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 Undaunted. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Undaunted. 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…
January 4, 2010
Commentary - Influence - Part One
New Year, new arc. Similar as to how Volume 1-4 on the show were on big story arc, Influence is the start of a new arc for Trevor and Undaunted. As a constant fan of duality, the title Déjà vu, Trevor experiences it and how others see Undaunted compared to Primatech.
First off, I added to the Black Swan theory I quoted back in the first story I wrote. Sort of like a puzzle piece, I add one line of thought to it until it becomes something entirely different.
CLEARWATER
A bit of a red herring, I hope to have fooled someone that Trevor and Clara was together before they realized it was an undercover op commissioned from events of the last volume. If you notice the description of Trevor, it’s the same clothing from the image on his HSG page. The duo is going after the second to last member of the faction(s) that attacked Undaunted on Thanksgiving and the 29th. Konrad is the only one that knows where the last person is, and this person is the leader. So I decided there has to be some sort of code or phrase so I used a famous one from a satirist that’s better known by geeks to be used on the Watchmen.
Then to tie things up, I decided that the final locale would be Montreal, where Peter and Caitlin went to and found Adam Monroe’s place in Volume 2. And used the cool super spy shoot ‘em through an object and kill them motif and another sighting of the DNA Symbol. Then I decided to slow things down with a comedic beat and have a brief regroup at Zhang’s house.
REWIND
Playing on the current story from HSG and iStory, I wanted to explore Trevor’s past but felt the flashback technique I previously used would be too old hat. Upon reading that Mulligan was going to be important, I started spinning the mechanics of time travel. I decided Trevor would have a Groundhog Day of his own but had to think later of how. Ultimately, I throw the question of what happens to someone being teleported when a special like Mulligan uses his Temporal Rewind? They go back to a time they were thinking, hence why there was the small line about Trevor staring at the ring Clara gives back to him, it was his dead fiancee’s.
I decided then he would teleport a year or so back to that fateful day when his life was changed forever. The Company accidentally killed his fiancée and Trevor began his quest for revenge. Inspired by the Haitian’s name reveal, I casually revealed his fiancee’s. I also made sure to make some references to what we already know about that day, things you can find in Trevor’s HSG bio or AT file.
Since Trevor doesn’t quite know what’s going on, he goes through memory and doesn’t alter any events. Will be next time? We’ll see. And Trevor remembers the rewind, because he has…super memory and sort of realized what happened.
MONTREAL
We finally meet the special who was duplicated and clones were sent to the Garden of the Gods to kill everyone in Undaunted. He’s a killer, but he appears to be pretty intelligent and in the know, being pretty concerned that Undaunted would become just another Primatech. The irony is that he chose to try to wipe them out instead of just talking. Does that make him any better?
I also wanted to put in more humor and wanted to play with the logistics of a subtitle for a long time since seeing Hiro & Ando and Maya & Alejandro on the show. So it’s done through a joke. At I least I hope people get the joke…maybe if you’re Canadian it’s a sure bet.
Anyway, the death of Keegan ends the leftovers from last time and begins a new quest for Trevor and Undaunted. Where it takes them next…stay tuned.
First off, I added to the Black Swan theory I quoted back in the first story I wrote. Sort of like a puzzle piece, I add one line of thought to it until it becomes something entirely different.
CLEARWATER
A bit of a red herring, I hope to have fooled someone that Trevor and Clara was together before they realized it was an undercover op commissioned from events of the last volume. If you notice the description of Trevor, it’s the same clothing from the image on his HSG page. The duo is going after the second to last member of the faction(s) that attacked Undaunted on Thanksgiving and the 29th. Konrad is the only one that knows where the last person is, and this person is the leader. So I decided there has to be some sort of code or phrase so I used a famous one from a satirist that’s better known by geeks to be used on the Watchmen.
Then to tie things up, I decided that the final locale would be Montreal, where Peter and Caitlin went to and found Adam Monroe’s place in Volume 2. And used the cool super spy shoot ‘em through an object and kill them motif and another sighting of the DNA Symbol. Then I decided to slow things down with a comedic beat and have a brief regroup at Zhang’s house.
REWIND
Playing on the current story from HSG and iStory, I wanted to explore Trevor’s past but felt the flashback technique I previously used would be too old hat. Upon reading that Mulligan was going to be important, I started spinning the mechanics of time travel. I decided Trevor would have a Groundhog Day of his own but had to think later of how. Ultimately, I throw the question of what happens to someone being teleported when a special like Mulligan uses his Temporal Rewind? They go back to a time they were thinking, hence why there was the small line about Trevor staring at the ring Clara gives back to him, it was his dead fiancee’s.
I decided then he would teleport a year or so back to that fateful day when his life was changed forever. The Company accidentally killed his fiancée and Trevor began his quest for revenge. Inspired by the Haitian’s name reveal, I casually revealed his fiancee’s. I also made sure to make some references to what we already know about that day, things you can find in Trevor’s HSG bio or AT file.
Since Trevor doesn’t quite know what’s going on, he goes through memory and doesn’t alter any events. Will be next time? We’ll see. And Trevor remembers the rewind, because he has…super memory and sort of realized what happened.
MONTREAL
We finally meet the special who was duplicated and clones were sent to the Garden of the Gods to kill everyone in Undaunted. He’s a killer, but he appears to be pretty intelligent and in the know, being pretty concerned that Undaunted would become just another Primatech. The irony is that he chose to try to wipe them out instead of just talking. Does that make him any better?
I also wanted to put in more humor and wanted to play with the logistics of a subtitle for a long time since seeing Hiro & Ando and Maya & Alejandro on the show. So it’s done through a joke. At I least I hope people get the joke…maybe if you’re Canadian it’s a sure bet.
Anyway, the death of Keegan ends the leftovers from last time and begins a new quest for Trevor and Undaunted. Where it takes them next…stay tuned.
Part Six - Influence - Part One
Trevor - There is a surprise. True love. It has a major impact. It should last forever. After the fact, the event is rationalized by hindsight as if it had been expected. Then it is lost.
[Undaunted Part One but with a twist]
Peter Petrelli and Isaac Mendez consoling Simone Deveaux.
[Volume One "Parasite"]
DECEMBER 1, 2007
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA
The camera is zoomed out on a pristine white sands beach. A couple is lounging on it all by themselves. The woman lies on her stomach, in a bikini, flipping through a magazine. The man is buried behind a newspaper on a typical beach chair. We can see he is wearing a pork pie hat with a brightly colored madras plaid collar shirt. They are both wearing wedding rings. The camera tracks onto them and slowly zooms in. The couple is none other than Trevor Tanaka and Clara Zhang.
Clara - "I read this thing nine times already. When are we getting our drinks?"
Trevor - "18 minutes, 54 seconds. He takes that long for everyone."
[9th Wonders! - Nine - HERO]
Clara - "That's 18 minutes too long. You should have gotten an umbrella, too. The Sun is right on top of us."
Trevor - "Why? You look fine from here."
Clara - "You should use your super memory now because it's the first and last time you'll ever see me in a bikini."
Trevor frowns then huddles back into the newspaper. A waiter approaches them with two drinks on a platter. He places them in the tree stump stand between Trevor and Clara. The waiter pauses in front of Trevor.
Konrad - "Is there anything else I may get for you or your wife, Mr. Lee?"
Trevor is still hidden behind the newspaper.
Trevor - "Yes, there is something, Konrad. I hope you can help me with it."
Konrad - "Yes, of course, sir. We go above and beyond for our guests…"
Trevor - "Where’s Keegan?"
Konrad is surprised and looks around a few times.
Konrad - "… noui consilia et ueteres quaecumque monetis amici, "pone seram, cohibes." sed…"
Trevor - "quis custodiet ipsos custodies?"
[Satires of Juvenal - … I know the plan that my friends always advise me to adopt:
"Bolt her in, constrain her!" But who watches the watchers?”]
Konrad - "Corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Saint-Jacque. Room 126."
[Intersection from Volume 2 "The Line"]
Trevor - “Thank you.”
Konrad - "Didn't think someone from the gang would reach out so soon."
Trevor - "Me neither."
Konrad flinches. A silencer goes off. A bullet rips out from the newspaper and goes through Konrad's skull. Camera cuts away with an implied impact. Clara closes her magazine and stands up.
Clara - "Boys and their toys."
Clara reaches for her drink. Trevor stops her.
Trevor - "He could have duplicated one of them. Let's go."
[The Beginning of the End]
Clara - "Fiiiine."
They teleport away. Camera shifts to a bird's eye point of view. The Symbol forms in the white sand with Keegan’s head in the center.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Clara and Trevor teleport into the mezzanine floor of the Zhang Family mansion. Trevor takes the ring off and tucks into his shirt pocket. He takes the other ring from Clara. He stares at it then quickly puts it away. Clara proceeds to go to her room. A servant appears.
Mr. Lee - "What shall I prepare for your lunch, Ms. Zhang?"
Clara is about to speak when Trevor interrupts.
Trevor - "Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Whole wheat. No crust."
Mr. Lee - "Very good, sir."
Mr. Lee walks away.
Clara - "What, you're digging through my trash now?"
Trevor - "Puh-lease. I go through everyone’s trash."
[Justice League Unlimited “Fearful Symmetry”]
Clara stomps out in front of him.
Clara - "Wait out here."
She closes the door on Trevor.
30 MINUTES LATER…
Trevor is still outside, holding a tray of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Clara opens her door with new clothes on. Trevor snaps out of it and Clara takes the sandwiches.
Clara - "Montreal?"
Trevor - "Montreal."
They are about to teleport away. The camera zooms in on Trevor. The teleportation FX makes a distorted sound. Trevor looks around confused. He is startled. Zoom out. He is at a desk in more formal clothing, with a file in his hand. Zoom out. He’s in a credit union, a hanging banner reads "2006."
SEPTEMBER 26, 2006
HONOLULU, HAWAI'I
Doug - "Trevor, did you finish your pass on the new loan request?"
Trevor - "Uhh…yeah, it's right here."
Doug - "Thanks. You okay, man? Looks like you got a bad case of déjà vu."
Trevor - "No, I'm alright. You'll see why when you read my report."
Doug - "Haha, gotcha. See ya."
Trevor - "Right."
Trevor looks at his computer for the date. He reclines back in his seat in disbelief.
Trevor gets off a bus and walks on the sidewalk. He looks up at a building and walks in. He opens an apartment door with one of his keys and walks in. He turns around to draw out the deadbolts.
Woman - "Trevor?"
Trevor turns around to see his fiancée, alive and well.
Trevor - "Tanya."
Tanya - "Trev, you look like you’ve seen a ghost."
Trevor pauses.
Trevor - "It was just a lot of new accounts, today."
Tanya - "Nothing you couldn't handle, right?"
She walks over and kisses him, then walks back into the living room. Trevor is still standing at the door.
Trevor - "Yeah."
Tanya - "What? C'mon. Are the insurance people still following you?"
Trevor - "24 times today…"
[Trevor's HSG bio/AT 2.0 file]
Tanya appears again with a piece of paper.
Tanya - "I forgot these at the market. Could you go get them for me? Please?"
Trevor shifts his eyes to the door and instinctively reaches for his gun but it isn’t there, yet. He smiles.
Trevor - "Sure. Do you have the Club Card or do I?"
Tanya - "They stopped using it in February. Are you sure you're okay, Trevor?"
She touches his forehead. Trevor hugs her.
Trevor - "I love you."
Tanya - "Love you, too…Trev. You're being weirder than weird, today."
Trevor - "It feels like I haven't been able to say it in a while, y'know?"
Tanya smiles and they kiss.
Tanya - "Make sure the eggs aren’t cracked this time."
Trevor leaves their apartment. He looks at the staircase then the elevators. He sees a janitor's closet. He breaks the lock by bashing his cell phone over it and hides in the closet. He exhales. Then all of a sudden he clutches his face with his palm and tears stream from his eyes. Then he hears voices.
Eric Thompson Jr. - "Offline for 5 minutes…must have used some cheap crap from China."
Felicia Brooks - "Let's do this, already. I freakin' hate California during fall."
Trevor is about to kick the door out when the weird teleportation FX sounds off again.
DECEMBER 1, 2007
MONTREAL, CANADA
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
INFLUENCE - PART ONE: DEJA VU - in Heroes title font - pasted on the rooftops
Trevor and Clara appear on the corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Saint-Jacque.
Trevor - "…"
Clara - "What?"
Trevor - "Uhhh…bikini?"
Clara sighs and walks away. Trevor looks around and reaches for his gun. He wonders for a second if all that really just happened or not. They pass by a row of warehouses.
Clara - "This one is 121."
The Symbol is above the doorway.
[Adam Monroe's room - Volume 2 "The Line"]
Trevor - "Must be down this way."
Trevor turns around and misses a bone protrusion as it crashes into the door of 121. The camera turns to look to see a man that looks like the one duplicated from Thanksgiving.
Trevor - "So much for discreet. Clara, go get me some back up."
Clara - "Screw that, give me your spare!"
Trevor - "What spare?"
Clara kicks Trevor in the shin and teleports away.
Trevor - "That was uncalled for."
Trevor barely dodges another shot. Trevor shoots. Keegan blocks the bullets with a bone protrusion shaped like a 3-D snowflake. He runs. Trevor chases. A woman stares at Trevor and his gun.
Trevor - "ll est britannique!"
A subtitle appears in the middle between Trevor and the woman. It reads - He's British!
Keegan runs into a dead end. He stares at the wall as Trevor catches up to him. Gun drawn on Keegan.
Keegan - "Well. Everyone's dead if you're here."
Trevor - "I get that a lot."
Keegan turns around to face Trevor.
Keegan - "Not anymore."
Camera zooms out. Bone protrusions erupt above the wall. Then nothing. Silence. Keegan looks out then runs away. Trevor appears out of nowhere and clotheslines him. Keegan holds his throat then looks up to shoot. The bone protrusions stop midway and start cracking then shatter. Keegan screams in pain. He kneels over and grasps his arm. Azuteor and Clara walk out from an alley. The tip of Trevor's gun touches his head gently. Keegan laughs.
Trevor - "He is handy."
Keegan - "If one continues along the same lines, the initial problem will recur infinitely and will never be solved."
[Dr. Michael Ridge - The Infinite Regress]
Trevor - "We are nothing like them."
Keegan - "Are you sure? The Company started with the best of intentions: protect their own kind. What was a few grew into a dozen, then hundreds. Somewhere along the way, they became corrupted…lost sight of their purpose. They destroyed the lives of those they once swore to protect. Despite everything that happened, here I am still staring down the barrel of a Company-issue gun, held by a fellow posthuman."
Trevor - "One can justify with a circular argument, but this sacrifices its validity."
[Hans Albert]
Keegan smiles.
Keegan - "Find The Mulligan."
[HSG, iStory Purpose]
Keegan gestures to attack Trevor. Trevor fires. Keegan drops to the ground.
Azuteor - "Who's The Mulligan?"
Trevor - "A new set of dominoes to play with."
Trevor twirls his gun and holsters it. Clara places her hands on Trevor and Azuteor’s shoulders. They teleport away. Snow begins to fall.
TO BE CONTINUED…
[Undaunted Part One but with a twist]
Peter Petrelli and Isaac Mendez consoling Simone Deveaux.
[Volume One "Parasite"]
DECEMBER 1, 2007
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA
The camera is zoomed out on a pristine white sands beach. A couple is lounging on it all by themselves. The woman lies on her stomach, in a bikini, flipping through a magazine. The man is buried behind a newspaper on a typical beach chair. We can see he is wearing a pork pie hat with a brightly colored madras plaid collar shirt. They are both wearing wedding rings. The camera tracks onto them and slowly zooms in. The couple is none other than Trevor Tanaka and Clara Zhang.
Clara - "I read this thing nine times already. When are we getting our drinks?"
Trevor - "18 minutes, 54 seconds. He takes that long for everyone."
[9th Wonders! - Nine - HERO]
Clara - "That's 18 minutes too long. You should have gotten an umbrella, too. The Sun is right on top of us."
Trevor - "Why? You look fine from here."
Clara - "You should use your super memory now because it's the first and last time you'll ever see me in a bikini."
Trevor frowns then huddles back into the newspaper. A waiter approaches them with two drinks on a platter. He places them in the tree stump stand between Trevor and Clara. The waiter pauses in front of Trevor.
Konrad - "Is there anything else I may get for you or your wife, Mr. Lee?"
Trevor is still hidden behind the newspaper.
Trevor - "Yes, there is something, Konrad. I hope you can help me with it."
Konrad - "Yes, of course, sir. We go above and beyond for our guests…"
Trevor - "Where’s Keegan?"
Konrad is surprised and looks around a few times.
Konrad - "… noui consilia et ueteres quaecumque monetis amici, "pone seram, cohibes." sed…"
Trevor - "quis custodiet ipsos custodies?"
[Satires of Juvenal - … I know the plan that my friends always advise me to adopt:
"Bolt her in, constrain her!" But who watches the watchers?”]
Konrad - "Corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Saint-Jacque. Room 126."
[Intersection from Volume 2 "The Line"]
Trevor - “Thank you.”
Konrad - "Didn't think someone from the gang would reach out so soon."
Trevor - "Me neither."
Konrad flinches. A silencer goes off. A bullet rips out from the newspaper and goes through Konrad's skull. Camera cuts away with an implied impact. Clara closes her magazine and stands up.
Clara - "Boys and their toys."
Clara reaches for her drink. Trevor stops her.
Trevor - "He could have duplicated one of them. Let's go."
[The Beginning of the End]
Clara - "Fiiiine."
They teleport away. Camera shifts to a bird's eye point of view. The Symbol forms in the white sand with Keegan’s head in the center.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Clara and Trevor teleport into the mezzanine floor of the Zhang Family mansion. Trevor takes the ring off and tucks into his shirt pocket. He takes the other ring from Clara. He stares at it then quickly puts it away. Clara proceeds to go to her room. A servant appears.
Mr. Lee - "What shall I prepare for your lunch, Ms. Zhang?"
Clara is about to speak when Trevor interrupts.
Trevor - "Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Whole wheat. No crust."
Mr. Lee - "Very good, sir."
Mr. Lee walks away.
Clara - "What, you're digging through my trash now?"
Trevor - "Puh-lease. I go through everyone’s trash."
[Justice League Unlimited “Fearful Symmetry”]
Clara stomps out in front of him.
Clara - "Wait out here."
She closes the door on Trevor.
30 MINUTES LATER…
Trevor is still outside, holding a tray of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Clara opens her door with new clothes on. Trevor snaps out of it and Clara takes the sandwiches.
Clara - "Montreal?"
Trevor - "Montreal."
They are about to teleport away. The camera zooms in on Trevor. The teleportation FX makes a distorted sound. Trevor looks around confused. He is startled. Zoom out. He is at a desk in more formal clothing, with a file in his hand. Zoom out. He’s in a credit union, a hanging banner reads "2006."
SEPTEMBER 26, 2006
HONOLULU, HAWAI'I
Doug - "Trevor, did you finish your pass on the new loan request?"
Trevor - "Uhh…yeah, it's right here."
Doug - "Thanks. You okay, man? Looks like you got a bad case of déjà vu."
Trevor - "No, I'm alright. You'll see why when you read my report."
Doug - "Haha, gotcha. See ya."
Trevor - "Right."
Trevor looks at his computer for the date. He reclines back in his seat in disbelief.
Trevor gets off a bus and walks on the sidewalk. He looks up at a building and walks in. He opens an apartment door with one of his keys and walks in. He turns around to draw out the deadbolts.
Woman - "Trevor?"
Trevor turns around to see his fiancée, alive and well.
Trevor - "Tanya."
Tanya - "Trev, you look like you’ve seen a ghost."
Trevor pauses.
Trevor - "It was just a lot of new accounts, today."
Tanya - "Nothing you couldn't handle, right?"
She walks over and kisses him, then walks back into the living room. Trevor is still standing at the door.
Trevor - "Yeah."
Tanya - "What? C'mon. Are the insurance people still following you?"
Trevor - "24 times today…"
[Trevor's HSG bio/AT 2.0 file]
Tanya appears again with a piece of paper.
Tanya - "I forgot these at the market. Could you go get them for me? Please?"
Trevor shifts his eyes to the door and instinctively reaches for his gun but it isn’t there, yet. He smiles.
Trevor - "Sure. Do you have the Club Card or do I?"
Tanya - "They stopped using it in February. Are you sure you're okay, Trevor?"
She touches his forehead. Trevor hugs her.
Trevor - "I love you."
Tanya - "Love you, too…Trev. You're being weirder than weird, today."
Trevor - "It feels like I haven't been able to say it in a while, y'know?"
Tanya smiles and they kiss.
Tanya - "Make sure the eggs aren’t cracked this time."
Trevor leaves their apartment. He looks at the staircase then the elevators. He sees a janitor's closet. He breaks the lock by bashing his cell phone over it and hides in the closet. He exhales. Then all of a sudden he clutches his face with his palm and tears stream from his eyes. Then he hears voices.
Eric Thompson Jr. - "Offline for 5 minutes…must have used some cheap crap from China."
Felicia Brooks - "Let's do this, already. I freakin' hate California during fall."
Trevor is about to kick the door out when the weird teleportation FX sounds off again.
DECEMBER 1, 2007
MONTREAL, CANADA
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
INFLUENCE - PART ONE: DEJA VU - in Heroes title font - pasted on the rooftops
Trevor and Clara appear on the corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Saint-Jacque.
Trevor - "…"
Clara - "What?"
Trevor - "Uhhh…bikini?"
Clara sighs and walks away. Trevor looks around and reaches for his gun. He wonders for a second if all that really just happened or not. They pass by a row of warehouses.
Clara - "This one is 121."
The Symbol is above the doorway.
[Adam Monroe's room - Volume 2 "The Line"]
Trevor - "Must be down this way."
Trevor turns around and misses a bone protrusion as it crashes into the door of 121. The camera turns to look to see a man that looks like the one duplicated from Thanksgiving.
Trevor - "So much for discreet. Clara, go get me some back up."
Clara - "Screw that, give me your spare!"
Trevor - "What spare?"
Clara kicks Trevor in the shin and teleports away.
Trevor - "That was uncalled for."
Trevor barely dodges another shot. Trevor shoots. Keegan blocks the bullets with a bone protrusion shaped like a 3-D snowflake. He runs. Trevor chases. A woman stares at Trevor and his gun.
Trevor - "ll est britannique!"
A subtitle appears in the middle between Trevor and the woman. It reads - He's British!
Keegan runs into a dead end. He stares at the wall as Trevor catches up to him. Gun drawn on Keegan.
Keegan - "Well. Everyone's dead if you're here."
Trevor - "I get that a lot."
Keegan turns around to face Trevor.
Keegan - "Not anymore."
Camera zooms out. Bone protrusions erupt above the wall. Then nothing. Silence. Keegan looks out then runs away. Trevor appears out of nowhere and clotheslines him. Keegan holds his throat then looks up to shoot. The bone protrusions stop midway and start cracking then shatter. Keegan screams in pain. He kneels over and grasps his arm. Azuteor and Clara walk out from an alley. The tip of Trevor's gun touches his head gently. Keegan laughs.
Trevor - "He is handy."
Keegan - "If one continues along the same lines, the initial problem will recur infinitely and will never be solved."
[Dr. Michael Ridge - The Infinite Regress]
Trevor - "We are nothing like them."
Keegan - "Are you sure? The Company started with the best of intentions: protect their own kind. What was a few grew into a dozen, then hundreds. Somewhere along the way, they became corrupted…lost sight of their purpose. They destroyed the lives of those they once swore to protect. Despite everything that happened, here I am still staring down the barrel of a Company-issue gun, held by a fellow posthuman."
Trevor - "One can justify with a circular argument, but this sacrifices its validity."
[Hans Albert]
Keegan smiles.
Keegan - "Find The Mulligan."
[HSG, iStory Purpose]
Keegan gestures to attack Trevor. Trevor fires. Keegan drops to the ground.
Azuteor - "Who's The Mulligan?"
Trevor - "A new set of dominoes to play with."
Trevor twirls his gun and holsters it. Clara places her hands on Trevor and Azuteor’s shoulders. They teleport away. Snow begins to fall.
TO BE CONTINUED…
December 15, 2009
Commentary - The Beginning of the End - Part Five
I opened the chapter with an odd, almost poetic scene between Trevor and Future Trevor. It brings home one of the major themes of how one thing comes hand in hand with another. The beginning of the end. I sort of used the scene to address the vulnerable side of Trevor, something you don't see ever. He still feels alone without his fiancee and in a strange way, remembers to think about her everyday, kinda of like when you call your loved one on the phone every day at a certain time. It also sets up the final scene and answers if one can change after such a tragedy.
THE FIGHT
So if you compare Future Trevor's past as seen in the previous issue, you see some similarities that are intended while some other things changed. I thought it'd be interesting that Trevor still uses Future Trevor's death trap idea but puts his twist on it by involving various Undaunted people. And if you think about, Trevor didn't have to do anything other than give the signal, hence his amusement. He was toying with Keith the whole time. The final piece of the puzzle was Athena Leuce. After re-reading her bio about how she can mess with the 5 senses, too, the lightbulb in my head went off.
A-SQUAD
I had fun with pacing out and writing everyone's individual scenes and what power they'd be fighting. I wanted to use Wyatt and Renn Leuce for awhile and I'm glad I was able t fit them in here. I tried to stick to the HSG bios as much as I could; show how smart Renn is, showcase Azuteor's power and personality, making force field's lethal, and Johnston's strategy. After the ending, I had these fight scenes plotted out before writing the actual story.
FUTURE TREVOR
I wanted to end this arc, Future Trevor, Undaunted, and this year's worth on a good note. Out of them, Future Trevor drew the long straw on that. That was probably the first thing I had completed. He was going to change right in front of them then shift back to his world thanks to sci-fi logic. And he appears to be married and with a child. Huh. Cool. That's what you're supposed to think. Then maybe you wonder, can this happen for our Trevor? Will he fall in love again? Is love just going to happen in the other universes not this one because it's the prime? Who is this woman?! As of this time, even I don't know. I have three that can be that woman but I'm saving it for a future story somehow.
EPILOGUE
So I sort of left Undaunted resolved yet unresolved. They are together again but both their hideouts not so secret. United, they vow to redouble themselves and keep on walking forward. And the beginning of the next issue is sort of a placeholder on this year, the overall theme of the series, and something unexpected. So it goes back in time to when Trevor first arrived in Hawai'i to start his last job. The interview is interlaced with scenes from various chapters, sort of for irony and to recap things a bit. Trevor, a father?
DELETED SCENE
Yes, there was actually a small scene I cut out. When I concluded that things must all end on a happy note, I changed the end of the fight in Shawnee. Originally, after Kelly returns from teleporting Keith's cohorts to Gitmo, Keith sort of has his last ditch effort and launches part of a spear tip into Trevor. Then it's ambiguous as to what happened to him, if he survived or not. They take him back to others and the rest happens with the flashback and the alternate universe. I cut it out and am glad I did really. No need for a cliffhanger like that, it was too much, the reader will be distracted to be in awe of the ending, and so on.
THE FIGHT
So if you compare Future Trevor's past as seen in the previous issue, you see some similarities that are intended while some other things changed. I thought it'd be interesting that Trevor still uses Future Trevor's death trap idea but puts his twist on it by involving various Undaunted people. And if you think about, Trevor didn't have to do anything other than give the signal, hence his amusement. He was toying with Keith the whole time. The final piece of the puzzle was Athena Leuce. After re-reading her bio about how she can mess with the 5 senses, too, the lightbulb in my head went off.
A-SQUAD
I had fun with pacing out and writing everyone's individual scenes and what power they'd be fighting. I wanted to use Wyatt and Renn Leuce for awhile and I'm glad I was able t fit them in here. I tried to stick to the HSG bios as much as I could; show how smart Renn is, showcase Azuteor's power and personality, making force field's lethal, and Johnston's strategy. After the ending, I had these fight scenes plotted out before writing the actual story.
FUTURE TREVOR
I wanted to end this arc, Future Trevor, Undaunted, and this year's worth on a good note. Out of them, Future Trevor drew the long straw on that. That was probably the first thing I had completed. He was going to change right in front of them then shift back to his world thanks to sci-fi logic. And he appears to be married and with a child. Huh. Cool. That's what you're supposed to think. Then maybe you wonder, can this happen for our Trevor? Will he fall in love again? Is love just going to happen in the other universes not this one because it's the prime? Who is this woman?! As of this time, even I don't know. I have three that can be that woman but I'm saving it for a future story somehow.
EPILOGUE
So I sort of left Undaunted resolved yet unresolved. They are together again but both their hideouts not so secret. United, they vow to redouble themselves and keep on walking forward. And the beginning of the next issue is sort of a placeholder on this year, the overall theme of the series, and something unexpected. So it goes back in time to when Trevor first arrived in Hawai'i to start his last job. The interview is interlaced with scenes from various chapters, sort of for irony and to recap things a bit. Trevor, a father?
DELETED SCENE
Yes, there was actually a small scene I cut out. When I concluded that things must all end on a happy note, I changed the end of the fight in Shawnee. Originally, after Kelly returns from teleporting Keith's cohorts to Gitmo, Keith sort of has his last ditch effort and launches part of a spear tip into Trevor. Then it's ambiguous as to what happened to him, if he survived or not. They take him back to others and the rest happens with the flashback and the alternate universe. I cut it out and am glad I did really. No need for a cliffhanger like that, it was too much, the reader will be distracted to be in awe of the ending, and so on.
Part Five - The Beginning of the End - Part Five
Here is the final chapter of the year. Commentary to follow today or tomorrow.
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
It is pitch black night. Trevor and Future Trevor are sitting down near each other. It’s late and it seems like they are the only two who are awake. They are shaving something with knives.
Trevor - “Every night, since it happened, I lay awake at 1:35 am and I think about her. I think about how much I loved her. I think about what we had. But I…”
Future Trevor - “Slowly forget what her face looks like. How can it be possible when I can remember everything? Is my heart trying to forget? Is it trying to deal with the pain?”
Trevor - “To love and to have lost.”
Future Trevor - “That mysterious duality.”
[Loose Reference to M-Theory]
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART FIVE: THAT MYSTERIOUS DUALITY - in Heroes title font - pasted on the forest
The Next Day…
A group of specials watch a grove of trees. The camera point of view comes up behind them. Trevor is sitting down on a stump looking at his e-reader in the grove with his back turned to them. Their leader, Keith, is walking toward Trevor. Keith raises his right hand. The camera shifts back to his five cohorts. They watch in anticipation.
Karl - “He’s by himself? Where’s everyone else?”
Kevin - “We should get to that soon. I want to see him do in Trevor, first. He won’t see it coming.”
Behind them, in the bushes, are Wyatt, James Kelly, Samuel Whitman, Aaron Leuce, Mack Johnston, John Bishop, and Azuteor. Wyatt is visibly focused, his power being used on them to render them invisible by sound to the other faction.
Whitman - “Dibs on the jerk.”
Johnston - “Everyone remembers what to do? Kelly teleports away with Wyatt. The bubble is lifted. Azuteor splits the faction up. We take them one-on-one.”
Everyone nods.
Leuce - “We wait for Trevor to give the signal.”
Keith is about to use telekinesis when Trevor tosses the e-reader out in front of him. Trevor shoots it straight through the middle with his gun. Keith pauses.
Johnston - “Now!”
Kelly teleports away with Wyatt. Azuteor uses his repulsion manipulation to scatter the five. They wail in confusion. Whitman, Leuce, Johnston, Bishop, and Azuteor run towards their respective opponents, some in the forest and some in the clear. Keith turns and sees what happened. He turns back and Trevor has turned around and is staring right at him. Trevor holds out his gun to the side, pointing right, and shoots at a tree.
A rope snaps. A giant log swings forward at Keith. He stops it just as it is inches away from hitting him. He smiles and telekinetically shoves Trevor into a nearby tree. Keith walks a few steps forward.
Keith - “A log? How uninspiring, Trevor.”
[This Keith has similar words with Trevor as what Future Trevor recounted last story]
Keith trips a wire. A dozen sharpened dart sized sticks launch at Keith. He stops them in mid-air. He looks at him and they drop to the ground.
Keith - “This is your big plan?!”
Karl and Leuce face each other.
Karl - “Beat it kid, this is grown-up stuff. You might live long enough to understand.”
Leuce - “It’s Renn to you.”
Karl frowns and his left arm extend toward Leuce and shoves him into the dirt. Karl has the power of plasticity.
Karl - “Then you’re dumber than you look, Renn.”
Leuce “Maybe I like people to think that way.”
[Renn’s HSG Bio]
Karl scoffs and shapes his hands into hammers and is about to pound into Leuce. Leuce just stands there. Zoom in on him smiling. Zoom out. Karl is frozen in place. Leuce was altering Karl’s molecular state the whole time.
In the forest somewhere, Azuteor is walking fast, almost teleporting. The camera zooms in from his point of view, things start to slow down. A leaf slowly drops to the ground. Azuteor is using time dilation to survey the area for his opponent. He sees an odd streak. Azuteor passes his hands through it and it makes a chime. Azuteor follows the streak with his eyes. The leaf touches the ground finally. He turns and sees Matthew running at normal speed at him. He tackles Azuteor and his time dilation field is disrupted. They plow into the ground hard because Matthew’s Enhanced Speed returned. Dust is kicked up. The dust settles. Matthew is in mid-air, stuck in place. Azuteor is several inches above the ground. A crater is self-contained with dust frozen in place underneath him. Azuteor stands up slowly. Matthew grunts. Azuteor thinks to himself for a while. The gravity around Matthew intensifies and compresses to the point that he passes out from the strain.
Azuteor - “Checkmate.”
[Azuteor’s HSG Bio]
Kevin has his fists covered in granite and is trying to land a hit on Whitman. Whitman dodges every punch. Every miss creates craters in the ground.
Kevin - “Stay still so I can hit you!!”
Whitman - “Oh, is that what you’re doing?”
Whitman stops and waits for Kevin. Kevin is dumbfounded then jabs at him. Whitman holds out his palm and catches Kevin’s fist and doesn’t move. Kevin grunts. Whitman squeezes Kevin’s fist. The granite crumbles. Whitman drop kicks Kevin. He goes flying into a tree then bounces into another and another. Kevin managed to morph part of his skull into rock but is woozy getting up. He looks up and Whitman is racing toward him and socks Kevin. Whitman runs forward and catches Kevin, who is unconscious.
Keith is walking toward Trevor.
Keith - “So, you knew we were coming? Nothing gets past you, Trevor. Maybe I was wrong about you.”
Keith falls into a hole. He drops in up to his forehead is visible. He telekinetically pushes himself out, not looking too pleased.
Keith - “Cute.”
Future Trevor jumps from a bush with a knife. Keith sees him at the last minute and freezes Future Trevor. The knife is just an inch from his heart. Keith squirms and telekinetically throws Future Trevor into a tree. Trevor is just watching and is smirking.
Keith - “Only you would find some humor in this.”
John Bishop has a shield raised on him. Stan screams and a sonic burst rumbles toward Bishop. The field vibrates and dissipates. Bishop draws up another and Stan tears it down again.
Stan - “How long can you keep this up? Face it. All you do is put up shields, you can’t retaliate against me. Once I find the right tune, you’re dead.”
Bishop - “Try me.”
Stan is annoyed and is about to let out another burst. A thin force field envelopes Stan. The sound burst and field shatter, Stan goes flying.
Lane pats some dirt off his shoulder. Johnston waits for him.
Lane - “Nice trick. But stopping us won’t save your boy. Keith will kill him.”
Johnston - “The thing about Trevor is he’s a walking curve ball. Just when you settle into predicting what he’s going to do, he goes and does the unexpected, right out of left field.”
Lane - “Well, Keith’s the bat that’s going to score the home run.”
Johnston releases arc electricity and prepares to shoot Lane. Lane waives his hand and a sphere of water encapsulates Johnston. Johnston screams in pain. He is faint, can barely stand, and is smoking.
Lane - “It’s a bit humid today. Lots of moisture for me to toy with. Looks like you picked the wrong playmate, bub.”
Johnston - “I’m right where I need to be. A few drops of rain won’t put me out.”
Lane forms surrounding moisture into a tidal wave and nails Johnston. When the water washes away. He is lying flat on the ground. He staggers up.
Johnston turns into pure electricity.
Lane - “What you can do, I can do.”
Lane turns into pure water and gushes toward Johnston. Johnston shoots through him and the electricity shorts throughout the liquefied Lane. Lane screams in agony. Lane erratically wails around trying to shake off Johnston. The electricity increases. Lane stops moving and twitches in place. He turns back to normal and faints. Johnston jumps out of him and turns back to normal.
Johnston - “Water is an excellent conductor.”
Keith is looking at Future Trevor.
Keith - “I don’t get it. That shapeshifter a fanboy of yours?”
Future Trevor gets up and throws his knife at Keith’s head. He stops it, aims it at Future Trevor and shoves it at him. Future Trevor tosses his leather coat to block it and he rolls away. He runs toward Keith. Keith backs up and stops Future Trevor. Keith summons the knife.
Keith - “Now, what do you really look like? Guess I’ll just have to peel you like a banana.”
The knife zig zags around Future Trevor. A second log flies toward Keith. He stops it. He turns to Trevor in anger.
Keith - “Do I look stupid?!...But you gave me an idea.”
Keith summons the log to him but it stops in mid-air. The rope is stuck and won’t let the log move anymore. Keith smirks.
Keith - “Among factions, you stick out too much Trevor. You know what happens to the nail that sticks out? It gets hammered down.”
[Phrase used in Japanese culture]
Trevor - “There’s always an exception.”
Keith has had enough and telekinetically clips the rope holding the log. The rope pulls back. A row of wooden spears rises up below Keith and impales him offscreen. The camera zooms on the lower half of his body. It is stiff and blood starts to trickle down. Trevor and Future Trevor land on their feet. An illusion is lifted. The row of spears becomes more visible along with the rope that was holding the log. It was connected to a counterweight setup with the spears. A bush suddenly turns into Athena Leuce. She was hiding the trap and messing with Keith’s senses until he came to stand over the final trap.
Whitman, Renn, Azuteor, Johnston, and Bishop gather around Keith. They toss their opponents into the center. Leuce walks over to her brother, Renn. James Kelly appears and shakes his head.
Kelly - “You timed that too well, Trevor.”
Trevor - “Take them to a prison somewhere. How about Gitmo?”
[Guantanamo Bay and HSG bio- James often teleports criminals into prisons.]
Kelly - “Why not?”
Kelly teleports away with them and reappears alone.
Kelly - “What now? This place is compromised. Probably Kaua’i, too.”
[9th Wonders - Undaunted]
Trevor turns to Future Trevor. Future Trevor shrugs.
Future Trevor - “This never happened to me, remember?”
Future Trevor fades away for a few seconds. Everyone is startled. Future Trevor looks at his hands.
Future Trevor - “The timelines across the multiverse are shifting. This is the prime.”
Bishop - “Meaning?”
Johnston - “He was never here.”
Future Trevor becomes transparent. The blood and wounds from the fight disappear. The missing eye heals to normal. Future Trevor touches that part of his face in amazement. Then the missing arm returns. His clothes change. No one notices, but a ring appears on Future Trevor’s ring finger. He becomes further and further transparent.
Future Trevor - “Thank you. Everyone.”
Trevor - “You’re welcome, Steve.”
Future Trevor - “…It feels right.”
[Previous chapter - Seal and Trevor]
Future Trevor fades away for good.
Trevor - “We’ll just start over again. Find another home. Find everyone again. We will persevere.”
Everyone nods. Everyone huddles around Kelly and place their hands on his shoulders and arms. They teleport away.
They appear somewhere else. Seal, Marc, Tanner, Orbit, Clara, Luna, and others are waiting and greet them. Hugs. Hand shaking. High Fives.
We always will.
We are different from each other. Yet we are the same.
That Mysterious Duality.
END OF SPECIAL THREE
SPECIAL FOUR
INFLUENCE
DECEMBER 22, 2004
HONOLULU, HAWAI’I
HR Lady - “Okay, Trevor. Where do you see yourself three years from now?”
Trevor - “I like to think, I’ll be off traveling the world and making a difference.”
HR Lady - “That’s a rather bold declaration, isn’t it?”
Trevor and his team kick in the door to find the database stolen and missing.
[From Phase Three]
Trevor - “It is. But it’s what I want. To change the world for the better.”
Fushimi Inari Shrine; Trevor gives his key to the wild animal.
[From Phase Three]
HR Lady - “How do you plan on doing that?”
Trevor - “One person at a time if I have to.”
Trevor talking face to face with the last duplicate sent to kill Undaunted on Thanksgiving.
[From the Beginning of the End]
HR Lady - “We could use someone like you on our team.”
The crack team gathering in the Nevada desert for an operation.
[From Phase Three]
Trevor - “When may I start?”
Leona Mills hands a red file to Trevor in Washington DC.
[From “Spook” in first arc]
HR Lady - “How about next week Thursday?”
The HR Lady stands up to conclude the appointment. Trevor stands up. The camera zooms in on them shake. The screen fades to white.
[From Trevor’s Primatech Assignment Tracker or HSG page. Worked for a Credit Union in Hawaii.]
HR Lady - “This is the beginning of the rest of your life, Trevor.”
It’s another time and place. The lower half of a person fills the camera. It shifts to the left. He holds out his hand with a wedding ring. It is Future Trevor. A woman’s hand reaches out to hold his hand. The camera shifts to the right. A child is holding his other hand.
Trevor - “I’ll keep an open mind.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
JANUARY 2010
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
It is pitch black night. Trevor and Future Trevor are sitting down near each other. It’s late and it seems like they are the only two who are awake. They are shaving something with knives.
Trevor - “Every night, since it happened, I lay awake at 1:35 am and I think about her. I think about how much I loved her. I think about what we had. But I…”
Future Trevor - “Slowly forget what her face looks like. How can it be possible when I can remember everything? Is my heart trying to forget? Is it trying to deal with the pain?”
Trevor - “To love and to have lost.”
Future Trevor - “That mysterious duality.”
[Loose Reference to M-Theory]
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART FIVE: THAT MYSTERIOUS DUALITY - in Heroes title font - pasted on the forest
The Next Day…
A group of specials watch a grove of trees. The camera point of view comes up behind them. Trevor is sitting down on a stump looking at his e-reader in the grove with his back turned to them. Their leader, Keith, is walking toward Trevor. Keith raises his right hand. The camera shifts back to his five cohorts. They watch in anticipation.
Karl - “He’s by himself? Where’s everyone else?”
Kevin - “We should get to that soon. I want to see him do in Trevor, first. He won’t see it coming.”
Behind them, in the bushes, are Wyatt, James Kelly, Samuel Whitman, Aaron Leuce, Mack Johnston, John Bishop, and Azuteor. Wyatt is visibly focused, his power being used on them to render them invisible by sound to the other faction.
Whitman - “Dibs on the jerk.”
Johnston - “Everyone remembers what to do? Kelly teleports away with Wyatt. The bubble is lifted. Azuteor splits the faction up. We take them one-on-one.”
Everyone nods.
Leuce - “We wait for Trevor to give the signal.”
Keith is about to use telekinesis when Trevor tosses the e-reader out in front of him. Trevor shoots it straight through the middle with his gun. Keith pauses.
Johnston - “Now!”
Kelly teleports away with Wyatt. Azuteor uses his repulsion manipulation to scatter the five. They wail in confusion. Whitman, Leuce, Johnston, Bishop, and Azuteor run towards their respective opponents, some in the forest and some in the clear. Keith turns and sees what happened. He turns back and Trevor has turned around and is staring right at him. Trevor holds out his gun to the side, pointing right, and shoots at a tree.
A rope snaps. A giant log swings forward at Keith. He stops it just as it is inches away from hitting him. He smiles and telekinetically shoves Trevor into a nearby tree. Keith walks a few steps forward.
Keith - “A log? How uninspiring, Trevor.”
[This Keith has similar words with Trevor as what Future Trevor recounted last story]
Keith trips a wire. A dozen sharpened dart sized sticks launch at Keith. He stops them in mid-air. He looks at him and they drop to the ground.
Keith - “This is your big plan?!”
Karl and Leuce face each other.
Karl - “Beat it kid, this is grown-up stuff. You might live long enough to understand.”
Leuce - “It’s Renn to you.”
Karl frowns and his left arm extend toward Leuce and shoves him into the dirt. Karl has the power of plasticity.
Karl - “Then you’re dumber than you look, Renn.”
Leuce “Maybe I like people to think that way.”
[Renn’s HSG Bio]
Karl scoffs and shapes his hands into hammers and is about to pound into Leuce. Leuce just stands there. Zoom in on him smiling. Zoom out. Karl is frozen in place. Leuce was altering Karl’s molecular state the whole time.
In the forest somewhere, Azuteor is walking fast, almost teleporting. The camera zooms in from his point of view, things start to slow down. A leaf slowly drops to the ground. Azuteor is using time dilation to survey the area for his opponent. He sees an odd streak. Azuteor passes his hands through it and it makes a chime. Azuteor follows the streak with his eyes. The leaf touches the ground finally. He turns and sees Matthew running at normal speed at him. He tackles Azuteor and his time dilation field is disrupted. They plow into the ground hard because Matthew’s Enhanced Speed returned. Dust is kicked up. The dust settles. Matthew is in mid-air, stuck in place. Azuteor is several inches above the ground. A crater is self-contained with dust frozen in place underneath him. Azuteor stands up slowly. Matthew grunts. Azuteor thinks to himself for a while. The gravity around Matthew intensifies and compresses to the point that he passes out from the strain.
Azuteor - “Checkmate.”
[Azuteor’s HSG Bio]
Kevin has his fists covered in granite and is trying to land a hit on Whitman. Whitman dodges every punch. Every miss creates craters in the ground.
Kevin - “Stay still so I can hit you!!”
Whitman - “Oh, is that what you’re doing?”
Whitman stops and waits for Kevin. Kevin is dumbfounded then jabs at him. Whitman holds out his palm and catches Kevin’s fist and doesn’t move. Kevin grunts. Whitman squeezes Kevin’s fist. The granite crumbles. Whitman drop kicks Kevin. He goes flying into a tree then bounces into another and another. Kevin managed to morph part of his skull into rock but is woozy getting up. He looks up and Whitman is racing toward him and socks Kevin. Whitman runs forward and catches Kevin, who is unconscious.
Keith is walking toward Trevor.
Keith - “So, you knew we were coming? Nothing gets past you, Trevor. Maybe I was wrong about you.”
Keith falls into a hole. He drops in up to his forehead is visible. He telekinetically pushes himself out, not looking too pleased.
Keith - “Cute.”
Future Trevor jumps from a bush with a knife. Keith sees him at the last minute and freezes Future Trevor. The knife is just an inch from his heart. Keith squirms and telekinetically throws Future Trevor into a tree. Trevor is just watching and is smirking.
Keith - “Only you would find some humor in this.”
John Bishop has a shield raised on him. Stan screams and a sonic burst rumbles toward Bishop. The field vibrates and dissipates. Bishop draws up another and Stan tears it down again.
Stan - “How long can you keep this up? Face it. All you do is put up shields, you can’t retaliate against me. Once I find the right tune, you’re dead.”
Bishop - “Try me.”
Stan is annoyed and is about to let out another burst. A thin force field envelopes Stan. The sound burst and field shatter, Stan goes flying.
Lane pats some dirt off his shoulder. Johnston waits for him.
Lane - “Nice trick. But stopping us won’t save your boy. Keith will kill him.”
Johnston - “The thing about Trevor is he’s a walking curve ball. Just when you settle into predicting what he’s going to do, he goes and does the unexpected, right out of left field.”
Lane - “Well, Keith’s the bat that’s going to score the home run.”
Johnston releases arc electricity and prepares to shoot Lane. Lane waives his hand and a sphere of water encapsulates Johnston. Johnston screams in pain. He is faint, can barely stand, and is smoking.
Lane - “It’s a bit humid today. Lots of moisture for me to toy with. Looks like you picked the wrong playmate, bub.”
Johnston - “I’m right where I need to be. A few drops of rain won’t put me out.”
Lane forms surrounding moisture into a tidal wave and nails Johnston. When the water washes away. He is lying flat on the ground. He staggers up.
Johnston turns into pure electricity.
Lane - “What you can do, I can do.”
Lane turns into pure water and gushes toward Johnston. Johnston shoots through him and the electricity shorts throughout the liquefied Lane. Lane screams in agony. Lane erratically wails around trying to shake off Johnston. The electricity increases. Lane stops moving and twitches in place. He turns back to normal and faints. Johnston jumps out of him and turns back to normal.
Johnston - “Water is an excellent conductor.”
Keith is looking at Future Trevor.
Keith - “I don’t get it. That shapeshifter a fanboy of yours?”
Future Trevor gets up and throws his knife at Keith’s head. He stops it, aims it at Future Trevor and shoves it at him. Future Trevor tosses his leather coat to block it and he rolls away. He runs toward Keith. Keith backs up and stops Future Trevor. Keith summons the knife.
Keith - “Now, what do you really look like? Guess I’ll just have to peel you like a banana.”
The knife zig zags around Future Trevor. A second log flies toward Keith. He stops it. He turns to Trevor in anger.
Keith - “Do I look stupid?!...But you gave me an idea.”
Keith summons the log to him but it stops in mid-air. The rope is stuck and won’t let the log move anymore. Keith smirks.
Keith - “Among factions, you stick out too much Trevor. You know what happens to the nail that sticks out? It gets hammered down.”
[Phrase used in Japanese culture]
Trevor - “There’s always an exception.”
Keith has had enough and telekinetically clips the rope holding the log. The rope pulls back. A row of wooden spears rises up below Keith and impales him offscreen. The camera zooms on the lower half of his body. It is stiff and blood starts to trickle down. Trevor and Future Trevor land on their feet. An illusion is lifted. The row of spears becomes more visible along with the rope that was holding the log. It was connected to a counterweight setup with the spears. A bush suddenly turns into Athena Leuce. She was hiding the trap and messing with Keith’s senses until he came to stand over the final trap.
Whitman, Renn, Azuteor, Johnston, and Bishop gather around Keith. They toss their opponents into the center. Leuce walks over to her brother, Renn. James Kelly appears and shakes his head.
Kelly - “You timed that too well, Trevor.”
Trevor - “Take them to a prison somewhere. How about Gitmo?”
[Guantanamo Bay and HSG bio- James often teleports criminals into prisons.]
Kelly - “Why not?”
Kelly teleports away with them and reappears alone.
Kelly - “What now? This place is compromised. Probably Kaua’i, too.”
[9th Wonders - Undaunted]
Trevor turns to Future Trevor. Future Trevor shrugs.
Future Trevor - “This never happened to me, remember?”
Future Trevor fades away for a few seconds. Everyone is startled. Future Trevor looks at his hands.
Future Trevor - “The timelines across the multiverse are shifting. This is the prime.”
Bishop - “Meaning?”
Johnston - “He was never here.”
Future Trevor becomes transparent. The blood and wounds from the fight disappear. The missing eye heals to normal. Future Trevor touches that part of his face in amazement. Then the missing arm returns. His clothes change. No one notices, but a ring appears on Future Trevor’s ring finger. He becomes further and further transparent.
Future Trevor - “Thank you. Everyone.”
Trevor - “You’re welcome, Steve.”
Future Trevor - “…It feels right.”
[Previous chapter - Seal and Trevor]
Future Trevor fades away for good.
Trevor - “We’ll just start over again. Find another home. Find everyone again. We will persevere.”
Everyone nods. Everyone huddles around Kelly and place their hands on his shoulders and arms. They teleport away.
They appear somewhere else. Seal, Marc, Tanner, Orbit, Clara, Luna, and others are waiting and greet them. Hugs. Hand shaking. High Fives.
We always will.
We are different from each other. Yet we are the same.
That Mysterious Duality.
END OF SPECIAL THREE
SPECIAL FOUR
INFLUENCE
DECEMBER 22, 2004
HONOLULU, HAWAI’I
HR Lady - “Okay, Trevor. Where do you see yourself three years from now?”
Trevor - “I like to think, I’ll be off traveling the world and making a difference.”
HR Lady - “That’s a rather bold declaration, isn’t it?”
Trevor and his team kick in the door to find the database stolen and missing.
[From Phase Three]
Trevor - “It is. But it’s what I want. To change the world for the better.”
Fushimi Inari Shrine; Trevor gives his key to the wild animal.
[From Phase Three]
HR Lady - “How do you plan on doing that?”
Trevor - “One person at a time if I have to.”
Trevor talking face to face with the last duplicate sent to kill Undaunted on Thanksgiving.
[From the Beginning of the End]
HR Lady - “We could use someone like you on our team.”
The crack team gathering in the Nevada desert for an operation.
[From Phase Three]
Trevor - “When may I start?”
Leona Mills hands a red file to Trevor in Washington DC.
[From “Spook” in first arc]
HR Lady - “How about next week Thursday?”
The HR Lady stands up to conclude the appointment. Trevor stands up. The camera zooms in on them shake. The screen fades to white.
[From Trevor’s Primatech Assignment Tracker or HSG page. Worked for a Credit Union in Hawaii.]
HR Lady - “This is the beginning of the rest of your life, Trevor.”
It’s another time and place. The lower half of a person fills the camera. It shifts to the left. He holds out his hand with a wedding ring. It is Future Trevor. A woman’s hand reaches out to hold his hand. The camera shifts to the right. A child is holding his other hand.
Trevor - “I’ll keep an open mind.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
JANUARY 2010
December 10, 2009
Commentary - The Beginning of the End - Part Four
Yes, another possible end to Undaunted on the horizon? And as much as I love making Trevor the X-Factor, I thought, why not throw in a Future Trevor? No, he's got to be one-eyed, one-armed, and four years from the future of his parallel universe's present Trevor. Are you with me?
Ultimately, this chapter was serving to stoke many fires. It set up Future Trevor's story, set up where this arc is going, raise the stakes, and revisit what Trevor is really good at, banter; mixing the comedy and drama of things.
After being explained everything from Future Trevor, all our Trevor cares about is still to save Undaunted. The multiverse, not so much. It's like at this point, Trevor has a purpose and Future Trevor has a higher purpose and the story is mainly about developing their relationship, making them see eye to eye, and ultimately, Trevor deals with the plot point that Lydia revealed in part three about making a choice.
This flashback of how Future Trevor's world turned out was a scene was playing with a lot. At first, it was the last scene in the story. Then it was the beginning to throw the reader off, then in the middle to throw the reader off...but then I figured out a way for it to be credible. Seal pops in and reads Future Trevor, and sees his past, and the reader sees it through Seal's point of view. I'm not kidding but on the to do list, was a scene where Trevor and Seal talk about some sliver of his past while Seal eats a sandwich. Something so normal and relateable, it's perfect to me. But the weird thing for Seal is how do you react to seeing an alternate you getting killed. Hmm.
And going back to the to-do list; page one is almost done...then it's to page two, mwahahaha. Yeah. A-Squad and Steve were some ideas I had for awhile. But some readers will be like huh, what's Azuteor got to do with this? Part Five will be the conclusion of this arc and the last one I'll post this year (unless I really get into the zone). I, however, completely promise this will be a happy ending and not a cliffhanger, big omg, ending even though there will still be small questions left to answer. There won't be a scene where Trevor falls off a cliff and we don't see where he goes. But I admit, one of the final scenes will be a jaw dropper and I'm good for that, right? It's only a coincidence that this happy ending happens during the Christmas season. But course, before the happy ending, there must be a big, fat battle grand royale.
Ultimately, this chapter was serving to stoke many fires. It set up Future Trevor's story, set up where this arc is going, raise the stakes, and revisit what Trevor is really good at, banter; mixing the comedy and drama of things.
After being explained everything from Future Trevor, all our Trevor cares about is still to save Undaunted. The multiverse, not so much. It's like at this point, Trevor has a purpose and Future Trevor has a higher purpose and the story is mainly about developing their relationship, making them see eye to eye, and ultimately, Trevor deals with the plot point that Lydia revealed in part three about making a choice.
This flashback of how Future Trevor's world turned out was a scene was playing with a lot. At first, it was the last scene in the story. Then it was the beginning to throw the reader off, then in the middle to throw the reader off...but then I figured out a way for it to be credible. Seal pops in and reads Future Trevor, and sees his past, and the reader sees it through Seal's point of view. I'm not kidding but on the to do list, was a scene where Trevor and Seal talk about some sliver of his past while Seal eats a sandwich. Something so normal and relateable, it's perfect to me. But the weird thing for Seal is how do you react to seeing an alternate you getting killed. Hmm.
And going back to the to-do list; page one is almost done...then it's to page two, mwahahaha. Yeah. A-Squad and Steve were some ideas I had for awhile. But some readers will be like huh, what's Azuteor got to do with this? Part Five will be the conclusion of this arc and the last one I'll post this year (unless I really get into the zone). I, however, completely promise this will be a happy ending and not a cliffhanger, big omg, ending even though there will still be small questions left to answer. There won't be a scene where Trevor falls off a cliff and we don't see where he goes. But I admit, one of the final scenes will be a jaw dropper and I'm good for that, right? It's only a coincidence that this happy ending happens during the Christmas season. But course, before the happy ending, there must be a big, fat battle grand royale.
Part Five - The Beginning of the End - Part Four
People live their lives thanks to circadian rhythms that allow them to function at their best during a certain time of day through stimuli of familiar objects called associative triggers. We are creatures of routine and systems. But there is that third elusive structure that can lead to all sorts of amazing feats: spontaneity.
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is still staring at Future Trevor.
Trevor - “I hate practical jokes and I’m not above shooting you in the leg to show you my exact level of affection for them. Which one are you, Sterling or Marcusse?”
[Heroes Survival Game - Undaunted members]
Future Trevor - “I’m no shapeshifter. Not an illusion, neither. I am you. A one-eyed, one armed 4 years from the future parallel version of you.”
Trevor - “It’s easier for me to believe you’re a figment of my insanity. Plus, that’s a mouthful.”
Future Trevor - “For us, it was never about belief, not really even purpose, it is about conviction.”
Trevor - “It looks like your conviction got you where you are just fine.”
Future Trevor - “It’s time for both of us to accept the truth. Trevor Tanaka wants to save the world. But what if Trevor Tanaka could save the multiverse?”
[Hiro to Tadashi “Acceptance”]
Trevor - “Bored now, bye bye.”
[Justice League Unlimited - Question to Huntress - “Double Date”]
Trevor raises his gun again.
Future Trevor - “You know that won’t work on us.”
Trevor fires. Close up and slow frame on the bullet as it exits the gun chamber then slowly pan to Future Trevor. He stares at the bullet, counting off in his head, and sidesteps the bullet with ease.
Trevor - “…Because I memorized how long it takes a bullet to travel. That still doesn’t prove anything, only that I have to use a knife or my hands to kill you.”
Future Trevor laughs.
Future Trevor - “This always happens…”
Trevor - “What do…”
Future Trevor - “I mean? I spent 4 years traveling to multiple realities, meeting parallel Trevor’s; I get attacked, I explain everything, and I try to help them rectify one event that will change everything for the better.”
Trevor - “How can you even know what’s better?!”
Trevor drops his gun and tries to punch Future Trevor. Future Trevor sidesteps it, a second punch, a sweep, and punches Trevor as he’s about to deliver another round.
Future Trevor - “Again. Conviction.”
Trevor - “Why now?! You can..you can save her.”
Future Trevor - “Because she always dies.”
Trevor shakes his head in disbelief and strikes Future Trevor and tackles him into the dirt. He punches and punches Future Trevor repeatedly.
Trevor - “Who are you?!! If you don’t tell me now, I’ll have someone rip it out of you!!!”
[Homage to Matt Parkman]
Future Trevor - “My name is Trevor Tanaka. But when I was born, I was named…”
Zoom out. The conversation is inaudible. Trevor is taken aback and adjusts his posture and stands up. His breathing calms down. He offers to help up Future Trevor. Future Trevor is intrigued.
Future Trevor - “They never help me up. Never punched me, for that matter…Could this be the one? Is it true?”
Trevor - “That you’re a glutton for punishment?”
Future Trevor - “I did it. I found the original. Earth-Prime!”
[DC Comics, Dark Tower]
Trevor - “The original universe from which all universes originated from?”
Future Trevor - “Not just that, the keystone!! Change something here and you change the outcome in every universe.”
Trevor - “That’s totally not going to make me self-conscious for the rest of my life.”
Future Trevor - “It was some time before I could find James since I had no resources and was going on memory. We came up with a plan to try and stop this from happening. I’ve tried to save Undaunted 51 times and failed over and over. Then we decided on something more radical…Earth-Prime. This is it. This is my, our chance to make sure no more lives are lost here and anywhere. It takes only one small thing to upset the balance and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years across time and space.”
Montage of Trevor and James visiting various realities.
[DC Comics - 52 and Ray Bradbury “A Sound of Thunder”]
Trevor - “You being here qualifies for that.”
Future Trevor - “They split an atom and dropped it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
[World War II - Atom Bomb]
Trevor - “Oh, well now I get it. But I only have dynamite.”
Future Trevor - “Of all the universes, you are the most abrasive.”
Trevor - “Now you’re just buttering me up.”
Trevor turns at the graves and holsters his gun.
Trevor - “My family is shrinking and our graveyard is getting bigger. Are you here to help me stop that?”
[Samuel - “Once Upon A Time In Texas”]
Seal walks out of the clearing looking at a piece of crumpled paper, not noticing the two Trevor’s.
Seal - “Trevor, you see this? We’ve got a big development going on…”
Seal looks up and sees the Trevor’s.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART FOUR: POINT OF REFERENCE - in Heroes title font -
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is sitting on a stump, going over data on his hacked e-reader. Seal is sitting near him with a sandwich.
Seal - “What would you have named her?”
Trevor - “I don’t name my computers.”
Seal - “Your daughter.”
Trevor - “…We decided on Elisha. After one of my grandmothers.”
Seal - “Elisha.”
Seal is suddenly raised in the air by an unseen telekinetic. Trevor is unresponsive. Then a large explosion goes off in the background. Seal drops, Trevor catches him. He runs within the forest and brushes off a door. It opens and Trevor is about to throw Seal in, they are telekinetically shoved apart. Seal’s neck is snapped and he drops to the ground. More explosions are set off. Trees are seen falling.
Trevor walks toward the explosion. He sees a woman pinned under a tree trunk. He shoots at her offscreen. He keeps walking and shooting at three others, counting off with his free hand. He stops at a dead man.
He telekinetically shoves Trevor into a standing tree. Trevor wheezes. His ribs are broken. The man rises up slowly. He pats himself down, brushing dirt off of his clothes, and wipes blood off his forehead. He raises Trevor up with telekinesis.
Keith - “Explosive perimeter? How uninspiring, Trevor.”
Keith telekinetically slices across Trevor’s forehead.
Keith - “That was your big plan?!”
Keith telekinetically slices down Trevor’s right face through his eye. Trevor screams out loud.
Keith - “This is one big disappointment.”
Trevor - “Sorry, I just love the classic’s.”
Keith - “Famous last words. I’m going to just finish this fast. I’m not a big fan of the outdoors.”
Trevor - “It’s the smell, isn’t it? I’m not too crazy about it myself.”
Keith is unimpressed and is about to slice him again when another explosion detonates right under him. Trevor goes flying. He lands and tries to stand. He looks down and his arm is missing. He is silent, and then crawls into the forest. The smoke is finally clear, camera zooms out for a wide shot, bodies are everywhere, revealing the enemy faction’s handiwork.
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
Camera angle zoomed up on Seal’s face. He read Future Trevor.
Seal - “Trevor, my Trev..umm…can I talk to you over here?”
Trevor’s nod at each other. Trevor walks over to Seal.
Seal - “Alternate realities?”
Trevor - “Do you believe him?”
Seal - “He believes himself.”
Trevor - “Again, he could just believe in his lies.”
Seal - “But Trevor…he’s a future you.”
Trevor - “Yeah…it may get confusing and I have this gut feeling to call him Steve. It feels right.”
Seal frowns.
Trevor - “My objective is to protect everyone that is a member of Undaunted. He has intelligence that may prove useful toward our survival.”
Seal - “And the whole ‘saving the multiverse’?”
Trevor - “Meh.”
The Trevor’s are conversing alone. Future Trevor is typing on Trevor’s e-reader.
Future Trevor - “This is everything I know.”
He passes the tablet to Trevor.
Trevor - “Their leader is a skilled telekinetic. This won’t be the easiest kill.”
Future Trevor - “Two Trevor’s are better than one.”
Trevor - “Ugh. Can’t believe you just said that. I wish I could shoot you.”
Future Trevor - “When else can I use that phrase?”
Trevor - “Ah, good point. Where’s Future James?”
Future Trevor laughs at the term. Then has a grim look. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a stopwatch, running.
Future Trevor - “I have to find him at certain points and times around the planet. His body…couldn’t perceive the space-time continuum anymore and the only thing that could anchor him for a limited time is the planet’s leylines.”
Trevor - “But if this works, your reality at least, will reset and you won’t have to worry about finding your James. You two won’t even have time to click your heels together…”
Future Trevor - “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Trevor - “Meaning it’s not really about your Earth anymore.”
Future Trevor - “Where is Azuteor?”
Trevor - “I don’t know, probably procrastinating for a physics exam…You thinking A-Squad?”
Future Trevor - “A-Squad.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is still staring at Future Trevor.
Trevor - “I hate practical jokes and I’m not above shooting you in the leg to show you my exact level of affection for them. Which one are you, Sterling or Marcusse?”
[Heroes Survival Game - Undaunted members]
Future Trevor - “I’m no shapeshifter. Not an illusion, neither. I am you. A one-eyed, one armed 4 years from the future parallel version of you.”
Trevor - “It’s easier for me to believe you’re a figment of my insanity. Plus, that’s a mouthful.”
Future Trevor - “For us, it was never about belief, not really even purpose, it is about conviction.”
Trevor - “It looks like your conviction got you where you are just fine.”
Future Trevor - “It’s time for both of us to accept the truth. Trevor Tanaka wants to save the world. But what if Trevor Tanaka could save the multiverse?”
[Hiro to Tadashi “Acceptance”]
Trevor - “Bored now, bye bye.”
[Justice League Unlimited - Question to Huntress - “Double Date”]
Trevor raises his gun again.
Future Trevor - “You know that won’t work on us.”
Trevor fires. Close up and slow frame on the bullet as it exits the gun chamber then slowly pan to Future Trevor. He stares at the bullet, counting off in his head, and sidesteps the bullet with ease.
Trevor - “…Because I memorized how long it takes a bullet to travel. That still doesn’t prove anything, only that I have to use a knife or my hands to kill you.”
Future Trevor laughs.
Future Trevor - “This always happens…”
Trevor - “What do…”
Future Trevor - “I mean? I spent 4 years traveling to multiple realities, meeting parallel Trevor’s; I get attacked, I explain everything, and I try to help them rectify one event that will change everything for the better.”
Trevor - “How can you even know what’s better?!”
Trevor drops his gun and tries to punch Future Trevor. Future Trevor sidesteps it, a second punch, a sweep, and punches Trevor as he’s about to deliver another round.
Future Trevor - “Again. Conviction.”
Trevor - “Why now?! You can..you can save her.”
Future Trevor - “Because she always dies.”
Trevor shakes his head in disbelief and strikes Future Trevor and tackles him into the dirt. He punches and punches Future Trevor repeatedly.
Trevor - “Who are you?!! If you don’t tell me now, I’ll have someone rip it out of you!!!”
[Homage to Matt Parkman]
Future Trevor - “My name is Trevor Tanaka. But when I was born, I was named…”
Zoom out. The conversation is inaudible. Trevor is taken aback and adjusts his posture and stands up. His breathing calms down. He offers to help up Future Trevor. Future Trevor is intrigued.
Future Trevor - “They never help me up. Never punched me, for that matter…Could this be the one? Is it true?”
Trevor - “That you’re a glutton for punishment?”
Future Trevor - “I did it. I found the original. Earth-Prime!”
[DC Comics, Dark Tower]
Trevor - “The original universe from which all universes originated from?”
Future Trevor - “Not just that, the keystone!! Change something here and you change the outcome in every universe.”
Trevor - “That’s totally not going to make me self-conscious for the rest of my life.”
Future Trevor - “It was some time before I could find James since I had no resources and was going on memory. We came up with a plan to try and stop this from happening. I’ve tried to save Undaunted 51 times and failed over and over. Then we decided on something more radical…Earth-Prime. This is it. This is my, our chance to make sure no more lives are lost here and anywhere. It takes only one small thing to upset the balance and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years across time and space.”
Montage of Trevor and James visiting various realities.
[DC Comics - 52 and Ray Bradbury “A Sound of Thunder”]
Trevor - “You being here qualifies for that.”
Future Trevor - “They split an atom and dropped it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
[World War II - Atom Bomb]
Trevor - “Oh, well now I get it. But I only have dynamite.”
Future Trevor - “Of all the universes, you are the most abrasive.”
Trevor - “Now you’re just buttering me up.”
Trevor turns at the graves and holsters his gun.
Trevor - “My family is shrinking and our graveyard is getting bigger. Are you here to help me stop that?”
[Samuel - “Once Upon A Time In Texas”]
Seal walks out of the clearing looking at a piece of crumpled paper, not noticing the two Trevor’s.
Seal - “Trevor, you see this? We’ve got a big development going on…”
Seal looks up and sees the Trevor’s.
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART FOUR: POINT OF REFERENCE - in Heroes title font -
NOVEMBER 30, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is sitting on a stump, going over data on his hacked e-reader. Seal is sitting near him with a sandwich.
Seal - “What would you have named her?”
Trevor - “I don’t name my computers.”
Seal - “Your daughter.”
Trevor - “…We decided on Elisha. After one of my grandmothers.”
Seal - “Elisha.”
Seal is suddenly raised in the air by an unseen telekinetic. Trevor is unresponsive. Then a large explosion goes off in the background. Seal drops, Trevor catches him. He runs within the forest and brushes off a door. It opens and Trevor is about to throw Seal in, they are telekinetically shoved apart. Seal’s neck is snapped and he drops to the ground. More explosions are set off. Trees are seen falling.
Trevor walks toward the explosion. He sees a woman pinned under a tree trunk. He shoots at her offscreen. He keeps walking and shooting at three others, counting off with his free hand. He stops at a dead man.
He telekinetically shoves Trevor into a standing tree. Trevor wheezes. His ribs are broken. The man rises up slowly. He pats himself down, brushing dirt off of his clothes, and wipes blood off his forehead. He raises Trevor up with telekinesis.
Keith - “Explosive perimeter? How uninspiring, Trevor.”
Keith telekinetically slices across Trevor’s forehead.
Keith - “That was your big plan?!”
Keith telekinetically slices down Trevor’s right face through his eye. Trevor screams out loud.
Keith - “This is one big disappointment.”
Trevor - “Sorry, I just love the classic’s.”
Keith - “Famous last words. I’m going to just finish this fast. I’m not a big fan of the outdoors.”
Trevor - “It’s the smell, isn’t it? I’m not too crazy about it myself.”
Keith is unimpressed and is about to slice him again when another explosion detonates right under him. Trevor goes flying. He lands and tries to stand. He looks down and his arm is missing. He is silent, and then crawls into the forest. The smoke is finally clear, camera zooms out for a wide shot, bodies are everywhere, revealing the enemy faction’s handiwork.
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
Camera angle zoomed up on Seal’s face. He read Future Trevor.
Seal - “Trevor, my Trev..umm…can I talk to you over here?”
Trevor’s nod at each other. Trevor walks over to Seal.
Seal - “Alternate realities?”
Trevor - “Do you believe him?”
Seal - “He believes himself.”
Trevor - “Again, he could just believe in his lies.”
Seal - “But Trevor…he’s a future you.”
Trevor - “Yeah…it may get confusing and I have this gut feeling to call him Steve. It feels right.”
Seal frowns.
Trevor - “My objective is to protect everyone that is a member of Undaunted. He has intelligence that may prove useful toward our survival.”
Seal - “And the whole ‘saving the multiverse’?”
Trevor - “Meh.”
The Trevor’s are conversing alone. Future Trevor is typing on Trevor’s e-reader.
Future Trevor - “This is everything I know.”
He passes the tablet to Trevor.
Trevor - “Their leader is a skilled telekinetic. This won’t be the easiest kill.”
Future Trevor - “Two Trevor’s are better than one.”
Trevor - “Ugh. Can’t believe you just said that. I wish I could shoot you.”
Future Trevor - “When else can I use that phrase?”
Trevor - “Ah, good point. Where’s Future James?”
Future Trevor laughs at the term. Then has a grim look. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a stopwatch, running.
Future Trevor - “I have to find him at certain points and times around the planet. His body…couldn’t perceive the space-time continuum anymore and the only thing that could anchor him for a limited time is the planet’s leylines.”
Trevor - “But if this works, your reality at least, will reset and you won’t have to worry about finding your James. You two won’t even have time to click your heels together…”
Future Trevor - “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Trevor - “Meaning it’s not really about your Earth anymore.”
Future Trevor - “Where is Azuteor?”
Trevor - “I don’t know, probably procrastinating for a physics exam…You thinking A-Squad?”
Future Trevor - “A-Squad.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
December 5, 2009
Commentary - The Beginning of the End - Part Three
I'm so happy I questioned my outline and this shifted story to the part three slot. It's a nice epilogue to the previous two while setting up more plots. Einstein, Walt Whitman, and Future Trevor have been on the list for awhile. I never imagined it'd be in the same story.
Anyway, here we are continuing directly after the end of part two and the story shifts back to Trevor. I noticed how he's always has his tech set up before hand and his dynamite on timer so here I threw in the bit of him tinkering. Apparently he knows how to hack a Kindle and turn it into a tablet PC, go figure. Must be from those years growing up on MacGyver. This scene also lends to the idea that Trevor feels he can't return to his hideouts right now because of past events and they might be compromised, too. So it seems like he's setting up something in Shawnee...without tipping off the park rangers.
I also had some fun including some operative terms in Trevor's dialogue. From studying Primatech's files for so long, he starting to talk like them, in a way. Very subtle but if anything it gets a giggle out of me. I also felt the need to bring back the compulsive side of his power, too, with the various quotes and references when he speaks to Sparkplug. And it always seems like Trevor is self-absorbed or two steps ahead of everyone so I planted that here when he's triangulating the Carnival and Sparkplug is still talking or he pulls the ol Batman and vanishes. Then there's the impiled joke that he wants to use Sparkplug as a glorified battery pack jumper.
Seal's opening scene was in the plans from when I had the massacre in mind. Toying with the rules of his power, I figured a horrific event like this is enough to mess with Seal's emotions and control of his power. Trevor knows this and tries to help him get his groove back. It was also an attempt on my part to explore a cynical side of Seal. Even guys like him can have a bad day.
After watching "The Fifth Stage" I did a quick edit of the story and integrated the episode into this story to make things mesh better and take care of continuity. I planned on having Trevor and Lydia meet but modified it after the episode, too. I hope people got the feel that Trevor didn't care or knew what Lydia's reading was before he stepping in there. He just wanted to establish to Lydia that he knows about Amanda and extended an olive branch to her. Never thought I'd quote Gretchen but it works. The Carnival is essentially the opposite of Undaunted. Both want to protect their own but it soon deviates after that. One stays of out of sight, One stays in plain sight. One makes money off their powers, one doesn't. And so on.
And sort of in the theme of the world turned upside down, Seal is down on his luck and Trevor reveals more about his own thoughts on love and such. And to top it off he uses Jennie Bowman, who is adorable, to help Seal remember. And part of it I used Charles Deveaux words with Peter in his precog dream from the season one finale, which is one of my favorite moments to date.
The Versa. Why not? I kept the explanation out, but I suspect Trevor asked Kutar for a car and he got this. It would have been comic gold but some things are best left out for a reason. And to signal that Seal got his powers back, he senses some evil things going down. I imagine this is when Samuel kills the drunk pitcher.
Then do the send off with one my favorite parts of an episode but equally tricky to execute, the montage of muted scenes with the Heroes theme. Walt Whitman is up there with Frost as a favorite poet of mine. But I was little miffed when I saw a Levis commercial that used some of the same verses I did. Go figure. Then just when you're in that mode of awe and the emotions are settling down...bang, I throw you a curve ball! Say hello to Mr. Future Trevor.
I found it logical and silly to make Future Trevor dressed in black and scarred like the rest of the Future Folk. So as one would guess, this sets up a new direction in the arc. A second Beginning of the End scenario! Didn't see that coming didja? So yes, there's going to be one-two more parts left before I take a break from writing this year. It'll address Future Trevor, how'd he get there, what does he want, what happened to his face and arm (I ain't waiting...Future Peter), will he convince our Trevor to do what he wants, will there be a phrase that involves a cheerleader?, all that and a bag of B-Story featuring another Undaunted figure.
Anyway, here we are continuing directly after the end of part two and the story shifts back to Trevor. I noticed how he's always has his tech set up before hand and his dynamite on timer so here I threw in the bit of him tinkering. Apparently he knows how to hack a Kindle and turn it into a tablet PC, go figure. Must be from those years growing up on MacGyver. This scene also lends to the idea that Trevor feels he can't return to his hideouts right now because of past events and they might be compromised, too. So it seems like he's setting up something in Shawnee...without tipping off the park rangers.
I also had some fun including some operative terms in Trevor's dialogue. From studying Primatech's files for so long, he starting to talk like them, in a way. Very subtle but if anything it gets a giggle out of me. I also felt the need to bring back the compulsive side of his power, too, with the various quotes and references when he speaks to Sparkplug. And it always seems like Trevor is self-absorbed or two steps ahead of everyone so I planted that here when he's triangulating the Carnival and Sparkplug is still talking or he pulls the ol Batman and vanishes. Then there's the impiled joke that he wants to use Sparkplug as a glorified battery pack jumper.
Seal's opening scene was in the plans from when I had the massacre in mind. Toying with the rules of his power, I figured a horrific event like this is enough to mess with Seal's emotions and control of his power. Trevor knows this and tries to help him get his groove back. It was also an attempt on my part to explore a cynical side of Seal. Even guys like him can have a bad day.
After watching "The Fifth Stage" I did a quick edit of the story and integrated the episode into this story to make things mesh better and take care of continuity. I planned on having Trevor and Lydia meet but modified it after the episode, too. I hope people got the feel that Trevor didn't care or knew what Lydia's reading was before he stepping in there. He just wanted to establish to Lydia that he knows about Amanda and extended an olive branch to her. Never thought I'd quote Gretchen but it works. The Carnival is essentially the opposite of Undaunted. Both want to protect their own but it soon deviates after that. One stays of out of sight, One stays in plain sight. One makes money off their powers, one doesn't. And so on.
And sort of in the theme of the world turned upside down, Seal is down on his luck and Trevor reveals more about his own thoughts on love and such. And to top it off he uses Jennie Bowman, who is adorable, to help Seal remember. And part of it I used Charles Deveaux words with Peter in his precog dream from the season one finale, which is one of my favorite moments to date.
The Versa. Why not? I kept the explanation out, but I suspect Trevor asked Kutar for a car and he got this. It would have been comic gold but some things are best left out for a reason. And to signal that Seal got his powers back, he senses some evil things going down. I imagine this is when Samuel kills the drunk pitcher.
Then do the send off with one my favorite parts of an episode but equally tricky to execute, the montage of muted scenes with the Heroes theme. Walt Whitman is up there with Frost as a favorite poet of mine. But I was little miffed when I saw a Levis commercial that used some of the same verses I did. Go figure. Then just when you're in that mode of awe and the emotions are settling down...bang, I throw you a curve ball! Say hello to Mr. Future Trevor.
I found it logical and silly to make Future Trevor dressed in black and scarred like the rest of the Future Folk. So as one would guess, this sets up a new direction in the arc. A second Beginning of the End scenario! Didn't see that coming didja? So yes, there's going to be one-two more parts left before I take a break from writing this year. It'll address Future Trevor, how'd he get there, what does he want, what happened to his face and arm (I ain't waiting...Future Peter), will he convince our Trevor to do what he wants, will there be a phrase that involves a cheerleader?, all that and a bag of B-Story featuring another Undaunted figure.
December 4, 2009
Part Five - The Beginning of The End - Part Three
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is sitting on a stump trying to modify an e-reader. He is inserting various components into the reader’s exposed compartment. Trevor closes the compartment back up and turns on the device. It chirps on and boots. After a few seconds, Trevor begins to touch the screen and skims through something. The camera angle swoops around and from Trevor’s point of view, he is looking at a list of messages that are running down the screen. The top of the screen reads “Urgent Requests.”
[Heroes Survival Game - Urgent Requests]
Up ahead, Mack Johnston walks out from the forest, without his signature baseball hat on. Trevor doesn’t look at him and continues reading.
Sparkplug - “Are we going to answer any of them, today?”
Trevor - “No. Seal approved a lockdown protocol and the word is being spread to whoever is still listening or cares.”
Sparkplug - “And that goes for recruiting, as well.”
Trevor - “Especially. Who knows if there is already grass planted.”
Johnston pauses, studying Trevor’s choice of terminology.
Trevor - “The Powers That Be often plant double agents abroad. It takes years, even decades before they are finally commissioned to complete their mission.”
[Lone Wolf and Cub]
Johnston - “A lot of us thought the same thing about you when you arrived without warning from Seal or Marc. But.”
Trevor - “But?”
Johnston - “Since then, most of us concluded on crazed loner, bud.”
[Justice League Unlimited “Flash and Substance”]
Trevor - “Mnn. Close enough.”
Johnston - “Ha. Sometimes, it still amazes me how we’re all together; protecting each other, fighting the good fight, and maybe even saving the world one day.”
Trevor looks up and puts the reader aside.
Trevor - “I’ve been hunted for two years, ten months, and four days by various people. But I hunted them back; criss-crossing the world, never staying in one place for long, that is until Undaunted came to my attention. Along the way, I always learned something new. Everybody has a talent, Mack, it was only a matter of moving around until you discovered what it is.”
[George Lucas]
Sparkplug - “But are you happy?”
Trevor - “…Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason, mastery demands all of a person.”
[Albert Einstein]
Sparkplug - “Huh. Whoever said that was no Einstein.”
Even Trevor laughs at this.
Trevor - “It’s all relative, I suppose.”
Sparkplug - “If you could, Trevor, would you change your past? Do something different?”
Trevor - “No. Another me somewhere in the multiverse made that choice. If I did, this conversation would become hypertime and the other reality would probably implode.”
Sparkplug - “How about if there were no multiverse, just the one?”
[Science, Comic Books]
Trevor - “Whatever happened, happened.”
[Lost]
Sparkplug - “Even if time was running out and you had to make a decision that would kill billions of people?”
Trevor - “Time is fickle. It’s not something you just fight and that’s the end. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a non-spatial continuum in which events occur linearly usually in the direction of increased entropy.”
[Justice League Unlimited “The Once and Future Thing” Part Two: Time Warped]
Sparkplug - “Alright. Say a future you showed up and gave you a set of instructions.”
[Volume One]
Trevor loses interest and picks up the e-reader. He suddenly sees something very important and focuses on it.
Sparkplug - “What is it?”
Trevor - “Looks like Undaunted is answering a message today, after all.”
Trevor stands up. Part of the message can be seen on the screen: “…found the Carnival…Amanda”
[Heroes Survival Game - Faction Message]
Sparkplug - “Need back up?”
Trevor - “Just need to triangulate then Google Map it…Ohio? Well, that’s too good to pass up. I need you for something else. Kutar and Kupe are summoning various electronics I requested for new infrastructure.”
[Google Maps and Heroes Survival Game characters in Undaunted]
Sparkplug - “On it. Be careful, eh?”
Trevor is already gone. Johnston laughs out loud.
[Batman]
Seal is knelt down in the middle of the graveyard. He cups his mouth with his right hand and both eyes are closed.
Trevor - “Even though we’re temporarily shielded and hidden from sight, you shouldn’t be alone out in the open.”
Seal turns around and sees Trevor standing near the forest.
Seal - “How in God’s name could He let this happen, Trevor?”
Trevor - “God doesn’t factor into this. We’re the ones who act as gods and that is always a dangerous game, Clark.”
[Volume Two - Hiro and Kaito Nakamura’s conversation]
Seal staggers up onto his feet.
Seal - “94 deaths and dozens have left in fear. We should…”
Trevor - “I agree. But we can’t recruit right now. We just have to find who’s still with us."
Seal - “Disband.”
Trevor - “Oh.”
Seal - “Undaunted started out to protect people. We didn’t do a very good job lately.”
Trevor - “It’s not your fault, Clark. Not anyone’s.”
Seal - “You’re one man. I am, too. We were hundreds in number and we still got caught offguard in the blink of an eye. Melody didn’t calculate it. The telepaths didn’t detect it. The precogs never saw it. Tell me how we could have known.”
[Melody Beatrix, Undaunted, Heroes Survival Game]
Trevor - “Come with me, Clark. This will do the both of us some good. It’ll help you realign your ability”
Seal - “How did…Where?”
Trevor - “You’ll see.”
The camera zooms in on Seal.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER…
SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN OHIO
Seal and Trevor are standing in the parking lot looking at a colorful sign: Sullivan Bros. Carnival.
Seal - “A Carnival? Never pegged you as the type, Trevor.”
Trevor - “You’re right. I’m not.”
Seal - “You have your gun, don’t you?”
Trevor - “Have I become that predictable? I must be in a rut…”
They walk forward into the entrance.
Seal is eating cotton candy and Trevor picks at popcorn.
Seal - “I’m not sure about this.”
Trevor - “Everything tastes better when you’re a child.”
Seal - “Wasn’t talking about the food.”
Trevor - “Neither was I.”
Seal - “What do we know about this Amanda?”
Trevor - “Today, she’s our pair of dice.”
Seal - “We all pegged you as a man of science.”
Trevor - “Faith has its place. Both intersect eventually.”
[Lost - Man of Science, Man of Faith]
The two walk past a Milk Can Toss booth. A burly man is playing as a young girl, Claire Bennet, and Gretchen Berg watch. They overhear an announcement for Lydia.
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage”]
Trevor - “Speak of the devil.”
They enter the tent. Lydia is sitting inside.
Lydia - “Hello, boys. Which one of you is paying?”
Seal - “Trevor, wait, she…”
Trevor holds Lydia’s hands. She closes her eyes and reads him.
Lydia - “You’re the one that got away, Trevor Tanaka. That is what you call yourself these days, isn’t it?”
Trevor’s face appears on Lydia’s arm as a tattoo. But the right side is obscured in darkness.
Lydia - “Living in two worlds…that must be difficult. The past and present intertwine. You yearn for someone left behind but put it aside for your people…Trevor, you can only have one life. You will become a great man, but you must make a choice.”
Trevor - “So it seems. Thank you, miss.”
Lydia - “You’re welcome. Thank you.”
Seal walks out. Trevor is about to but stops at the entranceway.
Trevor - “Are you the one that needs our help?”
Lydia - “Sorry. Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Trevor - “My mistake. Could you tell me where I can find Amanda Strazzulla’s mother?”
Lydia - “…”
Trevor - “We’ll be watching. When the time is right, Amanda will be extracted. Just don’t lose that cell phone.”
Lydia - “Enjoy the rest of the night, boys.”
Trevor and Seal continue walking through the Carnival.
Seal - “So we’re not rescuing this girl, tonight?”
Trevor - “Just nailing down the lay of the land. Every one of these carnies has an advanced ability. It won’t be a standard op.”
Seal - “But these people don’t have bad intentions…”
Trevor - “They’re super powered con artists, Clark. Completely opposite of how we do things.”
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage” - Gretchen Berg]
Seal - “Why am I here again, Trevor?”
They stop.
Trevor - “You came here because you needed to. When I look into your eyes, Clark, I see compassion, empathy and most of all, I see hope. This world won’t be saved on strength and smarts, alone. It needs heart. Love.”
[Volume One “How To Stop An Exploding Man” - Peter Petrelli and Charles Deveaux]
Seal is more than dumb-founded as Trevor motions him to look forward. The Bowman’s perform their act. Jennie Bowman lets out a pyrokinetic burst in a solo performance. She cheers at her accomplishment. Amanda steps forward and raises two columns of flames. They take acknowledge the crowd’s cheers and clapping, embrace each other, and leave the stage. Seal smiles.
Seal - “Love.”
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART THREE: NEVER THE END - in Heroes title font -
Trevor and Seal are leaving and are entering a blue Nissan Versa. Seal flinches in his seat. A flash of Samuel’s face appears in an instant and vanishes.
Trevor - “What is it, Spidey?”
[Spider-Man]
Seal - “We need to leave, fast.”
The Versa drives off.
A muted montage scene begins with the Heroes theme playing.
For we cannot tarry here
Elle Bishop storms down the hallway of Level 5. The inmates watch.
[Volume Three]
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger
Trevor points his gun out from the shadows.
[Phase Three]
We the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend
Matt Parkman holds his son. Hiro Nakamura and Ando Masahashi watch.
[Volume Four]
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Trevor walks up to a grassy field and sees Seal.
O you youths, Western youths
Hiro Nakamura, Ando Masahashi, and Kimiko Nakamura pose for their photo at the Carnival in Japan.
So impatient, full of action, fully of manly pride and friendship
Claire Bennet hugs Gretchen Berg and says her goodbyes at the Carnival.
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage”]
Plain I see you Western youths, see you tramping with the foremost
Samuel Sullivan and Lydia watch Claire and Gretchen.
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Dr. Mohinder Suresh smiles in glee as he cracks the password on his late father’s program in India.
[Volume One]
Have the elder races halted?
Charles Deveaux and Angela Petrelli have their final discussion together.
[Volume One]
Do they droop and end their lesson, wearied over there beyond the seas?
The Company founders quiet and pose for their group shot.
[Volume 2]
We take up the task eternal and the burden and the lesson
Peter Petrelli, Nathan Petrelli, and Matt Parkman discuss plans in Primatech Paper’s Level 3 Vault.
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
[Walt Whitman]
Trevor and Seal stand in the graveyard. Trevor pats his right hand on Seal’s shoulder. He nods and smiles. Seal says something and walks away. Trevor remains and stares at the graves.
All of a sudden, he turns around with his gun drawn. He is almost literally paralyzed with shock at what he sees. The camera pans around to see who it is. Trevor is aiming at another Trevor. The second Trevor’s right side is half cloaked in the shadow of the forest, just like Lydia’s tattoo.
The second Trevor walks forward two steps and reveals himself. He is dressed and layered in black much like Future Peter and Hiro. His right eye is covered up and a scar runs down it from his forehead to his cheek through the eye. Another scar goes horizontal across his forehead.
From the second Trevor’s point of view, Trevor slowly lowers the gun in disbelief. The camera rotates to give a full shot of the second Trevor. Noticeably, his right arm is missing as his empty sleeve flutters in the breeze. Zoom out as the two stare at each other.
TO BE CONTINUED…
SHAWNEE NATIONAL FOREST, ILLINOIS
THE GARDEN OF THE GODS
Trevor is sitting on a stump trying to modify an e-reader. He is inserting various components into the reader’s exposed compartment. Trevor closes the compartment back up and turns on the device. It chirps on and boots. After a few seconds, Trevor begins to touch the screen and skims through something. The camera angle swoops around and from Trevor’s point of view, he is looking at a list of messages that are running down the screen. The top of the screen reads “Urgent Requests.”
[Heroes Survival Game - Urgent Requests]
Up ahead, Mack Johnston walks out from the forest, without his signature baseball hat on. Trevor doesn’t look at him and continues reading.
Sparkplug - “Are we going to answer any of them, today?”
Trevor - “No. Seal approved a lockdown protocol and the word is being spread to whoever is still listening or cares.”
Sparkplug - “And that goes for recruiting, as well.”
Trevor - “Especially. Who knows if there is already grass planted.”
Johnston pauses, studying Trevor’s choice of terminology.
Trevor - “The Powers That Be often plant double agents abroad. It takes years, even decades before they are finally commissioned to complete their mission.”
[Lone Wolf and Cub]
Johnston - “A lot of us thought the same thing about you when you arrived without warning from Seal or Marc. But.”
Trevor - “But?”
Johnston - “Since then, most of us concluded on crazed loner, bud.”
[Justice League Unlimited “Flash and Substance”]
Trevor - “Mnn. Close enough.”
Johnston - “Ha. Sometimes, it still amazes me how we’re all together; protecting each other, fighting the good fight, and maybe even saving the world one day.”
Trevor looks up and puts the reader aside.
Trevor - “I’ve been hunted for two years, ten months, and four days by various people. But I hunted them back; criss-crossing the world, never staying in one place for long, that is until Undaunted came to my attention. Along the way, I always learned something new. Everybody has a talent, Mack, it was only a matter of moving around until you discovered what it is.”
[George Lucas]
Sparkplug - “But are you happy?”
Trevor - “…Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason, mastery demands all of a person.”
[Albert Einstein]
Sparkplug - “Huh. Whoever said that was no Einstein.”
Even Trevor laughs at this.
Trevor - “It’s all relative, I suppose.”
Sparkplug - “If you could, Trevor, would you change your past? Do something different?”
Trevor - “No. Another me somewhere in the multiverse made that choice. If I did, this conversation would become hypertime and the other reality would probably implode.”
Sparkplug - “How about if there were no multiverse, just the one?”
[Science, Comic Books]
Trevor - “Whatever happened, happened.”
[Lost]
Sparkplug - “Even if time was running out and you had to make a decision that would kill billions of people?”
Trevor - “Time is fickle. It’s not something you just fight and that’s the end. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a non-spatial continuum in which events occur linearly usually in the direction of increased entropy.”
[Justice League Unlimited “The Once and Future Thing” Part Two: Time Warped]
Sparkplug - “Alright. Say a future you showed up and gave you a set of instructions.”
[Volume One]
Trevor loses interest and picks up the e-reader. He suddenly sees something very important and focuses on it.
Sparkplug - “What is it?”
Trevor - “Looks like Undaunted is answering a message today, after all.”
Trevor stands up. Part of the message can be seen on the screen: “…found the Carnival…Amanda”
[Heroes Survival Game - Faction Message]
Sparkplug - “Need back up?”
Trevor - “Just need to triangulate then Google Map it…Ohio? Well, that’s too good to pass up. I need you for something else. Kutar and Kupe are summoning various electronics I requested for new infrastructure.”
[Google Maps and Heroes Survival Game characters in Undaunted]
Sparkplug - “On it. Be careful, eh?”
Trevor is already gone. Johnston laughs out loud.
[Batman]
Seal is knelt down in the middle of the graveyard. He cups his mouth with his right hand and both eyes are closed.
Trevor - “Even though we’re temporarily shielded and hidden from sight, you shouldn’t be alone out in the open.”
Seal turns around and sees Trevor standing near the forest.
Seal - “How in God’s name could He let this happen, Trevor?”
Trevor - “God doesn’t factor into this. We’re the ones who act as gods and that is always a dangerous game, Clark.”
[Volume Two - Hiro and Kaito Nakamura’s conversation]
Seal staggers up onto his feet.
Seal - “94 deaths and dozens have left in fear. We should…”
Trevor - “I agree. But we can’t recruit right now. We just have to find who’s still with us."
Seal - “Disband.”
Trevor - “Oh.”
Seal - “Undaunted started out to protect people. We didn’t do a very good job lately.”
Trevor - “It’s not your fault, Clark. Not anyone’s.”
Seal - “You’re one man. I am, too. We were hundreds in number and we still got caught offguard in the blink of an eye. Melody didn’t calculate it. The telepaths didn’t detect it. The precogs never saw it. Tell me how we could have known.”
[Melody Beatrix, Undaunted, Heroes Survival Game]
Trevor - “Come with me, Clark. This will do the both of us some good. It’ll help you realign your ability”
Seal - “How did…Where?”
Trevor - “You’ll see.”
The camera zooms in on Seal.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER…
SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN OHIO
Seal and Trevor are standing in the parking lot looking at a colorful sign: Sullivan Bros. Carnival.
Seal - “A Carnival? Never pegged you as the type, Trevor.”
Trevor - “You’re right. I’m not.”
Seal - “You have your gun, don’t you?”
Trevor - “Have I become that predictable? I must be in a rut…”
They walk forward into the entrance.
Seal is eating cotton candy and Trevor picks at popcorn.
Seal - “I’m not sure about this.”
Trevor - “Everything tastes better when you’re a child.”
Seal - “Wasn’t talking about the food.”
Trevor - “Neither was I.”
Seal - “What do we know about this Amanda?”
Trevor - “Today, she’s our pair of dice.”
Seal - “We all pegged you as a man of science.”
Trevor - “Faith has its place. Both intersect eventually.”
[Lost - Man of Science, Man of Faith]
The two walk past a Milk Can Toss booth. A burly man is playing as a young girl, Claire Bennet, and Gretchen Berg watch. They overhear an announcement for Lydia.
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage”]
Trevor - “Speak of the devil.”
They enter the tent. Lydia is sitting inside.
Lydia - “Hello, boys. Which one of you is paying?”
Seal - “Trevor, wait, she…”
Trevor holds Lydia’s hands. She closes her eyes and reads him.
Lydia - “You’re the one that got away, Trevor Tanaka. That is what you call yourself these days, isn’t it?”
Trevor’s face appears on Lydia’s arm as a tattoo. But the right side is obscured in darkness.
Lydia - “Living in two worlds…that must be difficult. The past and present intertwine. You yearn for someone left behind but put it aside for your people…Trevor, you can only have one life. You will become a great man, but you must make a choice.”
Trevor - “So it seems. Thank you, miss.”
Lydia - “You’re welcome. Thank you.”
Seal walks out. Trevor is about to but stops at the entranceway.
Trevor - “Are you the one that needs our help?”
Lydia - “Sorry. Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Trevor - “My mistake. Could you tell me where I can find Amanda Strazzulla’s mother?”
Lydia - “…”
Trevor - “We’ll be watching. When the time is right, Amanda will be extracted. Just don’t lose that cell phone.”
Lydia - “Enjoy the rest of the night, boys.”
Trevor and Seal continue walking through the Carnival.
Seal - “So we’re not rescuing this girl, tonight?”
Trevor - “Just nailing down the lay of the land. Every one of these carnies has an advanced ability. It won’t be a standard op.”
Seal - “But these people don’t have bad intentions…”
Trevor - “They’re super powered con artists, Clark. Completely opposite of how we do things.”
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage” - Gretchen Berg]
Seal - “Why am I here again, Trevor?”
They stop.
Trevor - “You came here because you needed to. When I look into your eyes, Clark, I see compassion, empathy and most of all, I see hope. This world won’t be saved on strength and smarts, alone. It needs heart. Love.”
[Volume One “How To Stop An Exploding Man” - Peter Petrelli and Charles Deveaux]
Seal is more than dumb-founded as Trevor motions him to look forward. The Bowman’s perform their act. Jennie Bowman lets out a pyrokinetic burst in a solo performance. She cheers at her accomplishment. Amanda steps forward and raises two columns of flames. They take acknowledge the crowd’s cheers and clapping, embrace each other, and leave the stage. Seal smiles.
Seal - “Love.”
UNDAUNTED - in Heroes title font - graces across the panel.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END - PART THREE: NEVER THE END - in Heroes title font -
Trevor and Seal are leaving and are entering a blue Nissan Versa. Seal flinches in his seat. A flash of Samuel’s face appears in an instant and vanishes.
Trevor - “What is it, Spidey?”
[Spider-Man]
Seal - “We need to leave, fast.”
The Versa drives off.
A muted montage scene begins with the Heroes theme playing.
For we cannot tarry here
Elle Bishop storms down the hallway of Level 5. The inmates watch.
[Volume Three]
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger
Trevor points his gun out from the shadows.
[Phase Three]
We the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend
Matt Parkman holds his son. Hiro Nakamura and Ando Masahashi watch.
[Volume Four]
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Trevor walks up to a grassy field and sees Seal.
O you youths, Western youths
Hiro Nakamura, Ando Masahashi, and Kimiko Nakamura pose for their photo at the Carnival in Japan.
So impatient, full of action, fully of manly pride and friendship
Claire Bennet hugs Gretchen Berg and says her goodbyes at the Carnival.
[Volume 5 “The Fifth Stage”]
Plain I see you Western youths, see you tramping with the foremost
Samuel Sullivan and Lydia watch Claire and Gretchen.
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
Dr. Mohinder Suresh smiles in glee as he cracks the password on his late father’s program in India.
[Volume One]
Have the elder races halted?
Charles Deveaux and Angela Petrelli have their final discussion together.
[Volume One]
Do they droop and end their lesson, wearied over there beyond the seas?
The Company founders quiet and pose for their group shot.
[Volume 2]
We take up the task eternal and the burden and the lesson
Peter Petrelli, Nathan Petrelli, and Matt Parkman discuss plans in Primatech Paper’s Level 3 Vault.
Pioneers! O Pioneers!
[Walt Whitman]
Trevor and Seal stand in the graveyard. Trevor pats his right hand on Seal’s shoulder. He nods and smiles. Seal says something and walks away. Trevor remains and stares at the graves.
All of a sudden, he turns around with his gun drawn. He is almost literally paralyzed with shock at what he sees. The camera pans around to see who it is. Trevor is aiming at another Trevor. The second Trevor’s right side is half cloaked in the shadow of the forest, just like Lydia’s tattoo.
The second Trevor walks forward two steps and reveals himself. He is dressed and layered in black much like Future Peter and Hiro. His right eye is covered up and a scar runs down it from his forehead to his cheek through the eye. Another scar goes horizontal across his forehead.
From the second Trevor’s point of view, Trevor slowly lowers the gun in disbelief. The camera rotates to give a full shot of the second Trevor. Noticeably, his right arm is missing as his empty sleeve flutters in the breeze. Zoom out as the two stare at each other.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)