False Dawn #23: Domestic Dispute

Lance and Krisk by 122476

False Dawn #23: "Life or Something Called It"
Part Four of Four: Domestic Dispute
Comic Book Script—Plot for 20 Pages
Devin Leigh Michaels

The False Dawn/Destiny's Fate crossover finale, and it's the cursed immortal versus the former assassin!

Note to Letterer: All narrations are Ral’s.

PAGE ONE
1—Close-up on Krisk, who’s struggling against the muscular arm wrapped about his neck.
NARR: I am sooo out of the loop here.

2—Mid-shot—Lance pointing a gun at the camera.
LANCE: Ral, get over here.

PAGE TWO
1—Ral blinks as he stand just out of the barrel’s range. The barrel is pointed to his right (our left) at Kainoa, who has his hands up slightly in a surrender position, but he’s surprised. Behind him are Rena and Artemis, who are not happy with a gun trained on their son.
RAL: Dude, what are you doing? These people helped SAVE me from those government WHACKOS.
LANCE: You know WHY they saved you?
RAL: Does it matter?

2—Close-up on Lance, who’s pissed.
LANCE: Because they want to EXPERIMENT on you, Ral! Your parents are IMMORTAL. You don’t think Defenders of freakin’ TIME wouldn’t want to know what makes Addy and Connor and maybe even you TICK?

3—Ral looks back at Rena and Artemis as Rena steps forward. He’s not quite sure what to do here. The Ryders have been good to them, so he’s not sure if to believe Lance or not. Rena simply wants no one hurt, especially her babies.
RENA: Josh, honey, I know Lysander—

4—Lance cuts her off and squeezes Krisk just a little harder.
LANCE: Lysander? Try your SON, Mrs. Ryder.
LANCE (linked): Your own kid TORTURED me to find out why I’m immortal, so don’t stand there and tell me you don’t want to do the SAME THING to Ral.

5—Ral looks at Kainoa, now almost desperate. How could he trust these people?
RAL: Lysander? Torture? What…What is going on here? How do you guys even KNOW each other?

PAGE THREE
1—Casia comes forward, her hand out to Ral.
CASIA: Now’s not the time, Ral. Let’s get out of here why we can.
OFF: Sorry, that’s not possible.

2—Behind Lance and Krisk now stands Sawyer, blocking the exit doorway. He’s not formidable. He’s more sad than angry.
SAWYER: Hello, Joshua. It’s been a couple of years.
LANCE: GATEKEEPER. Move or the kid—
SAWYER: Y’know, your parents used to ask me what they could do to REACH you. Just how could they
get their son back on the straight and narrow. Y’know what I used to tell them?
LANCE: Let him watch Showgirls?

3—Close-up on Sawyer’s concerned face. He really thinks he can change this troubled kid into a good soldier.
SAWYER: I told them to let me TRAIN you, let you become a DEFENDER. It would give you an out—

4—Kainoa disappears in a flash of blue light.

5—Lance smirks and jerks Krisk toward Ral again. Krisk is struggling, but it’s no use.
LANCE: Well, looks like the assassin RAN AWAY. I’m only going to this once. Move or I will start shooting, KID FIRST.
KRISK: Nhgh!

6—Rena comes closer, standing in front of Ral.
RENA: Josh, PLEASE. Stop this. Whatever happened to you, we can help.
LANCE: Help?
NARR: The air’s…different. I can’t explain it, but it shifts and energizes.
LANCE: You can’t even help your son. He was gone how MANY years? How dare you think you can ‘help’ me?

7—In a flash of blue, Kainoa appears behind Lance, kicking him down.

PAGE FIVE
1—Kainoa grabs Krisk, a hand upon the boy’s head. He’s glaring at Lance, who is off-panel.
KAINOA: Go to Mom.

2—Lance then fires at Kainoa, who lunges at him.

3—Casia burns a line of fire behind Kainoa, blocking his parents and Krisk from helping.

4—Donnellie fires one shot, knocking a blaster from Sawyer’s.
DONNELLIE: Don’t worry. This will be all over soon.
SAWYER: Yeah, before or after your PSYCHOTIC friend kills my nephew?
DONNELLIE: And to think, at one time, it was the other way around.

PAGE SIX
1—Lance blocks Kainoa’s kick, though he has to drop the gun to do so.
NARR: This is NOT good.

2—Lance then falls to the floor to kick out Kainoa’s legs.
NARR: A former ASSASSIN fighting a cursed IMMORTAL.

3—Kainoa jumps over the attack.
NARR: That has to be a first.

4—Lance lunges elbow-out, hitting Kainoa across the cheek.
NARR: I wonder if that’s something Guinness deals with, or do I just call the National Guard?

PAGE SEVEN
1—Kainoa wipes the blood from his chin.
KAINOA: You’re…better than I thought—or remember.

2—Close-up on Lance’s malicious smirk.
LANCE: If there was one thing Darwin got right, it was SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.

3—Donnielle and Casia stand next to each, watching the fight, almost amused.
DONNELLIE: I’m not one to say, ‘I told you so’—
CASIA: Yes, you are.
DONNELLIE: Then I told him so.

4—Rena returns with a fire extinguisher to stop Casia’s flames and instead blows it at the two. Artemis deals with the fire by smothering it with a blanket.
RENA: Joshua, sweetie. Please! I don’t know why you came back, but fighting Kainoa isn’t going to get you what you want.

PAGE EIGHT
1—Lance stops fighting to look over his shoulder at Rena, though his fists are still raised.
LANCE: And YOU know what I WANT?

2—Ral picks up Kainoa’s fallen blaster off the ground.
LANCE: (off) Please. You can’t even COMPREHEND what I AM, let alone what I want out of life. If you VALUE your own, I suggest you keep out of this.

3—His face embittered like a mad man, Lance turns and strikes, but we can’t see who he hits—

4—until Ral thumps to the ground.

PAGE NINE
1—Ral looks up, cradling his bloody and now enlarged cheek.
NARR: Lance…hit me?

2—Lance takes a step forward, remorse in his eyes and on his face.
LANCE: Ral, I—

3—With angry tears in his eyes, Ral lifts Kainoa’s blaster and fires a single shot at Lance.

4—Lance is thrown back past Donnellie, Casia, and Sawyer.

5—Lance crashes into the base of the stairs in the hallway.

6—Ral stands, still holding his cheek.
RAL: What…What are you doing! Kaiona and his family just SAVED me from these government WACKOS, and you come in here, guns and fire blazing? What’s WRONG with you?

PAGE TEN
1— Lance sits at the bottom of the stairs for a moment, his elbows on his knees, his eyes blazing directly into Ral’s.

2—Extreme close-up on Ral’s eyes. He glares back.

3—Behind Ral, Rena and Artemis clamor to save their living room from the devouring flames.

4—A hand drops down in front of Lance’s face, offering to help him up.

PAGE ELEVEN
1—From Lance’s POV, we’re looking up at Sawyer.
SAWYER: We…We didn’t understand back then. We still don’t completely, but we’re TRYING.

2—Lance looks away, a little pissed and dejected.

3—Lance looks back and takes the hand.

4—Lance crosses the room to take Ral’s chin and cheek in his own hands.
LANCE: Hey…let me see.

PAGE TWELVE
1—Lance looks past Ral at Artemis.
LANCE: Hey, Mr. Ryder? You got some ice?
ARTEMIS: Sure.

PAGE THIRTEEN
1—Ral tries hard not to cry—because, hey, crying is not cool at fourteen—so, Lance ruffles his hair.
LANCE: Hey. No need to be BIG and BAD, okay? Did I ever tell you I lived at the beach?
LANCE (linked): I used to get up earlier in the morning and boogie board. Once, this hurricane wasn’t far off shore, and my mortal parents told me not to go out. I didn’t listen, and I held my board pretty well until the last possible moment. An effing wave torn it apart, and my face broke my fall—and my fall broke my face.
LANCE (after thought): I cried for, like, a week.
RAL: You….you never cry…

2—Lance shrugs with a tiny grin.
LANCE: When you live FOURTEEN lifetimes, you tend to remember the bad pretty well, so whatever you come across in the present—paper cuts, gunshot wounds, heck Gigli—it just doesn’t seem worth the tears.
LANCE: At the time, though, I knew nothing other my parents grounding me because they thought I was getting tattoos behind their back.

3—Ral hugs Lance, who’s a little put off.
RAL: I missed you.

4—Lance finally hugs back.
LANCE: I missed you, too, kid, though really, just because Casia doesn’t eat anything meat, which means we stop at tofu places. EW.

5—Ral hugs Casia, his head snuggling under her chin.
CASIA: Hey, Ral. Have you grown?
NARR: Casia’s warm, like an iPhone when it’s working.

6—A dark-skinned, feminine hand grabs one of Ral’s.

PAGE THIRTEEN
1—Ral is still wrapped about Casia as Donnellie runs her lithe fingers across the crooks of his palm.
DONNELLIE: Let’s see what you’re—

2—Lance lunges as Casia snatches Ral’s hand away.
LANCE and CASIA: NO!
SAWYER (off): So…Josh.

3— Lance stares at Rena, Artemis, and Sawyer. Artemis is pressing an icepack against Ral’s cheek, while Rena’s hands cover her mouth. Sawyer crosses his arms, listening intently. Lance stuffs his hands in his pockets, shifting nervously.
LANCE: Call me ‘Lance.’ It’s the name I’ve used since my FIRST lifetime.
RENA: Then…Then it’s true? You’re really…

4—Lance shrugs; Donnellie smirks.
LANCE: A CURSED IMMORTAL who lives, dies, and lives again—oh, and loses the person he loves most in every lifetime. That’s my life…
LANCE (linked, small balloon): …or something called it.
DONNELLIE: Not really.
LANCE (linked): No one asked you.
DONNELLIE (linked): I make it my business not to be asked.
LANCE (linked): Of course you do.
DONNELLIE (linked): Hey, YOU keep calling.

5—Lance glares at her before walking up to Kainoa and puts out a hand. Kainoa blinks at it.
LANCE: Did you really save my little brother? Then I owe you.

PAGE FOURTEEN
1—Kainoa accepts the hand.
KAINOA: I think it was a mutual saving, so let’s call us even?

2—Lance turns toward Sawyer, who has his arms crossed.
LANCE: Please…don’t tell my parents. They…They think I’m this THUG, and it’s better that way. It doesn’t let them have GUILT over….not getting it. I was never THEIRS, not really, so it’s better I’m gone.

3—Sawyer uncrosses his arms. This is not how it was supposed to go.
SAWYER: Why don’t you STAY? Maybe we can find why this happens. I’m not saying EXPERIMENT. I just—

4—Lance meets gazes with Donnellie.

5—Lance’s eyes droop; Donnellie looks away.
LANCE: I know why this happens, and maybe I even deserve it, but there’s no reason why I should ENDANGER you and yours, Mr. Ryder.

PAGE FIFTEEN
1—Artemis stands by Kainoa; Rena has a hand upon Krisk’s head. Lance is just shrugging again.
ARTEMIS: Where will you go?
LANCE: Ral’s parents are TRAPPED in another DIMENSION. We have to find them.
RENA: We’ll help you.
LANCE: You’ve done enough.

2— Donnellie kneels before Krisk, urging his hand from his pocket and opening his palm. Lance and Casia lunge, covering Krisk’s hand.
LANCE: Thank…NO!

3—Bright white light explodes from Donnellie’s eyes.

PAGE SIXTEEN
1—Donnellie hovers about a foot off the ground, her eyes white with strains of white energy floating about her. Ral, Lance, and Casia are on one side, the Ryder family on the other.
DONNELLIE (trance-like): The world you know will come to end. The paths you took will somehow bend.
CASIA: Does she normally rhyme?
LANCE: Not…that I know of...
DONNELLIE: Five powers must unite; a demon from your past you all must fight.
RAL: This, from a PALM READING?
CASIA: You should see what she does with CRYSTAL BALLS.
DONNELLIE: Despite what you think, it comes down to this. All that you love, you will come to miss. The only way to win, is to lose, but with Hope by your side, that’s just a ruse.

PAGE SEVENTEEN
1—Donnellie collapses into Lance’s arms, unconscious. Ral’s over Lance’s shoulder.
RAL: That’s…weird.

2—Lance whirls toward the Defenders.
LANCE: Yes but accurate when she’s like that.
LANCE (linked): Take heed. Whatever she said, she got from Krisk’s hand. What she says will come to pass.

3—Sawyer nods.
SAWYER: We’ll be ready.

4—Lance, Ral, and Casia gather about the table of a fast food joint. Ral’s munching on a cheeseburger with fries. Lance has a slushie.
LOCATION CAPS: LATER
RAL: So Donnellie doesn’t eat meat, either?

PAGE EIGHTEEN
1—Casia shrugs and steals Lance’s shake as Lance eats fries from Ral’s wrapper.
CASIA: Oh, she eats meat. She just refuses to call this ‘meat.’

2—Ral looks down at his burger.
NARR: Agh, I’m really going to have to bite the bullet here. He’s going to make me, isn’t he?
RAL: I’m…I’m sorry I shot you, Lance.

3—Lance blinks, looking genuinely confused.
LANCE: What?
RAL: I…I shot you. With the taser. I’m…I’m sorry.

4—Lance swipes with his hand.
LANCE: Please. It was a taser. That doesn’t count. I’ve been shot a lot worse, and I hit YOU. It’s fine.
RAL: But—

5—Lance’s face is serious now, his eyes distant.
LANCE: Look, I get…CRAZY…sometimes, thinking about my parents from this lifetime. Other than your mom and uncle, they were the best parents I’ve had, and I let them down. Not all of it was my fault, but in their eyes, it was.
LANCE (linked): And that HURT.
LANCE (linked): But what happened back there wasn’t your fault, and I can’t really blame much on Kainoa because a lot wasn’t his, either. And what he did to me, I’ve done to more than one person.

6—Ral focuses on something between Lance and Casia.
NARR: Wow.

PAGE NINETEEN
1—Lance glances over his shoulder at the cheerleader in the booth behind him and smirks.
LANCE: You going to talk to her or just gawk like a nerdy high school stalker?

2—In the middle of the Ryder living room, Brandon and Mary Sterling wear old, tattered peasant garb while strapping on Anchrons. Sawyer stands behind them.
LOCATION CAPS: LATER, LATER
SAWYER: Are you sure about this?
MARY: We have no choice, Sawyer. I don’t care what Josh—or—LANCE—says, he’s still OUR son. I’m going to find a CURE to this CURSE and bring him HOME.

3—The three turn toward the new voice.
KAINOA (off): He’ll be back.

4—Kainoa leans against the door, an icepack against his face.
KAINOA: I know you believe you can change the past, but it won’t work. And he’ll be back.

5—Close up on Brandon.
BRANDON: How do you know?

PAGE TWENTY
1—Kainoa heads back into the kitchen.
KAINOA: He’s an immortal who lives and dies, and he doesn’t want to defeat TIME? It’s his GREATEST enemy. Trust me.

2—Kainoa looks down at his suddenly glowing blue hands.
LANCE: He’ll be back to save us…or destroy us.
TITLES

THE END

A/N: This story leads into the one that I submitted to Journeymen. I’ll let you know if it gets published. This also takes place right before Destiny’s Fate: Wards of Man miniseries. First look at the series is up!