Mod Superhero - STUBBING AUG 17TH!

Full Throttle Heart - 18 - No Going Back

PREVIOUS SCENE

[All around the heroes, the minions of darkness begin to dissolve. A wave swept across the battlefield, annihilating all of Gormangach's forces. Then the tower itself began to crumble. Truck-kun and the others shouted for the army to retreat. They ran out of the tower and watched from a safe distance as it collapsed.

[The camera pans to each of our heroes as tentative cheers rise through the field.

[Morden and Gabriel kneel beside Al, who is barely breathing.]

"Tell my ma... Tell her..." Al sputtered.

Phoebe the Phoenix swooped down beside Al. Her feathers glowed with magic, like fire filtered through stained glass. That same magic washed over Al, overshadowing his bright blue plumage.

"Fear not, my little gemstone," she said.

Al blinked once, twice. "If this is death, it's not so bad."

Phoebe laughed, a sound like scraping flint.

[The camera pans back and cheers rise all around. Soon the battlefield is filled with soldiers celebrating and mages flinging firework spells into the air. Everyone is celebrating, except for Truck-kun, Morden, Gabriel, and Maester Wizzlegrimp. They stare ponderously at the ruins of Gormangach's tower.]

"I had him," Truck-kun said, looking down at its pauldrons. "He slipped through my grasp. Gormangach said that the package was never my key. What did he mean by that?"

The maester rubbed his beard contemplatively. "In those final moments, Gormangach used his own magic to take control of the package. I suspect that was his plan all along."

Morden frowned. "And we walked right into it."

Maester Wizzlegrimp held up a hand. "Do not despair. Gormangach may have succeeded, but I doubt he's happy about it."

"What do you mean?" Truck-kun asked.

The maester continued, "Think about my enormous friend. Before you came to our world, you were a simple delivery truck. Why do you think that is?"

"That's how I was made. There aren't any truck-warriors in my world. No magic."

"Exactly. You gained powers when you came to our world." Wizzlegrimp smiled conspiratorially. "I suspect Gormangach will be similarly changed when he gets to your world, and his journey will be very, very different."

[Both Truck-kun and Morden seemed puzzled by that answer, not fully grasping what he was implying. Maester Wizzlegrimp didn't elaborate. He walked over to join the celebration. Gabriel, however, took the news better.]

PAUSE

"I don't get it," Icarus said. "The whole time Truck-kun was trying to get back home and now he can't... What kind of ending is that?"

"It's a metaphor," Emmett replied.

"Well, I don't like it."

"In the show, Truck-kun was trying to get back home, which is a literal place, but it's more like Truck-kun's been trying to go back in time. It just wants to be back with Joe and be a simple delivery truck again. Almost like trying to recapture its childhood, but that's impossible. That's what Gabriel says here at the end."

Icarus huffed. "Alright, alright. Let's watch the end."

RESUME

Truck-kun looked out across the forest, which had begun to lighten and even resemble normal trees in parts.

"What am I supposed to do?" Truck-kun asked no one in particular.

[The camera lingers on Truck-kun. An emotional and instrumental version of the Full Throttle Heart theme plays alongside a montage of Truck-kun's life back on Earth, when it was just a simple delivery truck with Joe.]

The music faded as Gabriel put a reassuring hand on Truck-kun's arm. "Enjoy the time we have. And right now, enjoy the celebration. There will be more battles—hopefully we'll even fight beside one another again. But no matter what, we'll never be able to get this moment back."

[The music rises again, now playing over another montage. This time it's Truck-kun, Gabriel, Morden, Al and Phoebe on other adventures. They drive through the countryside and fight monsters. Al and Phoebe loop through the air, leaving colorful trails behind them.

[The screen fades to black.]

~

[The camera pans across a coffeeshop. The Full Throttle Heart theme ends abruptly, replaced by muffled conversations and ambient noise. There is a long line of people waiting to order.]

[A young man stands in front of a coffee machine. The camera lingers on him. His hair is disheveled, and there's an intensity in his eyes. Otherwise, he is perfectly forgettable. The machine dings, signalling that it's done, but he doesn't move.]

[A voiceover of the young man's thoughts begins. The voice is familiar and ominous.]

Curse this pitiful world and all who inhabit it. May their drinks be forever bitter.

This recipe shouldn't be that hard. It's not so different from necromancy! Alright, once more:

Dry the body. Remove the bones. Pulverize the bones. Add scalding hot water. Wait. Add milk and foam—

"Gorman!" another barista shouted. "Get moving and stop daydreaming."

[The young man, Gorman, frowns and sighs. He pulls out the coffeepot and promptly burns himself.]

[Outtro — Original version of Theme Song — "Hātofurusurottoru" by Gunpowder Audition]

[Credits roll.]

~ ~

Emmett wasn't the only one that was everywhere.

While Emmett and Icarus watched the end of the original Full Throttle Heart, TINA was on a spaceship. She'd hidden a swarm aboard the Beacon of Terradun. The Dunamen relied too much on their powers and therefore had a blind spot for the tiny technology. The crew flew toward Terradun, unaware of the payload they were carrying.

Paragon was also aboard the ship. He could've stayed on Earth, but declined. He wanted to return to his homeworld. He wanted his powers back. And, TINA suspected, Paragon didn't want to be subject to monitoring and scrutiny back on Earth.

While the ship flew, TINA left pieces of herself behind. Bits of swarm ejected and flew to nearby asteroids and moons. When they touched down, they immediately went to work constructing outposts and defenses.

~

The Beacon of Terradun returned home, and Paragon and the crew made a full report.

Deliberations began.

Initially, most officials were skeptical of Earth's technology. Those officials still wanted to subjugate Earth. Those government officials changed their minds as more crew delivered reports. Other officials wanted to leave the planet alone. Their reasoning was that humanity's spaceships were still years behind their own. And others wanted to destroy humanity entirely because of the threat they might pose in the future.

Dunamen officials deliberated for three days.

There is an ancient Greek parable called the Sword of Damocles. In it, a sword hangs above the ruler's head, illustrating the ever-present danger that he is in. There is a similar parable on Terradun, though the officials probably wouldn't appreciate their position.

While Terradun's leaders deliberated, the swarm spread. TINA wormed her way into their infrastructure and seeped into the ground. Deep underground, the swarm multiplied. And then it began building. No matter what the Dunamen decided—peace or war—TINA was going to have insurance. She would have antimatter reactors hidden on Terradun, just like she'd built on Earth.

Depending on what the Dunamen decided, those reactors would stay dormant. No matter what, Earth would stay sovereign.

The Sword of Damocles would stay poised—

And much closer than any of them realized.

~ ~ ~