INT. JAIL CELL - NIGHT

Cold, dark. Stan’s flickering screen casts the only light. Fireslayer and Penta glare from inside the cell.

FIRESLAYER
Where to, Stan? Not another trick.

STATIC STAN
No trick. It’s 7 p.m. No green energy by tomorrow night, I’m dead.

PENTA
Green energy?

FIRESLAYER
I don’t care!

Fireslayer punches. Stan’s screen cracks, glitches, reforms.

STATIC STAN
Listen! I trapped you. Painted you as villains. But I need help. 60% green energy or I die. And… I don’t want to.

A memory flashes—Tick, dead. Stan drops, panting.

STAN
Please.

PENTA
What’s it for?

STATIC STAN
I need to extract it. From both of you.

PENTA AND FIRESLAYER
What?!

FIRESLAYER
You ain’t killing my body!

STATIC STAN
I’m due to the universe!

Silence. They stare.

STATIC STAN
I made a deal. The voice in the sealed bridge. Return this USB with enough ratings, power, half my life—I’m saved. Forgot one thing. The green energy. The source code. No return by tomorrow, I die. We have until morning. Help me, I free you. Don’t… we die together.

PENTA
(Softly)
You don’t have to erase the universe.

STAN
Erase the—? I never said that. Let’s go.

FIRESLAYER
Promise us beers after.

STATIC STAN
No drinking on mission.

FIRESLAYER
I hate it!

STATIC STAN
So do I.

FIRESLAYER
You should die.

PENTA
We have to. I’m not dying with this murderer.

Stan glitches violently, turning slowly.

STATIC STAN
…Don’t call me that.

Cheesy passes, stops, looks in.

CHEESY
Fireslayer! Penta! And Stan!

He shouts down the hall. The gang runs in: Cheeseburger, Mr. Corn Flakes Boy, Rita, Tiffany.

CHEESEBURGER
Let them go, Stan!

He throws a can. It hits Stan.

MR. CORN FLAKES BOY
Kill him with Corn Flakes!

Stan backs up, shields the cell door.

STATIC STAN
Run!

He blasts the lock. They sprint out. Cheesy whistles. His crown flies off, chasing. Tiffany becomes a bubble, floating after.

Stan looks back. His eyes flash blue.

STAN
Go back to Cheesy. Stay.

The crown halts.

CROWN
Okay, boss.

It flies back. A giant cereal bowl smacks Stan down. Rita leaps, spear ready. Stan opens a portal beneath them. They fall through. Rita strikes air.

Stan, now behind her, electrocutes her. She falls. Tiffany reforms, walks to him.

TIFFANY
Stan. What are you doing?

STATIC STAN
Missy, I-I—

She takes his glitching hand.

TIFFANY
You’re making yourself worse.

STATIC STAN
I need this. If I don’t, I die. Your friends die with me.

TIFFANY
Why drag them in? Same selfish bastard? Obsessed with love and fame?

STATIC STAN
Will you stop calling me that?!

TIFFANY
Why? It hurts? Everyone knows. You’re a narcissist. Unredeemable.

His screen flickers—anger, sadness, unfazed, back to sadness.

STATIC STAN
You wanna know why? I’m powered by ratings and fame. Without it… I’m nothing. Could live normal, but I’m “Stan.” Dream crushed by executives. Selfish. Stubborn. Why tell you? Never had a father. He died. Hated this life. My mom… she encouraged it.

He pulls his hand back.

STATIC STAN
Choice is: give USB to the voice, get the energy, be free. Or die stale. My choice. I choose the first. I’m a reckless slob. Born to be one.

He opens a portal, steps through. Gone. Tiffany stares at the empty space.

INT. SEALED BRIDGE - DAY

Desolate stone platform in a starry void. Fireslayer and Penta catch their breath. A portal opens. Stan steps out.

STATIC STAN
Finally. The sealed bridge. My portal powers still—

A second portal rips open beside him. Pink, sparkly.

FIRESLAYER
Barbie portal?

STATIC STAN
It’s not— maybe you’re right.

PENTA
Do we jump?

STATIC STAN
We don’t have a—

Pink energy blasts the USB from his hand. It flies up into the cosmos.

STAN
My USB!

STATIC STAN
You two, get it. I’ll handle the pink drama.

Fireslayer’s green wings erupt. Penta shifts into a plane. They blast off.

Stan sighs, jumps into the pink portal.

INT. PRISON CONTROL ROOM - DAY

Cheesy lounges smugly at the controls.

CHEESY
Mayor Sugarface can handle him. They come back, boom—over.

CHEESEBURGER
Why’s his color pink?

CHEESY
Mexican feature. Like Mexican Subaway Surfers.

MR. CORN FLAKES BOY
What’s that?

Cheesy jumps up, a sombrero appearing.

CHEESY
Jake says, “How do ya do?” Police say, “BAD, I’M BAD!” Then vroom vroom! Sludge content!

MR. CORN FLAKES BOY
Coined by me!

In the back, Tiffany stares at the floor. Rita, still smoking slightly, nudges her.

RITA
You alright?

TIFFANY
Yeah.

RITA
You looked wired earlier.

TIFFANY
Creamsweet?

RITA
(Gasps)
She could be here!

TIFFANY
We have powers.

Mr. Corn Flakes Boy struts past.

MR. CORN FLAKES BOY
Nice time at the toilet.

He goes in, locks the door. A beat. A scream.

MR. CORN FLAKES BOY (O.S.)
It’s the women’s!

INT. MAYOR SUGARFACE’S MANSION - DAY

Opulent candy-chrome throne room. Stan arrives.

STATIC STAN
What a mansion.

A marshmallow guard squeaks.

MARSHMALLOW BOI #1
Boss! He’s here!

Mayor Sugarface spins his throne. He’s having his eyes washed with soap by two marshmallows.

MAYOR SUGARFACE
My son said you’re scheming.

STATIC STAN
This is urgent.

MAYOR SUGARFACE
I’m urgent! Remove the soap!

A guard does. Sugarface wails.

MAYOR SUGARFACE
Put it back! Put it back!

The guard slaps it back on. Sugarface screams, then calms.

MAYOR SUGARFACE
Okay. Marshmallow Boy. I bought you chicken wings. In the fridge. Enjoy them.

STATIC STAN
You treat them like children.

MAYOR SUGARFACE
They are children, you murderer. Don’t kill my boiz.

STATIC STAN
(Glitching)
Stop reminding me! I’m not a murderer!

MAYOR SUGARFACE
You are. Go rot in your cell.

STATIC STAN
You were my top advertiser! “We Stan” series! ‘92 to ‘01!

Sugarface laughs hard.

MAYOR SUGARFACE
(To marshmallows)
He’s fantasizing!

They giggle. One offers Stan wine.

STATIC STAN
(Whispering)
Help me out.

The guard pulls out a poorly drawn cardboard cutout of Stan on a stick.

MARSHMALLOW BOI #4
Do this?

STATIC STAN
Great job.

Stan opens a tiny portal, dives through. Gone. The guard props the cutout up.

MAYOR SUGARFACE
So, Stan. How was prison?

Silence. The cutout stares. Sugarface sees the stick.

MAYOR SUGARFACE
He ran! A cardboard!

He slams a red button. Sirens blare.

MAYOR SUGARFACE
Police! Find him! All cities! Bring him!

INT. SEALED BRIDGE - DAY

Stan’s portal reopens. Fireslayer and Penta land, USB in hand.

FIRESLAYER
We got it. Hard work.

Stan checks it.

STATIC STAN
Perfect.

PENTA
Fought an alien.

An Alien in a vest (no pants) walks over.

ALIEN
You haven’t paid me.

Silence.

FIRESLAYER
Put on pants.

The Alien leaves. Stan turns to Fireslayer.

STATIC STAN
Now. Your energy.

FIRESLAYER
No other way?

Penta opens a chest compartment. He produces a large, glowing bottle of sparkling green energy. It lights the bridge.

Stan freezes. Approaches slowly. Touches the glass. Hugs it.

STATIC STAN
I’m saved.
(Looks at Penta)
You found this?

PENTA
On a planet. You killed Tick. You’re a manipulative fool. But you’re surviving. So go. Promise one thing: don’t reverse the universe.

Silence. Stan looks down. Flashbacks:

• Executives shouting.

• Bowing to the Voice.

• Tick dying.

• Betraying Davis.

Tears pixelate down his screen.

STATIC STAN
I… want things normal.

FIRESLAYER
(Softly)
We all do. Let go of the past. Live with the cracks. Mistakes shape us. Learn. Grow.

STATIC STAN
I’ve had nothing good. Not since my show.

PENTA
Forget the show! Things end. It powers you, but put this in the USB. Stop suffering.

The ground rumbles.

VOICE
Oh, Stan. It’s night-time.

STATIC STAN
Already?

VOICE
Deadline was 9 p.m. It’s 9:03. Ready to die?

They gasp. Stan pants, torn.

PENTA
Choose!

Stan uncorks the bottle, pours the energy into the USB. The ground cracks.

FIRESLAYER
Hurry!

STATIC STAN
Almost…

VOICE
Give up.

STATIC STAN
Come on!

The bottle nearly empty. The ground under Penta breaks. He falls. Fireslayer grabs him, then his own ground gives way. He dangles, holding the edge.

FIRESLAYER
Can’t hold on!

The last drop falls. The USB glows full yellow. “100%” flashes.

Stan holds it up.

STATIC STAN
I did it! Voice! Inject this!

VOICE
Oh, me? Too late.

STATIC STAN
No!

VOICE
Say hello to the golden hole of death.

The bridge shatters. They fall into purple galaxy, toward a blinding golden hole.

TO BE CONTINUED...