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Next Gen - Ep. 1, part 2

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EPISODE 1, SCENE 3

A boisterous high school classroom, before first period. The teacher, MR. HOMES, is napping at his desk in the front while students are slowly entering the class, a few every second or so. One  student, JACK, looks particularly shell-shocked as he sits waiting for class to begin in the back of the room. His nose is slightly large and flat, but he is otherwise unremarkable, wearing a baggy hoodie and sweatpants. Kim enters the room behind a swirl of chattering girls, sits down in the seat next to JACK and also patiently waits. She looks similarly shell-shocked, and is dressed somewhat the same as JACK. There is silence for a moment.

KIM *muted*
Yo J.

JACK *similarly muted*
Hey K.

*Kim glances over at Jack and notices that he has nearly the same expression as she does.*

KIM
What's eating you?

*Jack glances over at Kim and notices that she is looking nearly as discombobulated as him.*

JACK
You first.

*There is a moment's silence, then the two face forward again, both trying to steel their nerves for what they will say. Kim does so first, and Jack starts talking soon after she finishes, so that what they say occurs quickly one after the other.*

KIM *hesitantly*
My mom and dad have been cheating on each other for over five years.

JACK *also hesitantly*
My father is the Croaker.

*Both continue looking forwards, then turn quickly towards each other, the impact of what the other said only now dawning on them. When they speak, it is in whispers.*

KIM *in disbelief*
As in THE Croaker? That kung-fu frog-guy from space that Falcon Captain fights, thinks he's some sort of genius tactical commander? THAT Croaker?

JACK *also in disbelief*
YOUR parents? Fantastic Joe, the superhero role-model that can do no wrong? And your mom, who's nicer to me than my own mother is? The coolest parents ever?

*The two look at each other for another moment, then turn back to the front again, now looking if possible even more shell-shocked. The bell rings, and Mr. Homes in the front lifts his head and stands up, beginning to take attendance. With that done, he starts the class; Kim and Jack have been sitting perfectly still this entire time, too dumbfounded to move or say anything else.*

HOMES
Everybody ready to learn some binomial calculus this morning?

END SCENE 3



SCENE 4

Outside, at lunch time, underneath a large tree whose leafy branches hang down to nearly head-height, and spread out far enough to shade the area underneath quite nicely. Kim and Jack are sitting alone beneath the tree, eating their sack lunches, their backs against the tree.

KIM
Okay, so, the Croaker? How does that even happen?

JACK
You remember how my mother, back when she was younger, was one of those always-needing-to-be-rescued types?

KIM
Danger prone, right. Back before she let herself go.

JACK
Not just danger prone: kidnap prone, accident prone, apocalypse prone, terrorist prone …

KIM
Apocalypse prone?

JACK
She nearly initiated the Apocalypse at least twice back then, mostly because she was a reckless  archeologist, but also because she was trying so hard to gain Falcon Captain's attention. Reading ancient grimoires, discovering weird artifacts, harboring mysterious creatures … she was always sure the Captain would save her from whatever weird predicament she got herself into.

KIM *confused*
But, everyone knows that Falcon's gay.

JACK
This was back before people were okay with that, before he publicly came out.

KIM
And so your mom, back in the day, got into a lot of trouble, including nearly starting the Apocalypse several times, because she was crushing on Falcon?

JACK
Yeah. I always kinda thought my dad was some guy who looked like Falcon, or maybe even the guy himself, the way she's obsessed with him.

KIM
Until … ?

JACK
Until yesterday. You left in a hurry, after we saw the Doombots fly over? You may not remember, because you were so excited about showing up your dad, but you kinda … kissed my cheek as you ran out the door.

*Jack turns a little red as he says this, and Kim, after thinking back, does too. There is an awkward silence, until Kim finally breaks it.*

KIM *hesitantly*
So how does … that, lead to … your mom telling you …

JACK
Well, I couldn't really continue that co-op we were playing without you there, and it was getting pretty late, so I went to bed. When my mother comes in to wake me up Sunday morning, with a bunch of chores for me to do, I was upside down on the ceiling, sticking to it somehow, nothing holding me up. She freaked out and screamed, I woke up and freaked, and fell down.

KIM
What!? She didn't even knock?!

JACK
My reaction exactly!

KIM
Sticking to the ceiling is pretty strange too.

JACK
Yeah. When I asked her about it, after she had calmed down a few hours later, she told me that I'm probably part … Space Frog.

KIM
Probably?

JACK
Well, almost certainly now. See, back when she was always getting kidnapped and had a thing for Captain Falcon, the Croaker took her as a hostage slash queen, because he thought she could pop out a whole army for him. Turns out his species mature really fast and come in big batches.

KIM
Didn't Falcon rescue her?

JACK
Not that time. Captain Falcon had just publicly come out, and hadn't even heard that my mother was captured. And so … things proceeded. Eventually, the Croaker let her go, because she  wasn't much of a hostage, and because she hadn't spawned him an army as fast as he hoped.

KIM
Wow. So, you're the "army" I take it?

JACK
Yeah, apparently. Turns out I'm mostly human though, except for a few oddities.

KIM *teasing*
Your nose always did look a bit squashed.

*Jack rubs his nose self-consciously, then continues speaking, a little more hesitant now.*

JACK
Well … you know what's really strange?

KIM
What?

JACK
When she was telling me this whole story, she almost sounded … wistful. That's the only time I've ever heard her talk about Captain Falcon with anything less than complete devotion, and about someone other than him with anything like … I feel like she cares about the Croaker, like, she doesn't hate him or anything. You know?

KIM
Yeah, that's weird. Okay, so your mom has a crush on both Falcon and his arch-nemesis … do you want to try meeting him, the Croaker I mean?

JACK
What! No, that would be crazy! What would I say? "Hi, your army has arrived!" … Or maybe, "Hi, I'm your son, but I hate you for being a villain!"

KIM
"Hi, I'm your son, stop being a jerk and marry my mom!"

JACK
"Hi, I'm your son; would you mind NOT hurting people in your insane quest to rule the world?"

*They laugh, then continue eating; Kim gets a sudden grin, and turns to Jack.*

KIM
Okay, so what kind of superpowers did you get out of all this?

JACK
Superpowers? Sticking to my ceiling is not at all a superpower … well, I can jump freaky high.

KIM
Sticking to things is too a power … maybe not very bad-ass, but still … freaky high?

*Jack smiles, and puts down his sandwich.*

JACK
Yeah, freaky high. I can be up at the top of this tree before you can say What.

KIM
Wha … Whoa, where'd you … !

*Jack has apparently vanished, as if into thin air, from where he was casually sitting before. Kim stands up and looks all over for him, only to be thoroughly surprised when he climbs down the trunk of the tree like a gecko and kisses her from upside down on the forehead.*

JACK
That was for Saturday night.

KIM *excited about the super-jump*
Sweet! Okay, so you've got powers … that's awesome!

*Jack climbs all the way down the trunk, and sits back down where he was before, carefully checking to see if anyone outside the tree's cover saw his disappearing act. Satisfied, he replies.*

JACK
Not really. I'm not like you, I can't do much against a villain except run away. At least you could punch them or something. And what good are my powers for regular life? They certainly won't do my homework for me. I'd trade them in for super-intelligence any day of the week. I'm just a freak, one of this city's many freaks.

KIM *defiant*
Whatever! I've already got some cool ideas, and I'll prove you're not just a freak. After school, we're going into the city, got it?

JACK *resigned*
Yes ma'am … Now, what's this about your parents cheating on each other? I told you how my weekend was, now you tell me about yours. First of all, what happened to you after you ran off from my house?

KIM
Ugh. So I chase after the Doombots, right? They're flying, and flying, and then they land at this old abandoned warehouse.

JACK
So it wasn't really abandoned then?

KIM
Definitely not abandoned.

*The lights fade out as they continue talking, Kim recounting her adventure and what happened afterwords.*

END SCENE 4



SCENE 5

After school, still light out. Kim and Jack duck into a garbage strewn alleyway, and arrive on the other side at a large construction project waiting for the workers to return to it. It has been waiting for quite some time, and is now as unkempt as the alley they just walked through. This is the Training Ground, Kim's favorite spot to come work out. It is private, secluded, a rare oasis in the city. Kim should seem very familiar with the area, and will immediately begin juggling a large metal ball that looks like it used to be a dumpster before she squashed it into a sphere. Jack, also quite familiar with the area, sits down on a nearby lawn chair.

KIM
Hey now … *grunt* … we're here for … *grunt* … your training … *grunt* … not to watch … *grunt* … me!

JACK
Aw, but watching you is so fun. You're like a show, for my edification.

KIM
Your … *grunt* … edification?

JACK
Yeah. That ball? That's me if I ever piss you off.

KIM
Very … *grunt* … funny. Now … *grunt* … think fast!

Kim catches the metal boulder and rolls it menacingly towards Jack like a bowling ball, almost catching him by surprise. He appears to vanish again, only to land semi-gracefully seconds later when he returns to earth.

JACK *angrily*
You could have killed me!

KIM *calm*
I knew you'd react in time. And some super-villain isn't going to give you a warning like I did, they'll just shoot you with laserbeams from their eyes and you'll be dead.

*Kim walks over to Jack and grabs him by the shirt.*

KIM (cont.) *menacingly*
And then? Then I'd really be pissed with you.

JACK *resolute*
Okay, I get it. But how about this? I don't get involved with super-villains, I don't fight crime for a living like your dad and like you want to do. I live a normal life, go to college, get a math degree, get a nice boring job. I'll be able to jump really high and stick to things, but as long as I don't play basketball I think I'll be okay.

*Kim lets go of Jack and walks away, to pick up the ball again. Jack looks nervous that she will throw it at him again, but she just kneads it pensively, wearing down the sharp edges.*

KIM
But that doesn't always work. Villains don't care if you want to live a normal life, they don't care if you're not using your powers. They just want to do bad things, like rule the world or hurt people for fun or rob gem depositories. And are you really saying you won't do anything to stop them? That you'll just stand by and watch it happen?

JACK *wary*
No. Or at least, I don't think so. But what am I supposed to do? What do I do with the power to jump around, that some other hero couldn't do better with flight or magic or energy blasts? Shouldn't I leave this stuff to them, and not get in the way?

KIM
Jumping? You don't just jump, you jump fast! Look, I can jump.

*Kim sets down the ball and squats, steadies herself, then leaps with all her might, leaping straight up into the air very high and landing hard on the ground.*

KIM (cont.)
See? Phew, I need to practice that more. But did you see the difference?

JACK
You're super strong, so you can actually do something useful after leaping ridiculously high?

KIM *angry*
No! I'm F-ing slow! You're F-ing fast!

JACK *sarcastic*
Wonderful, I'm so glad that I'm better at something than you.

*Kim picks up the ball and motions like she will throw it at Jack again, with force. He puts up his hands in a defensive gesture.*

JACK (cont.)
Okay, fine. But what do you want me to do? Say you are pounding some brick-brained super-thug into the ground. What am I supposed to do? How can I do anything when there are people like you, with useful powers, and who don't really need my help anyway?

KIM
In that situation? You keep an eye out for the friends of said thug, especially for the ones with guns. If they show up, you jump right in front of them and while they're surprised, take their guns, or smack them around a bit if they don't have weapons.

JACK
And I can do this because?

KIM *exasperated*
You're fast, goofball!

JACK
No, the Sonic Sasquatch is fast, I'm just a guy who can jump high.

KIM *angry*
You can jump so fast that my eye can't follow you! When you jumped up into that tree earlier today, and then up into the air when I threw, scratch that, gently rolled this tin can at you, you moved so fast that I thought you had vanished! You're like, automatically a ninja now, and ninja don't need super strength to take down bad guys!

JACK *equally angry*
You watch too much TV. Ninja beat up the bad guys because they're the heroes of those shows you watch, not because they can move quickly. You ever see a classic samurai movie? You know why ninja always have clans in the movies? Because they die, by the dozens! They've got a few tricks, and then the samurai cuts them in half because that was all they had, tricks! And a few lousy tricks aren't going to make me some superhero, as much as you would like that!

KIM *hurt*
No!

JACK *triumphant*
Yes! You just want to be a superhero, like your dad, and it's all you can think of. I turn out to part-alien, and suddenly all you can talk about is how great a hero I'd be! You know what? I'd like to help people, like you said! I wouldn't want to just stand by while some super-villain, maybe even my own damn father, is hurting people! But I would anyway! Because I'm weak, unlike you. I wouldn't be able to do anything if I did try, and then I'd be killed, and that would be the end! No one would bring me back from the dead, like your father was brought back after being killed by Demonhead! No one's going to travel to the Death Dimension and drag me back to this world if I take a laser-blast to the chest! Because I'm a nobody, and nobodies don't come back from the dead if they screw up while trying to help people! And I'd eventually screw up, they all do, all those heroes you obsess over! But they've got regeneration, or force fields, or super-strong skin! I'm a nobody, and no one, NO ONE, cares about a nobody.

*There is silence at last. Jack looks tired after his tirade, and Kim is deflated, Jacks words hitting her harder than she would have liked. Finally, she speaks.*

KIM
I would bring you back … I would go the the Death Dimension and drag you back, I'd even kick Death in the balls while I was there.

*Jack looks at her, then away. Kim puts down the ball and begins walking towards the partially-finished building, mostly just I-beams in the shape of a large office building.*

KIM (cont.) *sadly*
But I understand. Heroes do screw up, sometimes pretty badly. But the important part is where they try in the first place. And let's face it: this is a city, a world really, full of super-villains and superheroes, all of whom probably seem crazy stronger than you or I could ever be.

*Kim turns around and motions for Jack to follow her, a smile now on her face. Jack follows, staying several feet behind her as they walk.*

KIM (cont.) *inspired*
But that's why I come here, to this abandoned lot. I lift heavy machinery, juggle trash bins after crushing them up, leap into the air and see how high I can get. And someday, if I see a super-villain about to hurt someone, I'll have an idea of how to stop them. Because maybe, I'll know enough tricks by then to beat the jerk into the floor. I come here because someday, I'm gonna be standing between a bunch of innocent civilians and some guy who can fart atomic bombs, and I want to survive that day and also save those people.

JACK
And you think lifting bulldozers and juggling dumpsters will help you?

*The duo arrive at the unfinished building, looking up at the I-beams reaching towards the sky.*

KIM
I hope so. And if not, it couldn't hurt, right?
So, part 2 (of 3) of Next Gen episode 1. Here we meet Jack, who is kinda emo. I'm sorry. But at least we know that if he was incurable, Kim wouldn't hang out with him ... unless she was feeling the same, so ... Oh, and please realize that Episode 1 is something of a misnomer. If this actually existed as I wanted, in some animated-for-TV form, it would have to be the length of a 1-hour pilot episode, which is generally noted as being episodes 1 & 2. So yes, somewhere in the middle this actually becomes Episode 2. But if I did that, I would definitely need to rewrite it so that both 1 and 2 could stand on their own.

To go back to part 1, click here: [link]

To read part 3, click here: [link]
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