REUNION

INT. SAINTS ROW CHURCH - NIGHT

GAMEPLAY INTRO: 

VAL and the BOSS appear inside a simulation of the church made up of their combined memories. There are no weapons available so they fight hand-to-hand. VAL gets the worst of it. When her shirt is torn and her lip is split, she backs away and spits blood onto the floor.

BEGIN CINEMATIC:

VAL’s shirt is torn and her lip is split. She backs away and spits blood onto the floor.

BOSS

You done?

VAL (out of breath)

I didn’t let an alien into my brain so we could sing Joan Baez by a campfire.

BOSS

Yeah? Well, I didn’t bring you here to fight.

VAL (catching her breath)

Oh no? Enlighten me.

BOSS

I brought you here for this.

The Boss points at a door and it opens. JULIUS LITTLE enters, looking how he did a decade ago, when Val saw him last. 

JULIUS

Hey, baby girl.

VAL

Dad!

Val runs to Julius’ arms and buries her face in his shoulder. They hug for a long moment. Julius closes his eyes, sighs, and gives Val an extra squeeze before holding her by the shoulders at arms’ length.

JULIUS

What happened to you? I trusted you - I paid for you - to make something of yourself.

VAL

I’m sorry, I just...

JULIUS

You were the smartest kid I ever knew. You could’ve done more than terrorize this place. 

VAL

Wait. Dad...

JULIUS

You could’ve governed it. Made it a good place to live. 

There are tears and smeared makeup on Val’s cheeks as she touches Julius’ face. For the first time, the perfectionist is vulnerable. 

VAL

It... it isn’t him, is it?

JULIUS

It isn’t who?

Val drops her hands. She steps away from Julius, but continues to look at him. She doesn’t want to look away.

VAL

He’s just my idea of him, isn’t he? In my mind?

BOSS

He’s our idea of him. And we’re all that’s left of his legacy. 

VAL

Because he’s dead. 

Val looks down and sniffs away tears. Her fists clench.

VAL

The real Julius is dead. And you killed him.

Julius has frozen in place. Static appears at his edges as he glitches. Val looks up at him, cocks her head to one side, then wipes smeared mascara from under her eye. 

VAL

The real Julius - the Julius I knew - was never unarmed.

A pistol appears, holstered, on Julius’ hip. Val steps to him and pulls it free, slowly, as if dreaming. 

The Boss holds up his/her hands and backs away.

BOSS

Whoa, whoa. That’s not...

Val turns and points the pistol at the Boss. 

VAL

Not how you wanted this to go?

Val walks forward, pistol outstretched.

VAL

Fuck how you wanted this to go. I’ll get another dog.

Val squeezes the trigger and blows a hole through the Boss’ forehead. The Boss crumples to the ground. Julius and the Boss glitch out and disappear. Val points the pistol to the sky and turns wildly, shooting at nothing.

VAL

Let me out of this mindfuck, assholes! Let me out!

/end