(no subject)
The None Shall Pass mythology is one of two converging destinies for
the world. Ancient orders existed, crudely depicted they were the
Necromancers and Geomancers (though there were often various warring
factions between both groups). The Necromancer Order was devoted to
bringing about the Chosen One of their mythology. The Chosen One would
destroy this imperfect world and end the blight that is humanity. The
Order of the Geomancer was created simply to stall the arrival of the
Chosen One, and to assassinate him when the signs pointed to his
arrival. Membership of these guilds varied greatly, but during the late
medieval ages there were believed to be about one hundred at least
partially trained Necromancers, and about fifty Geomancers, who had
their own elite armed guards who would later play a role in this tale.
It
was during the Children's Crusade that a child who marched to take back
Jerusalem from the Saracens was sold into slavery in Constantinople.
The boy escaped slavery and became the focus of attention when it was
discovered he could miraculously heal the dying. The Necromancy
authority captured him and realized he had the spark, the gift that
could develop into full fledged Necromancy, but he had come upon this
gift spontaneously. There was talk that he was the Chosen One, but no
where in the prophecies was there any mention of the Chosen One coming
from their order. Further complicating matters, the Prophecy itself was
badly mistranslated and written by a madman. The Necromancers and
Geomancers both used different versions of the Prophecy, further adding
to the characteristic misinformation. The boy, known then only as
Richard, was immediately targeted for assassination by the Geomancers,
believing him to be the Chosen One. This sealed his fate, and he
decided to study with the Necromancers, becoming skilled in their arts.
As he became a young man he climbed the leadership in the Order and
grew to view the Geomancers not as a threat because of their opposition
to the Chosen One, but an annoyance that he would rather have
destroyed, forever. Hiding his own ambivalent feelings toward the
prophecies, Richard went about systematically destroying the most
powerful Geomancers, often times using their own surrogates against
them. As turmoil engulfed the city due to Ottoman invasions Richard and
a decreased Necromancer horde succeeded in killing the last of the
Geomancers, ruthlessly, during a declared truce. Richard then spent the
next decade killing the rest of the Necromancers, who he rightly
decided had turned against him. Eventually he was the last man
standing, and left Constantinople just as the Turkish invaders crashed
through the gates.
Over the years Richard, now known as the
Necromancer, came around to their view of the world, and would come to
seek out the Chosen One, but on his own terms, and without any real
rush. He was well aware that the Chosen One would come to him, as the
Prophecy declared, and to spend time looking for him would be a waste.
Instead he spent hundreds of years attending to his own hedonistic
lifestyle. It was not until the waning days of the twentieth century
that he began to organize crews of followers, mostly criminals, to
begin preparations for the arrival of the Chosen One. His gangs, one on
each continent, were for the most part kept in the dark of his true
intentions, and merely carried out orders.
The North American
branch was led by one Chris Rios, a career criminal who had run afoul
the powerful media mogul Mr. Keegan. Chris also took care of his young
half sister, Shereen, though she chafed under his strong but often
absent authority. Chris's right hand man was Greg Baker, a childhood
friend and a skeptic of the Necromancer, who knew they were being kept
in the dark. Viggy, a sardonic hitman, supported Greg's view of the
Necromancer, and the Necromancer himself was fond of taunting Viggy,
often cruelly even for his admittedly cruel standards. Adam Fortin was
a madman who loved killing for killing's sake, and was distrusted by
both Chris and Greg, but much beloved by the Necromancer, who found
Adam's sadism a much needed dose of brutality in his crew. Rounding out
the gang was Max, an orphan boy discovered many years ago trying to
steal Chris's car. Greg and Chris raised him as their own and he came
to look upon them as father figures, especially Chris.
During
a raid orchestrated by the Necromancer, Chris is killed. The
Necromancer arrives and brings him back to life, this is the second
time he has done this. He chastises Chris in front of his men, telling
him that the third death is the Final Death, and even he is not allowed
to break the rule. Chris knows that he must be more careful, to protect
his sister Shereen.
Shereen is a college student, her room-mate
is Raisa Zaidi, who is being relentlessly stalked by an older medical
student, Michael Balistreri, who is widely regarded as the top medical
mind of his generation. Michael's friend Bob Vielma advises that he
should leave Raisa alone, but Michael is certifiably sure that Raisa is
his destiny. For her part Shereen is very frustrated in the lack of men
in her life. She and Raisa go to a coffee shop together and the barista
is a young man who catches her eye. During their stay at the coffee
shop Michael arrives and tells Raisa he needs to speak with her, they
go outside and he proposes to her. She runs off, with him following.
Shereen finds herself alone and wanders to the Rose Garden to be alone
with her thoughts. The barista, Nate Kavanaugh, known as Beef Nate,
follows her and asks her on a date. While at first she demurs his
persistence is impressive, and she invites him to a party at her house,
though she tells him to bring friends, since her brother doesn't allow
her to date.
Nate assembles his best friends to go to the party,
Alex, Mike, Keegan, and Little Dave. They arrive and find themselves
the odd men out, as the crowd is mostly older, and definitely more
dangerous seeming. Chris dotes on his sister, and asks jokingly if she
is dating one of the friends. She says that they are friends from
school. During the party Chris observes them with mounting annoyance.
Their youthful exuberance irritates him. Mike collapses and the others
rush to get him some air, and then decide to take him home. From the
window Chris can see Shereen and Nate kiss as he leaves. This
infuriates him but they drive away before he can get to Nate. He does
notice Keegan is still at the party, drinking and being very annoying.
Chris and Max wait until Keegan is alone and apprehend him. Greg argues
against this, but Chris is adamant that nobody gets to fuck with
sister. When Greg points out the holes in his logic he and Chris get
into a much anticipated screaming match, resulting in Greg leaving the
house, Keegan tied up in the garage, and Chris ordering Shereen not to
associate with Nate.
The Necromancer is having problems with
his family as well, notably his two sons, Ronald and Gordon. Ronald is
a rebellious youth who never consented to learn Necromancy powers, and
himself is committed to secretly finding the Chosen One and undoing the
prophecy himself, instead of hoping to carry out the Prophecy as his
father intends. Gordon, the second son, is a brute and doesn't seem to
have any scruple or mercy, traits the Necromancer both admires and
fears. When he learns from his spy Adam what Chris is up to, the
Necromancer considers killing Chris once and for all for his childish
behavior and putting the crew under the guidance of Gordon but he
realizes that within a month Gordon would most likely have killed them
all. The Necromancer thinks it would be most prudent to keep Gordon
close.
Meanwhile the friends are worried about Keegan, who
hasn't been seen since the party. Mike in particular is worried about
him, though he is bed-ridden and can't join in the search. The others
have problems as well. Little Dave has been kicked out of his
university for cheating, and Alex's unrequited love Kristal has been
inexplicably cold towards him lately. Nate is concerned for Keegan but
spends a good deal of his time trying to win Shereen's heart. Shereen,
determined to be her own person and to spurn her brother decides that
she will give Nate a chance. It is around this time that Shereen
introduces Nate to Raisa. They appear to be mutually disinterested in
one another. Holly Keegan, Keegan's mother is worried sick about him
and has been calling Nate, and he assures her that he is doing
everything he can. Holly is assured by a deputy police sheriff, Ara
Acle, that all measures are being taken for the recovery of her son.
She is a hellcat of a woman and gives Ara a tongue lashing for not
doing more. She has the friends over just as Ara is leaving. A
momentary flash of recognition between Alex and Ara occurs as the four
remaining friends meet with Holly. She tells them that she used to know
Chris and Greg and wonders if she has anything to do with her sons
kidnapping. They tell her they don't know what happened, he might not
have been kidnapped, he might have just gone into recluse mode, as he
did from time to time. Holly doesn't agree, she says she has a bad
feeling about this.
Greg appears at Nate's door the next day
and tells Nate that he knows where Keegan is. Chris has him, just as
Holly suspected. Greg urges Nate not to call the police, as this might
provoke a violent reaction out of Chris. Chris just wants to face him
one on one and settle the issue of Nate dating his sister once and for
all. Nate is taken aback by all this nonsense and doesn't know what to
do. Nate reveals to Greg the identity of Keegan's mother and Greg is
shocked. Greg himself was once in love with Holly, but never made any
move to win her, because he knew she herself was in love with Chris.
Greg thinks this might be the key to getting Chris to release Keegan,
if he can only tell him Keegan is Holly's son. When Greg attempts to
talk to Chris, Adam and Viggy chase him away, Viggy reluctantly and
Adam gleefully.
Chris tries to psychologically get under
Keegan's skin but finds him a strangely hard nut to crack. Keegan spits
in Chris's face at every turn and the hostility is apparent. Chris
sends Viggy and Adam to pick up one of the other friends, it doesn't
matter which. They find Alex and bring him to Chris. Chris tells him
that he wants him to spy on Nate and Greg's movements, to warn him when
they mean to come for Keegan. Alex refuses but Chris tells him that if
he doesn't do as he says he will kill Keegan immediately. If he even
suspects Alex is playing him false Keegan will die.
The
Necromancer pays a visit to Chris and chastises him for this
distraction, telling him that he should be out searching for the
artifacts. Chris tells him that his business with Beef Nate is not
distracting him. The Necromancer, with Gordon in tow, tells Chris that
this is his last chance, to resolve this foolishness with all haste,
and to get back to his job. Chris, realizing the futility of this
decides that the Necromancer is right, and that he has been acting
without thinking.
Alex goes to Holly and confesses what he's
been ordered to do. Holly is angry and kicks him out of her house for
even pretending to agree. Not known to Alex, Chris had him bugged, and
when he learns that he has betrayed him, Chris gives the order for
Keegan to be killed. Max dutifully saws Keegan's head off, even as
Keegan stares Max down. Adam smiles gleefully, Viggy looks on
passively, and Max throws the saw down in disgust, angry at what he has
become.
Nate decides to storm the house and rescue Keegan,
unaware that he is dead. Alex, full of guilt over his betrayal, agrees
to join him. Greg, knowing that he has gone too far to turn back now
decides that he will stand with them. With Mike seemingly near death
himself they reach out to Little Dave, who is reluctant to say the
least. Nate finally moves him, and Little Dave agrees to take part in
what he considers a suicide mission. Nate ignores one last plea from
Shereen to simply run away. A real man doesn't run away from this, not
to mention his friends life is at stake.
The stand-off occurs
a few days later, Chris, Adam, Viggy, and Max against Nate, Alex, Greg,
and Little Dave. After a few words are spoken Max throws down his gun
and decides he can't do this anymore and that it isn't in him to muder
in cold blood. Chris is angry with him but Greg tells him just to run
away, chances are that he'll never have to deal with any of them again,
as they will all likely die this day. Max backs off slowly and then
runs to the garage when Keegan's headless corpse is still tied to the
chair. He stares at it. Outside the fight begins as Greg slams into
Viggy and they tussle, Alex and Little Dave jump at Adam, and Nate and
Chris square off. Viggy is reluctant to shoot Greg but gets a shot off,
wounding him in the shoulder. Little Dave is sliced near in two by
Adam's sword while Alex whacks him across the back with a baseball bat.
Nate and Chris hack away at each other, Chris taunting him about
Keegan, Nate yelling about how useless and wasteful this was, this
fight over nothing. Greg is shot again but manages to kill Viggy before
he himself expires. Adam stabs Alex, but is mortally wounded as well,
and doesn't savor his victory long before he dies. Nate overcomes
Chris, taking his sword and running him through. He looks at his
friends sadly and runs back into the house, to find Keegan really is
dead. He hears sirens in the distance and flees. Max flees as well. The
Necromancer and his sons appears to survey the carnage. The Necromancer
is livid that his entire crew was slaughtered over nothing. He is
determined to punish Beef Nate for this, since he can no longer punish
Chris, as Chris has died the Final Death.. He takes the corpses of
Alex, Greg, Little Dave, and Adam and leaves the scene. Gordon takes
the corpse of Keegan, as Ronald smells something in the air. Though he
never learned the arts of Necromancy he was given certain other
heightened senses, and in a vision of apocalyptic sights he realizes
that the Chosen One had recently been in the house. He walks away,
disquieted by the thought.
Deputy Sheriff Ara arrives and takes
stock of the scene. He realizes the scene has been tampered with, as
only Chris and Viggy remain where they lay, though the carnage is much
more widespread than all that. He picks up a pair of aviators, which
fell off Alex's face.
Click to viewThe Geomancers are all dead, but the elite
guard that used to serve them live on in Vince Calvetti and Matt
DeLong. Vince is a true descendent of the old warriors, and Matt is his
apprentice. They have finally found the trail of the Necromancer,
realizing at last that he must be after the amulet, which both
prophecies speak of as having great importance in the Final Battle.
Vince is especially interested in the murder scene at Chris's house, as
he had deduced Chris was the Necromancer's point-man. Knowing what the
man is capable of, Vince and Matt await the storm that is to come. They
begin tailing Beef Nate, who has spent the better part of the year
trying to put his life back into order after the massacre. Matt
suggests they follow Mike as well, but Vince replies that he is just a
sick boy with little importance. If the Necromancer returns it is
likely it will be in a move against Beef Nate.
Beef Nate and
Mike mourn their friends. Mike has been diagnosed with three different
types of cancer but he isn't dead, much to everyone's surprise. Michael
Balistreri himself worked on him and declares him a medical miracle.
Mike begins going walks to get all this madness out of his head, but
Nate finds love in a most unlikely place, in the arms of Raisa,
Shereen's college room-mate. Shereen herself has gone into seclusion
and blames Nate for the death of her brother. Even though she can
understand why Nate did it she cannot stop hating him, as blood is
blood. Nate and Raisa's relationship gains traction, even though Alex's
former object of lust, Kristal, warns Raisa that Nate brings about bad
things. Just being near him might get her hurt. Raisa shrugs off such
warnings and Nate proposes to Raisa, and she accepts. Nate's college
room-mates, Shona, Pat, and Glen, as well as Mike, are all present at
the wedding.
Max has become a homeless drifter after the
battle, unable to cope with what he has become and what he has
witnessed. His only possession that remains to him is the whip that
Chris gave him as a fifteenth birthday present. He is drinking away his
sorrows when a familiar face speaks to him and he is terrified to see
it is Keegan, seemingly alive and well, looking down at him, mockingly.
Max is sure Keegan means to kill him, but he merely wanted to scare
him, then he moves on.
Mike finds a murdered man on one of his
walks and calls it in. He also sees Keegan in the vicinity, but doesn't
trust his eyes. It is unclear who killed the man, though it was in fact
Gordon, who has used Keegan as his pet project, though his control over
the dead is a weak and feeble thing compared to his father, the
Necromancer. Keegan retains a semblance of a personality and his
memories. The Necromancer brought Alex, Little Dave, Greg, and Adam
back to life himself. They were brought back without emotion and aimed
at Beef Nate like a spear from the past. They would herald the coming
of the Necromancer, who has decided to make Beef Nate pay for what he
did to his crew, especially since his crew was on the verge of finding
one of the artifacts.
Keegan, pretending to be without
emotion, accompanies Alex as they apprehend Nate and take him to an
audience with the Necromancer. The Necromancer explains what Nate did
and assures him that he will pay, but not immediately. Nate is angry at
being jostled around by yet another stranger, and is also visibly
freaked out by the walking dead. The Necromancer briefly explains who
he is and then lets Nate go and prepare whatever pitiful defenses he
might want to mount. The Necromancer tells him that he has been alive
for hundreds of years, and Beef Nate is the first person he has ever
felt any anger towards. He can't even fully explain it. Ronald and
Gordon watch expressionless, thinking very different things.
Nate's
first thought is for Raisa, and wants to get her as far away from
possible. She refuses of course. Nate doesn't know what he is supposed
to do, there is no determined place for a showdown, no earthly weapon
he knows that can fight the dead, and his friends seem to be few and
far between. Mike is more reluctant than ever to get involved, and
blames Nate for the deaths of the people around him. Nate reminds Mike
of all the bullies that used to hassle him, and how he always bailed
Mike out, no matter how many there were. All Mike had to say was he was
waiting for Nate to arrive and the bullies would blanch, as Nate's
reputation as a fighter was well known in the old neighborhood. Nate
begs Mike to stand with him against this bully. Mike refuses, angry at
the choice.
Raisa is then taken by Greg, who delivers her to
the Necromancer. Kristal threatens to kill Nate if he doesn't bring
Raisa back alive, noting correctly that the last time this situation
came up Keegan ended up dead. Nate swears on his own blood that he will
safely return Raisa.
Vince makes contact with Nate and explains
who he is and what the Necromancer is. Vince makes it known that the
Necromancer is himself beholden to the Prophecy, and must fear the
Chosen One. Vince states that he himself has made the blood oath to
kill the Chosen One, to save the world. Nate thinks this is all quite
insane, but takes Vince's help and advice, as he himself is at his wits
end. Nate tries to make amends with Shereen, and explains to her that
the Necromancer is the real cause of their problems, that he was
responsible for many of the paths Chris had taken. Shereen doesn't buy
it, but becomes sympathetic when she learns Raisa was kidnapped. She
agrees to help Nate, but for Raisa, not for him. He accepts. Mike tells
Nate that he has more allies if he knows where to look for them. Doctor
Michael Balistreri, also angered by the apprehension of Raisa agrees to
a temporary truce with Nate in order to get her back. Max, having
decided to walk in the light, gets his whip ready to fight on the side
of justice. Together with Vince the four heroes embark to the
Necromancer's lair while Shereen attempts to appeal to the
Necromancer's loyalty to the memory of Chris. The Necromancer scoffs at
that and sends Shereen away. He then sends Adam to kill her, which he
does with ruthless efficiency. Greg, Alex, and Little Dave are sent out
as well to kill others close to Nate. Greg kills Shona, Alex kills Pat,
and Little Dave attempts to kill Glen, but Glen escapes and runs a
stake through Little Dave's heart before making an timely escape. The
stake does not kill Little Dave of course, but he has failed his task
all the same.
The Necromancer then kills Raisa, who fights
back to the last. The Necromancer who has seen many people die, watches
with admiration as she expires. Ronald tries to get in the way and save
her. He had offered her an escape but she refused, sure that Nate
himself would rescue her. The Necromancer banishes Ronald, after he
makes Ronald witness Raisa's slow death. Ronald, furious, attacks his
father, before being soundly defeated. The Necromancer gloats and tells
Ronald that if he ever plans to attack him again, it should be from
behind, in the dark. Dejected, Ronald leaves. Gordon watches him go,
expressionless.
Michael Balistreri is ambushed by Adam but
Michael manages to overcome him. Taking him to a secluded part of the
hospital he dissects Adam while he is still alive, marveling at his
insides, which aren't working as they should be. The walking dead must
be understood, Michael reasons, or how else can they be stopped? On a
whim he snaps his neck and Adam expires on the operating table. Bob
arrives and sees what he wasn't meant to see. He leaves, pale faced and
terrified at what Michael has done.
Vince, Michael, Max, and
Nate do battle with the walking dead, Alex, Dave, and Greg. The
Necromancer arrives and he and Nate do battle. It is obvious that Nate
is outmatched. Vince is knocked out cold and Michael is badly hurt. Max
dispatches Greg and Alex all by himself, using the whip to snap their
necks. Dave is killed by Vince, after he is shown the way by Max.
The
Necromancer explains that all suffering is in the end meaningless, so
why not inflict it upon those he deems deserve it? Nate fights back
with the strength of ten men, but the Necromancer simply has his
measure. By brute strength of sorcery he is clearly dominant. He then
notices the birthmark on Nate's back, the birthmark mentioned in the
prophecy as the mark of the Chosen One and the Necromancer throws the
fight, allowing himself to be defeated by Nate. He is unsure of how to
proceed, knowing that he needs to cooperation of the Chosen One, as
well as the Three Artifacts, the Key, the Codex, and the Amulet, to
bring about the end of the world. After killing those he loved most in
the world the Necromancer realizes he must have more time before he
cozens up to Nate. He flees, leaving Nate scarred, both physically and
emotionally, and the first signs of his mind failing are evident.
A
year passes and Nate is slowly losing his grip on reality. He has moved
in with Doctor Balistreri, who has been stripped of his medical license
for operating on Adam whilst he was still seemingly alive. Nate has
become a shut-in and refuses to leave the house, despite Michael's
urgings. One day Nadia arrives, the new delivery woman from Meals on
Wheels and Nate is instantly smitten. On an impulse he asks her out on
a date and she refuses, somewhat coyly. Nate, his grip on reality
already weakened by the trauma of the previous events and he throws out
an oddball suggestion. He declares that this is the first time he's
wanted to leave his house in over a year, and to prove his worth he'll
go on fifty dates in order to prove that he is sincere in his desire to
go out with her alone. Nadia thinks this idea is ludicrous, but
accepts. Nate sets out right away, securing a series of dates, each
more disastrous than the next.
Nadia however is more than
meets the eye, since she is secretly working for Ronald, who by now has
deduced very concretely that Nate is the Chosen One and sees it as his
duty to forestall and if possible undo the prophecy. Gordon and Ronald
have decided to overthrow their father, and Gordon decides to raise
Alex, Greg, and Little Dave himself. The Necromancer is out of the loop
in this newest maneuver and Ronald himself is attempting to manipulate
Gordon, whilst Gordon attempts to manipulate him. Both of them have
only a scant idea of what the prophecy means when it claims he who
kills the Necromancer shall "break the world". Gordon gives them the
task of killing Nate, though Gordon's hold on them is relatively weak,
their personalities are intact, as are their memories, which is a
remarkable difference between the Necromancer's powers.
As
Nate is lured into Nadia's confidence and Ronald's trap grows closer,
the Necromancer reaches out to Nate in an alliance to stop his sons
from killing the Chosen One, though the details of why the Necromancer
wants to help him are hidden. Nate is reluctant and the Necromancer
claims he has been reformed and desires to redeem his sins. Nate and
Michael are both doubtful. The Necromancer warns him of Ronald, who he
considers the bigger threat, not knowing that Gordon has already
resurrected Greg, Alex, and Little Dave.
Nate is having the time
of his life dating (and eventually marrying) Nadia, feeling almost like
his old self again. He decides to finish his degree and enrolls in his
old university, where the mysterious Dean John O'Day (an old family
friend of Holly Keegan) decides to let him register late. The Dean
arouses suspicion within Nate with his strange use of the phrase "None
Shall Pass" (which the Necromancer also used in his hearing) but
decides to let it go.
A few days later, upon seeing Nate and
Nadia together, the Dean offers the cryptic advice that Nadia is not
what she seems. Nate presses the Dean for what he means exactly, but
the Dean will only say that he recognizes her, and not as a student.
Though Nate does not know it, Dean John O'Day was once one of Greg and
Chris's closest friends, but while they deviated into a life of crime
he excelled at academia, and at adventure. Dean John O'Day has a
special room devoted to keeping all the antiques and artifacts he has
collected over the years. He is aware of the Necromancer but does not
fully understand what he represents, and knows Nadia as Ronald's
catspaw.
The three raised dead are given free rein by Gordon (at
Ronald's insistence) to get their last desires in order and tie up any
loose ends with their lives before they are summoned back to fight Beef
Nate. Greg attempts to contact Holly, which ends badly, and Alex finds
Kristal has moved on and now loves the renowned garbage man Dan McKee.
Kristal also takes the oppurtunity to ambush Nate and attempt to kill
him, for not saving Raisa. Nate manages to escape this brush with
death.
Nadia calls Nate and tells him to come home and he
hurries back, only to be ambushed by Ronald, who nearly defeats him. He
has him at his mercy, and using his favorite knife, is about to deliver
the killing blow and avert the destruction of mankind (according to the
Prophecy at least). At the last possible second the Necromancer arrives
and fights Ronald, overpowering him and locking him in a closet, alone
with his knife. The Necromancer tells him to get out and to find his
wife, who is in on the assassination attempt. Nate, betrayed and angry,
flees into the night, unsure of what to do and what he will do to Nadia
if he sees her.
Before he can find her he is intercepted by
Vince and his protege Matt DeLong, who are shocked to find that the
Necromancer is now helping Nate. Things have ceased to make sense to
Vince, as he has been studying the often contradicting reports and
directions of the badly mistranslated Prophecies. What truth he can
discern is that there can be no end to the threat of the Necromancer
and his sons without the use of the Amulet. What or where it is Vince
is unsure, but he states unequivocally to Nate that he must find the
Amulet.
Mike is feeling the effects of his disease again and
is visited by the increasingly zealous deputy sheriff Ara, who wants to
know what really happened at the showdown between Chris and Nate's
crew. Mike responds that he wasn't there and didn't see anything, and
also cops a bit of an attitude. Ara tells him that the Sheriff will be
retiring soon and he's poised to take his place, that he won't be so
kindly in the future, and that he intends to civilize this city. Mike
asks where he's from and Ara explains that he was born here, but moved
away when his parents were divorced. He claims to have had a brother,
who he never met, and a father, who he never wanted to. After this
brief moment of eased tensions the mood returns, and Ara tells Mike
he's watching him and anything suspicious will most assuredly be blamed
on him. Ara leaves, and puts the aviators on, Mike feeling a brief
moment of recognition.
Ronald breaks out of the closest and
stabs the Necromancer in the back, considering it his finest act. As
his father dies at his feet Ronald taunts him, reminding him of the
advice he gave Ronald previously concerning attacking him from the
shadows. It was the only advice he ever gave that was worth a damn.
Alex
confronts Holly and she spurns his pleas that he can redeem himself.
Max later runs into Alex and they begin to brawl, until Alex reveals he
may be the walking dead but he isn't a mindless monster doing the
Necromancer's bidding, and he leaves with an uneasy truce in place. Max
then gets a phone call and rushes to meet Nate who has been summoned by
Matt DeLong. Matt claims to know where the amulet is and Max is sent to
retrieve it. Only too late does Max realize it was also a trap, as
there is no amulet, except Adam Fortin, raised once again and they
battle it out. Vince comes to Max's aid and together they fight Adam
and using an old incantation Vince learned from his father they defeat
Adam and he dies the Final Death. Both Vince and Max are both badly
injured, and it is only with Michael Balistreri's expert medical hand
and mind that he keeps them alive, though for the most part they are
incapacitated.
Nate feels the walls closing in around him and
confronts Nadia, who claims that she had no choice. She also assures
him that Ronald is a good man, despite some of his problems and if he
is trying to kill Nate then he has a good reason. This doesn't assure
Nate in the least and he grows angry and tells her that she doesn't
compare to his first wife. Nadia is angry and they begin to argue, she
slaps him and Nate tells her quite calmly that if he ever sees her
again he may just kill her. Nate is losing it, and resolves to kill
Ronald, Gordon, and whoever gets in his way from now on.
Ronald
has Gordon bring Raisa back to life, knowing this is the one thing that
can possibly put Nate on the defensive. Nate is reflecting with Michael
about their shared lost love and within the day she appears. He doesn't
credit his eyes, and then realizes what kind of trickery must be afoot.
He is rapidly running out of allies, knowing now that Matt DeLong must
have betrayed him, Vince and Max in critical condition, and Michael a
doctor and not a fighter. Raisa attemps to convince Nate that he is the
Chosen One and that he needs to sacrifice himself to save the world.
Nate assumes this is just Ronald attempting to get the upper hand on
him and doesn't believe on word of it.
Michael too runs into
Raisa and has a near mental breakdown, and she and he come to a certain
sort of peace. She claims she doesn't know what is going on, she only
knows what Ronald has been telling her. She tells Michael about Nate
being the Chosen One and Michael refuses to believe it. He begs Raisa
to run away with him but she says she isn't even alive anymore, how
could there be a future there? In any case, she makes it very clear
that she still loves Nate. Michael asks what he can do, and she says to
help Nate, no matter what. Michael takes these words to heart. She then
walks away, and is not seen again.
Gordon and Ronald stumble
upon Glen, the last survivor of Nate's college room-mates and Ronald
begs Glen to supplicate himself, knowing that Gordon's pride is enough
to kill a man for no reason. Glen is defiant and stands his ground and
against Ronald's protests Gordon kills him. Ronald and Gordon split
ways over the death, Ronald beginning to drink even more, overwhelmed
by the enormity of his task. Using Gordon to kill Nate might not have
been a very good idea, as Gordon will continue killing anything that
gets in his way if he deems it to be necessary. Ronald begins to study
the Prophecies once again.
Ronald and Nadia argue, Nadia
pleading for Ronald to spare Nate's life. Ronald, wishing he could but
knowing he can't, pushes her out of the way and goes to do his duty. He
tails Gordon and Gordon's three walking dead, Alex, Greg, and Little
Dave as the trap is sprung against Nate.
Nate is cornered and
his three former friends prepare to close in on him as Gordon watches.
At the last moment the three stop and in unison turn on Gordon,
attacking him with everything they've got, spontaneously deciding that
they will not betray their friend, not even if they are allowed to
rest, which is what they all want. Gordon attacks back using a
heretofore unseen form of magic, creating waves of energy. Nate's
friends cannot stand up to this onslaught and Gordon is on the verge of
victory before Nate throws himself into the energy and challenges
Gordon. Miraculously he is not hurt, as the others are and he walks
straight into it and even looks to be channelling the same type of
power. Gordon is soon overwhelmed and falls back. Ronald appears and
stabs Nate in the back. Alex leaps at Ronald but Ronald breaks his neck
and he falls dead. Gordon flees, and Ronald stays, watching Greg cradle
Nate's seemingly lifeless body, content that he did the right thing.
As
if by miracle Nate stands, and there is a new look in his eyes, it is
not the innocent friendliness of a barista looking for a date, but rage
incarnate. Greg and Little Dave are both taken aback by what they see
and Nate advances on Ronald inexorably. Nate knocks Ronald on his back,
breaking his nose and his will to fight, throwing his favorite knife
far into the distance. Nate looks Ronald in the eyes and tells him he's
going to go die in peace, and to not come looking for him, unless he
wants to die as well. He leaves Greg and Little Dave without saying a
word, and limps away, bleeding from the knife wound. Greg and Little
Dave agree that it should have killed him, and maybe it still will.
Ronald is not so sure. He is a broken man. A vision of the future he
failed to prevent assails him, a future where the world itself was
broken because he could not overcome a single foe. He begins to weep.
It is there, alone save for the body of Alex, that Ronald is found by
Sheriff Ara, who is looking much more like a cold blooded hard-ass. Ara
arrests him and stares at the body of Alex, sure now that the body
before him belonged to his brother, the one he never truly met. Pausing
only a moment for the brief regret, Ara hauls Ronald off to the police
station and determines he is not well in the head, and sends him to an
asylum.
Mike, bedridden, ponders the meaning of what happened,
and wonders if it is truly over. Holly and John O'Day pontificate about
Nate, who has totally vanished off the face of the earth, and wonder if
they will ever see him again. Dean John O'Day suspects yes, and leans
against a copy of one of the three artifacts, the Codex, which resides
in his personal collection. Holly asks how Nate's schooling went and if
he passed his classes. John O'Day is as expected, mum on the subject.