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DV |
| Memory Lane | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Release Date | 3/12/22 |
| Series | Mutant Drake |
| Details | |
| Season | 3 |
| Episode Number | 9 |
| Overall Episode Number | 42 |
| Credits | |
| Written by | Brandon |
| Directed by | Brandon |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous episode | The Bunker |
| Next episode | Family Gathering |
Memory Lane is the forty-second episode of the series, Mutant Drake.
Plot[]
In the sky, with great haste, grey clouds are seen drifting by before being blown away with the intruding flight of the Jumpjet. Its engines roar out as it flies by the view. On board, Drake is seen laying on the bench in the back of the jet- breathing restlessly while Zack goes through his bag, calmly. The rest of the Helpers look at him with worry, concern or surprise. Drake is slurring his words and looks around in a dazed state.
Ember: H-Hey, is he going to be alright?
Zack: Yes, yes. Just... I need to find- Ah, got it!
Zack pulls out a small device from his bag and uses it to analyze Drake as a faint green light scans his body.
Zack: Just as I thought. His Nanogenes are reacting like crazy.
Ember: And that's related to his... condition?
Caliber: Yo, why are we even taking what he says as fact? For all we know, this could be because of him.
Zack: I'm only trying to help him. Whatever happened to him, it's been building up for quite some time now.
Zara: He's right. I don't know about Nanogenes but I felt something inside of him giving him trouble. I thought it was just his vision but... I guess it was something more.
Caliber: This sucks. We can't help him?
Zack: The only thing we can do is get to a lab.
Danny: Well, we have a makeshift one at headquarters.
Zack: Then I suppose that'll have to do.
He looks down at Drake who shakes in place.
Zack: Hang in there, bud…
Title Sequence
The scene continues in the city, with the buildings standing tall and the sky looking faintly blue with a touch of grey. The Jumpjet circles through the air and flies towards the tower belonging to the Helpers as it comes in for a landing on its landing pad.
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Inside, Adam and Emma make their way to the door as the Helpers rush inside, carrying Drake.
Adam: I got your message but... I didn't realize it was this bad.
Emma: What was it? An attack?
Jake: No. Just- I don't know. We have to get him to the lab. Is the Professor here?
Adam: Yeah, I'll go get him.
Adam runs off down the hall while the Helpers move him through the main meeting room.
Emma: D-Drake? Are you alright?
Drake groans and holds his head.
Drake: She's fine for now. MCA is about to handle the situation which is why we don't have much time.
Emma: Wh-What? MCA?
Danny: Also who's she?
Zack: Uh...
Drake: It doesn't matter. I need to help them!
Drake tries pushing them off of him.
Jake: Take it easy, Drake, we're on your side, remember?
Danny: You can help people later. Just relax, dude.
Drake: I don't need my powers to stop you.
Zack then administers a syringe into Drake's neck that soon makes him fall unconscious within their arms. Both Jake and Danny look surprised before looking at each other.
Caliber: Hey! What did you just do?!
Zack: I administered a sedative into him. If he acted recklessly, it could have worsened things. Come on, we need to get him to that lab quickly.
Caliber: And you just happen to be carrying those things around?
Zack: It wasn't exactly a quiet island I was living on.
Zack turns and walks off down the hall with Danny and Jake following afterwards, carrying Drake. Caliber crosses his arms and scowls. Zara shrugs and keeps walking ahead with Caliber soon following after her. Later, in the laboratory, Drake is now seen on the examination table getting looked over by Professor Richards and Zack.
Professor Richards: Well, it's nothing biological as far as I can tell.
Fionna: Is there any chance it could be in his mind? What's the word for it again?
Professor Richards: Psychological? Erm... perhaps but-
Zack: No, it's all Nanogenenic. I believe Drake is able to communicate with his Nanogenes and vice versa. The signals that they're sending to his brain are overloading the part of his mind that he uses to remember things.
Professor Richards: That would explain sudden amnesia but that isn't present.
Jake: Well, it's not sudden but... he does have a memory gap.
Caliber: What do you mean a memory gap?
Jake: It's a bit hard to explain since he doesn't talk about it too often but Drake can't remember his past.
Danny: Yeah, things like his childhood and stuff.
Fionna: It's something that he kept between himself and his close friends.
Jake: And the MCA but well, I don't think they're going to help with this.
Zack: MCA?
Caliber: Man, you really have been living on an island, haven't you?
Jake: The Mutation Containment Agency. They do patrols around the city... and I suppose the country too in order to take care of any Mutant threats. But with the recent riots in the city, they've had their hands full.
Zara: From what I understand, they are a sort of Mutant-enforcement organization.
Zack: Ah. Well, in this case, no. They won't be able to help. This is a scientific problem so logically we would need a scientific solution. Fortunately, I have one in development. Now you said you had notes on Nanogenes here?
Caliber: Wait just a minute. Why are we trusting this guy with our stuff? We don't even know him.
Zack: You don't but Drake does... or at least, he will once we fix his mind.
Jake: Apparently, he and Drake are family. They knew each other when they were younger, grew up together.
Caliber: Oh. And you guys couldn't fill me in back on the Jumpjet?
Danny, looking annoyed: What part of he’s Drake’s cousin did you not understand earlier, man?
Drake starts to stir awake and groan again.
Jake: Drake. Hey, can you hear me?
Drake: I just want to say, thank you for helping me today. You didn't have to but you did it anyway.
Jake: Uh... Yeah, don't worry about it. We're a team, after all.
Drake: We start with their leader. He disappeared but I know he's out there somewhere.
Jake's confused gaze gets more confused as he turns to look at the others.
Fionna: Drake, there is no fight. You don't have to-
Drake: You have no idea what you're getting yourself into so let him go, now!
He turns to face Danny.
Drake: You can make people look up to you the same way you did to me, in a way I never can.
Danny: Wait a minute, he said that to me before.
Jake: Yeah, some of this... does sound familiar.
Zack: Like I was saying, his mind is being flooded with old memories. I can only guess that this would usually be sent to his unconscious state of mind but... at this rate, his brain is just reliving any kind of memory over and over. He's in a constant state of recollection.
Danny: Funny that our resident amnesic is in a state of recollection.
Fionna: There's nothing funny about it. There has to be a way to fix him.
Emma: I agree. I don't know much about Nanogenes but if they're overwhelming his brain with signals, shouldn't we just try and shut them off?
Zack: I can't. Deactivating a Nanogene is essentially killing it. It can't be revived unless powered by a prime source... or an external source. Drake possesses a Nanogene Prime, it allows him to communicate and control the Nanogenes in his body. It's like a... battery pack that powers his forms, yeah. Even if I shut down all his Nanogenes, the Prime would just reactivate them. And deactivating the Prime would further destabilize him to a point where his mind would be the least of our worries.
Caliber: Our guy just sounds like a broken mess at this point.
Danny: Which is why we have to fix him. It's like my dad always told me, "If something's broken, it can be put back together again."
Zack: Yes, well, I can certainly try.
Adam, walking over to the table: Alright, I have a record that John left behind. It contains notes on Drake's Nanogenes and his medical history.
Emma: You... had that here?
Adam: Yeah. His work was... is invaluable to us.
Emma: ...Thank you.
Adam smiles at her modestly while Zack looks over the reports.
Zack: Okay, this is fantastic actually. I now know what I'm dealing with without having to examine him further. But... that does leave one issue remaining.
Caliber: Now what?
Fionna: What's the issue?
Zack: Well, I have this suit. It allows me to communicate with the dormant Nanogenes around me and essentially shrink me to the size of one.
Adam: Like a nanomolecular size alternator?
Zack: Actually, yes. I call it the Nanomolecular Mech Suit.
Danny: You might wanna shorten that name, dude...
Fionna: Again, what is the issue?
Zack: Right! Well, I could shrink to the size of a Nanogene and further investigate the issue but I'm concerned that messing around with his active Nanogenes could cause more damage.
Jake: So there's nothing we can do?
Zara: Not exactly. His Nanogenes are active because he's conscious, right? What if we put him in an unconscious state?
Zack: That could work but again, the Nanogenes are overloading his brain with recollective cognition. Even if he's unconscious, he's still recalling his past. His mind would need to be in a state of quiet and I'm afraid that means killing him.
Caliber: Wait, didn't you do something like that to him on the Jumpjet before, Zara?
Zara: Well... yes. I was going to suggest that I put him in a subdued state. It's a trick my father taught me to access the minds of others. Except instead of sending someone else in there, I'd be sending Drake, himself, into his own mind.
Zack: I don't quite understand the science behind that but... if it's possible, it might just work. In fact, by working together, we should be able to keep him subdued enough for the process to work.
Jake: Look, I don't know about this. This sounds like we're taking a risk with his life here.
Zack: I know that's what it sounds like but that's because we don't have any other options. If we don't act soon, his mind could be beyond repair.
Jake looks down at the floor before his gaze turns to Drake, who looks at him.
Drake: Without help, I would have been lost like she is.
Jake sighs and turns to Zack.
Jake: Alright, let's do it.
Professor Richards: I'll do what I can as well. Even though this isn't quite my expertise.
Zack: I have no doubt your assistance will be most valuable, Professor.
Drake: …When do we start?
Zack: Now. Let's begin.
Zara nods and walks behind Drake, she places her hands against the sides of his head and closes her eyes. A faint glow envelopes her hands and affects Drake's mind. He starts to bear his teeth before becoming more relaxed. Zack then places his nanomolecular mech suit on as it forms around him- clicking and attaching into place. Finally, he places the helmet over his head; securing it before activating his belt buckle. He then reduces in size, becoming invisible to the naked eye. The Professor and Adam then go over the reports while Zara continues keeping Drake sedated. Caliber takes off his mask and sighs.
Elias: So that's it?
Jake: For now, I guess.
Elias: So we just wait?
Jake: No... we can't stay for long. Fionna' family is still in trouble.
Fionna: Right. As much as I want to stay here for Drake...
Danny: Hey, you don't have to explain yourself. We all get the whole mission comes first thing. Besides, Drake's undergoing an operation so he'll be better when he gets better.
Jake: Yeah... Did you get any feelings on the way here?
Fionna: Something light but not really. I guess I was too focused on Drake than anything else.
Elias: Doesn't that mean they're still outside of the country? If she felt that on the way to New York then...
Jake: Well, they might be close to the city but still out of country.
Emmett then comes into the lab, in a hurry.
Emmett: Hey, sorry I'm late. What... What happened to Drake?
Danny: Something broke in his brain due to Nanogenes so they're fixing him now.
Jake: He's fine, Emmett. Anyways, it's good to see you after all that time.
Emmett: Yeah, it was a bit weird without you guys here. I hardly noticed Danny leaving.
Danny: As quick as a fox.
Fionna: Just not as clever as one.
Danny: Hey!
Emmett: Anyway, I'm glad Drake is recovering from... whatever happened. If you need me in the field, I'm here. I took care of my business as Emmett so the Leviathan is ready to go whenever you need him.
Jake: Good 'cause that might be sooner than you expected. Fionna?
Fionna: I'm ready too. I can use the device to make my gift stronger when we're in the air again.
Elias: Then what are we waiting for?
Jake: You don't want to stay behind?
Elias: Are you kidding? We can't afford to keep people back.
Danny: Yeah, you had me there and they still kicked our butts.
Fionna: Casey didn't play fair when he started to attack people. And he had this weird effect on Victor. I don't know what he said or did to him but having Victor on his side made him harder to deal with.
Emmett: If that's the case then we just need to get them and get out. Now waiting around for Casey to arrive and hurt more people.
Jake: R-Right. I agree.
Fionna: I still don't know why my gift is reacting this way. If they were closer to the city, we could have gotten to them sooner.
Elias: Didn't Casey have one of those powers too? That's how he's finding them too, right? Well, maybe the others have your gift also.
Fionna: My gift? If that's the case then shouldn't they try and find me?
Elias: Maybe they don't want to be found. I mean, look what happened to your sister.
Fionna glances away and sighs.
Fionna: Right...
Emmett: Hey, let's not think about that right now. We have to hope that she's doing alright. Even if Casey comes and catches us, we can still use that as a shot of getting the people we lost back.
Fionna: Yeah, you're right.
Jake: It might not be all of us but we can still do this.
Danny: Alright! Go team go, right? Up top!
Danny throws his head up in the air but receives none of the highest of fives. The other Helpers simply walk away with Fionna shaking her head.
Danny: Guys? ...Aw man.
He then jogs to catch up with them. The view then focuses on Drake's face as it slowly drops down before fading away. When the scene continues, the view fades back to Drake's face once more. His eyes then open and he raises his head, holding the bridge of his nose. The sounds of people talking draws Drake's attention to the side. He looks over, finding himself in a white void of some kind. He gets up and walks over towards the sound. He reaches his hand out and it soon presses against a sort of wall. He continues pressing against it, now with both hands, before he phases through the wall and falls through- leaving the void. He then falls onto a polished floor and grunts as he hits the floor. As he pushes himself up from the floor, a pair of shoes walk up to him. He looks at them then turns his head up, seeing a younger version of himself.
Drake: Wait, that's... me?
He looks around, seeing that he is now in a lobby with white walls and such. A woman approaches the counter towards the back of the wall which a blonde woman is sitting behind. The gold name plate on the counter suggests her name is Vanessa.
Drake: I've seen this before... This is the day of the Incident.
Vanessa: Hello and welcome to-
The following words become a loud, high pitched static and causes Drake to shudder and hold the sides of his head.
Vanessa, continuing his sentence: How may I help you today?
Drake lowers his hands and looks over at them, taken aback at the situation.
Woman: Yes, Hi. I'm here to see a-
The same loud static occurs which, again, catches Drake off guard. He holds his head and practically drops down to his knee, bearing his teeth. The static fades but a faint ringing is heard through Drake's ears. He lowers his hands, finding spots of blood on them. He breathes heavily, as if recovering from an attack, and turns his attention to his younger self who happens to bump into a man in a lab coat.
Man: Hello...
Drake looks up at the man towering over his younger self, now seeing that it is a younger version of Ryden Kurtzman.
Ryden: ...Drake.
However, Ryden's attention turns from the younger one to the current one as the walls around him start to close in. Drake looks around at the room as it starts closing in and getting darker around him. Soon the hallway behind Ryden is lost to the white void, the walls start breaking apart and soon enough the floor caves in as well- being pulled away like it was a piece of paper. Drake falls from the floor and through the void as he reaches his arm out, yelling all the way down. The scene abruptly cuts back to headquarters where Drake yells out on the table. Zara keeps her position using her powers to keep him under but she seems a bit overwhelmed by a sudden feeling. Professor Richards makes his way over.
Prof. Richards: Are you alright?
Zara: No... I'm losing him. His mind is... worse than I thought.
Zack's voice can be heard, albeit a bit muffled and filled with static.
Zack: I hear you but I need more time!
Prof. Richards looks around for the sound and looks down, seeing Zack's bag. He reaches inside and pulls out a transceiver which is transmitting Zack's voice.
Zack: I haven't worked with Nanogenes like these before.
Elsewhere, on a microscopic level, Zack- in his nanomolecular suit, is seen raising his hands and firing a green electric beams at the large Nanogenes floating before him; they seem to be not only sparking but emitting an ominous looking glow as well.
Prof. Richards, over the transmission: I'm afraid we simply don't have that time to give.
Zack: Even if I reach the Nanogene Prime soon, this can't be achieved on my part alone. Whatever that girl is doing is working, or... at least, it was. We just need to go further. If we don't try, then whatever we do won't be enough to save him.
The Professor lowers the transceiver and sighs.
Zara, with her eyes still closed: He's right.
He looks over at her, slight concern on his face.
Zara: I have the power to do this. I can't hold back now.
Zara seems to concentrate harder, focusing her power more into her hands as they emanate more so. She then opens her eyes, showing that they're glowing a bright white color. Drake's yells and grunts soon subside and his body starts to calm down again.
Zack, over the transceiver: I don't know what you did but it's having an effect. Keep it up, you two.
Prof. Richards: Yes. We'll see if we can...
He says this while looking at Zara, who seems to be pushing her powers more so than usual. The view then fades as it zooms into her bright glowing eyes- transitioning back to the white void where Drake continues falling. He then turns his head, seeing the world being formed around him hastily. Before he knows it, Drake crashes down onto some sand which seems to cushion his fall. He sits up and looks around- seeing a rough recreation of a shore with parts and pieces of the white void still remaining. He looks around, a confused expression on his face.
Zara: Drake.
He turns around sharply and sees Zara standing there on the beach.
Zara: I don't have much time so you need to listen to me.
Drake: Zara? What's going on? Where am I?
Zara: You're... inside your mind. I believe you went through something like this before.
Drake: Yeah... Now that I think about it, I have. Back with Psyche.
Zara: Right. My father was able to send you into her mind so you can repair the damage there. And right now, I'm doing the same.
Drake: If we're inside my mind then how come you're here? I thought your father couldn't do that.
Zara: Yeah, well, I can't keep this up for too long otherwise I risk losing myself just like you almost did. I'm using a lot of power to keep your mind together. Whatever happened to you is basically ripping you apart.
Drake: What do you mean?
Zara: Remember what I said, about visiting that island? I thought it would help you with your memories but it seems the opposite happened. After seeing your cousin and places you saw in your past, your memories were coming back to you too quickly and your brain became overwhelmed, for lack of a better word...
Drake: So now I'm here. That makes sense. But how do I-
Zara: Fix this? That's up to you, Vigilante. Zack and I are making sure you don't die but you're the only one that can really save yourself. You have to do the same thing you did for that girl... but for yourself. You have to face your past and accept the truth about yourself. One that you're probably not ready to face... but one that you definitely need to in order to survive.
Drake looks at her, with a certain look on his face, before looking past her. His eyes widen. Zara turns around and looks at where he's looking. Right before them, on that beach, several men are seen on the sand with slash wounds on their legs. Some are running away while one in particular is holding a woman hostage as he approaches a boat.
Zara: What is this?
Drake: No... No, I can't- I can't face this.
Zara, turning to Drake: Drake... Look, I don't know what exactly this memory is to you but that's exactly what it is. A memory.
Drake: But- This is when it happens... My mother dies and I...
Zara: Listen, I don't have that much time left. But you absolutely have to face this memory otherwise... it'll destroy you. You have the team relying on you... the city. Don't let the past destroy your future, Drake.
Drake: What if it already has? This memory... has haunted me since I've seen it. It has changed me into something worse by showing me at my worst. Training you and the others, doing missions with the team. That helped me become better. I don't want to lose that by facing this memory again.
Zara: I felt the same about leaving my village. I was learning to use my power and by coming here I thought I'd lose my progress. And yeah, it's different but... it's not all that bad, I guess. Look, if I have to- I mean, if I can push through and find some good in facing problems I don't want to face... then so can you.
Drake looks from Zara to the scene once more, now seeing his younger self in a desperate and aggressive state.
Zara: You're the Vigilante, Drake.
He turns to Zara, as if those words resonated with him.
Zara: You can do this... (starts to fade away) Because you have to.
Zara then fades before him, causing him to take a step back. His attention then returns to the scene before him towards the back of the shoreline where Gerard approaches a boat, while still holding the knife to Leia.
Leia: Let go of me!
Gerard: Quiet or I'll end you right here and now!
Gerard continues to the boat until a shot is fired next to him. Gerard then stops. Will is then seen, pointing a gun at Gerard.
Will: That's far enough, Gerard.
Gerard: Will... you traitor.
Will: I was never on your side, Gerard. How could I be?! This is why I left the Hunters in the first place. Because you never listened to reason. You always insisted that killing Mutants with powers was the way to go. But wiping them out isn't going to help me move on.
Gerard: Forget about you, Will! This is bigger than you. And this is bigger than me too! This is the world we're talking about.
Will: Would you just shut up already?! This was never about the world. You were doing this because of yourself, just admit it. You weren't planning on saving anybody, you were killing people because you wanted to.
Gerard: They're not people, Will. You and me- we're people. You have to see that, otherwise you'll be blinded by their influence.
Will: You're the only one who can't see, Gerard. There is mercy and love where you see hate and destruction. This crusade of yours- it all ends, tonight.
Gerard: Well... You were right at one part.
Gerard pulls out a gun. Leia notices and is surprised when seeing it.
Leia: Will-!
Before she can finish her sentence, Gerard turns around and fires, hitting Will. He drops the gun and drops down onto the sand.
Leia, sobbing: No! Will!
Drake looks down at Will and clenches his fist. He turns his head and sees his younger self looking down a slope and seeing Will, laying there. Young Drake goes over to Will but then quickly turns his attention over to Gerard, who remains on the dock.
Young Drake, anger in his voice: You...
Gerard: So this is what it comes down to. The angry little child coming for his mamma.
Young Drake, approaching him: Give her BACK to me!
Gerard: How about I just shoot you, end her and get on this boat? We'll see if I can find any other places filled with you freaks, and wipe them out too. (chuckles) Will was right. This isn't about the world anymore. This is about me making a new world order. With all you freaks wiped out, anyone else surviving out there will look up to me as their savior! ME! And the two of you will be nothing but footprints in the sand. Washed away by the waves of my victory.
Drake squints a bit while listening to Gerard's dialogue. Gerard then points his gun directly at the younger Drake. He pulls the trigger and fires but Drake slices right through the bullet with his shard-like hand. Gerard- surprised- fires again, with the younger Drake slicing through the bullet once again. Young Drake then rushes right towards Gerard, who starts to worry, in a heat of rage. He then throws the gun and pulls out the knife once more.
Leia, in a soft yet sad tone: Drake...
Drake turns his head as the sound of a knife is heard plunging into her, as well as the gasp of surprise. When the sound of thud is heard, Drake turns his head back and sees his younger self going over to her side and holding her hand in his own.
Young Drake: Mom...
Leia: It's okay, Baby. (coughs) It's okay.
Young Drake: No... please. Don't go...
Leia: Take care of yourself, Drake. I know you can do it...
Leia then dies before him.
Young Drake, crying out: NOO!
Young Drake then starts to cry as he kneels over before his mother's body. Just then, Gerard's knife enters the view.
Gerard: Time to finish you off, little guy.
Young Drake then looks up, tears running down his face. He looks beyond angered. His shard-hands then start to grow roughly, becoming more blade-like. The younger Drake then yells loudly, gets up and runs forwards before slashing Gerard's hand- forcing him to drop the knife.
Gerard: AGH!
Young Drake then grabs Gerard with all his strength and pushes him down on the dock. He raises his claws into the air as if to strike him down.
Gerard: Well go on then... do it. Finish me off, you dang animal!
Drake looks ahead, a surprised look on his face as he sees this memory unfold. Young Drake continues holding his claws up in the air, breathing heavily. He then brings them down, again and again and again. Drake's eyes widen even further and his mouth becomes agape.
Drake: N-No... That's not how I remember it happening...
Young Drake holds his other hand over his clawed one as it seems wedged down into what he stabbed. His head is hung low as he shudders slightly. The view lowers to show more of the younger Drake but also that what he had stabbed repeatedly was actually the dock itself. Gerard looks over at him, breathing heavily as well, with sweat running down the side of his face. More tears stream down Young Drake's face.
Young Drake, crying: I can't... I can't do it. It's not what she would have wanted for me.
Young Drake's hands then reform slowly back to their normal appearance as he lays them both on the wooden dock. His head hands down lower as his tears drop down onto the wood below his face. Gerard, on the other hand, makes his way onto his feet- wincing in pain from his slashed hand. He turns his head, seeing the knife close by. He grabs it with his other hand and turns his attention back to the young Drake.
Gerard: You made a big mistake, kid. Now I'm going to make sure you regr-
Before he can utter another word, a shot rings out through the air as a bullet clips Gerard's neck. He holds it with his wounded hand and trips over his own feet as he falls into the water. Young Drake looks up and turns back. Drake turns as well, still clearly surprised by everything happening still. They both see Will holding the gun that he had previously dropped. He looks incredibly weak and soon drops the gun as he tries to get up.
Drake: He's... He's not dead.
Young Drake: Will, you're... alive.
Will: I guess he missed something vital. Although... I wish the same could be said for-
He stops himself from saying anything else as he turns away from her body.
Will: Leia... I'm so sorry. What have I done?
Young Drake: Don't blame yourself. You tried to help us... in the end.
Will: I wish I would've done it sooner, Drake. You and your mom... reminded me of what I lost before. But... in a good way. I wasn't able to protect them but at least I was able to do that for you.
He coughs and young Drake tries to keep him steady.
Will: Listen, I don't think I'm going to make it.
Young Drake: Don't say that.
Will: Just listen, Drake. You heard your mother. You have to take care of yourself now. That boat... that's the only way off this island. You go. Find somewhere safe. Try to make it back to the States, if you can. I'm sure they'll be able to help you there. But this island, it's not safe you anymore.
Young Drake: I'm not leaving you. I'm not leaving her.
Will: It's too late for us, Drake. Please. Just get on the boat. It's what she would've wanted.
Young Drake looks down before rubbing his eyes.
Young Drake: Y-Yeah, okay. I... I'll do it.
Will: Good boy. I'll hold off any Hunters that come back for you. Remember what you're doing right now is braver than anything he would have done. You're not a freak, Drake. You're a good person and I hope- with everything left in me- that you get to grow up to be an even better man.
Young Drake nods and slowly backs away towards the docks once more. Will watches him go and reloads his gun. Young Drake walks to his mother once more and holds her hand one last time. He then lets go as he places her arm on her chest gently. He goes to the boat and gets on as Will helps him push off from the dock and off towards the ocean. He turns to Leia and carries her body, bridal style, away from the docks. Drake finds himself on the boat with his younger self, looking ahead at the docks as they grow further away.
Drake: It's different from before... What does that mean?
As Drake ponders on it more, the scene cuts away to the Jumpjet flying towards another city- there's a forcefield similar to the ones the MCA set up around cities in America.
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Inside the Jumpjet, Jake can be seen piloting with Fionna, raising her arm towards the window, concentrating on her gift in the passenger seat, besides him.
Jake: Looks like we've got an issue.
Emmett, stepping into the cockpit: What is it?
Jake: Forcefield... looks just like the ones the MCA use in the city.
Emmett: Right, the ones to prevent Mutants from getting in.
Caliber, from the back of the jet: Oh, you mean the ones that don't work? 'Cause we've had plenty of Mutant attacks since they put that crap up!
Emmett: At any rate... I doubt our access codes will let us into this one. The last thing we want is them knowing we're coming. Otherwise, people might start talking.
Jake: They use tech that relies on energy, right?
Emmett: Yeah?
Jake: I might be able to disrupt it with my gauntlet. Give us a window inside without setting it off.
Emmett: Give me a try. I can take over. I uh... hosted a lot of events that involved helicopters.
Jake: A story for another day, man. Alright, let's do this.
Jake steps up from the seat with Emmett quickly swapping with him. Fionna is still concentrating on her gift. Jake opens the hatch and his suit soon forms around him. He dives out from the Jumpjet and quickly shifts into flying mode. He hovers over to the forcefield barrier and fires an energy beam from his alien device that soon mimics the energy produced by the barrier. The energies then seem to merge, allowing him to- as he said- open a window in the barrier's wall. The Jumpjet flies through and Jake follows after- with the barrier sealing up behind him. Soon the two of them land with Defender looking around the area and the team exiting the Jumpjet after it parks.
Ember, now with her mask on: I'm getting a feeling that she's close.
Velocity: She? Another sister?
Ember: That's right and don't get any ideas.
Velocity: Oh come on, I wouldn't dream of it. You know... unless it's okay.
She glares at him.
Velocity: Forget I said anything...
Defender: We got lucky before, team. But I don't think London is going to be so simple. It looks like there are people everywhere, it's almost like New York.
Leviathan: Don't worry so much. I'm used to being an out of sight type of vigilante.
Velocity: Weren't you on the newspapers, though? I mean it's not a competition but if it were... I'd outrank all of you. I mean Human Blur over here... or erm- Mutant Blur.
Caliber: Yeah, and look at me: A walking circuit board. Who designed this suit anyways?
Velocity: What?! You look cool, man. And you weren't complaining before!
Leviathan: He did.
Velocity: I... had some input.
Defender: Come on, guys. Focus.
Velocity: Sorry, sorry. I'll uh- do a quick sweep of the city. No one will see me. I'll be gone with the wind.
Caliber: Frankly, my dude, I don't give a da-
Leviathan: -AND we'll stick to the rooftops.
Caliber: Wait, I can't fly!
Leviathan: Then you'd better hold on.
Caliber: Hang on, I didn't agree to-
Leviathan wraps his arm around Caliber and holds him before squatting down and leaping up into the air with him.
Caliber: -THIS!
Defender: I can stay with you, Fionna.
Ember: No, you can get a bird's eye view. I'll be fine on my own.
Defender looks at her for a moment before nodding.
Defender: Alright then. Stay on comms if you can. And if you're going to walk around...
Ember: I'll change. Don't worry.
Defender: Got it. Talk to you later then.
Defender flies up and out of view while Ember turns to look around. Her eyes squint slightly but she shakes her head before making her way back into the Jumpjet. From a distance away, at the top of Big Ben, a figure looms. The clock tower itself also appears under re-construction as a large tear is seen across the face of the clock. The figure's glowing eyes squint as they watch Ember retreat back into the Jumpjet for the time being. The scene then cuts back to Drake on the boat. He seems to be deep in thought as he doesn't notice the white fog enveloping around him and the boat. Soon the boat stops to a sudden stop that draws Drake out from his thoughts. He looks up, now seeing his younger self is no longer in the boat. He turns- seeing an old man carrying his younger self from the beach.
Drake: That must be...
His sentence trials off as he steps out from the boat and onto the shore. Once he does, it seems different somehow, as if he had arrived much later than when his younger self did. He ignores the change and proceeds to go in the same direction as the older man. Drake looks around, seeing the entrance to the market place around the corner. But as he turns the corner to follow the older man, he suddenly finds himself into a hallway. He looks around, feeling the walls. Some voices are heard, catching his attention. He slides a door open and sees his younger self sitting up in a bed with makeshift sheets of varying colors. The older man has a grey beard. He’s wearing a ragged coat over a sweater with a grey wool hat over his head.
Young Drake: Where am-
He holds his head and groans.
Older Man: Heh. English, hm? I thought as much. You are fortunate that I have had business with English customers.
Young Drake: English?
Older Man: I apologize. You must be confused. You were found on a boat by the coast. I took you in after that. Gave you shelter.
He walks off to the side, attending to some fishing equipment.
Older Man: You will be staying here until you feel better. You lack energy from being at sea for some long. Then… we will find your home. I promise you.
Young Drake: I... I don't have a home to go back to.
The man looks at him and frowns.
Older Man: Yes. The world has changed in the past few days. It is a struggle everywhere from what I hear. Many homes are destroyed, many lives are lost.
Young Drake looks down, grimacing from hearing those words. But the older man places a hand on his shoulder.
Older Man: But we can't let that stop us. We'll work together to help each other. We will survive this. I see a better world ahead of us. The path there will be a hard one... but I believe it is there, waiting for us.
Young Drake: O-Okay...
Older Man: I am Kenta Fukuhara. You can call me Kenta.
Young Drake: Drake.
Kenta: Rest yourself, Drake. For now, you have a home here.
Young Drake: Thank you.
The younger Drake rests his head down and sighs as Kenta goes off to the side of the room. Drake watches his younger self rest in bed when he stops as if noticing something. He turns his head and looks down, seeing a young girl with black hair watching from behind the corner.
Kenta: Supai shinaide kudasai. (Don't spy.)
The girl looks over at Kenta who still has his back turned to her.
Girl: Gomen'nasai, otōsan. Demo... Sono shōnen wa daredesu ka? (I'm sorry, father. But... Who is that boy?)
Kenta: Tamashī o ushinatta... (A lost soul...)
He turns to face her.
Kenta: Shikashi, watashitachi wa kare ga futatabi kare no michi o mitsukeru no o tetsudaimasu. (But, we will be the ones to help him find his way again.)
The girl nods. Drake continues watching from the doorway before turning his head to the front door. He hears more voices coming from behind that. He makes his way over to the front door and slides it open, seeing the fishing village marketplace. Mai runs past him laughing as the younger Drake follows her.
Young Drake: S-Slow down, Mai!
Mai: You'll have to catch me first.
Mai passes by a fisherman with the younger Drake running around him. By the time he turns the corner, he looks around and doesn't see Mai anywhere.
Young Drake, sounding more worried: Mai?
Mai: Up here.
He looks up and sees Mai on the rooftop of the store besides him.
Mai: Koko de kiku. You'll have to think outside the box in want to keep up with me.
He looks at her determined as she starts to run off again. Drake looks ahead and notices a few crates along the side of the walkway and runs over to them. He steps onto them and climbs his way quickly to the rooftops, continuing his chase after her. She balances herself across a long board to get from this rooftop to the next one over. Drake hops the roof entirely when approaching the edge. He steps onto a crate that a man was carrying as he was passing by and kicks off to get to the other rooftop. Now they're running across from one another. Mai looks over and smiles.
Mai: You should smile more.
Young Drake: Maybe I will when you stop running so much.
Mai: Anata wa omoshirokunai. (You're no fun.)
Young Drake: Soshite anata wa asobi sugimasu. (And you play around too much.)
Mai: Alright, alright. I will come down... only if you admit that you had fun.
He scratches the back of his head and sighs, almost embarrassed.
Mai: I'm waiting...
Young Drake: Well, yeah- it was fun, alright? Honestly, being with you and Kenta has really helped me after... well-
Mai: Do not think about all that. You have a life here now. Come on, I want to go see what the fishermen are up to.
Mai makes her way to the edge of the rooftop and starts to climb her way down.
Young Drake: Again?
He sighs and follows after her.
Mai: Well, it's more interesting than sitting at home all day.
Mai starts to walk ahead and stops, looking ahead with wide eyes. Young Drake turns his head and looks at her. His attention then turns past her and he looks a little startled. Before the two of them are a group of three older-looking teenagers. The one standing in the front has black, spikey hair that drops partly to the side.
Lead Teen: Heh. Fukuhara Mai. Watashitachi wa anata o sagashite imashita. (Mai Fukuhara... We've been looking for you.)
Mai: Ayumu! Anata wa koko de nani o shite iru no? (Ayumu! What are you doing here?)
Ayumu: Sono okane ga hitsuyōdesu, Mai. (I need that money, Mai.)
Mai: Ashita au yoteideshita. (I was planning to meet you tomorrow.)
Ayumu: Tsk, tsk, tsk. Watashi no jōshi wa ima sore o hitsuyō to shite imasu. (The boss needs it now.)
Mai: Watashi wa sore o motte imasen... Kore wa watashitachi ga dōi shita monode wa arimasen. (I do not have it... This is not what agreed on.)
Ayumu: Watashitachi wa anata no otōsan no mise o okori uru kiken kara mamoru koto ni dōi shimashita. Wakarimasu ka? Anata ga watashitachi ni shiharaunaraba, kiken wanaku narimashita. (We have agreed to protect your father's store from any possible dangers. Do you understand? If you pay us, the danger is gone.)
Mai: Watashi wa kore o shitte iru. Demo... (I know this. But...)
Ayumu: Watashitachi wa itsu demo anata o shiharai to shite uketoru koto ga dekimasu. (We could always just take you as a payment.)
He laughs for a bit with the other two boys laughing as well. Ayumu steps closer, reaching out to her but the younger Drake stops his hand by smacking it away.
Young Drake: Kanojo ni furenaide onegaishimasu. (Don't touch her please.)
Ayumu: Nani? Watashi ni te o oita no?! Gaikoku hito, anatahadareda to omoimasu ka? (What? Did you just lay a hand on me?! Foreigner, who do you think you are?)
Young Drake: Kanojo ni furenaide kudasai. (Do not touch her please.)
Other Teen: Oi. Tabun watashitachi wa kono gaikoku hito ni ressun o oshierubekidesu. (Hey! Maybe we should teach this foreigner a lesson.)
Another Teen: Sarani yoikoto ni, ryōhō o oshiete mimasen ka? (Better yet, why not teach both of them?)
Ayumu: Yoi aidea. Anata wa mina, watashitachi o sonchō suru koto o manabu hitsuyō ga arimasu. Owattara, kanojo no otōsan o tazunemasu. (Good idea. You all need to learn to respect us. And when we're done, I'll even visit your dad.)
The younger Drake's eyes then widen in a flash. Without a second thought, he catches Ayumu by surprise with a punch. The teenager coughs and tries to pull out a knife but Drake grabs it from him and throws him against the wall.
Young Drake: You think you can talk about him like that?!
The other two teens come up behind him but Drake is already aware. He turns around and catches one of them with a punch before grabbing the other one's head and slamming them into each other. One of the teens looks up and sees him walking over to them.
Young Drake: You know what I think?
He looks down and looms over the teenager on the ground.
Young Drake: I think you’re the ones that need to learn some respect... because we didn't ask for this. I didn’t ask for this.
Ayumu then sucker punches Drake in the face and breathes heavily.
Ayumu: Anata wa tada kakeyotte anata ga yaritai koto o suru koto ga dekiru to omoimasu ka?! (Do you think you can just run up and do what you want?!)
Drake looks down but then turns his head to glare over at Ayumu, a serious expression on his face.
Young Drake, in a low voice: You want to go?
Ayumu goes for his knife again but this time Drake catches his hand and breaks it as his hand hardens with the crystalline substance. Ayumu yells out before getting his face smashed into the wall. He then falls onto the ground, unconscious. Drake breathes in heavily as he looks down at the teen on the floor. A faint thunder echoing overhead.
Mai: Drake? ...Drake?
He seems to snap out of his trance and looks up before turning his head over to face Mai, who looks concerned- if not scared. He looks at her for a moment before taking a step closer. She shutters, nearly taking a step back, but decides to remain where she is as he gets closer to her.
Young Drake: Are you okay?
Mai: Y-Yes. You shouldn’t have done that, Drake. They’ll be upset.
Young Drake: I can take care of them. I won’t let anyone hurt you or your father.
Mai: You can’t fight all of them!
He looks away and closes his eyes.
Young Drake: I can’t run away, Mai. And I won’t just stand around and let something happen to someone I care about. Not again…
She places a hand on the side of his face and he slowly opens his eyes so that their eyes meet. Mai simply responds with a nod before saying something else afterwards.
Mai: Daijōbu. (Alright.)
Drake watches Mai and his younger self from the end of the alleyway. A yell is then heard behind him, causing him to look away from the scene. But as he turns his head, he finds that the location around him has changed once more. He is now inside a warehouse of some kind where several thugs seem to be beaten on the floor by his feet. Drake looks up from the beaten men and sees the shadows of a fight. He makes his way over and sees a figure dressed in a ragged, black cloth fighting the thugs. The lower part of his face is wrapped in the cloth and the rest covers his body. He jumps from man to man, unleashing attack after attack. His fighting style appears rough and uncoordinated but when it proves to not be enough, the figure’s hand grows in size and smacks away the thugs with ease.
Voice: Oi! (Hey!)
The voice is loud and demanding, coming from behind Drake. He turns around once more and, like before, the room changes as he turns his head. A larger, more imposing thug runs up to him. Drake readies himself but the figure in the black cloak jumps down from above, delivering a smack down with his oversized, charcoaled hands. But the impact is not enough for the man to go down quite yet. The figure then changes forms so that his hands become crystalized and delivers a direct punch to the man’s knee, cracking it backwards. The thug yells out in pain before a roundhouse kick is swept to his face- knocking him down to the ground. Drake looks at the figure once again, the cloak has gotten more worn and dirtier than just a moment ago. Bullets are then heard, firing into the walls but when Drake looks, there is no sign of anything occurring. He simply sighs and turns around, as if accepting the rules of this world within his mind. But his eyes widen upon the sight before him. The sounds of grunting and heavy breathing fill the alleyway that he now finds himself in. As the fallen thugs are no longer simply beaten and bruised, but their arms and legs broken, crystals piercing them non fatally and burn marks across their faces and bodies. Drake’s attention then moves up to the source of the sounds where he is the figure in the black cloak beating down a thug with a crystalized fist while holding him up by the collar in his other hand. Their cloak is even more worn, and dirtier than before; up to the point where there is no blood stained against it.
Thug: Jihi. Mō iya. Onegaishimasu! (Mercy. No more… Please!)
Figure in Black: Jihi wa anata ga ataisuru monode wa arimasen. (Mercy… is not something you deserve.)
He continues beating him down, with each grunt becoming more savage than the last. The man then succumbs and falls over before the figure who remains standing there, breathing heavily as thunder cracks through the sky and rain begins to pour down into the alleyway. Despite the rain becoming heavier, the sounds of footsteps are all still too clear to their ears. Drake looks ahead, slightly distraught while the figure still looks down, breathing heavily. Through the rain, the silhouette of a man appears. The cloaked figure turns to face this man, drawing his rugged claws out.
Figure in Black: Hakkiri shimasen ka?! (Have I not been clear?!)
The man’s silhouette then becomes clear as Kenta steps forwards.
Kenta: Watashi wa anata ga sore o yori meikaku ni suru koto ga dekiru to wa omowanai. (I doubt that you could possibly make it any clearer.)
The figure in the black cloak takes a step back then glances down slightly.
Figure in Black: You shouldn’t be here.
Kenta: No. It is you who shouldn’t be here, Drake.
The figure lowers the cloak and reveals themselves as the younger Drake.
Young Drake: How did you find out?
Kenta: I may be an old man but I am not naive. When the gang stopped coming to the shop, I knew something had happened but I did not realize that this is what was the cause of it until only recently.
Young Drake: This is what I have to do to protect you… and Mai.
Kenta: No! This is what you do to express emotions. You’ve become a man no longer but a beast. A Yajuu! That is the name they call you now. Is that what you want to become?!
Young Drake, glancing away: I have no choice.
Kenta: Everyone has a choice in life. And this… (gestures around him) This is the wrong one, my boy.
Young Drake: No- No, what’s wrong is me not doing anything at all! That’s the thing that… that…
He shutters as he takes a breath.
Young Drake: That caused my mom to lose her life.
Kenta: You can not continue to blame yourself for the actions of others. Your obsession with protecting others will become the end of you. But not before you destroy yourself with all this fighting. Think for one moment: would your mother wish for you to live this way?
Young Drake sighs then hangs his head low.
Young Drake: Then what do I do?
He looks up at the man before him once again, this time with tears in his eyes.
Young Drake: What can I do, Kenta?!
Kenta: You have to move on. From everything.
Young Drake: I don’t know if I can.
Kenta: You have to try, musuko.
Young Drake closes their eyes, holding back their emotions and nods.
Young Drake: Then I will. I will move on from here.
Kenta looks at him with careful eyes and nods slightly as well. In the meantime, Drake watches them closely as the rain continues to pour around them. But as the rain continues becoming heavier and heavier, the background drowns out until the only thing remaining is Drake himself with a void of dull rain. The scene then quickly cuts back to the foreign city, some time later into the day. It seems the streets are clearing up of people and the clouds overhead are darkening- giving the streets a darker tone as well.
|
A blur passes through the area, running through the streets. The scene cuts once more so that it is alongside Velocity as he runs.
Velocity, placing his hand against his comms: Hey uh- I’d hate to be that guy but I’ve been running for like hours now. Still haven’t seen anything strange aside from them driving on the wrong side of the road.
Fionna, over the comms: Well, maybe run around again and see if-
Velocity: Are you kidding? Fionna, come on!
The scene cuts to Leviathan on the rooftop. He also places his hand against his comms.
Leviathan: I have to agree with (with emphasis) ‘Velocity’ here. This is a big city but if we search every corner, it’ll take way too long and we’ll be spotted in no time.
Another cut, this time over to Fionna as she walks the streets of this city.
Leviathan, still over the comms: We don’t know how things work here, the less we expose ourselves the better.
Fionna, walking ahead, clutching her comms: I still need a little more. I can’t give up on them. Not when we’ve come so far.
Defender, over the comms: Ember, listen- I know you want to find them but… I have to agree with the others.
Only now does Fionna stop walking.
Defender, over the comms: We can’t stay here much longer and… we’ve searched plenty already. Either they’re not here or… or maybe they don’t want to be found. I don’t know. But we should head back anyway.
Fionna clenches her fist but releases it soon enough. She lowers her head and sighs.
Fionna: Ye-Yeah… I know.
Defender, over the comms: I’m sorry, Fionna. Once we’re there we can come up with a plan and come back when we’re ready again. Remember, Drake still needs us.
Fionna: Right. I’m on my way back now-
Just as she says that, Fionna is blasted from behind by a jolt of electricity- searing the back of her yellow jacket. She clenches at the pavement and grunts as she turns back to face her attacker, only for no one to be there. A crackle snaps through the air as various sensations pulsate around her. She slowly raises her fist, closing her eyes and throws up a wall of fire behind her- which seems to block out another jolt of electricity. Now in sight is a female irradiating in electricity as she hovers through the air. She is wearing a latched sweater and a pleated skirt. Her hair is long and blonde with two droopy rounded ends at the clumps in the front with shorter, straighter bangs over her forehead. Her eyes glow bright with no pupils as well.
Fionna: There you are.
Floating Figure: Surprised, ain’t ya? Now that I’ve caught you off guard.
Fionna: I’m in a foreign city looking for my sister.
She removes her scorched jacket, revealing her vigilante suit beneath her scorched clothing. She then places her domino mask over the bridge of her nose, completing the look.
Ember: I’m always on guard.
The other girl then grunts violently as she lashes out with some electric pulses, emanating from her hands. Ember takes a step back before throwing up some fiery barriers from her hands as well. The fire discharges some of the electricity but Ember is clearly struggling to keep it back.
Ember: H-Hey! Did you not hear me? I said we’re sisters so stop fighting me! Unless you’re already too far convinced by our brother to hear me out.
Fionna’s Sister, not slowing down: It’s you who’s too far gone, “sister”!
As she keeps pushing more attacks through, a crack of lightning breaches the fiery barrier and snaps Ember backwards, causing her to skid across the ground. She tries getting up but holds her side with a grunt. The electrified sibling hovers closer to the ground, watching Ember with a cold look.
Ember: Wha- What are you talking about?
Fionna’s Sister: What? You think I don’t know? I can sense them too, y’know. I felt our siblings, that connection to our family. And each time you reached out to them, that connection grew… only for it to crumble! I felt each one of them fall to our brother… and it’s all your fault!
She charges up yet another attack as her hands spark with a crazed energy. Ember bears her teeth and slams her hands against the street beneath her; as her palms grow a burning red. Almost immediately upon contact, the street expands slightly- releasing a burst of heat beneath the sibling’s feet. Off guard, Ember takes this chance to rush her sister but the sibling reacts by shocking her instinctively. Despite this, Ember goes for another grab. However, this time, the sibling flies off- out of her reach.
Fionna’s Sister: I won’t let you get me too! …Huh?!
Ember then propels herself up into the air by blasting jets of fire from her palms; pursuing her sister in the process.
Ember: You have it all wrong! I’m trying to save you!
Fionna’s sister draws her arms apart and starts to gather charge from the air. This process seems to simulate thunder as it roars distinctly around her. She cracks a twisted smirk upon her face as her fingertips spark brightly with the energy she’s accumulated.
Fionna’s Sister: Why don’t you save yourself?
She fires off a powerful electric jolt that Ember can’t avoid in time. Electrocuted and fallen senseless, Ember drops from the sky and pumpels towards the ground. She starts descending with an increased speed with the ground getting closer and closer to her. The sibling watches from above, with an almost sadistic grin on her face. Just before she hits the ground, Ember is caught in a blur that passes through the area. The sibling’s smile drops into surprise as her body is nowhere to be seen. A short moment passes before the blur stops and takes the form of Velocity, as he places Ember back onto her feet.
Velocity: Hey, you alright?
Ember, coming to: Y-Yeah, thanks.
Velocity: Don’t worry, the others should be on their way to back us up.
Ember, looking over at her floating sister: Then I guess we’re stalling for time.
Velocity: Heh. Luckily for you, I happen to excel at stalling for time.
The sibling seems to have noticed them, and does not look particularly pleased by Velocity’s sudden appearance and intervention.
Fionna’s Sister: And who are you supposed to be?! Another Mutant?
Velocity: Hm? Oh, me? You must mean me, right? Of course, you do. Uh, well, let’s see… I’m- Heh- I happen to be a friend. And only a friend, trust me. Well, actually, y’know what- now that you brought it up-
Fionna’s Sister: I didn’t-!
Velocity: Right, right. Well, it just crossed my mind that I’m actually more than just a friend. I’m actually a teammate. Or a squadmate. A squaddie for this hottie, if you will.
Velocity chuckles at his own pun, to which both siblings express their uncomfortable silence.
Velocity: So uh- you must be the sister, right? Been looking forward to meeting you.
The sibling laughs.
Fionna’s Sister: You both keep using that word, but I doubt you actually know what it means! (talking directly to Fionna now) Betraying us like you did… (points right at her) There’s no way you’re any family of mine!
Ember: Stop! Stop! You’re wrong about me! Casey betrayed- I had nothing to do with it!
She takes a step forward with a compassionate gesture.
Ember: Don’t- Don’t let him split us apart again. I beg you. Let me protect you.
Fionna’s Sister, after shaking her head: Liar! I know what I felt! So don’t you DARE relate yourself to me. You and I are nothing alike!
Defender, off screen: You’re right.
Fionna’s sister whips her head around and sees Defender hovering behind her.
Defender: She’s got more sense than you.
Leviathan, from a nearby rooftop: It’s over. We don’t have any more trouble.
Caliber: What he said, though I wouldn’t mind as much.
Fionna’s Sister, growing increasingly more impatient: If you didn’t want trouble… then you shouldn’t have come here!
She then lashes out against Leviathan and Caliber with an electric wave caused by the swipe of her hand. They get down, anticipating the blast, however, it spirals out of control- becoming erratic energy in the air, snapping at different points around them. She quickly turns around and discharges an electric beam towards Defender, who appropriately blocks the attack with his energy device, projecting a protective barrier around him. While those two are engaged in combat, Ember and Velocity look over from the street.
Ember: I don’t want to hurt her but her power is becoming far too much to handle.
Velocity: This reminds me of Erode all over again. We need to find a way to cancel out this lightning somehow.
Just then, Leviathan crashes down with Caliber under his arm.
Leviathan: I might have an idea-
Caliber pushes him off of him and Leviathan returns his attention to the others.
Leviathan: We can ground her.
Caliber: What?! You want to send her to her room.
Velocity: No, no. I think- You’re talking about redirecting her energy into the ground, right?
Leviathan: Right. I don’t know much about it but we had lightning rods installed at Murphy Industries buildings to generate natural energy. It helps us stay off the grid and save resources.
Caliber: Alright, but we’re not trying to save energy- we’re trying to beat it up!
Velocity: That’s because his lightning rods were directed towards a generator.
Leviathan: But it wasn’t aligned correctly, the energy would’ve discharged into the surrounding metal and move straight down into the ground.
Velocity: So if we use something like a car’s metal cage and contain her, it can act as a conductor and redirect the energy into the ground.
Leviathan: No more energy. No more trouble.
Caliber: What… What even was that?
Ember: I don’t know but it sounds like they know what they’re talking about.
Velocity: There is one issue though. I doubt she’ll give me the time to disassemble a car even with how fast I am.
Caliber: Then we’ll just cover for ya or break the thing.
Velocity: You’ve clearly never tried putting something together before.
Ember: Then we’ll just have to improvise.
The scene cuts back over to the sibling still fighting off Defender, who continues to block her attacks- without much advancement on his own part. As she closes in on him, a fireball hits her from the back. She turns around in a frustrated fury and sees her sister standing by Velocity.
Fionna’s Sister: You…!
She strikes a bolt of lightning at her sister but Velocity carries her quickly and moves her out of the way. The sibling grunts in frustration and fires again, another miss. And again, yet another miss.
Fionna’s Sister: Hold still!
Velocity: You wanna hit me, you gotta catch me!
He speeds off, circling around the base of where she’s flying. She continues shooting bolts of lightning down from her palms but each strike never seems to hit. At one point, Ember is flung out of the circle of speed and into Leviathan’s grasp.
Leviathan: I’ve got you.
Ember, holding her head: Remind me to never do that again…
Leviathan nods with a smile then turns to Caliber with a more serious expression.
Leviathan: Alright, you’re up.
Caliber: (groans) This is gonna hurt, ain’t it?
Leviathan: Most likely but I’m sure you’ll be fine… physically.
Caliber: Thanks for the pep-talk, coach…
Fionna’s sister descends quickly, moving closer to the ground and slams down a wave of electricity that eventually hits Velocity, knocking him off his feet. He hits the ground and looks up at the hovering girl. She gives a menacing smirk but a yell is heard, catching her attention. She turns her head and sees Caliber rushes toward her. She raises an eyebrow before blasting him with a full hit of electricity. And, of course, he gets electrocuted- screeching with pain but as he takes the pain, it transfers into power thanks to his mutation. Power, which seems to reinforce his body for durability. Her eyes widen as she continues putting her force into blasting Caliber, only for him to continue standing and screaming in pain. Coming in from behind, Leviathan comes charging with a car in hand with the roof pointed right at her. He slams it into her back, causing her to fall to the floor and cease her firing. She turns around and pushes against the car roof, as Leviathan continues pushing it towards her. She turns, gets up and runs off the other way, only for Caliber to knock her over by pushing into her. She looks up in surprise.
Fionna’s Sister: How are you still fighting me? You should be dead!
Caliber, twitching and breathing hard: I don’t see an undertaker.
She bears her teeth and looks up, hovering up from the street and preparing to fly off. However, Defender swoops in with his energy device primed and ready.
Defender: Oh no, you don’t!
He slams an energy platform down, blocking her path. She looks around, noticing how she has become entrapped by this lockdown of theirs. She, in a panicking manner, fires bolts of electricity at different points with them being blocked off at each point by one thing or the other. As they continue to enclose her, her energy continues to build up until she lets out a ferocious scream. Her body then appears to burn up into particles as her electricity discharges- spreading out throughout the area. Ember is knocked back by the blast. By the time she turns back to look at her sister, she is no longer there. The other Helpers are standing still, looking at the spot where she once was in a confused or startled state.
Caliber: H-Hey, what- what happened to her, man?
Defender: Did… Did we ground her power or-?
Velocity: No… that looked like some kind of power overload. Like a battery frying or something…
Leviathan: She’s not-
Ember: No. I can… still sense her. Nearby, actually…
Velocity: She probably lost control over her powers and escaped in the blast…
Ember: So, we need to find her before she causes any more harm! I’ll search over in this area and-
Defender: You’ve been fighting more than us. You need to take a break.
Caliber: Yeah, you like exhausted.
Ember: Nevermind, me. My sister is the important thing here!
Leviathan: Be that as it may, you’re still our friend and our concern. Besides, it looks like your device was damaged in that confrontation. It might be best to get it looked after.
Velocity adjusts his goggles as he examines the device on her chest. Ember looks to the side, a slight pout growing on her face.
Velocity: Yeah, this thing is fried. There’s only so much we can do here.
Defender: So, it looks like we’re heading back after all.
Ember: But we can’t! She’s still out there!
Leviathan: Even if we stay, with your senses limited we won’t be making much progress especially with how long it took to find her last time.
Velocity: Unless one of us stays behind.
Caliber: Not it.
Velocity: Considering the speed of lightning, I might be able to catch up to her.
Velocity prepares to go after her but Defender places a hand on his shoulder.
Defender: Even if you can, you can’t take on that much electricity. At least, I have a chance here.
Velocity: Oh. Y-Yeah, of course. (looks downbeat)
Defender, turning to face the others: I’ll stay behind and look for her. If she shows up again, I can at least hold her off until you come back. In the meantime, you guys can get that fixed at the tower.
Leviathan: That’s going to take some time.
Defender: Don’t worry. What’s a leader if not a team player?
Ember: I’m sorry. Thank you, Jake.
Defender nods and gives a subtle smile before the others head back to the Jumpjet. He then turns back to the city behind him and pushes off from the ground, flying through the air. Ember looks back as the ascending Defender before turning away once again, somewhat disheartened as she clenches the device on her chest. The scene then transitions by becoming duller and duller until a light yet also dark gray scenery overcomes the scene. Drake is seen, as he continues pushing through this gray scenery as the dull rain continues to pour down on and around him. The further he goes, the more torrential the rain becomes. And in the background, a eerie static sound reverberates. The strain of his face is clear as the shadows grow darker and the static grows deafeningly louder. But, within enough time, after a momentous boom similar to thunder, the rain starts to clear and the grey starts to neutralize. And the strain and struggle and shadows slowly fade from his face as he opens his eyes more to take this in. While the rain is still coming down, it has lessened dramatically. In fact, the rain, itself, has slowed; taking the appearance of these lines and streaks through the air. Drake approaches one of these lines as he steps from the grey and into a more spacious and space-like void. His hand, almost instinctively, reaches for it and, as he hovers his hand over the streak of rain, he notices that the streak is actually made of numbers and uncoordinated letters, moving on its own like a stream. He looks around and it now becomes clear that all these rain streaks are just streaks of code slowly descending around him as he unintentionally stumbles into the center of this space.
Drake: What… What is this place?
Familiar Voice: It’s a nexus, as it were.
Drake’s head whips around, in surprise, looking in multiple directions to find the source of this voice.
Familiar Voice, continuing: A place in your mind where your memory and machinery co-exist.
Drake: Who said that?!
A glowing figure is seen standing behind him at a short distance.
Familiar Voice: That… would be me.
Drake turns around, bearing his teeth. But his impatient scowl drops into wide eyed surprise. Before him is a glowing, transparent figure that looks just like his father.
Drake: You-You’re…
Robert: Yes. In a sense, I am your father.
Drake: And I’m talking to you. No, this is another memory or- something like that.
Robert: (chuckle) In a way, you’re not wrong. I was designed to act as a guide for you. To get used to all of this.
Drake: Wh-What are you talking about? You’re my father. My dad.
Robert: Not exactly. This version of me. It’s only a copy. An A.I.
Drake: A… I?
Robert AI: That’s right. A digital copy I created… to help you. The real me, well- he may be long gone by now. Who’s to say?
Drake: But why now? Why after… all these years?
Robert AI: You activated something within your nanogenes when your memories were jumpstarted. A protocol that was designed to help you deal with any traumatic stress or neural complications after your… accident.
Drake: You’re talking about… the incident, aren’t you?
Robert AI: Yes. I didn’t have the time to write a note so I uploaded a scan of my mind into your Prime Nanogene. It should have activated the moment your nanogenes were utilized but- well, I had no idea the effect it would have on you. Perhaps I miscalculated… or perhaps something else happened. Regardless, I am here now.
Drake: So my mind is breaking apart because of you?
Robert AI: No… This protocol has nothing to do with your memory issues. But it may be able to help correct them.
Drake: …How?
Robert AI: I need you to understand that I can not overwhelm your cognition with too much information. If you learn too much of your past… of yourself at one time, you will die. That being said, your mind is connected to the nanotechnology within you. From what I can tell, you’re able to activate your Nanogenes by connecting to your Prime Nanogene- which has been, modified, it seems.
Drake: You can tell all that by just looking at me?
Robert AI: I’m not a person anymore. I’m a program. Understanding your body and your nanotechnology is like a computer understanding the files it has. But, back to the question at hand. Just like how you can send commands to your nanogenes through your mind, your nanogenes can communicate with your mind as well.
Drake: That’s how we’re talking. You’re inside the Nanogene, talking to my mind.
Robert AI: Correct. By letting the Nanogene tap into your mind, it’ll be able to command your memories. Organize them, restore them and even retrieve the ones you have yet to recover.
Drake: You’re saying… I can get my memories back? All of them?
Robert AI: In theory, yes.
Drake: You sound like Zack.
Robert AI: (chuckle) Yes. I can see what you mean. Quite literally too. I can see your memories quite clearly. The friends you’ve made, the pain you’ve been through… (looks down) I’m sorry you had to go through any of this, son.
Drake looks at him, frowning a bit, before glancing away with a sigh.
Drake: So you can bring my memories back. Then do it. (turns back to face him) Fix my head.
Robert AI: Memories are like components. Without then, a machine can only work a certain way. That being said, with them, it’s like a new contraption all together. Are you sure you’re prepared to become the you that you used to be?
Drake: I’m a broken man, dad. I know I shouldn’t be used to this… talking to you like I am now. But all I see are ghosts. My past is actually killing me. So maybe… if I can fix this, I can fix who I am.
The AI looks at Drake for a moment.
Robert AI: Very well. We’ll start in phases as to not overload your senses. In the first part, I’ll restore the link between your nanogenes and your mind so that your memories do not overwhelm you. These “ghosts” that you see… won’t come back.
Drake: I… I see.
Robert AI: The next part will be the restoration of your memories. It seems some of them have become corrupted.
Drake: What does that mean?
Robert AI: It means the things that you do remember aren’t accurate. Not completely.
Drake: How is that- Wait… No, that’s right. That memory. Of me and mom on the beach. It turned out differently than I remember, didn’t it?
Robert AI: Yes. In truth, this protocol was designed to… well, censor some information about myself and my work. But it seems your mind altered the parameters of that protocol. You may have unconsciously altered your own memory.
Drake: I did that? I don’t remember.
Robert AI: Like I said, it was completely unconscious. You had no idea you were even doing it to begin with.
Drake: But why? Why would I even need to?
Robert AI: It’s possible that between the gap in your memories, you experienced something so traumatic that even your own mind didn’t want you to remember. Something linked to your past.
Drake looks ahead, in concerned suspense.
Robert AI: But again, it’s only a theory.
Drake: Oh…
Robert AI: And lastly, the final phase of this process, would be the retrieval stage.
Drake: Where I remember everything.
Robert AI: That’s right.
Drake: Is it… really possible to do that?
Robert AI: It should be. As you know, you’ve been remembering pieces of your past as time progresses. Meaning that it’s all still within you. Rather than learning about your past one part at a time, I’ll be able to allow them to stream in. You’ll learn everything about yourself and your missing past.
Drake: What about it… over-loading my senses?
Robert AI: Good point. But that’s why I’m here. You’ll still take in pieces but at least all the pieces will be available to you. Think of it like a puzzle.
Drake tilts his head slightly.
Robert AI, correcting himself: A broken mirror. Once you have all the shards, we can easily place them back into their place- reforming the image. It won’t be perfect but-
Drake: At least I’ll be able to remember.
Robert AI: You can still walk away, Drake.
Drake looks up.
Robert AI: Once the process gets started, there is no stopping it. The program MUST run its course. I need you to understand this.
Drake: Why wouldn’t I?
Robert AI: The pursuit for knowledge is a dangerous one. Sometimes, the real danger is what you learn at the end.
Drake: I’ve been letting my past control me for too long. If I walk away now, I’ll never be free. No matter how much I fight back.
Robert AI: You always were a fighter… Alright then, let’s run the program.
The AI raises its hand and places it against a streak of code, activating it. It changes from a red hue to a more orange one as it runs faster, increasing in speed over time. The space around them also seem to lighten up with various moments from Drake’s recent past floating by: from Drake’s speech against the rioting Mutants to him first meeting Kate in an alleyway. Drake watches these memories scroll by with a stoic yet softened expression, while the AI is at work. The scene then cuts back to the Jumpjet, flying through the air.
|
Inside the cockpit, Jake is seen piloting the jet as it enters the city. Fionna sits besides him in the passenger seat, looking out of the side window. She has her chin resting in her palm. While Jake is in his casual outfit, Fionna still has her vigilante suit on with the exception of her domino mask.
Jake, adjusting some controls on the dash: Alright, we should be landing soon. The sooner we land, the sooner we can fix that thing.
He makes his comment but there is no response. He then glances over at Fionna, who remains looking out of the window besides her. Jake sighs.
Jake: You don’t seem too excited at that idea.
Fionna: It’s not that… it’s just- I can still feel her. And it hurts.
Jake: …Like… physically or-
Fionna: No. No, nothing like that. It hurts to know how close she is and fail to get to her. No, not even that. Fail to get through to her.
Jake: People aren’t always as easy to convince. I mean, if you think about it, your brother tried the do the same thing, right?
Fionna, looks over at him: I’m not my brother.
Jake: But she’s fighting us… like we are. Or like she is. I dunno, I might just be overthinking this and I know it’s your family so I have no right to say any of this but- maybe the reason she sees you as a threat is because you’re trying too much?
Fionna: Trying too much of what? To be like my brother?
Jake, glances over: To be her sister.
Fionna looks at him a moment longer before glancing down.
Jake: I don’t have any siblings, myself, but well- I’ve seen the way Emma talks about her brother. And uh- well, we both know John. They weren’t exactly close by choice but they still saw each other as family. John would do anything to protect his sister. That stuff… just came naturally to him. And even though they were apart, Emma still felt that. Probably cause that came naturally to her.
He stops himself and scratches the back of his neck.
Jake: Sorry, I’m rambling about something I don’t understand.
Fionna: No… You’re not wrong. When I was taken in by Mother and the people from Secret People, I was a stranger to them. And yet, that sense of family I felt when I was with them… it just came naturally. Like you said. And now Casey has turned this into a race when it should be a reunion.
Jake: From what I understand, this isn’t really a world for that kind of stuff. Not anymore… But we don’t stop trying. That’s what keeps us human… uh- metaphorically, of course!
Fionna giggles.
Fionna: I get it. You don’t have to be so cautious with me, Jake.
She smiles and places her hand on his, as if to reassure him. He smiles back but a spark shoots out from his device, causing him to flinch back in surprise.
Fionna: What was that?
Jake: I don’t know, and just when I thought I was getting control over this thing.
He holds onto it as it seems to react more when pointed towards Fionna’s direction. Jake’s startlement turns into confusion before evolving into surprise again, as the device on her chest starts sparking up as well- though more in the way of electricity than energy. Jake tries to pull his hand back but the device is adamant. It fires a precise energy beam into the device which seem to expel an electric entity from within. The electricity then crackles through the air as it slams into the dashboard of the Jumpjet. The jet, itself, shakes upon the impact as the controls starting wigging out. The sound of feedback rings throughout the ship before a crackled laugh is heard.
Voice, over the speakers: Well, you finally got what you wanted. You caught me. Or rather, I’m the one who caught you blokes, haven’t I?
Fionna: It’s her! That’s how we got away so quickly. She was hiding inside the device this whole time!
Jake: We’ve got bigger problems. We’re losing power to the engines, fast!
From an outside view, the Jumpjet is started to lose altitude. In the back of the Jumpjet, Danny, Emmett and Elias look around.
Danny: Uh, what was that?
Emmett: Something’s wrong.
Elias: Yeah, no kidding. I’ll go check it out.
Elias reaches for the door to the cockpit but as soon as he grabs it, he’s blasted back by an electric shock. This alarms both Danny and Emmett as Elias flies across the back of the Jumpjet and into the wall. Danny rushes over to his side.
Danny: Hey, you alright?!
Elias doesn’t seem to respond but his skin and scars on his body crack open with energy.
Emmett: Looks like his powers protected him. But that could have easily been any one of us.
Danny: What is happening in there?
Back in the cockpit, Jake is attempting to pilot the Jumpjet steadily but the controls and the hull have become electrified. His energy device is also acting up, shielding his arm whenever an electric jolt gets too close for comfort.
Fionna: You need to stop this! These people have nothing to do with your anger. It’s me that you want to get back at.
Fionna’s Sister, over the speakers: I won’t let you pull another one on me. I know they helped you capture the others. If I want to save myself, I have to be rid of you… all of you.
Fionna: We’ll find a way out of this.
Fionna’s Sister, over the speakers: I don’t see how. After all, you can’t fly a plane without any power.
At the front of the Jumpjet, power seems to draw from the exterior and collectively take the form of Fionna’s sister. It then becomes less of power escaping to her absorbing the remaining power from the Jumpjet as her arms expand and electricity continues drawing from the vehicle. Soon enough, the power in the controls become completely dead and the hull is no longer electrified. And just like that, the Jumpjet drops from the sky. Fionna’s sister looks down at the falling ship, no longer with a sadistic expression but simply a cold one. Just as the Jumpjet hits the view, the scene transitions back to Drake’s mind.
Robert AI: And it is done.
Drake: That’s it?
Robert AI: Only for the first part, mind you. You should no longer have any of your current memory issues. Now I’ll start with the restoration process. From what you have now, you’ll be able to remember the correct sequence of events. The right information, as well.
Drake: The right information, huh? So I really didn’t kill anyone that day… And there could be other days just like that. Days when… I was better than I thought.
Thunder is then heard, drawing Drake from his thoughts.
Drake: What was that?
Robert AI: It seems like someone is trying to reach you.
Drake: It could be Zack. He said he was looking into how Nanogenes talk to each other. Is there anyway I could… hear him?
Robert AI: This is your mind. You have the control here. Just allow yourself to listen.
Drake nods and finds a streak of code appearing like rain. He places his hand upon the code and hacks into it. He closes his eyes as the view zooms out from his body until some Nanogenes are seen. Zack can also be seen, sending signals to the Nanogenes.
Zack: Drake! Drake, can you hear me? Your Nanogenes are communicating better but how come you’re not recovering? I don’t want to interrupt this operation but I just heard from the top. Your friends they’re-
The view seems to zoom out even further until it zooms out from Drake’s actual ears. Around his body, Professor Richards and Zara are there but Emma is also in the room.
Zara: I’m doing all I can but if I interfere now, it can be seriously bad.
Professor Richards: Isn’t there anything else that can be?
Emma: I can head there, myself, but I thought Drake would be- look, the Jumpjet just flew from the sky. They’re in serious trouble! We need the Vigilante out there.
The view then zooms back into Drake as his unconscious self reopens his eyes.
Drake: …The Helpers. My friends! They’re in trouble!
Drake rushes off.
Robert AI: No, Drake. You can’t leave!
Drake: Did you not just hear me? I said-
Robert AI: We discussed this earlier. You can not interrupt the process. You have to wait until your memories are fully amended-
Drake: There isn’t any time for that! They need me! They need the Vigilante!
Robert AI: Is that all that’s left of you? Is that why you wanted your memories back so badly, my son? Listen, if you leave now- if the process does not continue the way it was intended- you will only remember some memories correctly. But worse than that, any new memories you might remember could be locked. There’s a chance, you might not remember your past at all!
Drake looks down, almost remorsefully, before turning back to the dull and chaotic rain outside of the nexus.
Drake: Goodbye, father.
Drake steps out of the nexus and runs through the rain- vanishing from sight. Robert’s AI watches the rain pour heavily as the nexus begins to close up around him and he vanishes as well; only this time into the darkness of Drake’s mind. The scene then fades back to Drake in reality where he awakens, much to the surprise of those around him.
Zara: Drake-
Professor Richards: …you’re-
Emma: …back.
Drake: Where?
Emma: M-Midtown.
Drake rushes off of the operating table and bolts for the door, leaving the three there in surprise. Emma soon gets over herself and makes her way out as well, making it just the Professor and Zara.
Professor Richards: Well, that seems to have… worked, I suppose.
Zara: Y-Yeah…
Soon enough, Zack- in his nanomolecular mech suit- expands from molecular space between the two of them, surprising them once again.
Zack: Yes! It worked! (looks around to see their surprised or unamused expressions) What? What happened?
The view now jumps over to Midtown at the scene of the Jumpjet crash. The jet has crashed somewhere on a street where no cars seem to have been. The back door is soon smashed open by Leviathan, who takes heavy breaths as he carries both Danny and Elias out. He slumps out as he lays them down against the curb- covering their faces with his back as he struggles to their masks back on. Danny soon comes to and looks around, soon seeing the crashed Jumpjet.
Danny: Aw man…
Leviathan: You good?
Danny: Ye-Yeah. I just can’t believe we crashed. Good thing you caught on.
Leviathan: Yeah, well, when you jump around all the time, you sort of get a sense of when you’re weightless, I guess. By the way, you’re- (gestures to face)
Danny looks down and grabs his helmet, putting it on.
Velocity: Thanks. (winces) Oh! Okay, uh- actually, I think my leg might be broken.
Leviathan: I can get you both out of here.
Velocity: Nevermind us! I heal quick and he’s hard-headed. What about the others?
Leviathan looks over at the Jumpjet and soon a side panel is melted away as Ember drags Jake out from the melted hull.
Ember: Stay with me, Jake.
Jake: It should’ve protected me. Ugh-
Ember: It did the best it could. Don’t blame yourself, either. This is all the work of my-
A crackle resounds through the air. Ember looks up and squints. Above them all, Fionna’s sister descends in a volatile state of energy.
Fionna’s Sister: Oooh. So much power here. I can just feel it.
Ember: You need to stop this! Look at what you’re doing!
Fionna’s Sister: Why should I hold back? I’m not in my city anymore… I could care less about what happens to you all!
She lets loose a wave of electricity that strikes the roof of the Jumpjet and continues over to a nearby building, shattering the windows. Glass fragments crash down to the streets below as citizens run for cover.
Jake: No… The last thing the city needs is another Mutant attack after what happened last time. Not to mention the MCA. If they get word of a Mutant from outside the states, they’ll increase security and-
Ember: I’ll never see my family again…
Fionna’s Sister: Then it’ll be worth it. It’ll keep them safe from you and him!
Ember: That won’t stop him! Please, sister, you have to calm down and think about our family.
Fionna’s Sister, clearly angered: My name is RADFORD! Lyn Radford!
With another shout, her power seems to grow as she drains electricity from nearby billboards and vehicles. Just then, a vine reaches out and wraps around her waist, soon pulling her backwards and towards the ground. She hits the street and is flung back before stabilizing herself in the air. Lyn looks up and sees the Vigilante equipped with his Acidic Thorns form.
Lyn: Grgh. Let me guess, another friend?
Vigilante: Let me guess. Another sister?
Lyn: I’m starting to hate that word… Move aside and let me destroy them.
Vigilante: You know I can’t let you do that. Besides, you mess with my city, you mess with me.
Lyn: Then let yourself be an example!
Lyn throws out both her arms and releases a voltage of electricity which Drake blocks by jamming his form into the street and having it grow up before him into a barrier consisting of vines. Lyn growls to herself and flies up towards the vine barrier. She then pushes up into the air and goes above it, planning to get the drop on the Vigilante. However, her determined expression is soon replaced with one of surprise as the Vigilante strikes her with his Electro-Icer form. She barely recovers.
Lyn: H-How? How are you hurtin’ me? I’m pure energy!
The Vigilante swings his mace arm around before standing tall.
Vigilante: I’m good at hurting people.
Lyn throws out another blast of energy which the Vigilante blocks with his mace, which seems to absorb the energy. He struggles as he pushes up against the energy before pushing out his own electricity. A beam struggle between her blue energy and his yellow energy intensifies. Lyn starts to struggle as well as she pushes against his will while the Vigilante becomes more and more determined. The battle continues a moment longer before the Vigilante is struck from the side by a jet of water. His body hits a traffic light pole, causing it to dent upon impact. His body hits the street and he winces on the ground. Lyn looks over in surprise and sees Casey standing at the end of the street.
Lyn: No… No, he- He can’t be here! I made sure of it!
Ember: I told you. He can’t be stopped. Not alone.
Lyn looks over at her sister.
Lyn: After all I did and you still want to save me.
Ember takes off her mask and looks at her.
Fionna: Yes. Because I know you’re doing this to save yourself. But you don’t have to do this alone. We’re a family. I won’t leave you alone like before. This time I have a choice and I’m choosing to help you.
Lyn looks away, considerably. Fionna takes a breath as she glances over to see the approaching Casey, hands dripping wet.
Casey: There you are. (chuckle) I've been searching quite a while for you two. I’ve already tried our dear sister, Fionna, but she’s young. She’s been influenced by this Human world for too long. You and I… we understand, Lyn. The struggle of fitting in. How much you have to hold back against being your true self. I can offer you salvation. A world… where you can truly be safe.
Fionna’s eyes shift back and forth in thought as she looks away from her brother.
Lyn: That’s your speech, huh? I have to say the girl did a better job than you. At least, she believes in our family.
Casey: I’m trying to keep us together. It’s the world and society that separated us!
Lyn: And not yourself?! Both of you keep coming after us and we keep losing ourselves! I can feel it!
Casey: Losing yourselves. I think of it as… liberation.
Lyn: Well, you can keep it. All I want is my own life! I didn’t need a family before and I don’t need one now!
Fionna: Lyn…
Casey: If that’s how you truly feel, then it seems you need further encouragement.
Casey readies himself for combat.
Lyn: Well? You wanted to help, didn’t you? Why don’t you be useful and give me a hand here?
Fionna nods and throws her mask back on. Casey looks ahead, upset in his eyes.
Casey: I can’t believe you’ve become so ignorant, Lyn. So easily manipulated. Why can’t you just see that I’m trying to save this family?!
Casey whips water towards his sisters while Ember releases a blast of heat from her palms, causing it to boil and fizzle out.
Ember: You’re only trying to save yourself!
She throws a fireball back at him but he easily extinguishes it with a wave of water as he walks towards them.
Casey: And what about you, huh? You truly think you have their best interests at heart? You really think you’re any better than me?
Lyn: You leave her alone!
She fires off a shot of lightning only for Casey to push a wave of water out towards her. The powers seem to cancel each other out mid-way. Ember prepares another fireball but it starts to putter in hands as she winces from fatigue. Casey’s eyes snap over to her before he quickly fires a jet of water at Ember, knocking her off her feet. Lyn quickly reacts with a blast of electricity which Casey counters with a jet of water.
Lyn: Water and electricity don’t mix, genius.
Casey: And yet, I feel as though we can accomplish so much together.
Lyn: Or I could just beat you. Stun ya long enough to tell me where the others are. I know you can’t hold out forever, bruv.
As their struggle commences, Ember groans as she stands up against the Jumpjet.
Casey: You realize that, even if I can’t beat you. I can beat her. One sister is all I need… for now.
Lyn glances off to the side as she continues pushing Casey back. She then turns back to him and pushes back with full force.
Casey: Did you not hear me?!
Lyn: I heard. If you’re coming after her too then I’m just going to make sure you never get her!
Ember: What are you doing? You’re using up all your power, you can’t keep this up!
Lyn: But you can. I want you to get out of here and get stronger. You and all your annoying friends. Then you can stop him and actually save us for a change. All of us. Maybe then, I’ll forgive you.
Ember looks at her for a moment then nods before grabbing Jake and moving away. Lyn turns her attention back to Casey. She then stops firing her electricity and flies quickly over towards him. He drops the water bubble around him and fires a jet of water at her which she dodges by zapping out of the way. She then comes down on him with an electrified strike which he counters by splashing her with blasts of water. She then falls before him and he grabs her.
Casey: You’re done.
Lyn, weakly opening her eyes: Not… yet.
She then grabs his arm and his eyes widen. In a split moment, he activates his own powers while she activates her. Streams of water and waves of electricity merge around them, intersecting each other before colliding together into an energetic explosion of electrified water. Ember and Jake are thrown forward into the street. Ember turns back to the explosion and sees only puddles and patches of fire where they once were. Jake looks over as well as the Vigilante, who raises from the ground. Ember then closes her eyes and lowers her head as both Jake and soon after the Vigilante place a hand on each shoulder. The scene then fades off, transitioning to the next location; Helper Headquarters, later in the day. Inside, the team appears worn out, tired and beaten. Adam goes over the situation on his tablet.
Adam: The MCA have decided to lend us a hand with the busted Jumpjet. Only to protect their own image, of course. We’ll have to repair it ourselves but at least it isn’t blocking traffic.
Fionna: And what about… Casey and Lyn?
Adam: I checked surveillance cameras in the area and yeah, it looks like he managed to take off with her in tow. I lost them soon after but I can assume they already left the city.
Emmett: He was waiting for us this whole time.
Elias: Yeah, that’d make sense. That other city had tighter security after all.
Danny: So he waited for us to break her out and take her from us here. This guy is seriously dangerous.
Jake: The important thing is that we’re okay. Things could’ve been a lot worse. Speaking of which, Drake- how are things going for you?
Drake: Better. But um… there’s a chance I might not be able to learn more from my past.
Danny: Whoa, wait like at all?
Emmett: Did something happen?
Drake: Yeah. I had a choice. And I chose this team.
Fionna: You didn’t have to do that, Drake.
Drake: What kind of person would I be if I didn’t? The only thing I hate about it is that I couldn’t stop him from taking your sister.
Fionna: It’s not your fault. It’s my failure.
Jake: No… it’s ours. He caught us off guard but it won’t happen again. It can’t.
There are some nods of agreement from other teammates while others look amongst each other. Emma looks down, dejected. Soon enough, the door to the main room slides open and Zack appears in the doorway. He looks over at everyone before his eyes settle on Drake.
Drake, seeing him: (sigh) Excuse me for a moment.
He gets up and heads over to the doorway, soon moving into the hall with Zack. The door closes behind them. In the hall, both of them walk side by side with each other.
Zack: I can’t believe you did something like that, Drake. From what I understood, the procedure was working. Your Nanogenes were starting to communicate again. But then I checked your vitals. And I checked the signals. You stopped the procedure. Your recovery wasn’t done! no lo pensaste? Eh?
Drake: Zack… I saw him.
Zack: …Saw who?
Drake: I saw dad. He was there… in my mind.
Zack: …Another memory, then.
Drake: No. This was different. This was… he said it was a copy. He made it to show me the way. How to use my Nanogenes.
Zack: He installed a virtual assistant… inside your Nanogenes. Did you learn anything from it? Anything we can use to… reverse this Incident?
Drake shakes his head.
Drake: No. And I may never be able to. Unless… we try it again and-
Now Zack is the one shaking his head.
Zack: Absolutely not. I read the readings. If we… try to break into your mind once again, we might just end up breaking it entirely. You stopped whatever procedure was going on and by tapping into that again, you might end up reversing it. The Nanogenes will break your mind piece by piece until there’s nothing left. (beat) …I’m sorry.
Drake: No. I’m the one who should be sorry. I took you away from the island, from the bunker. But thank you for everything you’ve done to save me.
Zack: We’re cousins. We’re family. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. And well, just hearing that Uncle Robert is at least alive in you, that makes me feel better. Besides, I’ve been on that island for way too long. I can’t hope to make any more developments without making a change.
Drake: Then why not… stay here with us? If it helps, you can use my Nanogenes to develop your cure and research.
Zack: I mean- if that’s alright.
Drake: I’m sure they won’t mind.
Zack: Then how can I say no?
He smiles and pats his cousin’s arm.
Drake: Welcome to the team…
Credits
The scene continues in Fionna’s bedroom. She sits on the edge of her bed, holding her scorched yellow jacket in her hands. She looks down at it for a moment before her door slides open. She turns her head to the person in the doorway as they come inside and the door closes behind them.
Drake: …You wanted to see me?
Fionna smiles briefly before looking away.
Fionna: Yeah. If you don’t mind.
Drake: Of course not.
He sits down beside her and looks at her despite the fact she’s still looking away.
Fionna: …How’s your cousin, is he… um… fitting in?
Drake: He is. How are you doing?
Fionna: To be honest?
She turns to him, with slightly watered eyes.
Fionna: I don’t know. I don’t know if I can save them all. Not anymore…
Drake: They’re your family, we’re not going to give up on them.
Fionna: I don’t doubt that. I don’t doubt… us, working as a team but- every time, we try. He’s a step ahead of us. Lyn hated me… she thought I betrayed her and the others by failing them. But in the end, she sacrificed herself for me. Ciel sacrificed herself for me. Victor sacrificed himself for me, for all of us. How many more sacrifices have to happen before I completely lose my family again, Drake?
Drake: None. Because it ends soon. We’ll find them, we’ll get them back, and we’ll stop Casey from seeing his plans through. No one else has to give her life away for him.
Fionna: Yeah. I hope not.
She clutches her jacket with both hands and leans her head against the scorch mark, closing her eyes. The view pans towards the left, fading off into the dark before resurfacing past a wall which Casey is leaning against. His eyes are also closed as he has his hand out. The view then cuts to a front-facing shot of his face as it slowly zooms in. His eyes then shoot open fiercely as a smirk creeps up on his face.
Casey: Found you.
The scene fades once more to a cold and dark looking room where a muscular figure is seen in a tank of water. The figure looks up and its blaringly glowing eyes blind of the view entirely.
Noteworthy Events[]
Major Events[]
- Drake has a neurological breakdown and fixes his current memory issues
- Drake travels within his own mind and experiences his fractured memories
- Drake meets his father’s AI
- Drake interrupts the recollection process, altering his memory retrieval (flashbacks)
Character Debuts[]
- Lyn Radford
Minor Events[]
- Lyn fries Fionna’s amplification device
- Lyn gets taken by Casey
- Zack joins The Helpers
- Casey locates the final sibling
Characters[]
- Drake
- The Helpers
- Zack Martinez
- Professor Lloyd Richards
- Robert (Virtual Assistant)
- Leia (Flashback)
- Will (Flashback)
- Kenta Fukuhara (Flashback)
- Mai Fukuhara (Flashback)
- Citizens
Villains[]
- Lyn Radford (First Appearance)
- Ryden Kurtzman (Corrupt Memory)
- Casey Ementos
- Gerard (Flashback)
- Hunters (Flashback)
- Gangsters (Flashback)
Forms Used[]
- Crystal Claws (Flashback)
- Fire Fists (Flashback)
- Acidic Thorns
- Electro-Icer
Allusions[]
- When Danny says he'll be "gone with the wind", Elias says that he "doesn't give a da-" This is a reference to the film, Gone with the Wind.
- With Lyn stalks Fionna from the top of Big Ben, it has a noticeable tear across the face of the clock. This is an allusion to the Doctor Who episode, Aliens of London.
- When Fionna pleads to Lyn, their dialogue is a reference to two different Green Goblin quotes from the 2002 film, Spider-Man.
- Fionna’s quote including the phrase, “Casey betrayed- I had nothing to do with it” is based on a similar quote including this phrase, “The Goblin killed- I had nothing to do with it.”
- Lyn also has a response to Fionna that carries, “You and I are nothing alike” which mirrors Norman’s “You and I are not so different.”
Trivia[]
- When it came to exploring Drake's mind, concepts from Inner Self, The Flash Season 4 and the My Hero Academia episode, Vestiges, were used.
- The scene where Drake leaves the recollecting process in order to save his friends was also inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, specifically the episodes The Swamp and The Guru.
- Technically the Drake the viewers follow throughout most of the episode is his conscious self while his actual self remains in unstable condition.
- Originally, Zack was meant to be talking to the others in the room rather than talking to Drake via his Nanogenes. He was also supposed to be (more) insistent that the operation not be stopped similar to the Robert AI.
- Another difference in the final version from the script is that the Jumpjet crash and its aftermath would have happened before Drake was warned by Zara (rather than by Zack and Emma). Drake’s words about the past would have also been his response to Robert’s AI calling Drake out about his fear of the past.
- Some memories of John were cut from the final episode due to time constraints.
- Due to burnout and other personal issues, this episode was basically delayed for an entire year.
- The style of writing may have changed halfway through the episode because of it. Hopefully, for the better and in a non-distracting way.