[OPENING SCENE — SKYVAULT CITY, JUST BEFORE SUNRISE]
The sky is tinted purple, the faint hum of wind turbines echoing in the distance. Light flickers from broken neon signs as patrol drones sweep over shattered rooftops. A breeze carries ash and memory through empty streets.
[INT. VAN HQ – COMMAND FLOOR]
Kael stands alone at the massive glass window overlooking the city. His reflection stares back — tired eyes, a burned heart, and the hollow silence left by Niko's absence.
Kael (quietly):
"Still feels like he's just in the shadows... watching."
Footsteps. Yuna enters, holding a cup of steamflower tea.
Yuna:
"He wouldn't want you staring into ghosts."
Kael (without turning):
"He always was the quietest of us. And now we can't even hear that."
Echo-7 (interrupting through comms):
"Ping alert. Sector 12. High-voltage burst. Origin unknown. Power matches last week's anomaly."
Kael and Yuna look at each other. The moment is over. The mission begins.
[EXT. SECTOR 12 — DERELICT ZONE]
Cracked concrete and iron rebar loom like skeletons. Rain slicks everything in silver. In the center of a ruined street, Irion pants heavily, steam rising from his arms. Melted drone pieces scatter around him.
Irion (to himself):
"Why does this keep happening? Who are they sending now?"
A silhouette moves atop a nearby ledge. Veya, cloaked in a dark tactical jacket, crouches with her pistols sheathed. Her eyes narrow.
Veya:
"New face. Raw energy. Not a fan of the city's rules, huh?"
Irion (defensive):
"You spying on me? You with them? Those... 'Vanguards'?"
Veya (neutral):
"Not exactly. I do things my way. Like you, I think."
Irion:
"Then stay back. I don't want your help, or theirs. I've seen what happens when people like me get too close to teams like yours."
Veya (tilting head):
"You're not wrong. But you're not safe out here either. People are sniffing around your energy spikes. Not just cops — worse."
A low hum vibrates through the air. Hoverbikes echo from nearby alleyways. Five Savage Bratz thugs, heavily armed, burst into the area.
Bratz Leader:
"That's him! The freak! Bring him in ALIVE — boss wants the glowing core!"
*Irion's fists clench. Energy flickers violently across his arms.
Irion:
"I told you… stay BACK!!"
With a burst of light, Irion slams his palm into the pavement, creating a shockwave that blasts the first two Bratz off their bikes.
Veya (drawing pistols):
"Told you they'd come. Let's dance."
[FIGHT SEQUENCE – STREET CHAOS]
Veya flips backward and fires clean shots into enemy weapons. Irion is less precise — he's raw power. Walls crack under his rage, light distorting in waves around his body.
Irion (shouting):
"Why won't you just LEAVE ME ALONE?!"
Kael (via radio to Echo-7):
"We've got visuals on the anomaly. Veya's engaged. We're en route."
Echo-7:
"Caution: Irion's output is destabilizing. He's approaching Rift-tier emissions."
Yuna (quietly to Kael):
"He doesn't trust us. He's not a threat… not yet."
[ARRIVAL – VANGUARDS ENTER]
Kael, Yuna, and Tari land on the roof above. Tari marks a sigil path for descent. They drop into the chaos.
Kael (to Irion):
"We're not here to hurt you. We're here to help."
Irion:
"Help?! Like you helped him?! Like you helped the people who got turned to stone while you stood and watched?!"
Kael visibly flinches. Yuna steps forward, palms open.
Yuna:
"We've lost people too. Someone we loved. We know that pain. But if you stay alone… you'll break."
Irion (stepping back):
"I'd rather break on my own than let your team do it for me."
A second wave of Bratz appears. Gunfire and explosives rain in. Irion, cornered, screams — his power flares explosively.
Tari (shouting):
"Kael, he's triggering another rupture!"
Kael:
"Everyone shield up—NOW!"
A massive violet pulse floods the alley. Time seems to freeze. Bratz are scattered. Veya shields Irion with her body. Yuna binds the pulse with vines. Tari draws a sigil in the sky to stabilize gravity.
When it ends… silence.
Irion (barely standing):
"...Why are you still here?"
Kael (softly):
"Because we don't abandon people when they lose control. We've all been there. You don't need to trust us. Just… don't push us away yet."
Irion:
"...I'm not joining your team. Not now. Not ever."
Kael:
"Then don't. Just rest."
[SCENE – VAN HQ, OBSERVATION BAY]
Irion is seated near a window, silent. Bandaged. Eyes on the city.
Veya sits beside him, arms crossed, looking out too.
Veya:
"I didn't trust them either. Still don't, some days. But they fight for the right things. Even when it costs them everything."
Irion (softly):
"That's what scares me."
They sit in silence. Outside, the Rift glows faintly in the horizon.
[ENDING SCENE – SKYVAULT OVERLOOK]
Kael stands with Yuna and Tari, looking over the city.
Yuna:
"Do you think he'll stay?"
Kael:
"No. But he'll return. When he's ready."
Tari:
"And what about what's coming? What Echo found under the Maw?"
Kael (grim):
"Then we prepare. Whether Irion walks beside us… or becomes something we have to stop."
TO BE CONTINUED…