Rising Stars 11 Synopsis

"What Goes Around..."

It took ten Specials to kill John Simon, and now he lies dead on the grounds of Wrigley Field. The Specials leave to finish off the rest of John's team.

The man who had been spying on them earlier steps out of the shadows. His name is William Corealis, but he used to be called Willie Smith.

William looks over John's body and remembers that they used to call him Poet because he was always writing as a kid. William has gone out of his way to read John's poetry over the years because John was always nice to him.

William remembers his childhood...

While many of the children are playing in a courtyard, Willie approaches John, who is sitting alone on a hill. Willie notes that neither of them like to hang out with the other children much. They make fun of Willie because he is fat and because he stutters. John finds no problem with Willie's speech, which gives a big boost to Willie's self esteem.

Later, Dr. Welles is monitoring Willie's flying ability while the other children look on. Matthew Bright and Jason Miller are swooping through the air, but Willie can only get three feet off the ground. Jason jokes that Willie is too fat to fly. Matthew tries to defend him. Jason flies low over a tree, and a hand reaches up from the foliage to grab his ankle.

Jason falls to the ground beneath the trees. John warns him to leave Willie alone because he is his friend. Jason feels unthreatened because he believes John's power allows him to produce little more than a small electrical show. John is about to take Jason on when Dr. Welles interrupts. He sends Jason to do fifty laps with instructions to stop picking on Willie.

On another day, Willie is levitating again. Cathy Jean points out to him that she and Chandra haven't manifested any powers yet, so being able to levitate three feet isn't so bad. Willie realizes that the pity of the other children hurts him more than the teasing. Willie begins to float higher and higher into the sky. He considers going back, but then he senses John's words: "Keep going. Live free."

William has been able to do something none of the other Specials have ever achieved. He's lived as a normal man. He made a life for himself in Chicago. When Critical Maas took over the city, William stayed on and tried to help the Normals escape. He doesn't care about any other Specials except for John.

William picks up John's body and flies high through the streets of Chicago looking for the one person who can help.

A guard brings Cathy Jean her dinner, which is already half-eaten by someone else. After he leaves, a man appears floating outside her cell window and announces that it's time to go. "Willie?" she asks. He rips a huge hole in the wall. "William," he corrects. The guard returns just in time to see William flying off with Cathy.

William takes Cathy to the rooftop where he has left John's body. He wants her to bring him back to life. Cathy promises to try, but she's never used her power on a Special. I could have unknown side effects.

Several Specials and armed Normals burst onto the rooftop. One of the Normals opens fire. William is fast, but he laments that none of the Specials are actually faster than a speeding bullet. He tries to dive into the path of the bullet, but Cathy is shot through the chest.

The shooters turn on William, but he is impervious to bullets. The Specials tell their cohorts to cease fire, and they attack William in hand-to-hand combat. At least six Specials have shown up, and they give William a hard fight.

Cathy is not dead yet. She always wanted to know what it would be like to be a hero. She's sorry she didn't do better. She drags herself to John's body and lays her hand on him. John's hand reaches up to cover Cathy's.

The Specials attacking William are stunned by a huge flash. They turn to find a revived John Simon levitating above them with the full might of his powers pouring forth. He orders them to die and unleashes his fury. At the end, only John and William are left standing on the decimated rooftop.

William thinks that Critical Maas is setting a trap for John's friends and advises that they go to help. John says that they will in a minute. John knows what Cathy thought. He could sense her mind as she died and heard her many questions.

John picks up Cathy's body and flies high into the clouds. He shouts to the heavens that it's not fair for Cathy to die. She never hurt anyone. He feels guilty that she died for him. He apologizes to Cathy and uses his power to incinerate her body.

John returns to the rooftop and reassures William that it wasn't his fault. He thanks him for saving his life.

William asks what the plan is now. John says that first they warn the others, then they end this here, now, and forever.