Writer: C. A. E. Jones
9:56 AM 1/3/2010
[ EXT. BANKSIDE - NIGHT. : There are streetlights visible in the distance, but conveniently-placed eaves and white-washed brick walls surround the focus of the scene in such a way as to bathe it in shadow. A particularly clean wall dominates the right side of the image, and the camera moves as though to pan toward the front of the building, when a bright light appears in the shadows off to the left. Pan up, and an identifiable portion of a red Dollar-sign is visible on the building on the right. The camera keeps rising, but angles downward, so that instead of the building, the focus becomes a bird's-eye view of a figure that is walking with stature that appears confident toward the "$" building. Though the shadows keep most of the light off of the figure, it can be seen to be somewhat tall (though not overwhelmingly so), rather rigid, and perhaps a bit metallic (though there isn't enough light hitting it to tell for certain). ]
[ At street-level, the figure is more clearly visible (reference the end of the previous episode), now standing in front of the "$" building. The figure turns to face the building, then raises an arm. A beam of golden sparks is loudly discharged from the figure's arm toward the building, but it only makes a scorchmark on the otherwise clean brick wall. (In the light of the "zapping", it is clear that the figure is covered in or made of metal.). Red strobe-lights fade into existence from above. ]
[ The metal figure turns and walks off to the corner of the building and steps into the shadows. ]
[ EXT. CITY STREET - DAWN. : Two police cars, lights flashing and sirens wailing, are racing down the street, which is relatively empty. ]
[ EXT. BANKSIDE - DAWN. : One of the police cars pulls up and parks near the building, stopping its lights and sirens in the process; the other car slows and drives past, but its turn signal is on as it drives out of view. ]
[ Two police officers get out of the parked car and advance toward the building; one of them has his weapon drawn, the other with his hand on the handle in the holster at his side. The armed officer reaches for the door of the building once he is in reach, and finds that it won't open. ]
OFFICER1:
It won't open. Still locked, by the looks of it.
OFFICER2:
You think it was a false alarm?
OFFICER1:
I'm not convinced.
[ Officer1 steps back and turns his head to his left, surveying the side of the building. Officer2 follows his gaze, then suddenly raises a hand toward the scorchmark on the wall. ]
OFFICER2:
There. That doesn't look natural.
[ The officers approach the scorched part of the wall. Officer2 slowly puts the back of his hand near it. ]
OFFICER2:
It's still warm. Whatever caused that probably set off the alarm.
[ A walky-talky on Officer1 static-crackles to life. ]
OFFICER3 (over radio):
This is Tilner; we haven't found anything around back.
OFFICER1 (into radio):
We've got a fresh scorchmark on the front of the building. It's warm enough to have been left by our culprit.
[ Officer2 notices something off to the left and gestures to get Officer1's attention. ]
OFFICER1 (into radio, a little quieter):
We've got something at the corner; I'm checking it out.
[ Both officers move toward the corner of the building, though Officer1 soon winds up in front and turns to look into the shadows, where the previously seen figure is standing. ]
OFFICER1:
Please step into the light.
[ The figure steps forward, revealing not only its metal-covered body, but the pointed face. Officer1 takes a short step backward. ]
OFFICER1:
KPD. Investigating an alarm. We'll need your name and...
[ The figure raises an arm, and a jet of golden sparks fires from it, and Officer1 convulses as he is hit, then staggers back, dropping his gun in the process. ]
[ dissolve to... ]
[ EXT. CITY - DAWN. : An aerial view of the previous scene, though our view is far enough back that it is hard--if even possible--to distinguish familiar structures. ]
[ The nearby lights dim momentarily, then a golden-white, lightning-like beam blasts upward into the sky, beyond the limits of what can be seen, accompanied by a loud sound somewhere between thunder and high-voltage noise. ]
[ EXT. CITY - NEAR BANK - DAWN. : As the view moves, we hear and see glass windows shattering at the sudden ignition of the beam, which can finally be seen to be coming from an area in the shadows to the side of the "$" building. ]
[ EXT. BANKSIDE - DAWN. : Officer2 stands, shaking slightly near the edge of the building, weapon in one hand, Walky-talky in the other. ]
OFFICER2:
We have an officer down!
[ The walky-talky is only emitting static. ]
[ The metal-covered figure has moved back into the shadows, though the light from the beam reflects from some of it. ]
[ Pan up and to the left until the view is nigh entirely the beam against the sky. ]
[ Dissolve... ]
[ INT. DEPARTMENTSTORE - DAY. : It is somewhat quiet, though the noise of customers and employees walking about and chattering can be heard all around (minimal echo). The floor is mostly linolium, though a few areas--particularly those covered in clothes racks--are carpeted. Every few seconds, an employee walks past, carrying an armload of halloween decorations. ]
[ Gravitor, in casual atire (hereafter referred to as "Charles") walks sheapishly beside a middle-aged woman, Mrs. Lemburen, who is carrying a small brown purse over her shoulder. ]
MRS. LEMBUREN:
Why not work in stocking? You'd be good at that; you'd get to move around, and you could make the loads lighter. They'd give you a raise because of how good at it you'd be.
CHARLES:
And there's still no reason. We get paid well enough--
MRS. LEMBUREN (interrupting):
To get us out of those slums and into someplace where I can afford decent food and electricity. But that's just me, Charles. And I'm not in retirement. But that still doesn't cover your expenses.
CHARLES:
I'm not starving, they pay for my clothes... better than what it was six months ago.
MRS. LEMBUREN:
And what are you going to do with all of that time? They hardly even call you up; they aren't going to give you good money for doing nothing three weeks out of the month.
CHARLES:
Mom, I'll live. And it'll be legal. What more do you want?
[ Some muttering off to the background gets Charles's attention and he looks toward the source of the disturbance. ]
MRS. LEMBUREN:
All I want is...
[ Mrs. Lemburen sighs and follows Charles' gaze. ]
MRS. LEMBUREN (cont'd):
What is it now?
[ Several people are gathered around a set of stereo speakers that are on display nearby. ]
ANOUNCER (over speaker):
It sounds like radio signals are starting to clear up, but there's still a lot of interference from the area. Again, for those of you who are just joining us, there are confirmed sightings of a giant beam of light--witnesses describe it as endless lightning--coming from somewhere near street level near the First National bank off Kayeff County Road twenty-three. Some broken windows have been reported, and radio in the immediate area is experiencing a huge amount of interference; we'll keep you posted as more information comes in. And it seems like I'm getting the ok to start up that thirty minutes of commercial-free music I promised a minute ago, so when that's over we'll update you on this strange phenomenon...
MRS. LEMBUREN:
Does your "paycheck" cover repairing broken glass?
CHARLES:
If that beam keeps up, it probably will by the end of the week.
MRS. LEMBUREN:
What? We're nowhere near the phone; how will they contact you?
CHARLES:
I guess we'll have to go home.
MRS. LEMBUREN:
Charles...
CHARLES:
Ok, I'll put in an application tomorrow. Next week if I wind up with a tough job. Promise.
MRS. LEMBUREN:
That situation on the radio sounds pretty intense, even compared to what they've already had you work on. If you do get called out there, be careful, all right?
CHARLES (smirking):
Don't worry about me.
[ EXT. SKY - ABOVE TRAINTRACKS - DAY. : The camera is moving quickly; blue sparks occasionally flicker around the edges of the screen. In the distance, a train can be seen moving in the opposite direction of the camera (though the camera is both so high and at such a distance that there is no apparent threat of collision). As the train draws closer, a figure (unclear from the distance) streaks off of it, leaving a glittering trail of what can eventually be seen as ice behind. ]
FIERON (OS):
So, one of them has noticed.
[ Smoke from the train coils around the ice-trail just before it breaks free and is carried away by the wind in the train's wake. ]
[ INT. JET CABIN - DAY. : There is a considerable amount of noise in the background. Only two rows of seats are visible, one of which contains Wind and Hydron (in their customary costumes), and the other is occupied by two men in "BB" uniforms. Wind's eyelids seem heavy, as though she is awake only because of the noise of the jet. ]
[ Hydron massages her head near to one of her ears. ]
WIND:
Too loud, isn't it?
HYDRON:
It's not so bad. I think I will pick up earplugs after this is over, though.
WIND:
What? Sorry; I can't hear you over the jet.
HYDRON (A little louder):
I think I'll look for some earplugs when we're done.
WIND:
That's a good idea.
BLACK EAGLE (over loudspeaker):
This is your pilot speaking. We've finally confirmed that Agent Gravitor has been contacted and is on his way. We should be arriving at the Kayef County airfield in the next hour.
BB20:
If nothing happens on the ground before then, it's probably a waste of time and jetfuel.
[ The other "BB" agent nods. ]
WIND:
They call us at the crack of dawn, but somehow Charles is already out and they can't find him until now?
[ Wind yawns. ]
BLACK EAGLE (over loudspeaker):
Now base is saying the beam has been deactivated.
BB20:
What did I tell ya?
WIND:
Oh, great.
HYDRON:
Isn't it strange that it stayed on this long, though? And whoever's behind it has pushed back the police. I wonder why it'd go off now.
WIND:
Maybe the police finally got the guy. Anyway, I hope they pay for us to stay, 'cause I don't want to spend the rest of the day flying back in this thing.
[ EXT. BANKSIDE - DAY. : The metal-covered perpetrator stands over an object that looks as though it was previously in the shadows based on its position, but the movement of the sun has exposed its large metal coils to the light. Some coils are glowing red, as though with intense heat. ]
OFFICER4 (OS):
It looks clear. All units, move in!
[ The figure turns around, raises both arms so that its hands are directly in front of it. ]
[ EXT. BANKFRONT - DAY. : Several policecars have formed a blockade around the building, with at least one barier visible near part of the road. Several police officers are advancing for the building--specifically the left side--on foot with weapons drawn. ]
[ EXT. BANKSIDE - DAY. : Several police officers rush onto the scene... ]
OFFICER4:
Freeze!
[ The officers are met by a cloud of hot gas that is still bellowing outward from the ground; as visibility increases, the still-cooling metal contraption is visible, but there is no sign of the metal-covered figure. ]
OFFICER4:
What in the world...
OFFICER5 (Looking and pointing upward):
Up there!
[ EXT. ABOVE CITY - DAY. : Gunshots can be heard in the distance. ]
[ The camera pulls away from the area of the bank until another building's rooftop is clearly visible. Fieron stands stoicly atop it, gazing in the direction of the "$" building (off screen). ]
[ The camera continues to pan back--and now downward--to where Glacier stands beside the building atop which Fieron is standing, one hand on the wall, as though he is slightly out of breath, but refusing to show it. ]
[ As the camera focuses on Glacier, the sound of a man screaming can be heard from off screen, along with increased gunfire. There is the sound of movement from above, and Glacier looks up in time to see Fieron disappear in a streak of sparks that is moving toward the "$" building. ]
GLACIER:
... Fieron. And probably Eoce.
[ Glacier runs off screen toward the "$" building. ]
[ EXT. BANKFRONT - DAY. : Police officers are moving around the building, seemingly running around as though dealing with several unseen assailants. ]
OFFICER4 (Yelling into radio):
All officers, form a perimeter around the building. Form a perimeter...!
[ No more than five soccerball-sized objects float out of the front entrance of the "$" building and start swarming the officers threateningly. In a matter of seconds, the bots all fall to gunfire and baton-strikes, but the diversion enables the metal-covered figure to slip off to the left side of the building. After a moment, there is a loud noise from the left, and before the swat-team can return focus to the area, the beam ignites again, throwing a shower of flames and sparks over the surrounding pavement in the process. The closest officers are forced back, some defensively, others knocked off their feet by the beam. ]
[ As the officers converge on the area, we pull back to the area of the blockade, where Glacier stands atop a slowly rising block of ice. Once the ice-block is high enough, Glacier jumps off of it and over the blockade; as soon as he reaches the ground, he starts running toward the building. ]
[ As Glacier reaches the officers nearest the front of the building, one of them stumbles; three of the ground-bound bots (see episode 2) appear in the parking lot. ]
OFFICER5 (loud enough to be heard by those near him over the noise of the beam):
Watch your step; there are more of those remote-control car things on the ground.
[ Glacier kicks one of the bots, and as he does, a wedge of ice shoots out from his foot, striking it and sending it into an uncontrolled spin. ]
[ EXT. BANKSIDE - day. : The metal-covered figure stands between the source of the beam and the building, safely out of reach of the officers that are closing in on the area. The figure turns toward the police. It raises an arm as though to point groundward, and claws extend from the arm far enough to pick up a piece of pipe that lies on the ground. ]
OFFICER4:
Drop the pipe!
[ The figure turns and throws the pipe into the beam, causing another shower of sparks. After a few seconds of this, the pipe spins and flies out of the beam, glowing red. In mid air, it splits in half and dumps a storm of green sparks on the gathered officers. ]
[ The metal-covered figure walks toward the front of the building, as though the police aren't there. As some of the officers overcome the diversionary tactics and move in, the figure simply raises its right arm and extends the claws, violently throwing one of the officers into another. ]
[ A fist-sized ball of ice strikes the pointed face-area of the metal-covered one and shatters without doing any apparent damage. ]
OFFICER4:
Hold your fire! Has anyone managed to tase him?
[ Sparks issue from the figure's arm, striking Officer4 in the chest. ]
OFFICER6:
I've got him...
OFFICER5:
Wait! If you tase him now, it could make it worse on Detective Yawny.
[ The arm-sparks stop and Officer4 falls to the ground. ]
OFFICER5:
Now!
[ The metal-clad one extends its claw again and grabs an officer, using him as a shield as he advances toward the entrance of the building. A pair of ground-bots race about around the figure's feet to help keep the police away. ]
GRAVITOR (OS):
Put him down!
[ Gravitor and Wind descend from over the blockade and land beside Glacier, who forms a spear of ice in his left hand. ]
[ The figure turns and throws the officer on his claw into a window of the bank, shattering the glass. ]
OFFICER5:
Civilians, stay behind the blockade!
[ There is an explosion, the sound of fragments of metal dstriking the pavement, and the beam dies. ]
[ EXT. BANKSIDE - DAY. : The metal contraption that formerly gave life to the sky-splitting beam now lies in smoldering ruin, Black Eagle standing several meters back with a hand outstretched. ]
BLACK EAGLE (loudly):
Their uniforms may be ridiculous, but right now they have authorization to cross the baricades.
[ A BB agent kneels near the wreckage of the beam-machine. ]
BB20:
It looks like there's an extention cord over here.
BLACK EAGLE:
Nice work.
[ Black Eagle turns to follow the cord, and suddenly glares. ]
BLACK EAGLE (cont'd):
You...
[ At the other end of the cord stands Fieron, who holds it near to one end, which seems to be plugged into the wall of a different building that is in reach. ]
FIERON:
I can't say I expected that.
[ Black Eagle slowly, but in long strides, makes his way toward Fieron while he speaks. ]
BLACK EAGLE:
You should have. We're going to be following a beacon in the sky, especially if it lasts for over six hours.
FIERON:
I see. So you were surprised.
BLACK EAGLE:
Let go of the cord, Fieron.
[ Lights in the eves of the building near which Fieron stands shatter, and four hovering bots descend to between five and six feet above the ground, flying menacingly between Fieron and Black Eagle. ]
BLACK EAGLE:
What is this mess?
[ Black Eagle punches a bot out of the air, but recoils as it shocks him in the process. ]
[ EXT. BANKFRONT - DAY. : The metal-clad figure enters the "$" building through a hole in a window. Hydron has joined Glacier, Gravitor and Wind in the parking lot. ]
GRAVITOR:
Great; he went inside.
WIND:
I thought these places had high-tech security doors that lock the place down at times like this?
GRAVITOR:
That was a window. Come on!
[ Gravitor and Wind run for the opening, with Glacier and Hydron moving more slowly in the rear. ]
HYDRON:
It's weird that he waited until we were here to go inside. And they said he turned off the beam.
GLACIER (clearly tired):
He did.
OFFICER6:
Hey, wait!
[ Police officers are helping Officer4 get out of the path of the action; some are moving toward the side of the building where Black Eagle and Fieron's confrontation is taking place, and others are moving in on the opening through which Taoe has now run. ]
[ INT. BANK LOBBY - DAY. : The lights are out, though in the light from the broken window, a police officer is visible lying on the ground in a pile of broken glass, apparently unconscious at best. ]
[ The metal-covered figure is already a good distance away from the front of the room when Taoe enters, followed by Officer6 and another policeman; Officer6 crouches beside the fallen policeman. ]
OFFICER6:
He's out cold... it looks like he's still breathing, though.
GRAVITOR:
He's getting away!
WIND:
Shanan, can you catch him?
OFFICER6:
Hey, wait!
[ Hydron takes water form and rushes after the metal-covered one. ]
OFFICER6:
... Did... you see that?
[ INT. BANK HALLWAY - DARK. : The only light comes from strobing security lights, accompanied by ambient alarms. The only other noise in the area is the footsteps of the metal-clad figure, who steps into the middle of the frame, then stops. ]
[ Water rushes past the figure--somehow not obstructing its footing at all--and rises in front of it, taking human-Hydron-form. ]
HYDRON:
Won't you at least make demands instead of--
[ The figure raises an arm (Opposite the previously-seen spark-and-claw-arm; preference for left), and flames erupt from it; Hydron gives a yelp, then falls back and returns to water form. ]
WIND (OS, yelling):
Shanan!
GRAVITOR (OS, yelling):
Stop right there!
[ The figure turns away from them and keeps walking down the hallway. ]
[ Gravitor, Wind and Glacier make chase; by now, two police officers are behind them, likewise in pursuit. ]
[ Water-Hydron rises into a six-foot high wave and slams into the figure, with no effect. ]
GRAVITOR:
Not so fast...!
[ Gravitor tenses, slowing as he does. ]
GRAVITOR (cont'd):
Eat ceiling!
[ The figure starts to fall upward, but suddenly turns sideways and rockets down the hallway, leaving a cloud of hot gas in its wake. ]
WIND:
I'll clear the gas!
[ A powerful gust of air blows the gas aside. ]
[ The lights and alarm both die, leaving the hall in total darkness. ]
[ Some of the running stops; Wind runs into Gravitor before stopping, resulting in audible shouts from both. ]
OFFICER6:
This place has back-up generators; is someone telling me those just died, too?
[ EXT. BUILDINGSIDE - DAY. : Fieron still stands near the wall, while a few bots harass Black Eagle. ]
[ Black Eagle blasts one of the bots to smitherines. Near him, BB20 aims a taser at a bot. ]
BLACK EAGLE:
I didn't take Eoce for the type that would protect you.
FIERON:
Who said anyone was protecting me?
[ There is a loud crack from somewhere offscreen but nearby, as though a firecracker has gone off (distinct from the previously-heard gunfire). ]
BLACK EAGLE:
What was that?
BB20:
Sounded like a transformer blowing.
BLACK EAGLE:
that can't be good.
[ The two surviving bots fly toward the power outlet near Fieron's hand. Blue sparks flow from Fieron's hand and form a net between the outlet and the bots; upon hitting it, the bots are diverted up the side of the building. ]
BLACK EAGLE:
What are you up to, now?
FIERON:
Aren't you going to destroy them, Black Eagle?
BLACK EAGLE:
And damage the building? Nice try. I've got a better idea!
[ Black Eagle extends his fists toward Fieron. Fieron brings his hands in front of him, bringing the bot-diverting net with them to block a burst of sparks from Black Eagle. ]
[ Above, the bots connect with the broken lights in the eves, and sparks start flowing between them and the building. ]
[ The cloud of light between Black Eagle and Fieron intensifies with their struggle. Though Fieron is against the building, Black Eagle seems to be exerting more visible and audible effort. ]
BLACK EAGLE (struggling):
Someone... hit him... with... tear gas!
[ INT. BANK HALLWAY - DARK. ]
WIND:
Does noone have a flashlight?
[ Water can be heard gathering into one place. ]
HYDRON:
He's still here...
[ The figure, hereafter referred to as Eoce, is illuminated at one end of the hallway by his customary spark-zap, but only for a fraction of a second. ]
GRAVITOR:
What; are you playing games with us, now?
[ There is another burst of light, this time orangeish. ]
WIND:
More gas...
GRAVITOR:
He's heading upward...
[ EXT. BUILDINGSIDE - DAY. : Black Eagle is still engaged in his struggle with Fieron, with a BB agent on either side, and police officers encircling the scene. ]
FIERON:
You're wasting your effort. Eoce is making his move.
[ The outlet near Fieron starts to give off sparks. ]
BLACK EAGLE (struggling):
Shut... up...!
[ The bots above, now enveloped in sparks, fly out of their sockets like bullets. One of them strikes the ground and explodes, throwing sparking shrapnel at the surrounding policemen and BB agents. The other strikes Black Eagle in the shoulder and explodes, and he lets out a yell of pain and rage as he falls back in a cloud of sparks. A BB agent rushes to his side, while the other takes a shot at Fieron with his taser. ]
FIERON:
Don't say I didn't warn you.
[ Fieron extends his hand and it is clothed in light flames that force the taser out of the BB agent's hand. ]
OFFICER5:
Don't move!
FIERON:
Me? Now's a bad time for that.
OFFICER5:
Get on the ground.
FIERON:
Aren't you forgetting the one that broke into that bank that you all have your backs to?
OFFICER5:
I said get on the ground!
[ There is another explosive electronic sound. This time, the wind starts moving in response, and the loose debris between the two buildings starts to swirl higher and higher as a result. ]
FIERON:
The ground isn't a safe place right now, is it?
[ The police and BB agents are looking around in alarm. ]
[ While everyone is distracted by the chaos, Fieron leaps up and away from the building, flying toward the "$" building in a lightning-quick streak of sparks. ]
[ INT. BANK STAIRWELL - DIM. : There is light from off screen (from ahead and to the right); the noise from before is even louder, and resonating throughout the building. ]
[ Gravitor, Wind and Glacier are rising quickly through the stairwell. ]
GRAVITOR:
I think he went for the roof; the door's still open!
[ Hydron's water form rushes up and toward the light, disappearing off screen. ]
WIND:
Can you lighten up on the gravity-shifting?
GRAVITOR:
That's not me! Ow...
OFFICER6 (OS from below):
Hey! Wait! Knock it off, would you?
[ Gravitor, Wind and Glacier quickly rise toward the light; Officer6 is left clutching to the railing of the stairs below, unable to keep his feet on the ground. ]
[ ]
[ EXT. BANK ROOFTOP - DAY. : The middle of the rooftop is home to a blazing disk of white light that is at least ten feet in diameter. The light flickers and pulses as though fighting back some other image, though none is ever visible (no between-frames-background is necessary). Eoce stands firmly on the side of a squat chimney-like exhaust-vent to the right of the light-disk. The opening in the building leading to the roof is visible, though the door that previously covered it has only partly been retracted into the building, its edges not quite fitting due to what appear to be distortions due to rapid melting; some molten metal is still visible dripping from the door, though it is quickly caught in the air and falls into the light-disk. ]
[ A large volume of water flows out of the building and toward the light-disk. It begins to take human shape, but before it can, it falls into the light-disk and disappears. ]
[ Gravitor falls through the opening and takes hold of the frame of it as his feet are pulled toward the light-disk by an unseen force. Wind falls through with less control over her hands. ]
WIND (screaming):
Charles, do something!
GRAVITOR:
Grab on!
WIND:
I can't!
[ an ice-bar extends from the opening and manages to reach between Wind's arm and her body just in time for her to grab it, less than ten feet from the light-disk. ]
[ Glacier is struggling to avoid slipping out of the opening and toward the light-disk, Ice forming all around his arms and shoulders in an attempt to harness him to the building. ]
WIND:
It's too slick; I can't hold on!
[ Wind loses her grip and screams as she falls into the light-disk and disappears from sight. ]
GRAVITOR:
Sara!
[ He yells as he struggles to avoid losing his own grip. ]
[ Eoce raises an arm, and flames shoot from it, striking between Gravitor and Glacier. Glacier's ice-harness melts on one side, and snaps on the other, and he slips and falls toward the light-disk. Gravitor's grip fails when the fire narrowly misses him, and he too falls. ]
[ On the opposite side of the hole, near another exhaust-vent, Fieron lands, though sparks and fire still leave a small aura around him, as he apparently struggles against the pull of the light-disk. ]
[ Eoce lowers his arms to his side, and the disk of light begins to spin rapidly before collapsing into a line, then a single point; the wind atop the building whirls once the light dies, then slowly calms. ]
[ Fieron's aura fades and he steps out from behind the exhaust-vent and approaches Eoce. ]
FIERON:
Why so much colateral damage, Eoce? Weren't you always the quiet one?
[ Eoce steps toward the visibly warped part of the roof above which the light-disk existed and stops, unmoving. ]
FIERON:
Still quiet, I see. Or... hear.
BLACK EAGLE (OS):
You can't get away so easily!
[ A beam of blue and white light and sparks flashes into existence, squarely reaching Fieron's head... only to be blocked by another shield of sparks. ]
FIERON:
Idiot.
[ Another, smaller explosion of sound herolds another, smaller disk of light that flashes into light around Eoce before spinning and becoming a sphere. Eoce disappears in the light, and as it shrinks, Fieron spark-rushes into it. ]
[ Black Eagle lands, staggering, his shoulder visibly blackened and still smoking; the ball of light has by now shrunk into nonexistence, taking Eoce and Fieron with it. ]
BLACK EAGLE (Tired, furious):
They got away...
[ EXT. ABOVE CITY - AFTERNOON. : The camera moves higher, leaving Black Eagle alone on the roof of the "$" building. ]
BLACK EAGLE (shouting, echoing):
FIERON!
[ Fade to black. ]
[ Fade into EXT. WASTELAND - DAY. : The sky is grayish, the sun an awkward, unobstructed orb in the sky with an unusual silverish tinge. The ground is not free of grasses, though they appear mostly dead, other than some patches of meter-plus high weeds in the distance. Gravitor, Wind and Hydron are all sprawled across the ground, near to one another, but with no less than a foot between them. ]
WIND (groggy):
That... really... hurt...
[ Wind tries to get up, but only makes it to one knee, then gives a groan of frustration. ]
GRAVITOR (grimmacing as though in pain):
Hey, at least... you're in one piece.
WIND:
Are you ok? Where's Shanan?
HYDRON:
I'm here.
[ Hydron gets to her feet, clearly the least beaten up of the group. ]
GRAVITOR:
Anyone seen Glacier?
[ Gravitor struggles to get up, stops briefly and leans heavily on one leg as though the other is in pain, then manages to stand. Wind joins him. ]
HYDRON:
He's over there.
[ Glacier is crouched in the shadow of a building several meters away, holding up what appears to be a hastily-made ice-umbrella over his head with one hand, while the other slides over his shoulders and side as though checking for holes. ]
WIND:
Hey... Are you ok?
[ The standing trio approaches the building. ]
GLACIER (Fighting back pain):
Stay back.
[ The others stop, though seem confused. ]
[ Glacier makes his way away from the building, getting to his feet in the same struggle. He keeps the ice-umbrella up, angled toward the building slightly. ]
WIND:
What... is this place?
[ The building appears to be large, though it isn't any more than two stories high at most at the current venue. It appears to be constructed from a pattern-free mix of concrete and steel, as though strips of each of random widths were put beside one another until a building formed. ]
GLACIER:
Where Eoce sent us.
WIND:
The guy that was working with Fieron and Hoita... Is that who we were chasing?
GRAVITOR:
Whoever he was, he went to a lot of trouble to get us here. Where are Black Eagle and the police?
HYDRON:
He wanted us. And just us.
WIND:
What makes you say that?
HYDRON:
That beam... he was trying to get attention. He could have escaped the police and us whenever he wanted. When we were in the bank and the lights went out, he kept leaving signals for us to follow.
WIND:
Then why'd he take the lights out in the first place?
GLACIER:
To open the portal.
WIND:
Portal? What portal?
GRAVITOR:
Whatever we fell through, it wasn't normal. The closer we got to it, the harder it got to use my power.
HYDRON:
I don't remember if I changed back or not. I'm not sure I remember falling through...
WIND:
But... if it was a portal, then where did he send us? And why? And... how is any of this even possible?
HYDRON:
Don't forget what we can do.
WIND:
But what we can do at least makes a little sense. ... Well, what I can do does. Even Fieron's powers make a little sense. But... portals?
[ INT. CONTROLROOM - DAY. : Eoce stands in a mostly metallic room, lit by fluorescent lights from the ceiling. The wall in front of him is mostly covered by banks of equipment, some with complex graphical displays and switches, some with generic qwerty-style keyboards, some with what appear to be modified arcade-controllers. Fieron stands behind and beside Eoce, following his gaze to a particular display. ]
[ Eoce presses a button on the nearest console, and a six-way split-screen view appears on the central monitor, showing four dark-and-empty rooms, one view of a barren landscape like the one scene outside, and the view of Taoe outside. Eoce presses another button, and the monitor shows only the Taoe scene. ]
GRAVITOR (over speaker):
Whatever it was, I'm not convinced he was trying to keep us alive. That was rough.
GLACIER (over speaker, bearly audible):
He wasn't.
FIERON:
Impressive. But that elaborate stunt of yours wasn't just to bring them here, was it?
[ Eoce begins adjusting various other controls. ]
FIERON:
You could have taken more care to deliver them unharmed. Wouldn't they be more valuable alive?
EOCE:
They opposed me; they are more valuable incapacitated.
FIERON:
Their powers are unique; they are more easily studied alive, are they not?
EOCE:
I've shown enough mercy to the people that stand in my way. And to those that question my judgment.
[ Eoce turns from his equipment. As he turns, the claw extends from one of his arms and slashes Fieron across the chest. ]
[ Fieron lets out a growl of pain as he staggers back, sparks flashing around him. ]
FIERON (struggling not to show pain in his voice):
Left myself... wide open...
[ Fieron spark-streaks past Eoce and stops in front of a console, pressing a button. ]
[ Eoce keeps turning toward Fieron, but Fieron is protected by his spark-field when Eoce's next attack comes at his back. ]
[ A line of light splits the air to the right of the bank of equipment, and the light-disk erupts into existence. Fieron flies into it, and Eoce quickly slams a hand down on the console, deactivating it as quickly. ]
[ Once Fieron and the portal are gone, Eoce turns his attention to the equipment before him and presses another button. ]
[ EXT. WASTELAND - DAY. : Taoe still stands on the edge of the shadow of the building. ]
[ Wind and Gravitor look around searchingly. ]
WIND:
... Guys... any ideas on how we get out of here?
GRAVITOR:
It's not like we have a lot of options.
[ Gravitor faces the building; Wind and Hydron face Gravitor. Glacier's focus remains unchanged. ]
WIND:
Do you see a way into that building?
GRAVITOR:
No, but the way it looks, it'd probably be easy to find one. Or make one.
[ Wind sighs and looks away. ]
WIND:
Well, I guess there's not--
[ A loud, mechanical noise has everyone watching the side of the building, where a metal panel has begun to slide into the wall, revealing an opening big enough for three people to pass through shoulder-to-shoulder; the other side of the opening, however, is bathed in darkness. (If the floor near the entrance is visible, it should appear cement-gray.) ]
GRAVITOR:
Well, I'm convinced he wants us in there.
WIND:
If we don't go in there, the only other choice is...
[ Wind looks out into the seemingly endless barrenness surrounding the building. ]
WIND (cont'd):
... to hope there's something out there.
[ Glacier approaches the opening while the others speak. ]
GRAVITOR:
He wasn't exactly gentle getting us here; if Eoce opened that door, do you think anything good will be on the other side?
HYDRON:
He knows we don't have a choice.
GRAVITOR:
Do you think you can take a look around first?
[ Glacier throws his ice-umbrella through the opening, and watches it until it vanishes in the darkness beyond; the sound of the ice striking the hard, cement-or-concrete floor can be heard, accompanied by the sound of the ice fragments scattering, and enough of an echo to imply that the room is spacious, but not unbound. ]
WIND:
Did you see something?
GLACIER:
No.
WIND:
What'd you throw ice in for, then?
GLACIER:
Probing.
[ Wind looks as though she is about to say something, but sighs instead. ]
HYDRON:
The room sounds empty, and we know there's a floor. We might as well take a look.
[ Glacier steps through the opening, followed by Gravitor, Hydron, and Wind. ]
[ INT. DARKROOM - DARK. : Other than a small amount of light from the opening in the wall, the room is completely dark. Taoe is just visible in the reach of the light. ]
GLACIER:
Stay close.
GRAVITOR:
Who made you the expert?
[ Glacier starts walking; Wind and Hydron follow, though Gravitor pauses momentarily. ]
WIND:
Charles?
[ Gravitor starts walking alongside Wind. ]
GRAVITOR:
Hmm. Nothing. I just thought--
[ There is a flash of bright, blue-green light from ahead. At the same time, the light from the opening (if still visible) disappears as the door shuts automatically. ]
WIND:
What was--
[ Wind and Gravitor both give audible shouts of surprise; a vocalization of some kind might even be heard from Glacier. ]
[ There is a flash of blue light seemingly from around the group, in which it can be seen that everyone has fallen into a fresh hole in the ground roughly a meter deep, and are beneath a large-but-tightly-fitting dome of ice, from which the flash seems to have originated. ]
GRAVITOR:
Glacier? What's going on?
GLACIER:
Cincatron radiation.
WIND:
What about the hole in the floor?
GLACIER:
That... was unexpected.
HYDRON:
There's some kind of radiation in here. The flashes happen when something moves faster than light can through a medium, like the ice.
WIND:
Faster than... what?
HYDRON:
We need to get out of here.
WIND:
Yeah, but there's nowhere to go...
GLACIER:
We have to move.
WIND:
But...
GLACIER:
Speed or death.
GRAVITOR:
All right; I'll try and lighten us.
[ Another chunk of the floor audibly collapses in front of them, but this time the group slides up and out of it; a faint glow reveals the small ice-trail used to push them. ]
[ Hydron takes water form--flashing blue a bit at first--and rises up around the group in the ice, pushing it forward; Wind and Gravitor shout briefly at the sudden acceleration in the flood. ]
[ INT. COILROOM - DARK. : It is pitch black. ]
[ The noise of the ice-dome and its passengers being flood-born can be heard as though from a distance, though it rapidly approaches. There is a brief blue-violet glow filling the air, in which the dome-and-flood can be seen rapidly approaching a wall. The glow fades at the same time that a loud mechanical sound starts, similar to that of the first door sliding shut. ]
[ There is a loud BANG! as the dome crashes into the wall, followed by a loud click as the door shuts, sealing the group in another room. ]
WIND:
Everyone ok?
GRAVITOR:
You mean besides radiation poisoning?
WIND:
Yes.
[ An enormous stream of golden sparks shoots from above, striking the center of the dome. The dome immediately shatters, and Wind, Gravitor and Glacier are thrown off of their feet, landing a distance from where the beam strikes the ground; the beam does not stop, but continues. ]
WIND:
... Everyone still ok?
GRAVITOR:
You mean besides the giant deathbeam that just tried to kill us?
[ Hydron takes human form near to Wind; the light from the beam is enough to see that the room is much smaller than the previous, though still several meters on each side. ]
[ The beam begins to move as though seeking those in the room, and Gravitor rolls out of its path to wind up stuck in a corner. ]
[ Glacier stands nearest the beam, holding up a long bar of ice that he slowly tips toward it. ]
WIND:
Shanan...
HYDRON:
I think the radiation isn't in this room.
WIND:
Yeah, but something else is... and... what is he doing?
[ Sparks from the beam jump toward Glacier's ice-bar, slowly increasing until it seems that the entire beam will follow. ]
WIND:
Hey! Stop that! You'll get electricuted!
GLACIER:
Shut it down!
WIND:
What?
HYDRON:
Where's it coming from?
GRAVITOR:
Up there!
[ Gravitor points to the beam's point of origin near the top of the back wall, where a gently-glowing metal coil surrounds the base of it. ]
HYDRON:
I'll Get it.
[ Wind grabs Hydron's arm. ]
WIND:
Wait! Are you sure that will work?
HYDRON:
It might.
WIND:
Charles, are there any pieces of Glacier's shield lying around?
GRAVITOR:
Huh?
[ Gravitor Looks around the ground. ]
GRAVITOR (cont'd):
Yeah, there's some ice over here...
WIND:
Can you throw it at the coil?
GRAVITOR:
I change gravity; I'm not telekinetic. It'll hit it; there's no telling how, or if it won't hit the beam first.
WIND:
Leave that to me! Just hurry!
[ Glacier's ice-bar splits in two, and the top part falls away in a cloud of mist; another bar pushes upward from his hand, but the beam now seems to be pushing him back and toward the ground. (Glacier has his free hand on his knee.) ]
GRAVITOR:
Ok; ice falling toward death-coil... now!
[ A few pieces of ice from the ground accelerate upward; their paths converge as they fall, though they are spinning and uncontrolled until the wind picks up around them and spreads them out so that their sharpest-looking sides are all facing upward like a trident. ]
[ The ice strikes the coil, and all but one piece bounce off and start to circle it; the other stabs into part of it before exploding into tiny fragments that quickly vanish in a cloud of sparks and steam. The other ice-pieces slide along the coil before stopping, leaving trails of spark-lit steam on their paths before they two burst into steam and sparks. The beam dims considerably, but threatens to return to full strength. ]
[ Water-Hydron collides with the coil from below, and it is obscured in a cloud of steam. ]
WIND:
This had better stop it...
[ Wind picks up a somewhat flat piece of ice from the floor near her and throws it toward the steam-cloud; there is a sound like unto shattering glass, and the beam suddenly thins, whips away from Glacier and toward the wall, and shatters into a shower of sparks. The coil explodes from the wall and unravels into burning fragments of cable that fall to the ground and burn into smoke. Everyone in the room dives for cover as the storm continues and the room fills with smoke. ]
[ Water-Hydron descends to the floor, surrounded in a cloud of steam, then returns to human form beside Wind. ]
WIND:
Is it gone?
[ The room falls into darkness once more. ]
HYDRON (Coughing slightly):
I think so.
[ A line of light appears near the floor as the sound of another door opening begins. The wall below the coil is slowly sliding upward, and there is some faint light from beyond. ]
WIND:
Not another one...
GRAVITOR:
Are you going to stop complaining any time soon?
WIND:
There's plenty to complain about! Some mad scientist dragged us to some super-secret lair just to try and kill us!
[ The smoke in the coil room thins enough with the now fully-open door to render the lightsource visible. The revealed room is at least as large as the Coil Room, though the ceiling isn't visible; the light comes from several square, fluorescent panels in the back wall of the revealed room that are over seven feet above the floor. ]
GRAVITOR:
At least there's light this time.
HYDRON:
And it's not Gamma-rays.
WIND:
And there's probably another deathtrap.
[ Gravitor turns and kicks the wall where the entrance of the coil room used to be. ]
GRAVITOR:
It doesn't look like there's any turning back.
[ INT. COMPRESSOR - DAY. : Glacier, Hydron, Wind and Gravitor enter and make their way to the center of the room before the door starts to slide shut. ]
WIND:
The door!
[ A mass of ice starts forming around Glacier's arm as he turns toward it. By the time he gets to the door, it is already below the height of his shoulders; he places the ice between it and the floor, though the ice is split in two, the part in the room shooting away from the door and nearly knocking Glacier off his feet. ]
GRAVITOR:
Great. Another sealed room.
HYDRON:
Not quite. Look at the floor.
[ Everyone does. Most of the floor consists of tiny holes, other than a few sections of equal size near each edge of the room. ]
WIND:
Drains?
GRAVITOR:
Or vents.
[ The floor shutters, then the lights in the wall appear to sink. ]
WIND:
Is it just me... or is the floor moving?
[ The floor starts moving more quickly. ]
[ Glacier stands up and a collumn of ice grows outward from him. He steps back from it as it gets taller, and before a second one has grown very far, the collumn strikes the ceiling hard, and the floor shutters violently. ]
GRAVITOR:
That... isn't going to hold for very long...
WIND:
Can't you make the floor heavier or something?
GRAVITOR:
I'm trying...
WIND:
Try harder!
HYDRON:
Sara, are you moving the air?
WIND:
No...
HYDRON:
Something is...
[ Glacier steps toward the center of the room as his next ice-pillar reaches the ceiling. ]
WIND:
... What?
HYDRON:
The air was being pulled out through the ceiling?
WIND:
What? But all those vents...
GRAVITOR (Straining):
Those vents... are... for something else...
HYDRON:
Hmm.
[ Hydron takes water form and disappears through the holes in the floor. ]
[ Glacier starts another ice-pillar and moves to another part of the room. ]
WIND:
Can't we push this down?
GRAVITOR (a bit irritated):
Still working on stopping it...
[ A large volume of steam rises from the holes in the floor, and becomes Hydron's human form. Hydron is panting. ]
WIND:
Shanan? Are you ok?
HYDRON:
Whatever's down there... it's hot.
GRAVITOR (straining):
All the... pressure up here...
WIND:
Could you get out the door?
HYDRON:
No.
GLACIER:
There is one way out.
[ He walks over to the second pillar. ]
WIND:
Are you sure that's a good idea?
HYDRON:
You can control the air, can't you?
WIND:
Yes, but...
[ Another wall of ice pushes the first aside, and Glacier steps away and builds another pillar in the corner. ]
WIND:
Ok, then. Be careful, Shanan.
[ Hydron nods, then becomes a cloud of steam that spirals into a tiny point in the ceiling (which is now nearly two meters from the floor). ]
WIND (surprised, a bit worried):
I've never seen her turn straight to steam like that...
GLACIER:
It's this place.
[ Glacier pushes the ice back under the hole in the ceiling. ]
WIND:
What are you doing! She can't get out now...
GLACIER:
That's not her plan.
WIND:
How do you know?
GRAVITOR (still struggling):
He seems to know an aweful lot.
[ INT. TANK - DIM. : The space is relatively small, and there are fans visible on three sides, though the wall seems to be rounded. ]
[ Steam rises to fill the chamber. It swirls a bit, unsuccessfully trying to gather into one spot. ]
[ The steam finally gathers into a water-claw, clinging to the wall of the chamber. It makes a slash at the closest fan, with no apparent result. The claw gradually grows, then coils around the base of the fan. More of the steam condenses along the wall around the fan, and keeps spiralling into the base of the fan until it starts to jump and slow and grind. The fan finally sparks and dies. The water makes its way out onto the wall, but as it moves away, the fan starts moving again. ]
[ INT. COMPRESSOR - DIM. : Most of the light in the room comes from the holes nearest the back wall, as the lights are mostly covered. ]
WIND:
What do you mean?
GLACIER:
Stopping the suction won't stop the floor or open the door. The wiring of the suction system should lead to what powers this room.
GRAVITOR (Still struggling):
Were you hanging out at the base before this mess started?
WIND:
Hey, yeah; you were at the bank before any of us.
[ INT. TANK - DIM. : The steam on the walls continues to gradually condense and ensnare the fan as it sparks and dies permanently. ]
[ INT. COMPRESSOR - DIM. : The room is starting to fill with steam and fog, some bellowing off of the ice-collumns, some rising slowly from the holes in the floor. ]
GLACIER:
I followed the beam.
GRAVITOR (struggling):
That... doesn't explain everything you said while we were outside...
WIND:
Hey, yeah. You knew it was Eoce,
GLACIER:
Fieron was there. The trap was for us. And...
[ INT. INSIDE WALL - DIM. : A thin stream of water negotiates the maze of cables surrounded by a hodgepodge of concrete, stone, fiberglass insolation and steel beams. ]
[ The water finally reaches a place where several sets of cables converge to one line leading into the back side of a wall. ]
[ INT. COMPRESSOR - DIM. : The ice-pillars are visibly bulging and cracking, as though they will be crushed at any second. ]
GRAVITOR (Struggling):
And... What? ... Gah... can you send something down there to help keep this thing down?
[ Glacier kneels over the holes in the floor and sends several thin ice-beams through them., though the volume of steam filling the room is increasing rapidly. ]
[ INT. CONTROLROOM - DAY. : In a tight space between the wall and dim gray machinery, several cables feed into outlets in the wall. Water and sparks flows out of the area surrounding one of these, slowly filling the tiny space and flowing out toward the edges. ]
[ Water-Hydron gathers beside the bank of equipment and takes human form, breathing heavily. ]
[ Only then does Hydron notice Eoce, who turns to face her, zapping her with his sparky arm. ]
[ Hydron struggles to move, pulling around Eoce to try and get at the consoles. She finally drops to the ground and starts crawling toward the consoles. ]
[ Eoce raises a foot and brings it down on Hydron's back. As he does, Hydron returns to water form and rushes to the opposite side of the room, quickly returns to human form, and makes a dive for a place on the console where two red buttons can be seen. One button is labeled "EMERGENCY: LOCKDOWN", and the other "EMERGENCY: EVACUATE". ]
[ Hydron manages to reach the "EVACUATE" button and press it, only to get hit in the side with Eoce's flamethrower. She gives a shout and falls back, retreating to the opposite side of the room. Eoce stays on her, but once she has had a chance to catch her breath, Hydron returns to water form and rushes back toward the consoles, rushing into the space behind them again. ]
[ INT. COMPRESSOR - DIM. : The floor stops vibrating, and slowly slides downward not quite a meter. ]
[ More loud mechanical noises fill the air. ]
WIND:
I hope that's our ticket out of here...
[ The front wall slides a couple feet above the floor. ]
WIND:
That's the same door we came through.
GRAVITOR:
It's better than nothing.
[ Gravitor relaxes. The floor stops falling. ]
GRAVITOR (cont'd):
I'd rather stay in there than fight a whole room until I die.
WIND:
Yeah, I guess. But what about Shanan?
GRAVITOR:
If the door stays open, she'll know where we went. Come on!
[ Wind hesitantly approaches the opening and slides through it. ]
WIND:
Ah! The floor's really hot!
GRAVITOR:
Thanks for the warning.
[ Gravitor Follows ]
[ INT. CONTROLROOM - DAY. : Eoce returns his attention to the consoles (Hydron's water form has completely vanished from sight). ]
[ Eoce presses the button labeled "EMERGENCY: LOCKDOWN". ]
[ INT. COILROOM - DIM. : There is light from the Compressor room. Another wall of the room sports an opening, this one into a dimly-lit coridor (though the floor and walls are the same style as seen so far). ]
[ Glacier lands beside Gravitor and Wind, just inside the coilroom with their backs to the compressor. ]
WIND:
Another door!
[ The door-sounds start again. ]
GRAVITOR:
And it's closing. Let's go!
[ Gravitor, Wind and Glacier run for the door and make it through as the door is roughly a foot above their general head-level. ]
[ INT. HALLWAY - DAY. : There is a rapidly closing door at the end of the hallway opposite the end from which Gravitor, Wind and Glacier enter. ]
WIND:
Now what?
GRAVITOR (still running):
That's the only door we have to try... we're going through whether Eoce likes it or not!
[ The door shuts just before Gravitor slams into it. ]
GRAVITOR (Panting):
Not... so... fast!
[ Gravitor presses himself against the door and strains against it. ]
WIND (From farther down the hall):
You might want to move.
[ Glacier charges at the door with a large mass of ice in front of him; Gravitor jumps out of the way. Glacier hits the door hard, but nothing happens. ]
GRAVITOR:
Hey, get back; my powers are a lot stronger in arms' reach.
[ There is a hissing sound as a translucent cloud enters the coridor from above and starts to diffuse throughout. ]
GRAVITOR:
Now what?
[ Glacier encases himself in a dome of ice ]
WIND:
Gas. Get in the dome; I'll hold it back!
[ Gravitor knocks on Glacier's ice-dome; Glacier pushes it up enough for Gravitor to crawl inside, then it falls again. ]
[ The wind picks up and the gas-cloud is focused into the center of the corridor. ]
WIND:
I think it's coming from the ceiling!
GRAVITOR:
You think you can shield us enough to break the source open without getting gassed?
[ There is a distant clanking sound. ]
GLACIER:
It'd be better to wait.
GRAVITOR:
Why's that?
[ A pair of the hovering bots descends from the ceiling. ]
GLACIER:
They have an entry point. So we have an exit.
[ Another pair of robots follows the first two; another pair comes out while Gravitor speaks. ]
GRAVITOR:
You're awesome. Since the gas is contained, how about we turn this into a weapon?
[ Together they cause the ice doom... ur... dome to fly at the robots, knocking many of them aside and causing them to scatter away from Wind, who is still holding back the gas ]
WIND:
The gas is still coming...
GRAVITOR:
Right. See if we can get to the hole those robots came through.
[ Gravitor turns his attention toward the robots, and a pair of them crashes together and falls inactive. ]
GRAVITOR (cont'd):
I think I'm going to be sore after the compressor...
[ Glacier throws ice orbs at the robots, knocking several out and causing more to fall back. ]
[ The robots take a V-shaped formation and advance, shooting out thin beams of electricity that seem to have a range of only a meter and a half. Another pair joins them from above. ]
WIND:
I can't fight and hold back the gas at the same time.
[ Wind kicks a robot that manages to zap her arm. ]
[ An ice-lance forms around Glacier's arm and he uses it to strike bots out of the air. Every few seconds, another pair of bots descends from above. ]
GRAVITOR:
How many of these things does this guy have?
[ Gravitor Sighs and moves toward the remains of the ice-dome and turns to face the bots. ]
GRAVITOR (cont'd):
Catch!
[ The ice-dome falls toward the bots. They move aside, but the dome still falls toward them, trapping several against the wall. ]
[ An ice-pillar grows from Glacier's feet, raising him toward the opening in the ceiling from which the bots originate. ]
[ The robots that are left swarm the pillar, chipping at it with their beams; a few try to get at Wind ]
[ Glacier lances the bots nearest him; with his free hand, he throws a spear toward the origin-point of the gas, but a bot takes the spear and falls, hitting an unseen area above the ceiling. ]
[ Glacier throws another spear into the opening, but it bounces back. ]
[ Water rushes out of the same area as the gas, lands on the area where Glacier's last spear landed, and takes Human-Hydron-form. ]
[ Hydron picks up the spear and drives it into the source of the gas, halting the continued out-pouring. ]
WIND:
Shanan!
GLACIER:
Get the gas into one place and I can trap it.
[ Wind extends her arms and the gas in the coridor condenses into an almost opaque ball in its center. ]
[ Glacier jumps down from his ice-pillar and creates an ice-dome, placing it over the gas-ball. ]
GRAVITOR:
Need a lift?
[ He jumps lightly, clearly gravity-free, and rises to the top of the ice-pillar; Glacier follows, lancing bots as he goes. ]
WIND:
My turn.
[ The wind in the room picks up and throws the bots to the other end of the coridor. ]
HYDRON:
I think we can get to the controlroom if we can break through the source of the robots, but our host will be expecting us, and I don't see him being merciful.
[ Gravitor notices the burn across the side of Hydron's outfit. ]
GRAVITOR:
Hey! Where'd that come from?
HYDRON:
He wasn't merciful.
[ Wind flies up to level with the entryway of the bots. ]
WIND:
Are you ok?
HYDRON:
I'll live.
WIND:
Are you sure? It wasn't fun when Fieron burned me...
[ More bots approach. Gravitor glares at them, and they fall upward and start spinning in mid air. ]
HYDRON:
We don't have time.
WIND:
I guess not.
[ Wind swats at a bot that approaches her, and it gets carried away in a gust. ]
GRAVITOR:
Do we have a plan, or are we going to play smash the robot until E-Oats sends us home for beating his high score?
HYDRON:
We need to get to where the bots are coming from. I think Glacier and I should go first, that way we can get into the infrastructure.
GRAVITOR:
If you say so. I'll let you go in with zero gravity.
[ Hydron takes water form and flows through the narrow bot-passage, which is only big enough to crawl through. Glacier drops his ice-lance and jumps up after her. Gravitor and Wind follow as another pair of bots makes its way down the passage. ]
[ Glacier throws an ice-spear at each bot; one bot is hit and falls, but the other dodges and comes in to zap at Glacier. ]
GRAVITOR:
Duck!
[ The free robot falls past Glacier and toward Gravitor, where he uppercuts it into the ceiling and it falls inactive. ]
[ Everyone moves through the passage and comes to a pair of openings between two large metal structures; there is just enough room for a person to stand between the structures, however robots are coming from the openings at the bottoms of the structures at a rate of one every four seconds. Hydron takes human form between the bot-generators. ]
HYDRON:
Go ahead and plug up the one on the right; the one on the left should be our ticket out of here.
[ Hydron slams her toe into a robot that comes out of the left hole, then returns to her water form, more slowly than usual. ]
[ Glacier moves to the robot generators and sends a block of ice to fill the one on the right, a high-pitched sound like metal clanging underwater emanating from it. Meanwhile, Water-Hydron flows into the left generator. ]
[ Gravitor and Wind reach the small amount of standing room between the bot-generators and the rest of the passage and... stand in it... ]
WIND:
Standing room again. I should say "Yay".
[ Glacier sends a pair of ice-wedges into the left generator, along with a pair of ice sickles. The water flows around the sickles and draws them inside as the sound of ice scratching metal can be heard. ]
GRAVITOR:
I hope she isn't trying to freeze anything; any robots that are in there will keep the temperature too high for that.
WIND:
I think she's going with old-school prying.
[ Glacier sends a thin sheet of ice along the inside of the outer wall of the left generator; things inside make lots of KLANG! and SPARK! sounds; sparks start to issue from the hole. Glacier pulls on the ice that is in the generator wall, while pushing on the wedges with his lower legs. ]
[ Water-Hydron Flows out of the generator and takes human form in the cramped space near Gravitor. ]
HYDRON:
That's all I can do... I think if all of you pull on it now, it should give us a space to work with.
WIND:
You should rest; you've been doing an aweful lot of changing in a short time.
[ Wind and Gravitor grab at parts of the generator while Glacier pushes at it with his ice. The hole at the bottom is noticeably deformed now, and several inactive robot parts are falling from it. Glacier forces them back into the machinery, using them to cut into the structure around them. A narrow opening begins to appear at the base of the machine, between it and the wall against which Glacier stands. ]
GRAVITOR:
We've almost got it...
HYDRON:
Ice should expand that opening.
[ Glacier is already forcing ice into the opening, letting it get thicker as more is forced through. ]
[ The opening is big enough to fit a head through, but is too small for the whole body; there isn't enough light to tell much about what is inside, other than there seem to be a few cables visible ]
GRAVITOR:
This thing doesn't want to give.
GLACIER:
I think I can hold it open enough for us to slip through.
GRAVITOR:
Great... let's get out of here. Preferably without being crushed inside a wall.
HYDRON:
You go ahead; I'll try to hold this back until it's clear.
WIND:
How will we have enough room to move once we're through?
GLACIER:
These walls have limits; anything big enough will break them.
[ Glacier forces himself through the opening, using the ice around his body to hold it open; the wedges extend for several feet above and ahead of him, and he is moving sideways. The wedge is thickest at its back, which is beyond the other side of Glacier, allowing for the space the others have to be as large as possible. ]
GRAVITOR:
All right... let's move.
[ Gravitor turns sideways and moves through the narrow space; Wind follows. ]
[ INT. INSIDE WALL - DIM. : Glacier's ice-wedge is forcing its way through, deforming things and fighting tension from cables as it does. ]
GLACIER:
Stay close.
WIND:
Why am I worried?
[ Glacier forces out a large amount of ice in all directions around the group. The walls fight back with great noise, but there is finally enough pressure to cause a wall to bulge forward, revealing the ceiling of a room above. Nearby, Water-Hydron enters and takes human form. ]
HYDRON:
I think I found the way out of the building.
[ Glacier forces the wall to fold back, causing it to fall into the room that it once bounded and lean against two of its walls. ]
HYDRON:
That wall.
[ Hydron indicates the one that isn't blocked by the broken one ]
HYDRON (cont'd):
I think it's an exterior wall.
GRAVITOR:
That's great... but how does it help us get back home?
HYDRON:
We want to infiltrate the controlroom from a safer point than just breaking through the wall. That, and if we go through now, we'll probably destroy the portal. The wall behind us is the one the equipment is on.
[ Glacier creates a large boulder of ice and forces it into the outer wall, but the wall begins to slide aside on its own, revealing silverish sunlight. ]
GRAVITOR:
That is a very bad sign.
WIND:
A sign that we should worry about where we go.
[ Metallic sounds indicate that robots are trying to find a way through the fallen wall that blocks off half of the room ]
GRAVITOR:
Well, I guess we don't have a choice.
[ They go through the door and step out into the baren field beyond. ]
[ EXT. WASTELAND - AFTERNOON. : Taoe emerges from an opening in the side of the building (Judging by where the sun is (though it is a bit lower in the sky), this side of the building is facing a different direction--north, if the first was west.). ]
WIND:
... I guess we should search the perimeter?
GRAVITOR:
That'll take a while, but it's probably the only thing we can do now that just walking in didn't work.
[ Glacier sends ice at the others, causing them to fall back a large distance. ]
[ A bolt of electricity spikes the ground where they were standing, splintering the ice in its wake. ]
GRAVITOR:
New plan; let's get away from this place and regroup.
WIND:
I like that... especially the first part.
[ Taoe runs away from the building as more electrical bolts fly at the ground. ]
WIND:
Where is this guy getting all of his power?
GRAVITOR:
Obviously somewhere without bills.
[ Taoe seems to be out of range of the electrical bursts and everyone stops running, catching their breath. ]
HYDRON:
He can't have let us out for anything good.
[ Eoce descends from off screen to hover a meter and a half above the ground, his back to the setting sun so that only his armored face seems to reflect any light. ]
GRAVITOR:
Silver titan returns.
[ Fire issues from Eoce's Flamethrower arm, and all of Taoe jump out of its path. ]
GRAVITOR:
I'm only going to say this once... send us back unharmed.
[ Eoce's spark-arm zaps at Gravitor, who jumps into the air, then falls toward Eoce. ]
WIND:
Don't do that!
[ Eoce knocks Gravitor back with a strike from his claw-hand; Gravitor yells in pain as he falls to the ground. ]
[ Wind jumps into the air and hovers around Eoce's height, throwing her arms toward him as an enormous gust of wind pushes him several meters back. Wind returns to the ground near Gravitor, who gets to his feet. ]
GRAVITOR (a bit winded):
Anyone have a plan?
[ Eoce flies back toward Wind and Gravitor, who duck aside as more flamethrower-flames come at them. ]
WIND:
Not getting fried sounds like a good plan.
[ Hydron takes water form and rushes at Eoce. Gaseous flames issue from the lower back of his suit, propelling him up and forward and forcing Water-Hydron away from that area of his suit. ]
[ Glacier throws an ice spear that hits Eoce in the lower abdomen, but doesn't so much as scratch his armor. ]
[ Hydron takes human form below Eoce. ]
WIND:
Shanan, Get out of there!
[ Hydron raises an arm toward Eoce, and the arm becomes water that flies toward Eoce; if any of Hydron's arm-less shoulder is visible, it is surrounded by a swirling sphere of water that distorts any details. ]
GRAVITOR:
Woah... that's cool.
WIND:
What Ever...
[ Glacier continues pelting Eoce with smaller ice-spears; Eoce counters with a flamethrower blast that forces Glacier to dodge (though he is hardly in range as it is). ]
GRAVITOR:
Just how does his flight system work?
[ Gravitor raises his hand in Eoce's direction, and Eoce flies upward at a uniform rate. ]
[ Hydron's water arm attacks Eoce's not-claw arm, but nothing comes of it ]
HYDRON(Seeming to be struggling):
I don't think he used the same portal that we came through...
WIND:
What?
GRAVITOR:
So how did he get here?
[ Eoce's spark-arm zaps at Gravitor; Gravitor jumps aside, but still takes the shot to the leg. ]
GRAVITOR:
Gaargh! Stop that! Ah!
[ Gravitor hits the ground and rolls to avoid another blast. A cloud of translucent gas issues from the middle of the torso-area of Eoce's suit. ]
WIND:
Seriously?
[ Wind Blows the gas away ]
WIND (cont'd):
In an open space, even!
[ Eoce zaps Wind with his spark-arm, and she screams in agony as she falls to the ground, then lies motionless. ]
[ The rest of Hydron's body takes water form and zooms up at Eoce, enveloping him in water. ]
GRAVITOR:
You're going to regret that, Eoce!
[ Gravitor falls up toward Eoce. Glacier extends an ice-bar upward to knock Gravitor aside, just as Eoce fires his spark-arm again; the blast misses Gravitor and hits Glacier, who falls to his knees as a result. ]
[ Gravitor gets close enough to kick Eoce in the face, then flips over him to go higher into the sky, apparently free from gravity all together. ]
[ On the ground, Glacier gets to his feet as ice expands outward from him in all directions. He moves up an ever-growing slope of ice toward Eoce, who turns his flamethrower arm so that it can hit the ice, only for Hydron's water-form to concentrate on the arm; only a puff of smoke escapes the flamethrower. ]
[ Above, Gravitor is well above the building's roof and the battle below, several meters above Eoce. ]
GRAVITOR:
This will probably hurt me more than him... oh well!
[ Gravitor dives at Eoce, making both of them fall toward Glacier's ice. Eoce turns to zap up at Charles, but that doesn't stop his accelerating descent. ]
[ On the ground, Wind stirs and looks upward. ]
WIND:
Charles...?
[ Wind Jumps up in alarm. ]
WIND (cont'd):
Idiot!
[ Wind runs toward the building. ]
GRAVITOR(Screaming):
SAY GOOD NIGHT!
[ Glacier builds an ice wall behind and to the now-right of Eoce. ]
[ Near the opening in the building, Wind holds up her arms, and a great funnel of wind comes into existence, pulling at the broken wall until it slides out of the opening and is thrown into the air. Several bots fly out after it, but are flung around in the storm. ]
[ Water-Hydron splits off to attack the "jet"-area of Eoce's suit. The wind-storm changes shape and Blows the broken wall into Eoce, knocking him into the Icewall to his right; the distraction allows Gravitor to slam into him without resistance, causing them both to plow into the large ice formation behind them as splinters of ice fill the air. ]
EOCE:
Fool.
GRAVITOR(Clearly in pain):
Heh... come on... you had to have felt that...
[ Gravitor Kicks Eoce and floats away from him, weightless; he comes to the ground beyond the ice, then falls to his knees. ]
GRAVITOR (cont'd):
Jerk.
[ Wind starts to run toward Gravitor. ]
WIND:
Charles!
GRAVITOR:
Stay back!
[ Eoce rockets out of the ice and zaps Gravitor, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious; the stream of electricity doesn't stop there, however. ]
WIND:
STOP!
[ Water-Hydron rushes into the source of the flames in the back of Eoce's suit; Eoce halts his electricity onslaught. ]
[ Eoce is hit by a powerful gust of wind that causes Glacier's ice structure to move and flies back several meters ]
[ Glacier rushes at Eoce and jumps up to nail him with an ice lance! Eoce nearly falls, but stablizes and sends a blast of fire at Glacier, who is sent to the ground, ice projecting from his body to quench the flames. Water-Hydron bursts out around Eoce in a great torrent of water, then rushes to the ground, passing over Glacier and stopping all fire, then rushing toward Wind. Glacier rises, surrounded in ice. Hydron takes human form beside Wind. ]
HYDRON:
Glacier can't hold out forever.
WIND:
Then let's go help him!
HYDRON:
No. The controlroom... I think it's unguarded now. I can get inside and activate the portal if he hasn't put up an unbreakable security system. But I can't hold off his flames while I'm doing that, so you'll have to be careful.
WIND:
Be careful yourself; he's probably got the place boobytrapped to keep you out.
[ Hydron nods, then becomes water that flows off into the building. Wind flies at Eoce and lands on top of Glacier's ice. ]
[ Eoce's flamethrower blasts the ice as Wind comes in to deliver a flying kick that causes Eoce to move back, his fire going above the ice and letting Glacier hit him with a double-ice-lance attack. Glacier moves the lances to cause Eoce to flip onto his side and fall to the ground. While on his back, Eoce spark-zaps Wind out of the air, then gets up before Glacier can crush him with an ice boulder; instead, Eoce hits the boulder with his flamethrower, holding it back as it is quickly consumed. ]
WIND:
I'm not getting hit with that again!
[ Wind jumps up and blows Eoce back with a large gust of air; Eoce gains control over his flight and flies into Wind, throwing her to the ground. ]
[ INT. CONTROLROOM - DAY. : The room looks mostly the same as before, other than the floor glowing with a thin field of light, across which sparks occasionally streak. ]
[ Water-Hydron enters the room from behind the consoles, but avoids the floor entirely, instead finding a relatively open space on the edge of one of the consoles and taking human form there in an uneasy crouch. A burst of blue light comes at Hydron from the right and she falls sideways, hanging onto the edge of the console inches from slipping and falling onto the threatening floor. She pulls herself up in time to dodge another burst of light in front of the console, then jumps over to one of the machines and transforms, falling into its controls and causing a shower of sparks to fill the room as the floor is taken with large crackles and flashes. ]
[ The machine that Hydron entered emits a ray of electricity toward the ceiling, then creates a spinning circle of light in the room as the air seems to churn with electricity. ]
[ EXT. WASTELAND - AFTERNOON. : Eoce hovers over Wind with an arm raised, but suddenly lowers it. ]
EOCE (Somewhat quietly, surprised):
What?
[ A set of ice-spears strike Eoce in the lower back, and he falls forward. ]
GLACIER:
The portal is opened.
[ Wind struggles to her feet. ]
WIND:
How do you know?
[ Eoce gets up and turns toward Wind and Glacier during the talking. ]
GLACIER:
He fell down when he had the advantage.
[ Eoce slashes Glacier's leg with his claw-hand; Glacier falls to the ground. ]
WIND:
No you don't!
[ An enormous storm of wind roars to life around the group, throwing around the ice in the area, which Eoce easily slashes into neglegeable shards as it nears him; however, Glacier is able to escape his reach by propelling himself with ice. Glacier extends a sled-like piece of ice to catch Gravitor as he passes where he still lies on the ground, and continues to zoom toward the building. Wind flies after Glacier at high speed. ]
[ Several hoverbots cloud the opening in the building. Eoce zaps at Wind, but she dodges, causing the electricity to hit several of the robots and cause them to fly into their allies, disabling most of them. Glacier throws up a spear of ice to take out a couple more, and Wind's wind throws the rest back. ]
[ Eoce flies into Wind; Wind blows both of them into the wall and it gives way. The opening reveals the controlroom; the broken wall falls into the light-disk and disappears. ]
[ Glacier rushes to the hole and jumps in the air to lance Eoce, causing him to release Wind; Eoce falls and touches the charged floor as sparks and flashes of light attack him. Wind catches herself just in time to avoid the same fate. ]
WIND(Shouting over the noise of the portal):
Get Charles through!
[ Glacier throws Gravitor into the spinning circle of light, then jumps after him. Wind grabs a piece of ice and hovers near the portal, then throws it at the equipment, jumping through the light just as the ice strikes the machine and sends a flare of sparks into the room ]
[ The light spins faster, shrinking until it is simply a virticle line, then explodes in a short flash of light. ]
1:34 PM 1/16/2010