Mercury (young)
(There's no way this is real)
(Why does a kid have that much power?)
(His Manifesto hasn't even fully formed yet and it already has a human shape)
(Manifestos are affected by the user when forming, a person's mental state at the time of receiving can also shape the power…)
(It leads some people to perceive their power as an angel descending from heaven, or crawling out of gutters)
(If his imagination isn't reeled in, that Manifesto will turn into a monster.)
(It's already developing some inhuman traits)
Mercury (young) glances towards the scales on Lacerta's arms as well as its tail and claws
Mercury (young)
(It looks like the boss' hunch was right)
(This kid definitely has a Manifesto!)
Let's all calm down, ok, kid?
James (young)
No! You need to get away from me!
I can't control the monster!
Mercury (young)
Well, what if I help you with that?
A steam seems to come from Mercury, and as it does, Lacerta disappears
James looks at Mercury in amazement
Mercury (young)
(Cancer didn't actually make it go away, only made it so we can't see it anymore)
(but that should be good enough for now)
So, got a name, kid?
James (young)
James…
James Spectre.
Mercury (young)
Pleased to meet you, James.
My name's Mercury, have you eaten anything recently?
James (young)
…
No…
Mercury (young)
Want me to buy you something?
James (young)
No, I couldn't take money from you like that!
James' stomach roars loudly
James (young)
…
Mercury (young)
Hee hee hee!
Don't worry about it.
I can't just leave a hungry kid alone in the middle of the streets.
There's a good place around here that sells burgers for cheap.
Why don't we go try it out?
James (young)
Ok…
James is devouring a burger as Mercury talks with Taylor
Taylor (young)
So? Is that him?
The boss wanted me to bring the two of you back.
Mercury (young)
Well–
Mercury pauses before turning his head around to look at James happily eating the burger
Mercury (young)
He hasn't shown me any Manifesto yet.
I want to be certain whether or not he has a Manifesto before I make my decision
Taylor stares at Mercury as he begins to sweat
Taylor (young)
In that case, there is nothing to do but wait.
Oh, one more thing before I go…
Taylor leans in to whisper to Mercury
Taylor (young)
…I'll let it slide because I'm not completely on board with this plan either, but remember, the boss doesn't take too kindly to liars.
Taylor steps away as Mercury yells after him
Mercury (young)
Thank you!
Taylor waves in recognition before blending in with the crowd
Mercury (young)
How was the burger?
James (young)
Delicious!
Mercury (young)
Happy to hear it, now, this may feel rather sudden, but I'll be your teacher from here on out.
James (young)
Teacher?
What kind?
Mercury (young)
Well, everything I guess.
I'm willing to help you out with giving you a home, a good education, three meals a day, but in return, I need you to understand that there's no going back once you say yes.
My kind of work isn't the kind you can escape.
With all that in mind, will you come with me?
James pauses, and looks up at Mercury
James (young)
I have a question.
Mercury (young)
Yes?
James (young)
If I go with you, will I be able to control the monster?
I don't want to let people get hurt because of me anymore.
I want to be someone who is able to help other people.
Mercury seems surprised at first before grinning
Mercury (young)
Of course!
How could I deny a request like that?
James grins too and shakes Mercury's hand
Cut to outside a lake
James (young)
Mr. Mercury, why are we in such a remote place?
Mercury (young)
Just Mercury is fine, and we're here to make sure no one gets hurt while you learn about that monster.
James (young)
Mr–Mercury, you seem to know a lot about the monster.
Have you seen monsters before?
Mercury (young)
You can say that.
Over the course of my work, I've seen many things, but I guess it's been worth it if it means I'm able to help you learn about your monster.
So, with that said, shall we start the first lesson?
James (young)
Sir, yes sir!
Mercury (young)
Alright then, before we do anything, I want to define what this "monster" actually is.
James (young)
Isn't it a monster or a demon?
Mercury (young)
And where did you get that idea from?
James (young)
I can still picture the day when I saw it for the first time…
It's a cold, mask-like face, unconcerned with what was happening around me…
…then, without warning, a gunshot fires off, and the monster was standing above me.
My dad couldn't see me, but when I got scared, the monster started attacking again.
As James describes all of this, he has a blank and traumatized expression across his face
Mercury (young)
I see, it suddenly manifested and didn't give you anytime to adjust to it.
James (young)
?
What do you mean?
Isn't it always like that?
Mercury (young)
Well, not necessarily.
We call these powers "Manifestos," not monsters.
When someone first gains a Manifesto, there's usually a small buffer period between it appearing and actually being able to use it…
…but not in your case.
James (young)
Why not?
Mercury (young)
Well, to be completely honest, from everything I've seen so far, your Manifesto has too much power, so it wasn't able to contain it all.
When it manifested, all that power was released immediately, then after that, it began responding to your emotional state, which is the more common first appearance of a Manifesto's abilities.
After training, a person is able to control their Manifesto, but their emotional state will still play a large part in how their powers work.
To be honest, I don't know everything about Manifestos, this is just from what I've seen and heard in the past.
James (young)
What do I have to do to get control of my "Manifesto"?
Mercury (young)
Well, hold on, we can take this slowly–
James (young)
No!
What if while we're training, my Manifesto goes out of control again and I hurt somebody!
I need to be able to control this power as soon as possible!
Mercury (young)
…
(Don't look at me with those eyes…)
(I've never been able to turn down someone who's so passionate about their goal!)
Ok then!
We'll skip the basics and I want you to try consciously bringing out your Manifesto for me!
James (young)
Are you sure this is a good idea?
Mercury (young)
Don't worry, if it starts going out of control, I'll help you.
So, don't worry about control right now, just picture the power enveloping you.
Follow my lead, deep breath in…
…and out.
James breathes in and out as the black flames start to flow out from him, forming the rough outline of Lacerta, its features appearing more human and defined than before
Mercury (young)
(There's no way I can allow this boy to follow Sinatra!)
(If Sinatra gets his hands on this kind of power, there's no telling what he would do with it!)
(I must make sure that Sinatra never learns of this boy's power.)
James (young)
Mercury?
Is something wrong?
You're sweating a lot.
Mercury (young)
Oh, don't worry about me.
I was just thinking about something else.
James (young)
Does that mean I can stop with the "Manifesto" thing?
Mercury (young)
Of course, that was excellent for your first time being able to do it.
It's still appearing slightly blurry, so tomorrow we'll work on finalizing that image in your head, alright?
James (young)
Why can't I work on it today?
I've still got plenty of energy!
Mercury (young)
No can do.
Resting is also part of training.
James (young)
No it's not.
Mercury (young)
Of course it is!
If you use up too much of your Manifesto's energy, it won't work as well, or it might only partly manifest when you need it.
For now, try to only use your full Manifesto once a day.
We can work on upping that number as we go, alright?
James (young)
Okay…
James pouts, Mercury looks at him and exhales
Mercury (young)
Well, if you really want to do something with all that energy, I do have an idea…
James (young)
Really?!
What is it?!
Mercury (young)
Remember how I said that your mental state is tied to your control over your Manifesto?
Well, a good way to clear up and work on your mental state is to work on your body.
James (young)
What does that mean?
Mercury (young)
Working out!
With enough hard work and dedication, you might even get to be as big as I am one day!
James (young)
Ew.
Why would I want that?
Mercury (young)
What do you mean "ew"?!
What's wrong with being buff?!
James (young)
Nothing, it's just you remind me of a mountain.
Mercury (young)
Jokes on you, I take that as a compliment
James starts to laugh as mercury joins in
Above the two of them, a bird flies over before cutting to Sinatra sitting in his office with Deacon at his side
Sinatra
I knew Taylor's report was missing something.
Fortunately, I taught him not to make that mistake again
Taylor lies on the ground, bloody and beaten with Sinatra's foot on his head
Deacon
Do you want me to teach Mercury his place?
Sinatra
No, leave them be.
I'm sure with Mercury's guidance, the boy will grow into a formidable weapon.
Keep tabs on them as you have been, and once the boy has learned all he can from Mercury, that is the moment we'll strike.
(I cannot wait to see what kind of monster you become, James Spectre.)