The Dark Pearl Chronicles 1.1: Battle of the Half-Brothers (4 page)

AUSTIN: Looks like a chick flick to me.

BROOKLYN: You too are so shallow! (Laughing) I'm going to get something to drink. (Turns to Derek) You want anything, baby?

DEREK (smiles to Brooklyn): No, thank you.

(Brooklyn leaves the room.)

DEREK (to Austin): Hey, bro. Your necklace is on the outside of your shirt.

(Austin looks down and sees his jewel necklace. He hurriedly puts it back on the inside.)

AUSTIN: Thanks, man.

DEREK: It's cool. So why do you try to hide it? I mean if I had one I'd be having a great time with it.

AUSTIN: Ha. Then maybe Dad should've given it to you.

DEREK: I'm serious, bro. You should take advantage of that thing. Not everyone is lucky enough to have all the power that thing has.

AUSTIN: Well, it's not like I can do anything. Now that'd be a different story.

DEREK: I suppose, man, I'm just trying to help.

SCENE: An old, dark, abandoned underground military hideout. A door opens and light comes through the door to show a baseball-sized black pearl sits in a glass case. On the case there's a little sign that shows the words "The Dark Pearl". A dark figure dressed in a long dark robe slowly makes its way toward the case. The figure gets out an aluminum bat and smashes the glass. Alarms go off and the figure snatches the pearl. Emergency doors began to slowly shut themselves. The figure runs across the room and slides under the concrete door before it shuts. Guards run in with their guns.

GUARD (spotting smashed case): We are too late! It's gone!

(One week later. Pete's mansion. Training room. The five and Pete are in the room. The five are shown, standing side by side. Jaguar is outrunning a treadmill; Josh is next to him with his arms as long rock-climbing ropes with the claws on the ends. Next to Josh is Cole who is forming ice between his hands and bending it into his own shapes. Zack is doing the same with fire, and Kara is dressed in a martial arts uniform performing moves that even the highest professionals couldn't.)

PETE: Perfect! We have only taken a week to do this and I believe the five of you couldn't get any better at using your powers! You are now almost an immortal unit!

KARA: Wait, I think I heard the word "almost".

JOSH: I did, too.

ZACK: Are you saying we need more training? I mean I've already skipped like three football practices just this week.

PETE: Oh no, not more physical training. But there is one thing that I must talk to you about. This is the one reason you are not and never will be immortal. Follow me.

(Pete leads the five into his Invention Room. He presses a button on a supercomputer and a picture of the Dark Pearl appears on the screen.)

PETE: This is the Dark Pearl. As you can see, it is about the size of a baseball.

JAGUAR: And it's black.

PETE: Good observation. Now, the Dark Pearl has a power of its own, a power even more powerful than yours. The Dark Pearl can be used by anyone to absorb a person into it. The person who holds the Pearl would then have the strengths, knowledge, powers, any properties of that person's, whether mental or physical, for himself. You are not invulnerable to this.

COLE: Wow. So if someone absorbs me into it, they would have my ice powers AND be extremely smart.

PETE: Precisely.

ZACK: So that means if someone absorbed Austin they'd be almost unstoppable since he has so many powers.

PETE: Not exactly. Because Austin's jewel contains so many powers, he is too strong to be absorbed by the Pearl; however, he could use it to absorb others.

JOSH: So it's not a good thing that he and Zack had that fight last week, huh?

PETE: You two still haven't made up?

COLE: No. Zack likes to hold grudges.

ZACK: Okay, let's stop picking on Zack now okay?

PETE: I'm afraid they're right, though, Zack. I mean the Dark Pearl is kept under extreme security, but Austin could get by any security system easily. What if he did get hold of it?

ZACK: I don't know. Then I guess we're screwed. Are you happy now?

JOSH: Well I mean we do outnumber him.

COLE: Wait. Why are we talking about this? Pete just said the Dark Pearl was under extreme security. You guys are talking as if Austin has it now.

PETE (laughing it off): Cole is right. I'll show you right now how much security it has on it anyways.

(Pete types "Live Security: Dark Pearl" on his computer. A camera comes up, and instead of a high security room with the Pearl in it, Pete sees a clean-up scene on screen.)

PETE (panicking): Where's the Pearl?

(Ten minutes later. Pete is searching through his books of prophecies.)

PETE: I should have seen this coming. Josh, didn't you say Austin is your half-brother? Not your full brother?

JOSH: Yes.

PETE: Yes, then the prophecy is coming true. I tried to stop it by making you all join together as one group. I should have seen as soon as he left that this would happen.

ZACK: Okay, could you clue us in on what you're talking about?

COLE: Yes, none of us know the prophecy.

PETE: Here it is. It's the Battle of the Half-Brothers, in a battle of Good vs. Evil.

JOSH: The what?

PETE: The prophecy dates back three thousand years. It's a battle for the Dark Pearl. One half-brother is on the good side, while the other is on the dark side. The two half-brothers end up fighting to the death over the Pearl. I tried to stop it by getting you all to join together.

ZACK: Well I can see that didn't work.

KARA: Wait. Don't you guys think we're jumping to conclusions?

PETE: On the contrary, Kara. The Dark Pearl has gone undisturbed for three thousand years. The Germans tried to take it during World War II, but were unsuccessful, because there was no one-on-one battle between two half-brothers for it.

JAGUAR: Wait, you said one-on-one. If the battle is one-on-one, where do the rest of us fit in?

PETE: That is one thing I do not know. The books don't tell.

JAGUAR: Well, Josh is my best friend. So if the "books don't tell" where I'm going to be for this battle, then I'm going to be by Josh's side, fighting alongside of him.

COLE: Me too.

KARA: I agree.

ZACK: And Austin being on the other side makes it that much better. I'm in.

JAGUAR: Okay, you seriously need to get over that grudge.

PETE: I believe it is a little late for that. (To Josh) Okay, Josh it's time to get some practice in. This way you will be more prepared than he is.

ZACK: Speaking of practicing, I have missed too many football practices. I've got to go now.

PETE: You need a ride?

ZACK: Um, I drove here, remember?

PETE: Ah, precisely.

SCENE: Friday night. Washington High football game. Zack is playing, while the other four are sitting together in the bleachers.

COLE: This is the first football game I've been to since I quit the middle school band.

JOSH: Really? I come to most of them, although I can't keep up with the stats.

JAGUAR: Seeing all of those people running out there is making my adrenaline race. I could just run out there and race every one of them right now.

JOSH: That wouldn't be a very fair race.

KARA: Hey, I hate to interrupt, but what is he doing here?

(Kara points to another section in the bleachers, where Austin is sitting by two girls.)

JAGUAR: Maybe he came to watch the game.

KARA: I doubt that. He and Zack aren't getting along, remember?

JAGUAR: I thought Zack said he would apologize for overreacting and try to get Austin to come back to us and return the Pearl?

KARA: He did say that, but he hasn't done it yet.

JAGUAR: Ah, okay.

COLE: Well, Kara's got a good point. I think we need to keep an eye on Austin and see what's going on.

(The game continues. Austin is still sitting on the bleachers until the end of the game.)

KARA (huddles with the other three): All right, now we need to keep an eye on Austin until he leaves. Then it will be safe.

COLE (breaking from the huddle): I see you have gotten into the sports spirit. Wait, where is Austin?

JOSH: He's with those girls, remember? They're over th-where'd they go?

KARA: Oh great! We lost him!

(Off in the distance, Zack is walking down the sidewalk in his pads. He brushes by one of the people walking the opposite direction.)

FOOTBALL FAN: Good game, man!

ZACK: Thanks.

(The football fan continues to walk. Zack spots someone standing behind a corner. He walks over to see who they are.)

ZACK: Oh, hey man! What's up?

(The figure is holding the Dark Pearl. The figure holds it up and a luminous light shines from it.)

ZACK: Wait, what are you doing, bro?

(The light shines on Zack, and within moments he is sucked into the Pearl. The figure then hides the Pearl in its bag, and continues walking on like normal.)

KARA: Hurry! Someone find Zack! He may be in danger!

JOSH: I'll go this way!

JAGUAR: I'll go with you.

JOSH: No, you go that way! Hurry!

COLE: Wait, everyone, stop!

KARA: Why?

COLE: Don't you guys think that splitting up would put the rest of us in even more danger?

KARA: He's right.

COLE: Okay, guys. Look, Zack came up here with the football team, so he'll be leaving with the team. The rest of us should go back to Pete's and tell him what happened so that he can help us out. Who knows? Maybe it's a big misunderstanding. But if anyone knows anything, it'll be him.

KARA: You're right, Cole. We're definitely overreacting.

JAGUAR (laughing): Yeah. You guys were acting like a bunch of girls.

(Kara smacks Jaguar on the back of the head.)

SCENE: Back at Pete's mansion. The four have told Pete their story.

PETE: So Zack goes missing after Austin disappears? Is that what you're saying?

KARA: Exactly.