Destiny (Rewrite)

"Destiny" is the pilot episode to Alpha.

Episode
(We begin with a fully black screen overlaid with sounds of splashing water, which periodically become more muffled.)

(The screen takes a good ten or fifteen seconds to fade into brightness - the bluish aura of the surface while you're underwater.)

(Cut to an adolescent child wading about underwater. His eyes are closed softly while bubbles gently drift out between his small baby lips. The camera zooms in further - the child almost looks asleep.)

(The bass in the music hums louder as the child suddenly opens his eyes widely and begin to desperately swim to the surface. Bubbles and rushing currents flood the screen while echoing screams fade away...)

(BAM! Cut to black and silence.)

(Cut to another "underwater view", except the liquid is all brownish. The camera zooms out to show that it's a drink inside a glass.)

(CRASH! A hand smashes it. We're in a crudely-lit kitchen, messy and strewn with beer bottles.)

[Man]: Dammit, I know what I told you! It only an extra hour because-

[Woman]: I don't give a damn what your reasons are, you've given me enough excuses already.

[Man]: Hey, don't talk to me like that, you hear me? (Grabs her arm) I was- I was out late 'cause-

[Woman]: I know why, okay? Now shut the hell up and finish your food.

[Man]: Don't talk to me like a goddamn child, you're making the real kid nervous here.

[Woman]: Yeah, like you care.

(A boy, who's around 14, is eating his pasta solemnly and watches.)

[Woman]: (Sigh) Sif, j-just finish your dinner fast, okay?

[Sif]: I-I'm not that hungry, mom.

[Mother]: Aw, why-

[Father]: Hey, just leave it. If the kid says he-

[Woman]: I'm the one talking to him, you stay out of this.

[Father]: Heeyy! (Sif looks a little nervous, his mother looks at him and back at the father) Yeah, you look at me! Where'd you get the guts to talk to me like that, uh?

[Sif]: (Gulps) C-can I go?

[Father]: Yeah, kid, get the hell out here. Scram, right now! This is none of your damn business.

(Sif promptly gets up and timidly walks upstairs. The camera follows him. "I MEAN IT! GET OUT!" screams his father in the background. The camera rushes up to Sif's bedroom.)

[Sif]: (Mutters) With pleasure.

(Cut to a few roughly-edited shots of Sif putting on a biker's jacket and a helmet, and then grabbing a metal staff hidden behind a little bar above the curtain. He pulls up the window, and the shaky camera follows him out, overlooking the street.)

(The screen flashes white and to a slow-motion shot of the child rising through the deep end of the water. The current and rushing bubbles completely obstruct the view.)

(Cut to a street at night, where a few drug dealers bring a hostage with a bag over his head. A muscular, 40's-aged man with a goatee and rough facial features presents himself before the dealers. They hand him a paper bag labeled "the Daily Double".)

[Big Man]: Thanks, but uh, you promised a little extra.

[Dealer 1]: That's right.

(The dealer tosses the whimpering hostage in front of the muscular guy. The boss cracks his knuckles and unmasks the hostage - it's a scruffy-looking teenager caked with dust and lined with scars on the side of his face. He looks on with mortal fear.)

(Cut to Sif, in a biker's helmet, speeding down the street on which the entire deal is taking place. His intense eyes are visible through the glass.)

(An analog clock animation rapidly turns clockwise, transparent over a white flash. Cut to a scene with a lot of soft glow and reduced color saturation. An aged hand presents the viewer with some kind of device pulsing with indigo energy.)

[Old Man]: I always saw the spark in you... it would ignite the flames of destiny, armor your heart and soul into that of what I always believed you would become. The time is now, Sif. The true warrior awaits you. Embrace him. Now is the time not to fail, but to FULFILL.

(Flash back to the motorcycle while the clock winds down.)

[Big Man]: You know, kid, you always learn to keep your eyes closed the hard way. That would be what eats you after you don't keep your mouth shut.

[Street Kid]: I know who you are...

[Big Man]: I bet you do. Well, I'll let you feel proud o' that for a few last seconds. After all I do believe that everyone deserves to die with pride.

[Street Kid]: (Panting) Please... don't-

(The big boss cocks a pistol)

(BAM! Sif's motorcycle rams into him and knocks him to the side. The other dealers brandish their pistols and start opening fire - Sif lunges out and takes cover behind the bike. The big boss gets up while the dealers try to reload their guns.)

(CLANG! A metal staff hits one in the head. He screams in pain while Sif dives out, tackles the other guy, and then begins beating on him. The other one gets up, but Sif backflips and kicks him in the abdomen.)

(The old man's voice is heard saying "calm down", while a masked silhouette performs similar moves on training dummies in some sort of dojo.)

(Cut back to the night, where the big boss approaches Sif. Sif lands three kicks to the man's chest, but the boss picks him up by the collar and tosses him into the arms of another dealer. The big boss approaches and starts bashing Sif in the stomach.)

[Old Man's Voice]: Look at you, you're being far too impulsive. Your lack of self-control defeats you, leads the bird into the cage.

(Sif struggles loose from the dealer's grasp, but the big boss hooks him in the face, knocking him to the ground. He pulls out the pistol and turns around - the snitch kid is running, and the big boss shoots him three times.

[Sif]: NO!! DONNIE! NO, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU BIG-

[Big Boss]: Oh, so you knew this guy, you little punk?

(Sif's tears are seen through his helmet.)

(Cut back to the "dojo", where Sif is panting angrily while being defeated by some training ninjas. The old man's silhouette approaches him.)

[Old Man]: You see how much of a mess your rage can make?

(Sif pants louder - we cut back to the big guy walking off, then back to the dojo, where the old man is leaning forward and talking to Sif.)

[Old Man]: Remember what I first told you, during your initiation? (Sif pants) How uncontrollable a weapon impulse can be? What did I promise you, Sif? What did I say you'd learn?

(Sif gasps, pants, and exhales, rather exhausted.)

[Old Man]: I said, Sif, that a sense of control can allow you harness the sheer rage of raw emotion, and channel it out at whatever volume you wish. I said you could give yourself the ability to come out unmatched, if you control your resolve the way a true warrior does.

(Cut to a blurry view of Sif almost passing out on the street. A pistol is heard being loaded.)

[Old Man]: What is the key, Sif? (3 seconds of panting) What is the key?

[Sif]: (Whispering, panting) FOCUS.

(The old man's head silhouette nods. A bun of hair is seen in the back. The man abruptly turns back to Sif and speaks fiercely.)

[Old Man]: Now FOCUS, and FIGHT... BOY.

(Muffled screaming is heard, and the sound becomes more clear as the image fades back to the street. Sif gets up and rushes the big man, who fires his gun but misses. Sif grabs his staff and whacks the guy across the head three times, but the guy grabs him, twists his arm, picks him up and throws him on the ground. Sif grunts and slowly begins to pass out.)

(Cut to a defeated Sif lying in the dojo.)

[Old Man]: (Exhale) Not today, it appears.

(On the street, the big man aims his gun at Sif, but it's empty. Police sirens wail in the distance.)

[Big Boss]: Guess you got lucky today. (He spits at the ground and runs off into an alleyway)

(The police car lights shine over Sif's body.)

(White-flash back to the rushing water as the child rises up to the surface...)

(A loud gasp is heard as a 16 year-old Sif bobs his head out of the water, panting wildly and treading around. He swims over to the edge of what appears to be a very, very deep well, and climbs out. The old man hugs him with a towel and wraps it around the boy, who sits on the side shivering.)

(Pan up the old man's long white robes. His skin is actually a faded blue and his appearance and attire make him resemble the typical sensei, complete with the bunned-up long hair and lengthy strands that remain loose as they fall back behind him. He has a kind, aged and calm face, and a somewhat chubby-looking smile. His eyes give off a blue-magenta shimmer within the irises.)

(They're in a fully stone-built dojo with bamboo panels lining the walls, and random foliage strewn across the walls and ceiling. Cauldrons are mounted on stands in the corners and various, elaborate training machines all sit deactivated at various points in the room. The well is at the center, under a "spotlight".)

[Sif]: (Panting) How long did I last?

[Old Man]: Three minutes and thirty-seven seconds. You surpassed your previous record by half a millisecond. How did it feel?

[Sif]: The "pressure of an outside force embraced my soul and transcended my body into control of my mind, and heart..."

[Old Man]: You mock what you do not understand, young man. (Pauses, picks up a cup nearby) Tea?

[Sif]: Sure.

[Old Man]: (Pouring) I've substituted the herbs with a special plant extract I collected while traveling the landscapes of Kylmyys. It contains some kind of citrus which is supposed to infuse with your bloodstream, soothe you inside.

[Sif]: And on the outside?

[Old Man]: Oh, it can certainly cool you off after a training session.

[Sif]: I just dunked into ice-cold water, Tronn.

[Tronn]: Try it, anyways. (hands him the cup)

[Sif]: (Drinks) Okay, that feels pretty weird. It's all cold at the first sip and then it just feels... warm. D-Does that make sense to you?

[Tronn]: (Chuckles) Of course.

(He waves his hand over a cauldron and a fire suddenly starts inside it, the blaze gently dancing and casting a golden hue over Sif and Tronn. The elderly mentor sits besides his student and drinks more tea.)

[Tronn]: You ought to get home soon.

[Sif]: What, are you out of ideas to train me?

[Tronn]: We end at 7:15 everyday, Sif.

[Sif]: It's already that late? Dammit...

[Tronn]: (Exhales through nose, puts hand on Sif's shoulder) Listen, I understand the difficulties your parents are going through... but if you use me just to provide some sort of "haven" or "escape", then you will soon be abandoned.

[Sif]: They abandoned me a long time ago.

[Tronn]: That isn't true, Sif. (Pats his shoulder) Believe me when I say so.

(He takes another sip and looks at the fire for a few seconds)

[Tronn]: See that fire?

(Sif nods)

[Tronn]: That is the reason I took you in, not because you were some wailing child desperate to escape any horrors in your personal life. I brought you here because I saw in you what I... what we see in this fire every night when we look at it. You know what that is, don't you?

[Sif]: The unsung fury.

[Tronn]: Exactly. I saw that spark inside light into a flame the moment you told me your vision for what you wanted your life to look like. I shared your vision, Sif. My goal here is the realize every ambition you sought yourself born with. Because I knew it was possible. The fire in your soul is begging for the beast to be let out. I want... I want that fire to provide warmth... not heat.

[Sif]: I...I understand.

[Tronn]: Those who we fight against are those who use their fires to burn the scars of this wounded city and bring nothing but agony to our gates. They are whom deserve the fury.

(The camera zooms into the fire and stands still for a while...)

(The fire image remains, but the camera pans down... to the face of a Pyronite in the fire. A rather realistic-looking skull glares at the screen, while "breathing" sounds are heard - they sound like furnaces.)

(A door is heard opening in the background.)

(Pffft... the fire goes out, leaving two glowing eyes glaring in darkness. The Pyronite turns around, and a rather tiny-looking silhouette is there holding a briefcase.)

(A few guards turn on white LED's. This creature is a cartoonish-looking toad-faced orange midget with a brown flatcap, and a dusty gray shirt with "BEHIND YOU" scrawled in red ink. The creature casually waves.)

(24 actor Kiefer Sutherland's voice is heard, layered over itself several times and with a deeper edge to it. The voice resonates across the room, while the camera shows a rather gigantic silhouette seated in front of this tiny creature.)

[Voice]: They said you had the package for me.

(The small creature speaks with a very high, croaky voice and has a rather odd, deadpan tone. He sounds like a high-pitched Yoda.)

[Creature]: Believe what you will. The only true thing you're probably getting outta me is my name. I'm the Weasel, pleased to meet you.

[Voice]: Don't know if I can say the same.