Congratulations to Wilson Trang, winner of Round One. Please read the winning treatment below and base script #1 and character designs on. Good luck!

The series we envision uses five well-known stories from history, each with a unique twist. The implication is that certain historical figures rose to power due to their ability to tap into their source. The stories serve as parables, each containing a “lesson” regarding the Source-Siphon relationship. In most cases, this relationship turns toxic (as is often the case when two people are forced to be near each other), and a conflict of interests between the Source and the Siphon produces deadly consequences.

By using five different tales, we will be able to showcase at least five different Siphon abilities. This will give the Siphons an “X-Men” flavor, which each character finding a different outlet for his or her power. The Source-Siphon relations will also be varied, ranging from siblings to complete strangers. The different locations and time periods of each tale will also play a role, particularly in the action sequences, where customs, technology, and historical circumstances are going to factor into the outcome.

The first issue will be about brothers Paris and Hector, of Trojan War fame. Unlike the prototypical portrayal of the Trojan brothers, this story does away with the mythological explanations. Instead, we have Paris as a source, and Hector as a siphon who draws speed and strength from his brother. The story will contain scenes from their childhood in which they figure out their powers and agree that Hector’s abilities should be used for the greater good of Troy (the source-siphon tension that occurs in later issues will be largely absent in this one). Paris develops his skills as an archer so that he is able to be near Hector during battle but away from the front lines to ensure the future success of Hector.

After this brief setup, the bulk of the story will be a fresh take on the events of the Trojan War. As an adult, it is clear that Paris has always been overshadowed by Hector. In response, he develops a reputation for being a “playboy”, which leads to his fateful decision to abduct Helen. The resulting war gives us a chance to show Hector’s full potential. During his battle with the enormous and highly lethal warrior Ajax, Hector will triumph. However, he will be defeated by Achilles. Most people already know the outcome of this battle, but our twist will be that Achilles, too, is a siphon. The issue will end highlight the battle in which Achilles taps into a power beyond his recognition during his confrontation with Hector. Ultimately Achilles is triumphant and Paris realizes his part in his brother’s death moments too late. The story closes with Paris taking revenge from a safe distance and killing Achilles with an arrow fired from his bow at a great distance.

The second issue will revolve around Julius Caesar (a Siphon) and Brutus (a source). They become friends while serving in the Roman army. Wherever they go, their military campaigns are always wildly successful and they quickly rise through the ranks, especially Julius. This is because when Julius is near Brutus, he is endowed with an unusual gift; Battle Meditation from the Star Wars lore. His ability gives him an enhanced ability to raise the morals of his own army while sapping the will to fight from his enemies. He soon gains fame as a man who can crush large armies with his deceptively small phalanxes. Although Caesar often feels “inspired” around Brutus, neither man senses the true nature of their connection until Caesar’s military faces a crushing defeat in Brutus’s absence. At this point, Brutus (but not Caesar) realizes the influence that he has.

The relationship between Caesar and Brutus begins to decline as Brutus starts to view Caesar as overly ambitious and dangerous. To distance himself, he leaves the military to take a political office. To his dismay, Caesar follows him into politics, where his Siphon ability makes him a skilled politician. Caesar confides in Brutus that he is planning to overthrow the Senate and install himself as emperor. This proves to be the last straw for Brutus, who believes in the principles of the Senate and the Roman Republic. He informs his colleagues about the coup, and the rest is history. At this point, the Senators start an organization dedicated to the monitoring of Siphons known as the Protectorate.

The third issue will focus on the siphon, Joan of Arc, and her source, the young king, Charles in the mist of the Hundred Years War. The young Charles in hiding triggers Joan of Arc’s latent abilities of pyrokinesis or the ability to generate and control fire. Joan’s abilities lights a tree on fire, convincing the young girl that a sign of god is asking her to return the young Charles to power. Together, the two return France to its former glory on the battlefield.

However, the tensions between Charles and Joan drastically increases. The army sees Joan as an inefficient leader and Charles begins to lose his loyalty from the other French nobles. In order to retain and solidify his realm, he chooses to betray Joan to the English army. Joan is asked to reinforce a frontier fort. The fort is swarmed by English forces and Joan is captured. Unknown to Joan, she is placed on trial by a mysterious council led by the concurrent reiteration of the Protectorate. She is sent to burn on the cross.

The fourth issue will be centered on the young dictator of the name Adolf Hitler. As stated in the history of the Source/Siphons, Hitler uses his power as a Siphon to lead the world into chaos. The Source of Hitler’s powers comes from a young poet and writer of the fictional character Adalfredo Huber. Huber is Hitler’s first follower during his time in jail writing Mein Kampf. Together, they start the Nazi party’s revival in Germany.

Huber’s speeches to Hitler are successful as their cross country trip creates more and more followers. Unknown to Hitler and Huber, their success across Germany was not a product of Huber’s speech but Hitler’s ability of Hive Mind, the ability to spread his will to the local population. Together, they convert Germany to their favor. This catches the attention of the Protectorate. To stop this new dictator, they devise the July 20th plan involving Hitler’s own lieutenant Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenburg, also known as the only man to try to assassinate Hitler. He fails and only ends up speeding up Hitler’s plans for the Holocaust. A majority of the issue should deal with the internal troubles of the Protectorate as it decides to pursue an aggressive action against Hitler or to allow humans the ability to choose its fate. The failure to execute their aggressive policy against Hitler solidified the zero tolerance doctrine of the Protectorate.

The last issue will be placed in the current day. It will concentrate on a coach by the name of McKay and his prized quarterback, Hollis Quaker. A mediocre quarterback coupled with McKay as his source, Quaker dominates the professional football world. Quaker’s ability from McKay is the ability of precongition, the ability to see a short distance in the future. This allows him to react appropriately when the occasion arises. This immediately catches the attention of the Protectorate and the Appolyon Corporation. As Quaker and McKay grow in infamy, both organizations begin to take a proactive approach in targeting these two.

With this serving as a backdrop, the majority of the story should be dedicated to the meeting of these two organizations. In the middle of the night, both organizations make their move. A resulting firefight erupts in the middle of the neighborhood. This serves as an opening and introduction for both the Jaime and Douglas characters. Together, they capture McKay.

The coach wakes up the next day in the Appolyon Corporation base. He meets Joshua for the first time. Joshua gives him the same line that he fed Caleb and like Caleb, he rejects Joshua. Joshua tells him that it’s not his choice and knocks him out. Joshua tells his men to begin testing McKay. The next time we see McKay is when Caleb finds McKay.

Issue #1 Winning Script - click here to read