Winner Take All

Director(s) » Ciro Nieli Storyboarder(s) » Ben Jones » Kalvin Lee » Alan Wan » Matt Youngberg Writer(s) » Dwayne McDuffie Animation studio: Dong Woo Animation	Downloads: Download for Word (.doc) (102 KB) Download as plaintext (.txt) (50.18 KB) Transcribed by: Alan Back Jump to:	Act 1 |	Act 2 |	Act 3 PROLOGUE (Opening shot: a pile of cards on a table. Each shows a natural element: lightning, moon, and so forth. On each line, the named card is tossed into view. The first one covers a tree.) Raven: (from o.c.) Fire beats Wood. Cyborg: (from o.c.) But Water beats Fire. Beast Boy: (from o.c.) Sun dries up Water. Robin: (from o.c.) And Thunderstorm blocks out Sun. (Pull back on the end of this line to frame the original five Titans�Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire�playing this game around the coffee table in the operations center of Titans Tower. The card pile sits in its center. It is daytime. Cut to each speaker in turn.) Raven: I&#39;m out. Beast Boy: Me too. Starfire: I wish to...go the fish? (Pull back; Raven and Beast Boy lean over to check her cards.) Beast Boy: Uh, you want to fold, Starfire. Starfire: Fold? That is good? I am victorious? (The two kibitzers shake their heads; Beast Boy&#39;s ears droop as well. As they lean away, a small drop of sweat pops out on Starfire&#39;s temple and a very uneasy look comes over her face. Finally she lays her cards face down on the table and hangs her head. Cut to Robin&#39;s side.) Robin: Sorry, Star. (standing, reaching to sweep up cards) I guess I&#39;m just...invincible! (Cyborg reaches into view and stops him.) Cyborg: (from o.c.) Ah-ah-ah. (Cut to him.) How can you be invincible if I&#39;ve still got one card? (Zoom in on him during this line; he holds it up, faced toward himself. Extreme close-up of Robin, grimacing and lowering his brows, then cut back to the opponent.) Cyborg: Come on, Robin. You know you want to play me for it. One last round, winner take all. Robin: You&#39;re on, Cyborg, and you&#39;re going down! (He sits and picks up his cards, scrutinizing them as if he were playing five-card draw with his life savings in the pot. One eyebrow pops up and down behind the hand; he glares across the table at Cyborg, who flicks that single card teasingly back and forth. The two stare each other down for a few seconds before Robin makes his play. The card he throws down shows a funnel cloud; he leans back confidently in his chair.) Robin: Tornado! Beat that! (Cut to the table&#39;s center, pointing straight up at the three spectators. They jam their faces into the camera lens, all six eyes bulging in surprise.) Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire: Ooooh! (Pull back. Cyborg has his best poker face firmly established, but he breaks the stoicism with a casual shrug.) Cyborg: Well, okay. (Close-up of the card in his hand as he raises it, then pull back�now he has one foot propped on the table, and he slaps it down. Sight gag: his head grows a few notches for this shot.) Cyborg: Boo-yah! (Close-up of the pile. When he removes his hand, the card&#39;s face is revealed as a flaming meteor. Starfire and Raven gasp, their eyes popping even wider, and Robin leans over the table.) Robin: Meteor?!? Beast Boy: (eyes shining, tearing up) The one-in-a-million wild card that beats all others! (He wipes his eye.) Ohhh...it&#39;s too beautiful for words. (He leans back with a happy moan.) Cyborg: Aw, yeah, baby! (raking in cards) Who&#39;s invincible now? (Robin is positively steaming at this super-trump play; little black flames shoot from his hair. Sight gag: his head is too big and a bit distorted, as is Starfire&#39;s when she tries to console him.) Starfire: Be proud and cheerful, Robin. You competed well. (Raven joins them; gag continues.) Raven: Winning isn&#39;t everything. (He stops steaming.) Robin: Yeah...it&#39;s just the only thing that matters. (pounding table; others back off) I want a rematch! (Sight gag: the top of his head flaps like the Canadian characters on South Park. Cyborg is caught off guard by this outburst; both gags end.) Cyborg: Um...I don&#39;t know how to tell you this, man, but...you&#39;re outta cards. Robin: Beast Boy, gimme your cards. Beast Boy: (showing hands empty) Uh... [Error: Robin had an entire handful when this round began.] (There is a sudden white flash; when it clears, Robin and Beast Boy have vanished entirely.) Cyborg: Huh? (Another flash, and he is gone as well, leaving only the heap of pasteboards lying before his chair. Starfire and Raven are still in their seats and very puzzled.) Starfire: This is part of the game? Raven: (shrugging) Uh... (Cut to inside a large domed structure, the camera pointing straight up at its peak, and tilt down to its floor. Balconies and halls can be seen, and the windows and glass paneling tell that it is nighttime in this place. A sudden flash leaves the three boys standing here and very confused; another one rips through, and suddenly they are not alone. Joining them, just as flummoxed, are Gizmo and Aqualad, along with three other teenage males. One is human, with short red-blond hair, a mask similar to Robin&#39;s, a sleeveless, dark red tunic marked with an S over the heart, matching wrist guards and pants, a yellow belt, and a quiver of arrows slung on his back�this is Speedy. Another wears a black outfit trimmed with red, and his skin appears to be transparent and filled with fire�this is Hot Spot. The last is Wildebeest�very tall, muscular, broad-shouldered, with the head of the creature for which he is named, armor visible beneath his outer garments.) (A booming male voice startles all eight of the new arrivals.) Voice: Welcome, champions all! (They look toward the source. Cut to behind them and tilt up to it�a powerfully built humanoid figure, standing atop a dais that is at least fifty feet tall with steps running up to it. At this distance, gold bands can be seen at his biceps, wrists, and shins, as well as a loincloth-like garment similar to that worn by Roman soldiers. The chest and face are gray, while the arms and legs are white. This is the Master of Games.) Master: I am the Master of Games! (Close-up. White fur runs down the sides of the face and chest and covers the limbs. The exposed skin is gray, and the scalp sports short black stubble. A gold belt is in evidence, as is a necklace with a large red jewel.) Master: And you are hereby invited to compete in the Tournament of Heroes! (Fade to black.) OPENING THEME

Act One (Opening shot: the Master atop his dais.) Master: The Tournament of Heroes. A friendly competition between the world's greatest young champions. (The jewel around his neck glows white; its radiance suddenly fills the screen, and when it clears, the view has shifted to the Jump City skyline. On the following words, Robin backflips into view and throws a couple of discs toward us; they explode and he launches himself out of the smoke clouds to direct a kick at the camera.) Master: (voice over) Robin�the combat-equipped, kung-fu-trained one-man army. (Freeze frame as this image shrinks into the top left quadrant of the screen. A second shot spins up from the center to fill the entire view: Hot Spot, flying at the camera and throwing fireballs.) Master: (voice over) Hot Spot�a human flamethrower with a fiery temper to match. (Freeze frame: this image shrinks to the center of the screen, overlapping Robin slightly. Full-screen shot spins up: a close-up of Cyborg's arm. On the next line, it converts to his sonic cannon, which he fires as the camera pulls back, and he leaps at the lens to throw a punch.) Master: (voice over) Cyborg�the high-tech teen fighting machine. (Freeze frame and shrink to the bottom right quadrant. Full-screen shot spins up: Aqualad swimming at top speed.) Master: (voice over) Aqualad� (He uses his telepathy to summon two whales.) �a water-breathing telepath with mastery over surf and sea. (This last bit is from �Deep Six.� Freeze frame: the view shrinks and contracts horizontally as it packs itself in below Hot Spot. The next one that spins up shows an extreme close-up of one of Wildebeest's eyes, accompanied by his low growling.) Master: (voice over) Wildebeest� (Pull back; he is in a city street, lifting a car, and he throws it.) �four hundred ponds of primal heroic fury. (An o.c. explosion from the direction of his throw. Freeze frame: his shot contracts like Aqualad's as it retreats into the top right corner. Next up: Gizmo, advancing through darkness on his four metal spider legs. His face appears on many wall monitors�this is a shot from �Final Exam.�;) Master: (voice over) Gizmo� (He leans down.) �the nasty little boy� (Two lasers extend from his belt and fire.) �with the really big brain. (Freeze frame on the end of this: horizontal squeeze as this shot backs into the bottom left corner. Now Beast Boy spins up, going at a flat run.) Master: (voice over) Beast Boy�a quick-witted changeling� (He becomes a tiger.) �who can turn into any animal. (Freeze frame on the end of this; his image shrinks to top center, overlapping Hot Spot almost completely. Finally a shot of Speedy spins up; he is in a forest, bow and arrow in hand, and he takes careful aim. Yellow light shines from the leading end. During the next line, he lets it fly and the camera cuts to the target�a very large robot menacing the area. The missile strikes the head, blowing it up.) Master: (voice over) And Speedy�the agile archer with an unstoppable arsenal of energy arrows. (Speedy smirks a bit at his success. Freeze frame and shrink to a spot just left of center. The overall effect is of a collage of photographs. A white flash washes over the screen and clears to show the Master addressing the eight teens.) Master: Eight brave and worthy champions, but only one shall win. (Cut to Beast Boy.) Beast Boy: (big soulful eyes) So...does the winner get some kind of really cool prize, like...maybe...oh, I don't know...a moped? (He pulls his head down into the bottom third of the screen. Above it, a thought balloon pops up, showing the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Beast Boy, dressed as a suave, beret-wearing Frenchman with a baguette under his arm, zips back and forth on a motor scooter as several screaming, lovestruck women chase on foot.) Master: (from o.c.) I have no moped, shape-shifter. (The balloon evaporates; cut to him.) But rest assured. When the Tournament is complete, there will be magnificent prizes. (Cut to a pan across the eight; he continues o.c.) And, of course, the winner shall prove that he is the greatest young hero on Earth. (Back to him.) Master: However, any who do not wish to compete need only say the word� (His jewel glows.) �and I shall return you home at once. (There is a quick, sotto-voce discussion of this offer, after which Robin steps forward.) Robin: Looks like we're in�all of us. Master: The challenge is accepted. The Tournament begins! Prepare for competition! (His jewel glows again on the end of this, followed by a huge white flash that clears to show him gone from his perch. All are more than a bit confused at the sudden exit. Beast Boy and Aqualad trade a high five and shake hands.) Beast Boy: Aquadude! What's up? (thumping Aqualad's arm) Ready to watch me claim all those prizes? Aqualad: (dryly, with a little snort) No. But after I win, I promise to let you have my autograph. (Pan to Cyborg, who gestures at Gizmo.) Cyborg: Hey, what's he doing here? He's no hero! I thought this was a Tournament of� Gizmo: What's the matter, Robo-Wimp? Afraid I'll kick your stinking can? (Cyborg gets in his face.) Cyborg: Just try it! (Red sparks and beams between his implanted eye and Gizmo's natural ones. Cut to Hot Spot, who sniffs the air disgustedly.) Hot Spot: What's that sme� (Pull back; Wildebeest, nearby, glares down at him.) Oh. (He chuckles nervously, but a menacing snort cuts it off and makes a drop of sweat pop out on his temple. Pan to Speedy and Robin, who say nothing right away as they circle and give each other a slightly hairy eyeball. Robin breaks the standoff by extending a hand to shake.) Robin: Speedy. I've heard you're good�real good. (Speedy shakes.) Speedy: Robin. Likewise. Great to finally meet you. Robin: (pointing at quiver) So, what are those arrows made of? (The bowman pulls one out and holds it forth for Robin to gaze eagerly.) Speedy: Polarized matrices of high-energy electrons. Robin: Right. (pulling a disc from belt) Same technology packs the punch in my electric discs. How do you overcome the quantum-entanglement problem? (Pull back. Cyborg is watching the exchange; Beast Boy pops up next to him. Now we can clearly see Speedy's footwear�yellow boots.) Speedy: Borrowed some time on a prototype accelerator and generated enough positrons to slow down the reaction so that� Beast Boy: (to Cyborg, over previous line) Whoa, dude. Never knew Robin had a clone. Voice of Master: Champions! Round One! Face your opponents! (A flash, and all four are gone; another removes Aqualad, Wildebeest, Gizmo, and Hot Spot. The view clears to show a number of large circular platforms floating in midair. A freeze-frame of Cyborg slides in from the left, one of Gizmo from the right; each is marked with the fighter's name. The abbreviation �vs.� appears at the border between the two halves.) Master: (voice over) Cyborg versus Gizmo! (The shots slide away. Zoom in slightly on one large platform as two lightning bolts strike it and clear to leave the two standing there. Gizmo hovers above its surface with the help of his metal wings and stares down Cyborg. Two more shots slide in as before, showing Beast Boy and Wildebeest and labeled appropriately.) Master: (voice over) Beast Boy versus Wildebeest! (Slide away; now we see a collection of large steel cages suspended from chains. Zoom in on one of them; the two combatants are blasted into it, and Beast Boy looks nervously at the grid of metal bars at his back. Pan to Wildebeest, who charges straight at him from the opposite corner. Two more still shots slide in to show Speedy and Aqualad.) Master: (voice over) Speedy versus Aqualad! (Slide away. Now the scene has changed to show a large circle of flat stones floating on water. Speedy appears on one of them and looks around, bow in hand; there is an o.c. flash that forces him to shield his eyes, and the camera pulls back to show a patch of bubbles rising from underwater. Aqualad's head breaks the surface, throwing a bit of a scare into the archer for a moment. Two more shots slide in: Robin and Hot Spot.) Master: (voice over) Robin versus Hot Spot! (Slide away. They are in a large pipeline, eyeing each other across several yards. Robin throws a few punches at the air to limber up and ends with a backward jump that leaves him ready for action. Hot Spot extends short jets of flame from his arms.) (The teen torch projects a fire stream at the Boy Wonder, who stops it by pivoting to put his cape in the way and then charges. Hot Spot takes a kick, flips backward, and spews flame from both arms to act as a rocket engine, propelling him at high speed toward Robin. The latter brings out his fighting staff and twirls it like an airplane propeller, and Hot Spot counters by flipping into an upside-down spin. A sheet of fire pours from arms at ground level, his legs twirl like a high-speed flail at head level, and Robin has his hands full trying to block both with his staff.) (He is finally driven backward a few steps. Rising to the tunnel ceiling, Hot Spot gathers his strength and hurls a large fireball downward; Robin darts away and just avoids the huge explosion that occurs when the shot hits his former location. When the screen clears, we are back among the floating platforms. Cyborg jumps from one to the next and barely stays ahead of the laser shots coming from the airborne Gizmo. He returns fire, is greeted with another barrage, and hops to another platform.) Gizmo: (laughing) What's wrong, barf-brain? Feeling jumpy? (Overhead view of the stones on the water. Speedy leapfrogs from one to the next, but Aqualad swims alongside and keeps pace easily. The two stop and face off at a short distance; as the Atlantean charges and Speedy readies his bow, the latter's perch rises as a tall column. Aqualad runs smack into it and tumbles backward. Now several yards up, Speedy flips him a taunting salute, and the other platforms rise in the same fashion. Once Aqualad resurfaces, the young archer nocks a glowing arrow; the target's eyes pop as a drop of sweat rolls down, the string twangs, and he quickly ducks under again. The arrow splashes in after him and explodes.) (The water-dwelling fighter swerves every way he can to avoid a rain of arrows, which Speedy is shooting off in every direction with machine-gun speed. Grinning, he brings out yet another one, the head glowing blue-white, and chuckles as sparks crackle from it. He pivots slowly to keep Aqualad in his sights, then lets it go. This arrow hits the water; cut to below the surface. A flicker of light from its location draws Aqualad's attention�followed by a great flash and energy discharge that leaves him paralyzed and yelling in pain. He sinks toward the camera.) (Speedy sits on the edge of his perch and laughs exuberantly, arms and legs flailing every which way, and does not immediately notice when the water begins to swirl into huge waves. He stops laughing and looks down just in time to see a broad shaft of liquid shoot up in front of him; the opponent rises within it and delivers an uppercut that lifts Speedy off his feet and the column.) (A flash, and the view has shifted to the cage that holds Beast Boy and Wildebeest. The giant thunders at the green Titan, who becomes a vampire bat and flaps away from the corner. When Wildebeest hits the wall, the momentum of his rush sets the entire cage swinging. Beast Boy makes a break for an opening between the bars, but an invisible force field stops him from escaping this way. As Wildebeest runs at him again, he transforms into a boa constrictor and wraps himself around the giant body. Both topple to the floor.) (The cage swings back and forth a couple of times, during which the giant green snake becomes a gorilla and grapples with his foe. Wildebeest breaks the hold, forcing Beast Boy back to the wall to set the enclosure in motion once more, and charges straight in. This time, there is no sidestep and the big ape is smashed halfway out through the steel bars, breaking some of them. In a trice, Beast Boy has become a skunk, put himself between those huge feet, and cocked his tail. Close-up of Wildebeest's face; the horrid stench fills his nostrils and makes him recoil. Sight gag: as tears stream from his eyes, malodorous items scroll by behind him�rotten eggs, dirty toilets, unwashed laundry, and so forth.) (A flash, and the scene has shifted to the pipeline. Robin runs from the flying Hot Spot, who soon stops in midair and sends a broad stream of fire at him. The one-man army races along, nearing the end of the pipe, but a barricade pops up in front of him and he nearly breaks his nose on it. Others follow suit, so that he is forced to go around and over them while dodging the burning shots that hurtle down after him. He gets clear with a huge leap and scales a disc back at Hot Spot, who has touched down. It explodes against his raised arms in a cloud of smoke, which clears to show a very surprised face above them�and Robin, charging in to throw a punch that knocks Hot Spot silly.) (Cut to the floating platforms. Cyborg drops onto one of them, gets his cannon ready to fire, and tries to get a lock on Gizmo as he buzzes past. Instead of shooting, though, the big man grabs hold of those metal wings and digs in all ten fingers.) Gizmo: Let me go! (Cyborg rips the wings away, leaving Gizmo to tumble through the air. Out come the four spider legs, one of which lands a big roundhouse lash against the jaw. Cyborg goes over the edge and crashes down onto a lower platform; in no time flat, Gizmo has jumped after him and planted those four legs to hem him in. Two of them come down to impale the bionic Titan, but he seizes them just short of his face and strains to push them away.) Gizmo: Still think I don't belong in your pit-sniffing Tournament? (A missile launcher pops up on his back at the end of this.) Cyborg: Yeah! And it's about time somebody gave you the boot! (On the end of this line, he raises one foot to the camera; a panel slides away on the sole to reveal a small blaster. Gizmo's eyes go very wide at the sight.) Gizmo: Huh? (The weapon discharges, wrecking the metal legs and sending him screaming up into space. He plummets back to the platform only to be caught by the collar of his jumpsuit in one hand. Close-up of the main control unit on his back; Cyborg reaches into view with his free hand and tears it away. Pull back as he tosses it aside.)
 * All lines marked with an asterisk are heard over a hidden speaker. ***
 * Master: Let the contest begin!
 * Master: Winner... (He drops Gizmo.) ...Cyborg!

(The loser grumbles angrily to himself for a second before vanishing in a flash of light and smoke. Close-up of Cyborg's rather bemused face, then flash to Aqualad and Speedy struggling at the edge of the water shaft that erupted up from the surface. The fluid starts to work its way along the black-and-blue forearms and envelop Speedy's head�Aqualad is trying to drown him�but he gets one hand free, grabs an arrow from the quiver, and thrusts its point into the water next to his opponent. Everything freezes solid in seconds, trapping Aqualad in place and allowing Speedy to slide out of his grip. The bowman stands up, a bit of frost still covering his face; tilt up to show that Aqualad is now encrusted as well. Next to him, the ice cracks a bit.) (He leans toward the frozen mass to touch the hero trapped within it, but as he does so, there is a flash and Aqualad is gone. Another flash shows Robin directing a flying kick at the camera; pull back to show him delivering a healthy thrashing to Hot Spot. The final blow dumps the firestarter on his back; cut to Robin, who lands and straightens up triumphantly.) (An o.c. flash marks the removal of the defeated fighter and puts a surprised look on Robin's face. In the cage, Wildebeest has both hands clamped over his nose and copious tears still running from his eyes due to Beast Boy's skunk attack. He uncovers his face and his eyes go wide; pull back to show that he is now facing a green lion that charges at him. Though Wildebeest is able to get both arms wrapped around the jungle cat, it transforms into a crocodile, then a bear, then a rhinoceros, then an elephant. The big fellow stays in control and manages to sling the pachyderm o.c., but his eyes soon pop again as he looks across the cage. Cut to Beast Boy, who becomes a tyrannosaurus rex and roars with enough intensity to set the cage vibrating.) (Pull back to outside. His weight is more than the bars can bear, and the entire bottom of the cage breaks out to drop him into space. Beast Boy reverts to human form in stages and flails his arms and legs in midair with a frantic yell before a lightning bolt transports him away. Cut to Wildebeest, still in the cage�he plastered himself up against the corner, feet on the stubs of the floor bars.) (Cut to the domed chamber. A flash deposits the four victors here.) Robin: Speedy! All right, you won! Cyborg: But Beast Boy didn't. (Flash; the Master is back on his dais.) Master: Well played, young champions. You have survived Round One. (Robin steps up.) Robin: Survived? What happened to the losers? (Cyborg steps up.) Cyborg: Yeah, where's our friend? Master: (chuckling a bit) Peace, heroes. �Survived� is merely an expression. Beast Boy and the other losers have been returned home safely. (Robin nods to Cyborg, who is uneasy.) But think not of the vanquished, my champions. Now you must rest, for tomorrow you face...Round Two! (A flash takes all four teens out of the chamber. Close-up of the Master.) Master: (softly) Oh, what a marvelous game. No matter who is victorious... (His jewel flickers, then glows brightly.) ...I win all the prizes. (Extreme close-up of the gem, which stops glowing. Muffled, panicked voices make themselves heard within�the eliminated competitors are trapped inside, rather than back home as he said. Fade to black.)
 * Master: Winner...Speedy!
 * Master: Winner...Robin!
 * Master: Winner... (Close-up.) ...Wildebeest!

Act Two (The screen stays black as knocking is heard. Cyborg's lines are spoken at low volume until noted otherwise.) Cyborg: (voice over) Yo, Robin! Wake up! It's me! (A vertical shaft of light appears and widens�a door is opening, and Cyborg stands in the light outside Robin's darkened room. The Titans' leader yawns expansively, having been shaken out of a sound sleep, and takes a second or two to put his brain in gear.) Robin: Cyborg? It's late. And I don't think we're supposed to be out of our� Cyborg: Can't sleep. (He raises his forearm, which shows a panel flashing �BUSY' in big red letters and emits a telephone busy signal. About two words into the next line, a shot of the domed chamber slides down from above; at this point, the narration switches to voice over. Sight gag: Cyborg is here, in �Super Deformed� style, and as the line continues, he brings up a phone keypad on his forearm and punches in a number.) Cyborg: I tried calling home to make sure Beast Boy's okay... (The left side of his head flips open, taking with it the frame that runs along the jawline. Out pop a circuit board and small satellite dish, while a panel at his right temple opens; he pulls a wire from this and connects it to the board. The dish comes to life and puts out a signal; dissolve to a shot of a radio tower. The transmission hits it and is redirected over the ocean, the camera panning to follow it past world landmarks�the Sphinx, the El Castillo pyramid at Chich�n Itz� in Mexico, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty�until it reaches the Tower.) Dissolve to a close-up of the upper stories and zoom in on the operations center window, through which Starfire and Raven can be seen. A red phone, with the Titans' insignia in place of a rotary dial, sits on the coffee table under Starfire's very worried eye. Raven, meanwhile, sits off to one side and does a bit of knitting.) Cyborg: (voice over) ...but I can't get a signal through. (During this line, the transmission flashes into view but is blocked before it can reach the phone. Back to Robin and Cyborg.) Robin: We're in an alternate dimension, kind of outside your calling plan. Cyborg: Um... Robin: I'm sure he's fine. The Master said all the losers were sent home, safe and sound. Cyborg: Yeah, I know. But I've just got a bad feeling. There's something weird about this game. Robin: (stepping into hall) I guess it couldn't hurt to have a look around. (After a few steps, he stops and his eyebrows go up as far as they can.) Robin: (suspiciously) Hold on. (Sight gag: his head rotates 180 degrees, reminiscent of The Exorcist, on the next line.). Robin: I know what you're doing. (A red question mark appears in Cyborg's head circuits, with his eye implant forming its point, and his voice returns to normal volume.) Cyborg: What am I doing? Robin: You're trying to trick me again, like you did in the card game. Cyborg: I am? (A word balloon appears between the two Titans, leading back to Robin's mouth. It shows him as Sherlock Holmes and Cyborg as Dr. Watson; they follow a trail of footprints in front of a city skyline at night.) Robin: Sure. We'll go �investigate,� and be up all night, and find nothing. Then you'll recharge your batteries in fifteen minutes while I get no sleep. (During the previous line, the following things occur within the balloon. One, the skyline pivots from night to morning, much as it did at the start of �How Long Is Forever?� Two, the sleuths reach the end of the trail and find nothing. Three, the domed chamber backdrop slides down and the Titans return to their normal outfits as they shrug. Four, Robin yawns while Cyborg grins, reaches o.c., and comes back with a plug on the end of an extension cord, which he fits into a panel on his chest. Five, the backdrop changes to a spinning sunburst, the plug falls away, and Cyborg flexes his muscles to the sound of a bugle charge; Robin is now gone.) Cyborg: Say what?!? Robin: When Round Two starts, I'll be fighting fatigue, and you'll be that much closer to winning the prize. (The following things occur during the previous line. One, two half-screen freeze-frame shots slide in as they did during the fights��Cyborg vs. Robin��with the former grinning broadly and the latter asleep on his feet. Two, these slide away to show the scene as it would appear in a fighting video game: score displays, energy meters, timer. Three, the word �FIGHT� flashes up, a bell rings, and the boys move toward one another. Four, Robin swipes weakly at Cyborg, who literally knocks him over with one finger. Five, �K.O.� flashes up to signal the end of the fight.) (The word balloon disappears.) Cyborg: No, man, for real! I'm just worried about BB. (Cut to Robin, now smirking; he continues o.c.) Come on. Winning isn't� Robin: (backing through doorway) Riiiiight. (He closes the door to black out the screen. Cyborg switches on his built-in flashlight and makes his way down the hall.) Cyborg: Crazy, paranoid, hyper-competitive, spiky-haired little... (On the end of this, cut to a corner of the hall; his light advances out of the unlit far end. Cautiously he moves along, sweeping the flash back and forth, and slips into that side passage. As he continues on through the arches, some machinery is heard kicking up o.c.; he puts out the light and backs up to a wall. Gizmo's metal spider legs step past him, but the camera is positioned at ground level and the boy genius is not in frame. Cyborg looks out after the moving appendages.) Cyborg: Gizmo? (Cut to the domed chamber. A shadow moves across the wall�human figure attached to those four limbs�and the camera pans to follow it over to an unlit area. Pull back; Cyborg's hand, detached from the rest of him, scuttles into view on a ledge and raises its middle finger. The tip pulls loose and trains a tiny camera on the area, just as it did in �Final Exam.� Cut to the owner of said hand, still hidden away and working a control on his forearm. Out pops a small joystick, which he begins to manipulate; cut to his perspective�on the accompanying panel is the view through the camera lens, which shifts as he tweaks the stick.) (He gets the spidery silhouette in frame. Cut to a close-up of the hand camera, then to its perspective of the shape. It zooms in on the figure at the center�and the light comes up and reveals this to be not Gizmo, but the Master. The image refocuses itself briefly; cut to the hand, which jumps up in surprise with the lens shooting straight ahead as of an eye bulging out. The next two lines are spoken sotto voce.) Master: Magnificent. (lowering himself to floor) Absolutely magnificent prizes. (The legs retract into his back.) Gizmo, Hot Spot, Aqualad, Beast Boy. (He produces a spark of fire between his hands on Hot Spot's name, turns it into a ball of water on Aqualad's, then makes it disappear and turns his arms into those of a gorilla on Beast Boy's.) Master: Now that the vanquished are in my possession, their powers are mine to command! (Close-up; he bends over.) I can scarcely wait to see what I win in Round Two. Cyborg: (from o.c.) There's not gonna be a Round Two! (The Master looks off to one side; pan that way to Cyborg, who has moved into the chamber. The detached hand returns to him and jumps neatly up to connect to his wrist; he gives it a half-twist and locks it back in place.) Cyborg: Game over. Master: The game is never over, young champion, but I'm afraid that you are disqualified! (On the end of this, his head changes to match Hot Spot's and he brings his huge, furry arms down to break the floor. Cyborg is flung back to the wall by the tremors, but has to get up very quickly when a blast of fire lances toward him. Now the Master rises on the spider legs again. Cyborg brings up his cannon and fires a long blast at the Master's chest with a roar; zoom in quickly on the jewel as it is hit dead on and the Master laughs wickedly. Pull back to frame both again�energy is feeding back along the beam. When it reaches Cyborg's arm, it wraps itself around his body and reels him in. The bionic Titan has time for one last yell before he disappears into the great red gem.) (The Master drops to the floor, head and arms back to normal and metal legs retracting; close-up of his jewel, into which the last of the feedback is disappearing.) Master: (from o.c.) Never challenge the Master. (Pull back; he turns his right arm into Cyborg's cannon.) I always win. (He fires at the camera. When the beam clears, the view has shifted to the top of the domed chamber; tilt down to the three remaining fighters. Robin throws a few punches at nothing.) Speedy: (to Wildebeest) Good luck today. May the best man win. (The behemoth grunts and turns his back.) Sorry. May the best...champion win. (Wildebeest nods reluctantly.) Robin: Right back at you, Speedy. (The two shake hands.) Where's Cyborg? It's not like him to be late. Master: (from o.c.) Cyborg will not be joining us. (Pull back across the chamber. He stands atop his high dais; the right arm is normal again.) Master: Your friend has been disqualified for attempting to sabotage his fellow champions. Robin: (softly, shaking his head) He shoulda played fair. Master: And with only three champions remaining, we shall proceed directly to... (jewel flashing) ...the final round! (A big flash wipes out the screen, and three still shots slide in to fill it, labeled as in the previous round of fighting. A �vs.� slides into view at the right spot as it is mentioned, then moves off again.) Master: (voice over) Speedy versus Wildebeest versus Robin, in a three-man fight to the finish! (Wipe to a crater on a barren moon and tilt up to an asteroid floating not too far from it. Three lightning bolts strike the surface and leave the fighters standing there. Cut to Speedy and Wildebeest, facing off, and pan to put Speedy out of view and Robin in at the far edge. Robin charges at Wildebeest and goes up for a flying kick, only to have his foot grabbed and flung�along with the rest of him�across the asteroid. He stops right at the edge.) (Speedy fits an arrow to his bow and lets it loose; it bursts into flame as it travels to the target�Wildebeest, who just swats it down and charges. The archer jumps backward to land next to Robin as he stands upfrom the throw. They glance at each other and rush Wildebeest, Robin pulling out a disc, and as they go, each unleashes a salvo of his respective missiles. However, their common foe simply dodges every shot and runs through the smoke of the one that explodes too far ahead.) (When they reach Wildebeest, Speedy dodges to one side and stops, but Robin goes into a leap that carries him straight over the animal head and sets of a charge in that direction. The bowman shoots off three arrows at once, none of which do any damage to Wildebeest when they hit. As Speedy stares, temporarily paralyzed with shock at this failure, Robin vaults over his shoulder and off the lowered bow for a new jump. He lands behind the head and tries to ride Wildebeest like a rodeo bull; as they skid past Speedy, he gets the brawler's fifth of a ton dumped onto one side and jumps clear.) Speedy: Thanks, Robin. Robin: Don't thank me yet. (Close-up of Speedy, who looks down in surprise, and tilt down to his feet. One of Robin's discs is lodged in the rock between them; it turns that patch into ice, and he loses his balance with a yell and falls.) Robin: We are playing to win, aren't we? (Wildebeest sneaks up and wraps him up in a bone-crushing grip. Speedy gets up.) Speedy: Looks that way. (He readies a new arrow, this one with a large canister at its head that shows his S insignia. This opens up to reveal a boxing glove, and he draws the bowstring and fires. A quick flash, as we see all three�Speedy in the distance, Wildebeest knocked off his feet by the impact of the arrow, Robin jolted out of his grasp. Overhead view: Wildebeest crashes down between on his back, the rock surface cracking under the impact, and the camera pulls back to frame the other two. Surface level: he is hit by lightning and removed from the battle zone. The edges of the asteroid start to crumble away.) Speedy: May the best man win. Robin: I intend to. (Long shot of the celestial body: the fissures are spreading in all directions now, and in due course the entire mass disintegrates into fragments. As Speedy and Robin drop toward the nearby moon, the former lets fly an arrow that has a long line attached to its feathered end. It strikes a tumbling rock and lodges there�his equivalent of a grappling hook�and in an instant he has hauled himself onto this. Robin, meanwhile, leaps from rock to rock toward Speedy, who hurls himself backward across empty space to stay out of reach.) (One exploding arrow after another flashes down at Robin, forcing him backward toward the edge of his perch, and when Speedy follows them in, the black-haired Titan tumbles out of view. Camera shift: now we see him hanging on to the rock's underside while Speedy draws a bead on him. The ensuing barrage sends him sliding down, one handhold at a time; as he starts into free fall, he launches a grapple and snares Speedy's bow arm. The archer is summarily yanked off to join Robin in space.) (They take several swings at each other as they tumble, ending with Robin being thrown toward an asteroid fragment. He catches the edge and swings himself up onto its surface, looks down, and finds the moon's surface approaching fast. Speedy jumps from one rock to another; in one large crater, a few chunks of rock crash down to fill the screen with dust. The haze parts to reveal Speedy standing there, ready to fire, then a smirking Robin with his staff in hand.) (The Boy Wonder charges and easily deflects the arrow that comes his way; when he gets in close enough, he uses the staff to throw off Speedy's aim and pin the bow to the ground. Both teens struggle for the upper hand, Robin's boots sliding slowly backward on the lunar rock.) Speedy: Just a friendly competition, huh? Robin: Yeah. Should be fun. (They lean toward each other.) Speedy: Right. 'Cause winning isn't everything. Robin: It's just the only thing that matters. (Both push off and back away. Speedy goes into a high leap and shoots a stream of arrows downward; Robin leaps and swerves to avoid their explosive impacts, does a jump of his own, and hurls a disc across the expanse of the crater. When Speedy touches down, he lets go with one more shot, and the two projectiles collide in midair and detonate with terrific force. The glare clears to show the two aggressors smirking at each other from opposite sides.) (Robin retracts his staff and starts running; his opposite number beats feet as well, pulling a fresh arrow from his quiver on the way. They run around the crater's inner edge, Speedy loosing one after another and Robin somersaulting away from their blasts. Now the tunic-clad marksman nocks three at once and lets them fly; Robin dives away easily, but they climb high above the moon's surface and then double back toward him. His eyes pop.) Robin: Heat-seekers! (He stars running again and goes into a leap that brings him down just ahead of the streaking arrows, which are now descending at a steep angle. A last-second dodge takes him to one side; the missiles are unable to correct their trajectory, and they crash into the surface and blow up. Robin touches down on the crater wall and gets his feet in high gear once more, staying a few feet above its bottom. Standing on the level surface, Speedy pivots to keep him sighted and fires; Robin retaliates by slinging three discs, which go off just in front of the shooter.) (As Speedy strains to steady his aim through the smoke that has billowed up around him, Robin launches himself from the crater wall. Cut to Speedy, coughing in the murk, and tilt up as he looks skyward. The Boy Wonder plunges out of it for a new attack. His opponent brings up a new, canister-tipped arrow and lets it go. This time, the entire shaft falls away and the load opens up to reveal a triangular net with weights at the corners. In mid-leap, Robin whips a disc downward and gets caught up in the net a moment later.) (The crater floor. His disc slams down at Speedy's feet and starts to freeze them up a moment before he bounces across the screen. Close-up of the expanding ice mass, tilting up as it covers the legs and chest, then cut to Robin, who manages to get a birdarang out of his belt. Not to be outdone so easily, Speedy grabs an arrow, twirls it, and jams the point into the ice; the projectile explodes, destroying it, and his counterpart cuts himself loose from the entangling strands.) (Now both face off across the crater floor. As Speedy prepares another shot, Robin wings a birdarang past him, it soars high and curves back, and the archer slowly turns to sight it for a long moment. When he releases the bowstring, the arrow's course sends it directly toward Robin, whose own throw is coming back as well. With his hand out to catch the birdarang, his eyes bug out in sudden surprise and his jaw drops, and he disappears in the glare of Speedy's exploding arrow.)

(A long, tense pause�and he drops neatly into a crouch, intact and well away from the blast site. Another arrow out of the quiver, the fighting staff out and extended, and here we go again. Speedy shoots at Robin, now yelling his way through a monster leap, and misses; the metal shaft crashes against his upraised bow, and both swing their weapons at each other with renewed fury. Robin breaks away for a high jump and points one steel-soled boot straight out for a kick. It comes down across Speedy's bow and jaw, smashing the former to splinters and knocking arrows from the quiver. They tumble down, as does he, followed by the broken weapon.) Speedy: My bow! (Robin steps up and smirks at him.) Robin: (holding out staff horizontally) You lose. Speedy: But was it really worth it? (The question gives Robin pause; his smirk fades and he lowers the staff. A flash of lightning takes Speedy away from the battle zone; cut to a red/black vortex, through which he falls screaming away from the camera, then dissolve to a close-up of the jewel on the Master's necklace, with his fingers curled around it. Energy crackles from it, but stops as the camera pulls back to frame him. He looks down at the gem with an expression of quiet satisfaction at having captured another hero. Fade to black.) Act Three (Opening shot: the Master&#39;s dais, with him standing halfway up the steps. A flash deposits Robin here in a crouch; he stands up to face the gamesman.) Master: Well done, Champion of Champions. Victory is yours. Robin: (a bit unenthused) Guess I&#39;m supposed to get some sorta prizes now? (The Master descends.) Master: I did say there would be prizes, young champion. I did not say they were for you. Robin: What are you talking about? Master: (gripping jewel, kneeling to him) You may be the winner... (Close-up of it. Robin&#39;s wide-eyed reflection is visible in the surface; from within, the seven captured contestants&#39; voices are heard in a panicked babel.) Master: (from o.c.) ...but the losers are mine to keep. (Pull back. Robin&#39;s face rearranges itself into a fierce grimace, while the Master makes Wildebeest&#39;s horns pop out from his forehead and transforms his left arm into that of a gorilla.) Master: And with all their powers at my command... (The right arm becomes Cyborg&#39;s cannon; next Gizmo&#39;s metal spider legs bite down on the floor.) Master: ...no one will ever defeat the Master of Games. (His eyes glow as he says this, and after he finishes, his head takes on Hot Spot&#39;s look.) Master: I am invincible! (Pull back on this last word to show him towering above Robin. The young man stares dumbfounded for a second, then cocks his head and puts on a taunting half-smile.) Robin: How can you be invincible if you don&#39;t have me, the Champion of Champions? (This catches the Master flat-footed; he lowers himself to Robin&#39;s level, and he steps around to eye the youth.) Master: You are quite skilled. Robin: Then maybe the game isn&#39;t over. Master: The game is never over. Robin: One last round�winner take all? (The Master smiles and hoists himself up.) Master: Robin versus the Master of Games! (His eyes glow.) Let the contest begin! (On the last word, he shoots beams from his eyes to send Robin running for cover. The cannon blazes after him next, followed by a hail of Speedy&#39;s arrows coming from the gorilla hand. Robin bobs and weaves to avoid their detonations and fires a grapple that whistles past the Master to stick in the far wall. Hauling himself up, he plows into the Master&#39;s chest; both go flying across the chamber. The Master slams into the wall as Robin rises on the line to the attachment point of his hook.) (Now the dirty dealer works his jaw back and forth a bit and opens his mouth very wide. Inside is a gush of water, which he spits up at the young hero. To avoid instant drowning, Robin slides down the line and tumbles across the floor; he fires off another grapple and snags one spider leg. The Master snaps the line tight to crack Robin off and against the wall, then fires his cannon for a direct hit that drops the dazed champion to the floor.) (Robin comes to his senses and looks up just in time to see the Master closing in on him. The florid face breaks into a wicked grin as the eyes glow; cut to Robin, who wraps himself in his cape just in time to stop the stream of fire that pours over him. The air shimmers slightly in the intense heat.) Master: I win! I always win! (Zoom in on the flaming area; the fire clears away as Robin stands up.) Robin: Not today. (A quick wave of the gorilla arm turns it into a boa constrictor, which whips down at Robin. The Titan does a quick side jump and plans both boots firmly on the serpentine body; it retracts into the Master&#39;s arm, and now one of those reinforced soles aims straight up at him. With all Robin&#39;s weight behind it, it smashes into the large red jewel, throwing energy beams everywhere that wash out the screen. From within the blinding glare, Speedy and Cyborg are propelled yelling to slide across the floor toward Robin. They stand up, one by one; Speedy&#39;s bow is now back in one piece.) Speedy: Nice work. Cyborg: Told you there was something weird about this game! (Staggered by the kick, the Master straightens up after a moment�and realizes that his right arm has returned to normal with the loss of Cyborg.) Master: Victory shall be mine! (Cut to Cyborg and tilt down to his right arm, in cannon mode, then to Speedy as he fits an arrow to his bow. Robin moves up between them.) Robin: Winning isn&#39;t everything. (The Master roars and barrels straight toward the three fighters, putting out a wide stream of fire as he goes. It lances between Speedy and Cyborg; Robin somersaults away as the flames lick up the wall behind him. A cannon blast leaves the cheater reeling, and Speedy takes very careful aim. Another Cyborg burst flashes pas the Master. Speedy aims. The Master roars out his rage, only to catch Cyborg&#39;s next shot with his face. Slow motion: his necklace&#39;s jewel flips up into the air, catching sparkles from the light. Normal speed: the head of that arrow goes from yellow to red and Speedy lets it go. It sings across the chamber, hitting the gem dead on.) (Robin rushes at the Master, whose necklace is now glowing very strongly with that arrow protruding from it, and brings one foot up with a savage scream. It hits the shaft; close-up as the arrow is pushed all the way into the necklace.) Master: NOOOOOO!! (Pull back. As light pours from the stone, he crashes helplessly to the floor. All three heroes move closer and watch as he is enveloped in a broad shaft of crackling light. A wave expands from floor level to fill the entire chamber; when it clears, we see a close-up of the Master, from the neck down, kneeling as the necklace goes out. Tilt up to reveal that he has lost all his stolen powers.) (He looks off to one side. Cut to his perspective, a slow pan across the chamber�now repopulated with all eight contestants�then pull back to behind them.) Master: I lose. (He disappears in a flash of light and smoke. When it clears, the view is of a patch of the floor, and his necklace clinks down against the stone after a moment. Fade to black.) Robin: (voice over) As far as I&#39;m concerned... (Fade in to a close-up of Speedy&#39;s palm on the end of this; Robin places a communicator on it. Pull back to frame him and everyone but Beast Boy and Cyborg. The five others now hold the devices�Aqualad&#39;s, presumably, is the one he received at the end of �Deep Six.�) Robin: ...you&#39;re all honorary Titans. (Gizmo opens his.) Gizmo: Cool! Cyborg: (from o.c., grabbing it) Yo, gimme that! (Cut to him.) You&#39;re not a good guy, remember? (Cut to him, Gizmo, and Wildebeest.) Gizmo: Scrum-buffing toe-jamming gunk-eater! (Pull back to put Robin and Speedy in the foreground; Robin holds out a hand.) Robin: Sorry I&#39;ve pretty much acted like a jerk. (They shake and smile broadly. Speedy: We both did. Besides, in the end, it was your drive to win that saved us. Robin: Actually, when I faced the Master, I wasn&#39;t fighting to win. I was fighting for my friends. (Beast Boy approaches and holds up the Master&#39;s necklace as Cyborg joins him.) Beast Boy: Well, dudes... (He tosses it ahead.) Cyborg: It&#39;s been fun. (Robin catches it.) Robin: (to the others) And if you ever need us, you know how to reach us. (The gem glows.) Speedy: Right back at you. (Overhead view of the octet, all of whom promptly disappear in smoke and lightning. Close-up of the necklace as it clatters down again�it is silent now, but it promptly glows again and another blast goes off. This one clears to show Starfire, Raven, and Terra now on the scene, along with other young female silhouettes.) Master: (from o.c.) Welcome, champions all! You are hereby invited to compete� (The base of the dais; tilt up to show him back atop it and wearing the necklace.) Master: �in the Tournament of Heroines! (Back to Starfire and Raven on the end of this.) Starfire: Raven? Raven: Yeah? Starfire: I have a bad feeling about this. (Fade to black.)