Wednesday 3 April 2013

Campaign Trailer: SECOND GENERATION

I think this was intended to be a SMALLVILLE game, which explains why there is a lot of talky-talky before we get to the punchy-punchy. The title comes from an idea I've had for a while where the government performs large-scale chemical tests on the population of a city, in the poorer districts, and the effects (super powers) don't manifest until two generations down the line from initial exposure. 


EXT. STREET – NIGHT

We see a newspaper fluttering along the pavement. We can just barely make out a headline: FLYING MAN OR SUPER-HOAX? and there is a large reproduction of a flying figure over a city skyline. The newspaper is caught by the breeze and the CAMERA FOLLOWS as it is blown from the street and DOWN A FILTHY, NARROW ALLEY...

MAXIM (voice-over)
You know what your problem is? You think life is like a god-damned comic book.

SOUND FX: We hear the meaty impact of a PUNCH.

MAXIM (V/O, cont’d)
You think that if you do the right thing, you’re better than me? That people are going to love you for it? Maybe that you’re the one to bring a little Truth, Justice and the American Way to the world?

SOUND FX: More punching. A groan.

MAXIM (V/O, cont’d)
Bullshit. People are scared of us. Those government men-in-black types want to dissect us and figure out how to make more. There are no heroes. You either use your power to take what you want, or you’re meat. Period.

The camera moves through a door and down a flight of dank concrete steps, into

INT. BASEMENT – NIGHT

We see a large, dirty basement with concrete walls and floor. The big, dark room is lit by a single electric lightbulb that dangles from the ceiling on an exposed wire. There is a circle of people in the background – as we get a good look at them, we can see that several of them are very unusual-looking: one has scaly, reptillian skin, one has glowing red eyes, and another occasionally becomes misty and translucent like a ghost. In the center of the room are two men: MAXIM, a big, muscle-bound man wearing a leather jacket over a bare chest covered in tattoos, and the man he is beating on, HAWK. Hawk is a lean, athletic black man wearing a track suit, tied to a chair. His face is bloodied and covered in bruises, and one eye is swollen shut.

Hawk spits out a mouthful of BLOOD on the concrete. He looks up at Maxim.

HAWK
You know what your problem is?

Maxim and the others laugh.

MAXIM
My problem? You’re the one tied to the chair with his teeth on the floor, asshole. Maybe you should be worrying about your own problems. ‘Cause I’m starting to get bored with you.

He strides over to the reptillian man, who passes him a CROWBAR. Maxim strokes it and moves back toward Hawk, swinging it like a baseball bat.

HAWK
You’re short-sighted. You can’t see that life has given you something incredible, this amazing gift you could use to make something of yourself. Something you could use to make the world a better place. To make a difference.

Maxim is incredulous. He takes a step back, and looks to his gang as if to say “Can you believe this guy?”

HAWK (cont’d)
No, you’re the kind of idiot who sees himself as a hammer and everything in your path is just another nail.

MAXIM
Huh. Well, I guess you got me there, Hawk, ‘cause I’m gonna pound you right through the floor. Then we’ll see who’s smart.

He raises the crowbar to hit Hawk, and suddenly the LIGHTBULB FLICKERS.

HAWK
You didn’t let me finish. You’re the kind of idiot who runs his mouth when he should be getting down to business. The kind of idiot who gives his enemies all the time they need to get into position... right, Perdita?

There is a huge BOOM as the CEILING COLLAPSES directly behind Hawk. A muscular woman, PERDITA,  lands there amid the wreckage, striding forward. We see that her body seems to be half-machine. MAXIM backs up to join his gang, who spread out, ready for a fight. There is a flash of light behind them, and we see another woman and a man appear there in the darkness behind the gang. Perdita tears off Hawk’s ropes and helps him to his feet.

PERDITA
Yo Hawk, you all right?

HAWK
No problem. Accelerated metabolism.

As we watch, his wounds begin to HEAL in front of our eyes.

MAXIM
You think you real smart, huh? Think you turned the tables on me, right? Wrong, assholes. I got you all right where I want you. This is where we settle things once and for all...

PERDITA
Bring it, pendejo!

She leaps at Maxim, and they begin to struggle. A fight breaks out around them. All of the combatants have super-powers: we see Hawk take off at super-speed, raining down punches on the reptile-man, while the woman that appeared with Perdita TELEPORTS away when the man with the glowing eyes BREATHS FIRE in her direction. Her companion crosses the room swinging from steel girders that hold up the ceiling, flipping out of the way when the ghostly figure appears in front of him firing a PISTOL.


EXT. ALLEY – NIGHT

Outside, we can still hear the SOUNDS OF BATTLE coming from inside the building. A BLACK VAN pulls up in front of the mouth of the alley.

AGENT (V/O)
Mobile six. Base, we have eight metahumans confirmed on site. Maxim’s crew and the team from the hospital.

INT. VAN – NIGHT

We see two GOVERNMENT AGENTS in the van, parked near the alley. One of the Agents is speaking on a smartphone.

VOICE (on phone)
Well, well. Hawk and his friends have gotten sloppy.

AGENT
Base, do we intervene?

VOICE
No. Hold your position for now. We’ll dispatch Mobiles three and ten to back  you up. When they’re through, you move in and capture anyone still standing. Take no chances. You have sanction, repeat, sanction. If you can’t bring them in alive, bring me the bodies.

AGENT
Confirmed, base.

The camera moves into the back of the van, and we see there are six more agents there, heavily armed and ready to attack...

CUT TO BLACK


SECOND GENERATION

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