[11 years ago…]

  (Far back, this long ago, several scientists transport a hospital bed to a massive laboratory, with a surgical team preparing their instruments inside. Laying on that bed and held in place on it is a nine-year old boy with a bald head, brown eyes, and a darker skin tone, his mouth forcefully shut with a strong tape: this was Stone a long time ago. The team of surgeons take in the patient and surround him, putting on their face masks in preparation. The young Stone can’t even tilt his head, forced to look up. His pupils narrow and shake in intense horror as he stares at the dim light in the laboratory, unable to look at anything else.)

  Surgeon 1A: Why isn’t he sedated?

  Surgeon 1B: The operation requires so. For this transfer of Surge Energy to be effective, he needs to remain fully conscious and in optimal physical condition.

  (The surgeons coldly exchange nods and collect their tools and instruments, with a small tank of green, viscous fluid of Surge Energy glowing nearby. The rest of their dialogue remains incomprehensible to Stone, who panickedly and tearfully hyperventilates despite his forcefully shut mouth. His body starts trembling involuntarily, and he violently tries to break out of the cuffs with a muffled yell, but he can’t even move an inch, his body forced into a sort of immobilization so complete that even his involuntary shaking is halted. And so, the surgeons turn their attention back to him with their tools in hand, emotionless despite the boy’s desperate and muffled cries and yells, and outside this laboratory, his muffled screams only get louder and louder as the surgery begins.)

  (After a couple of hours, a younger Commander Cromwell heads towards the laboratory with her hands behind her back and a firm look on her face, her calm and collected steps echoing against the floor. The soldiers standing on guard at the entrance let her inside, and as she enters, she sets eyes on an unconscious Stone inside a containment tank.)

  Commander Cromwell: (turning to one of the scientists) Status report.

  Scientist 1A: We can at least confirm that the transfer of Surge Energy into the boy’s soul was successful. He’s showing more powerful energy signatures, meaning that he has possibly acquired the potential to develop a Surge.

  Commander Cromwell: (firmly) If everything goes as planned, this would be proof that we can grant power to naturally Surge-less individuals, thus expanding our options. We might as well put him to the test… starting from tomorrow.

  They called it training, but Stone learned early that the word was just a cleaner way to describe endurance. At nine years old, he was dragged through a year of endless drills meant to break something inside him so the Earth Surge would finally answer. Days began before sunrise and ended long after his legs stopped cooperating, buried under weighted gear, forced to hold impossible stances while instructors barked that pain was proof he was close. They buried him in sand to “teach him pressure,” made him run until he collapsed to “awaken resilience,” locked him in silent stone chambers for hours so he would “hear the earth speak.” When nothing happened, the regime only tightened. Aegis believed Surges emerged when the body reached its limit — so they kept pushing his limits further, convinced the failure

  was his fault.

  But Stone never awakened anything. The earth stayed silent, no matter how hard they tried to grind him into it. Bruises faded, exhaustion passed, and still there was nothing waiting beneath his skin. What remained instead was resentment, carved deeper each day as he realized the truth long before they did: this wasn’t about helping him discover power. It was about proving their theory right. By the end of the year, he wasn’t stronger — just quieter, tougher in the way something becomes when it learns resistance is pointless. The Earth Surge never came, yet Aegis never gave up, not out of faith in Stone, but faith in their methods, that their theory is undoubtedly true. Perhaps it needs time. Perhaps Stone is just too weak. This oppressive regime seemed to never end… until that day.

  (In the midst of a burning, chaotic, noisy research facility, with armed forces stuck between escorting the researchers and apparently hunting down a group of escapees, Stone exhaustedly walks alone in a corridor, having lost his pursuers. He stops panting and starts running once again, and it’s in that moment that he comes across a younger group of six-year old kids: Boltix, a boy with blue and yellow spiky hair and yellow; Jackpot, a boy with long orange hair, hazel eyes, and a pot permanently attached to his back; and Mistrick, a girl with silver hair tied into a ponytail and black eyes.)

  Boltix: (blankly) Oh. Hey there.

  (Stone ends up joining them as they all escape from the burning research facility and end up loose in the moonlit forest outside. Behind them, the inferno swallows the entire facility, collapsing into itself. They all turn, breathing hard, their small faces unreadable. The flames reflect in their wide eyes as the four kids stare for a moment then slowly turn away, walking into the forest shadows with not the faintest clue of what to do next.)

  (Since then, the four kids wandered around in search of comfort, traveling through towns and cities, and this takes them to the alleys of Reno, where they each hold a single loaf of warm bread, generously provided thanks to Jackpot’s Creation Surge.)

  Mistrick: (disappointed) A loaf of bread? That’s all you can manage?

  Jackpot: (rolling his eyes) I can’t create much stuff yet. You should be grateful for it. And hey, at least I kept it warm.

  Mistrick: (sighing deeply) If you say so.

  (It’s then that they come across a well-dressed woman in her late teenage years, wealthy in appearance, or rather more precisely, she comes across them. She was a young woman with blond hair wearing a stylish blue blouse and a dash of red lipstick: this was none other than Sylvia Anderson. She manages to see the way Jackpot pulled those loaves of bread out of his pot, which fascinates her. The kids notice her and flinch in surprise, but she simply grins slyly.)

  Sylvia: (slyly) This is interesting.

  Stone: (gritting his teeth) Who are you? What do you want?

  Sylvia: (raising her hands in surrender) Don’t act too tense, kids. I was just intrigued by what I saw. (turning to Jackpot) Did you really pull this bread out of your pot? Like… just create it?

  Jackpot: Um… yeah.

  Sylvia: (with a faint smirk) You kids are rather… unique. I can tell just by looking at you. Listen, I know people who’ll pay handsomely for your services. I can help you with that. I’ll provide you with somewhere to live comfortably and cover your expenses, and you receive the majority of the money you’ll collect from your bounties and all that. Just asking for a little share, that’s all. We can discuss the details back at my place.

  Mistrick: (skeptically) How can we trust you?

  Sylvia: (chuckling a bit) I can’t really do anything to hurt you. After all, compared to you kids… I’m powerless, aren’t I?

  Boltix: You haven’t given us a name, you know?

  Sylvia: (grinning) Oh, sorry. In any case, my name’s Sylvia Anderson. Just Sylvia will do.

  (Ever since that encounter, those four kids moved in with Sylvia Anderson, getting introduced to the Grand Mirage, her successful casino, and getting accustomed to their humble apartment. As the years pass, they continue training and developing their Surges. They even help Sylvia unlock a Surge of her own before the age of twenty, the Casino Royale Surge. Inside the apartment, she manages to land a diamond projectile at a fruit, slicing it precisely in half.)

  Sylvia: (grinning) Ha!

  (Boltix, Mistrick, and Jackpot join her in her excitement, and they all laugh together, but Stone remains distant, watching them and reacting with only a firm nod while crossing his arms and laying his back on the ground.)

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  They continued taking on one assignment after the other with incredible ease: Boltix with his Kinetic Surge, Jackpot with his Creation Surge, Mistrick with her Mist Surge, and Stone with his physical strength. Together, they were the Sparks, one of the most famous bounty hunters in the criminal underworld. As the years passed, those kids became teenagers, and Stone became a young adult at the age of twenty. However, his wounds never healed, and it only took some motivation from Infinity’s side to reawaken his vengeance.

  Infinity: My ultimate endeavor… is to annihilate Aegis… and end the feckless misuse and exploitation of Surges. You’ve seen the consequences of this perpetually insatiable craving for undeserved power. It was forced upon you. You were reduced to a mere experiment. I see the best of you, and it’s nothing like that. (extending the Catalyst to him) Grab this, Stone, and join my crusade. Let your anger and hatred strengthen you. Let us end this pitiful world of Surges.

  Even after his defeat, Infinity knew better than to give up on him, and after a few days… he was reborn with a new identity.

  [A week ago…]

  (Back inside a remote tower in Alaska, Infinity skips past several monitors and screens to arrive in front of a sealed container filled with green liquid and energized by the Catalyst. Inside the container is a mysterious, hooded figure dressed in black with its face obscured by a glowing neon red symbol, currently in a period of stasis. Infinity places his hand on the container and glances at the figure, the purple infinity sign on his mask glowing with intent.)

  Infinity: Your time has come… Hollow.

  By acquiring the Overdrive Surge, the ability to freely utilize the overflowing and previously unusable Surge Energy in his being, Stone has become… Hollow.

  [Present time…]

  (Back at the present, inside Aegis Headquarters, specifically in a wide, empty room, Boltix, Jackpot, Mistrick, and Sylvia remain frozen in place, staring at the unmasked Hollow, revealed to be Stone all along. He glances at them as well with his grim eyes, while Ethan’s momentary surprise at Stone’s decision to reveal himself quickly fades, his chilling detachment returning. The deafening silence continues for a while, with the Sparks still reeling from the shock of seeing Stone, but soon, Boltix speaks up.)

  Boltix: (muttering) Stone… is that… you? Really? All along… it was you.

  Mistrick: (still in shock) I… had a feeling it was you all along. There was no trace of you inside the tower… and then this masked fighter showed up all of a sudden. It… made sense. But… we wanted to save you.

  Stone (Hollow): (grimacing) I didn’t need saving. The way I see it… it’s you who need saving. All of you.

  Sylvia: (stunned) You… sided with Infinity, the same person who abducted you. Why?

  Stone: (gritting his teeth and snapping at them) Because he opened my eyes to the truth I ignored! Aegis destroyed our lives! They… destroyed me! They forced me to become a weapon and pummeled me over and over again! They ruined our lives! And for what? Nothing! And then we had to fight for a living in a world that only sees us for what we can provide!

  Sylvia: (concerned) Stone…

  Stone: (bowing his head, clenching his fists) I didn’t see my worth. I thought I didn’t deserve anything more than this life. But then Infinity showed me otherwise. He showed me that I matter. He showed me that others will suffer the same way I did. He gave me power, purpose, meaning, and determination. He’ll guide us to true salvation, and I’ll lay waste to this world down to its rotten core for the cause.

  Jackpot: (grimacing worriedly) But… what about us? We’re supposed to be in this together. We’re a team.

  Stone: (looking up at them, firmly) And I’m grateful for it. That’s why… I want you to join us… and take part in the revolution. We’ll end our suffering together… and ensure that it never occurs to anyone else ever again.

  Boltix: (frowning) We already told you. We don’t have anything to do with this. We’re just… us. We’re not in for any grander scheme. We simply go on with our lives, having each other to rely on. We don’t need this. You don’t need this either.

  Mistrick: We understand what you’ve gone through, Stone, but don’t do something you might regret.

  Stone: (snapping at them) Understand?! You think you understand?! No… you don’t understand anything! I stand before you now, offering you your chance at retribution against a world that has always opposed the likes of you, and yet you so selfishly express contentment with the status quo! What purpose do you serve anyway?! What meaning do you cling to in your lives?!

  Jackpot: (desperately) We don’t need one! None of us do! Please, Stone! Come back! We don’t need to get involved in anything anymore!

  Stone: (approaching him, his electric neon red aura intensifying in anger) I don’t want to come back to this! The mask I don… the master I serve… the cause I believe in… that’s my purpose! And I’ll — !

  Ethan: (coldly) Hollow.

  (Stone is snapped out of his moment of anger when Ethan so coldly calls to him with his alias, as if a chill went down his spine. He turns to him in surprise, seeing how detached and emotionless he has become, but he firmly nods, understanding what the two of them must do now. As he approaches Ethan, he pulls out his mask and puts it on again, but then Boltix uses his Kinetic Surge to break free from the ice, walking after Stone through gritted teeth.)

  Boltix: (gritting his teeth) Stop this, Stone! This isn’t what we do! (placing a hand on his shoulder) You don’t have to — !

  (However, Stone violently pushes away that hand, knocking him back, and then he turns to him and lands a powerful, energized punch at his gut. Boltix glances at him in shock in this brief moment, seeing that he has already donned his mask and hood once again, and he gets sent crashing into the wall, much to his friends’ shock. Stone and Ethan then stand beside each other, the former charging up his hand with a bit of Infinity’s shadowy energy, but then they get interrupted.)

  Shay: Ethan?

  (Ethan’s pupils widen as he hears that familiar voice, his palms slightly and involuntarily shaking. He slowly turns around and sees none other than Shay, staring at him with narrow pupils and a mouth gaping in shock. His hands shake, forcing him to drop the weapon he was holding.)

  Shay: (muttering in disbelief) Wha’ are ya doin’, Ethan? Why’re ya standin’ with… him?

  Ethan: (quietly) Mr. Shay.

  Shay: (worriedly) Don’t tell me. No… ye wouldn’t do that. This ain’t ye, wee one. C’mon, lad. Let’s get outta here.

  (Ethan continues staring at Shay for a bit too long, lost for words, but he turns to Stone instead, passing him a single nod with his best attempt at a detached expression. Receiving that nod, Stone promptly opens up a portal for the two of them to leave, much to Shay’s shock, who desperately runs off after Ethan. However, Ethan freezes him in place as well, tiredness and sorrow apparent in his detachment.)

  Shay: (desperately, his voice breaking) Come back, Ethan! Don’t be goin’ with them! Think abou’ yer home! Yer mom and dad! Why’re ye doin’ this?! Why side wit’ them?!

  Ethan: (quietly, a slight rasp in my voice) I have to. I’m sorry.

  (And so, Ethan simply turns back to the portal, seeing Stone pass through it, and then he steps into the portal as well. With that, the two of them leave a deafening silence behind. Boltix, Jackpot, Mistrick, and Sylvia remain still in shock, while Shay bows his head in disbelief. After only a brief moment, Jax, Proxy, Pulse, and Gauntlet arrive along with several soldiers led by Commander Cromwell and Commander Locke. The soldiers use their weapons to break the ice holding the others still, freeing them. A group of soldiers surround Shay upon freeing him and cuff his hands, and he makes no attempt to resist, still sorrowful. Jax and the others then join the Sparks, while the two commanders assess the situation.)

  Commander Cromwell: (grimacing) We can’t reasonably handle Infinity’s surprise attack. He’s already struck when we were at disarray.

  Commander Locke: (grimly) Then we have to cut our losses and retreat. We’ve already regrouped with the majority of our troops and secured the intel we need. We can plan our next move afterwards.

  Commander Cromwell: But what about the Fire Surge Beacon? And Focus?

  Commander Locke: We can’t expect to secure them in such circumstances. That’s something we’ll have to figure out later.

  Commander Cromwell: (turning to the others, loudly issuing the order) All units! We’re set to retreat! Once we regroup with the rest of our units, we are set to head to the hangar immediately!

  (The two commanders lead the soldiers as they leave the room on their way to the hangar. As Shay gets escorted, he can only look down in sorrow and disbelief, and as Jax turns to the Sparks, he notices their stunned expressions, leaving him concerned. Meanwhile, outside of Aegis Headquarters, Hunter takes his fight with Red Flare to the military camps around the base, constantly on the move while firing at her, only for her to cut off his path, a wicked grin on her face.)

  Red Flare: (with a wicked grin) I’m right here, you know?

  (She attempts to launch a burst of fire at him, but he continues running, firing a single, powerful gunshot to cancel out her attempt and send her sliding. She quickly steadies himself and lunges at Hunter, who dashes at her as well, but as Flare swings her fiery fist and Hunter prepares his gunshot, both of their attacks are canceled out when a shadow construct stands between them and takes on their attacks, breaking as a result and subsequently knocking them both back. It’s none other than Infinity himself who stands between them before they can express any sort of shock, turning to Hunter.)

  Infinity: Eclipse.

  (In a split-second, both Hunter and Red Flare get submerged in a small area of pitch-black shadow, and though the latter doesn’t lose her footing, the former falls into the shadowy, bottomless abyss. He falls somewhere inside Aegis Headquarters, effectively out of the way.)

  Hunter: Huh?

  (He looks around and finds himself in the training room inside Aegis Headquarters, with several masked shadow soldiers in the area as well, who are now alerted by his presence. He grits his teeth as he grips his dual guns once again and takes a fighting stance. Back outside, with Hunter out of the way, Infinity slowly turns to Red Flare, the purple infinity sign on his mask glowing with energy upon setting his eyes on her.)

  Infinity: (calmly) There you are… Red Flare.