A Monster's Redemption (Ben 10: Heroes of Evolution)/Preview

((Spoiler}}

This preview is the prologue of "Fighting the Fear", the upcoming sixth episode of TJlive800's Ben 10: Heroes of Evolution.

Preview
(A few girls are all talking while leaving the building.)

[Kate]: Sarah, wanna go for drinks?

[Sarah]: I'd love to, but I already said, I have studying to do, guys, I'm sorry.

[Kate]: Tomorrow?

[Sarah]: Definitely. It'll ease off the exam tension.

[Kate]: Bye, then, Sarah!

[Other girls]: Bye!

[Sarah]: See ya!

(She leaves while the other girls head to the parking lot)

(Sarah is seen walking down the sidewalk from the college. The camera zooms out aerially to the point where the edge of a roof is visible. From the right, a figure is partially seen crouching.)

[Narrator]: Isn't she beautiful?

(A silhouette of a hand is seen.)

[Narrator]: So... young, and so close to being absolutely clean of imperfections.

(The hand is then shown fully, the arm resting on the crouched knees. The hand is gray and withered. Gloves are put on.)

[Narrator]: The madman's mind can always ignore such elegant qualities... people say I have the mind of a madman. That I'm bloodthirsty... a sociopath, sadistic... a monster. They say these things to themselves, inside their minds... a pool full of shallow thoughts rushing in at a time of immediate tension...

(The narrator's rusty boots are seen.)

[Narrator]: Natural thoughts before death. I can... I can read these people before I rid them of their imperfections - it's quite fascinating, and I'd take notes if I wanted to, except I don't have time.

(The camera pans upward to show a gloved hand holding Darkstar's helmet.)

[Darkstar]: My mind doesn't have time. My mind only involves running from things - people say the only way to face fear is fear itself - all I am bestowing upon my victims is my own fear... my vulnerabilities. This... this vicious chain of inner doubt, and shirking from life's ruthlessness... it follows them down to their graves. People say it's my ruthlessness, but every single time my vulnerabilities take over in my timid moments, I pause to think how many of my weaknesses... how much of my shame I've put into the ground.

(Darkstar puts on his helmet.)

[Darkstar]: The truth here is that I've never really "rid" myself of anything - I've only let it expand, let it spread and infect the frightened little atmospheres that make up the minds of my victims in their final minutes. The mortal fear that surrounds these people in the form of shallow little thoughts like "please let me live" - it's a cloud. It shrouds and obscures this little... parasite carrying my weaknesses like a poison - now some may be divided on whether killing these people is an act of mercy, for stopping this virus from growing... the truth is that because of the concept of families, this virus continues to spread. To the minds of the loved ones. And then the fear becomes paranoia.

(Sarah takes a right down another street - Darkstar begins walking across the rooftop to the other edge of the building to continue seeing her walk.)

[Darkstar]: Yet this parasite stays in me. It's where it was born, and its full potency makes a home inside my chaotic little mind. Stays there, fuels both my compulsion for killing and my fear of it. It's a very unpleasant path to go through... the initial stages are the worst... when you don't understand it. The normal mind is so fueled by curiosity that it wishes to use the last of itself before fading away - it's how the aggressive minds are in fact the most easily penetrated - this curiosity to understand the surrounding fear simply prompts the mind to go ahead and understand it.

(Darkstar continues walking along rooftops, following the path Sarah is taking.)

[Darkstar]: And because of its more present predicament: confusion, it seeks to take the easiest route out of the fear - the path of the conventional madman. To embrace the fear. It becomes so... involved in doing so that by the time the task is complete, escape is never in sight. The mind makes a home for itself in the fear... the same way fear makes a home for itself in the mind. It's a very mutual relationship.

(Sarah takes a left - Darkstar quickly makes his way down some staircase catwalks on the side of an apartment, down to the sidewalk.)

[Darkstar]: Most madmen would admire this... the so-called "perfection" of what has been created - but this is essentially the "creation of destruction". The mind has tricked itself into taking the path that leads it to its new, monstrous state. It's handed its control of itself to the fear instead. And this new fear-powered mind fuels the compulsion to do what the scared person might do: to run.

(Darkstar follows Sarah over to a relatively empty street that leads to her neighborhood. Darkstar moves to a fence and waits.)

[Darkstar]: I'm acknowledging all this because I'm attempting to fix myself. To rid myself of the fear. But I did say there was no escape - I've been trying to train my mind into finding an escape. To fight the fear. Yet the fear is still winning - it's convincing me to think like a madman.

(A sequence of high-contrast black and white visuals flashes all over the screen, making up skull-like shapes.)

(Darkstar clutches his head.)

[Darkstar]: That happens. Every single time I try to fight the demons surrounding me. I become distracted... reminded of the madman's endless thirst by the fear that always wins me over... it tells me to kill. To kill and kill. Because what I am requires it. I need energy to sustain my human appearance, but the fear in my mind insists that both sides of me represent the monster. That I can never fix myself. And the only way to stay running is to kill.

(Sarah comes close to the intersection near the fence Darkstar waits at.)

[Darkstar]: And it picks the perfect time to do so. Right when my body feels weak. To the point where I cannot fight the fear - no matter what I try to tell my mind, the pain of vulnerability forces me to give in. To get whatever it needs to relieve itself. It tells me I can never fight fear, nor can I fight pain, and that the illusion of power comes from my violent conquests. And because it's so willing to get any form of reliever, the first thing it finds is the voice of fear. that voice chants one word: KILL.

(Darkstar begins to approach Sarah.)

[Darkstar]: It's how I am. The mind and the body cannot work separately - the former gives me pain and the latter gives me fear. Anytime I fight one, the other attacks at full force. And I stay convinced that this is what I need. I feel as though my own death would fix this, though the fear takes over yet again and keeps me from allowing that. It makes me acknowledge one thing: that life goes on.

(Darkstar lunges at Sarah and grabs her by the throat. He shoves her against the fence, pressing his palm to her back. Black smoke seeps out of her as her skin becomes rotten and Darkstar's becomes human. He takes his palm away and finishes strangling her now-lifeless corpse. It falls to the ground.)

[Darkstar]: But Sarah's doesn't. Now I wait and witness my vulnerability seep down into her wandering soul.

(He takes off his helmet and inside is the normal face of Michael Morningstar.)

[Darkstar]: My body is fixed, and now the pain from there travels to my mind, which fear gladly gives up its control over just to sit back and witness me hurt and hurt. And as my body eventually deteriorates, the pain flows back down as fear regains its control.

(Michael walks away.)

[Darkstar]: And that is the "vicious cycle". It's what my mind turned into. And whose fault is it? None other than mine. I'm the one who let fear's parasites expand and drag my mind down into what it is today. Fear convinced me to never let go of it - I can never have suicidal thoughts and I can never let anyone harm me. I can only harm them while fear is in control, then regret it as pain is. And, you see, when I try to harm myself, the pain naturally goes to the body; fear goes to the mind, and tells me to stop. Fear gives me pain, and pain gives me fear. Rinse and repeat.

'''[Dr. Richard Wilson]''': That's... that's quite a story, Michael.

[Michael]: I know, doctor, I know how unhealthy this sounds, how uncomfortable this makes you feel...

'''[Dr. Wilson]''': The good thing is that you're getting better at fighting the fear.

[Michael]: All it does is come back to haunt me. Every single day. I'm surprised you've never recorded our sessions.

'''[Dr. Wilson]': I know, it feels a bit... wrong, not to report murder confessions'', but this is different. It's private, I understand it. You need someone to talk to.

[Michael]: You're only one that does understand. Maybe during our next session I'll come out clean? Use less metaphors?

'''[Dr. Wilson]''': We'll see. But the way you describe things, forcing yourself into doing something, rushing it, isn't the way to go. Take your time, practice. Practice saying no.

[Michael]: I'll... I'll do my best.

'''[Dr. Wilson]': (Looks at his watch)'' 4:15. I guess today's session is over then?

[Michael]: Yeah. Nice seeing you, doctor.

'''[Dr. Wilson]''': You too.

(They shake hands and Michael leaves)

(Dr. Wilson looks at his hand. There are more wrinkles and age-marks than there were before.)

(He begins to shake and looks at the door nervously.)

'''[Dr. Wilson]': (Whispers shakily to himself) You're anything but'' okay, Michael. (Deep breath)

--- THEME SONG ---