No Man's Land/Synopsis

**NOTE: MANY OF THE PLOT POINTS HERE ARE VERY PROOF-OF-CONCEPT. I DIDN'T WANT MY CREATIVE DRIVE TO FADE WHILE WAITING FOR YOU GUYS TO GET ON CHAT SO I DECIDED I'D JUST STORE THEM HERE, LETTING THEM FLOW UNINTERRUPTED. DISCUSSION ABOUT IT IS WELCOME AT ALL TIMES UNTIL FINALIZATION.**

Picking up immediately after the previous episode left off, Rashard and Mig sit atop a skyscraper watching the storm die down. The lights in the city begin to go out and clouds clear, keeping the electrified dome in view. When they return to ground level, they are caught off-guard by an additional spark of electricity appearing near where the electric creature they encountered was destroyed. They realize it was triggered by a piece of metal in the area, and find a scorched necklace with the word STOCKER written on it. They assume that the reason the creature survived for so long was because the necklace was an additional conductor of electricity. Questions remain: was it really a human they saw? If that's true and he was wearing this necklace, what connection does it have? Was the man's name Stocker? They ponder this before disappearing into the night scouting for any occurrences triggered by the storm. What they don't see is a strange, shadowy entity stalking them around.

### 2017

Back when Earth was relatively similar to the present day, a youth named Trevor Mann lived as a somewhat strange, shy and sensitive cynic strongly opposed to the role technology had in today's world. He was no nerd, but his life seemed completely disconnected from anything digital besides basic cable TV. He'd heard of and seen too much damage caused by technology on classmates in the college he went to. Everyone was so compelled to share everything they saw, heard and felt online. He knew exactly how deluded they were into a false sense of security.

He is seen purchasing a coffee at a local vendor outdoors, but he's so triggered by his sentiments that he'd urge anyone around him to use technology sparingly. He writes down the cost of his order on paper and asks the vendor to "store it aside", but the confused vendor scoffs him off and assures him that the store's digital records will suffice. He sees the line full of people on their phones and becomes extremely tense, but promptly decides to leave.

Rashard and Mig are wandering the streets of the city finding nothing but small spots of wreckage. They suddenly spot a light source glimmering far in the distance. They scale a sufficient height and see a rather tall building sparking with light. Improvising, Rashard flattens himself into a sort of "metal surfboard" which Mig uses as a platform to propel himself into the air using blasts of heat. This works to some extent until they are surprised by a gigantic trench separating two large sections of a city. After a violent crash-landing, they realize it was formerly an ocean (the word "ocean" triggers some flashy images in their heads). They get up inside the dried seafloor and are able to view the building a little closer. The letters "STO" are visible with the rest being cut off by other buildings in the way. Immediately assuming that it says "Stocker", they begin to climb up to the bridge separating the islands.

### 2018

The same building is in fact Stocker University. It's quite an impressive-looking campus - a modern development of metropolitan architecture separated by beautiful gardens and fountains. The city surrounding it also looks quite new. Trevor, meanwhile, is a student at the university. In his dorm, he opens up his computer, which is practically devoid of any application besides the coding platform for one of his classes. His roommate tells him that Trevor's mother called the roommate's phone asking about Trevor. Reluctantly, Trevor dials his mother and she picks up, surprised to learn he has a phone again. He says it's to reach his girlfriend, which is also news to his mother. She's joyed to learn that her son is making some friends but asks him to reinstall Skype on his computer so she can reach him easily. She feels lonely and it's implied that she's a single mother. He refuses, making comments on how anything social nowadays always scares him, which is why he stays away from making too many friends. His mother claims that technology is the only way students get ahead in being successful nowadays but Trevor angrily disagrees before hanging up.

Rashard and Mig have reached a point on the bridge at which it's split in half, with the other side drooping down to a mangled cluster of debris. They narrowly make it across individually before they spot "Stocker University" in the distance. Assuming that the creature they encountered was formerly the founder of the university, they continue to head towards it until they start seeing lights in the street reactivate. A billboard pops up with messages that begin to communicate with them, with the messenger saying they "watched them" and that they "have a story to share". It asks them to "follow me" before a door automatically opens into a building. They cautiously follow with other TV screens nearby starting to display more messages, including "your only sign of hope is something that rid you of all your past hope" followed by "interesting". They end up in a dark corridor full of large glass-walled rooms filled with computers.

### 2019

Trevor is sitting in front of a computer, stressfully coding something while several students crowd the halls around him. His girlfriend Cassie shows up and reminds him it's ten minutes into lunchtime. He says he wants to finish the assignment to take a break from "slaving away to his overlords". She lets him be and decides to go browse Facebook with her friends as she's not hungry. This triggers Trevor, who closes the application without saving his work and agrees to have lunch with Cassie. She's initially confused but they head to the cafeteria. During lunch, Trevor continuously tells her to get off the phone, which starts to get on her nerves.

Another student, Cole, appears with his friends and confronts Trevor over a missing project file regarding some "viral marketing campaign" for his class presidency. Trevor admits he deleted the files from Cole's computer but put it on a hard drive, demanding he doesn't share it. Cole is appalled and confused as to how to market his campaign and Trevor angrily suggests resorting to posters, etc. Cole starts to laugh at him until Trevor starts to get physical. A nearby professor breaks them up and sends Trevor back to his dorm. The nearby TV suddenly begins to broadcast a news report of "controversial science project leaked" (implies Trident). Trevor tries to reinforce his point about tech ruining everything but the other bullies converge in, roughly dragging him into his dorm and attacking him until Cassie ushers them away.

Mig and Rashard wait until several computer screens start to turn on. They display messages saying how the only thing they could be attracted to now is what sealed their fate many years ago. The two demand to know what their messenger "remembers", but all it can tell them is that it remembers "the worst part of the past and nothing else". It turns on a trail of lights that lead them to a balcony overlooking the campus... the buildings ahead all have their lights reactivated. The two are stunned and beg the messenger to keep it this way. The messages claim that "this way" is the "delusion of prosperity that led the blinded into their deathtrap". It wants to "show them the right way". Suddenly one of the buildings' power overloads and it collapses. The two react in horror. The messages say "I knew it, you're just as blinded. You need work. Thankfully there's time." Suddenly the platforms around the balcony mechanically give way and the two are thrown to their deaths hundreds to feet below. They survive, of course, landing in the courtyard. Another screen appears and tells them "I'm convinced you can fight this. See how dangerous this gets?" They respond by saying they can definitely "fight it" and start threatening their messenger. The messages respond with remarks on how this abuse of power was what society "enabled itself" with before "rightfully witnessing the consequences". Mig and Rashard remain thoroughly confused, but the messenger says that it knows how much they're struggling to remember their past. It wants them to let it "teach them". They demand actual facts.

### Early 2020

Trevor is now commonly considered a "freak" among several of his classmates even though they've all been spooked by the Trident leak. Cassie is in fact interning at a "tech division" of a scientific research company which she discovered was owned by Trident Labs following the leak. Scientists there have been frequenting press conferences sharing details as to how it was an ambitious project designed to "change the world" and they simply "needed more time" before sharing a refined vision. Trevor is disgusted by their so-called "lies". Meanwhile, Cole, the student he confronted earlier, failed his class presidency campaign and his friend count as decreased quite a bit.

One evening on a weekend, Cassie tells Trevor she plans to head to a party later in the night. Trevor becomes immensely distressed and starts to lecture her on the safety issues, until she finally snaps and tells him she can't take how overbearing he's becoming. Trevor says she has accepted him for who he is and that she should know how strongly he feels about social activities. She angrily reminds him that he isn't her "babysitter" before storming off. Trevor is paranoid as to whether or not she's actually going and decides he needs to make up his mind fast.

Pained, Trevor catches up with Cassie and tells her that she's the only one who's ever truly understood him to some extent and that he realizes it's impossible to empathize with him. He doesn't want to lose her and agrees to let her go, but begs that she don't speak about it digitally. Cassie remains reluctant but thanks Trevor for at least understanding some of her troubles.

Mig and Rashard's messenger stays quiet, so they decide to head to the part of the city that was momentarily reactivated. They plan to look for a power source somewhere but several lights start up again, with billboard-cast messages notifying them that their messenger is in full control. Another building is destroyed and the messenger tells them that this was what it felt like for those who saw how poisoned people were by the digital world. The two beg the messenger to tell them why it's doing this. It replies "to make you understand. I need to you accept what I've told you as the truth. I need you to accept that your gravitation to the ghosts of the past will result in you perishing yet again. And this time you won't wake up." Rashard asks the messenger to tell them why it feels technology sealed Earth's fate. The messenger offers to show them instead of telling them and requests that they reach the top floor of the skyscraper at the center of the Stocker University campus.

### 2020

Trevor is seen at strange camera angles and lighting effects, in extreme pain and stress looking at his computer screen. It's intercut by segments of Cassie and her friends partying... and drinking. They take pictures of themselves, but Cole is seen in the distance taking a closely-timed picture of Cassie fumbling about with a bottle of beer. These pictures are the ones Trevor is staring at on Cole's Facebook page. Cassie returns to the dorm and his berated by Trevor, who is reduced to tears. She starts to argue with him drunkenly before passing out on the couch. The following morning, she's disoriented by blurry images of the previous night, finding Trevor gone. She groggily checks her email and is appalled to find a letter from Trident labs, dismissing her from her internship, and including a link to the Facebook photo. Outside her dorm, a staff member is waiting for her, telling her the dean would like to have a word.

Mig and Rashard take a lengthy elevator ride to the top of the skyscraper. However, when they make it to the top, the window overlooking the city sees at least five more buildings in ashes. They spot the silhouette of a man standing there. Mig attacks him but it's merely a hologram... of Trevor. The words "ACCEPT THIS" are projected on the window before a new Trevor hologram appears, now with sound. He explains that the only way to save them from "succumbing to the monsters and becoming slaves again" is to say a quick and thorough goodbye to the world that came before them. He says it was too "consumed beyond repair". Rashard furiously asks if he was responsible for whatever happened to the Earth. Trevor denies, but says he'd feel proud if he were. He says the "last feeling he could remember before waking up was satisfaction, a feeling of being at peace" and that he "hates waking up to the same nightmare after it was all over". They ask him what happened.

Trevor's hologram looks down with a somber expression. Images are seen of him standing over Cassie's gravestone before they "glitch" and fade into static, triggering some facial twitching from the hologram. Rashard asks what happened again. Trevor says he "can't remember", that he "wishes he could show them, but that this is the only way he can right now". He overloads the machines inside the tower and causes it to collapse. His face starts to appear across the billboards and Rashard and Mig threaten to "find him". He says that "he is everywhere" and that "they are at his mercy", adding that "he was in the same position as they were for his entire life" and that "humanity finally witnessed what he witnessed" before they "got what was coming to them".

### 2020

Trevor checks Cole's Facebook page on his phone while walking down the street. It includes info on places he likes to hang out at over the weekend. Trevor goes hunting for him at several bars and stores before finally spotting him outside a nightclub with several friends, speaking libelously about Cassie. Trevor confronts Cole, asking him why he "shouldn't have shared his entire life online". Cole asks why, and Trevor responds "because it's how I found you" before shooting him three times in the chest, scaring away his other friends.

Trevor explains that his nightmares became a reality "firsthand" but he "never did enough". He's heard narrating over sequences of Rashard and Mig running away from exploding cars, TV's and internal servers through overload. These scenes are intercut by flashbacks of Trevor being apprehended by the police and escorted through the precinct. Trevor appears on a TV screen in front of a collapsed skyscraper and tells them that while he never did enough to stop his nightmares, "society did it for him." While he reactivates and overloads the holographic roads and digital systems, the flashbacks show the Earth exploding. This time, however, we get it from a streetside level as buildings get crushed like soda cans. Inside the precinct, supercharged lightning strikes and scorches everything. Trevor, however, is hit by a surge coming from one of the servers nearby, which got overloaded. Instead of dying, his body holographically dissolves and is literally absorbed into the computers, with his freely floating conscience being unleashed into the digital open.

Trevor's voice echoes simultaneously throughout every screen in the island, saying how this is the only way Mig and Rashard can be prevented from "digging their own grave". Mig demands to know why Trevor can't just tell them what happened, but Trevor insists that "this is what happened", and that it's "all he remembers". Suddenly, a purple strike of lightning zigzags into a blur that appears for a split second, travelling through the city and intercepting the CPU overload in most buildings. The lights suddenly go out once the circuit has been cut off. Trevor's digital conscience, which was confined to the power circuits running through the island, rapidly fades. Trevor dies apologizing, with his distorted voice telling Mig and Rashard to "make the right choice". In a split second, sparks fly out inside all the buildings in the island.

In the distance, this is seen through a window in a deep pit surrounded by concrete walls and wreckage. Deep within the darkness, a silhouette awakens, outlined by a gentle fire.