(A week later…)
Today was going to be the last day of filming on set.
And as if to go out with a bang, practically everyone whom had been involved in the filming of the movie, was on ground.
This extended even to Kyle’s employees at the studio and his actual team, all of them engaging in murmurs of excited chatter with the movie’s production crew.
Xavier and Cass, despite only seeing each other once a week on set due to their busy schedules, continued discussing a few things about the movie’s post-production as the cinematographers expertly positioned their cameras for the last shot of the scene. Once this was done with though, they were planning to head out for a long overdue date night.
Lily, considering it was actually her first time meeting Eliza, had the most ecstatic smiles blossoming on her features as she interacted with the cute six-year old, whom was equally all sunshine and rainbows.
Jeff and Sharon, having acted together in a shot that would essentially be part of the cumulative scene a few months back, were currently mingling with a couple of those extras whom had also been involved in the scene.
Interestingly, save for a few of those extras and the old Hollywood Star himself whom had been dressed in neat, formal or casual attires that very day, Sharon, alongside the rest of the other extras, had been dressed in matriculation gowns.
In the scene, George had arrived on the busy college grounds where parents and guardians, congratulated and took pictures of their wards after they had converged outside the hall where their matriculation had taken place.
Worried that he couldn’t find his grandson even after after searching for roughly 30 minutes though, the old man then made a call, only to have it ring but not respond.
In his search for Nathan however, George soon stumbled into a simply dressed Felicia in a formal black gown whom was quietly seated alone on a bench as she downed her canned coffee amidst the lively chatter, her matriculation gown, hanged over the bench’s armrest.
In that moment, he was clearly surprised to see her all-dressed up, a stark contrast to her typically messy appearance.
Since he knew her from his shelter but was never aware that she was in the same year as his grandson, George was more than happy to share that information with the lady as he sat next to her.
In response to that info, Felicia on the other hand had curiously tilted her head.
It was at this exact moment that the hall where the matriculation had taken place, suddenly shook vigorously, a phenomenon akin to an earthquake occurring as something crashed through its roof!
That said, as Kyle whom was fitted with the exosuit, walked onto the set, his face beaten, bloodied and bruised beyond measure, courtesy of the make-up artists, Clint too, dressed in his green suit, had a somewhat similar yet different make-up, albeit his was more bloodied.
Despite Xavier telling Clint that he didn’t need to act in the last shot of the scene, the middle-aged actor, much like a peculiar obstinate young man, refused and pushed to do his stunts himself in the scene.
Granted it wasn’t anything too complex but still, Kyle couldn’t help but inwardly chuckle as he remembered Clint’s exact words while struggling to persuade the director;
’I mean, if I get hurt, we can milk it for promo, right? Just imagine; Actor Nearly Dies Filming Final Stunt. Boom! Free publicity.’
Even if Xavier had wanted to disagree, Clint’s serious delivery of the line had had both Kyle, the director himself and the rest of the set in tatters.
It was also the reason why he was in fact, allowed to try out the scene.
’Guess I know where Eliza gets her humor from…’ Kyle then sported a light smile as Clint walked over, the middle-aged actor, fully in tune with his character.
’That said…’ the young man, subtly angled his gaze over to the excited crowd in the basement, his eyes sifting through their faces rapidly as it briefly landed on a peculiar face, whom had stealthily hidden himself at the back of the crowd.
’What are you going to do now, Vance?’ Kyle’s thoughts turned humorless as he activated [Mind Probe] and designated the ’stuntman’ as his target.
No sooner had Kyle done this, the director’s voice suddenly boomed across the entirety of the basement;
"Quiet on set!"
Silence descended upon the room in an instant, everyone more than familiar with Xavier’s authoritative tone.
And in the next minute, the cinematographers, lighting technicians and sound crew, without even been told, gave him a thumbs up, signifying that they were at the ready.
With a thin smile of satisfaction nestling on his lips, one that reflected his appreciation for the efficient production crew he was going to miss working with, Xavier, gave the familiar order;
"Lights… Camera…"
And in sync, Kyle, knowing how much emotion he needed to display for the last shot, especially with how the rollercoaster of a climatic showdown between Nathan and Malakai had led up to it, closed his eyes briefly and activated both [Deep Dive] and [Scene Stealer].
"Action!"
{Tech Wiz: Year One | 27th of September 2022 | Act 5 | Scene 1 | Take 1}
The grounds of the hall trembled violently, sending ripples of confusion across the college campus as the matriculating students and their guardians paused and turned around in alarm!
Then, another tremor struck— this one more powerful, more ominous— before an explosion of rubble, concrete, and dust erupted from the top of the grand hall.
Terrified shrieks echoed across the lush green lawn as debris rained down, the thick haze of dust slowly settling to reveal a towering figure, his gleaming metal reflecting the morning sun.
A cyborg.
And in its grasp, dangling helplessly over the edge of the building, was Eccleston.
A sinister tune played, underscoring the dread spreading through the crowd.
"That look on your face…" the cyborg sneered, its voice dripping with a mix of contempt and satisfaction;
"You can’t imagine how satisfying it is."
Eccleston struggled against the iron grip around his throat, sweat trickling down his face as he choked out a few words;
"Who… who are you?!"
The cyborg’s glowing red visor burned with malice as its voice boomed across the lawn.
"Call me, Overclock."
A hush of terror swept over the spectators below.
"Now…" Overclock extended his free arm outward, as if toying with Eccleston’s doom.
"Ready for your final act?" he asked with a malicious chuckle.
Without hesitation, Overclock released his grip.
The CEO plummeted.
Screams of horror filled the air as Eccleston fell towards certain death, his terrified scream sealing his fate.
But just as he was about to meet his end, the sinister tune was abruptly overtaken by a heroic swell of music.
A familiar blur, shot through the air.
In a split second, the figure grazed Eccleston’s body, a thin, peculiar slate slapped onto his body to release a controlled gravity pulse that halted his descent, just inches before impact to cushion his fall.
Then, without missing a beat, Tech Wiz propelled himself off the wall, using the momentum to deliver a devastating, gravity-infused uppercut straight to Overclock’s jaw!
Both figures streaked through the troposphere!
Angling his gaze downwards, Overclock’s voice dripped with annoyance;
"You."
Activating his propulsion beam, the cyborg stabilized his ascent and without skipping a beat, launched a rocket-propelled high hook!
The metallic fist, collided with Tech Wiz’s raised arm, the impact, sending him hurtling back to earth as a pained grunt escaped his lips!
Like a blitz, Tech Wiz diagonally streaked down at an alarming speed, Overclock propulsion-boosting himself and hot on his tail!
Just before he crashed into a skyscraper, pedestrians below noticing their rapid descent, an extended hook shot from the hero’s pulse gauntlets.
Latching onto the very edge of the building, Tech Wiz yanked himself upwards, avoiding by mere inches another of Overclock’s devastating rocket-propelled punch!
The burst of wind from the attack, sent a few windows of the innocent building, shattering in a downward verticality!
Yet the opportunity to counter presented itself as Tech Wiz, spun mid-yank and launched another hook that coiled around Overclock’s circumference in a tight grip!
Simultaneously, the hero activated an electric pulse!
The spark of electricity, blitzed through the wire in the fraction of a second, sending a wave of sizzling pain through Malakai’s entire being as he let out a pained grunt!
But in the same vein, Overclock grasped onto the hook and yanked it forwards!
Watching as he was pulled before he could retract the hook, a brutal clamp of the cyborg’s cybernetic palms on his helmet, held him in place as he struggled to fight back.
Futility was all it resulted in as Overclock, forcefully ripped the hook electrifying him, and with a swift turn mid-fall, slammed Tech Wiz’s head, straight into the tarred road below!
A muffled, nuke-like boom echoed across the city streets, the tremor vibrating and rattling every building in sight as a pressurized burst of wind shattered every window within vicinity!
In turn, the panic-stricken citizens bolted for dear life, their screams and shrieks of terror deafening.
Yet, despite the murderous brutality of his attack, Overclock soon raised a seemingly knocked out Tech Wiz and with an unnatural arch of his back, socked him an even more brutal, rocket-propelled punch!
The hero found himself flying across the air like a stringless marionette, the blood from his battered face, spilling through his equally shattered helmet, one of the visors broken and out of place.
Colliding gracelessly with the tarred road in multiple brutal spins and tumbles, he soon found himself coming to a lulled halt, his exosuit tattered in various places.
And just across the road, Nathan saw them.
Pedestrians, absolutely stricken with fear as they watched his defeated figure, lying motionlessly on the ground.
But more importantly, were the slightest hints of hope in their irises, seemingly begging of him to get back up.
With a will beyond what was merely his, Tech Wiz, placed one palm down, laboriously pushing himself up as he quietly choked out;
"Come… on… Nathan…"
Overclock’s steps got louder with every little progress he made.
The closer he got, the faster the hero, willed himself to get back up.
But unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.
Malakai was upon him.
And without the slightest hint of mercy or pity, he launched a powerful kick that sent the beaten hero, flying across the road and right into an old abandoned factory that was soon to be renovated.
The wall exploded into chunks of concrete and dust as Tech Wiz, found himself buried in a pile rubble.
- - -
It only took a few seconds before the villain, loomed over the pile of rubble and with one calculated yank, pulled the hero out of the mess as he held him by the neck.
Staring at the seemingly lifeless young man whose helmet had been completely shattered, hence revealing his face beneath, the cyborg’s helmet, retracted upwards to reveal his face.
And as Malakai stared at Nathan whose face was beaten, battered and bruised beyond measure, the light in his eyes dimming, he spoke, his voice cold as ever;
"I tried to warn you Nathan…"
The dimness in the young man’s eyes took on a sudden switch, the adrenaline rapidly beginning to course through his veins again.
"But you wouldn’t listen!" Malakai added, his tone full of hate!
Nathan whom should’ve in fact, being on the verge of death, slowly raised his head up as he whispered in denial;
"You knew…"
And then, with a complete gaze of vindication, he repeated, his entire being sizzling with an inferno of hurt, disappointment and most especially, rage!
"You knew!" he repeated with a depth of fury that stunned Malakai himself!
Retracting his helmet, the professor let out his sinister, cyborg voice;
"Such a disapointmen—"
Nathan’s gravity-imbued pulse gauntlets, coated with a bursting spark of electricity, crunched right into Malakai’s helmet, shattering the darn thing into bits of metallic chunks!
"Arrggghhh!!!" the villain let out a shout that reflected the excruciating pain he was in!
Staggering backwards, his grip on Nathan’s neck unclenching, Malakai whom had been gripping his face, suddenly felt the wisp of wind, kiss his unprotected cheeks.
It was followed by a devastatingly powerful kick, one that Nathan had used his grav boots to propel to an unreasonable degree!
Overclock felt himself flying sideways, his sense of balance, lost.
And as if this was just the beginning, a furious Nathan, appeared from above in a blur, his gravity-enhanced boots, delivering a brutalizing curb-stomp!
Malakai’s face, compressed like a bursting rubber ball against the shattered concrete of the floor, the light in his eyes, dimming in an instant!
But without mercy, Nathan, now sitting atop him, socked him another electricity infused punch!
And another!
And another!
And another!
Ready to sock him another one, Nathan, watching the completely beaten figure of his professor beneath him, gasping for dear life, his face almost unrecognizable, held his trembling fist in place.
Malakai knew it was him all along and yet, was okay with playing him! Killing him! The son of his colleague! A colleague whom he even seemed to cherish dearly!
’What sort of monster would do that?!’ the thought was evidently reflected in the way Nathan gazed at the beaten Malakai beneath him.
Then the rage returned, burning in his eyes as every glint of it mingled with raw betrayal!
Every fiber of his being screamed for justice, for retribution!
And yet, with a guttural, frustrated roar directed at himself, Nathan forced himself to stop.
Killing him would only make him no different than Malakai, something he never wanted to become.
And so, his voice, although brimming with anger and pain, remained steady as he spoke;
"I tried to talk. I want you to remember that."
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His breath hitched;
"I tried to reach out."
His fists clenched;
"I tried to understand."
Nathan paused… only for his voice to rise in utter fury!
"And I think you understood! You just didn’t care!"
The words echoed, cutting through the lulled silence like a blade.
His chest heaved, frustration boiling over.
But when he spoke again, his tone had shifted to softer note, but still filled with profound hurt;
"You were a monster…"
His gaze locked onto Malakai’s battered form, the weight of his disappointment settling in his chest as reflected in his irises;
"And that was the role you were so determined to play."
Slowly, he uncurled his fingers, lowering his fist, his expression resolute;
"So I had to play mine."
His voice dropped to barely more than a whisper, but the conviction in it was unshakable;
"The man who stops the monster."
Having said his piece, Tech Wiz, stood and hovered over the defeated figure of Overclock, the sirens in the distance, cascading over to his ears.
Then he launched his grappling hook and soon, vanished from the abandoned factory, leaving the professor to his fate.
"Tailslate and… Cut! That’s a wrap!"
-
No sooner was the scene over, practically everybody on set, despite hearing that filming was over, couldn’t help but be shook to their core by Kyle’s acting and especially, his words.
For the director, the actors, extras and most of the production crew, each and every one of them knew that the last few lines Kyle had said, wasn’t anywhere in the script.
Yet, considering how fitting they were, they were certain that this scene, despite being so action packed, would be strongly remembered and ingrained in the memory of the audience due to those exact words.
After all, they were words that perfectly conveyed the sense of responsibility Nathan had given himself as a hero.
But no sooner had the initial sense of stunned profoundness wore off, the set, suddenly erupted into a massively exuberant wave of cheers, whistles and most especially, applauds.
And basking in it all, was Kyle and Clint as the former, pulled the latter upwards, both of them bowing to the ever-increasing cheers and applauds!
Yet, amidst all this, Adam had stealthily slipped away, his plan in motion as he thought to himself;
’Let’s get this over with.’