WHAT IF . . . FEATURING THE RUNAWAYS
by
MORAL MARK
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: As in my other more recent fics, this is written in rough comic book script style with very little page information and limited panel/scene direction; instead, the script is broken down into specific scenes. Also, the script is slightly modified to maintain a level of suspense for the casual reader.
And once again, typical disclaimer - Marvel owns Runaways, the Watcher (or resemblances to) and any other Marvel properties created (or employed).)
SCENE 1 - A EULOGY AND A POSSIBILITY
Late afternoon. Gray overcast, slight drizzle, no sun pouring through the clouds.. The scene is the unkempt soil behind the HOLLYWOOD sign. The soil is relatively untouched, except for a spot of brown, newly patched mound of soil, protruding from the ground and stretched out about the size of a short adult. The grave is unmarked.
On one end of the grave is a bald, scrawny man, solemnly looking down at the grave. The man is wearing a black suit except for his tie, which is red. The man has no specific name, though he bears a striking resemblance to a Marvel familiar, within and beyond the fourth wall. If anything, he simply observes; he simply watches.
WATCHER:
Her name was Getrude Yorkes.
The Watcher kneels down to place a red rose on top of the grave.
WATCHER:
Female, sixteen years old. Born and raised in Los Angeles. Daughter of Dale and Stacey Yorkes.
Gert was a runaway.
The winds pick up slightly, and the rose moves a little.
WATCHER:
Yesterday, her friends buried her here. Perhaps "friends" isn't the right term.
Her family, or rather, the band of fellow runaways she would've called "family," buried her here.
What a shame. Bright, fair, just, kind - she had the makings to be somebody. And in another time, she would have had a bright future. Well, sort of.
Sadly, she would have died then, too.
Just a year ago, she and her family had lost another one of their cabal. Alex Wilder. Perhaps someone far worse than Gertrude, perhaps not. Still, he died, and to this very day it rips through the hearts of this family of runaways, bonded by a sense of atonement . . . and refuge. And like her passing now, his loss changed these kids for life.
They will always question life. They will always challenge their world. They will always walk up to the previous generation who have set what's "true" and "real" and ask "why?" And you know what? The world will be better because of it.
(Well, most of Malibu, at least)
Crack open a history book. You know what one of the most common reasons why history happened the way it did? Rebels. Challenging the previous generation. In scales both small and large, rebels sparked new ideas. New conventions. New systems. New nations. New worlds, even. Rebellion causes change.
But not all rebels are good. Just as change can create, change can also destroy. You probably already know how bad rebels can be - Nazis, Al-Qaeda, the Brotherhood of Mutants, the 80's, Cher . . . Not all change is good. And neither is rebellion.
True rebels know why they're rebelling. No, wait, I shouldn't say that. What I should say is, true rebels know in their hearts why they're rebelling. True rebels use their hearts to make the world into how they wish it to be. The heart, my friend is what defines the kinds of rebels they eventually become.
You know exactly why the Pride's kids ran away? No, I'm not talking about that 60 minutes reason that everybody saw with Captain America in it. I'm talking the exact moment, the catalyst, that truly flipped these runaways' lives upside down.
CUT TO:
Underground lair. Eleven figures are surrounding a round table, facing a large, bald man holding a blue-haired teenage girl by her chin. The bald man, Geoffrey Wilder, holds a knife to her face, while the others surrounding the table are somehow contributing to the scene. One couple's eyes, the Hayes, are glowing purple. A couple in white lab coats, the Steins, are preparing a machine, and a couple in maroon garb, the Minorus, are chanting a spell.
ROBERT MINORU:
"Vrik hr Nisanti . . . Nisanti hr karinn!"
GEOFFREY WILDER:
On behalf of everyone in The Pride, we truly appreciate your sacrifice.
GIRL:
Wait, you said no - -
Geoffrey drives a knife through the girl's stomach.
SFX:
SHUNK
WATCHER (CAPTION):
That's the moment, right there. The Rite of Blood.
CUT TO:
Back to grave again. Watcher over the grave.
WATCHER:
Every shred of decency and sainthood these kids saw in their parents - gone, destroyed for good, the naked truth splashing them with a cold bucket of reality.
Would this be a life-defining moment for a teenager? Would you reconsider every thought you conjured or concluded in your life? Would you question everything you see, believe, or follow? Hell yes, it would!
This is the type of thing that made Peter Parker Spider-Man. Matt Murdock, Daredevil. Eric Lensherr, Magneto. Mike Tyson, uh . . . Mike Tyson.
The moment their parents fell from their grace was the day they began to question justice, good and evil, heroism . . . and see the very truth within it all. These teenagers, whether they knew or not, became rebels, driven by guilt, atonement, and sacrifice. Elements of true heroes, ironically.
Am I saying that in spite of every gruesome thing these teenagers have seen, every horrid thing they've felt, that it was all for the best? Am I saying that everything in this mess of a universe happens for a reason? I don't know, and maybe.
All I'm saying is, all things considering? Things could have been worse.
All of them could have never seen the Rite of Blood.
SCENE 2 - FALL OF THE PRIDE
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Numbered parentheticals in this scene indicate separate panels/single shots.)
Montage sequence. Series of panels that describe the chronology of the pride as Watcher tells his story.
WATCHER (CAPTION):
What if I told you that the Pride was going to fall anyway, without their children rising up against them?
(1)
All six of the Runaways continue to sit around in the game room. They never sneak out.
WATCHER (CAPTION):
See, the Pride, like any other successful criminal super-group,sufferedone weakness - size. The Pride had their hands in too many pots. Granted, they had a lot of hands, but still, too many pots.
(2)
The Steins in a lab, handing a jetpack to a gaudily costumed supervillain.
WATCHER (CAPTION):
Everything, from the super-villain arms industry, to the gambling and gaming revenue coming in from Las Vegas . . .
(3)
Yorkes emerging from a casino to a limosine.
WATCHER (CAPTION):
. . . to the powers drawn from the Astral Plane, to the medicine practice in Southern California, to the intergalactic arms trading . . .
(4)
Minorus standing over a cliff in the Astral plane.
(5)
Hayes sitting in a conference room, with other boards of directors.
(6)
Frank Dean shaking hands with a Skrull while Leslie Dean crosses arms
WATCHER (CAPTION):
. . . and of course, LA crime . . .
(7)
Geoffrey hitting a man to death with a bat while Catherine draws a pistol.
WATCHER (CAPTION):
The Pride became huge. Far too big for LA, and far too big for anybody not to notice.
(8)
A man, gray hair in his late fifties with an eye-patch, watches a computer monitor with members of the Pride strewn about.
WATCHER (CAPTION):
Slowly but surely, the wrong people looked in the right direction . . .
(9)
Federallooking into an accounting ledger.
WATCHER (CAPTION):
. . . and it was only a matter of time before enough people looked in the right direction.
(10)
Iron Man flies towards the Steins, who are fully gloved with goggles
(11)
The Minorus are shooting bolts of red as Dr. Strange deflects them with a force field from his hands
(12)
The Fantastic Four, led by Reed Richards, are battling against the Yorkes. Dale is holding an axe.
(13)
Thor is swinging his hammer, lightning striking the Deans
(14)
Emma Frost, Cyclops, Beast are charging the Hayes
(15)
Spider-Man, Hawkeye standing before the Wilders.
WATCHER (CAPTION):
So, in another timeline, over a year and a half ago, the Pride fell.
(16)
Iron Man Panel - Chase walks into the courtyard as Iron Man is defeating the Steins.
CHASE:
What is going on? What are you doing to my parents?
(17)
Dr. Strange Panel - Nico stands in front of Robert and Tina, shielding them from Dr. Strange
NICO:
No! Why? Why are you doing this?
(18)
Fantastic Four Panel - Gert is charging at the Thing with some sort of axe, the same one Dale had in the previous panel. She is barely able to hold it up.
THING:
What the - kid, what are you . . .
GERT:
(threatening with the axe)
You keep butchering my parents like you butcher the English language, and I swear . . .
(19)
Thor Panel - Karolina, in a fit of rage is firing light beams at Thor.
THOR:
(defending Karolina's blasts)
Child! You do not understand!
KAROLINA:
(yelling)
Understand what? That you're murdering my parents?
THOR:
No!
(20)
X-Men Panel - Molly, in her pajamas, clutching her Doop doll, is shocked to see her parents on the ground struggling to get up.
MOLLY:
(in tears)
STOP IT! GET AWAY FROM MY MOM AND DAD!
(21)
Molly punches Beast, who flies right into Emma and Cyclops, knocking them away enough for Molly to run to Alice and Gene.
(22)
Spidey/Hawkeye Panel - Alex dives at an arrow as Hawkeye shoots one at Geoffrey Wilder. Alex is struck on the shoulder as he hits the ground.
ALEX:
(in pain)
EAAAGGGHH!
GEOFFREY:
No . . . .
(23)
Tears well up in his eyes as he draws his shotgun from his side. Catherine does the same
GEOFRREY:
NO!
(24)
Spider-Man webs Catherine's hands, but as it is webbed, the bullet in Catherine's revolver backfires, hitting her on the chest.
SPIDER-MAN:
Oh god . . .
(25)
Hawkeye shoots two arrows at the same time, but Geoffrey moves . . . just enough so one hits Geoffrey's gun hand, the other arrow at Geoffrey's chest. He falls to his knees.
HAWKEYE:
Shit!
(26)
Geoffrey crawls to Alex, who is on the ground clutching his wound, but still able to face his dad,
ALEX:
Mom! Dad!
GEOFFREY:
Alex . . .
ALEX:
Dad, be quiet! You keep talking, you'll -
GEOFFREY:
Listen . . . I . . . we don't have much time left . . . . but I just wanted to tell you . . . .
(27)
Dr. Strange Panel. Nico is hugging her mom and dad, who, although do not seem to be mortally injured, is weakening.
TINA MINORU:
. . . I'm sorry we failed you.
(28)
Iron Man Panel. Chase is holding his dad up. His dad is not mortally injured, but for some odd reason he is suffering, same as the Minorus.
VICTOR STEIN:
. . . and no matter the awful things I've done . . .
(29)
Fantastic Four panel. Similar situation, Gert is next to her mom and dad, who are on the ground, dying.
STACEY YORKES:
. . . everything we've done . . .
(30)
Thor panel. Similar, with Frank and Leslie's glow rapidly vanishing.
FRANK DEAN:
. . . it was all for you.
(31)
X-Men panel. Molly is crying on her knees as she is holding her mom's head on her lap, her dad hugging them both. Alice and Gene are also suffering similar to the others.
GENE HAYES:
I love you.
(32)
Iron Man Panel.
VICTOR STEIN:
. . . I love you.
(33)
Dr. Strange Panel.
ROBERT MINORU
I love you . . .
(34)
Spider-Man/Hawkeye Panel.
GEOFFREY:
I love you, son.
(35)
Back to X-men panel.
ALICE HAYES:
I love you, sweetie.
Series of panels. The defeated parents begin to glow white, as they burn in white fire. Some of the kids react wildly. Others just glare, anger building in their eyes. Dialogue is mixed, pouring across the panels
(36)
KAROLINA:
What are you doing to them!
THOR:
(confused)
No! It 's not I who is the cause of this -
(37)
CHASE:
Murderer! (throws a punch at Iron Man)
IRON MAN:
Wait! I'm not doing it! I -
(38)
Nico is wildly flailing at Dr. Strange as Dr. Strange is trying to get a hold of her.
(39)
Reed Richards is trying to keep Gert back.
(40)
Alex cries out in despair as the flames are reflected in his glasses.
(41)
Cut to: Molly
MOLLY:
NO!
(to the X-Men, who are far away)
STOP IT. STOP IT!
EMMA FROST:
But I'm not -
(42)
Molly slams her fists on the ground. The ground rumbles
SFX:
KRRROOOM
MOLLY:
(yelling)
YOU'RE KILLING THEM! YOU'RE -
(43)
When Molly turns around, the white flames are gone. Her parents are reduced to ashes.
MOLLY:
. . . they're gone.
(44)
Molly falls to her knees, as streams of tears pour from her eyes.
MOLLY:
Mommy . . . Daddy . . . . they're gone . . .
WATCHER (CAPTION):
And that's where this possibility begins.