A SHIFT IN BALANCE
BACKSTAGE
“I knew you’d come.”
[The camera turns around to show Redwing.]“You’ve spilt blood on this sacred ground,” [The Caped Crusader growls.] “You must be stopped, Jacen. I don’t want to hurt you but if you don’t give in willingly, I will stop you.”
[Novan spins quickly, Redwing equally as fast to react, launching a wing shaped gadget directly at his chest that stumbles him backwards then explodes into smoke. Novan waves the smoke away, unable to see through it as Redwing glides through the air with a Double Footed Dropkick, tumbling the Chosen One over.]“Give in, hand yourself over and we’ll purge this evil from within you.”
[Novan scoffs.] “Never.” [He rolls back to his feet with a chuckle, blocking a big kick and pushing forward with his hand, sending Redwing hurtling through the air at some velocity. He crashes into the back wall, hitting the deck with a thud. Concrete and rubble topple around him as Jacen approaches.]“Can you feel how the balance has shifted, Redwing?” [He hisses, dragging him to his feet by his throat.] “I’m your God now. Beg me for your life.”
[Redwing refuses, instead pulling something from his vest that immediately pulls him up into the air – a parachute based device that dragged him up and away from Novan. He heads into the darkness of the cavern above and doesn’t come back down.] [Jacen stands, amused.]“You can’t stop the end.”
[He yells into the darkened abyss above.]“You can’t stop me!”
[Cut.]THE AWAKENING VS. A HIGHER CALLING
TAG TEAM MATCH
THE MAD REICH VS. TRANSCENDENT WINGS
TAG TEAM MATCH
SWORD IN THE STONE VS. THOSE 90’S GUYS
TAG TEAM MATCH
THE SOLUTION VS. MYSTIC ILLUSION
TAG TEAM MATCH
RESTRAINT
BACKSTAGE
“H-How,” [Berengar says, struggling to speak.] “How are you not dead?”
[The Chosen One sneers.]“You weak peasants are beginning to frustrate me. Why must you concern yourself with my work?”
“Because you’re trying to destroy us all.”
[He squeezes his hands, tightening the grip on Berengar.]“No, I’m trying to destroy The Tap Room,” [he replies.] “It restrains my power from reaching its full potential and these constant interruptions are becoming but a nuisance.”
[Berengar suddenly smiles; that concerns Novan. He turns around to see the jagged blade of Vigilkeeper lunging towards him. It slices through his hand, dropping Berengar to the floor as it returns to the other end of his blade, reuniting itself as one.] [Jacen turns and The Knight is gone. He hisses with fury, scrunching up his face.]“Run away whilst you can, heroic Knight. There isn’t much time left.”
[Cut.]JUMANJI VS. THE GENTLEMEN DUO
TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
BEAUTY & THE GEEK VS. THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
TAG TEAM MATCH
THE CUDDLE CREW VS. THE GUARDIANS
TAG TEAM MATCH
CIVIL JUSTICE VS. DOGS OF WAR
TAG TEAM MATCH
REASON
BACKSTAGE
“Jacen, we’re not trying to harm you,” [he reminds him carefully.] “We’re trying to save you. This power you wield feels good but it’s upset your balance. It’s corrupted your mind. You’ve gotta listen to reason and come with us. Let us help you before it’s too late.”
[Novan scoffs.]“It’s already too late, Spero. I’m connected to the Historium. I share and revel in its power and there’s no way you can stop me.”
[El Trébol Junior isn’t listening. He runs at him, taking out his legs in one sweeping motion. Spero tries to protest but Finn has really lost his way since the events of Judgement Day. The Blue Latern tries to stop his friend before it’s too late, only Trébol pushes him away, swinging a boot a the face of Novan, who blocks it.] [Novan snaps his leg immediately, forcing his power down upon it, crushing and cracking the bone. The Green Bean screams as Spero rushes to his aide, leaving Jacen with ample opportunity to escape.] [Finn bellows in agony, but finds himself helpless to watch as Novan rushes down the hall. The injury is bad; they both know it. They share a look before we abruptly cut.] [Cut.]THE AWAKENING VS. TRANSCENDENT WINGS
TAG TEAM MATCH
SWORD IN THE STONE VS. MYSTIC ILLUSION
TAG TEAM MATCH
BEAUTY & THE GEEK VS. THE GENTLEMAN DUO
TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
CUDDLE CREW VS. DOGS OF WAR
TAG TEAM MATCH
BLOODY MONDAY
BACKSTAGE
“I’m almost finished,” [he says with a snarl.] “But before I have enough power to destroy The Tap Room, I need fuel. That, my friends, is where you come in.”
[He walks over to Gaia, chuckling slightly.]“The power of a God. Could there be any stronger elixir than the sweet nectar coursing through your veins, Gaia?”
[He pulls a knife from within his robe, holding it to her throat. Sheldon and Spires protest but they’re ignored. He whips it across her neck, slicing it from end to end.] [Green blood spills from it, dropping it to the floor and rolling into a gutter that travels towards the Historium. Novan then moves on to Neville Sheldon.]“I told you I didn’t want to come back here, huh?” [He says to Cayci.] “This place is cursed!”
[Novan puts the knife to his throat, only Cayci screams.]“WAIT!”
[He stops.]“Please, don’t do this,” [she begs.] “Please.”
[Jacen walks over to her instead, causing her to gulp. He looks her up and down with a shake of the head.]“Eager to go first, are we?”
[With that, he pulls the knife back and….] [GAMEBOY!] [What the hell is he doing here?] [The latest hero in a long line of them to stop Jacen Novan rushes into the room, leaping onto his back. The knife falls to the floor, Cayci using her feet to pick it up and pass it to her hands. She quickly begins cutting her restraints, breaking free as Gameboy is tossed aside by The Chosen One.] [Spires rushes to Neville, cutting him loose, then moves on to the others as Gameboy gets back to his feet.]“I don’t think so, buddy!”
[He immediately shrinks to 8-bit size, vanishing into no-where. Novan searches frantically for him, then turns to find his captives, only they’ve escaped as well!] [Outside, Gameboy suddenly reappears, joining the now free hostages. Stood there waiting, Lincoln Hex, Redwing, Berengar, The Informer and Spero all eagerly anticipate his arrival.] [Gameboy answered the call!] [Cut.]THE AWAKENING VS. MYSTIC ILLUSION
TAG TEAM MATCH
THE GENTLEMEN DUO VS. DOGS OF WAR
TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
THE VINDICATORS
BACKSTAGE
“Come one, come all,” [he says arrogantly.] “Try your luck if you dare.”
[Redwing steps forward.]“We’ve tried to stop you, Novan. We’ve tried to save you. But there comes a time when you simply can’t save someone; when they’re too far gone and can’t be pulled back from the edge. None of us wanted to admit that you couldn’t be saved.”
[Berengar puts a hand on his shoulder.]“But you cannot.”
[Jacen laughs.]“So, this is an intervention, is it not? You couldn’t defeat me individually, so you’ve reunited as one collective, is that it?”
[The Informer shakes his head, his mask repaired.]“We’re not here for just you. We’ve a larger purpose to fill, Chosen One. There’s remnants of evil all over The Tap Room and monsters like you and EF that wish to destroy it. We’re here to stop that from happening. We’re The Vindicators.”
[They rush Novan in a flurry of different colours.] [Redwing swings with a right hand as Spero Dropkicks a knee, taking it out from underneath Novan. Gameboy drags him into a choke, bringing him down as The Informer rushes for the Historium. Berengar drags Vigilkeeper from his sheath, charging at the exposed chest of The Chosen One for a second time.] [He pierces it clean, driving right the way through.] [Jacen screams in pain but flips Gameboy overhead, tossing him aside.] [He stands, power pushing Redwing away and hurtling across the ground.] [Berengar tries to pull his sword away but Novan doesn’t let him, pushing his body further down the weapon to Headbutt him so viciously that he recoils ten feet away with the impact.] [Spero gets back up and is lifted into the air, tossed towards The Informer, taking both of them down. [The Chosen One is unstoppable.] [He pulls The Sword from his chest and throws it away.]“Enough of this horse play.”
[He turns to the Historium.] [Only, suddenly and out of no-where, a large metal hammer thrusts at it, knocking it from its perch and to the floor. The orb abruptly dissipates and the hammer returns to the waiting hand of its owner.] [Troy Solveig.] [Jacen falls to his knees, clutching at his chest.] [Troy paces over to him, hammer in hand.]“May the God’s be with you.”
[He slams the hammer down with as much force as possible, driving it into the skull of Novan whose head crushes beneath the weight of it. He folds into himself, falling away with a crumbled heap. The Vindicators get back to their feet, The Informer grabbing The Historium.]“It’s over,” [Redwing announces.] “But what are we going to do with that?”
[He points at the Historium.] [The Informer looks at it.]“I need to study it to understand this EF threat that plagues our existence. Something else is coming, Gentlemen and I need to know what. We’ve assembled here today and stopped the destruction of The Tap Room but I fear there’s more to come.”
[They nod in agreement.]“Be ready for the call.”
[Cut.]THE GENTLEMEN DUO VS. THE AWAKENING
TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
KNOT
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“They believed you to be him, I see,” [The unknown voice comments with a surprisingly proud tone.] “Impressive. Will your tall tale not be undone when The Informer returns, Mr. Knot?”
“Don’t fear the truth, my good friend. By the time The Informer awakens, I will have implanted the memory of tonight’s events firmly within the grasp of his tiny little mind. He’ll believe what I want him to believe and when it’s all said and done, he’ll think he destroyed The Historium.”
[Knot hands over the Historium to the wrinkled hands of the individual we cannot see.]“I trust you understand the importance of this in our grand scheme of things?” [He asks, to a nodded reply.] “Good, because The Vindicators have an important role to play. As do you.”
“You needn’t tell me twice,” [Knot says with a grunt.] “I understand the path.”
[There’s a slight pause.]“Do you know how close The Informer is to the truth? Should we be concerned? Your idea to give him such information could prove costly.”
[Knot thinks about it for a moment, giving it quite some thought.]“He knows nothing of consequence. He’s no closer to EF or unravelling the mystery. However, it’s time for a change of tact.”
“Such as?”
[Knot leans forward.]“Vanguard isn’t as useful as we first thought. The AI has already developed beyond our original scope. His collusion with The Informer was unforeseen. I believe it’s time for phase two.”
[There’s a knowing hm from the old man.]“Yes, yes, perhaps you’re right. Begin immediately.”
[Knot nods his head in agreement and exits the vehicle, walking back into the alley as the old man can be heard dialing numbers on a cell phone.]“I have the Historium and we’re on course. When is the next meeting?”
[Pause.]“Reserve my place and remember, Mr. Atlas, business as usual. ”
[Cut.]