User:TJlive800/Ep08Preview2

Episode
PREVIOUSLY ON BEN 10: HEROES OF EVOLUTION...



[Max]: Krill and Wyatt Herman were former students of mine in the Plumber Academy.

[Krill]: Someone got to us in the middle of a job.

[Max]: A digital blackmailer.

[Thomas Bridges]: He said he'd be back, right?

(All the screens in Max's office flicker. They read "WELCOME TO THE GAME.")

[Max]: Get to the lab right now!

(At a basketball court, Ben's Plumber badge rings. He picks up.)

[Max]: Ben, I need you up here ASAP. It's tremendously urgent.

(The next shot shows Max and the others walking around the Intelligence/Research Center in the HQ.)

[Magister Newell]: Magister Sylax Newell. I was sent here to assist with the commotion.

[Ben]: What happened here?

[Max]: He's hacked in, cut us off from all outside communication. We're on our own, in his hands.

[Deep, Distorted Voice of James Spader]: So glad to hear that you're willing to take up a good challenge. Of course, all players need to be signed in to this game. That includes our mole.

[Max]: What mole?

(The voice narrates while Ben is seen in bed taking down notes and hacking surveillance feeds.)

[Voice]: Someone who you pass by everyday is planning to kill a whole lot of people. And I believe they're in the room with you.

(A quick-cut series of shots of Plumbers being gunned down in the halls, followed by a large explosion and a ship crashing into the window is seen.)

(The next shot shows Ben circling Newell's name in his notebook.)

(Cut to Diamondhead attacking Newell, slamming his head on the table and impaling shards through Newell's hands and through the table. Newell screams.)

[Newell]: What the hell is this?

[Diamondhead]: You want proof, don't you? Here you go. (He slams down folders and documents on the table). Sure, it's theft, assault, torture, you name it, but you're the one with the red hand.

[Max]: Ben, this... this is wrong. You're gonna be facing consequences.

[Newell]: I am not who you're looking for!

[Diamondhead]: Then who the hell is it?

[Newell]: Wait... what if I'm being framed because I was in the same places our mole was? Think! Who else shares my history?

[Diamondhead]: Oh my god.

(A shot shows Thomas Bridges gunning down three technicians and making a call on a Plumber's badge.)

[Thomas]: I need Max down here. Come alone, my friend.

(Max is seen walking into a damaged control room.)

[Max]: What's this all about then?

(Thomas shoots Max, and Diamondhead jumps through a window, tackling him and beating him up until black-clad elites surround the area with guns.)

[Thomas]: I... I bring a message before I die. Y-you... his mark, and I... h-his p-patriot, die in a will forged in his name... in the name of the Devil Watcher.

(Thomas shoots Newell dead before getting gunned down himself. Red eyes on an overhead TV screen light up and blink.)

[Devil Watcher]: Well, that was fun.

[Ben]: What have we even gotten out of this? This isn't closure!

[Devil Watcher]: Watch closely.

(A grid of numbers on the screen animates into a new image of a suave living room whose window overlooks a city skyline.)

[Devil Watcher]: Every step you've taken in here is a clue. Max, your consequences for Ben aren't in my hands, but you can tell your people their road ends here. As for you, I have something more... grand.

[Max]: Looking forward to it.

[Ben]: We'd be mad to take on anything you have to offer. (Smirks) That being said... when do we start?

PRESENT DAY, 26 DAYS LATER

(An overhead shot from behind Mount Rushmore looks over the hilly silhouette of the forests beyond. The camera slowly pushes forward, passing by mountains and trees.)

(The camera goes about a mile beyond Mount Rushmore, near a tree-caked mountain, and then pans downward slowly until the shapes and silhouettes above rise over the frame and we're engulfed in darkness and crickets.)

(A still shot through the trees, taken from a trail in the woods, watches Mount Rushmore above...)

(WHIZZ! Birds zip past the screen, shaking the camera as it turns to the left to see their path.)

(BOOM! The camera is knocked to the ground and we see, from below, silhouettes of armed men rushing by.)

(Another large overhead shot pushes forward and turns to the left while rising above to see the horizon. The camera moves to the other side of the hill and zooms into a dark thickness of woodlands as the sound of a train is heard...)

(The lights on a subway train move straight through the darkness, highlighting the path the train takes. We hear the cocking of a gun.)

(The silhouette of a man wearing a helmet is seen looking through a tripod-mounted sniper rifle on a hill above. He tilts his head and looks through.)

(Through the scope of the rifle, the train approaches its view. The sniper aims in between two cars.)

(BANG!)

(A close-up shot of the narrow area in between the two cars is lit up by a spark, and the car behind stops moving as the camera distances itself from it.)

(BANG!)

(The same shot sees a smaller spark in the distance.)

(BANG! BANG! BANG!)

(The remaining three cars are disbanded, right before the scene is put out of view as the coach train passes by some trees...)

(KABOOM!)

(The shot lights up brightly as the camera tumbles with the train and lands in a patch of grass - smoldering branches off the trees collapse nearby.)

(The sniper is finishing disassembling his gun and putting its pieces away. He picks up his bag and looks over the side of the cliff; small white lights advance rapidly through the forest.)

(A shaky first-person view of one of the armed men is seen as his headlight illuminates the grass below. He looks up and the light wanders along the trees - he looks left and the silhouettes of the derailed train cars are visible behind a few pines.)

(The man we're following draws his machine gun and loads it with a click, and its green lights activate. It now looks like a first-person shooter video game as the man takes a left off the trail, climbs over a tree stump, and takes aim...)

(BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!)

(Even from his distance, the shattering of the train car windows is visible.)

[Man 1]: Alright, let's get moving!

(A shot off the corner of the trail sees black-clad soldiers rapidly moving by.)

(The next shot is an ascending one that continues to push forward, following a wall of men sprinting towards the derailed train.)

(From the perspective of the train interior, the men jab their rifles through the windows and climb in, looking about.)

(They aim their rifles around, and crouch down, looking under the seats. One of the men at the end of the train fires two rounds from his pistol into the back edges of one of the seat cushions and tears it up.)

[Man 2]: Here we are!

[Man 3]: Where?

[Man 2]: Under the seat! Full box of 'em!

(The two men in this train car come over to look. Under the seat is a box full of heavily advanced weaponry.)

(Man 2 picks up one of the weapons and studies it. He unloads the mag and looks at it, emptying the rounds into his left palm. He holds one of them with his thumb and index while his other three fingers hold the remaining shells. The bullet he holds has the brand name "StarZyne" written on it.)

[Man 2]: Get a load o' this. StarZyne. Where have we heard that?

[Man 3]: It's a... white-collar conglomerate, running guns behind the curtains to underground sleazebags in and out the gutters. This stuff's gotta be around Level 6, if not 7. Proves how sloppy they're getting, given they're still smuggling this right under our noses, especially now that we know.

[Man 2]: Bingo, then. (Tosses and catches bullet) Let me call Team 2 to see if we have a match.

(He presses a few buttons on his intercom and calls another team member.)

[Man 4]: Hello?

[Man 2]: You get anything?

[Man 4]: Treasure chests under the seats. It's gonna take a hell of a beefcake to lift these things, but I'm reading Level 7 from that StarZyne Corporation, whatever the hell it's called.

[Man 2]: It's called a big score, buddy. Mission accomplished.

[Man 3]: Famous last words, you know that?

[Man 2]: (Chuckles) Not this time. I think we got 'em all.

[Man 3]: Max can tell us that, he keeps count.

[Man 2]: If I really am right, the old man better learn to enjoy a toast about now. That aside, let's wrap up here, get these moving out. Transport's right up ahead.

(Cut to an overhead shot of eight wine glasses, all containing a different colored drink, knocking against each other in one big colorful circle. The people holding them tilt their heads back and drink up gleefully, some wiping their mouths afterwards.)

[Elite 1]: "Famous last words", yeah, like that'll hold up. (Laughs) That lunatic thinks we're here toasting to things like that, but hell, no, people! We just got one in on 'em!

[Technician 1]: Alright!

[Elite 2]: Good wine, whoever got it.

[Technician 2]: I did. (Pause) From the fridge. (Laughs drunkenly)

[Elite 3]: What are you willing to bet that this is the first time we're getting drunk in a whole month, eh?

[Technician 1]: (Laughs) Yeah, you better be marking that, buddy, if you wanna keep those iron abs handy, you know what I'm saying?

[Elite 3]: You skinny son of a gun, no glass o' wine's got nothin' on these guns. (Flexes chest, rolls shoulders, takes a gulp)

[Technician 2]: Say that while you're asleep on the couch and see how much of your self-esteem you'll have when you're awake, huh?

[Elite 3]: Says the one who spends his days sitting down.

[Elite 2]: Nah, but no party's a party without that damn old man. Things won't be the same without him.

[Max's Voice]: Nice to see you already preparing my funeral speech, but I'm fine here, ready to stick around for a few more shots to the chest.

(Everyone is surprised.)

[Elite 2]: Max, you big ol' bear, come here!

(He rushes in and gives him a big hug, patting him hard on the back.)

[Max]: (Smiling) Yeah, yeah, that'll do on that.

[Elite 3]: Oh, I see it now! You're talking while you're still sober! And there was me thinking you were here as a service.

[Max]: Right, and you'd be expecting me to behave like a pirate in a pub, eh? I'm here for the mission stats, so if you could move aside for me to see the computer, it'd be nice.

[Technician 1]: Aw, come on, boss! It's your first party in ages! Just have a glass for all our sakes and be on your way. What's the harm in that?

[Max]: You're harming protocol by giving me orders, sure. (Moves aside and goes to computer) Whatever you're holding looks more like cheap Kool-Aid, if you ask me.

[Technician 3]: It's 'cause we preserved the Dominican Cabernet for you, sir. It's your favorite, last I recall.

[Max]: (Sarcastically) Well, how nice of you!

[Elite 2]: Please, boss?

[Max]: Please don't sound like a child. Oh yeah, you sober enough to get what I'm implying?

[Elite 2]: Oh, right, totally. Yeah. (Pause) But one glass isn't gonna kill you, big guy.

[Max]: *(Sigh)* You guys are impossible. One of you mind fetching me the bottle from whatever exhibit you've locked it in?

[Technician 2]: Chase, you take care of it.

[Technician 1 (Chase)]: Yeah.

(Max turns back and opens up a screen on the computer. He scrolls through a list of statistics and a roadmap illustrating the discovered rendezvous points for a weapons trafficking ring. He nods in approval.)

(Chase the technician comes with a bottle of wine and a glass.)

[Chase]: All yours, sir.

[Max]: Don't mind if I do.

(Max pours himself a glass, smirking at everyone.)

[Chase]: Sir, you're looking at us weird.

(Max, still glaring amusedly, takes a sip and looks about, waving his glass around. He chuckles in ridicule.)

[Max]: Is this how wobbly your brains get? Seriously?

[Technician 2]: I... don't follow, sir.

[Max]: (Spreading his arms) Come on, nobody's noticed?

(Everyone's eyes suddenly go wide.)

[Chase]: (Gasping) You're off your crutch! Holy crap, you're off the crutch! That's amazing, boss!

(Several others turn to look, some begin cheering.)

[Max]: Off the brace, too. And you scoundrels were busy preparing a funeral speech for me? I'm disappointed. Oh, but not of your work. I won't bore you with status update requests, but do know that they're coming. I just thought I'd hold off on it for two reasons., one being your damn fine work. (He puts down his glass and begins to walk out)

[Chase]: And the other?

[Max]: Gotta go, now.

[Chase]: May I ask where, sir?

[Max]: (Walking, looking back) You know where.

(The doors close. Chase looks back at his glass.)

[Chase]: Right. (Takes a gulp)

(Cut to a wide shot of the Mt. Rushmore station - it's a control tower-like area, with the majority of the tower being made of glass with an elevator visible.)

(The next shot is taken from behind Max, following him on the elevator as it goes down. He rests his arms against the rails and leans back.)

(Max sighs and runs his hand through his hair, then puts his hands on his hips.)

(The elevator stops at the ground and doors open into a long white hallway.)

(Max goes around a corner and walks down a white hallway with a slightly bluish lighting. On his left are glowing blue glass cells holding patients/inmates.)

(The camera moves closely behind him as he stops and looks to his left... at an empty cell. His face turns shocked and confused. He walks over, bending down and looking around the cell. He puts his hands on his hips, looks around, and spots a passing worker. He goes over.)

[Max]: Excuse me?

[Worker]: Uh, yes?

[Max]: What happened to the patient stored in cell 16-B?

[Worker]: Oh, two days ago we underwent a transfer. It was a pass-through, just to shift things around to accommodate for new inmates. The ones moved out of here should be back in about a week.

[Max]: Yeah, the one I'm looking for is my grandson, as you may have guessed. Here, do you know where these transferred inmates are, uh, "passing through"?

[Worker]: Oh, yes, sir, it's, uh, the Labyrinth.

[Max]: (Eyes widen) Oh, dear lord. Dear. lord. What the hell were they thinking? Who authorized this?

[Worker]: I believe it was High Councilman Zatark. This was a randomized process, but Mr. Tennyson is a popular one around here, so I presume his shift was preceded by some scrutiny and/or decision-making.

[Max]: Yeah, and I'll have a word with whoever made that decision. There's no need for him to be in the goddamn Labyrinth, of all places. It was a voluntary protocol breakage to save our necks, and I did what I had to do. If they're breaking the terms I put forth then they're in trouble.

[Worker]: Should I send that message out, sir?

[Max]: Find someone who can, if you can't. You know what? Never mind. Why I'm telling you this, I have no idea, but thanks for the update.

[Worker]: Anytime, sir.

(The worker walks off. Max sighs.)

[Max]: (Mutters to himself) The Labyrinth. (He notices some crushed papers on the floor of Ben's cell. He walks over, and scans his badge on the security panel, opening the door. He goes over and picks one paper up.)

(He drops it, and picks up another one. Still holding the second one he picked up, he grabs another and looks back and forth between them.)

(We see the heading; it reads "Wish Me Luck", followed by other writing below. We only see the first few lines: "Curiosity leads to danger, but it's all good fun." The rest isn't legible.)

(We see a distanced shot of The Labyrinth: a top-shaped, spiky, scaffold-encrusted silver-and-black prison, dotted with orange lights and positioned 600 kilometers from a large planet with orange-brown terrain, black clouds, hints of purple, and circuit-shaped city lights that make it look like Coruscant from Star Wars.)

(The next shot is a close-up of a hand scrawling something on a piece of notebook paper using a pencil. The left arm rests on the table, with an orange brace around the Ultimatrix. Faint clattering and rumbling is heard in the background.)

[Ben (Narrating)]: They say curiosity leads to dangerous situations. We all believe that, including me, except I like to look at it from the bright side. I'm obviously invested in whatever awaits me, but I'm not calling those mysteries "horrors". Because despite how gloomy it looks on the other side, it always gives us something to be fascinated in, whether we're scared, or entertained, or disgusted... fear and negative thoughts towards something are of course spiked by attention, making them a form of interest, whether you like it or not. So I-

(CLANG! A burly prisoner being transported is slammed against the bars before being yanked to the sides and moved forward.)

(A startled Ben's hand shakes and scribbles to the right, snapping the lead of a pencil.)

(Ben sighs and crushes the paper, throwing it against the wall. It bounces off and lands on the ground. Ben is wearing a yellow-and-purple prison uniform and gray jeans.)

(Ben leans against the wall and slides down in boredom. After a moment he looks at the paper ball strangely, crawling over and picking it up. He slightly unfolds it, then crumples it back up, looks up at the ceiling, and tosses it up. It bounces back down, and he catches it.)

(Ben chuckles and leans back, tossing the ball up and down about four times. He starts hearing faint, high-pitched giggling from across the hall. He stops and looks through the orange-laser cell bar-grid seriously. He stands up and looks closer and sees two alien girls laughing at him. Both the same species, one has magenta skin and the other has a light teal shade, both covered in spikes and having beady, full-black eyes and wispy dark hair cut short at the chin.)

(They stop laughing a little and grin at Ben. Ben grins back, shyly waving.)

[Ben]: Hey.

(He abruptly drops his grin to a glare.)

[Ben]: What are you looking at?

[Girl 1]: Whatever there is to look at in this stupid box. You?

[Ben]: Same thing. Well, whatever there is to do, I guess.

[Girl 2]: We get it, kid.

[Ben]: Please don't call me kid, you look only a few years older than me.

[Girl 1]: Don't be a whiner. We hate whiners.

(Ben pauses for a moment, exhales and laughs it off.)

[Ben]: You know what? You're right. I spend my days making fun of whiners, might as well not be one, hm? (Shrugs)

(Girl 1 nods and gives him the "that's right" finger point.)

(Ben nods back and then sits back down, still looking at them.)

[Ben]: (Raising eyebrows) You're, uh, fine with me doing my thing, right?

[Girl 1]: Yeah, go ahead. We just found it a little cute, that's all.

[Ben]: (Smirks) No problem, that's natural.

(The girls begin laughing again.)

(Ben smiles back and resumes bouncing the ball. He stops as the cell door directly to his left opens up and the inmate inside is escorted out. Ben's eyes follow the hulking Tetramand as he is roughly moved out. The cell door closes and Ben leans back.)

(He looks to the left, through the laser-window and into the next cell down. His face turns to shock and he slowly gets up, still staring at the inmate, who is turning to his right, looking at Ben and smiling evilly.)

(Vulkanus.)

(Our pal is sitting criss-crossed in a meditating stance. He calmly turns back and continues his session while Ben sits back down, looking around nervously.)

[Girl 1]: Something spook you?

[Ben]: Oh, nothing, just an old friend, that's all.

[Girl 2]: Old friend?

[Ben]: See for yourself.

(The girls lean over and their expressions turn terrified.)

[Girl 1]: HIM? VULKANUS?

[Ben]: Looks like you're more spooked than I am, it seems.

[Girl 2]: Spooked? Do you have any idea what the guy does?

[Ben]: Smuggles diamonds. He was never much of a problem for me, but I'm guessing that's different for you.

[Girl 1]: He scares me.

(Punching and more clanging is heard.)

[Ben]: (Grins) Bet you probably didn't know he was a baby inside.

[Girl 2]: What?

[Ben]: No, I'm serious. Literally an infantile little creature wearing a big suit. Complete with the diapers and all.

[Girl 1]: Look, we're not little kids either, okay? It's alright to be scared of guys like him, you don't need to "ease it off" for us.

[Ben]: I'm not lying to you.

[Girl 2]: I don't believe it.

[Ben]: So be it.

(Ben turns back to a cell on the other side parallel with Vulkanus' cell. His expression droops a little as he sees several people crowded. He watches closer as they clear out a bit to unveil a muscular inmate getting pistol-whipped by two guards inside an open cell. Ben breathes a little heavier and his chest tightens.)

[Guard 1]: YOU STAY INSIDE YOUR CELL, YOU HEAR ME, YOU BIG APE? You're NOTHING down here! NOTHING!

(The man growls in anger and the second guard kicks him in the jaw.)

(The girls turn to look over, and Girl 1 turns to Ben with a serious look on her face.)

[Girl 1]: That stuff bother you much?

[Ben]: (Gulping) Sort of, sort of. Hard to sit through, but I'm wondering what the hell's going on back there.

[Girl 2]: Nah, don't worry about it. These brutes always wanna get outta their cells, it's what they get.

[Ben]: It almost looks as though those guards are scared of the guy, they wanna keep him down.

[Girl 1]: They've clearly never heard of "don't get a monster angry", huh?

[Ben]: (Still watching) You bet.

(The cell doors are closed and the thuggish inmate grabs the bars, glaring at the pacing guards with seething hatred.)

[Guard 1]: You're MINCED MEAT if you break the rules! Hope you know that now.

[Inmate]: (Growling) You're getting the beast angry, you hear me?

[Ben]: (Smiling slightly) How on the nose.

[Inmate]: I bet you pigs probably get off on this crap.

[Guard 2]: You say another word and you lose four teeth! I'll be sure to keep count!

[Inmate]: Pathetic twig thinks he can lay a finger on me. No wonder you used your guns, huh? (He grins an evil yellow grin at them.)

[Guard 1]: You're not making this any easier for yourself, big guy.

[Inmate]: That's because it already is easy for me to cream you whenever I want. You and your cheap play ain't gonna get you-

(BEEP! The red light above the thug's cell lets out an airplane notification sound. His cell door suddenly opens and he stumbles forward, slightly surprised. The guards turn around.)

[Guard 1]: You son of a... (He pauses and then charges the inmate, slamming him in the face. Ben looks a bit confused.) WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT STAYING INSIDE, YOU RAT?

[Ben]: Did you see that? He didn't open those doors. Nobody did.

[Girl 2]: Yeah, I saw.

(They continue watching. Guard 1 steps back and goes over to the door next to Guard 2, who is unable to close it.)

[Guard 2]: Damn thing's not closing.

[Guard 1]: Yeah, no crap.

[Guard 2]: Then do something about it, you wisecracking D-bag!

[Guard 1]: Yeah? What the hell do you expect me to do? Help you little cream puff? I'm calling a technician.

(At that second, the inmate gets up and tackles guard 1, picking him up and holding his gun to his head. Guard 2 aims his gun at the inmate while three other guards aim their guns as well.)

[Guard 2]: You don't drop that gun in three seconds, and all these people are gonna get your brains on them.

[Inmate]: Three seconds is more than enough for me to blow this putz's brains out too, what do you say?

(Ben, confused, stands up and watches closer.)

[Guard 2]: Three!

[Inmate]: Yeah, keep counting, you arrogant nutjob.

[Guard 2]: Two!

(BEEP! BEEP!)

(Two more cells automatically open and five inmates step out. The thug grins.)

[Inmate]: Definitely your lucky day.

[Guard 3]: (Looking around) The hell is this?

(The four guards at each corner stand still.)

[Inmate]: Look what we have here.

[Ben]: This is not right.

(BEEP!)

(A snakelike inmate alien slithers out.)

[Inmate]: (Laughing) Yeah, you probably wanna bite one of these idiots' heads off, am I right?

[Guard 2]: I'm not kidding, another word and you-

[Inmate]: You've spouted this crap to me already. Guys, kill them already!

(BANG! The two guards behind him fire but they miss as inmates grab them and knock them to the ground. The thug rushes guard 2 in his confusion and crushes his skull against a metal bar. Ben ducks down as chaos ensues.)

(A circular holoprojector displaying holographic screens for each guard around the table shows the outbreak.)

[Security 1]: This does not look very good.

[Security 2]: Who opened these doors? We were on standby!

[Security 3]: Send in ten men to take care of it.

[Security 1]: On it. (He presses an intercom button.)

(Vulkanus' cell is still closed and he continues to meditate as all hell breaks loose outside.)

(The initial thug punches another guard out cold. One of the guards taking cover on the outside turns to a corner guard, who is still standing there with the other corner guards.)

[Guard 4]: Why the hell aren't you doing anything?

[Devil Watcher (Over radio)]: GO.

(BANG! An overhead shot shows the corner guard blasting the other guard right in the head.)

(The corner guards simultaneously draw their weapons. One of them pulls out their radio.)

[Corner 1]: That's your cue.

(Ten Plumbers, five in each column, march synchronized around a curve as the camera follows them from behind.)

(Four doors, two on either side of the hallway, open up. TATATATATATAT! The Plumbers are gunned down by men clad in black and red armor.)

(The Devil Watcher soldiers reload their guns, and two of them simultaneously shoot down electronic locks at the top corners of a wide door. They pull up the door with their hands as their other two comrades enter. The two holding it up duck under.)

(Inside, two assassins walk down the aisle firing their guns in the air and clearing out the chaos, while the other two shoot out the belts hoisting the door, leaving it standing on the ground.)

(Ben leans against a wall while inmates are shoved against cells. One of them is thrown against a security panel, causing it to spark...)

(CLANG! Vulkanus' cage door collapses. He abruptly opens his eyes and stands up, pummeling aside two men in his way.)

(BANG! BANG! Two Devil Watcher soldiers shoot out the E-locks on the top of the exit door and pull it up, all four going under and then closing it. Several inmates charge the door as it closes and slam into it, some getting crushed and screaming in pain.)

(CLANG! Ben's cell door wobbles open. He stays where he is.)

[Security 1]: I'm getting no response from our team, they're probably dead.

[Security 2]: How the hell is that possible? They were outside?

[Security 2]: I'm sending in another squad.

(The four Devil Watcher soldiers aim their guns at the hangar guards, who begin to pull out their weapons before the Watcher men let loose a flurry of bullets and kill them all. Technicians scramble and hide.)

(Two men advance towards the right side of the room and blast open a door, heading into a vault and gunning down everyone inside. They grab a crate of weapons and toss it into the hangar area, scattering the weapons on the floor.)

[Watcher Soldier 1]: Clear! Let 'em in!

(Two men load their machine guns and blast out the entire top of the door, blowing open the belt holsters and collapsing the entire thing on the ground.)

(The crowd of inmates comes storming out like a herd of cattle. Several of them grab the weapons on the ground while others get trampled.)

(Inside, Ben waits until most of them are gone, and looks about. One of the Watcher men comes in with a gun.)

[Watcher Soldier 2]: You leaving or what? This is your last chance!

[Ben]: Oh, uh, yeah.

(He begins to run, but the soldier grabs him arm.)

[Soldier]: The Devil Watcher sends his regards.

(He lets go of a wide-eyed Ben, who walks out completely stunned...)

(BOOM... the rumble of the hangar door catches him off-guard. One of the Watcher soldiers is operating the control pad and opening the doors while inmates scramble into the many ships. Ben panics and begins running.)

(He bolts past a few scrambling aliens and reaches a vacant ship that the initial inmate and the snakelike alien are racing to. He nears the thug, fearing he will be punched.)

(Ben grabs the snake alien and hurls him at the thug, causing both of them to tumble backwards. He bolts into the ship and turns on its controls, frantically searching for the door operator.)

(The thug crawls towards the ship but is held back by the snake, who drags him behind the ship as the doors begin to close.)

[Inmate]: NO, NO!!!

(The doors on Ben's ship close as Ben presses a few buttons and gets the gears going. He grabs the lever...)

(Behind the ship, and thug and the snake are struggling - the snake stretches out and grabs onto the back of the ship...)

(KABOOM!)

(The engine thrusts ignite, frying the snake to a crisp on the spot. The thug staggers back as the ship begins to slowly hover in the air. The other ships begin taking off.)

[Inmate]: No, no, NO...

(Ben, looking through his window, sees Vulkanus inside one of the ships. His expression becomes more alert as he adjusts the levers and checks his systems.)

[Inmate]: YOU PIECE OF CRAP, HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME BEHIND?

(The ship begins to hover up as the inmate clenches his fists and looks up at the ship.

[Inmate]: GOD DAMN YOU TO HELL, YOU HEAR ME?! I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE WHEN I GET THE CHANCE AND GRIND YOUR BONES WITH MY OWN TEETH. YOU ARE DEAD, KID! DEAD!

(WHIZZ!)

(The ship takes off. Ben is seen inside gripping onto the steering joysticks while the inmate is on his knees, looking on as the hangar doors close.)

[Inmate]: (Whispering shakily) Rot in hell... rot in hell...

(BANG! He collapses in a pool of blood as one of the Devil Watcher soldiers lowers his gun. He stops and takes a look around. Two other soldiers come out of the cell block as the fourth also walks to the center.)

[Soldier 1]: We've cleared house, then.

[Soldier 2]: Job well done. I think I hear them coming.

(KABOOM! The entry door to the cell block explodes as armed Plumber elites rush in.)

[Soldier 3]: It's been an honor.

(They all nod and simultaneously turn away from each other, standing straight up.)

[Plumber 1]: NOBODY MOVE!

(The Plumbers form a large circle around the four, positioning themselves into place and shifting about.)

[Plumber 2]: DROP. THE GUNS.

(The soldiers are seen breathing heavily. Their chests rise as the music reaches its climax...)

(Cue an overhead shot of four figures inside a circle.)

(BANG!)

(All four of them collapse at once as the pool of blood expands rapidly. The elites lower their guns slowly, utterly dumbfounded.)

THEME SONG

(Cut to black...)

(Windy sounds are heard while extremely small and blurry shapes flash across the scene.)

(BANG! BANG! Gunshot-like noises are heard, paired with white flashes. Trickling liquid is heard, before a first-person shot of opening eyes. They stare at a blurry white screen until red blood trickles down the screen and the eyes close, making the screen black again.)

(Slow breathing is heard against darkness and silence.)

(Suddenly, two red eyes open in the distance and blink, before simply staring towards the camera, periodically blinking. This image stays for six seconds...)

(AAAAAAAAARGH! The camera shakes through blurry images while a roar/scream is heard - the camera shakes and looks back at its former position, with the red eyes now extremely close to the screen with an angry and aggressive expression, blinking while growling is heard.)

(A rapid telephone-like beeping noise echoes in the background while the eyes distort like pixels, turning into numbers that fly across the screen.)

(BANG! BANG! More gunshots and white flashes are seen, but the flashes reveal brief glimpses of Thomas shooting Magister Newell, a blazing fire, red eyes blinking on a TV screen, and Plumber elites firing their guns.)

(These images rapidly switch faster and faster while the image becomes brighter and brighter, with agonizing screams and grunts heard in the background. The eyes keep blinking through blurry images while the rapidly switching scenes become transparent...)

(...until we see a smoky black humanoid figure lunge at the screen, with two silhouette-like hands grabbing it by the shoulders and grunting. The camera zooms in on the humanoid's face, as two angry red eyes open.)

(The screen flashes to a dark, unlit living room, with furniture silhouettes in front of a glass window lit by the purple/orange early morning sky. The humanoid figure suddenly jumps in front of the screen and appears to be strangling the viewer, until two hands that look like X-ray images grab it, punch it, and then hurl it forward, sending it crashing through the window and over the balcony...)

(The camera shakes left and right before looking at the window again, right as a bullet flies through from outside and right into the camera...)

(BANG!)

(Cut to black, right before the camera jolts forward as though a person is getting up, looking at the same living room, but with an intact window. Heavy, shaky, anxious breathing is heard.)

(The camera, still in first-person, turns to the right and sees a silhouette of a hand turn on a lamp, illuminating the tattered bed.)

(Cut to a shirtless Max staring out the window anxiously, his breathing dying down. He shudders violently and buries his face in his hands, sliding them down his face, knuckles meeting, and then placing them on the ground.)

(Max takes a deep breath and gets up. Cut back to a first-person shot of the light fading away, before Max's hand reaches out and turns on another lamp near a couch, and then goes to the right, walking around what appears to be a table and hitting the light switch, turning on the light underneath some kitchen cabinets above the stove.)

(Max looks to the right and sees a few pill bottles on the table. The camera shakes as he scrambles for them and picks them up, opening the cap clumsily and placing three dry-looking white pills in his hand. Cut to Max stuffing them in his mouth and gulping, followed by three blinks and an exhausted inhale and exhale.)

(Max's hand is seen placing the pills back on the table, with their label visible: "ADULT IBUPROFEN - BODILY PAIN RELIEVER".)

(Max is seen through the window putting a sleeveless shirt on, grabbing a bottle from the table along with a glass cup, and opening the window.)

(A distanced shot from the side overlooking the gorgeous mountains in the sunrise shows Max on his apartment balcony pouring a glass of whiskey for himself and gulping down the shot, placing the cup on the fence.)

(Cut to a closer shot of Max pouring himself a second cup and drinking up, his shuddering arm placing the bottle on a nearby table. He sits down and rests his elbows on his thighs, intertwining his fingers and resting his chin on them.)

(He is seen close-up, blinking and slightly turning his head to the side, but being hesitant. He takes soft, shaky breaths, before turning to the right, then abruptly turning back and blinking tightly, his lips quivering.)

(The shot blurs Max and focuses on the background, where a framed picture of a happy Max with a 10-year-old Ben and Gwen sits. The shot focuses back to Max, who has tears running down his cheeks as he shivers. He painfully looks up at the sky, whose beautiful purple/blue color backgrounds the glimmering mass of stars.)

(The same piano music continues to play on a silent scene, that shows a mass of ships from afar, slowly moving through space. There is a ship on the right of the screen, much further behind.)

(Cut to Ben inside the ship, leaning left and right to keep an eye on Vulkanus' craft. He then looks down to his sides, reaching below his chair and pulling out a blanket in a plastic wrapper. He tears it open and leans back as he drapes it over his thighs.)

(He reaches his arm up and turns off the lights, then reaches forward and presses a button on the touch screen, activating a custom flight path. The interface lights up a diagram of Vulkanus' ship and beeps to signify a tracker.)

(Ben holds his index finger pressed on the "reduce volume" button, then pulls up his blanket over his shoulders, turning to the right and slowly closing his eyes, opening them once to glance at the stars, then closing them back.)

(The camera zooms out through the ship window as it flies past, with Earth in the distance.)

(The camera hovers forward through stars and past asteroids, passing the Labyrinth and another asteroid belt, and a few satellites, as it pans and rotates around Earth.)

(The rotation continues as the camera gets closer, phasing through clouds and past bodies of water...)

(...and above a majestic, tree-dotted mountainside park, whose mass of land becomes more barren towards the visible northeast end, lit by the golden sunrise and a road faintly visible in the distance. The camera slows down as it looms over the forest.)

(The music stops.)

(The camera slowly zooms in through the trees, watching a dark-wood cabin whose lit interior is visible through the windows. Birds sing in the background.)

(Cut to an SUV driving through the barren road in the sunlit grass fields, dust blowing to its sides. The camera follows it from the front and from a distance, as it zooms out and the shot becomes a little more overhead. The truck gets smaller and smaller as the camera keeps zooming out, and it reaches the trees. It keeps backing out, distancing from the forest clearing... and through the windows of the cabin. Joyous laughing is heard.)

(Cut to Gwen and Kevin, the latter holding a book while he and Gwen lie side-by-side in bed, both in tank-tops and next to a lamp, while they read the book together. They laugh again.)

[Kevin]: (Laughter fading) God, that was classic.

[Gwen]: (Grinning) And he had literally no idea?

[Kevin]: I think he did! If this were on TV, we'd probably know.

[Gwen]: And there was me thinking you actually enjoyed this, and I finally got you off TV.

[Kevin]: Well, you never got me off thinking about it.

[Gwen]: Okay, next chapter.

(Kevin flips the page.)

(Cut to outside, where the truck drives up the trail nearby and parks near Kevin's car. A well-built man gets out and closes the door behind him.)

(Inside, Gwen and Kevin are both silently reading the pages, smiling.)

[Kevin]: Aww...

[Gwen]: Reminds me of us.

[Kevin]: Same.

[Gwen]: (Adjusting herself) Was that a soft spot I just heard get hit?

[Kevin]: No... well...

[Gwen]: Come here.

(Kevin puts down the book and passionately kisses Gwen.)

(KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!)

(Kevin abruptly gets out of the bedsheets in his shorts while Gwen sits up.)

[Kevin]: COMING!

[Gwen]: How did anyone find us here?

(Kevin giggles and then unlocks the door, slightly opening it and peering through.)

[Kevin]: Whoa, what are you doing here?

(The camera looks through the gap in the doorway. It's Cooper.)

[Cooper]: Am I... interrupting something?

[Kevin]: Dude, it's 6 AM.

[Gwen]: Who is it?

[Kevin]: (Turning back) Romeo himself. Should we let him in?

[Gwen]: Wait, "Romeo"? What?

[Kevin]: *(Sigh)* Cooper.

[Gwen]: Kevin! Open the door!

(Kevin tightens his lips and raises his eyebrows and he opens the door wide, sarcastically making a regal gesture for Cooper to enter.)

[Cooper]: Do I need to take off my shoes?

[Kevin]: Depends how long you're gonna be here.

[Cooper]: Won't be long then. (Steps in, holds up a paper bag) Brought you breakfast.

[Gwen]: For which one of us?

[Cooper]: Both of you, actually. Here. (Hands her the bag)

[Gwen]: (Opening it, gasping) Almond Croissant? How did you know?

[Kevin]: (Exhaling) Oh my god, don't start this crap first thing in the morning, okay, Goldilocks?

(Cooper continues to smile as though he's waiting for something.)

[Gwen]: You'll cool off, Kevin, here. (Hands him the bag)

[Kevin]: (Eyes widening) WOW. (Looking up) You win this round, buddy.

(Cooper grins as Kevin gleefully pulls out a creme-filled chocolate doughnut and lustfully takes a bite.)

[Kevin]: Mm. Thish ish what I'm talkin' about. (Nods, licks lips and inspects fingers)

[Cooper]: (Hands him a napkin) Here.

[Kevin]: Thanks, (wipes hands) but with all this first-class service, I'm guessing there's some bad news among all this.

[Gwen]: Kevin, please, finish eating first! Then get to bad part!

[Cooper]: Actually, no. I'm tight on time here, so I might wanna cut to the chase.

[Kevin]: (Taking a bite) Fire away, big guy.

[Cooper]: (Inhaling, pausing, then exhaling, shaking his head) I don't know I'm gonna sugarcoat this, so let me give it to you straight. Ben's gone missing.

(Kevin pauses his chews with the doughnut while Gwen stares solemnly, sitting on the bed.)

[Cooper]: (Throwing arms up) Well, that's the gist of it all. It's all we know, rather.

[Kevin]: (Finishing bite, nodding) And I take it you need us to help you know more, lock him up again, play office politics, and then send us back here to screw some more, am I right?

[Gwen]: Kevin, just shut up.

[Cooper]: Well, when you put it that way, no one's gonna want to help.

[Kevin]: No, but come on, dude! Hasn't this pattern gotten old to you by now?

[Cooper]: Uh, not exactly, since the "pattern" is actually my job, but, well, (shrugs) depends on how you look at it.

[Kevin]: Yeah, that's right. And looking at it through our perspective, all you'll see are the words "no freaking way". That clear?

[Cooper]: Speak for yourself, Kevin. Gwen hasn't said anything.

[Kevin]: (Smirking) Yeah, there you come, separating us out like that. Gwen, please say-

[Gwen]: I want to help you, Cooper, I do.

[Cooper]: Yeah. Just waiting for the "but".

[Gwen]: Well, I really just don't have the patience to think of what everyone else would be going through after the whole mess we made last month.

[Kevin]: Which still feels like yesterday, by the way.

[Cooper]: Fine, I'll keep you guys in the independent sector of it all.

[Gwen]: Sounds pretty silly if you know how deep we're gonna dig our nails into all this.

[Kevin]: (Points) Bingo. Right there. Unless, of course, we DON'T, right, sweetheart? Yup. You agree. Cooper, thanks for the quick bite, it was a pleasure having you. Door's this way.

[Cooper]: Actually, yeah, sure. I, on the other hand, have no patience for all this cliche decision-making, so I will leave. Kevin, you're welcome for the food.

[Kevin]: Anytime. Now out.

[Cooper]: Sure, sure. Just, uh, well, take this, if you will. (He hands him a folded blue paper) Have a nice day, lovebirds! Long time no see, by the way.

(He starts walking away)

[Kevin]: Yeah. Hopefully you'll be saying that the next time we see each other.

[Cooper]: (Waving) Sure! Bye! (Gets into car, backs out)

(Kevin closes the door and spins around.)

[Kevin]: Argument time. You get to go first.

[Gwen]: Can I see that paper?

[Kevin]: Sure, knock yourself out. (Hands the paper to her) I, on the other hand, would... well, nothing to do here 'cept get cuddly. What do you say we go find some bears to take selfies with?

[Gwen]: You should come see this.

[Kevin]: Sure, what love poem has he written this time?

[Gwen]: No, seriously... oh my god...

The Mentalist OST - "Qasimico"

(Kevin sits down next to her and puts his arm on her shoulder, glancing at the paper before grabbing it.)

[Gwen]: Hey!

[Kevin]: Hold on a goddamn minute...

(The paper's title says "mission details", with faintly-visible pictures of Ben's mugshot and the Labyrinth.)

(Gwen leans in closer to read...)

(Cooper's SUV exits the forest and passes by some tall grass. He is seen in his seat, smiling smugly and looking out at the rising sun near the distant mountain.)

(The camera turns around to see the back of Cooper's head, and then zooms out through the SUV windows and distances itself, slowly going overhead... as a green muscle car begins to catch up to it on the right.)

(Cooper continues to look out to the left.)

[Kevin's Voice]: (Yelling through window) I'M SOLD AGAIN, D-BAG!

(Cooper turns and grins at Kevin.)

[Cooper]: It's why I drove slow!

[Kevin]: Yeah, keep telling yourself that!

[Cooper]: If you want to race, I'm fine with it! You just have to follow me!

(Kevin cracks up and looks back at the road, speeding up a little, as Cooper does likewise. The camera ascends as the cars drive off into the distance.)

(The camera keeps moving upwards and through the sky, phasing through the atmosphere and out into space...)

(The scene flashes to a more distant shot as Ben's ship is visible, with small, cropped-off and barely visible shapes peeking out the sides of the frame.)

(Cut to Ben snoring, his blanket having slightly slid off.)

(BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!)

(His systems beep exactly six times, waking him up a little.)

[Ben]: (Murmuring/groaning through sleepiness) I thought I turned off the volume...

(BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!)

[Ben]: Ugh, goddammit...

(He slightly opens his eyes... the camera goes first-person as a blurry orange color fades to black...)

(He blinks and opens his eyes...)

(BAM! The entire window is covered by the view of a massive asteroid. The camera view opens up fully.)

(Ben jolts up like a foosball figure and grabs the controls, aggressively steering to the left.)

(BOOM! The underside of the shape barely grazes the asteroid and chips off some dusty rock bits while the ship shakes. Ben steers right to steady it...)

(He looks up and around in shock and horror.)

(Cut to a large, open shot of a massive army of ships flanking Ben and dotting the starry screen.)

[Ben]: I've... caught up?

(The first-person camera abruptly looks straight... towards chaos and explosions in the distance, in front of what appears to be a large planet.)

(Cut to a directly overhead map-view shot that slides forward through ships and explosions... and towards a massive orange-and-purple planet, blotched with black clouds and dotted with city lights to look like Star Wars' Coruscant.)

(Cut back to Ben, who's panicking. He looks around frantically as ships are blasted out of the sky and red lasers pass by...)

(The window to his right faces a giant purple electric laser coming towards him...)

(KABOOM! The ship shakes before the screen cuts to black.)

(A Plumber ship lands on a large gray landing platform overlooking the brightly sunlit Rushmore forests, in a scene that looks like Halo, with a natural backdrop and science-fiction forefront. Cooper, Gwen and Kevin run out and towards a massive door. A few yards away is a scanner mounted on a stand to look like a parking meter. Cooper scans his badge and the door opens in diagonal lines.)

(Six Plumbers walk out, three in each row.)

[Plumber 1]: Daniels!

[Cooper]: Sir! These are my friends, Gwen Tennyson and Kevin Levin-

[Plumber 2]: Oh, we know that for sure. Long time no see, people.

[Kevin]: Yeah, for us, it's just "no see". Unless we know you, which is hard to tell behind the helmet.

[Plumber 1]: Buddy, no time to be cocky 'round here.

[Kevin]: But we took up this offer.

[Plumber 1]: Then you agreed to abide by our rules. Come with me, people!

(Plumber 1 marches through the hangar door with Gwen, Kevin and Cooper following. The other five Plumbers wait until the other four people pass by, then follow behind.)

(Gwen, Kevin and Cooper walk inside and the other Plumbers look on in amazement.)

[Cooper]: That's right, they're back. How are we doing, Chase?

[Chase]: We have maps still enabled in the tracers. Won't be for long, though. By my count, we have fifteen minutes.

[Kevin]: Jesus Christ... (runs over) Is that Kryzeen?

[Chase]: It is, but how could you tell from a blueprint map?

[Kevin]: Hey, come on. Red belt?

[Chase]: Impressive.

[Kevin]: Has Ben spread his opinion on me to you guys?

[Gwen]: What's the red belt?

[Kevin]: Hey, everyone listen up!

(The workers all shift in their seats and look up.)

(Kevin's voice is heard narrating while the camera slowly moves through space, overlooking Kryzeen while ships fly past.)

[Kevin]: Kryzeen is a corporate-ruled metropolis laid over what they call a planet. It's a completely loose, unruled, uncontrolled cesspit and the dream for any black-market trash-with-a-pulse wishing the world abided by the way they think. All this is masked by bright lights and next-gen tech, but the world knows it's got nothing to hide. Everything to fear.

(Cut to a zooming shot racing through explosions and debris and ships pulling acrobatic stunts before getting shot at.)

[Kevin]: The "red belt" is the layer encompassing Kryzeen's gaseous atmosphere. The place doesn't believe in government, and knows where to rat out every authoritarian entity.

(An extremely fast ship zooms between satellites and is grazed by a laser, still zooming past until it catches flame and breaks to bits while it flies.)

[Kevin]: ANYTHING that even hints the word "rules" will never get past the red belt.

(Another ship explodes in between a corkscrew.)

[Kevin]: Aircraft is sent out to launch whatever the hell they can fire to make sure unwanted company stays at least a hundred kilometers away from the atmosphere. If anything's inside, it's open season. 24/7. It's the #3 job in the planet's employment inventory, preceded only by CEO and bounty hunter.

(Cut back to the office.)

[Gwen]: And Ben is about to fly his stolen Plumber ship right into the red belt?

[Kevin]: Correct. You guys have his status up and running. And no, I didn't rehearse all of that.

[Chase]: Judging by the average speed of one of our starfighters, and the distance Ben's at, I'd say we have fifteen minutes until he's out of our reach. For good.