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| Scene Title | Dangerous Game, Part I |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Squeaks takes her first steps alone. |
| Date | January 1, 2020 |
You had your maps drawn
The faint light of dawn casts the craziest shadows when viewed from above. Buildings seem much taller, the streets below appear like fine dark lines drawn by a giant’s pencil. The oasis of pavement on which the buildings stand appears smooth and rough at the same time. Fine cracks and imperfections tease the lingering darkness, give the slate of modernization and technology an almost lifelike quality.
The first rays of sunlight that creep up from the east sparkle off the cresting waves that crawl toward the island like strange, alien creatures. The tide breaks in hushed sounds against beaches both natural and manmade, sounds that are usually lost in the thrum of life yet reach toward the sky and beyond in the remaining moments before morning arrives and wakes the sleeping metropolis.
You had other plans
To hang your hopes on
The tallest structure in Praxia is probably the Ziggurat. It’s easily the most central, and the helicopter pad upon its roof offers a clear view of nearly everything around the island. It was also the safest building, practically impenetrable with its own robot guard and drones watching for anything that could be perceived as a threat.
From the neighboring roof, a young girl cuts a slender silhouette against a navy sky still speckled with stars. A full city block away and easily two stories lower than the highest point of the blocky fortress, Squeaks faces the sunrise that cuts the deep blue with brilliant hues of gold and pink. The wind off the bay toussels her hair as she squints against the virgin sunlight. In a silence broken only by the distant crash of waves and huff of wind, she studies the world beyond the island, a world not made of pavement and technological marvels.
A world both broken and mended.
Every road they let you down felt so wrong
So you found another way
kzZt
Tiny arcs of electricity cut jagged paths and interrupt the peacefulness of the morning with the sounds of a small discharge. Squeaks’ body disappears in the same instance, the suddenness giving almost no time for the crackle to dissipate. From the west, a gull wheels in a narrow arc. It abandons its early morning hunt for food and lands upon the rooftop that the girl had just left. Curiously, it hop-steps to investigate the space she'd stood in only seconds before.
You've got a big heart
Just over a mile away the air snaps as miniature chains of lightning strike through the air. A squirrel darts over broken pavement, barely evading the crushing weight of a teenager’s shoes. The small creature finds a new perch several feet away, on the broken remains of a pre-war telephone pole. With obvious irritation it considers the red headed girl, vocalizing all the crimes she'd just committed.
“Sorry,” she offers. The apology is a little delayed, distracted by the new location. It does little to stall the squirrel’s ranting.
The way you see the world the world
It got you this far
Squeaks sighs at the chiding and looks away in favor of examining her surroundings with wide eyes. The fractured highway she's found herself on is unfamiliar up close, but it has to be the one she'd seen. Her head turns slowly, a look is angled over her shoulder. Anticipation of what she might or might not find wrinkles her forehead. What she finds draws a surprised squawk of a laugh that startles the squirrel into temporary silence.
Even in the still pale morning, the looming silhouette of the Ziggurat can be made out as a faint imperfection against the darker backdrop of the sky.
You might have some bruises
And a few scars
But you know you're gonna be okay
Throwing her hands up in victory, Squeaks turns east again. There's still a long way to go, farther than anything she's tried before.
And even though you're scared
She's sure she can make it and back again before she's missed.
You're stronger than you know
Fine threads of lightning crackle and fork. The teenager’s form vanishes in a blink, leaving behind the quickly dissipating flash of electricity. And a very disgruntled squirrel.
If you're lost out where the lights are blinding
Caught in all, the stars are hiding
That's when something wild calls you home, home
If you face the fear that keeps you frozen
Chase the sky into the ocean
That's when something wild calls you home, home
Meanwhile
“…and I want to make sure all the aircraft are ready to go as soon as the missile is—” Adam Monroe is cut off from a phone conversation by his office door opening. Chin lifting up he slides his feet off of his desk and swivels to the side. “I have to call you back.” He says abruptly before hanging up.
Sabine Hazel slowly strides across Adam’s office and slaps a tablet down on his desk showing video footage from the Ziggurat roof. “She left,” is her accusatory tone. Adam sits forward, swiping across the tablet and tracking through the footage that ends in sparks where a young woman once stood.
Adam blinks a look up from the tablet to Sabine and turns it around with his palm. “Good,” he chirps, slouching back into his seat. “Let her spread her wings. See if she comes back to the nest.” Sabine isn't pleased with that answer.
“If she doesn't?” Sabine demands an answer, eliciting a sigh from Adam.
“If she doesn't…” Adam twirls one hand in the air, as if grasping for an answer.
“There's always Petrelli’s daughter.”