“The Villain Saga” – Episode 6, Part 2

(Table of contents) (See previous)

CUT TO RAVEN and WIDOW’S prison cells again. From both sides of the wall between the cells, we can see that both are sitting on their beds, WIDOW listening to the end of RAVEN’S story.

RAVEN

And…yeah.

(con’t)

One of the people here undid the hypnosis on me, and that’s it.

WIDOW

Ah. That’s…a lot.

RAVEN

Pff. It’s okay, most people don’t know what to say either.

(He leans back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.)

I sure don’t know what to think.

WIDOW

They thought you were the bad guy. There’s only so much you can tell them otherwise.

(Con’t)

And maybe sometimes they’re right.

RAVEN

Maybe.

(Con’t)

But I was framed for arson. As a child. That wasn’t me. What I did later though? I guess it was.

He sits up again, looking through the window.

RAVEN

I heard you were some master thief. You of all people should have found a way out?

WIDOW laughs dryly.

WIDOW

Ha! Everyone asks me that.

(con’t)

This place is…exceptional. I’ve tried escaping before but barely made any distance. They’ve got something hiding around every corner, even I know it’s time to give up.

RAVEN pulls the mirror shard from his pocket, gazing at the tiny fracture of his reflection in it.

RAVEN

You think you’d be up for a group effort?

WIDOW looks surprised. She gets up from her bed and looks through the small window in her door, trying to see if anyone is near.

She returns to her bed.

WIDOW

What can you do, exactly? You said you were some magician.

RAVEN

Ringmaster.

WIDOW

Yes, yes, a notch above the clown a few floors below. I’m not interested in magic tricks, though.

RAVEN

Well, that’s the thing…

(Con’t)

I’m a hypnotist.

An “I’m done” expression crosses WIDOW’S face. She shuts her side of the window on him.

RAVEN

Hey, wait, I’m serious here!

WIDOW doesn’t open her slider. She pinches her nose (artstyle permitting, or the equivalent), with a frustrated groan.

WIDOW

Shhh! Before the guards hear you!

(whispering)

I said “skills” not jokes!

RAVEN

Do you want me to prove it?

WIDOW

As a matter of fact, I do!

RAVEN looks around his cell.

RAVEN

Well, I would if I had something to work with.

RINGMASTER RAVEN crouches, thinking. He fiddles with the mirror shard again, tossing it in the single light in his single cell ceiling, reflecting the shred of glow on the walls.

He gets a revelation, nearly jumping from his bed.

RAVEN

I have an idea!

WIDOW

?

RAVEN

I’ll keep it quick. You know those chocolate pies they have in the cafeteria?

WIDOW

Yes.

RAVEN

Those things are absolutely delicious by the way, can’t believe they’d serve them in priso–

WIDOW

Get to the point.

RAVEN

Oh. Anyway, whenever they let us go down for lunch again, I was thinking…

FADE OUT as they carry on their conversation.

CUT TO MOREAU and DIRECTOR D, closing up their office for the night. The guards in the hall are shifting places. One passes by them, giving D a quick thumbs-up. He’s one of the fake guards.

DIRECTOR D

I wonder if your cousin’s going to learn anything more about what the doctor is up to while she’s at the top floor.

MOREAU

I doubt it. The people here are very good at keeping it secret–the people under JUPITER at least.

DIRECTOR D

Yeah, and none of my guys are allowed up there. They’re too new still.

MOREAU turns to D as he locks the door.

MOREAU

How did you get so many of your own spies in here?

DIRECTOR D

A lot of time and a lot of forged documents.

He locks the door. The two head down the dark hallway. There’s few windows throughout the whole prison, and at night barely any of the lights are kept on, resulting in nearly blinding darkness.

They step into the elevator, and DIRECTOR D’S hand hovers over the button panel.

MOREAU

Do you want to check on our…new friends?

DIRECTOR D

Sure, why not?

He doesn’t go to the ground floor, but instead slightly higher–to the more secure cells.

They pass by floors with several criminals as they ascend. MUSTACHIO is mumbling one of his stories to himself in his sleep. The superpowered six are all still awake, save for BETTY. CRUSHER is taking another go at his anti-power handcuffs (to no avail), SPIKE is doing small laps around his room, COPY CAT is drawing the same exact sight from her window on multiple papers and taping them to her walls, covering them. SIR REBRAL, a man with delusions of grandeur, is reciting a Shakespeare sonnet, and RATMAN is staring out the widow, waving at a group of rats far below on the ground.

RATMAN

(tossing a piece of bread to the rats)

Hey fellas.

MOREAU and D are spooked by a clang from one of the cells, but it’s just BETTY kicking over a mug in her sleep.

BETTY

ZzzzzZ…why do they call it a spelling “bee”…Zzzz

The two head up to the next floor. DR. HARE is sound asleep in his cell, clutching a plush bunny and covering his ears with a pillow to block out CRAWFISH’S snores.

They continue down the hall, into the much more secured area–the entire area reserved for one prisoner. DIRECTOR D. shows the guards his badge, and they step aside without a question, most half-asleep. The minimal lights from the hall are fading away, and only one light can be seen ahead–a faint red glow. Realizing the BINARY BARD must still be awake, D and MOREAU tiptoe closer, to the cell door with numerous codes and locks attached to it. 

Through the gaps between the bars in the door window, they see the lone prisoner, gazing out his own window in the wall of the prison.

From BINARY BARD’S perspective, we can see stars. Thousands, millions of stars. More than anyone could ever truly fathom, numbers even at the edge of his own reach. He’s not moving, just standing and staring, possibly for hours if not the whole night.

He’s seen these skies as a prisoner for many years before Erewhon.

BINARY BARD

…per aspera…

(con’t)

The knowledge of the stars…always an inch from our family’s grasp…

MOREAU and D share an unsure look. Too confused and quite frankly, too uninterested to remain and listen, they quietly head off–

–Not aware that BARD had already noticed they were there.

BARD

(whispering)

Leave me for another score, will you now?

CUT TO the next day. It’s like many others for Erewhon, rainy and gloomy, but the prison is as active as ever. A large boat has stopped at the tiny island, having braved the storms around it, with all kinds of large, wrapped cargo.

ENTRANCE GUARD

…you sure this is just for the cafeteria upgrade?

Just following orders, the workers all help move the things without asking. The elevators are crowded, and so are the halls as prisoners are led from place to place.

DR. HARE

You had to plan this around lunch, didn’t ya?

MOREAU and DIRECTOR D. are hanging around there as well, watching the prisoners interact with each other in the cafeteria. Workers are remodeling the counters and floors, which is causing MASSIVE crowding in the already chaotic room.

And because of all this, none pay heed to the extra “supplies” being sent to the upper floors…

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, WIDOW and RAVEN are next in line—or, more accurately, they got to cut in line as the “lower-rank” villains timidly let them go ahead.

RAVEN

I’ll have a chocolate pie.

COOK

(Scooping some concerning-looking grub onto his tray)

Nope. All out of those. We’ve got blackberry though.

WIDOW

I like those better, anyway—

RAVEN

But that’s got all those little seeds in it.

The cook stops scooping food.

COOK

I thought you’d like the seeds better?

RAVEN

Why would you—

(He makes the connection, stretching his wings)

Really. Really?

They take their pie slices. CRAWFISH is next in line, slamming his tray in front of the COOK like a man who’s been starving for a month.

CRAWFISH

I’ll take as much of that as you can fit on ‘ere!

CUT TO RAVEN and WIDOW at the edge of the cafeteria, finishing up their pies. Most of the other prisoners are already settled an eating, and it’s a rare time when no one is starting a food fight.

RAVEN

You done?

(WIDOW hands him her empty pie plate)

Good. I’ve still got a bit left so…

A loud voice suddenly comes from the other side.

MUSTACHIO

Hey! Bunny man! Hey!

DR. HARE lifts his head sleepily from the table. He just passed out.

DR. HARE

Hare…Doctor Hare…

The ENTRANCE GUARD goes to him.

ENTRANCE GUARD

Everything ok?

HARE

Just…sleepy…

(He waves her away)

No, I don’t want to go yet, this is the one time they gave out fresh carrots—

The guard starts to head back to her post, but another noise comes—from RAVEN and WIDOW.

WIDOW

You! This is my spot!

CUT TO JUPITER in his office. He’s examining 3D blueprints on his computer, but his attention is turned away from them when the security footage of the cafeteria.

CUT TO the cafeteria again.

RAVEN

Yours? Hmph, his has been my spot ever since I came here!

(con’t)

As a lowly thief, you should know better?

WIDOW shifts into an offensive stance. The lack of weapons in the prison makes no difference to a martial arts master like her. RAVEN flares his wings, as though he’s about to summon some great magic spell.

WIDOW

Say. That. Again.

RAVEN

“Thief”? I thought you took some pride in it.

BLACK WIDOW throws a punch at him. RAVEN goes flying back into one of the tables, knocking it and any lunch trays over. Prisoners start yelling, and RAVEN gets back up. WIDOW charges at him without a pause, when suddenly he uses his mirror piece to cast a quick ray at the ceiling, reflecting it off the metal pipes and lights.

RAVEN

Stop!

WIDOW freezes, and unlike the rest of the “fight”, this is the one part she didn’t expect. RAVEN ends his reflection trick, freeing her from her seconds-long trance.

Guards rush at them both with handcuffs, creating a barrier between the two. They noticed the fight, but not RINGMASTER RAVEN’S trick.

ENTRANCE GUARD

(To WIDOW)

Way to make friends here, right?

GUARD #1

(with RAVEN)

Let’s take them both back to their cells.

RAVEN

Ugh–

(He puts a hand to his head)

I uh, didn’t eat enough I think–I’m a little dizzy. Is it ok if I take that?

RAVEN points at his pie plate–which is also stacked on top of WIDOW’S. The guards let him take the remains of his slice without a second thought. As WIDOW is led away, they shoot quick smirks at each other.

CUT TO JUPITER, watching intently with a smile on his face.

JUPITER

What perfect test subjects you are…

END OF EPISODE 6

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Castori honorem ~ Smart Bubbles