Characters:
Julie Crenshaw
Max Thornfield
Molly Singh
Jill Slotter
Jimmy Kovacs
Sara Keane
Drallus Thornfield
Dr. Stellof
President Smitty
Stragon

Julie: Just another typical morning in the Flashpoint, home of world famous science heroes the Flashpack. Intrepid team leader Max Thornfield was poring over decades old historical records in his never-ending quest to find his father; genius inventor Molly Singh was sketching out specs for a new wild machine; the ingenious Sara Keane was calculating the statistical likeliness of the last of the unicorns dying off; super-buff Drallus Thornfield was doing hyper-crunches; young adventurer Jimmy Kovacs was finishing up his sciencology homework; team joker Jill Slotter was-

Slotter: Julie… as you’ve so ably pointed out, we’re all working on things. It’s a lot easier to do without someone describing everything you’re doing for no reason.

Julie: Well, I’m bored. You guys all have projects to keep you busy, but I’ve got nothing. … Bored bored bored. … Bored-a-mundo. … Bored to the-

Keane: All right! Why don’t you go repair the artificial oxygen maker in the lower decks? It’s been-

Julie: Fixed it last night. It just needed an oxyphonic deregistrator.

Drallus: (working out) You could finish… painting that Harlequin mural… in your quarters.

Julie: I also finished that last night- as you’d know if you hadn’t been off on another one of your little El Paso jaunts. Jimmy said it reminded him of the carnival we went to on Emlaker 9 when he was ten.

Jimmy: Why don’t you work on that hyperdrive you and Molly have been making?

Julie: Molly is already busy working on something.

Molly: Don’t use me as your excuse! We can go work on the hyperdrive if you want, this schematic isn’t a big deal, just a couple of emergency hyperjets.

Julie: Ok, ok- you got me. I just don’t feel like it. Besides, there’ll be plenty of time for that later. We can finish it tomorrow. Or the next day.

Max: Well, you’re going to have to find something to occupy yourself. We’ve been doing non-stop science-heroing for the past three days. I, for one, want to make the most of this time off while it lasts. I’m no closer to finding my father than I was when I was eight.

Julie: Oh, come on, Max! You’ve gone this long, you can wait another day! We should be living life! Experiencing thrills! Taking the bull by the horns! Doing things that scare the snot out of us! We should take every moment we’re alive as a gift and live it to the fullest! Isn’t there anything you want, anything you’ll regret not doing while you had the chance?

Max: Well… of course there is… but these records are due back at the library tomorrow. I don’t want to get a fine.

Julie: A library fine? That’s what’s keeping you from living the life you want? What about the rest of you, what’re your excuses?

Keane: The unicorns aren’t going to save themselves. Every minute I waste on myself, another of them dies.

Julie: Well, at least that’s noble.

Jimmy: I have homework… and believe me, my teacher will make me regret not doing it.

Julie: Practical, I suppose.

Drallus: Don’t look at me; I’m living the life I want.

Julie: What about you, Molly? I know there’s something you’ve always wanted to do, if you could only get up the nerve.

Molly: What?!? I… I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Julie: Sure you do… your little ‘crush.’

Slotter: Oh, my! What’s the buzz, here? A little juicy gossip?

Molly: I’ve got a lot of work to do on this…

Julie: I thought you said it wasn’t a big deal? I think it’s about time for getting our feelings out in the open… wouldn’t you agree, Max?

Drallus: Max?!?

Max: What? I don’t have feeli- I mean, I don’t know what we’re-

Stellof: Hello, Flashpeoples!

Molly: Dr. Stellof! I’m so glad you’re here! You wanted to use my lab, right?

Stellof: Oh, yes! I’ve been doing tests on Saturnian Hamburgers- oh, but, not for eating of course. I have a condition, which-

Molly: Yes, yes, we know all about your condition. It’ll be my pleasure to let you use our facilities. Come on, I’ll show you to the lab. Just make sure you keep it away from my Stronium-79.

Stellof: Of course! Thank you Miss Singh… (they leave)

Max: Wait… Molly has a crush on Dr. Stellof?

(2 alarms go off)

Slotter: Uh-oh… Max! Two incoming calls! Line one is a secure channel from the Whitehouse. Oh, Gods, Max, it’s our slimeball President, Smitty! He needs our help. Again.

Keane: We’ve also got the Prime Minister of Venus on line two! The evil wizard Nova is attacking!

Max: There goes our day off. What do we deal with first?

Keane: Maybe we can do both- I think I can handle Venus, but I’ll need Drallus’s help.

Max: Do it.

Keane: Check. Drallus, come with me. I may need you to get naked.

Drallus: What? (they leave)

Max: Jimmy- get Molly and meet us at the Marvin II. Load up weapons. We launch ASAP!

Jimmy: You got it, Max!

Max: Slotter… (unfortunately) >sigh< put on the president.

Julie: Why do we keep helping that wastebucket, Max?

Max: He may be a criminal, but he’s still our president. That’s got to be worth something, right?

Smitty: Thornfield! How dare you keep me on hold! This is a nation emergency!

Max: I’m sorry, sir. What’s the problem?

Smitty: Stragon the Annihilator! He’s attacking Washington!

Julie: Stragon? But he usually attacks-

Max: The Siriusians. Now why would he think the Siriusians have anything to do with Washington, DC, Mr. President?

Smitty: I have no idea… (explosion in background) But I need you people here, NOW, saving me!

Slotter: So a villain wants revenge on you for a crime you actually committed… and it’s a national emergency?

Smitty: You have no proof for your baseless allegations! Besides, he’s an annihilator! He’ll destroy the entire planet when he’s- (louder explosion in background) Oh, Gods, please hurry, I don’t want to die!

Max: We’re on our way, sir. Let’s go, Gang.

Stragon: (above Washington) The commodification of the Annihilator-class has gone on too long! The under-classes shall rise and throw off the yolks of the Siriusian Bourgeoisie, and all who ally themselves with their greed-fueled ways! Bring forth this ‘Smitty’! The revolution shall take from him the lifeblood he and his ilk have bled from me and mine for generations, and this entire planet shall follow! None who exist at the expense of those they consider their lessers shall be allowed to live! This means you, Earth! You’ve lived on the backs of the workers for too long! Prepare to have your consciousness raised – as your planet is burned to the ground! Ba-hahahahhaahahahaaaaa! (more laughs, fading into the background as we move to the Flashpack)

Max: All right, gang- there’s Stragon. He hasn’t seen us, yet. What do we do?

Slotter: Well, last time we hit him with a stick until he passed out. Anyone got a stick?

Julie: Max, his power readings are off the chart. Something has boosted him up, made him stronger than ever before. I think… I think he really could annihilate the planet this time!

Slotter: Oh, great. Anyone got a really big stick? Let’s just blast him out of the sky.

Julie: These weapons aren’t nearly strong enough to get through his newly amped sheilds!

Molly: Unless… Slotter, do you have your Time-Turning watch with you?

Slotter: Always. Why, do you want me to go back in time?

Molly: Not quite. We’re going to jury-rig ourselves a Chronal Alacrity Beam.

Julie: Molly, you’re a genius!

Slotter: Can you do that?

Julie: We’re about to find out. Give me the watch.

Max: What is it you’re making?

Slotter: A Chronal Alacrity Beam. It’s a time weapon. Whatever you hit with it experiences time extra-fast… so, if you shoot it at someone, it’s like fast-forwarding to their death.

Julie: Or to their bones turning to dust, just to be on the safe side. I think… 10,000 years would be a good setting.

Max: And this is going to work?

Molly: Sure. The Blaster’ll draw the chronal energy from the extra-dimensional source that powers Slotter’s time turning watch. It might take a minute or so to build up a blast, so we’ll need to make the first shot count. How’s the mod coming, Julie?

Julie: I think… I think I’m done!

Max: We’re set?

Julie: Yeah, I think so…

Molly: All right. Like I said, it has to build up power. I’ll just lock onto Stragon, hit the trigger, and we wait until-

Slotter: Er… I think you have the watch in backwards?

Julie: What?

Slotter: It’s backwards… you said you were going to tap into the time source, but it looks like it’s set to tap into the realm of backwards time.

Julie: Oh, crap! I can fix it-

Molly: No, Julie, it’s already charging!

Julie: I have to! Who knows what it could do if it’s backwards! All I have to do is turn the- (electrocute) AIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!

Max: Julie!!

Julie: I’m… I’m all right… I think…

Molly: You fixed it! Here we go, it’s almost ready to fire.!

(vidphone beeps)

Slotter: That’s Keane! Hello?

Keane: We’re back!

Molly: 95%

Max: We’re in DC. It’s Stragon. Just come meet us.

Keane: Be right there! (beep)

Molly: 96%

Max: She’s going to teleport them over to-

Julie: Oh my God, it was true… They’re going to be caught in the blast!

Slotter: What?

Julie: They’re going to teleport in and get caught in the blast!

Max: How do you-

Julie: Just trust me!

Molly: We can’t stop it now! It’s at 98%!

Julie: There’s only one way to save them…

Max: What?

Molly: 5… 4…

Julie: I can save them. But-

Molly: 3… 2…

Max: Julie, no! Don’t-

(The Blast goes off… then pause)

Max: Noooooo!

Molly: J-…. Julie? I thought… I thought you said you could save them?

Julie: (upset) I know, I… I could have. I’m sorry, I… I decided not to…

Jimmy: They’re dead! Keane and Drallus are dead!

Julie: But, so is Stragon! The beam worked, it was-

Slotter: But our teammates are dead!

Max: Julie, I… For a moment I thought… I thought you were going to jump in front of the beam, and-

Julie: I was! … I mean, I could have… I could have died, to save them… I would have-

Max: No, Julie! No one would expect you to give your own life-

Julie: To save two others? It would have been the right thing to do, Max… except…

Jimmy: What?

Julie: The visions…

Molly: What visions? What are you talking about?

Slotter: Please tell me this isn’t another of your “One God” things.

Julie: No! It was your watch… when I grabbed your watch, when that surge of energy caught me, these… these visions flooded over me… I saw… everything. Backwards.

Max: What?

Julie: I don’t know how… but it showed me everything, everything that would have happened as a result of this one decision. Everything that would have happened if I’d died. From when you finally had to kill Drallus and Keane yourself, all the way back to my death.

Max: I… I would kill Keane and Drallus?

Julie: You had to, Max, they betrayed the ‘pack! Drallus lead an invading alien fleet to Earth, and Keane secretly helped in order to save herself!

Jimmy: There’s no way kind, shy, Sara would-

Julie: It’s a long story, Jimmy. Sara was changed after… it’s a long story.

Slotter: You don’t think you’re going to get off without telling it to us, do you?

Julie: It’ll take a while to tell.

Max: We’ve got time.

Julie: You want me to go backwards, how I saw it, or in chronological order?

Slotter: Which makes more sense?

Julie: Uh… dunno?

Jimmy: I just want to know why our friends would betray us!

Julie: Ok, I’ll tell you everything… er, but first there’s a few things we should take care of… Senator Randal Marsh is a Cthulhu cultist attempting to raise the elder Gods, Senator Jason Grace has been replaced by a Siriusian shapeshifter, and the Magic Hat is recruiting our old enemies to take us down. He was behind Stragon’s little power boost. If we hurry, we can stop him before he gets to any of our other villains.

Molly: The Magic Hat?!

Max: It’ll be all right, Molly. Now that we know about him, we can take him down. And speaking of knowing… Julie, about what you were saying before… things we might regret. There’s something I-

Julie: Max, no. It’s Molly.

Molly: What?!

Max: What?

Julie: Molly loves you, Max. She always has.

Molly: Julie!

Julie: Don’t worry, Mol! He loves you, too.

Max: I do?

Julie: You do. You just don’t realize it yet. Go on, tell him, Mol.

Max: Molly… is what she says tr- (she kisses him) mmmmm

Slotter: Now, that’s a kiss.

Julie: It’s been a long time coming.

Jimmy: Um, guys… two of our friends just died.

Julie: Give them a minute… (pause) Although, like I said, there are things we should-

Max: (breaks off kiss) Right! Let’s deal with things. We’ve got to find Senators Marsh and Grace, deal with an ancient Magic chapeau, and then… Julie can tell us what she saw. Sound good?

Julie: Sounds good.

Max: All right, let’s do it. Flashpack!

All: Flashpack!

Julie: The End.