#4 “Hero Complex – Part 4″
Right now…
Daytime. A burning, demolished factory.
We see our scene from the beginning of issue #2, with Centurion lying on the ground, beaten, in a manufacturing plant of some kind. Standing over him, threateningly, is the heavily armed and armored being known as Turak.
Turak leans over grabs Centurion by the throat.
NARRATOR: So where were we?
TURAK (yelling): Tell me where it’s at, Centurion, or I’ll destroy you and find it myself!
NARRATOR: Oh yeah. I was getting my butt handed to me by some crazy war machine named Turak.
NARRATOR: Now I suppose I’ve been teasing this part of the story long enough.
NARRATOR: So let’s get right down to it how I ended up here…
————————————————————————–
Twenty minutes ago, somewhere over Dallas.
Jason flies across the sky, performing various acrobatic moves like loops, twists, turns, taking full advantage of his ability to fly.
JASON (THINKING): Man. I love this! Flying is, by far, the best superpower ever. I mean I could do this all freaking day long.
He drops, falling through the sky, letting the ground rush up at him, then swoops back up at the last second, soaring high into the sky.
JASON (THINKING): Awesome.
He veers back down, flying low over the ground. As he passes over a retail center parking lot, several people stop and point at him. He slows down and waves back.
JASON: Be safe down there! Uh….
JASON (THINKING): Citizens? Americans? People?
JASON: Everyone!
He flies off.
JASON (THINKING): I gotta work on my lingo.
JASON (THINKING): I also need to practice. I need to see how fast I can fly. I need to see just how strong I am. I need to find out what other powers I have.
JASON (THINKING): Oh…and I still need to figure out if I can take a bullet. That one’s kind of important.
JASON (THINKING): It’s also kinda hard to test…
Jason glances to his left and sees a large plume of smoke way off in the distance. He stops and hangs in the air, watching.
JASON: That doesn’t look good.
He flies off in the direction of the smoke.
JASON (THINKING): Well this is pretty cool. Some real on-the-job training!
JASON (THINKING): I mean, uh… I hope no one is hurt.
As he gets closer, he can see that a large SUV production plant is on fire, and most of the smoke is coming out of a large hole at one end of the massive building.
JASON: What happened here?
Crowds of people have gathered around the outside of the building, and fire trucks and police cars are showing up, as are some news cameras. Some of the onlookers notice Jason and point. After a few seconds, almost the entire crowd is now watching him.
JASON (THINKING): Well, now that everyone’s seen me, I guess there’s no turning back…
JASON (THINKING): It’s time to do something heroic.
Jason flies through the smoke and into the large hole in the ceiling.
JASON (THINKING): I really really really hope I’m fire proof.
Inside the building is a large mass of machinery covered in flames at one end of a large room. He flies around the fire and hovers a short distance away.
JASON (THINKING): So much for a trial-by-fire. I can’t even feel the heat while I’m in this suit. And I don’t smell the smoke either. Guess that little mystery is solved. Now I need to make sure there’s no one still inside the building.
He loops around the main chunk of demolished machinery, where most of the fire is coming from.
JASON (THINKING): Don’t see anyone here. I wonder if there’s anything I can do about this fire, though. I doubt there’s a giant fire extinguisher anywhere around…
Jason turns and looks down at a door just past the fire.
JASON (THINKING): There’s someone in there.
He swoops down and lands next to the door. He hears a pounding noise from the other side.
JASON (THINKING): Super hearing… nice.
He opens the door, and sees a small group of workers inside a long corridor, trying to pound open a locked door at the other end. They turn and see him standing at the doorway, and freeze, unsure what to do.
JASON: I’m here to help.
One of the workers points at the door behind him.
WORKER 1: The heat! It’s getting in.
JASON: Oh!
Jason steps in and slams the door shut behind him.
JASON: Sorry.
Everyone continues to stare at him.
WORKER 2: Are you from the Legion?
JASON: No. I’m not one of them. I’m uh…
WORKER 1: Are you a superhero or something?
JASON: Yes. Yes I am.
WORKER 3: Can you open this door? It’s bolted. We’re trying to get out before the fire spreads.
JASON: Of course.
Jason moves down the corridor toward the door. All of the workers back away, letting him pass, watching him with a mix of awe and confusion. Some are probably wondering if he’s just a crazy guy in a suit.
Jason reaches the door.
JASON (THINKING): Hope this works…
He pounds on the door and it buckles. Another punch breaks the bolt casing and the door swings open. The workers stream through the opening and into the lounge area beyond.
WORKER 1: Thank you so much!
JASON: Anytime.
WORKER 2: What’s your name?
JASON: Uhhh…
A few of the workers pause, staring at Jason, who just stares back for a really long, uncomfortable moment.
JASON: I’m going to go check for others.
As the workers move quickly out of the area, Jason flies back down the corridor, towards the fire.
JASON (THINKING): I should probably check for any other doors leading away from the fire. See if anyone else is trying to get out. I also need to figure out my superhero name.
As Jason flies back into the main room, a charged bolt of some kind hits him.
JASON: AAAHHHHH!
Jason is knocked to the ground by it, and he lays there motionless for a few seconds, trying to regain his senses.
JASON: What… the…
There’s a hiss as something hurtles towards him at incredible speed. He looks up just in time to see it hit the ground next to him and explode with enough force to send him flying across the room and against the wall. He slumps to the ground, dazed.
We see a pair of red armored feet land on the floor nearby.
VOICE: CENTURION!
Jason weakly looks up to see Turak walking toward him. He’s holding his arm up, which seems to have several weapons arrayed around it.
TURAK: You won’t escape me again. Give me the artifact!
Jason musters whatever strength he has left and flies up into the air over Turak. Turak leaps to the side, his training expecting an attack which doesn’t come, and fires a barrage of tiny missiles that all hit Jason. The explosions, though small, pack enough of a punch to send him crashing back down to the ground. he hits the floor and skids several yards.
Turak walks slowly toward Jason.
TURAK: You’re sloppy, Centurion. And I know why.
He holds his arm back up, aiming it.
TURAK: The other Enforcers told me what happened on that ship.
TURAK: You’re infected.
Jason tries to push himself up off the ground. He hears a whirring noise come from the weapons on Turak’s arm.
JASON (THINKING): Gotta do something…
He glances up and sees the damaged part of Turak’s armor, on his midsection.
TURAK: So if I don’t kill you, ‘it’ will.
Turak fires another blast of some kind. It hits Jason, knocking him back another twenty yards. Turak quickly fires jets in his armor and flies over to Jason. He leans over and grabs Jason by the arm, lifting him up off the ground.
JASON (THINKING): Now!
Jason quickly swings around and punches Turak where his armor is already damaged. Turak staggers back several steps and falls to one knee.
Jason falls back down to all fours. Turak quickly recovers and pulls himself up, holding his midsection.
TURAK: So you still have some fight in you. How fortunate for me.
Turak aims and fires, only this time Jason is ready. He leaps at the last second and flies across the room, aiming directly for Turak. Turak ducks out of the way and a red bolt of energy arcs out from his armor. It hits Jason, and again sends him sprawling.
JASON: AAAAGGHHH!
Jason crashes into the conveyor belt behind Turak, tearing it apart, and lands on the floor on the other side. Turak steps through the wreckage and stands over Jason. A barrel of some kind pops out of his armor around his left arm.
TURAK: Now tell me where the artifact is, Centurion, or I’ll destroy you and find it myself!
Turak grabs him by the neck.
TURAK: TELL ME!
Jason groans. Turak punches him back to the ground. He picks him up by his arm and flings him against a welding robot nearby, which bends from the impact. Turak walks over to the motionless Jason. He again picks him up by the neck and stares at him face to face.
TURAK: Your time is running out, Centurion.
He aims the barrel in his arm at Jason’s head.
JASON (weakly): Who… are you?
Turak stares at Jason for a long moment, contemplating. Suddenly, realization hits.
TURAK: You’re not the same one… You’re new.
The weapons array on Turak’s arm spins around, and a small bolt protrudes from an opening at the top. Turak leans closer.
TURAK: Tell me what happened. When he died, what did he tell you?
JASON: Who?
TURAK: The other Centurion! What did he do? When he made you a Centurion, did he tell you to protect something?
JASON (weakly): I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just… I woke up like this.
TURAK: Don’t protect him! Tell me what happened!
Another blast of energy arcs out from the bolt in Turak’s armor. Jason cries out and hits the ground.
TURAK: He gave you something before he died. Where is it?
JASON: I… don’t know… what you’re talking about..
Turak blasts him again.
TURAK: YOU LIE!
Jason lays on the ground, twisting from the pain.
JASON: don’t…. know… don’t…
Turak stands next to Jason, unmoving.
Finally…
TURAK: So be it. If you don’t know where it’s at, then there’s no harm in answering your question.
TURAK: I am Turak.
The weapons on his arm again spin around.
TURAK: I am an Enforcer for a master you’ll never live to know.
It stops on the barrel.
TURAK: And I’m the executioner for the last of the Centurions…
Turak aims the barrel back at Jason’s head.
TURAK: Say your prayers to your God, human, for you will soon meet him.