaled in his left leg. He lets out a scream of pain, then quickly breaks the bone off with the butt of his gun.
[In every timeline, Trevor gets impaled]
Luna pushes herself and Clara out of harm's way. Red lightning litters the area. Redo and Nox are impaled and die immediately.
Bodies stack up on the field. Trevor, Chacon, Seal, Johnston, Clara, and Luna eye out the 36 duplicates.
Trevor shouts an order to Clara. She runs to Chacon and Seal. The three teleport away as several bones barely misses them.
In slow motion, they march on the remaining three but the camera focuses on Luna. She stands tall and raises both hands in the air. Red lightning sparks and shoves the duplicates into the air and the frame speed slows down. The camera pans onto Johnston. He is still kneeling over DeParis and whispers something.
Sparkplug - "No."
He looks up at all the duplicates in mid-air, shifts his entire body into electricity, and surges through all of them violently as the camera frame speed goes to normal. Miniature explosions pop from each duplicate as Johnston passes through them. The duplicates all drop to the ground with huge, black scorch marks on their chests. One is still alive and feebly crawls away. A foot stomps down in front of him and blocks his escape path. It is Johnston. He arcs electricity and a screeching sound makes the duplicate scream in agony as blood trickles from his ears. A hand comes over Johnston's shoulder. It is Trevor.
[Johnston's power, listed on HSG, is Electric Mimicry. What he do with it is only limited by his own experience]
Trevor - "That's enough."
Trevor kneels down to the duplicate, who is panting irregularly.
Trevor - "I know you can't hear me but…what you did today was really, really stupid. We don’t like being bothered."
[Ghostbusters - Winston and The Undaunted mandate]
The duplicate spits out blood and gloats.
Duplicate - "Undaunted's…days…are…numbered…"
Trevor smiles, stands back up, and shoots him; twice in the head and twice in the chest. He sheathes the gun back in his holster.
Luna Yu - "Trevor, your leg."
Trevor - "I'll ask Karma to fix it later. Appearance Alteration. Limited to 24 hours. Tactile Organic Duplication. Spike Protrusion. No one faction alone has any of these three specials in combination."
Trevor rips the rest of the spike out of his leg. He tosses it then rips off part of his sleeve and ties a tight knot over the wound. James teleports in.
James - "Okay, who’s…first."
From James' point of view, the camera surveys the massacre. Then pans to Trevor.
Trevor - "Take us to the alpha site in Shawnee. Put out the word…this place is scrubbed."
[Alpha Site term taken from Stargate SG-1 and 9th Wonders - Two Garden of the Gods exist in the USA]
Luna Yu - "It's not over, is it?"
[In her HSG bio, Yu grew to be wary and skeptical of things]
Sparkplug - "This is just the beginning."
Trevor nods as they all teleport away.
TO BE CONTINUED...
NOVEMBER 26, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Dozens of corpses are strewn across the field. Trevor lays motionless, lying on his stomach, with his back to the camera, and a bone-like protrusion is sticking out of his left shoulder. The bone looks broken off from its original source. There is silence for what feels like an eternity.
Then, Trevor gasps for air and wheezes, blood is pooling somewhere in his body. He reaches behind himself with his right hand and rips out the protrusion and tosses it aside. Trevor struggles to stand up and winces over to two bodies that are barely breathing. Trevor kneels between them and uses all his remaining strength to flip them over. One is Regan "Redo" McCairn and the other, Dixon "Nox" Cheung.
Trevor - "Nox…you got to…undo this from ever happening to me…"
Trevor looks around frantically at the dead.
Trevor - "Luna Yu. Mack Johnston. Lilia Chacon. Make them survive, too."
Nox struggles to concentrate then it works, Trevor is unwounded. Nox hacks out blood, then his head drops. Nox is dead. Trevor closes his eyes. Redo was watching what happened.
Trevor - "Reset us as far back as you can, McCairn. Farther than you’ve ever gone. Everyone’s lives depend on it."
Redo uses her time reversing power. Things start to go backwards like a video tape rewinding, then everything turns into a blur of images and sound. Then a white flash envelopes everything.
LATE SUMMER 2007
LYNEBORO, CONNECTICUT
MABLE'S DINER
Leona Mills sits down. Trevor scoots over. He doesn't take his eyes off her. Seal finishes his breakfast. Silence.
Leona - "Well, say it Trevor."
Trevor - "The Omelet Surprise is terrible."
Seal - "You want me to consolidate every faction into one and lead it?"
Leona - "It's more than that."
Trevor - "Tell Mable to lower the heat, next time."
Leona - "All we've ever done was protect each other. But now, all these little honeycombs are popping up and doing whatever they please. Too many. You know what that attracts? Bears. Big, hungry bears."
Trevor - "Bears named Sylar? Yeah, sure. Right away. No problem."
Leona - "The omelet isn't that bad."
Trevor - "But it doesn't mean you could try harder."
Leona - "You can do this. I know you can. You want to."
Trevor - "Don't worry. I'll put it on the to-do list, right under 'punch God in the face.'"
[Sin City - Marv]
Trevor looks away and finishes his food.
Leona - "Seal, you’ve been quiet. What do you think of all this?"
Seal - "Between the Carnival and other factions attacking us for resources…"
[Volume 5 and Heroes Survival Game - Phase Three]
Leona - "You can't. Now's not the time."
Seal - "I'm sorry, it's a great idea."
Leona - "Don't be. These things, they require timing, finesse, and a lot of luck."
Trevor - "Schemes. Do you forget that every time you come up with one, the price goes up? You're willing to sacrifice us like chess pieces but what about Rachel? Would you strap a bomb on her and parade her through Washington?"
[Partial quote from anonymous person and Volume 4 - Matt Parkman - Washington D.C.]
Leona - "Trevor, I'm disappointed. You always had a healthy disregard for the impossible…I'm on the clock. You boys come back again when you can."
[Larry Page]
Leona walks away like nothing happened and right as rain.
Seal - "She was convincing when I read her."
Trevor - "That only means she believes in the lie, too. Think hard about this, Seal. Doing great deeds requires…equal suffering."
[Plutarch]
Seal - "Take her point of view, Trevor. She's been around longer than us and…"
Trevor is worked up and cuts Seal off.
Trevor - "Point of view? Oh, the scarcest of resources. The quintessentially human solution to information overload! An intuitive process of reducing things to an essential, relevant, and manageable maximum…"
[Paul Saffo]
Everyone in Mable's Diner is staring at their booth. Trevor stops. He exhales.
Trevor - "Let's go. I hate Connecticut."
Seal - "Hm. Déjà vu. Feels like I heard you say that before."
[Implied reminder that the timeline is repeating itself thanks to Trevor and Nox]
They exit the Diner and find James.
Seal - "Are we going to do it? Help her?"
Trevor - "To her, this is one big game of survival. Let's go with the Big Stick Diplomacy for now."
[Heroes Survival Game and President Roosevelt’s foreign policy]
The trio teleports away.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART ONE: IT'S ALL RELATIVITY - in Heroes title font -
NOVEMBER 26, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
About half of Undaunted is gathered in the main field. Among them are Trevor Tanaka, Seal, Lilia Chacon, Mack Johnston, Luna Yu, Phillip DeParis, Clara Zhang, Dixon Cheung, and Regan McCairn.
Seal - "I want to thank everyone for coming today and checking in. A little goes a long way to say you're committed to this. Only so many people in the world get to have two families that love them, much less one. I don’t want to ramble so ummm…that's all. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!"
[Places this story during Volume 5 "Thanksgiving" and 9th Wonders! Forum - The good kind of rambling happens among Undaunted members]
The crowd happily murmurs and separate among the main field chatting. Lilia is with Seal, Johnston with Blue, Clara and Luna, Dixon with Redo, and Trevor, by himself as usual. The Heroes theme plays over the muted scene.
What is life?
It becomes apparent there are some here who don't belong.
A madness.
Their faces dissolve, revealing they are all the same man.
[Appearance Alteration, the power of evsdropr, one of them anyway]
What is life?
Trevor, Luna, Mack, and Lilia all notice.
An illusion.
The men, 36 in number, all grin evilly.
[9th wonders! - HERO - 3+6=9]
A shadow.
Bone protrusions, dozens of, erupt from each duplicate and impales everyone.
[Graphic Novel - Perrin Crocker's power]
A story.
Mack Johnston turns his body into electricity and avoids the spikes. DeParis isn't as lucky. Johnston is in shock as DeParis falls over, dead.
And the greater good is little enough.
Lilia Chacon grabs Seal and protects him.
[Chacon was created in HSG to protect Seal]
For all life is a dream.
[A quote from Pedro Calderon de la Bara]
Trevor lunges away but still gets impaled in his left leg. He lets out a scream of pain, then quickly breaks the bone off with the butt of his gun.
[In every timeline, Trevor gets impaled]
Luna pushes herself and Clara out of harm's way. Red lightning litters the area. Redo and Nox are impaled and die immediately.
Bodies stack up on the field. Trevor, Chacon, Seal, Johnston, Clara, and Luna eye out the 36 duplicates.
Trevor shouts an order to Clara. She runs to Chacon and Seal. The three teleport away as several bones barely misses them.
In slow motion, they march on the remaining three but the camera focuses on Luna. She stands tall and raises both hands in the air. Red lightning sparks and shoves the duplicates into the air and the frame speed slows down. The camera pans onto Johnston. He is still kneeling over DeParis and whispers something.
Sparkplug - "No."
He looks up at all the duplicates in mid-air, shifts his entire body into electricity, and surges through all of them violently as the camera frame speed goes to normal. Miniature explosions pop from each duplicate as Johnston passes through them. The duplicates all drop to the ground with huge, black scorch marks on their chests. One is still alive and feebly crawls away. A foot stomps down in front of him and blocks his escape path. It is Johnston. He arcs electricity and a screeching sound makes the duplicate scream in agony as blood trickles from his ears. A hand comes over Johnston's shoulder. It is Trevor.
[Johnston's power, listed on HSG, is Electric Mimicry. What he do with it is only limited by his own experience]
Trevor - "That's enough."
Trevor kneels down to the duplicate, who is panting irregularly.
Trevor - "I know you can't hear me but…what you did today was really, really stupid. We don’t like being bothered."
[Ghostbusters - Winston and The Undaunted mandate]
The duplicate spits out blood and gloats.
Duplicate - "Undaunted's…days…are…numbered…"
Trevor smiles, stands back up, and shoots him; twice in the head and twice in the chest. He sheathes the gun back in his holster.
Luna Yu - "Trevor, your leg."
Trevor - "I'll ask Karma to fix it later. Appearance Alteration. Limited to 24 hours. Tactile Organic Duplication. Spike Protrusion. No one faction alone has any of these three specials in combination."
Trevor rips the rest of the spike out of his leg. He tosses it then rips off part of his sleeve and ties a tight knot over the wound. James teleports in.
James - "Okay, who’s…first."
From James' point of view, the camera surveys the massacre. Then pans to Trevor.
Trevor - "Take us to the alpha site in Shawnee. Put out the word…this place is scrubbed."
[Alpha Site term taken from Stargate SG-1 and 9th Wonders - Two Garden of the Gods exist in the USA]
Luna Yu - "It's not over, is it?"
[In her HSG bio, Yu grew to be wary and skeptical of things]
Sparkplug - "This is just the beginning."
Trevor nods as they all teleport away.
TO BE CONTINUED...
November 8, 2009
Commentary - Phase Three Part Two
So yeah, part two was a smaller story to slow down after the big op tale and prepare readers for a multi-part big op filled with intrigue, suspense, and death. But right now, as I mentioned, this is a more Trevor-centric story set pretty much in line with the current timeline of the show. The first line is a quote from the late Muhammad Ali. Below Trevor's wit and sarcasm, he's actually speaking his mind and no one realizes that, that's what he thinks is the best joke of all.
And I continue to reveal more about Trevor's nightmare. Uluru makes an appearance after I referenced him in the first story arc. Continuing on my interpretation of the nightmare: The nightmare, itself, is up to interpretation. To me, I think the void represents Mu, nothingness, from Buddhism. From it comes Trevor, whose senses are covered up and he is in a state of ignorance, powerless and without a purpose in life. Trevor connects this nightmare to his lover's death as the jolt that made him reach his full potential. Now the flames, a symbol of destruction and Uluru, the inner demon within everyone (at least how I see it), appear to threaten Trevor and he turns, with the symbols gone, implying experience and activation of his power challenges the dark forces within him.
And coming along with the present story, the idea came from my list of to do. I always wanted to make a story where Trevor gets kidnapped and the punching shtick is the sequence I wrote. I matched this up with my desire to expand on the mystery company that tried to recruit Santiago in the Destiny webisodes. To make sense, an alliance of faction leaders but some bills together and hired these people to kidnap and interrogate Trevor for his intelligence. Obviously, among these five people, I didn't exactly state who had what power. At least for the Consultant, I want to keep it vague for a future story. I threw in the nullifier to prevent Trevor from using his power and show he's the same with or without it.
I prodded a little more with the mystery behind his name mainly because its a typical warm up question during an interrogation. Then things get frustrating for them as Trevor outwits them most of the time. My favorite word at the time was proclivity. But mainly, the interrogation was to integrate the arc of volume five and phase three of the survival game into this story to frame it.
I also felt the need to revisit the possibility that Trevor could walk away or even betray Undaunted for his own interests. Why is he still with them? By this point, the viewer should start wondering what the conversation between Leona Mills, Trevor, and Seal was and when it will be revealed. Since Seal now knows everything Leona is planning and how he's using that information is very interesting to know.
Then for the last half, Trevor encounters Jasp, Marc, and Seal, from Undaunted. I wanted Jasp and Trevor's relationship to be more cordial as contrast to Trevor and James'. And with Marc and Seal, Trevor pretty much concluded who the faction leaders that commissioned his capture are but doesn't really care. Obviously this op he's talking about is...well bigger in importance. Does it have to do with the Timewave Zero software he was running? Soon.
And I continue to reveal more about Trevor's nightmare. Uluru makes an appearance after I referenced him in the first story arc. Continuing on my interpretation of the nightmare: The nightmare, itself, is up to interpretation. To me, I think the void represents Mu, nothingness, from Buddhism. From it comes Trevor, whose senses are covered up and he is in a state of ignorance, powerless and without a purpose in life. Trevor connects this nightmare to his lover's death as the jolt that made him reach his full potential. Now the flames, a symbol of destruction and Uluru, the inner demon within everyone (at least how I see it), appear to threaten Trevor and he turns, with the symbols gone, implying experience and activation of his power challenges the dark forces within him.
And coming along with the present story, the idea came from my list of to do. I always wanted to make a story where Trevor gets kidnapped and the punching shtick is the sequence I wrote. I matched this up with my desire to expand on the mystery company that tried to recruit Santiago in the Destiny webisodes. To make sense, an alliance of faction leaders but some bills together and hired these people to kidnap and interrogate Trevor for his intelligence. Obviously, among these five people, I didn't exactly state who had what power. At least for the Consultant, I want to keep it vague for a future story. I threw in the nullifier to prevent Trevor from using his power and show he's the same with or without it.
I prodded a little more with the mystery behind his name mainly because its a typical warm up question during an interrogation. Then things get frustrating for them as Trevor outwits them most of the time. My favorite word at the time was proclivity. But mainly, the interrogation was to integrate the arc of volume five and phase three of the survival game into this story to frame it.
I also felt the need to revisit the possibility that Trevor could walk away or even betray Undaunted for his own interests. Why is he still with them? By this point, the viewer should start wondering what the conversation between Leona Mills, Trevor, and Seal was and when it will be revealed. Since Seal now knows everything Leona is planning and how he's using that information is very interesting to know.
Then for the last half, Trevor encounters Jasp, Marc, and Seal, from Undaunted. I wanted Jasp and Trevor's relationship to be more cordial as contrast to Trevor and James'. And with Marc and Seal, Trevor pretty much concluded who the faction leaders that commissioned his capture are but doesn't really care. Obviously this op he's talking about is...well bigger in importance. Does it have to do with the Timewave Zero software he was running? Soon.
October 27, 2009
Commentary - Undaunted Part Five
The epic conclusion to the first arc! It was wild ride, and after awhile, it wasn't me writing, Trevor took over for the most part. And we begin with...more banter!
So we start from where we left off with James getting Trevor. Now there's a big pow wow with all the Undaunted crew at the Garden of the Gods. I decided to make the big problem deal with hype surrounding HSG's upcoming Phase 3 that would allow Factions to declare enemies and attack each other which was a tie in to the Carnival...two birds with one stone.
And imagine, that Trevor has this rep of being the crazed loner, you think anyone else in the group would believe him right away? That's where it came important that I establish Seal's relationship with Trevor beforehand. He's sort of the lone person that believes, and luckily he's the leader, too.
A month later, HERO inspired me to change this section just a tiny bit. It sort of came to me as it always does, on how to change a sentence to make it funnier and reference 9th Wonders babble even more. Trevor comes up with this plan and everyone is skeptical, a few of them thought of it, then Seal comes forward and reveals he and a bunch of other faction leaders were working on a similar plan. But then Seal saves his butt by asking everyone to give their opinion one at a time through his power of empathy.
And I bring up the fact that Trevor wasn't read as another rumor among Undaunted, a mere set up to lead to another dark humorous moment and it leads to the group falling in with the plan, only if Seal reads Trevor in front of everyone. And I played with the montage again and replaying events I revealed in previous stories. I thought it'd be fitting that on the image of Samuel, that Seal starts to lose control. I only did this because in the grand scheme of powers on Heroes there's always someone that can resist it or some weakness that comes with the power. Here, Trevor has so much memories and thoughts stored in his mind, Seal begins to get overloaded with trying to empathize (and it doesn't help that Trevor's a little insane in the membrane) and we get these weird nightmare scenes with the DNA Symbols, a callback to young Trevor's nightmares.
And so Trevor goes into detail about his form of the plan and a new montage begins. I imagined how these squads would be like and used classification from AT files to justify it. Maximize powers by teaming them up with complementary ones. This was a set up for the next bunch of stories (there's always a set up somewhere).
I imagined the Heroes theme playing over the muted scene of Seal talking to everyone and the camera revolves around everyone and zone in on a couple Undaunted members while Trevor recites the full Lewis Carroll quote, that Leona used when she texted him in China, in his monologue.
Then I end the story with a "OOOO" moment and revealing Trevor's intention to confront Leona Mills. And like when a volume ends on Heroes, you get a short prologue of the next volume. I did the same here with a classic reveal of Trevor and Seal at Mable's Diner as Leona comes to wait on them. Threw in Tim as a reference to iStory, too. And the ultimate of callbacks, Seal makes the same comment about Mills that Trevor did.
All in all, this was so much fun to write except the part when I get the flow at 12:30 in the morning. I'm happy with the arc, what it became and where its going. I hope some of you did, too.
So we start from where we left off with James getting Trevor. Now there's a big pow wow with all the Undaunted crew at the Garden of the Gods. I decided to make the big problem deal with hype surrounding HSG's upcoming Phase 3 that would allow Factions to declare enemies and attack each other which was a tie in to the Carnival...two birds with one stone.
And imagine, that Trevor has this rep of being the crazed loner, you think anyone else in the group would believe him right away? That's where it came important that I establish Seal's relationship with Trevor beforehand. He's sort of the lone person that believes, and luckily he's the leader, too.
A month later, HERO inspired me to change this section just a tiny bit. It sort of came to me as it always does, on how to change a sentence to make it funnier and reference 9th Wonders babble even more. Trevor comes up with this plan and everyone is skeptical, a few of them thought of it, then Seal comes forward and reveals he and a bunch of other faction leaders were working on a similar plan. But then Seal saves his butt by asking everyone to give their opinion one at a time through his power of empathy.
And I bring up the fact that Trevor wasn't read as another rumor among Undaunted, a mere set up to lead to another dark humorous moment and it leads to the group falling in with the plan, only if Seal reads Trevor in front of everyone. And I played with the montage again and replaying events I revealed in previous stories. I thought it'd be fitting that on the image of Samuel, that Seal starts to lose control. I only did this because in the grand scheme of powers on Heroes there's always someone that can resist it or some weakness that comes with the power. Here, Trevor has so much memories and thoughts stored in his mind, Seal begins to get overloaded with trying to empathize (and it doesn't help that Trevor's a little insane in the membrane) and we get these weird nightmare scenes with the DNA Symbols, a callback to young Trevor's nightmares.
And so Trevor goes into detail about his form of the plan and a new montage begins. I imagined how these squads would be like and used classification from AT files to justify it. Maximize powers by teaming them up with complementary ones. This was a set up for the next bunch of stories (there's always a set up somewhere).
I imagined the Heroes theme playing over the muted scene of Seal talking to everyone and the camera revolves around everyone and zone in on a couple Undaunted members while Trevor recites the full Lewis Carroll quote, that Leona used when she texted him in China, in his monologue.
Then I end the story with a "OOOO" moment and revealing Trevor's intention to confront Leona Mills. And like when a volume ends on Heroes, you get a short prologue of the next volume. I did the same here with a classic reveal of Trevor and Seal at Mable's Diner as Leona comes to wait on them. Threw in Tim as a reference to iStory, too. And the ultimate of callbacks, Seal makes the same comment about Mills that Trevor did.
All in all, this was so much fun to write except the part when I get the flow at 12:30 in the morning. I'm happy with the arc, what it became and where its going. I hope some of you did, too.
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
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
Commentary - Undaunted Part Three
This part would become my take on the effect of manifestations on the wrong people. Not everyone gets a power and gets to live through it on a TV show. A lot of people can't accept it and they snap and they end up in the nuthouse for years. The temporary plight of Niki Sanders and Level 5 influenced me to explore Trevor's manifestation and take it up a notch. Because all of a sudden you can remember everything, how you not go mad from storing all that information in your mind, worse so if you just manifested and have no idea how to control that power. He really did go crazy. And this lends to the Company's later conclusions about his psyche, and how he decides to kill, and everything else that comes after.
BELLEVUE
But I presented it intertwined with other events to confuse the reader and make them think Trevor was caught by these agents that are chasing him. And this where I showcase Trevor's power and his uncanny knowledge of pop culture and of course, an Uluru shout out. If that's Trevor or Uluru talking, I leave that up to speculation. Quite frankly, I'd rather it be that Uluru is an aspect of every advanced ability that appears in everyone...eventually what got superseded by the Hunger (see Peter in Volume 3). That's the face I was going for, but more intense.
And I had to write in Heroes trivia. I always thought the fake expiration date on Mohinder's taxi license was funny so I had to reference it somehow and here it is, sort of like a conspiracy buff being interrogated, he spouts some weird gibberish very like the Question on Justice League Unlimited.
The stardust line is important, of course. If you haven't read Neil Gaiman, I feel sorry for you. It is a set up for a C-Story...OMG...a C-Story?! But of course, I give the one clue that this A-Story and the B-Story are two different stories. 339. Aother important setup was when Shell says "Dammit" and used it as another red herring later on in the A Story. I'm so evil...
The Voice was something I wanted to do to redeem Sanjog after those Writers Strike period GN's. I wanted to see, how would Sanjog try to help a special whose insane? Appear as he did to Mohinder or as a voice and it's a no win situation. He's nuts, remember? So with Sanjog's last line, it's supposed to mirror what the doctor is saying, "You came to me for help" and remind Trevor for the briefest moment and jilt him. So after two years, Trevor uses his power again this time, with a feeling of clarity, and snaps out of it. Then everything peels away and the image changes to reality where he's in Bellevue.
CHINA
And the B-Story is set in China and is the first time Trevor begins attacking agents openly, here Shell and Park, from the evsdropr arc, are his prey. But here, he's really just testing them to see what kind of field training agents get. And I purposefully ended it with Park beating the living daylights out of him to fool the reader into thinking the A-Story was the same, just later on when he was in a Company cell.
SEAL
And so the C-Story picks up from when Trevor leaves Leona Mills' warehouse in part two. The man he met at Harold Square was none other than James Kelly, the Teleporter, who I references in part one so it all comes together. And so beings their relationship of banter.
I take the opportunity to tease and jab the heck out of Heroes Survival Game, because I care and continue on with Trevor's sense of humor and develop it even more. I also made sure I didn't mess up with Seal's character. Thanks for the input, HERO. It was important that I told this story the way I did to set up part five: to see Trevor and Seal interact and that Trevor never got read before being let in.
PRESENT
And it ends back in the present between Trevor's appearance in iStory when he's running to meet up with the squad staking out the house and he knocks out Callum. I wanted to settle that he did memorize those fighting books and movies, he's fit, and he knows how to use his power. I imagine on the evolutionary tree, enhanced memory can easily diverge into Adoptive Muscle Memory (Monica Dawson) or into Intuitive Aptitude rather than progress into Telepathy. So I made this scene where he kicks the crap out of a spy, whether this spy is a Carnie or from another faction, is up to the reader to decide. Trevor knows exactly where to hit, time the hits, and how to hit. Then I end on a humorous note. He's pumping with adrenaline, blood all over him, and he calls for a ride.
BELLEVUE
But I presented it intertwined with other events to confuse the reader and make them think Trevor was caught by these agents that are chasing him. And this where I showcase Trevor's power and his uncanny knowledge of pop culture and of course, an Uluru shout out. If that's Trevor or Uluru talking, I leave that up to speculation. Quite frankly, I'd rather it be that Uluru is an aspect of every advanced ability that appears in everyone...eventually what got superseded by the Hunger (see Peter in Volume 3). That's the face I was going for, but more intense.
And I had to write in Heroes trivia. I always thought the fake expiration date on Mohinder's taxi license was funny so I had to reference it somehow and here it is, sort of like a conspiracy buff being interrogated, he spouts some weird gibberish very like the Question on Justice League Unlimited.
The stardust line is important, of course. If you haven't read Neil Gaiman, I feel sorry for you. It is a set up for a C-Story...OMG...a C-Story?! But of course, I give the one clue that this A-Story and the B-Story are two different stories. 339. Aother important setup was when Shell says "Dammit" and used it as another red herring later on in the A Story. I'm so evil...
The Voice was something I wanted to do to redeem Sanjog after those Writers Strike period GN's. I wanted to see, how would Sanjog try to help a special whose insane? Appear as he did to Mohinder or as a voice and it's a no win situation. He's nuts, remember? So with Sanjog's last line, it's supposed to mirror what the doctor is saying, "You came to me for help" and remind Trevor for the briefest moment and jilt him. So after two years, Trevor uses his power again this time, with a feeling of clarity, and snaps out of it. Then everything peels away and the image changes to reality where he's in Bellevue.
CHINA
And the B-Story is set in China and is the first time Trevor begins attacking agents openly, here Shell and Park, from the evsdropr arc, are his prey. But here, he's really just testing them to see what kind of field training agents get. And I purposefully ended it with Park beating the living daylights out of him to fool the reader into thinking the A-Story was the same, just later on when he was in a Company cell.
SEAL
And so the C-Story picks up from when Trevor leaves Leona Mills' warehouse in part two. The man he met at Harold Square was none other than James Kelly, the Teleporter, who I references in part one so it all comes together. And so beings their relationship of banter.
I take the opportunity to tease and jab the heck out of Heroes Survival Game, because I care and continue on with Trevor's sense of humor and develop it even more. I also made sure I didn't mess up with Seal's character. Thanks for the input, HERO. It was important that I told this story the way I did to set up part five: to see Trevor and Seal interact and that Trevor never got read before being let in.
PRESENT
And it ends back in the present between Trevor's appearance in iStory when he's running to meet up with the squad staking out the house and he knocks out Callum. I wanted to settle that he did memorize those fighting books and movies, he's fit, and he knows how to use his power. I imagine on the evolutionary tree, enhanced memory can easily diverge into Adoptive Muscle Memory (Monica Dawson) or into Intuitive Aptitude rather than progress into Telepathy. So I made this scene where he kicks the crap out of a spy, whether this spy is a Carnie or from another faction, is up to the reader to decide. Trevor knows exactly where to hit, time the hits, and how to hit. Then I end on a humorous note. He's pumping with adrenaline, blood all over him, and he calls for a ride.
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