Zeon Falling (Fantendo Now)

Zeon Falling is the third episode in the second season of Fantendo Now. It is the eighteenth episode overall. 
==Synopsis==
Unten is interviewed by a writer who wishes to publish his life story, but executives keep changing the story for "marketability". 
==Transcript==
ZEON FALLING
Written by PabloDePablo
The episode starts with Unten, Leah, and X-Ray sitting in Leah's plane. Leah and X-Ray are sitting in the back cuddled up while Unten sits in the pilot's seat. He confidently smiles as he grips the controls.
:Unten: I really think I'm getting the hang of this! Who knows, maybe we could use planes more often...
Leah opens one eye and glances up at Unten.
:Leah: It's on autopilot.
Unten glances down.
:Unten: Hm.
:Leah: I wouldn't actually put you in charge of flying us to Norway.
Unten leans over the back of his seat, crossing his arms.
:Unten: So why am I on this trip?
:Leah: You balance out the dynamic of our group. I can focus all my positivity on X-Ray and all my insults on you.
:Unten: Why even head to Norway, though?
:Leah: Press conference. Don't you ever have some?
:Unten: Nah, I don't think I've really gotten involved in that branch of fame yet. I mean... I was famous back home. I don't need to feel famous here.
:Leah: What about money, though? Don't you ever want to move somewhere else? Maybe a little farther from, y'know, where I live?
Unten frowns and leans back up, looking down at the landscape. X-Ray yawns and looks up at Leah.
:Leah: We'll be landing soon, you get some more rest.
Unten squints. People are gathering below the plane, holding up signs with pictures of Leah. Unten mutters to himself as Leah looks out the window.
:Leah: Yep, should be landing any minute now...
----
Unten, Rachel, and Sakeena sit around in the living room, Unten laying on the couch while Rachel looks over Sakeena's shoulder at her writing.
:Rachel: Hm... not really sure Strafe is PalmMan's type...
Sakeena looks up at Rachel, adjusting her glasses as Rachel shrugs. Unten sighs loudly and the two look at him.
:Rachel: Something wrong?
:Unten: No.
Beat.
:Unten: You ever feel like it'd be nice to do something even if it's not really what you feel like doing, just to put yourself on even ground with someone else?
:Sakeena: That's... kind of a big question.
:Rachel: What's up?
:Unten: Leah took me along on some trip to Norway and people are really big fans of her there. She has all this merchandise! People wear fake little needle fingers over their real fingers!
:Rachel: Yeah, she doesn't seem to mind so long as it keeps bringing her money.
:Sakeena: Maybe seeing people react to her so positively is messing with your head, flaring up jealousy you didn't even know was there.
Unten and Rachel both glance at Sakeena, surprised.
:Unten: That's... actually a really good assessment.
:Rachel: Look at you, psychoanalyzing like a pro.
:Sakeena: Eh, just a guess.
Rachel looks over at Unten.
:Rachel: So you wanna cash in on merchandising so you have that same sort of reaction.
:Unten: Maybe? I don't know.
:Rachel: Well, people already appreciate you plenty just for.. y'know, saving Earth from Six. Maybe a good walk should get all those worries out of your system.
:Unten: Alright then, I guess.
Unten gets up, waving at the two as he heads out the door. Sakeena glances up from her laptop.
:Sakeena: By the way, you should really read my earlier work if you wanna get the chemistry there.
:Rachel: I'll... keep that in mind, I guess.
----
Unten walks down the street, a light rain pouring down. He looks around, noticing a large billboard for sale and putting a hand on his chin.
:Unten: Hm...
Unten smiles a little, still looking at the billboard. He bumps into a man in a blue coat, carrying a stack of books, stumbling down as the stack topples. The man looks down at him and gasps quietly.
:Man with books (in hushed, melodramatic tone)' By god, it's...! ...no, no, wait.
The man helps Unten up, shaking his hand forcefully.
:Man with books: Son of a gun, here comes Un-
The man pauses. He picks up some of his books, Unten handing one to him.
:Unten: You alright?
:Man with books: Oh, absolutely. Sorry for bumping into you, Unten.
:Unten: It was really my fault, mister...
The man hands Unten a card. He looks down and reads it.
:Unten: Oliver.
:Oliver: Don't sweat it. I mean, you must have a lot going on, right? You mysteriously appear out of nowhere, fight an alien menace... you must constantly be busy.
:Unten: Haha, yeah...
:Oliver: Y'know, I... hm.
Unten tilts his head.
:Unten: What's up?
Oliver tilts his head right back before pacing a little.
:Oliver: I know it'd be sudden, but... what if we made your story into a book? 
Unten looks back down at the card. He flips it over and looks surprised.
:Unten: Oceanic Books...?
:Oliver: Best publisher in the business. I work there, and I've written... well, I've written a lot of drafts for books!
:Unten: Hm... well, I have wanted to branch out a little...
:Oliver: It'd be huge! The American public is just begging to know! Who is the man, the myth, the legend? What has shaped you? What have you been doing since facing off with that intergalactic intruder?
:Unten: Well, I'll... I'll try it. Let's do an interview and see how it goes.
:Oliver: Perfect! I'll call up my boss, you just keep that card and call me when you're ready.
Unten nods, walking away with a slight smile. Oliver pulls out and starts dialing up his boss before pausing, his eyes wide.
:Oliver: ...holy shit, this is gonna be my big break! 
----
Unten and Rachel sit in a booth at the Luna Cafe. Unten seems a little anxious and Rachel glances over at him, sipping some coffee.
:Rachel: So... you're getting interviewed by...?
Unten looks down at the business card.
:Unten: Oliver Velton. He bumped into me on the street, realized he could write a book about me.
:Rachel: You sure this isn't some weird set-up?
:Unten: Already one step ahead of you. I looked up the company he works for, it's not some weird... I dunno, ponzi scheme or whatever.
Rachel looks down at the business card.
:Rachel: Cool. If you think it's a good idea, go for it.
Unten nods, leaning back. The two sit quietly for a moment until Oliver rushes in, holding a laptop and adjusting his reading glasses.
:Unten: Oh, there he is!
Unten waves and Oliver smiles, speed-walking to their booth. He sets his laptop on the table and smiles.
:Oliver: Good morning! You ready to-
Oliver glances over at Rachel, adjusting his glasses again.
:Oliver: Oh my god, you're... you-
:Rachel: Yep.
:Oliver: It's an honor meeting you, Unten hadn't said you'd be here too!
:Rachel: Well, this is where we go to get coffee, so...
Rachel shrugs. Oliver tries to keep his cool and nods, opening up the laptop. Morgan walks by, looking at Oliver.
:Morgan: You gonna buy anything?
:Oliver: Just give me a big ol' plate of scones, please. Can't write this guy's biography on an empty stomach.
:Morgan: Coming right up...
Morgan walks off, still watching the three. Oliver looks at Unten, clearly focused.
:Oliver: So, where to start? Your childhood? How you came to Earth? What do you want people to see when they start a literary trip through your history?
:Unten: Well...
The scene shifts to a watercolor-esque artstyle, with a view of Earth.
:Unten: I came to Earth in an escape pod.
:Rachel: And I pulled you out of the desert.
A trail of orange streaks down onto Earth. The scene cuts back to Oliver, munching on a scone while typing intently.
:Oliver: Escape pod?
Unten rubs the back of his neck.
:Unten: Yeah. I was escaping.
The scene goes back to the watercolor style. A silver circle grows farther and farther from a mass of orange.
:Unten: There was... this drill. A bad man made it. He was petty and toxic and cruel and he took my home.
:Oliver: You alright?
The sound of maniacal laughter can be heard faintly, growing louder fast. The scene cuts back to the quiet coffee shop, Unten trembling a bit. Rachel and Oliver are staring at him.
:Oliver: ...so you came to Earth.
Another cut to the watercolors. The vague blue silhoutte of Unten is slumped over in a dark void.
:Unten: I don't know how long I was out there, and when I got here, I wasn't planning on... pushing back. I was okay with just sitting back and rotting.
More silhouttes fade in around Unten. Rachel's pulls him up.
:Unten: Then I realized people still needed me. Six was a huge challenge, but people needed someone to fight her, I guess.
The watercolors all swirl together, forming a strange sigil.
:Unten: I don't know how I beat her, but there was definitely a reason I was the one to do it. Just fate, I guess.
The scene cuts to Oliver smiling as he types, looking at Unten.
:Oliver: This is some good stuff! Good insight on how you think, the real facts about how you came to beat Six... this is going to be a good book.
:Unten: You think so?
:Oliver: Absolutely! We've barely even started and I've gotten some great notes down.
:Rachel: Well, good! I'm glad you're sharing your story, Unten.
Unten nods. Oliver goes back to typing and Rachel pulls Unten a little closer, leaving him visibly flustered.
:Rachel (whispering): Good job opening up about Zeon. Getting interviewed is really gonna do some good for you, I bet.
Unten nods confidently, looking back over at Oliver.
----
Unten sits in Sakeena's living room meditating, clearly deep in focus. A loud ringtone goes off and his eyes jet open. He stumbles a little and grabs his phone, answering.
:Unten: Hello?
The scene switches to a splitscreen perspective. On the right side of the screen, Oliver is walking around the busy offices of Oceanic Books.
:Oliver: Unten! Good to hear from you. I've got good news and bad news.
:Unten: Oh jeez...
:Oliver: No, no, it's cool! The good news is that my boss adores what I've gotten so far. Everyone's scrambling to get this thing fast-tracked!
:Unten: Oh, great!
Oliver smiles before looking more exhausted.
;Oliver: Now for... y'know, the bad news.
Unten takes a deep breath.
:Unten: Just give it to me straight.
:Oliver: The boss loves what I've written... he just doesn't think it'll sell. He wants to make it more... I dunno, marketable? Put an optimistic spin on it, give it some new fancy name.
:Unten: I thought we agreed on Prodi-
:Oliver: He even wants me to write in some romantic angle!
:Unten: What? Why? It's not like I have much romance in my life.
Unten pauses. He rubs his forehead and sighs.
:Unten: No, I mean, I totally DO, but you probably just don't want to hear about... all the girls chasing after me on Zeon... haha...
:Oliver: This is all such bullshit. I'm trying to get your story out for people to read, and all these people ever care about is movie rights and sales.
:Unten: Look, how about you tell them this isn't gonna be some... blockbuster movie franchise? It's a book about a person. I don't want my story to be remembered if it's not really my story.
:Oliver: I'd never get work in this town again. I'm already on thin ice, I've never... actually gotten a pitch published, actually.
Unten groans and sits down on the couch.
:Unten: I'll come over to the office and try to help you find a compromise, then.
:Oliver: Sounds great. See you th-
Oliver bumps into someone carrying a cup of coffee. It spills on his shirt and he drops his phone. The scene cuts back to just Unten, who hears yelling.
:Unten: You alright?
The call is silent for a moment.
:Oliver (over the phone): Yep. See you soon, buddy!
Unten looks down at his phone and shrugs.
----
Unten and Oliver stand around in an elevator, Oliver anxiously tapping his foot against the floor. Unten looks over at him.
:Unten: You worried?
:Oliver: Oh, absolutely. I mean, so much could go wrong!
Unten pats Oliver on the back.
:Unten: I'm not gonna let you get fired over this. You deserve better than that.
:Oliver: Thanks. You've been really good about all this. Like, really cool and approachable?
:Unten: Thanks.
:Oliver: Always hoped you'd be cool and approachable. Like, aliens start showing up and me? I'm just here thinking "what the hell", and then you fought that other alien and I'm still over here like "holy shit, who even IS this guy" and now I'm writing your story and you're... really just like anyone else! And that's awesome!
Unten smiles. The elevator stops and the door opens, Oliver walking out. Unten follows along, adjusting his scarf.
:Oliver: So, my boss's name is Maxwell. Maxwell Abblet, he's gonna insist you call him Maxwell but what he REALLY wants is to be called Mr. Abblet.
:Unten: That's weird.
:Oliver: Nah, just business tactics. Anyways, let me start us off.
Unten nods. Oliver knocks on a door at the end of the hall and a brown-haired man answers it.
:Maxwell's assistant: Mr. Abblet, your 4'o clock meeting.
:Maxwell: Ah, yes. Bring them in.
The assistant steps aside and Oliver steps in. Unten sticks his head in and looks around the office before walking in, sitting down in a sleek blue chair. Maxwell spins his chair to face the two. He's an oddly tall man who's scrunched up in a chair much too small for him.
:Maxwell: Oh, would you look at that! The guest of honor himself.
Maxwell reaches to Unten, who shakes his hand.
:Unten: Good to meet you, Mr. Abblet.
:Maxwell: Oh, please, call me Maxwell. My father was Mr. Abblet.
Oliver clears his throat.
:Oliver: Mr. Abblet, we came here to discuss Unten's biography.
:Maxwell: Soon-to-be best seller, Zeon Falling: The Life and Times of our Intergalactic Savior?
Unten frowns. Maxwell glances at him and Oliver panics, stammering a bit. Maxwell looks back at him.
:Oliver: Unten has... mild concerns. The mildest damn concerns I've ever seen, really!
Oliver gestures at Unten. Unten looks at him, confused. Oliver mouths "start talking" to him.
:Unten: Oh, right! I just want to make sure that my life is being represented accurately.
:Maxwell: I assure you, any changes made are for the general audiences.
:Unten: Well, I, for one, think the general audiences can handle something bittersweet.
Maxwell leans back and puts his legs on his desk. He pulls a flask from his pocket and Oliver looks terrified.
:Oliver (whispering): Oh, shit, he's getting the flask out.
:Maxwell: Unten, I respect your work. You're the reason we're here talking today, really. I can understand your perspective, but in this business, we think we know our readers.
:Unten: I can understand you too, Mr. Abblet, but I mean... I've opened up about a lot. It's hard for me to talk about my past, but if I can overcome that, I want people to be able to... know me. Not as some big ideal hero, but as a person.
:Oliver (whispering): Shit. Shit.
Maxwell leans back up, slamming his flask into the desk. He smiles, although it's clearly fake.
:Maxwell: I promise we can keep in touch on the matter, then.
Oliver stands up and nods. Unten seems confused but he stands up too. Oliver starts walking out and pulls Unten along. The two stand in the hall and Oliver keeps kicking the wall.
:Oliver: God. Fucking. Damn it.
:Unten: We gotta...
:Oliver: That's his "this is done" flask, man! We're screwed!
Unten leans against the wall. He looks conflicted, but nods to himself and looks to Oliver, determined.
:Unten: I... I have an idea. It's not going to be easy, but I have an idea.
Oliver looks at him and adjusts his glasses again. He nods and Unten walks off, taking deep breaths.
----
Unten is sitting down in a folding chair in a parking garage, Oliver pacing in circles nearby. Rachel and Sakeena drive by slowly on Rachel's motorcycle, Sakeena breathing heavily.
:Rachel: You alright?
:Sakeena: Motion sickness. Nothing to worry about.
Rachel nods and parks, the two stepping off. Sakeena enthusiacally runs up and shakes Oliver's hand.
:Oliver: Oh, hello there, you must be-
:Sakeena: Sakeena Kamel! Sorry if this is weird, I've just never really been around like, a professional writer!
:Oliver: It's fine, thank you both for coming to help us with this interview.
:Rachel: No problem.
:Sakeena: Yeah, no problem! Let me just get my laptop ready.
Sakeena sets her bag down and pulls out her laptop, opening it slowly and stepping a little closer to Oliver. She has her archive of fanfictions pulled up.
:Sakeena: Haha, how did all that... casual, unprofessional writing get there?
Sakeena keeps scrolling down. Unten seems puzzled.
:Sakeena: Wow, haha, not like I'd ever be... y'know, hypothetically speaking, looking to make a career out of all this writing I do.
Oliver laughs awkwardly, adjusting his coat. Sakeena finally stops scrolling and sits down on the ground.
:Sakeena: Anyways, you said you wanted me to type up this interview?
:Oliver: Correct. We also need a recording.
Rachel pulls out her phone and Oliver gives her a thumbs-up.
:Oliver: I think seeing Unten talk with me could convince Mr. Abblet to hold off on altering his story so much.
:Rachel: Yeah, Unten was telling me about it earlier. Something about making his life sound more 'appealing'?
:Oliver: Well, we're here today to show Oceanic that while Unten's story isn't the happiest one, it's one that's gotta be told. Isn't that right, Unten?
Unten seems utterly spaced out. Oliver snaps his fingers and Unten looks over at him, nodding.
:Unten: Right, right! Sorry, I was... up kind of late thinking about what to say.
:Oliver: It's fine. Rachel, you can start recording...
Oliver runs over to Unten, pulling another folding chair to him. He sits down and counts down with his fingers. Rachel starts recording and Unten clears his throat.
:Unten: Hello there, I'm Unten. You probably know me from... well... y'know.
:Oliver: And I am Oliver Velton, Unten's biographer. Over the last two weeks, I've been talking to Unten and writing out his life's story. Today, we'd like to give you a look into these interviews, and perhaps... persuade you to not change the source material so much.
Oliver turns to look at Unten, crossing his legs.
:Oliver: So, Unten, over these sessions, what would you say we've covered most?
:Unten: Well... my life back home, my trip here, how I've adjusted. That sort of thing.
:Oliver: Right. You were a hero back on Zeon, and now you're a hero here. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Unten nods. He seems jittery and anxious, resting his head in one hand.
:Oliver: So, what else do you think there is to cover?
Unten pauses. Rachel and Sakeena seem concerned, and Oliver tries to remain calm for the video.
:Unten: ...well... we haven't talked much about my friends back on Zeon.
:Oliver: If this is too tough to talk about, we don't have to.
:Unten: No, no. I needed to overcome it eventually.
Unten takes a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling.
:Unten: It's weird, but... a lot of the people who've shaped me didn't always like me. Mioda was jealous, Netnu was spiteful... but in the end, somehow they becae my friends.
:Oliver: How would you describe your relationships back there, then?
:Unten: Well, me and Mioda go way back. I ended up in her hometown by... pretty much just chance. I was running. Still not sure what from, but... I knew I had to run. She didn't like that I was chosen to be the hero, but a couple years alone really helped her. She found herself, and she's just as much a hero as me.
:Oliver: And this... Netnu was what you said, correct?
Unten laughs a little to himself.
:Unten: He hated my guts. He was a part of this whole... gladiator fight club, and I ended up fighting him. He wanted an honorable death, but really I think he was just misguided. Misguided, and really suggestable.
:Oliver: So why do you... regard him as a friend?
:Unten: Because in the end, he wasn't a bad guy. Eventually he just... channeled all that aggresion into being better then that petty, misguided fighter. He had something to fight for, just as much as I did.
:Oliver: I see. It seems like a lot of your friends kind of... gravitated towards that role of helping people.
:Unten: Yeah. Sia and Boare... they wanted to be heroes too. They might still be out there, actually. They left before... the drill...
Unten looks down, groaning. Rachel looks worried for a moment.
:Unten: Then there's... Zerita.
:Oliver: What were they like?
:Unten: She wasn't always the best at communicating, and we didn't always get along. Months could go by where we just didn't talk.
:Oliver: Was she your friend in the end, though?
Unten looks up at Oliver. He's crying a bit.
:Unten: The best friend I've ever had.
Unten smiles fondly, glancing back up at the ceiling.
:Unten: Everything she did, she did because she saw potential in me. She wanted me to be better, and even when things were rough, she made me better. I wasn't always some hero.
A silent montage of scenes rolls by. Unten sees Mioda shoot down a Grimebot. Netnu fights off a swarm of enemies, giving Unten a thumbs up as he runs after Doomulus Grime. Sia hands Unten a striped scarf. Unten and Zerita run for escape pods, but the ground crumbles beneath Zerita's feet.
:Unten: These people... they're the ones who made me feel like one, though.
Unten wipes some tears from his eyes and smiles. Oliver looks like he's on the brink of crying too.
:Oliver (choked up): Thank you for the interview, Unten.
Rachel stops recording. Oliver hugs Unten, and Rachel and Sakeena run up to join.
:Oliver: That was beautiful, man.
:Rachel: You did great opening up.
:Sakeena: I'm sure they'd be proud of you.
Unten smiles. He closes his eyes and hugs everyone back.
:Unten: You think it'll work?
----
Unten and Oliver sit behind a table in a book store. A stack of books is beside them. Someone picks one up and the camera focuses on the cover; a tall, very realistically drawn bear with vaguely blue fur, holding a heavily exaggerated scantily clad woman with cat ears.
:Unten (heavily disinterested): Hello there, welcome to-
The camera pans up. Rachel is holding the book.
:Unten: Oh! Rachel, thanks for coming out to this!
:Rachel: No problem. I mean, even if the book sucks, I figured I should support you two.
:Oliver: Thanks a ton.
Rachel hands the two the book, along with some cash. Oliver signs his name on the cover, pauses, and adds "please burn this book". Unten snickers and signs his name too, handing back to Rachel, who laughs.
:Rachel: Will do. We can talk later, don't wanna hold up the line...
Rachel walks off, Unten leaning back. X-Ray is next in line.
:Unten: Oh, hey there! Usually don't see you without...
Leah steps out of line from behind X-Ray.
:Unten: ...Leah.
:Leah: So you actually wrote a book, huh? Thought it might be a joke.
:Unten: Before you judge it, they really did change a lot...
Leah picks up one of the books and laughs as she looks at the cover. She shows it to X-Ray, who giggles a little.
:Leah: Holy shit, talk about a best seller, am I right?
:Unten: Don't lie, I'm sure you've had a bad experience with merchandise too...
:Leah: Never said I didn't. This is just on a whole different level. There's trying to get me to endorse ginger ale, and then there's... all this!
:Oliver: So, you want us to sign it?
:Leah: Every copy you have. I'll buy 'em all. Maybe make a cool jacket out of the covers, or give them to charity.
Leah pulls out a credit card and Unten laughs.
:Oliver: Unten, I don't think she's joking.
:Leah: I'm not.
Leah turns around, cupping her hands over her mouth and shouting.
:Leah: SORRY, FOLKS! GOTTA WAKE UP REAL EARLY IF YOU WANT YOUR SHITTY BOOK!
People groan and mumble, the line dispersing. Leah turns back around and shrugs.
:Leah: Best get signing. Me and X-Ray will be back in a bit...
Leah puts her arm around X-Ray and the two walk off to look at books. Unten and Oliver sigh deeply, Oliver putting his legs on the table.
:Oliver: Sorry I couldn't publish the real story.
:Unten: You tried. Besides, now you're a successful author!
Oliver smiles.
:Oliver: Maybe one day I'll write my own autobiography... The Story of Oliver Velton: How Total Shit Made Me A Superstar.
Unten and Oliver laugh, picking up their pens and getting to work on signing.
:Oliver: I'll keep in touch, alright? Self-publishing is an option, or I could use all this success to leverage a better job...
:Unten: Thanks, Oliver.
:Oliver: Thank you, man. Thanks to you, now I'm... at least I have the opportunity to write something good.
Unten smiles. The final shot is of Unten and Oliver's names scribbled on one of the books.
THE END
==Characters==
*Unten
*Leah Needlenam
*X-Ray
*Rachel Harel
*Sakeena Kamel