Intermission One-Shot Chapter - Alone in the Storm

BTS One-Shot - Alone in the Storm

*It is a stormy night outside with rain falling down hard. The view then becomes an overhead view of a cemetery. Someone is standing in front of a gravestone alone. A close-up view of the person reveals that it is Joe. He looks sad and his storm lord eyes are active. The gravestone he is looking at has “Emily Lesimore: September 4, Year 100 – December 3, Year 342” written on it.

Joe: (Narrating) It is now September 4th, Year 354. It has been 180 years since the war ended…. And yet here I am still alive. My wife, Emily, died 12 years ago. She was reincarnated as an angel in Heaven and while she is able to come down and see me from time to time, the fact that we are in a time of peace means that it doesn’t happen very often. So here I am spending her birthday staring at her gravestone. Even our grandchildren are long gone. And this is all thanks to the Storm Lord power that I no longer age at all. Now I know what Jackson Hurclone was going through. With the war over, I could choose one of my descendants as my successor to the Storm Lord power… but then I would just be passing the loneliness onto them. So I’ve had no choice but to keep the power.

*Joe turns around and starts walking away*

Joe: In reality, I’m only human…

***

Narrator: Later that night.

*Joe has returned to his home where no one else lives in. His eyes are no longer in Storm Lord mode. He looks around the room. The room is silent other than a ticking clock. He walks over to the couch and sits down. His eyes seem almost lifeless as he stares ahead at the TV when he turns it on and starts watching. He continues to sit there and watch as if he is just a mindless zombie*

Narrator: An hour then passes.

*Joe turns the TV off and gets up. He grabs a book and then lays down on the bed. He gets under the covers and then starts reading the book*

Narrator: Another hour passes.

*Joe puts a bookmark in his book and then turns off the lamp next to his bed. He closes his eyes and goes to sleep*

***

*In a pitch-black darkness, someone’s words can be heard*

???: Wake up… Wake up. Wake up, Joe!

*Joe wakes up and finds himself chained to a vertical standing bed in some unknown room. In front of him is Emily*

Emily: What are you doing, Joe? Come on!

*She motions with her hand for him to follow her. Joe tries to move and realizes he is chained to the vertical standing bed*

Joe: Why am I chained!? Where am I anyways!?

*Emily laughs*

Emily: What are you talking about, silly? Come on! Let’s get going!

*Joe continues to struggle as Emily starts running out of the room*

Joe: Wait!!

*Joe struggles with the chains more. He eventually breaks free from them and falls off the vertical bed. He starts running out of the room.*

Joe: Wait, Emily!

*Joe then finds himself in an empty outdoor arena with the stands empty too. The sky is dark and gray. Emily stands in the middle, waiting for him. She smiles. Joe looks confused*

Joe: Where are we?

Emily: That’s a silly question. We’re at your execution grounds.

*Joe looks shocked*

Joe: Huh!?

Emily: This is what you wanted, right?

*Joe’s eyes are open wide in confusion*

Joe: I don’t understand.

Emily: How could you not understand your own desires? You want to join us in Heaven, right? You have to die for that to happen, silly.

*Joe’s eyes are wide open as he just stares at her. Emily holds out her right hand toward Joe*

Emily: Come be with us in Heaven.

*Joe starts slowly walking toward Emily with his eyes wide open. When he gets close to Emily, he grabs onto her hand*

*Emily smiles*

Emily: See? You get it. Let’s start the execution and bring you to Heaven.

***

*Suddenly, Joe wakes up in his bed. His eyes are wide open and he is breathing heavily*

Joe: *huff huff* My execution…

***

Narrator: The next day.

*Joe walks outside his home. He takes a deep breath and then starts walking away from it. Next, he is seen in a field and he is looking up at a mountain in the distance*

Joe: It’s a long walk. Time to get started.

*Soon, Joe reaches the mountain and starts hiking up it. After some time, he reaches the peak of the mountain and, by this point, it is now evening*

*Joe looks up at the sky. He then takes a deep breath and then starts yelling at the top of his lungs*

Joe: Goddess Harmona!! Hear me now!! I have a request that I need to make!! I ask that you execute me!! Bring an end to my mortal life so that I may go to Heaven!! I’m tired of being alone in the storm!!

*As he yells this, his Storm Lord eyes activate and dark clouds cover up the evening sky. It starts raining with lightning and thunder too*

*He continues to look up at the sky for a few more moments as he gets rained on. But then he looks sad and stops looking up at the sky*

Joe: Were my words not heard…?

*Suddenly, a ray of light opens up in the storm clouds and Harmona descends down to where Joe is. She lands on the peak and is in the one spot where the rain isn’t landing due to the hole in the clouds where the ray of light is coming from*

Harmona: I heard you loud and clear.

*Joe looks at her*

Joe: Will you grant my request?

Harmona: Do you really want to die? Do you truly want to bring an end to your mortal life?

Joe: I’m nearly 255 years old. I can hardly call myself a mortal anymore. I’m ready for this to be over. I want the grandeur of execution to be my death rather than a pitiful suicide attempt.

*Harmona just stares at Joe for a moment*

Harmona: Very well. If it’s grandeur you’re looking for, I’m guessing you want an audience.

Joe: Yes.

Harmona: All right, we will do it tomorrow.

Joe: Thank you.

***

Narrator: The next night in Heaven.

*Many people are gathered in the seats of an outdoor arena. Stadium lights light up the arena. Joe is guided by two angels toward a guillotine. Many of the other heroes are sitting in the seats (Keith being the exception). So are Joe’s and Emily’s son and daughter, Michael and Ashley, who were reincarnated as angels*

Zeth: Does Joe really want to do this?

Sasha: He seems sure of himself.

Emily: I get it. He wants to die so that he can reincarnate as an angel and live here in Heaven with the rest of us.

Kurt: But that’s only if his morality is high enough.

*Harmona stands alone on a platform beyond the guillotine and looks down at it with a serious look. The angels and Joe reach the guillotine*

Harmona: This is your last chance to back out. Are you sure about this? There is no guarantee you will reach the morality rating necessary for angel reincarnation.

Joe: I’m willing to take that risk. I will not pass the Storm Lord power on to a successor.

Harmona: Very well.

*Joe bends down and sticks his head in place. The angels then close the top metal piece*

Joe: Here we go…

Harmona: The blade of the guillotine is powered by my magic. It will certainly take your head off. Are you ready?

Joe: Ready as I will ever be.

Harmona: Okay…

*Harmona raises her left arm*

Harmona: Begin the execution!

*The other heroes look nervous*

Zeth: It’s going to be hard to watch a friend get executed, even if that’s what he wants.

Sasha: And then we will have to worry about whether or not he gets reincarnated.

*Emily gulps*

Emily: He will. I’m sure of it.

Kurt: They’re about to start!

Michael: I’m so nervous!

Ashley: I don’t know if I can watch!

*The angels are about to drop the guillotine*

Harmona: Now, be free from your torment!

*The angels release the guillotine blade and it drops down toward Joe’s head. Zeth, Sasha, Emily, Kurt, and Michael watch with wide-open eyes while Ashely covers her eyes with her hands. Harmona’s expression is still serious*

*The blade slices through Joe’s neck. His head has come off and now he is dead*

Ashley: Is it over!?

Emily: Y-Yes!

Zeth: It’s understandable why he wanted this, but I hope I never have to see a friend get executed ever again!

Sasha: And now we have to wait to see if he can get reincarnated.

*Harmona looks over at them*

Harmona: It won’t take long. We’ll know within half an hour at the most.

***

*Meanwhile, Joe’s soul is being taken to the Palace of the God of Death by Mark, the Grim Reaper*

Mark: You know, I never expected to have to take a dead mortal from Heaven of all places.

Joe: Yes, it is quite unusual in your line of work.

Mark: I guess “Heaven” is not a good place to keep your “head-in” place! Har har!

*Joe squints his eyes in reaction to Mark’s joke. They continue on to the Palace of the God of Death*

***

Narrator: Inside the Palace of the God of Death.

*Joe and Mark meet with the God of Death who sits in his fancy chair*

God of Death: Welcome, friend of the Earth gods. Though, I guess you’re already acquainted with me since we met during the Dark Matter incident at this palace.

Joe: Yes, it’s good to see you again.

God of Death: Let’s get to it. Time to find out your moral standing.

*A magic aura appears around the God of Death. His appearance changes from that of a skeleton to an angel*

God of Death: To no one’s surprise, you are more good than bad. In fact, your percentage is 91% good and 9% bad.

*Joe stares at the God of Death for a moment*

Joe: How much did causing Kurt’s death increase my bad percentage?

God of Death: I have no way to say how specific events affect the percentage, but it doesn’t matter. You’ve long since moved on and your percentage is far more good than it is bad.

Joe: Fair enough.

God of Death: Well, off to Heaven you go.

*The God of Death opens a portal. Joe smiles as he walks into it*

Mark: Don’t get confused in Heaven. Make sure to keep your “head” on straight. Har har.

*Joe comes out of the portal and finds himself at the entrance of paradise in Heaven. Joe looks around and is in awe*

Joe: So this is what paradise looks like. A whole dimension of Heaven only for the souls of mortals.

???: It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

*Joe looks to his left to see who said that. It’s Harmona. She turns to look directly at Joe and he does the same to her*

Harmona: I received your morality results. You can choose to be reincarnated as an angel. However, you also have the option to remain here in paradise and never have to worry about the troubles of the outside world ever again. The choice is yours.

*Joe stares at her for a moment*

Joe: While it is tempting…

*Harmona stares at him with her mouth slightly open*

Harmona: Are you about to say…?

*Joe closes his eyes and smiles before opening his eyes again with a confident smile*

Joe: While it is tempting to just rest in peace, I still want to be with everyone. My time in the outside world isn’t done.

*Harmona looks surprised*

Harmona: For a moment there, I thought you were about to pass on angel reincarnation.

*She then smiles*

Harmona: Very well. Let’s reincarnate you as an angel.

***

*Meanwhile, Zeth, Sasha, Emily, Kurt, Michael, and Ashley are just outside a very large door*

Emily: Given our experiences, reincarnation shouldn’t take too long.

Sasha: Assuming he has the required moral standing for reincarnation.

Kurt: Have some faith.

Sasha: I don’t lack faith. We just can’t make any guarantees.

Michael: And that’s if he chooses it. For me, paradise looked so good that I almost chose it over reincarnation.

Zeth: And if he chooses that, then we will need to respect that. He’s done enough for us.

*Suddenly, the large door starts opening*

Zeth: It looks like we’re about to find out.

*The door fully opens and all that can be seen is a bright, glowing white light. The heroes stare intently*

Kurt: This is it.

*Harmona starts walking out from the white light. The heroes’ eyes open wide*

Zeth: Mom… Where is Joe?

*Harmona confidently smiles*

Harmona: Give it a moment.

*Someone else starts coming out of the white light. It’s Joe and he smiles. He is now wearing angel clothing. His Storm Lord eyes are active*

Joe: Hey, guys. Long time, no see.

*The other heroes look happy and excited. Emily runs up to him and hugs him*

Emily: You’re finally able to stay here!

Joe: I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.

Sasha: It looks like you retained your Storm Lord powers.

Joe: That’s fine. As long as no mortal has to live forever on Earth alone with it anymore.

*Joe confidently smiles*

Joe: I’m ready to do what I can for Heaven and also to be with those that I care for deeply. I am no longer alone in the storm!

Narrator: Previously stuck in the mortal world alone in the storm. Joe is now able to be with his friends and family again. Rain or shine, Joe is no longer alone.

BTS One-Shot END

One-Shot Completed: August 25th, 2020