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Epiphany02
By Nathaniel Payne
EXT. Adrianna, Kira, and Sabrina
sit awaiting their respective instructors in the preserve.
Adrianna
That was a rather nice banquet
considering none of us ate any food.
Kira
Smiles
Yeah, but I don’t think outside
the smell of it, it bothered us too much.
Sabrina
I wonder what’s going to happen
once we get into our training environment.
Kira
Probably what we expect, and a
lot more of what we don’t,
Adrianna
Very funny, take the most obvious
answer. Tell you what though; I’m itching to see what these stars can do now
that we have that symbiotic relationship.
Sabrina
I’m sure it is worth the wait.
Adrianna
Better be…
Ext.
Anthony stands in a wasteland environment with his trainer Hez. The wasteland
is a plane between existences as known as non existence.
Anthony
I am anxious to see what you will
be able to show me.
Hez
Smiles
I’m interested to see how well
you will learn…we’re supposed to start with the basics, but I always find
showcasing potential power more than enough of a motivation for students.
Anthony
What do you mean?
Hez
Each of these elements of life
contains hidden elements that may, in time, be mastered and rival the very
power of the universe itself. Would you like to see a sample of what I mean?
Anthony
Of course,
Hez
Every warrior identifies his or
her power by symbol. The representative creature or emblem that rests on your
weapons are the truest manifestations of your inner strength, your
potential…your soul…every time you unleash that power you lose a little bit of
your life, trade a little more of your soul…
Anthony
A natural balance set in place I
see.
Hez
Nods.
Exactly; the more powerful the
moves you learn, the more of your life you lose. Enough talk, you will
understand in time all benefits and consequences of this.
Draws his
Concentrating his power a
spectrum of colour from white to orange encircles his body.
Slowly the colours fuse and begin
to take shape.
Draça flame!*
*a draça
is a flying mammal that resembles a flying squirrel
Coming from his weapons a
screaming animal of pulsing flame flies forward growing larger by the second.
Anthony
Amazed.
And I will be able to do that as
well?
Hez
You will have power infinitely
more potent than anything I will be able to show you. You must remember
everything I show you is only a fraction of the power you already possess, even
in the simplest of moves.
Anthony
What is the most powerful move I
can master with this essence?
Hez
The Omega flare…
Anthony
How powerful is it?
Hez
With your power…as it is
increasing exponentially, you will undoubtedly be able to destroy a planet
roughly the size of Jupiter. You see, eventually your fire will become hotter,
stronger, or more violent than the birth of 100 suns. Everything will melt…even
planets…but I cannot tell you what the consequence of such an action may be…no
one knows how high the price is…
Stares intently.
It may be the ultimate price.
Anthony
And the others?
Hez
Each of you will gain abilities
that may cause great devastation; and some more than others.
Anthony
Chris…
Ext.
Xyle 4 Surface near the desolate equator. Dry and Arid desert-like conditions
dominate the landscape with huge sand dunes as the only cover. Tents provide
the only comfort for mechanical soldiers and the Rising Arms Agents. Jan-Ivar
walks with River scouting the area.
River
Lotus’ contingency plan is
nearing the final stages. We will begin the attack once all of our units are in
place to attack. We need just enough activity to alert the capital. The six we
seek will come, so let us not kill indiscriminately.
General
Understood sir. Though more
deaths would generate a faster response.
River
General, we do not kill for
sport. I am not a sadist, and while under my command, neither are you. We want
the six that stole from us, nothing more; if, and only if we are interfered
with in our mission by the locals are you allowed to kill them on sight.
General
Yes sir, sorry sir.
River
Now leave, dismissed.
General
Yessir!
Salutes. Exits.
Jan-Ivar
If we destroy a few simple
installations that may be enough to lure them here.
River
That may very well be, I will
leave the situation in your hands. Ideally there will only be six deaths and no
more.
Jan-Ivar
Understood. River?
River
Yes?
Jan-Ivar
The world after this will never
be the same, for better or worse…and I mean that for all of us who are
involved, not just us.
River
Then we’d better make sure we
influence these changes enough to be in our favour.
Pauses. Observes the landscape.
I want to face Geffen alone.
Jeremi is looking at possible ways of minimising what powers these trespassers
possess. Even if he fails, and even if I am doomed, I do not intend to
relinquish the opportunity to kill a worthy adversary.
Int.
Derrick and Anthony Sit with Adrianna, Sabrina and Kira at the indoor dojo.
Derrick
I don’t think we fully understood
to the extent how powerful we would be.
Adrianna
Kinda like when we first started
training, the more you learned the more you feared how powerful you could
possibly become, the more you avoid even the idea of conflict.
Anthony
Yeah, she’s right
The others look shocked.
What?
Kira
Smiles and laughs.
You two never agree on anything.
And the fact you now do is amazing in and of itself.
Anthony
Scratches his head.
Blushes.
Derrick
and Sabrina
Laugh.
Adrianna
I guess you’re right, never would
have thought it possible either.
Derrick
I’m just glad that we were able
to get to this power before those bastards at the Rising Arms Corporation got
to it. I can only imagine River Johns and his goons with this power.
Kira
They’re warmongers and stand for
everything that is wrong with people now. They exploit the fear and anger and
death of people for profit with no thought to the consequences.
Sabrina
I’m just glad we won’t have to
deal with them until we get back to Earth.
Adrianna
It’s been that way for tens of
thousands of years, no need to change a working pattern…and judging from de ja
vu, it probably was like this several times before as well.
Derrick
No bad deed goes unrewarded. I
think we should simply focus on everything we can find here.
Sabrina
I was able to visit the high
priestess this afternoon once I finished with my mentor Xerx. I was unable to
really find any new interpretations of the Arcane Evolution. Apparently we must
have it right.
Kira
One of the few things so far.
Stella winds capable of causing life-defying destruction, Water strong enough
to erode a planet away to it’s core, fire hot enough to melt Jupiter,
gravity strong enough to pull solar
systems out of alignment…voids capable of swallowing entire galaxies with no
guaranties of parallel universes or dimensions…
Sabrina
I know, it depresses me the more
I think about how bleak the power we were given really is.
Anthony
And to think, all we have to do
is not screw it up.
Kira
Sighs.
God only know what they’re
telling Chris…or how he’ll handle the burden.
Derrick,
Anthony, Sabrina, Adrianna
All look solemnly at one another.
Adrianna
Whispers
God help him.
Ext.
Chris and his mentor practise on an interstellar plane.
There’s something I must tell you
before we continue with your lesson.
Chris
What would that be?
What I will show you next is an
example of the possible power you will come to have. But I fear what it may
mean for the Arcane Evolution should I do this.
Chris
I hope the reason you are
conflicted has nothing to do with my character.
Sighs.
No, it simply is a power that
should it fall into ill-meaning hands will be the end of this universe as we
know.
Chris
If you feel it wiser for me to
not know…
No, nothing like that…just airing
some caution, something for you to think about.
Chris
As always,
As you are aware, the power of
speed, as in the way you possess it transcends the barriers between space and
time…with careful training you can learn how to bend the rules that govern these
properties…
Chris
What are you trying to say?
What I will show you, tell you,
is never to be shared or part of any written record for the length of your
entire life…there are secrets that are passed from teacher to student I must
show and explain.
Chris
Does this apply for all of the
essences of life?
So far as I know…no, it was my
sensei who told me this technique had only been theorized and was only
perfected by his master’s sensei…a mere 7,000 years ago. Every thing else we’ve
known about for over 100,000 years.
Chris
What is this power?
It is referred to as the Alpha
Omega technique, if I alone was to do this on my word, as weak as I am in
comparison to you, would destroy the moon we live on.
Chris
How is this possible?
When you learn how to bridge the
gap between space and time, you will be able to speed, slow, or reverse the
passage of time. And not just for you or your party, but for the cosmos as
well.
Chris
You mean like planets or rocks?
Shakes his head.
I mean stars themselves, and
specifically suns.
Stares at Chris intently.
Chris
You’re telling me I theoretically
will be able to speed up the sun?
Nods.
Not theoretically, you
specifically will, it is only a matter of time. Of course you realize what this
means.
Chris
If I can speed up the age of the
sun…it’ll be the end.
And probability suggests that
you, with the generous amount of power given to you by the symbiotic nature of
your relationship with the seed likely means you could do more than one sun at
that given time.
Chris
Of course I would never survive.
Nothing would…
Chris
Looks to his mentor.
hangs his head.
Destined always to be a killer…
Walks away slowly.
