CENTRAL PARK
So I moved up from December 2 up to the 12th based on two weeks passing, stated on the show. This finale takes place just as Samuel is defeated. It seems that after days of research, Trevor found the Carnival, too and was waiting for a chance. If you recall, he promised to take Amanda, but the reader doesn't really have to remember that. All the while, he remembers something Seal told him. When doesn't matter, why is what's important. It's the frame of Trevor's thoughts and the point of the chapter. In the opening, you supposed to be left wondering if Undaunted was broken up or not. Ultimately, that's up to speculation. I'd like to think it still lives on, because it's purpose still rings strong, to protect each other more so now that the cat's out of the bag.
UTAH
Continuing with chapter 4, Undaunted holds a meeting in Utah. And this was one of the last WTF moments I had left up my sleeve. Trevor kills Seal. But wait, it's not Seal. Then I sprinkle it the usual humor, his power at work, one last mission, and one last montage. I also couldn't help put in one more jab at HSG when Trevor doesn't care who it was that kidnapped Seal. Undaunted is in the crosshairs being the top faction, after all.
THE BEGINNING
I decided that Trevor's tale wouldn't end with violence and rage, that's how his story began, with the death of his love. And so I chose to start off with Trevor doing the mundane, the normal. Getting ready, shaving, dressing. And the final scene is how I wanted to end his tale from the start. Symbolically, he leaves his gun behind as a gesture. He's committed to changing along with hopefully the world in light of what Claire did in Central Park. I wanted to keep the final shot on the gun, not Trevor, to suggest also a separation of character. The gun is the old Trevor and walking away out of frame is someone new, changed for the better, after all this time; manifesting his power, going insane, falling in love, hunting Primatech, and joining Undaunted. And it's a mark that maybe there's hope that there won't be a need for the old Trevor.
So yes, this is the last story you've read about Trevor. I've got nothing left. But maybe I'll be inspired again as the franchise chugs on. We'll see. It was a blast to get my creative energies revved up again and creating this character who has his own small role in Heroes, but like most, everyone has their own story to tell. I hope I've entertained and intrigued those that have kept up and read these stories. I want to thank HERO for consulting with me about Seal over these past months. I also want to thank Phthisis, Azuteor, Yuriko, symbiotic, Heroes360, and everyone else for the kind words.
Showing posts with label Trevor Tanaka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trevor Tanaka. Show all posts
February 12, 2010
February 11, 2010
Part Six - Influence - Part Five
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
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
February 1, 2010
Commentary - Influence - Part Four
I always wanted to play with a mundane scene and follow it up with a big explosion. That's essentially the genesis of Ezekiel's day. He seems like a normal, run-of-the-mill guy but he's got issues like the rest of us. He proposes to his girlfriend, she flips out and leaves him. He's pissed. He explodes. Kills a lot of people. But...since this takes place hand in hand with the events of iStory, everyone is spared indirectly thanks to John Mulligan. Luckily, one of them is Trevor whose power kicks in and he rewrites the future.
Aside from throwing in some cameos and tasers, I wanted this story to be a critique on Trevor and contrast him with someone with a similar past. Then lay that on top of this build up of what's Seal gonna say at this meeting. James plays the on-edge person chomping at the bit to know what's going to happen, sort of filtered through the reader's point of view. And for the keen eye, some neat references; Ted Sprague, the Exploding Man, Hulk, Haitian Pills, and so on. So, Green River, eh? Better get Googling.
Aside from throwing in some cameos and tasers, I wanted this story to be a critique on Trevor and contrast him with someone with a similar past. Then lay that on top of this build up of what's Seal gonna say at this meeting. James plays the on-edge person chomping at the bit to know what's going to happen, sort of filtered through the reader's point of view. And for the keen eye, some neat references; Ted Sprague, the Exploding Man, Hulk, Haitian Pills, and so on. So, Green River, eh? Better get Googling.
Part Six - Influence - Part Four
DECEMBER 2, 2007
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
The camera frame opens on a close up of a digital alarm clock. It reads 6:59 AM. It changes to 7:00 AM. A song by Chaka Khan plays.
A man is sleeping on his stomach with a blanket half on. He is wearing a white, plain T-shirt and light blue boxers. He groans and mumbles something to himself. He maneuvers his left hand but knocks over the clock. It falls to the floor and keeps playing.
Bathroom. The man splashes water on his face. He towel dries his face, brushes his teeth, and shaves off his 5 day stubble. The shower curtain pulls over.
Nightstand. Picture frames are laying down. The man appears and checks his shave. He is dressed in black and gray with a scarf, cardigan, and slacks. He walks over and bends down and shuts off the clock (and the music). He makes his bed then pulls a pair of loafers from under the bed.
A small kitchen table. Close up on him eating a bowl of plain cereal. A glass of orange juice is nearby. The camera rotates to see what he is watching. It is a news channel replaying footage of the Nathan Petrelli flight crash. Words; Accident, Suicide, and Sabotage stream across the lower half of the television. He drinks the juice and sets it down. He stands up, puts the dishes in the sink, and rinses them.
The man walks to his door. He looks around at his apartment then locks the door.
DMV
The man stands in the renewal line. A photo flash goes off. He goes to the desk and gets his driver's license card back.
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
He returns several books to the front desk and pays a small fine.
The man walks up a sidewalk. He buys an apple from a corner open market, polishes it, and eats it. He throws the core away in the trash can despite abundant litter on the road. He checks his wristwatch then pulls his sleeve back down.
As he sees a crosswalk, it captures his attention and he speeds up his walking pace. He bumps past several people. He then bumps past Trevor. At the crosswalk, he holds his hand out. Two rings fall, in slow motion, the camera follows them downward. The rings clink as they hit the ground. The camera looks up at the man.
"Boom."
His eyes light red and an explosion erupts from his body.
Trevor reaches into his trench coat for his gun but it's too late. The blast reaches him and blows him backwards. The camera is pointed down on Trevor. There are cuts on his forehead, blood pooled around his ears, and a distorted ringing sound. He is shell shocked. Trevor looks around. He sees his cell phone ringing but can't hear the ring. He tries to reach for it but can't. Unknown time passes.
A paramedic arrives over him. Trevor's vision focuses on the man. It is Hesam, Peter Petrelli's partner.
Hesam - "Sir!! You've been in injured in a terrorist attack!! Tell me your name!!"
Trevor - "Can I be me?"
Hesam - "Do you know your name?! Your name!!"
Hesam is checking his vitals and unpacking his kit.
Hesam - "What do you do for a living?!"
Trevor - "I protect people."
Hesam - "You're a cop?!"
Suddenly Hesam is muted, Trevor can't hear him anymore. Someone walks behind Hesam. It is the man who blew up. His clothes are tattered. Trevor shakingly holds up his right hand in the shape of a gun and shoots. Trevor's arm drops to the ground. Trevor is dead. Hesam exhales. Then the screen pauses on Hesam's exhale. Time and the scene begin to rewind.
Trevor is back to kneeling down and holding a pinwheel. He pauses and looks around then at the pinwheel and the girl. He remembers the explosion.
Trevor - You're getting a fruit basket, John Mulligan.
Trevor blows the pinwheel and returns it to the girl. She runs back to where she came. Trevor walks on. The man comes into view. He begins to walk faster. Trevor presses his lips and makes a move.
Trevor - "Hey, Steve, is that you?! Class of '03? It's me, Todd!"
Ezekiel - "Sorry, you got the wrong guy."
Trevor - "My mistake. You look just like someone I went to high school with."
Ezekiel - "I get that a lot for some…"
Trevor leans into him and tasers him. The man faints onto Trevor. No one notices (or cares for that matter).
Trevor - "That's how to stop an exploding man."
ONE HOUR, 24 MINUTES, 37 SECONDS LATER
KAHO'OLAWE ISLAND, HAWAI'I
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
INFLUENCE - PART FOUR: FAMILIAR- in Heroes title font - pasted on the ground
Ezekiel wakes up in shock. The Sun beats down on him. He looks around.
Trevor - "No, we're not in New York, anymore."
Ezekiel turns around and sees Trevor leaning against a boulder.
Ezekiel - "You. You kidnapped me!"
Trevor - "You were going to kill a lot of people. Would you rather I take this gun, hold it out like this and pull the trigger?"
Ezekiel - "Kill people? I don't know what…"
Trevor readies his gun.
Ezekiel - "You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
Trevor - "Are you going to turn green and pummel me?"
[Marvel Comics - The Hulk]
Ezekiel tries to use his power but nothing happens. Trevor shoots. No bullets loaded.
Ezekiel - "Are you crazy?!"
Trevor - "Yes."
Ezekiel - "…Terrific."
Trevor - "Crazy enough to spare your life, take you to the other side of the United States, and force feed you a special cocktail of pills. You have a power. The ability of self-detonation. I have a power, enhanced memory. You were in a high emotional state and wanted to just vent on an uncaring world."
Ezekiel - "How?"
Trevor tosses the two rings to him.
Trevor - "You killed me. But luckily, there happened to be a time manipulator with his own problems, too. He rewinded time a few minutes and luckily I remembered what happened and neutralized you before you could blow us all away."
Ezekiel - "Say I believe all this. What now?"
Trevor - "She wasn't worth it. Too immature. Doesn't know what she wants from life. Only cares about going out and losing herself in nightclubs. You deserve better. Try a brunette next time. You're also a size 12 and a half but since they're so hard to find, you force yourself to wear 12's."
Trevor tosses Ezekiel's wallet back to him. Ezekiel laughs.
Ezekiel - "Who are you?"
Trevor - "I am many things. Today, I'm your guardian angel. Are you ready to go back to your life and move forward?"
Ezekiel rests his head on his right hand and nods.
Trevor - "Good."
James Kelly comes up behind Ezekiel and tasers him. He faints again.
Trevor - "See, it is fun, isn't it?"
James - "Helping people?"
Trevor - "No, the tasering part."
James - "…"
Trevor - "Give it back."
They teleport back to New York into Ezekiel 's apartment. Trevor sits him down on a sofa.
James - "You can handle him from here, right? I have to go down to…"
Trevor - "The Lower East Side? Don't waste too much time. The meeting is at 8."
James - "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
James teleports away.
Trevor is about to leave when he sees the nightstand. He picks up one of the picture frames.
Trevor - "Like quicksilver in the hand."
[Dorothy Parker - "Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away."]
Trevor puts down the frame and walks out the door. As he enters the hallway, Emma Coolidge walks past Trevor. She doesn't make eye contact at all.
Trevor - "Don't bother holding the elevator for me."
LOWER EAST SIDE, NEW YORK
Darren Summers, Ilja Vanderslagmolen, Daniel Stehlik, Maxxine Falcone, Amber Reed, Jennifer McAllister, Morgan Harvey, Chuck Cox, Erika Stevens, Brian Cain, and James Kelly are gathered in Kelly's apartment room. Trevor enters.
[HSG - New York and New Jersey-based members]
James - "Everyone made it."
Trevor - "Let's start then. You're needed elsewhere, too."
James - "Where are we going?"
Trevor - "Green River, Utah."
James presses Trevor for more.
James - "What's going to happen? Is Undaunted going active again or is Seal going to…"
The group looks on intently for Trevor's answer.
Trevor - "There is…one thing we can do. The happiest people are those who can do it to the limit of their ability. We can be completely present. We can be all here. We can…give all our attention to the opportunity before us. Let's not speculate."
[Mark Van Doren]
Trevor puts his right hand on James shoulder. The others walk toward James and place one of their hands on James as well. He closes his eyes with a smile.
James - "Let's not."
They teleport away.
TO BE CONTINUED…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
The camera frame opens on a close up of a digital alarm clock. It reads 6:59 AM. It changes to 7:00 AM. A song by Chaka Khan plays.
A man is sleeping on his stomach with a blanket half on. He is wearing a white, plain T-shirt and light blue boxers. He groans and mumbles something to himself. He maneuvers his left hand but knocks over the clock. It falls to the floor and keeps playing.
Bathroom. The man splashes water on his face. He towel dries his face, brushes his teeth, and shaves off his 5 day stubble. The shower curtain pulls over.
Nightstand. Picture frames are laying down. The man appears and checks his shave. He is dressed in black and gray with a scarf, cardigan, and slacks. He walks over and bends down and shuts off the clock (and the music). He makes his bed then pulls a pair of loafers from under the bed.
A small kitchen table. Close up on him eating a bowl of plain cereal. A glass of orange juice is nearby. The camera rotates to see what he is watching. It is a news channel replaying footage of the Nathan Petrelli flight crash. Words; Accident, Suicide, and Sabotage stream across the lower half of the television. He drinks the juice and sets it down. He stands up, puts the dishes in the sink, and rinses them.
The man walks to his door. He looks around at his apartment then locks the door.
DMV
The man stands in the renewal line. A photo flash goes off. He goes to the desk and gets his driver's license card back.
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
He returns several books to the front desk and pays a small fine.
The man walks up a sidewalk. He buys an apple from a corner open market, polishes it, and eats it. He throws the core away in the trash can despite abundant litter on the road. He checks his wristwatch then pulls his sleeve back down.
As he sees a crosswalk, it captures his attention and he speeds up his walking pace. He bumps past several people. He then bumps past Trevor. At the crosswalk, he holds his hand out. Two rings fall, in slow motion, the camera follows them downward. The rings clink as they hit the ground. The camera looks up at the man.
"Boom."
His eyes light red and an explosion erupts from his body.
Trevor reaches into his trench coat for his gun but it's too late. The blast reaches him and blows him backwards. The camera is pointed down on Trevor. There are cuts on his forehead, blood pooled around his ears, and a distorted ringing sound. He is shell shocked. Trevor looks around. He sees his cell phone ringing but can't hear the ring. He tries to reach for it but can't. Unknown time passes.
A paramedic arrives over him. Trevor's vision focuses on the man. It is Hesam, Peter Petrelli's partner.
Hesam - "Sir!! You've been in injured in a terrorist attack!! Tell me your name!!"
Trevor - "Can I be me?"
Hesam - "Do you know your name?! Your name!!"
Hesam is checking his vitals and unpacking his kit.
Hesam - "What do you do for a living?!"
Trevor - "I protect people."
Hesam - "You're a cop?!"
Suddenly Hesam is muted, Trevor can't hear him anymore. Someone walks behind Hesam. It is the man who blew up. His clothes are tattered. Trevor shakingly holds up his right hand in the shape of a gun and shoots. Trevor's arm drops to the ground. Trevor is dead. Hesam exhales. Then the screen pauses on Hesam's exhale. Time and the scene begin to rewind.
Trevor is back to kneeling down and holding a pinwheel. He pauses and looks around then at the pinwheel and the girl. He remembers the explosion.
Trevor - You're getting a fruit basket, John Mulligan.
Trevor blows the pinwheel and returns it to the girl. She runs back to where she came. Trevor walks on. The man comes into view. He begins to walk faster. Trevor presses his lips and makes a move.
Trevor - "Hey, Steve, is that you?! Class of '03? It's me, Todd!"
Ezekiel - "Sorry, you got the wrong guy."
Trevor - "My mistake. You look just like someone I went to high school with."
Ezekiel - "I get that a lot for some…"
Trevor leans into him and tasers him. The man faints onto Trevor. No one notices (or cares for that matter).
Trevor - "That's how to stop an exploding man."
ONE HOUR, 24 MINUTES, 37 SECONDS LATER
KAHO'OLAWE ISLAND, HAWAI'I
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
INFLUENCE - PART FOUR: FAMILIAR- in Heroes title font - pasted on the ground
Ezekiel wakes up in shock. The Sun beats down on him. He looks around.
Trevor - "No, we're not in New York, anymore."
Ezekiel turns around and sees Trevor leaning against a boulder.
Ezekiel - "You. You kidnapped me!"
Trevor - "You were going to kill a lot of people. Would you rather I take this gun, hold it out like this and pull the trigger?"
Ezekiel - "Kill people? I don't know what…"
Trevor readies his gun.
Ezekiel - "You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
Trevor - "Are you going to turn green and pummel me?"
[Marvel Comics - The Hulk]
Ezekiel tries to use his power but nothing happens. Trevor shoots. No bullets loaded.
Ezekiel - "Are you crazy?!"
Trevor - "Yes."
Ezekiel - "…Terrific."
Trevor - "Crazy enough to spare your life, take you to the other side of the United States, and force feed you a special cocktail of pills. You have a power. The ability of self-detonation. I have a power, enhanced memory. You were in a high emotional state and wanted to just vent on an uncaring world."
Ezekiel - "How?"
Trevor tosses the two rings to him.
Trevor - "You killed me. But luckily, there happened to be a time manipulator with his own problems, too. He rewinded time a few minutes and luckily I remembered what happened and neutralized you before you could blow us all away."
Ezekiel - "Say I believe all this. What now?"
Trevor - "She wasn't worth it. Too immature. Doesn't know what she wants from life. Only cares about going out and losing herself in nightclubs. You deserve better. Try a brunette next time. You're also a size 12 and a half but since they're so hard to find, you force yourself to wear 12's."
Trevor tosses Ezekiel's wallet back to him. Ezekiel laughs.
Ezekiel - "Who are you?"
Trevor - "I am many things. Today, I'm your guardian angel. Are you ready to go back to your life and move forward?"
Ezekiel rests his head on his right hand and nods.
Trevor - "Good."
James Kelly comes up behind Ezekiel and tasers him. He faints again.
Trevor - "See, it is fun, isn't it?"
James - "Helping people?"
Trevor - "No, the tasering part."
James - "…"
Trevor - "Give it back."
They teleport back to New York into Ezekiel 's apartment. Trevor sits him down on a sofa.
James - "You can handle him from here, right? I have to go down to…"
Trevor - "The Lower East Side? Don't waste too much time. The meeting is at 8."
James - "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
James teleports away.
Trevor is about to leave when he sees the nightstand. He picks up one of the picture frames.
Trevor - "Like quicksilver in the hand."
[Dorothy Parker - "Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away."]
Trevor puts down the frame and walks out the door. As he enters the hallway, Emma Coolidge walks past Trevor. She doesn't make eye contact at all.
Trevor - "Don't bother holding the elevator for me."
LOWER EAST SIDE, NEW YORK
Darren Summers, Ilja Vanderslagmolen, Daniel Stehlik, Maxxine Falcone, Amber Reed, Jennifer McAllister, Morgan Harvey, Chuck Cox, Erika Stevens, Brian Cain, and James Kelly are gathered in Kelly's apartment room. Trevor enters.
[HSG - New York and New Jersey-based members]
James - "Everyone made it."
Trevor - "Let's start then. You're needed elsewhere, too."
James - "Where are we going?"
Trevor - "Green River, Utah."
James presses Trevor for more.
James - "What's going to happen? Is Undaunted going active again or is Seal going to…"
The group looks on intently for Trevor's answer.
Trevor - "There is…one thing we can do. The happiest people are those who can do it to the limit of their ability. We can be completely present. We can be all here. We can…give all our attention to the opportunity before us. Let's not speculate."
[Mark Van Doren]
Trevor puts his right hand on James shoulder. The others walk toward James and place one of their hands on James as well. He closes his eyes with a smile.
James - "Let's not."
They teleport away.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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…
January 12, 2010
Commentary - Influence - Part Two
Out of everything written so far, this chapter has been the hardest for me so far. I don't know why but writer's block creeped up on me a lot as I blocked out this one scene and I kept going back and forth on it but we'll get to it.
DINER
Always wanted to play up the master of disguise aspect of Trevor. So I came up with this gag of Trevor going undercover as a fry cook to spy on this co-op that's going after the Watcher in New York. And I threw in the urinal gag from the To Do List. The part I wasn't sure about was when Trevor was quoting Mulligan's file, I hope people remembered he hacked an agent's phone and stole a bunch of Assignment Tracker files back in 2006.
Then I went to the time consuming task of integrating a bunch of Urgent Request messages from Heroes Survival, iStory, along with the theme of specials going back to their normal lives, symbolized by Morgan Harvey and also by how Trevor seemlessly blends back into the populace like a well-dressed chameleon.
TITLE
Jamais Vu is the lesser known opposite of Deja Vu. It plays on the invisible aspect of the Watcher and Trevor's visit to Morgan to unearth something she kept to herself.
MORGAN
I wanted to reference that part in "Once Upon A Time In Texas" between Hiro, Pistol Petey, and Sylar. Trevor's answer was priceless and so was the mom's. And sort of like a callback to something I set up months ago (seems like a lifetime ago), Trevor goes by an old alias. Then I go into a personal critique of mine of the Watcher. It was fun researching and coming up with the dialogue where Trevor and Morgan take their shots at diagnosing the Watcher. Then I ended it with some Batman-ness with an unexpected answer and the old disappearing act.
ENDING
And so I sort of imagined how that recent Event Message came to be with Trevor assigning Kurt, Kupe, Thea, and Slipshod to help these people fight the Watcher. Then I ended it with my own send off for Nathan Petrelli using those news footage that's been popping up lately. In way, Nathan struggled with his own Jamais Vu until realizing he was Sylar and convincing Peter to let him die.
DINER
Always wanted to play up the master of disguise aspect of Trevor. So I came up with this gag of Trevor going undercover as a fry cook to spy on this co-op that's going after the Watcher in New York. And I threw in the urinal gag from the To Do List. The part I wasn't sure about was when Trevor was quoting Mulligan's file, I hope people remembered he hacked an agent's phone and stole a bunch of Assignment Tracker files back in 2006.
Then I went to the time consuming task of integrating a bunch of Urgent Request messages from Heroes Survival, iStory, along with the theme of specials going back to their normal lives, symbolized by Morgan Harvey and also by how Trevor seemlessly blends back into the populace like a well-dressed chameleon.
TITLE
Jamais Vu is the lesser known opposite of Deja Vu. It plays on the invisible aspect of the Watcher and Trevor's visit to Morgan to unearth something she kept to herself.
MORGAN
I wanted to reference that part in "Once Upon A Time In Texas" between Hiro, Pistol Petey, and Sylar. Trevor's answer was priceless and so was the mom's. And sort of like a callback to something I set up months ago (seems like a lifetime ago), Trevor goes by an old alias. Then I go into a personal critique of mine of the Watcher. It was fun researching and coming up with the dialogue where Trevor and Morgan take their shots at diagnosing the Watcher. Then I ended it with some Batman-ness with an unexpected answer and the old disappearing act.
ENDING
And so I sort of imagined how that recent Event Message came to be with Trevor assigning Kurt, Kupe, Thea, and Slipshod to help these people fight the Watcher. Then I ended it with my own send off for Nathan Petrelli using those news footage that's been popping up lately. In way, Nathan struggled with his own Jamais Vu until realizing he was Sylar and convincing Peter to let him die.
Part Six - Influence - Part Two
DECEMBER 2, 2007
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
Wide-Pan shot of a busy diner at around 9 in the morning. Two men sit down at a booth. One is more visibly nervous than the other.
Glenn Slidell - "Why are we out in the open?"
Donovan Huntsman - "We're hiding in plain sight. Besides, Building 26 is just a shredded file somewhere in Washington DC, now."
[Volume 4]
Rhonda - "What'll it be, boys?"
Huntsman - "Scrambled eggs. Overeasy. With coffee. Decaf."
Slidell - "French toast. Oh and a orange juice."
Rhonda nods and walks away.
Slidell - "But don't you ever get the feeling like you're being watched?"
Rhonda walks over to the cook's area and lays down the duo's order.
Rhonda - "Order Up!"
A hand reaches over to grab it off the rack. The camera follows the hand to its owner. It's Trevor, dressed in a white cook's outfit. He’s watching Slidell and Huntsman.
EARTH SPINNING, MUSIC, HEROES
Slidell - "What are we going to do about John. He's not around and he's not calling us back."
[iStory: Purpose and HSG Event Urgent Requests]
Huntsman - "Forget it. We still have to deal with that Watcher nutjob."
[iStory: Purpose and HSG Event Urgent Requests]
Slidell - "We could ask them for help."
Huntsman - "Good luck with that. No one's seen any of them since that stunt Keegan pulled last month. They don’t want to be found."
[The Beginning of the End]
Slidell - "Once the Watcher finds them, things will be different."
Huntsman - "Maybe. I'm going to go take a leak."
Restroom. The camera is blocked off on the back of Huntsman, the top half of his body at a urinal. It appears he is done and is about to walk away. The camera zooms onto the back of his head then zooms out. A gun is now rested on it.
Trevor - "You forgot to flush."
[Sin City - The Big Fat Kill]
Huntsman - "I don't have any money, man."
Trevor - "I'm looking for your boss. Have seen him? American, 200 pounds, light complexion, medium build, big overcoat and hat, rewinds time. "
[iStory Purpose: Too Many Options - John Mulligan's Assignment Tracker file]
Huntsman - "Mulligan? He ditched us. I have no idea where he is."
Trevor - "I'll settle for a phone number."
Huntsman - "No problem. Take my phone. His number is saved on it."
Trevor - "You're too kind."
Huntsman - "While you're here, mind if I pick your brain?"
Trevor - "Not particularly, but go ahead."
Huntsman - "Our co-op is after the Watcher, freaky guy who overquotes Shakespeare and blackmails factions in his spare time."
Trevor - "Went after at least one of our own. A Level 3 threat at most."
[Assignment Tracker topic]
Huntsman - "He can manipulate nerves; make himself invisible or give you the worst form of acupuncture. His game is to disrupt communications between us. That's the problem."
Trevor - "Get a telepath. Or a couple of techno's."
Huntsman - "We want to end him. But we don’t know how."
Trevor - "You've done some recon, obviously. Coordinate a surprise attack. Since you have no leader, use calculated guerilla tactics to catch the Watcher offguard."
[HSG Event Urgent Requests - January 2010]
Huntsman - "I like that."
Trevor - "Since there's no bad blood between us, I'll send four of Undaunted's best to help your little outfit. "
[HSG Event Urgent Request - January 2010]
Huntsman - "Really? That's grea…"
Trevor knocks him out with the butt of his gun. He drags Huntsman into a stall then flushes the urinal.
Exterior - Alleyway - Trevor is taking out the trash and walks over to a dumpster. He pulls out a bag from the dumpster and reveals a clean set of clothes. The camera wanders to the street and looks at pedestrians walking and going about their day. The camera returns to Trevor. He is dressed in a double breasted trench coat, black slim cut dress shirt, black slack pants, black dress shoes shined, a black wool fedora, aviator frame sunglasses, a holster hidden by the trench, and a briefcase. Trevor pops the collar of the trench out and walks out into Seventh Street. He disappears into the crowd. An ambulance soars by.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
INFLUENCE - PART TWO: JAMAIS VU- in Heroes title font - pasted on the ambulance
An upscale building. Trevor goes into a crowded elevator and stands in the middle. Typical elevator music plays. A six year old girl drinking a juice box looks up at Trevor.
Stephanie - "You're wearing a black hat."
[Volume 5 "Once Upon A Time In Texas" - Pistol Petey]
Trevor - "I like black."
Stephanie's mother puts one of her arms around her. The elevator dings and the door opens. Trevor steps out. He rounds the corner and enters a room. It is a waiting room. He walks up to the front desk.
Trevor - "Checking in. I have a 10:30 appointment with Dr. Harvey."
Betty - "Yes, thank you, Mr. Suzuki. I will let Dr. Harvey know right away. Please have a seat, she'll be with you in 5 minutes."
[Trevor Tanaka's Assignment Tracker file - Sam Suzuki is a previous alias]
FIVE MINUTES, THREE SECONDS LATER
Dr. Morgan Harvey walks out into the waiting room with a client. She says something inaudible and puts her hand on the man's shoulder. He suddenly smiles, nods, and leaves the room. Harvey turns to Trevor with caution.
[HSG - Morgan Harvey is a member of Undaunted]
Morgan Harvey - "This way, Mr. Suzuki."
Trevor - "Please, you know you can call me, Sam, Doctor."
Morgan - "Of course, it's just been so long, Sam."
Trevor sits down on Harvey's chair. Morgan closes the door and locks it. She sits straight and upright on the client's chair. There is silence for awhile.
Morgan - "How is everyone? I haven't kept in touch since I started practice here…"
Trevor - "Everyone is safe. In the shadows, in the light. Finding their way back home."
[Volume 5 - Pieces of Samuel Sullivan's speech in "Orientation"]
Morgan - "You're not here for clinical depression, Trevor, so tell me why you came all this way to visit me?"
Trevor - "I've been investigating this event that happened recently. And interestingly enough, it began from a chain of urgent requests that we never got around to answering. Then all of sudden, they stopped right around the time we found out they were indirectly connected to you, Morgan. Now, he's back causing a lot of trouble here in New York."
Morgan - "The Watcher."
Trevor - "Yes."
Morgan - "I told you everything. He was blackmailing me, wanted me to find out about a Gabriel Gray and to use me for my ability."
[iStory Slow Burn Chapter 8]
Trevor - "I know. I need you to tell me what it felt like."
Morgan - "What?"
Trevor - "You worked for Primatech. Went through the human resources training. Swam around in morally gray for awhile and hunted people like you and I. Yet, this one insignificant posthuman scared you. Why?"
Morgan - "He's a megalomaniac with an ineffable sense of destiny and is obsessed with taking power and destroying those who have what he never can."
Trevor - "Or he is a severely narcissistically wounded individual with major paranoid tendencies and holds onto an illusion of omnipotence. He spends his days fighting the reality of his insignificance desperately and seeks to re-establish a sense of self-esteem through grandiose fantasies and self-reinforcement."
Morgan - "A fanatic."
Trevor - "Only 2% have a lifelong prevalent condition like this. Primatech hasn't run into much of those, have they?"
Morgan - "No."
Trevor stands up, picks up his briefcase, and is about to leave the room. Morgan walks to her desk. Both have their backs turned to each other.
Morgan - "There are no more Level 5's to hold the Watcher."
[Volume 3]
Trevor - "Who said anything about letting him live?"
Morgan turns around. Trevor is gone.
Muted montage begins.
Trevor - Whose woods these are I think I know.
Trevor walking forward to the camera amidst a busy mid-day crowd of people.
Trevor - His house is in the village though.
Morgan sitting at her desk with her fist over her mouth, staring out into nothingness.
Trevor - He will not see me stopping here.
Seal kneeling down in the graveyard in the second Garden of the Gods.
[The Beginning of the End Part Three]
Trevor - To watch his woods fill up with snow.
Azuteor crashes a faction's building down to the ground.
[The Beginning of the End Part Two]
Trevor - The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.
Sparkplug turns into pure electricity and rips through Keegan's clones.
[The Beginning of the End Part One]
Trevor - But I have promises to keep.
Leona Mills stands before Trevor and Seal.
[The Beginning of the End Part One]
Trevor - And miles to go before I sleep.
Trevor stares out into the bamboo forest.
[Undaunted Chapter One]
Trevor - And miles to go before I sleep.
[Stopped By Woods On A Snowy Evening - Robert Frost]
Trevor stops at Times Square at a crowd watching the screen. News footage of Senator Nathan Petrelli's death plays with pundits in squares talking inaudibly. Everyone leaves but five, including Trevor. The camera winds around and reveals Kurt Hasian, Kupe Nukarmoi, Athena Leuce, and Samuel Whitman. Trevor is explaining something to them. They all agree. Kupe holds out his hand and a key appears. He unlocks a nearby car and the four get in and leave. Trevor stays and looks up at the screen. It now displays a large photo of Nathan Petrelli with with two lines of caption. The top reads "In Loving Memory" and the second reads "1967-2007."
[Volume 5 "Upon This Rock" to "Close To You"]
TO BE CONTINUED…
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
Wide-Pan shot of a busy diner at around 9 in the morning. Two men sit down at a booth. One is more visibly nervous than the other.
Glenn Slidell - "Why are we out in the open?"
Donovan Huntsman - "We're hiding in plain sight. Besides, Building 26 is just a shredded file somewhere in Washington DC, now."
[Volume 4]
Rhonda - "What'll it be, boys?"
Huntsman - "Scrambled eggs. Overeasy. With coffee. Decaf."
Slidell - "French toast. Oh and a orange juice."
Rhonda nods and walks away.
Slidell - "But don't you ever get the feeling like you're being watched?"
Rhonda walks over to the cook's area and lays down the duo's order.
Rhonda - "Order Up!"
A hand reaches over to grab it off the rack. The camera follows the hand to its owner. It's Trevor, dressed in a white cook's outfit. He’s watching Slidell and Huntsman.
EARTH SPINNING, MUSIC, HEROES
Slidell - "What are we going to do about John. He's not around and he's not calling us back."
[iStory: Purpose and HSG Event Urgent Requests]
Huntsman - "Forget it. We still have to deal with that Watcher nutjob."
[iStory: Purpose and HSG Event Urgent Requests]
Slidell - "We could ask them for help."
Huntsman - "Good luck with that. No one's seen any of them since that stunt Keegan pulled last month. They don’t want to be found."
[The Beginning of the End]
Slidell - "Once the Watcher finds them, things will be different."
Huntsman - "Maybe. I'm going to go take a leak."
Restroom. The camera is blocked off on the back of Huntsman, the top half of his body at a urinal. It appears he is done and is about to walk away. The camera zooms onto the back of his head then zooms out. A gun is now rested on it.
Trevor - "You forgot to flush."
[Sin City - The Big Fat Kill]
Huntsman - "I don't have any money, man."
Trevor - "I'm looking for your boss. Have seen him? American, 200 pounds, light complexion, medium build, big overcoat and hat, rewinds time. "
[iStory Purpose: Too Many Options - John Mulligan's Assignment Tracker file]
Huntsman - "Mulligan? He ditched us. I have no idea where he is."
Trevor - "I'll settle for a phone number."
Huntsman - "No problem. Take my phone. His number is saved on it."
Trevor - "You're too kind."
Huntsman - "While you're here, mind if I pick your brain?"
Trevor - "Not particularly, but go ahead."
Huntsman - "Our co-op is after the Watcher, freaky guy who overquotes Shakespeare and blackmails factions in his spare time."
Trevor - "Went after at least one of our own. A Level 3 threat at most."
[Assignment Tracker topic]
Huntsman - "He can manipulate nerves; make himself invisible or give you the worst form of acupuncture. His game is to disrupt communications between us. That's the problem."
Trevor - "Get a telepath. Or a couple of techno's."
Huntsman - "We want to end him. But we don’t know how."
Trevor - "You've done some recon, obviously. Coordinate a surprise attack. Since you have no leader, use calculated guerilla tactics to catch the Watcher offguard."
[HSG Event Urgent Requests - January 2010]
Huntsman - "I like that."
Trevor - "Since there's no bad blood between us, I'll send four of Undaunted's best to help your little outfit. "
[HSG Event Urgent Request - January 2010]
Huntsman - "Really? That's grea…"
Trevor knocks him out with the butt of his gun. He drags Huntsman into a stall then flushes the urinal.
Exterior - Alleyway - Trevor is taking out the trash and walks over to a dumpster. He pulls out a bag from the dumpster and reveals a clean set of clothes. The camera wanders to the street and looks at pedestrians walking and going about their day. The camera returns to Trevor. He is dressed in a double breasted trench coat, black slim cut dress shirt, black slack pants, black dress shoes shined, a black wool fedora, aviator frame sunglasses, a holster hidden by the trench, and a briefcase. Trevor pops the collar of the trench out and walks out into Seventh Street. He disappears into the crowd. An ambulance soars by.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
INFLUENCE - PART TWO: JAMAIS VU- in Heroes title font - pasted on the ambulance
An upscale building. Trevor goes into a crowded elevator and stands in the middle. Typical elevator music plays. A six year old girl drinking a juice box looks up at Trevor.
Stephanie - "You're wearing a black hat."
[Volume 5 "Once Upon A Time In Texas" - Pistol Petey]
Trevor - "I like black."
Stephanie's mother puts one of her arms around her. The elevator dings and the door opens. Trevor steps out. He rounds the corner and enters a room. It is a waiting room. He walks up to the front desk.
Trevor - "Checking in. I have a 10:30 appointment with Dr. Harvey."
Betty - "Yes, thank you, Mr. Suzuki. I will let Dr. Harvey know right away. Please have a seat, she'll be with you in 5 minutes."
[Trevor Tanaka's Assignment Tracker file - Sam Suzuki is a previous alias]
FIVE MINUTES, THREE SECONDS LATER
Dr. Morgan Harvey walks out into the waiting room with a client. She says something inaudible and puts her hand on the man's shoulder. He suddenly smiles, nods, and leaves the room. Harvey turns to Trevor with caution.
[HSG - Morgan Harvey is a member of Undaunted]
Morgan Harvey - "This way, Mr. Suzuki."
Trevor - "Please, you know you can call me, Sam, Doctor."
Morgan - "Of course, it's just been so long, Sam."
Trevor sits down on Harvey's chair. Morgan closes the door and locks it. She sits straight and upright on the client's chair. There is silence for awhile.
Morgan - "How is everyone? I haven't kept in touch since I started practice here…"
Trevor - "Everyone is safe. In the shadows, in the light. Finding their way back home."
[Volume 5 - Pieces of Samuel Sullivan's speech in "Orientation"]
Morgan - "You're not here for clinical depression, Trevor, so tell me why you came all this way to visit me?"
Trevor - "I've been investigating this event that happened recently. And interestingly enough, it began from a chain of urgent requests that we never got around to answering. Then all of sudden, they stopped right around the time we found out they were indirectly connected to you, Morgan. Now, he's back causing a lot of trouble here in New York."
Morgan - "The Watcher."
Trevor - "Yes."
Morgan - "I told you everything. He was blackmailing me, wanted me to find out about a Gabriel Gray and to use me for my ability."
[iStory Slow Burn Chapter 8]
Trevor - "I know. I need you to tell me what it felt like."
Morgan - "What?"
Trevor - "You worked for Primatech. Went through the human resources training. Swam around in morally gray for awhile and hunted people like you and I. Yet, this one insignificant posthuman scared you. Why?"
Morgan - "He's a megalomaniac with an ineffable sense of destiny and is obsessed with taking power and destroying those who have what he never can."
Trevor - "Or he is a severely narcissistically wounded individual with major paranoid tendencies and holds onto an illusion of omnipotence. He spends his days fighting the reality of his insignificance desperately and seeks to re-establish a sense of self-esteem through grandiose fantasies and self-reinforcement."
Morgan - "A fanatic."
Trevor - "Only 2% have a lifelong prevalent condition like this. Primatech hasn't run into much of those, have they?"
Morgan - "No."
Trevor stands up, picks up his briefcase, and is about to leave the room. Morgan walks to her desk. Both have their backs turned to each other.
Morgan - "There are no more Level 5's to hold the Watcher."
[Volume 3]
Trevor - "Who said anything about letting him live?"
Morgan turns around. Trevor is gone.
Muted montage begins.
Trevor - Whose woods these are I think I know.
Trevor walking forward to the camera amidst a busy mid-day crowd of people.
Trevor - His house is in the village though.
Morgan sitting at her desk with her fist over her mouth, staring out into nothingness.
Trevor - He will not see me stopping here.
Seal kneeling down in the graveyard in the second Garden of the Gods.
[The Beginning of the End Part Three]
Trevor - To watch his woods fill up with snow.
Azuteor crashes a faction's building down to the ground.
[The Beginning of the End Part Two]
Trevor - The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.
Sparkplug turns into pure electricity and rips through Keegan's clones.
[The Beginning of the End Part One]
Trevor - But I have promises to keep.
Leona Mills stands before Trevor and Seal.
[The Beginning of the End Part One]
Trevor - And miles to go before I sleep.
Trevor stares out into the bamboo forest.
[Undaunted Chapter One]
Trevor - And miles to go before I sleep.
[Stopped By Woods On A Snowy Evening - Robert Frost]
Trevor stops at Times Square at a crowd watching the screen. News footage of Senator Nathan Petrelli's death plays with pundits in squares talking inaudibly. Everyone leaves but five, including Trevor. The camera winds around and reveals Kurt Hasian, Kupe Nukarmoi, Athena Leuce, and Samuel Whitman. Trevor is explaining something to them. They all agree. Kupe holds out his hand and a key appears. He unlocks a nearby car and the four get in and leave. Trevor stays and looks up at the screen. It now displays a large photo of Nathan Petrelli with with two lines of caption. The top reads "In Loving Memory" and the second reads "1967-2007."
[Volume 5 "Upon This Rock" to "Close To You"]
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.
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 12, 2009
Commentary - Phase Three Part Three and Four
Sort of like a save the best for last and tie everything all together conclusion.
THE DREAM
The dream continues with Uluru transforming into the symbol and attacking Trevor, mirroring how Trevor was overwhelmed by his power and went insane. Then he learns to control the 'evils' that come with that power. So what do I think Uluru is...a metaphysical manifestation of the negative aspects of mankind embedded in the souls of all human beings? Yeah. Way better than the way the Hunger was used on the show.
THE OPERATION
Like Part One, I adapted a faction message from Heroes Survival Game and made a plot out of it. Doing a telekinesis free for all and the line about Trevor aiming for the head was on the to do list so I used them here and loved how it came out. Instead of making it another faction, I wanted to tie it into iStory and Volume 4 with a group of ex-Building 26 folk since Tracy Strauss didn't kill them all.
TREVOR'S PAST
Been saving this one for awhile like the last puzzle piece in the sorted past of an enigmatic figure. It wasn't just a girlfriend he lost. Trevor really was the man who had everything, he was going to get married to his soul mate and about to have a child with her. Then everything was gone in an instant. I think it was a good idea to hold back to here and relate to the overall theme here that Trevor traded one family for another and he's not going to lose this one, no matter what, even if he has to go on his killing ways and give up his obsession with revenge for good, which I implied with the lines about the Haitian/Rene and Thompson Jr..
THE CONSULTANT
I had this scene planned for awhile (yeah, the had the ending before the beginning written sort of deal) and it came out great. Here is Trevor at his best, he completely defeats the Consultant and outsmarts him then ends it. And I tried to make the Consultant seem as pathetic as possible, a total reversal of his other appearance, the tides have turned on him. Also took care of a loose end and revealed who that dude was that was stalking Trevor in my first arc. Ten you are supposed to get this Aha moment when you realize the Associate may have been beating the crud out of Trevor as retribution along with doing his job.
INARI SHRINE
If you didn't believe me that Trevor cares about his faction, this conclusion where he meets up with Zhang will seal the deal for you. And it takes some edge off the violence and ends things with a lighthearted beat...thanks in part to a random Zoolander quote and a favorite scene from Memoirs of a Geisha. What an unlikely combination.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Then I totally kill the happiness with a cliffhanger ending. Born out of my desire to make a jaw dropper cliffhanger, it also was my sendoff to the writers of Heroes. If you want to alter the timeline (and make it three years instead of one!), this is how you do it!! Note that Nox prevented Trevor from getting fatally wounded permanently so we'll see if that's enough to prevent the Garden massacre. Massacre? What is this massacre? I can confirm it's not aliens nor an apocalyptic natural disaster. It's definitely people-related and tied to the desire to 'survive.' Remember I haven't given away the conversation between Trevor, Leona, and Seal yet...could it be related? Hmmm. Will I give away Trevor's real name at last? Only if it's a super cool bro-mance moment like how Peter and Noah had in season one, then the answer is a resounding "yes."
THE DREAM
The dream continues with Uluru transforming into the symbol and attacking Trevor, mirroring how Trevor was overwhelmed by his power and went insane. Then he learns to control the 'evils' that come with that power. So what do I think Uluru is...a metaphysical manifestation of the negative aspects of mankind embedded in the souls of all human beings? Yeah. Way better than the way the Hunger was used on the show.
THE OPERATION
Like Part One, I adapted a faction message from Heroes Survival Game and made a plot out of it. Doing a telekinesis free for all and the line about Trevor aiming for the head was on the to do list so I used them here and loved how it came out. Instead of making it another faction, I wanted to tie it into iStory and Volume 4 with a group of ex-Building 26 folk since Tracy Strauss didn't kill them all.
TREVOR'S PAST
Been saving this one for awhile like the last puzzle piece in the sorted past of an enigmatic figure. It wasn't just a girlfriend he lost. Trevor really was the man who had everything, he was going to get married to his soul mate and about to have a child with her. Then everything was gone in an instant. I think it was a good idea to hold back to here and relate to the overall theme here that Trevor traded one family for another and he's not going to lose this one, no matter what, even if he has to go on his killing ways and give up his obsession with revenge for good, which I implied with the lines about the Haitian/Rene and Thompson Jr..
THE CONSULTANT
I had this scene planned for awhile (yeah, the had the ending before the beginning written sort of deal) and it came out great. Here is Trevor at his best, he completely defeats the Consultant and outsmarts him then ends it. And I tried to make the Consultant seem as pathetic as possible, a total reversal of his other appearance, the tides have turned on him. Also took care of a loose end and revealed who that dude was that was stalking Trevor in my first arc. Ten you are supposed to get this Aha moment when you realize the Associate may have been beating the crud out of Trevor as retribution along with doing his job.
INARI SHRINE
If you didn't believe me that Trevor cares about his faction, this conclusion where he meets up with Zhang will seal the deal for you. And it takes some edge off the violence and ends things with a lighthearted beat...thanks in part to a random Zoolander quote and a favorite scene from Memoirs of a Geisha. What an unlikely combination.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Then I totally kill the happiness with a cliffhanger ending. Born out of my desire to make a jaw dropper cliffhanger, it also was my sendoff to the writers of Heroes. If you want to alter the timeline (and make it three years instead of one!), this is how you do it!! Note that Nox prevented Trevor from getting fatally wounded permanently so we'll see if that's enough to prevent the Garden massacre. Massacre? What is this massacre? I can confirm it's not aliens nor an apocalyptic natural disaster. It's definitely people-related and tied to the desire to 'survive.' Remember I haven't given away the conversation between Trevor, Leona, and Seal yet...could it be related? Hmmm. Will I give away Trevor's real name at last? Only if it's a super cool bro-mance moment like how Peter and Noah had in season one, then the answer is a resounding "yes."
Part Four - Phase Three Part Three and Four
The two part conclusion to the Phase Three arc! I loved it more than anything else I wrote so far. It's got revelations, even more subtle humor, a different side of Trevor, some jaw dropper moments, and some pwn'ing. Anyway, here it is:
When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do.
DREAM
There is only a Void, Bird's Eye Point of View, on Trevor Tanaka. He is standing in it somehow. The camera view pans down slowly to close up on Trevor's face. His eyes and mouth are covered by a DNA Symbol each. Flames appear from the void. Trevor is standing on a rock.
Uluru - "Who dares to defy me?! I am Uluru the Invincible!"
Trevor turns to face Uluru, his face is back to normal.
Trevor - "I dare!"
Uluru reaches to grab Trevor with his right hand. Uluru clenches his hand with Trevor sticking half way out. He brings Trevor closer to his face.
Uluru - "How your world is filled with filth and lies. The comingling of good and evil in mortals only upsets the natural balance."
Uluru transforms into a giant DNA Symbol, it slithers around Trevor and constricts on him and like a snake and they fall into the flames. Black out.
[The Helix references the DNA Symbol and the numbers, his power]
Trevor jolts awake. He is standing in a dark alley with four others. They are looking to him to say something.
NOVEMBER 1, 2007
WASHINGTON D.C.
Trevor - "A splinter cell composed of former Building 26 special agents are based in this abandoned hotel. There are seven of them. And they have an old database with files on highly evolved beings compiled by the Primatech Company. The intelligence is too dangerous to for them to keep. We're here to liberate that database."
[Volume Four and iStory Book Six]
Marcus Kane - "And to maximize this effort, you brought in as many absorbers as you could on short notice?"
Trevor - "Something like that. I need telekinetics. Since you power absorbers are so fond of telekinesis, it would be more expedient to use you. Two on the roof. Four on perimeter. One on guard."
Kane - "I call roof."
Trevor - "Wait. Tell the security system to shut down with your technopathy."
Kane - "My what now?"
Trevor - "Technopathy. You can talk to the machines. Disable the security system with your mind. They are connected wirelessly so it should be even easier for you."
Kane shrugs and closes his eyes and focuses.
Kane - "Okay. Now if you'll excuse me."
Kane telekinetically pushes himself up. Trevor, Radburn, Phillip "Blue" DeParis, and Antonio Dourado look up. Two agents are telekinetically pushed onto the rooftop edge. Their guns fall over. Kane looks over and waves them on.
Radburn opens the door with telekinesis. The four walk into the hotel lobby. Four agents stare at them. They are armed with shotguns and tasers.
[Kane's use of telekinesis references Sylar speculation.]
Trevor - "Four of us. Four of them. Nobody miss."
[A loose reference and pun on "One of Us, One of Them.]
Trevor shoots one and he goes flying. The second gets shot into a nearby wall. The third's legs are blown out and his face crunches onto the floor. The fourth is launched up into the ceiling and dropped.
[References when Noah Bennet shoots people, they go flying. Various references to uses of telekinesis seen on the show.]
Dourado - "Never saw one of these up close."
Dourado telekinetically opens the shotgun into pieces and floats them as he observes them with earnest interest.
[Heroes Survival Game - Dourado has a keen interest of the world.]
Radburn - "This wasn't that hard. It could have waited."
Trevor - "It was a limited time offer. Four hours tops. If we didn't take advantage of time differences, another faction would have pounced on this place."
[Heroes Survival Game - Faction Urgent Request]
Kane walks down the stairway and rejoins them. There is a gunshot wound on his left ribcage that is healing. His body pushes out a bullet. No one knows speaks.
Blue - "Let's Scooby Doo it and split up."
[Heroes Survival Game - Blue is a nerd and would know animation]
They hear someone laughing in the background.
An agent is reading a 9th Wonders! comic book, with Uluru on the cover. His earpiece is removed. He sees the evolved beings and almost jumps off his chair. He puts his earpiece back in and aims his gun, shaking.
[9th Wonders! comic book, Issue #13. Loosely ironic with Trevor's nightmare]
Double doors flap open as the agent backs up with his gun still aimed. He fires at them. The bullets are frozen in mid-air and fall on the ground like rain.
[Volume One "Parasite."]
Agent Johnson - "Damn…"
Blue telekinetically knocks the gun out his hands. The team walks forward unafraid. The agent backs away and screams into his earpiece.
Agent Johnson - "They found the pigeon coop! Repeat, they found the pigeon coop! Respond!!"
[9th Wonders! Forum - The Hang Out - The Burnt Toast Diner]
Johnson is agitated by the lack of any response.
Agent Johnson - "Where is everyone…"
He realizes what happened and runs.
Trevor - "He's going to wipe the hard drives."
Kane - "Can't have that can we?"
Trevor shoots in the right leg. The agent falls forward and skids onto the floor.
Dourado - "Nice shot."
Trevor - "I was aiming for his head."
They walk up to Agent Johnson.
Johnson - "You're all a symptom. A disease. This is our world."
Blue telekinetically flips him out a nearby window.
Blue - "The moron was asking for it."
Trevor looks ahead to a door. He has a running start and kicks in the door. Everyone looks in and is in shock. The room is in disarray, wires dangling everywhere, and hard drives are emptied out. There is a key laid on the floor.
Dourado - "A key?"
Trevor picks up the key and examines it.
Trevor - "I know the place. It’s in California, 1319 Racing Avenue."
[Volume Four - Noah Bennet has a storage unit there]
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
PHASE THREE - PART THREE: OFF THE BOOKS PART ONE - in Heroes title font -
COSTA VERDE, CALIFORNIA
Trevor, alone, stares at the key then walks up to storage unit 108. He unlocks the unit and walks in. There is only a camcorder sitting in the center of the room. He walks up to it, turns it on, and flips open the viewer.
Woman - "Is it on? Wait, what are we going to say?"
Offscreen Man - "Anything!"
The point of view starts rocking and Trevor appears next to the woman. He is holding the camcorder in his right hand.
Trevor - "It's December 28, 2004. We're in Tokyo to visit her parents."
Trevor walks up to the camera and whispers.
Trevor - "Her dad hates me."
Woman - "Yeah, whatever."
The woman walks up to the camera.
Woman - "Daddy adores Trevor."
Trevor - "We weren't supposed to be here until the 30th but we wanted to take in the sights."
Trevor points the camera down at the snow.
Woman - "Shh…hey, that's a secret."
She giggles at the notion of it.
Trevor - "I love you."
Trevor kisses her on the cheek.
Woman - "Love you, too."
Trevor - "Color me toxic, but this looks like a great spot for something I have planned."
[9th Wonders! Forum Member]
Woman - "Yeah…what's that?"
Trevor - "This."
He gets on one knee and brings out a ring with his left hand.
Trevor - "Will you marry me?"
The woman lights up.
Woman - "Of course! Yes!! Yes."
Trevor exhales in delight.
Trevor - "Yes? Great."
She takes the ring. Trevor stands up and puts the ring on her left ring finger. She smiles at it then looks up at Trevor. They kiss again. The footage ends.
Trevor freezes up and the camcorder drops to his side. His other hand is trembling. He stares into the storage unit wall in disbelief.
The video is still running and sounds like it jumping to another recording. The voices can be heard, slightly muffled.
Trevor - "What color is it?"
Woman - "I don't know…Oh my God…We're…"
Both cheer in excitement.
Trevor drops the camcorder onto the storage unit floor. He rests against the unit wall and slides down. He stares at the camcorder then bangs his head against his knees. He stops and starts crying uncontrollably.
SOME TIME LATER
Trevor is standing. He wipes his face with his arm. Clara Zhang teleports in.
Zhang - "Got your text. Where to…were you crying?"
Trevor - "Yes."
Zhang - "Oh. Uhhh…"
Trevor - "Take me to Tokyo."
Zhang - "Okay."
Zhang shuffles through her purse, skimming post cards.
Zhang - "Wait, weren't you supposed to go back to Colorado?"
[9th Wonders! Forum - The Garden of the Gods]
Trevor - "I've got business, first."
Trevor's face has formed a murderous look as he faces away from Zhang, staring at the camcorder.
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT: PART FOUR - OFF THE BOOKS PART TWO
Life is a game of patterns and chance, and those who play well will win.
DREAM
There is only a Void, Bird's Eye Point of View, on Trevor Tanaka. He is standing in it somehow. The camera view pans down slowly to close up on Trevor's face. His eyes and mouth are covered by a DNA Symbol each. Flames appear from the void. Trevor is standing on a rock.
Uluru - "Who dares to defy me?! I am Uluru the Invincible!"
Trevor turns to face Uluru, his face is back to normal.
Trevor - "I dare!"
Uluru reaches to grab Trevor with his right hand. Uluru clenches his hand with Trevor sticking half way out. He brings Trevor closer to his face.
Uluru - "How your world is filled with filth and lies. The comingling of good and evil in mortals only upsets the natural balance."
Uluru transforms into a giant DNA Symbol, it slithers around Trevor and constricts on him and like a snake and they fall into the flames.
Upon impact, the flames disperse like water and turn into ones and zeroes.
Trevor - "What you represent is a constant. An element. Equilibrium isn't as predictable…it is caught in a cycle of paradigm shifts…"
The Symbol breaks off. Trevor coughs and gasps for air. The Void has returned.
Uluru - "How can a variable like you tell the difference?"
Trevor turns and sees himself, but with Uluru's demonic eyes.
Uluru - "Do you have what it takes to be like me?"
Uluru transforms again, into classic dressed in black Sylar, with the demon eyes.
Uluru - "To be the most special?"
[Repeated by Sylar]
Uluru transforms into Adam Monroe.
Uluru - "And have the discipline of the gods?"
[Graphic Novel, "Revolutionary War" Part Two]
Trevor - "To believe in that would only lead to arrogance and subjectivity."
Uluru transforms into Arthur Petrelli.
Uluru - "That's not a belief, it's a fact."
[Volume 3, "Eris Quod Sum"]
Uluru transforms into a common cockroach and crawls away into the Void.
Uluru - "Always seek the truth, mortal. Never find it."
[A loose reference to Andre Gide]
Black out.
TOKYO, JAPAN
NOVEMBER 2, 2007
A room. It is pitch black except for the center where there is a man waiting at a table with a closed box. Another man enters the room.
The Consultant - "You've secured the database and left the bait?"
The Associate nods and gestures at the box.
The Consultant - "Good. The sniper team is on standby if we need them. The powers that be will be satisfied after that fiasco in Peru."
[Reference to Angel and Destiny webisodes]
A gunshot goes through the Associate's heart. His body falls over onto the table. Smoke wafts in the shadows. A voice emerges.
Trevor - "The Associate, I presume. You were the one chasing me in Costa Verde four months ago. Small world."
[See Undaunted Part Three]
The Associate doesn't respond.
Trevor - "Oh, right. Dead."
[Loose reference to a scene in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker]
The Consultant - "H…how…"
Trevor - "What? Didn't do that good a job researching me? I'm smarter than the average bear. Kidnap me…I let it slide. Screw with an urgent request…I swallow my pride. Taunt me like you did…your days are numbered. My power was already activate during the video. Did you think I would be so upset that I wouldn't remember the building in the background or the faint chlorine smell from storing medical supplies in there between then and now?"
[Yogi Bear and Urgent Request - Heroes Survival Game]
Trevor holding his gun out at the Consultant slowly emerges from the darkness, like a film breaking off of him.
Trevor - "The thing you don't seem to understand is: I'm the same with or without my power. It's not a crutch, it's a gift. A godsend, even. Now, call off the snipers."
[Volume 1, Ando Masahashi translates Takezo Kensei's symbol as "godsend"]
The Consultant slowly shaking, pulls his Sprint cell phone and makes a call.
The Consultant - "Stand down. Repeat: Stand down. Do not engage."
The Consultant gulps, fearing his impending death.
The Consultant - "The Haitian…last sighted in Arlington, Virginia before Halloween."
[Volume 5 "Shadowboxing"]
Trevor - "The Haitian? He's got a name. He's not some blunt object. He's a human being."
The Consultant -"Er…Eric Thompson, Jr. he…"
Trevor - "You're not saying anything I don't already know."
The Consultant sweats.
Trevor - "Did you ever think about what's more dangerous than an enemy?"
The Consultant nervously shakes his head.
Trevor - "Standing in the way of someone who had everything…who found someone to share it with, unconditionally. Then she dies because of a lie. Something she never knew about. Your heart breaks in half and you try to fill it with revenge…to only end up stained a color you can never get rid of. Try to defeat that person."
The Consultant - "You should get some sleep."
Trevor - "No thanks."
The Consultant is shocked. His power didn't work.
Trevor - "I was too busy staying up doing my homework."
Trevor taps a skin-colored ear plug in his left ear.
The Consultant - "But how…"
Trevor - "Do I understand what you were saying? I keep up with reading. Society is flooded with this hyper-abundance of content but I love a good book, you can always find something amazing, like how to read lips. It's a useful skill, especially if you have to deal with a highly evolved being with the advanced ability of sedation through modular suggestion. Having one of your colleagues mess with my dreams was a nice touch."
The Consultant - "I don't know what you're talking about. Only myself and the dead man over there were assigned to you, and he was…ordinary."
Trevor focuses his eyes on the Consultant and realizes he is telling the truth. Trevor smiles and laughs at himself, realizing the nightmares came on their own accord.
Trevor - "I'm sorry to leave now, but I have a family to help take care of and in my line of work, it is better to apologize than ask for permission."
[Trevor mocks something the Consultant told him two stories ago]
The Consultant grits his teeth. Trevor shoots and the bullet connects with the Consultant's head. He falls over. Trevor shoots him in the head once more and twice in the chest. He checks the contents of the box, closes it, takes it, then walks into the darkness. From the darkness, Trevor shoots the light bulb, turning the room completely dark.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
PHASE THREE - PART FOUR: OFF THE BOOKS PART TWO - in Heroes title font -
ONE DAY LATER
FUSHIMI INARI SHRINE, KYOTO, JAPAN
Clara Zhang walks up a path of the famous torii columns. She is taken aback by the sight of them. Up ahead, Trevor is waiting near the entrance to the inner shrine.
Zhang - "Done with your business?"
[Irony. Inari is the god of business.]
Trevor - "Yup."
Trevor holds up a USB thumb drive and puts it away. A fox darts out onto the path. Zhang is surprised. Trevor walks up to it and holds out the storage key unit from part one. The fox takes it in its mouth and runs away.
[Foxes are thought to be messengers, are often seen in Inari shrines. Statues depict them with a key (for the rice granary) in their mouths.]
Zhang - "That was so cool!"
Trevor - "Y'know, With your complexion…you really shouldn't be wearing your hair pulled back that tight."
Zhang - "What are you talking about?"
Trevor - "It pulls back the skin on your forehead...creating a tension which clogs the pores. That's why you have some light pattern dryness around your scalp. Read it in a magazine once."
[Zoolander]
Zhang - "C'mon d-bag. Let's go make an offering before I return you to your life of high fashion."
Trevor sighs but waivers.
Trevor - "I miss James."
Zhang - "What?"
Trevor - "Nothing."
Zhang tries to look authentic and makes an offering in the shrine. Trevor just stands there.
Zhang - "Aren't you going to do it, too?"
Trevor - "I already did."
Zhang - "Back there with the fox?"
Trevor nods.
Zhang - "Cool. But don't you want to make a wish or something?"
Trevor - "No…I've got what I want."
Zhang - "And what's that?"
Trevor - "A purpose. Kindred."
Zhang - "So you don't want like a new scarf or something?"
Trevor squints at Zhang.
Trevor - "Colorado, please."
Zhang - "You're no fun."
Zhang puts her left hand on Trevor's right shoulder.
Trevor - "Pft. Define fun."
They teleport away.
THE END OF SPECIAL TWO: PHASE THREE - in Heroes title font
SPECIAL THREE
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
NOVEMBER 26, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Dozens of corpses are strewn across the field. Trevor is wounded somewhere in his abdomen. He crawls over to two bodies that are barely breathing and leaves a trail of blood. Trevor uses all of his remaining strength to flip them over. One is Regan "Redo" McCairn and the other, Dixon "Nox" Cheung.
[Two characters from Heroes Survival Game and part of Undaunted]
Trevor - "Nox…you got to…undo this from ever happening to me."
Nox struggles to concentrate then it works, Trevor is unwounded. Nox spits up blood laughing 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.
NOVEMBER 25, 2007
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
A laptop is turned on but the seat in front of it is empty. Pan right, Trevor is standing, hunched over on a window. Point of view on his back. He shakes his head.
Trevor - "It's finally happened. They're coming."
[Homage to Lost Season Six Finale]
TO BE CONTINUED...
When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do.
DREAM
There is only a Void, Bird's Eye Point of View, on Trevor Tanaka. He is standing in it somehow. The camera view pans down slowly to close up on Trevor's face. His eyes and mouth are covered by a DNA Symbol each. Flames appear from the void. Trevor is standing on a rock.
Uluru - "Who dares to defy me?! I am Uluru the Invincible!"
Trevor turns to face Uluru, his face is back to normal.
Trevor - "I dare!"
Uluru reaches to grab Trevor with his right hand. Uluru clenches his hand with Trevor sticking half way out. He brings Trevor closer to his face.
Uluru - "How your world is filled with filth and lies. The comingling of good and evil in mortals only upsets the natural balance."
Uluru transforms into a giant DNA Symbol, it slithers around Trevor and constricts on him and like a snake and they fall into the flames. Black out.
[The Helix references the DNA Symbol and the numbers, his power]
Trevor jolts awake. He is standing in a dark alley with four others. They are looking to him to say something.
NOVEMBER 1, 2007
WASHINGTON D.C.
Trevor - "A splinter cell composed of former Building 26 special agents are based in this abandoned hotel. There are seven of them. And they have an old database with files on highly evolved beings compiled by the Primatech Company. The intelligence is too dangerous to for them to keep. We're here to liberate that database."
[Volume Four and iStory Book Six]
Marcus Kane - "And to maximize this effort, you brought in as many absorbers as you could on short notice?"
Trevor - "Something like that. I need telekinetics. Since you power absorbers are so fond of telekinesis, it would be more expedient to use you. Two on the roof. Four on perimeter. One on guard."
Kane - "I call roof."
Trevor - "Wait. Tell the security system to shut down with your technopathy."
Kane - "My what now?"
Trevor - "Technopathy. You can talk to the machines. Disable the security system with your mind. They are connected wirelessly so it should be even easier for you."
Kane shrugs and closes his eyes and focuses.
Kane - "Okay. Now if you'll excuse me."
Kane telekinetically pushes himself up. Trevor, Radburn, Phillip "Blue" DeParis, and Antonio Dourado look up. Two agents are telekinetically pushed onto the rooftop edge. Their guns fall over. Kane looks over and waves them on.
Radburn opens the door with telekinesis. The four walk into the hotel lobby. Four agents stare at them. They are armed with shotguns and tasers.
[Kane's use of telekinesis references Sylar speculation.]
Trevor - "Four of us. Four of them. Nobody miss."
[A loose reference and pun on "One of Us, One of Them.]
Trevor shoots one and he goes flying. The second gets shot into a nearby wall. The third's legs are blown out and his face crunches onto the floor. The fourth is launched up into the ceiling and dropped.
[References when Noah Bennet shoots people, they go flying. Various references to uses of telekinesis seen on the show.]
Dourado - "Never saw one of these up close."
Dourado telekinetically opens the shotgun into pieces and floats them as he observes them with earnest interest.
[Heroes Survival Game - Dourado has a keen interest of the world.]
Radburn - "This wasn't that hard. It could have waited."
Trevor - "It was a limited time offer. Four hours tops. If we didn't take advantage of time differences, another faction would have pounced on this place."
[Heroes Survival Game - Faction Urgent Request]
Kane walks down the stairway and rejoins them. There is a gunshot wound on his left ribcage that is healing. His body pushes out a bullet. No one knows speaks.
Blue - "Let's Scooby Doo it and split up."
[Heroes Survival Game - Blue is a nerd and would know animation]
They hear someone laughing in the background.
An agent is reading a 9th Wonders! comic book, with Uluru on the cover. His earpiece is removed. He sees the evolved beings and almost jumps off his chair. He puts his earpiece back in and aims his gun, shaking.
[9th Wonders! comic book, Issue #13. Loosely ironic with Trevor's nightmare]
Double doors flap open as the agent backs up with his gun still aimed. He fires at them. The bullets are frozen in mid-air and fall on the ground like rain.
[Volume One "Parasite."]
Agent Johnson - "Damn…"
Blue telekinetically knocks the gun out his hands. The team walks forward unafraid. The agent backs away and screams into his earpiece.
Agent Johnson - "They found the pigeon coop! Repeat, they found the pigeon coop! Respond!!"
[9th Wonders! Forum - The Hang Out - The Burnt Toast Diner]
Johnson is agitated by the lack of any response.
Agent Johnson - "Where is everyone…"
He realizes what happened and runs.
Trevor - "He's going to wipe the hard drives."
Kane - "Can't have that can we?"
Trevor shoots in the right leg. The agent falls forward and skids onto the floor.
Dourado - "Nice shot."
Trevor - "I was aiming for his head."
They walk up to Agent Johnson.
Johnson - "You're all a symptom. A disease. This is our world."
Blue telekinetically flips him out a nearby window.
Blue - "The moron was asking for it."
Trevor looks ahead to a door. He has a running start and kicks in the door. Everyone looks in and is in shock. The room is in disarray, wires dangling everywhere, and hard drives are emptied out. There is a key laid on the floor.
Dourado - "A key?"
Trevor picks up the key and examines it.
Trevor - "I know the place. It’s in California, 1319 Racing Avenue."
[Volume Four - Noah Bennet has a storage unit there]
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
PHASE THREE - PART THREE: OFF THE BOOKS PART ONE - in Heroes title font -
COSTA VERDE, CALIFORNIA
Trevor, alone, stares at the key then walks up to storage unit 108. He unlocks the unit and walks in. There is only a camcorder sitting in the center of the room. He walks up to it, turns it on, and flips open the viewer.
Woman - "Is it on? Wait, what are we going to say?"
Offscreen Man - "Anything!"
The point of view starts rocking and Trevor appears next to the woman. He is holding the camcorder in his right hand.
Trevor - "It's December 28, 2004. We're in Tokyo to visit her parents."
Trevor walks up to the camera and whispers.
Trevor - "Her dad hates me."
Woman - "Yeah, whatever."
The woman walks up to the camera.
Woman - "Daddy adores Trevor."
Trevor - "We weren't supposed to be here until the 30th but we wanted to take in the sights."
Trevor points the camera down at the snow.
Woman - "Shh…hey, that's a secret."
She giggles at the notion of it.
Trevor - "I love you."
Trevor kisses her on the cheek.
Woman - "Love you, too."
Trevor - "Color me toxic, but this looks like a great spot for something I have planned."
[9th Wonders! Forum Member]
Woman - "Yeah…what's that?"
Trevor - "This."
He gets on one knee and brings out a ring with his left hand.
Trevor - "Will you marry me?"
The woman lights up.
Woman - "Of course! Yes!! Yes."
Trevor exhales in delight.
Trevor - "Yes? Great."
She takes the ring. Trevor stands up and puts the ring on her left ring finger. She smiles at it then looks up at Trevor. They kiss again. The footage ends.
Trevor freezes up and the camcorder drops to his side. His other hand is trembling. He stares into the storage unit wall in disbelief.
The video is still running and sounds like it jumping to another recording. The voices can be heard, slightly muffled.
Trevor - "What color is it?"
Woman - "I don't know…Oh my God…We're…"
Both cheer in excitement.
Trevor drops the camcorder onto the storage unit floor. He rests against the unit wall and slides down. He stares at the camcorder then bangs his head against his knees. He stops and starts crying uncontrollably.
SOME TIME LATER
Trevor is standing. He wipes his face with his arm. Clara Zhang teleports in.
Zhang - "Got your text. Where to…were you crying?"
Trevor - "Yes."
Zhang - "Oh. Uhhh…"
Trevor - "Take me to Tokyo."
Zhang - "Okay."
Zhang shuffles through her purse, skimming post cards.
Zhang - "Wait, weren't you supposed to go back to Colorado?"
[9th Wonders! Forum - The Garden of the Gods]
Trevor - "I've got business, first."
Trevor's face has formed a murderous look as he faces away from Zhang, staring at the camcorder.
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT: PART FOUR - OFF THE BOOKS PART TWO
Life is a game of patterns and chance, and those who play well will win.
DREAM
There is only a Void, Bird's Eye Point of View, on Trevor Tanaka. He is standing in it somehow. The camera view pans down slowly to close up on Trevor's face. His eyes and mouth are covered by a DNA Symbol each. Flames appear from the void. Trevor is standing on a rock.
Uluru - "Who dares to defy me?! I am Uluru the Invincible!"
Trevor turns to face Uluru, his face is back to normal.
Trevor - "I dare!"
Uluru reaches to grab Trevor with his right hand. Uluru clenches his hand with Trevor sticking half way out. He brings Trevor closer to his face.
Uluru - "How your world is filled with filth and lies. The comingling of good and evil in mortals only upsets the natural balance."
Uluru transforms into a giant DNA Symbol, it slithers around Trevor and constricts on him and like a snake and they fall into the flames.
Upon impact, the flames disperse like water and turn into ones and zeroes.
Trevor - "What you represent is a constant. An element. Equilibrium isn't as predictable…it is caught in a cycle of paradigm shifts…"
The Symbol breaks off. Trevor coughs and gasps for air. The Void has returned.
Uluru - "How can a variable like you tell the difference?"
Trevor turns and sees himself, but with Uluru's demonic eyes.
Uluru - "Do you have what it takes to be like me?"
Uluru transforms again, into classic dressed in black Sylar, with the demon eyes.
Uluru - "To be the most special?"
[Repeated by Sylar]
Uluru transforms into Adam Monroe.
Uluru - "And have the discipline of the gods?"
[Graphic Novel, "Revolutionary War" Part Two]
Trevor - "To believe in that would only lead to arrogance and subjectivity."
Uluru transforms into Arthur Petrelli.
Uluru - "That's not a belief, it's a fact."
[Volume 3, "Eris Quod Sum"]
Uluru transforms into a common cockroach and crawls away into the Void.
Uluru - "Always seek the truth, mortal. Never find it."
[A loose reference to Andre Gide]
Black out.
TOKYO, JAPAN
NOVEMBER 2, 2007
A room. It is pitch black except for the center where there is a man waiting at a table with a closed box. Another man enters the room.
The Consultant - "You've secured the database and left the bait?"
The Associate nods and gestures at the box.
The Consultant - "Good. The sniper team is on standby if we need them. The powers that be will be satisfied after that fiasco in Peru."
[Reference to Angel and Destiny webisodes]
A gunshot goes through the Associate's heart. His body falls over onto the table. Smoke wafts in the shadows. A voice emerges.
Trevor - "The Associate, I presume. You were the one chasing me in Costa Verde four months ago. Small world."
[See Undaunted Part Three]
The Associate doesn't respond.
Trevor - "Oh, right. Dead."
[Loose reference to a scene in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker]
The Consultant - "H…how…"
Trevor - "What? Didn't do that good a job researching me? I'm smarter than the average bear. Kidnap me…I let it slide. Screw with an urgent request…I swallow my pride. Taunt me like you did…your days are numbered. My power was already activate during the video. Did you think I would be so upset that I wouldn't remember the building in the background or the faint chlorine smell from storing medical supplies in there between then and now?"
[Yogi Bear and Urgent Request - Heroes Survival Game]
Trevor holding his gun out at the Consultant slowly emerges from the darkness, like a film breaking off of him.
Trevor - "The thing you don't seem to understand is: I'm the same with or without my power. It's not a crutch, it's a gift. A godsend, even. Now, call off the snipers."
[Volume 1, Ando Masahashi translates Takezo Kensei's symbol as "godsend"]
The Consultant slowly shaking, pulls his Sprint cell phone and makes a call.
The Consultant - "Stand down. Repeat: Stand down. Do not engage."
The Consultant gulps, fearing his impending death.
The Consultant - "The Haitian…last sighted in Arlington, Virginia before Halloween."
[Volume 5 "Shadowboxing"]
Trevor - "The Haitian? He's got a name. He's not some blunt object. He's a human being."
The Consultant -"Er…Eric Thompson, Jr. he…"
Trevor - "You're not saying anything I don't already know."
The Consultant sweats.
Trevor - "Did you ever think about what's more dangerous than an enemy?"
The Consultant nervously shakes his head.
Trevor - "Standing in the way of someone who had everything…who found someone to share it with, unconditionally. Then she dies because of a lie. Something she never knew about. Your heart breaks in half and you try to fill it with revenge…to only end up stained a color you can never get rid of. Try to defeat that person."
The Consultant - "You should get some sleep."
Trevor - "No thanks."
The Consultant is shocked. His power didn't work.
Trevor - "I was too busy staying up doing my homework."
Trevor taps a skin-colored ear plug in his left ear.
The Consultant - "But how…"
Trevor - "Do I understand what you were saying? I keep up with reading. Society is flooded with this hyper-abundance of content but I love a good book, you can always find something amazing, like how to read lips. It's a useful skill, especially if you have to deal with a highly evolved being with the advanced ability of sedation through modular suggestion. Having one of your colleagues mess with my dreams was a nice touch."
The Consultant - "I don't know what you're talking about. Only myself and the dead man over there were assigned to you, and he was…ordinary."
Trevor focuses his eyes on the Consultant and realizes he is telling the truth. Trevor smiles and laughs at himself, realizing the nightmares came on their own accord.
Trevor - "I'm sorry to leave now, but I have a family to help take care of and in my line of work, it is better to apologize than ask for permission."
[Trevor mocks something the Consultant told him two stories ago]
The Consultant grits his teeth. Trevor shoots and the bullet connects with the Consultant's head. He falls over. Trevor shoots him in the head once more and twice in the chest. He checks the contents of the box, closes it, takes it, then walks into the darkness. From the darkness, Trevor shoots the light bulb, turning the room completely dark.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
PHASE THREE - PART FOUR: OFF THE BOOKS PART TWO - in Heroes title font -
ONE DAY LATER
FUSHIMI INARI SHRINE, KYOTO, JAPAN
Clara Zhang walks up a path of the famous torii columns. She is taken aback by the sight of them. Up ahead, Trevor is waiting near the entrance to the inner shrine.
Zhang - "Done with your business?"
[Irony. Inari is the god of business.]
Trevor - "Yup."
Trevor holds up a USB thumb drive and puts it away. A fox darts out onto the path. Zhang is surprised. Trevor walks up to it and holds out the storage key unit from part one. The fox takes it in its mouth and runs away.
[Foxes are thought to be messengers, are often seen in Inari shrines. Statues depict them with a key (for the rice granary) in their mouths.]
Zhang - "That was so cool!"
Trevor - "Y'know, With your complexion…you really shouldn't be wearing your hair pulled back that tight."
Zhang - "What are you talking about?"
Trevor - "It pulls back the skin on your forehead...creating a tension which clogs the pores. That's why you have some light pattern dryness around your scalp. Read it in a magazine once."
[Zoolander]
Zhang - "C'mon d-bag. Let's go make an offering before I return you to your life of high fashion."
Trevor sighs but waivers.
Trevor - "I miss James."
Zhang - "What?"
Trevor - "Nothing."
Zhang tries to look authentic and makes an offering in the shrine. Trevor just stands there.
Zhang - "Aren't you going to do it, too?"
Trevor - "I already did."
Zhang - "Back there with the fox?"
Trevor nods.
Zhang - "Cool. But don't you want to make a wish or something?"
Trevor - "No…I've got what I want."
Zhang - "And what's that?"
Trevor - "A purpose. Kindred."
Zhang - "So you don't want like a new scarf or something?"
Trevor squints at Zhang.
Trevor - "Colorado, please."
Zhang - "You're no fun."
Zhang puts her left hand on Trevor's right shoulder.
Trevor - "Pft. Define fun."
They teleport away.
THE END OF SPECIAL TWO: PHASE THREE - in Heroes title font
SPECIAL THREE
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
NOVEMBER 26, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Dozens of corpses are strewn across the field. Trevor is wounded somewhere in his abdomen. He crawls over to two bodies that are barely breathing and leaves a trail of blood. Trevor uses all of his remaining strength to flip them over. One is Regan "Redo" McCairn and the other, Dixon "Nox" Cheung.
[Two characters from Heroes Survival Game and part of Undaunted]
Trevor - "Nox…you got to…undo this from ever happening to me."
Nox struggles to concentrate then it works, Trevor is unwounded. Nox spits up blood laughing 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.
NOVEMBER 25, 2007
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
A laptop is turned on but the seat in front of it is empty. Pan right, Trevor is standing, hunched over on a window. Point of view on his back. He shakes his head.
Trevor - "It's finally happened. They're coming."
[Homage to Lost Season Six Finale]
TO BE CONTINUED...
November 7, 2009
Part Four - Phase Three Part Two
Without further ado, here is my latest story. Ultimately, the plan is to wedge smaller character stories that rest the reader between the big op stories I have planned and set up future story plots. Commentary to come:
My way of joking is to tell the truth. That's the funniest joke in the world.
DREAM
There is only a Void, Bird's Eye Point of View, on Trevor Tanaka. He is standing in it somehow. The camera view pans down slowly to close up on Trevor's face. His eyes and mouth are covered by a DNA Symbol each. Flames appear from the void. Trevor is standing on a rock.
[Expanding more and more on Trevor's childhood nightmare each chapter]
Uluru - "Who dares to defy me?! I am Uluru the Invincible!"
[Uluru the Invincible from the 9th Wonders! comic book]
Trevor turns to face Uluru, his face is back to normal.
Trevor - "I dare!"
Uluru reaches to grab Trevor with its right hand. Black out.
Trevor jolts awake. He is sitting down on a wheelchair, restrained with a black bag over his head and hands and legs tied down. He is being wheeled somewhere. The chair comes to a stop. Trevor hears a door close. A switch is thrown. A bright light glitters through the bag fabric.
OCTOBER 31, 2007
[In Late October 2006, Peter Petrelli was in a coma from absorbing too many powers and experienced a frightening dream. The date was intentional because, similarly, Trevor had a dream on the same postulated day, one year later.]
LOCATION UNKNOWN
The Consultant - "Hello. Trevor. We've never met but you can say you are my current assignment. I am masking my voice to protect myself and those who contracted me. I apologize that we are meeting like this, but in my line of work, it is better to apologize than ask for permission."
[The last line is a clue on who the Consultant works for. In the Destiny webisodes, SLW makes a similar comment.]
A garbled laugh comes from the black bag over Trevor's head. He raises his restrained hands as far as they can to show - "Like I have a choice."
The Consultant - "I am going to ask you a series of questions. You will answer them. If that becomes a problem, my associate, who happens to hate lies, will correct you."
The Consultant - "Remove the bag."
From Trevor's point of view, the bag is lifted from his head. He is also blindfolded.
Trevor - "And you also have a nullifier. That's remarkable. They're so hard to come by."
[Term from the Evsdropr arc in the graphic novels. Also comments how only the Haitian and a DHS agent from an alternate future had the ability to nullify other people's.]
The Consultant - "You have no idea."
The Consultant - "Tell me your name."
Trevor - "You just said it."
The Consultant - "Your real name. Tell me your real name. The one you were born with."
Trevor - "It is irrelevant because in the fullness of time, we are all dead. Hmm. I had a chicken sandwich with avocado for lunch, today."
[The first sentence is a quote from Justice League Unlimited in the episode "Dead Reckoning."]
The Consultant - "How many people have you killed?"
Trevor - "I don't know. I'm far from done."
The Consultant - "You say you're one of us. You walk among us but you aren't anything like us. Who are you? Who is Trevor Tanaka?"
[The first two sentences are a reference to Lost in the episode "Stranger in a Strange Land" and the last question is a reference to a blog of the same name.]
Trevor - "My name is Undaunted, for we are many."
[A pun on the Bible verse of when the Devil tried to tempt Jesus Christ.]
The Associate punches Trevor in the face.
Trevor - "I plead the Fifth."
[A reference to Chappelle's Show, and the character Tron.]
The Associate punches Trevor in the face again.
The Consultant - "What do you know?"
Trevor - "The truth. The truth is there is no good and evil left in the world. There are no monsters. Just visions that are placed in our minds."
[Heroes, Volume One, Future Hiro's Yamagato blog.]
The Associate punches Trevor in the face a third time.
Trevor - "I, an outcast, never belonged. I longed to bleach this dark world with the truth. But our lives are timed to a precision and cross with each other. Communication is the conductor of truth."
[Heroes, Volume One, Future Hiro's Yamagato blog.]
The Consultant - "Your proclivity towards deflection amuses me. What do you know about the factions?"
Trevor - "We're all pawns of watchers and dreamers. No matter what initiatives we take, what precautions we imagine…the factions will continue to fight each other. Fear and distrust are the foundations of each faction's tenant."
[Trevor refers to the Watcher and Angela Petrelli. Also a loose reference to the paranoia and hype surrounding Phase Three of the Heroes Survival Game.]
The Associate punches Trevor in the face a fourth time.
Trevor - "It is all a distraction. There is something gathering strength in the shadows…gathering the strongest of us all. Then, it will swallow us whole in one gulp. Heh. And you are so focused on stealing my toilet paper."
[A joke about Phase Three and what Resources are.]
The Consultant - "The Carnival?"
[Heroes, Volume Five]
Trevor - "Samuel Sullivan. Sylar."
[This places the story after Sylar is recruited to the Carnival.]
Distorted voices murmur among each other.
The Contractors - "…Sylar?!...Isn't he dead?...He's bluffing…They don't kill kindred…"
The Consultant - "Do you mean to say this Carnival is a threat to evolved humans and humans, alike?"
Trevor - "Yes. Especially if you start a sentence with a no."
The Associate punches Trevor in the face a fifth time.
Trevor - "This is getting old. Throw in a kick or something fresh."
The Consultant - "Does Seal know any of this?"
Trevor - "Yes. He knows what I know. Doesn't matter if he does or doesn't know."
The Consultant - "Why?"
Trevor - "He is a fan of democracy and diplomacy. By the time there is a consensus among the factions on what to do about the Carnival, we'll all be six feet under. All they're good at is pushing buttons."
[Another joke about the nature of Heroes Survival Game.]
The Consultant - "Then why did you even join Undaunted?"
Trevor - "The insurance benefits."
The Associate punches Trevor in the face a sixth time. Trevor looks up with a grim expression, a scowl and bleeding.
Trevor - "This is who we are."
[Reference to the code used by the Millennium Group in the series Millennium.]
There is silence for a minute.
Trevor - "I would be happy if one of you out there were a healer because I can confirm that I am bleeding and my face hurts."
There is another minute of silence.
A hand comes over Trevor's face. It heals him.
Trevor - "Thank you."
The Consultant - "I will ask you one more question then I will release you."
Trevor - "Release release me or release me, throw me out an airplane, release me?"
The Consultant - "How many of us will it take to destroy the Carnival?"
Trevor - "None. It's not our fight. Besides, I have a gut feeling they sowed the seeds of their own destruction. Until then, it's a game of survival."
[A bad pun on Heroes Survival Game.]
The Consultant - "Go to sleep."
[Samson Gray's Sedation power or an aspect of Telepathy?]
Trevor's head drops down. Black out.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
TWO HOURS LATER
Trevor is sitting at his computer. The program he was running on it is still on. It looks like a graph with a constantly moving oscillation. In one corner, the words "Timewave Zero" are visible. A hardcover book is opened next to the keyboard. Two parts of a page are highlighted in yellow. They read, "Genes determine obesity, blood pressure" and the second, "out of the thirty billion possibilities, one might contain the potential for human flight." The book is Activating Evolution. A cell phone, the battery, and the chip are laid out next to the book. Trevor's eyes flicker and he wakes up.
[Reference to Timewave Zero, a way of calculating the apocalypse, and Dr. Chandra Suresh's book, Activating Evolution. The quotes are from "One Giant Leap."]
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
PHASE THREE - PART TWO: THE CONTRACT - in Heroes title font -
Trevor grabs a piece of paper from his desk and jots down words very quickly: Voice modulation, Nullifier, Telepathy (?), Healing Touch, Consultant (2), Faction (3 Males Present), Medical Supplies-Wheelchair, Warehouse (Abandoned?), Chlorine scent, Floodlights.
Trevor - Just because my ability is Enhanced Memory doesn't mean my regular memory is terrible, Consultant.
Someone knocks on the door in Trevor's room, three times, three seconds apart.
Trevor - "Come in."
The door opens and in walks Jasp.
[Jasper "Jasp" Red from Heroes Survival Game.]
Jasp - "Ready?"
Trevor - "Yeah."
Jasp - "Where to?"
Trevor - "The Garden."
[9th Wonders! Forum]
Trevor tucks the paper in his shirt pocket. He closes the book and puts it under his left arm. He types in a combination in the keyboard. He reaches under the desk.
Jasp stares at the door and concentrates. He grunts then holds the door open, Trevor walks in then Jasp.
[For long distance travel, Jasp has to concentrate a little harder.]
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
The restrooms are locked. The door opens. Jasp and Trevor walk outside.
Trevor - "Thank you, Red. Good luck with the new semester."
[Jasp is in college but stays in contact with his allies.]
Jasp - "Welcome. Most people don't call me that."
Trevor - "I'm not most people."
Jasp closes the door.
Trevor exhales. He looks at the book. Then looks up to the sky. He marches up to the path. The field is within sight. Marc and Seal are there.
Marc - "How're you feeling?"
Trevor - "Much better, thanks for asking. Here's your book back."
Marc - "Oh yeah, thanks. What'd you think?"
Trevor - "Mmm, no potential for a TV movie. Maybe nine seasons."
[A loose reference to the X-Files]
Seal chuckles. Marc laughs nervously. Trevor pulls out the paper he wrote on. Trevor's demeanor changes.
Seal - "What? You were kidnapped…by a faction."
Trevor - "It shouldn't be too hard to find out which one."
Trevor waives the paper.
Seal - "But who were these people that interrogated you, freelancers?"
Trevor - "Awhile ago, there were numerous companies that employed highly evolved beings, not just Primatech and Pinehearst. Others who have no names, no initials. I heard a rumor once that there is a company that contracts out evolved beings to people with deep pockets. Assassination. Intelligence. You name it, there's a price. They were last sighted in Chicago and Peru a couple months ago. Fits the M.O., could be them. "
[Webiseries - Destiny]
Marc - "What do we do?"
Trevor - "When's the next inter-faction assembly?"
Seal - "It's a secret. Your idea. Might be in two days."
Trevor - "Someone wanted to do their homework before then. Make sure you watch for any changes in attitude."
Seal - "You're not coming?"
Trevor - "Doubtful. Paranoid and all that."
Marc - "I can help you with that."
Trevor - "No, I've got bigger fish to fry. I need these people for a special op I was about to commission before I was distracted by my new friends."
Seal looks at the back of Trevor's paper.
Seal - "But they're all investigating active events with their teams. They'll ask what this is for. Things are shaky enough as it is."
Trevor - "They'll understand. I can be persuasive. We'll all meet at the secondary site."
[Two Garden of the Gods were considered on 9th Wonders!]
Seal - "Fine. Extend an olive branch to whoever you're going after, first."
Trevor - "I'm not sure they understand that currency."
Seal - "Make the bird want to sing."
[Reference to the book, Taiko]
Trevor - "That I can do."
Seal - "Without your gun."
Trevor - "Oh. Right. The semantics again. Ever tell a fish not to swim? Order a bird not to fly? I have no illusions about what I do, but it must be done."
[Biology/Darwin]
Seal - "Trevor. Do you really think any of us are going to get through this?"
Trevor - "Well, I might."
[Serenity - The Operative and Zoe & Jayne]
Trevor walks away back down the path as Seal and Marc look at each other.
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT: PART THREE - OFF THE BOOKS PART ONE
My way of joking is to tell the truth. That's the funniest joke in the world.
DREAM
There is only a Void, Bird's Eye Point of View, on Trevor Tanaka. He is standing in it somehow. The camera view pans down slowly to close up on Trevor's face. His eyes and mouth are covered by a DNA Symbol each. Flames appear from the void. Trevor is standing on a rock.
[Expanding more and more on Trevor's childhood nightmare each chapter]
Uluru - "Who dares to defy me?! I am Uluru the Invincible!"
[Uluru the Invincible from the 9th Wonders! comic book]
Trevor turns to face Uluru, his face is back to normal.
Trevor - "I dare!"
Uluru reaches to grab Trevor with its right hand. Black out.
Trevor jolts awake. He is sitting down on a wheelchair, restrained with a black bag over his head and hands and legs tied down. He is being wheeled somewhere. The chair comes to a stop. Trevor hears a door close. A switch is thrown. A bright light glitters through the bag fabric.
OCTOBER 31, 2007
[In Late October 2006, Peter Petrelli was in a coma from absorbing too many powers and experienced a frightening dream. The date was intentional because, similarly, Trevor had a dream on the same postulated day, one year later.]
LOCATION UNKNOWN
The Consultant - "Hello. Trevor. We've never met but you can say you are my current assignment. I am masking my voice to protect myself and those who contracted me. I apologize that we are meeting like this, but in my line of work, it is better to apologize than ask for permission."
[The last line is a clue on who the Consultant works for. In the Destiny webisodes, SLW makes a similar comment.]
A garbled laugh comes from the black bag over Trevor's head. He raises his restrained hands as far as they can to show - "Like I have a choice."
The Consultant - "I am going to ask you a series of questions. You will answer them. If that becomes a problem, my associate, who happens to hate lies, will correct you."
The Consultant - "Remove the bag."
From Trevor's point of view, the bag is lifted from his head. He is also blindfolded.
Trevor - "And you also have a nullifier. That's remarkable. They're so hard to come by."
[Term from the Evsdropr arc in the graphic novels. Also comments how only the Haitian and a DHS agent from an alternate future had the ability to nullify other people's.]
The Consultant - "You have no idea."
The Consultant - "Tell me your name."
Trevor - "You just said it."
The Consultant - "Your real name. Tell me your real name. The one you were born with."
Trevor - "It is irrelevant because in the fullness of time, we are all dead. Hmm. I had a chicken sandwich with avocado for lunch, today."
[The first sentence is a quote from Justice League Unlimited in the episode "Dead Reckoning."]
The Consultant - "How many people have you killed?"
Trevor - "I don't know. I'm far from done."
The Consultant - "You say you're one of us. You walk among us but you aren't anything like us. Who are you? Who is Trevor Tanaka?"
[The first two sentences are a reference to Lost in the episode "Stranger in a Strange Land" and the last question is a reference to a blog of the same name.]
Trevor - "My name is Undaunted, for we are many."
[A pun on the Bible verse of when the Devil tried to tempt Jesus Christ.]
The Associate punches Trevor in the face.
Trevor - "I plead the Fifth."
[A reference to Chappelle's Show, and the character Tron.]
The Associate punches Trevor in the face again.
The Consultant - "What do you know?"
Trevor - "The truth. The truth is there is no good and evil left in the world. There are no monsters. Just visions that are placed in our minds."
[Heroes, Volume One, Future Hiro's Yamagato blog.]
The Associate punches Trevor in the face a third time.
Trevor - "I, an outcast, never belonged. I longed to bleach this dark world with the truth. But our lives are timed to a precision and cross with each other. Communication is the conductor of truth."
[Heroes, Volume One, Future Hiro's Yamagato blog.]
The Consultant - "Your proclivity towards deflection amuses me. What do you know about the factions?"
Trevor - "We're all pawns of watchers and dreamers. No matter what initiatives we take, what precautions we imagine…the factions will continue to fight each other. Fear and distrust are the foundations of each faction's tenant."
[Trevor refers to the Watcher and Angela Petrelli. Also a loose reference to the paranoia and hype surrounding Phase Three of the Heroes Survival Game.]
The Associate punches Trevor in the face a fourth time.
Trevor - "It is all a distraction. There is something gathering strength in the shadows…gathering the strongest of us all. Then, it will swallow us whole in one gulp. Heh. And you are so focused on stealing my toilet paper."
[A joke about Phase Three and what Resources are.]
The Consultant - "The Carnival?"
[Heroes, Volume Five]
Trevor - "Samuel Sullivan. Sylar."
[This places the story after Sylar is recruited to the Carnival.]
Distorted voices murmur among each other.
The Contractors - "…Sylar?!...Isn't he dead?...He's bluffing…They don't kill kindred…"
The Consultant - "Do you mean to say this Carnival is a threat to evolved humans and humans, alike?"
Trevor - "Yes. Especially if you start a sentence with a no."
The Associate punches Trevor in the face a fifth time.
Trevor - "This is getting old. Throw in a kick or something fresh."
The Consultant - "Does Seal know any of this?"
Trevor - "Yes. He knows what I know. Doesn't matter if he does or doesn't know."
The Consultant - "Why?"
Trevor - "He is a fan of democracy and diplomacy. By the time there is a consensus among the factions on what to do about the Carnival, we'll all be six feet under. All they're good at is pushing buttons."
[Another joke about the nature of Heroes Survival Game.]
The Consultant - "Then why did you even join Undaunted?"
Trevor - "The insurance benefits."
The Associate punches Trevor in the face a sixth time. Trevor looks up with a grim expression, a scowl and bleeding.
Trevor - "This is who we are."
[Reference to the code used by the Millennium Group in the series Millennium.]
There is silence for a minute.
Trevor - "I would be happy if one of you out there were a healer because I can confirm that I am bleeding and my face hurts."
There is another minute of silence.
A hand comes over Trevor's face. It heals him.
Trevor - "Thank you."
The Consultant - "I will ask you one more question then I will release you."
Trevor - "Release release me or release me, throw me out an airplane, release me?"
The Consultant - "How many of us will it take to destroy the Carnival?"
Trevor - "None. It's not our fight. Besides, I have a gut feeling they sowed the seeds of their own destruction. Until then, it's a game of survival."
[A bad pun on Heroes Survival Game.]
The Consultant - "Go to sleep."
[Samson Gray's Sedation power or an aspect of Telepathy?]
Trevor's head drops down. Black out.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
TWO HOURS LATER
Trevor is sitting at his computer. The program he was running on it is still on. It looks like a graph with a constantly moving oscillation. In one corner, the words "Timewave Zero" are visible. A hardcover book is opened next to the keyboard. Two parts of a page are highlighted in yellow. They read, "Genes determine obesity, blood pressure" and the second, "out of the thirty billion possibilities, one might contain the potential for human flight." The book is Activating Evolution. A cell phone, the battery, and the chip are laid out next to the book. Trevor's eyes flicker and he wakes up.
[Reference to Timewave Zero, a way of calculating the apocalypse, and Dr. Chandra Suresh's book, Activating Evolution. The quotes are from "One Giant Leap."]
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
PHASE THREE - PART TWO: THE CONTRACT - in Heroes title font -
Trevor grabs a piece of paper from his desk and jots down words very quickly: Voice modulation, Nullifier, Telepathy (?), Healing Touch, Consultant (2), Faction (3 Males Present), Medical Supplies-Wheelchair, Warehouse (Abandoned?), Chlorine scent, Floodlights.
Trevor - Just because my ability is Enhanced Memory doesn't mean my regular memory is terrible, Consultant.
Someone knocks on the door in Trevor's room, three times, three seconds apart.
Trevor - "Come in."
The door opens and in walks Jasp.
[Jasper "Jasp" Red from Heroes Survival Game.]
Jasp - "Ready?"
Trevor - "Yeah."
Jasp - "Where to?"
Trevor - "The Garden."
[9th Wonders! Forum]
Trevor tucks the paper in his shirt pocket. He closes the book and puts it under his left arm. He types in a combination in the keyboard. He reaches under the desk.
Jasp stares at the door and concentrates. He grunts then holds the door open, Trevor walks in then Jasp.
[For long distance travel, Jasp has to concentrate a little harder.]
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
The restrooms are locked. The door opens. Jasp and Trevor walk outside.
Trevor - "Thank you, Red. Good luck with the new semester."
[Jasp is in college but stays in contact with his allies.]
Jasp - "Welcome. Most people don't call me that."
Trevor - "I'm not most people."
Jasp closes the door.
Trevor exhales. He looks at the book. Then looks up to the sky. He marches up to the path. The field is within sight. Marc and Seal are there.
Marc - "How're you feeling?"
Trevor - "Much better, thanks for asking. Here's your book back."
Marc - "Oh yeah, thanks. What'd you think?"
Trevor - "Mmm, no potential for a TV movie. Maybe nine seasons."
[A loose reference to the X-Files]
Seal chuckles. Marc laughs nervously. Trevor pulls out the paper he wrote on. Trevor's demeanor changes.
Seal - "What? You were kidnapped…by a faction."
Trevor - "It shouldn't be too hard to find out which one."
Trevor waives the paper.
Seal - "But who were these people that interrogated you, freelancers?"
Trevor - "Awhile ago, there were numerous companies that employed highly evolved beings, not just Primatech and Pinehearst. Others who have no names, no initials. I heard a rumor once that there is a company that contracts out evolved beings to people with deep pockets. Assassination. Intelligence. You name it, there's a price. They were last sighted in Chicago and Peru a couple months ago. Fits the M.O., could be them. "
[Webiseries - Destiny]
Marc - "What do we do?"
Trevor - "When's the next inter-faction assembly?"
Seal - "It's a secret. Your idea. Might be in two days."
Trevor - "Someone wanted to do their homework before then. Make sure you watch for any changes in attitude."
Seal - "You're not coming?"
Trevor - "Doubtful. Paranoid and all that."
Marc - "I can help you with that."
Trevor - "No, I've got bigger fish to fry. I need these people for a special op I was about to commission before I was distracted by my new friends."
Seal looks at the back of Trevor's paper.
Seal - "But they're all investigating active events with their teams. They'll ask what this is for. Things are shaky enough as it is."
Trevor - "They'll understand. I can be persuasive. We'll all meet at the secondary site."
[Two Garden of the Gods were considered on 9th Wonders!]
Seal - "Fine. Extend an olive branch to whoever you're going after, first."
Trevor - "I'm not sure they understand that currency."
Seal - "Make the bird want to sing."
[Reference to the book, Taiko]
Trevor - "That I can do."
Seal - "Without your gun."
Trevor - "Oh. Right. The semantics again. Ever tell a fish not to swim? Order a bird not to fly? I have no illusions about what I do, but it must be done."
[Biology/Darwin]
Seal - "Trevor. Do you really think any of us are going to get through this?"
Trevor - "Well, I might."
[Serenity - The Operative and Zoe & Jayne]
Trevor walks away back down the path as Seal and Marc look at each other.
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT: PART THREE - OFF THE BOOKS PART ONE
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