L-Force: Tick Tock

Prologue Short

Cut to a view of Acmetropolis (planet).

Zack (Voice-Over): It's all about power. Who's got it and who doesn't.

Cut to Zara's room. She's lounging on her bed.

Zara (VO): It's about trust. Who's willing to give their life to protect their friends and family…and those who would kill them.

Cut to a diner in Acme France. A teenage girl is sitting at a table, looking around, bored and depressed.

Kyra (VO): This battle started the minute that meteor struck the ocean. The war's been raging ever since. That silence you hear…it's deafening.

Cut to a street in Acme Italy lit by the moon. A young man is walking down the street with his hands in his pockets.

Gail (VO): After all we've been through, you'd think we'd get a break from this on-going struggle. But all we get is more sadness and heartbreak. That's the price a hero has to pay.

Cut to a desert-like forest in Acme Australia. Another boy is there, feeding a koala.

Claire (VO): All the mutants currently in the world fall under 3 categories: evil, good, and hiding. The ones in the first have already been taken, lured into the shadows. The ones in the last refuse to pick a side and have fled from this battle, this war. But of the good…there's only 6 left and not enough time.

Cut to a dance club in Acme Tokyo. Another girl is dancing on the stage.

Zack (VO): This is just the beginning. It's all about choices and consequences. Personally, I prefer the latter, but mainly, our current problems are more deep-seated. The Dark Side has to collect 25 more souls and then it's all over. L-Force and the Loonatics need to collect 6 more warriors who are willing to die for the cause…and who probably will.

Cut to a library in Acme England. A boy and a girl are sitting next to each other, each reading a book.

Ace (VO): This time, we're coming out strong.

Lexi (VO): This time, we're gonna be ready.

Duck (VO): I'm just one of the guys who needs to learn how to say "no."

Cut to the hideout. Nathan and Kyra sit at a table and occasionally look at each other.

Tech (VO): No matter what it takes, I know we're gonna win.

Trinity (VO): I know we can make it if we stick together, try our hardest, and don't give up.

Nathan (VO): This is our biggest challenge yet and I don't intend to back out. We're gonna save this world.

Cut to the warehouse. Zack throws a dagger at the wall, just barely missing Deirdre, who smiles back.

Cassandra (VO): Today's a new day.

Quinn (VO): Sure we'll face some challenges, but it doesn't matter.

Rev (VO): As-long-as-we're-together-this-is-how-it's-gonna-end-with-a-triumph-above-all—

Kyra (VO): Rev, shut up.

Cut to Wake's chamber. She circles around the center of the room.

Gail (VO): We're gonna win. Never give up, never surrender.

Zara (VO): We'll stick together and stay strong, stay united.

Zack (VO): We'll get the power, you just wait. You just wait…

Fade to black.

Chapter 1

Wake lay on the floor in her room, her eyes shut as she slept and subconsciously traced the pentagram carved on the floor. She woke up without opening her eyes. "I know you're in here."

Zack leaned against the doorway. "You know, I'm both impressed and slightly creeped out at that."

"It's almost time. The ritual must be performed soon."

"What do you mean?"

"It has to be done on the Night of 1000 Falling Stars."

"A meteor shower?"

"Which shall take place in less than 2 weeks."

Deirdre walked in. "All we need is the blood, the 'missing ingredient', and 25 more souls."

Wake opened her eyes and sat up. "Then we must collect them. And keep 'the Loonies' from stopping us. The keys to my death are hidden for them to find. All they need is those and their final 6 warriors. I can feel the children even now—their power is great. We must not let them find all 6 before the fight is to rage. And we certainly can't let them get to the keys."

"I gotta warn you…"

All 3 turned to look at Paula, standing in the doorway.

"…it may be hard. While they do have many…many…many faults, the Loonatics and L-Force are trained warriors and they will not easily back down from a fight."

"That's it, I give up," said Duck, starting to leave the main room of the hideout and go to his quarters.

"Oh, come on," said Nathan, sitting at a checkerboard, "I'm not that good."

"You have 5 kings and I have 5 pieces!"

Nathan looked at the board and saw that he was right. "What do you know. I am that good." He got up. "But it's not like you don't still have a chance." Duck glared at him. "Alright, maybe you don't still have a chance. But we're not gonna know if you don't try. Come on, come at me."

Duck considered this and ran at him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him down.

Nathan groaned. "I meant on the table."

"Oh." Duck got up and helped him up and sat back down. He moved a piece ahead a space.

Nathan moved one of his kings over that piece and another and another and another and… "I win."

Duck jumped at him and knocked him over again.

Kyra raced over with Zara and the girls pulled the 2 warring boys apart.

"What is wrong with you?" Zara cried.

The boys stopped fighting.

Trinity was on the couch, meanwhile, watching all this. She smiled.

Tech sat down next to her. "Come for the show?"

"These 2 are comedy gold. Someone should put them on TV show." [She looks at the camera.]

"Not like our lives aren't similar." [He looks at the camera.] "Now, on another note, what about this fight?"

Trinity slowly stopped smiling. "I don't know. I mean, we have Cassandra and Xavier and Claire, which is good, but…they have Zack and Jake and Val and Paula and Uma, which is awful. Devastating even."

Tech scoffed. "Not for them."

Trinity glared at him.

He sighed. "We'll get through this."

"How?"

"We stick together. I mean, we'll have each other." He slowly moved his hand to meet hers…

"Yeah. I guess so." Trinity went back to watching Nathan and Duck fight. Then she felt something take her hand. She looked and saw that Tech was holding it. She smiled and gazed into his eyes… They slowly leaned in…

Orion came up and sat between them, holding a bowl of popcorn and staring at Nathan and Duck laughingly. "Is this seat taken?"

Trinity glared at him. "It was about to be."

He looked at both of them. "Oh, was I interrupting something?"

"Yes," both coyotes said.

"Good."

Trinity groaned. "Orion, I'm older than you. I think I can handle myself."

"Too bad. My job as the brother to help you."

"Fine. Then go flirt with Claire."

"I would but she's asleep." He then realized what he'd said. "I mean…popcorn?"

Speaking of Claire, she was indeed asleep on the couch on the opposite wall from the 3 coyotes. Through her sleep, she was dreaming…about Wake…about the ritual…about Zack…about Priscilla…about Jake and Valerie and Paula and Uma…about 6 other teenagers, scattered across the world…and about the keys that Wake had said might destroy her…her dream ended when Wake's spell started up and she saw the outcome… Claire started awake. She scrambled up from the couch. "Mayday! Mayday!"

Nathan and Duck stopped fighting.

Trinity stopped trying to lecture Orion.

Everyone else ran in.

"What happened?" asked Kyra.

"Well, I just got a dream-vision that I'm not happy about!" Claire answered.

"Is someone in trouble?"

"Yeah: the whole world."