Volume 4, Season Finale: Chapter 17 – Beneath the Surface
Tagline:
"When silence burns, a new d a w n rises. And with it, the strength of a new d o n begins."
ACT 1: ASHES AND EYES
EXT. REMAINS OF THE BURNT HOUSE – NIGHT
The camera pans across the charred skeleton of what was once a home. Ash drifts through the air, glowing orange in the firelight. The townspeople stand in a wide circle, faces illuminated by the flickering flames. The "eye" symbol—projected by those in power—flickers on screens and walls, a cold, unblinking witness.
Maya (Presence) stands at the center, her children and Justice by her side. Martina McBride's "Independence Day" plays softly, the lyrics rising above the crackle of embers:
Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today
Is a day of reckoning…
MAYA/PRESENCE (V.O.)
They burned my house down. They made my children see things no child should ever see. They made my family, my whole town, watch—using their eye, their screens, their power. Life here is a blur—half CGI, half reality. Sometimes it's hard to tell what's real, except for the pain.
She kneels, gathering a handful of ash, letting it slip through her fingers. Her eyes are fierce, unbroken.
ACT 2: THE REASON AND THE LIE
EXT. TOWN SQUARE – CONTINUOUS
The spiral mural glows behind Maya as she faces the crowd. The "eye" symbol glares from a digital billboard, but she refuses to look at it.
MAYA/PRESENCE
They say everything happens for a reason. But I'm sick and tired of that reason being my silence—when I'm the only one who can change it. If the reason something happened is a lie, then it didn't happen. Not in my story. Not in my world. Because I said so.
She turns to her children, her voice softening.
MAYA/PRESENCE (CONT'D)
No more lies. No more silence.
ACT 3: THE COSMIC REVELATION
EXT. WATERFORD RIVERBANK – NIGHT
Maya walks beside the river, moonlight shimmering on the water. She looks up at the sky, then down into the river's depths.
MAYA/PRESENCE
The moon is the sun. The sun is the ocean floor—which is also the moon's surface. That's how it keeps it cool. That's how it keeps the world balanced. Space is quite literally under the sea.
She turns to the camera, her gaze unwavering.
MAYA/PRESENCE (CONT'D)
Your entire lives have been pretty much a lie. And it's all been leading up to finding me. That's what your governments are hiding. That's why they're afraid. Because beneath the surface, they're protecting domestic violence and rape. That's it. Nothing more. Just the darkest parts of humanity, kept in the shadows.
ACT 4: BREAKING THE CYCLE
INT. FLASHBACK – THE FIRE
The flames rise, Martina McBride's voice swelling:
Let freedom ring, let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today
Is a day of reckoning…
Maya's silhouette stands in the burning doorway, her eyes shining with resolve.
MAYA/PRESENCE (V.O.)
This is my Independence Day. The day I stop letting others write my story. The day I stop letting silence be the reason for suffering.
ACT 5: JUSTICE AND AGENCY
EXT. TOWN SQUARE – DAWN
The crowd gathers, the "eye" symbol flickering and fading as Maya speaks.
MAYA/PRESENCE
Let me make this clear for everyone—one last time.
Whether their father was in control or not, that's not up to you. That's up to me.
You don't know what I know. You haven't seen what I've seen.
I have everything on record. Every lie, every truth, every moment.
And I am done explaining myself to people who will never understand.
She sweeps her gaze across the crowd, her voice unwavering.
MAYA/PRESENCE (CONT'D)
So back off. Get out of my way.
Let me do what I have to do—for my children, for my family, for myself.
This is my story.
This is my justice.
And I will not be stopped.
She turns, taking her children's hands, leading them forward as the crowd parts in silence and respect.
ACT 6: WAR AND PEACE, DAWN AND DON
EXT. WATERFORD TOWN SQUARE – MORNING
The spiral mural now radiates with handprints from every family, every survivor, every reconciled soul in Waterford. Justice runs through the square, laughing, children joining her in a game that traces the spiral's path.
MAYA/PRESENCE (V.O.)
We have opened the golden door. Not just for ourselves, but for all who were lost, silenced, or cast aside. This is our independence day—a day when every story is welcome, every voice is heard.
She addresses the town, referencing Tolstoy:
MAYA/PRESENCE
Tolstoy wrote that the greatest battles are fought within the soul. We are swept up by wars we did not start, forced to fight for survival, for truth, for those we love. But peace is not the absence of struggle. It is the presence of justice, and the courage to reclaim what was lost.
She looks at Justice, then at the crowd.
MAYA/PRESENCE (CONT'D)
Like in War and Peace, our story is not just about conflict, but about healing. We are the sum of every battle and every embrace. Justice is our promise that love survives even the darkest wars.
ACT 7: THE PROMISE OF THE SPIRAL
EXT. WATERFORD TOWN SQUARE – NIGHT
A festival of lanterns fills the square. The townspeople, Presence, and Justice walk together, joined by families once separated, and by those who once hid in fear. The spiral mural is now complete, every handprint a symbol of unity.
Martina McBride's chorus echoes as lanterns rise:
Let freedom ring…
Maya stands before the mural, her hand pressed to the spiral. She recites the words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, her voice carrying across the square and up into the night:
MAYA/PRESENCE
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
The lanterns spiral upward into the sky—symbols of hope, healing, and the unbreakable bond between love, war, justice, and freedom.
ACT 8: THE FINAL MESSAGE
EXT. WATERFORD TOWN SQUARE – SUNRISE
As the first rays of the new day break over Waterford, Maya stands at the center of the spiral. She looks into the camera, her voice calm and resolute.
MAYA/PRESENCE
Some truths don't need your permission.
Some stories are mine alone to finish.
This is my d a w n.
This is my d o n.
And with this new day, I claim my story, my justice, and my freedom.
The camera rises, showing the glowing spiral from above, lanterns still drifting skyward, the town shining like a beacon.
TAGLINE ON BLACK:
"When silence burns, a new d a w n rises. And with it, the strength of a new d o n begins."
FADE OUT.