Chpt8 Ep12: "Men of Letters"

Chpt8 Ep12: "Men of Letters" is an episode in the series Power Rangers: Omniverse

Plot
1954, in Normal, Illinois, a man named Henry wakes his young son and bids him goodbye on his way to work. Then plays a music box to soothe the boy back to sleep. He then heads to a mysterious building bearing the same symbols as a pin on his tie, and greets a woman named Josie. Men in cult-type robes call Josie for her initiation into their organization. And as Henry waits, a number of screams draw his attention from one of the rooms. He enters their main hall to find the men slain, revealed that Josie is possessed by a demon. One of the men tries to exorcise her out but shows no affect on her. Then a man bleeding out from his eyes hands Henry a mysterious box and begs him to guard it with his life. The possessed Josie spots him and Henry flees into one of the adjacent rooms in the hallway and begins putting together a spell, diving through a portal he had put together before Josie can get him. He then gets propeled into Kurt and Hunter’s motel rooms in the present by bursting out of their closet and then asks them; "Which of you is John Winchester?"

Kurt and Hunter then gets their guard up and Hunter, without mentioning that John is his father, questions him how he knows that name. Henry now knowing either of them is John, he then tries to leave. Kurt and Hunter then attempts to restrain him and handcuff him but Henry turns it on them and he manages to escape. Henry observes his futuristic surroundings for a moment. He then breaks into the Impala parked nearby but Hunter and Kurt stop him before he had time to hotwire it and drive away. In the hotel room Hunter and Kurt start to interrogate him.

Henry is now sitting and Kurt splashes holy water on him and he chuckles.

Henry

And there with the holy water.

Kurt

He's clean.

Henry

I could have told you that.

Hunter

Yeah, well, you can start by telling us everything before I beat it out of you.

Henry

I'm quite certain this is all beyond your understanding, my alpha-male-monkey friend. And violence will not help you comprehend this any easier.

Hunter then points his gun at Henry

Hunter

Let me tell you what I understand! Some "Doctor Who" pops out of my closet asking about MY dad and then smashes up my ride. So why am I getting violent again?

Henry

J-John Winchester is your father?

Then suddenly there is a loud rattling noise.

Kurt

What's going on?

Henry

[He gets to his feet.] Oh, my God.

Hunter

What?

Henry

Run!

The closet door bursts opens once more in a bright flash and the demon-possessed Josie steps right out.

Demon Josie

Henry. Silly man, you forgot to lock the door. But then spells never were your best subject, were they? Why don't you be a doll and give me what I want? And I promise to kill you and your friends here quickly.

Henry

You know I can't do that.

Demon Josie

You're not a fighter, Henry.

Hunter and Kurt tries to morph but Josie raises a hand, using her telekinetic powers to send Hunter and Kurt flying into the walls. Henry tries to move but Josie gets in his way to stop him.

Henry

Josie. I know you're still in there. You must fight this!

Demon Josie

[laughs] I'm afraid Josie's indisposed. It looks like it's just you and me now.

Hunter manages to get up then stabs Josie in the back with the demon-killing knife. She screams in pain and falls to her knees, having to withstand the effects of the knife.

Demon Josie

Well, that is no way to treat a lady.

Hunter pulls out the knife from her and the trio makes a run for it and quickly gets into the Impala and drive aways in a hurry. The motel manager tries to chase them down for not paying their room. But Abaddon sneaks behind him to possesses him for a short while to get information about their identies and then she slashes his throat.

Down the road, Henry quickly gets out of the vehicle to vomit. Hunter and Kurt tries to calm him down.

Kurt

Are you okay?

Henry

Yes, I will be. It's just all the adventures I enjoy are usually of the literary nature.

Hunter

Yeah, well, now that you're done blowing chunks, you want to tell us who Betty Crocker was back there?

Henry

Abaddon. She's a demon.

Hunter

No kidding. Where'd she come from?

Kurt

How about you, where'd you come from?

Henry

She's from Hell. I'm from Normal, Illinois – 1954.

Hunter

Yeah, right. [Henry gives Hunter a look] Seriously? Dudes time-travelling through motel-room closets? That's what we've come to?

Henry

If you could just take me to John, we could clear all this up, I'm sure.

Hunter

I've told you that's not gonna happen.

Henry

And why not?

Hunter

Because he's dead!

Henry

No. [He turns away.]

Hunter

What's it to you?

Henry

Everything. I'm his father.

Hunter starts to get an emotional look.

Moments later, now at a diner, Henry's story is seemingly verified by Hunter when going through his dad's old journal and resents his grandfather for supposedly walking out on his dad as a boy, though Kurt reminds him the current predicament might have caused Henry's disappearance decades years ago. They then head back to their table where Henry sits looking at a an old photo of him and John Winchester as a youngster.

Kurt

How you holding up?

Henry

I'll be fine. After all, despite everything, I've just managed to meet my grandson here, haven't I? [He holds out a hand to Kurt.] Henry Winchester. It's a pleasure.

Kurt shakes Henry's hand.

Kurt

I'm Kurt.

Henry

[nods] Kurt.

Henry holds out his hand to Hunter. Hunter picks up a basket of food from the tray in front of Kurt and sets it down in front of Henry.

Hunter

Dinner.

Kurt

This is Hunter.

Henry

Right.

Hunter

Well, this has been touching. How about we figure out how to clean up your mess, huh?

Henry

Abaddon. Yes. She must be stopped.

Hunter

How come she didn't die when I stabbed her?

Henry

Because demons can't be killed by run-of-the-mill cutlery. You'd need something as simple such as an ancient demon knife from the ruins of Kandar to harm her at the very least or---

Hunter takes the knife out of his jacket.

Hunter

This is it?

Henry

Yes. Where'd you get that?

Hunter puts it back into his jacket.

Hunter

We got it from a demon. We've been around this block so many times.

Kurt

Now, that portal or whatever it was you came through – is it still open?

Henry

I highly doubt it. Why?

Kurt

I'm just thinking if we can't kill this Abaddon –

Hunter

– maybe we can shove her back where she came from. How did you do it?

Henry

It's a blood sigil. Blood leads to blood. Or their next of kin.

Kurt

But Abaddon came through it, also, right? So can you create this blood sigil again?

Henry

My blood, an angel feather, tears of a dragon, a pinch of the sands of time – I – I would need those and... at least a week for my soul to recharge, but, yes, it's possible.

Kurt

Wait. You tapped the power of your soul to get here? I thought only angels could do that.

Henry

You should know this. What level are you two?

Hunter

Level?

Henry

Level of knowledge. You're "Men of Letters", correct?

Kurt and Hunter look at each other.

Hunter

I'm a little rusty on my boy bands. Men of what?

Henry

Men of Letters, like your father, who taught you our ways.

Kurt

We were chosen to become Power Rangers.

They show Henry their morphers, the White Drago and Titanium morphers, from their wrists.

Henry

[chuckles] No. Are you? Rangers? Well, Rangers are... Rangers are apes. You're supposed to – Hunter, you're supposed to be a legacy of the Letters, not as a Ranger.

Later, Henry takes the boys to visit the group's former headquarters, now remodeled as a comic book shop.

Henry

This can't be.

Their former symbol that was carved on the door is slightly visible, but it is worn away. Henry touches it.

Henry

No.

Hunter

All right, well, this was enlightening. Let's get back on the road, shall we?

Kurt

Wait. Give him a minute, Hunter.

Hunter

We just spent four hours driving, okay? All he did was stare out the window and request Pat Boone on the radio. He had his time.

Henry

It's just a facade, a way to rook our enemies into believing we are housed elsewhere.

Hunter

Okay, enough with the decoder talk. How about you tell us what this whole “Men of Letters” business is, or you're on your own.

Henry

It's none of your concern now.

Hunter

Why, because we're Rangers? What do you have against us?

Henry

Aside from the unthinking, unwashed, shoot-first-and-don't-bother-to-ask-questions-later part, not much, really.

Kurt

Okay, wait a second. Hunter is also John's son.

Henry

He's more than that, actually. My father and his father before him were both Men of Letters, as John and you should have been. We're knowledge-keepers of the supernatural. Preceptors, beholders, chroniclers of all that which man does not understand. We share our findings with a few...trusted...Rangers – those who are truly worthy. And, they do the rest.

Hunter

So you're like Yodas to our Jedis. [Henry looks uncomprehending.] Never mind.

Kurt

Okay, but if you guys were such a big deal, then why haven't we – or anyone we know – ever heard of you?

Henry

Must've been because of Abaddon.

He opens the door and walks inside. Hunter and Kurt follow.

Kurt

Henry. Why? Why'd she do it?

Henry holds up the small wooden box carved with the symbol.

Henry

I think for this.

Hunter

Okay, what's that?

Henry

I wish I knew. Abaddon attacked us the night of my final initiation and Josie's as well. All secrets were to be revealed then.

Hunter

Let me get this straight. You traveled through time to protect something that does you don't know what from a demon that you know nothing about? [Henry looks at Hunter, then walks down the hallway further into the store. Hunter spreads his hands.] Great.

Henry enters a room and stops to see that the once hall of his group has now been turned into a comic book store. Hunter and Kurt walk up behind him.

Henry

Kurt, hand me a walkie-talkie.

Kurt

You mean my phone?

Henry

Even better. [He hans it to him and holds it up] Operator, I need Delta 457, we have a serious situation here.

Hunter

Um, who are you not calling?

Henry

Our emergency number.

Hunter

Yeah. Not anymore. [hands the phone back to Kurt]

Henry

They can't all be gone. There must be another elder out there who can help us figure out how to stop Abaddon and what to do with the box.

Hunter borrows one of the employee's computer to track down the other men from the group, all of whom were reported dead in a fire in 1954. One name however, Albertus Magnus, leads the trio to a nearby cemetery.

Henry

[they approach the tombstones] These were my friends, my mentors, our last defense against all that is evil in the world.

Hunter shines his flashlight on a headstone.

Hunter

Here's your buddy Albert Magnus.

Henry

Albertus Magnus. He was hardly a buddy. He was the greatest alchemist of the middle ages.

Kurt

Okay, so why is he buried here?

Henry

He's not. His was the alias we'd use when going incognito. I believe someone planted his name in that article... so that if a Man of Letters came looking for answers, he'd know something was amiss.

Kurt

So someone wanted you to come to this grave.

Henry

The question is why.

Hunter shines his flashlight on the unicursal hexagramsymbol, which is carved into the headstone.

Hunter

What is that?

Henry

Our crest. The Aquarian Star, representing great magic and power. They say it stood at the gates of Atlantis itself.

Kurt

Hmm. It's on all the tombstones except for this one – uh, Larry Ganem.

Kurt shines his flashlight on a headstone that reads:

Larry GANEM

March 23rd 1926

August 12th 1954

Henry crouches down in front of the headstone, which has a different symbol carved into it.

Henry

The Haitian symbol for speaking to the dead. This is the message. You boys ever exhume a body?

Hunter and Kurt look at each other and nods.

Elsewhere, Abaddon has made her way to the once hideout of the MoL and threatens and kills one of the employee for her knowledge of the boys' whereabouts.

The boys eventually had dug the grave of one of the Men of Letters but only to find out that the deceased person doesn't match Larry Ganem. Now Henry suspects that he's alive after all.

Back at their motel, the boys are doing research on the whereabouts of Larry Ganem. Hunter sits at a table reading his dad's journal while Kurt is on his laptop. Henry is on the couch, whistling the tune of the music box he'd left behind to the young John Winchester.

Hunter

What is that? I know that from somewhere.

Henry

Ah yes, “As Time Goes By.” From "Casablanca."

Hunter

Right. Dad used to whistle it from time to time.

Henry

Your father saw "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" at the drive-in one night. It scared the beeswax out of him. So I got him this little music box that played that song to help him sleep at night. It worked like a charm.

Hunter

Wow, it's hard to believe Dad was ever scared of anything.

Kurt

Hey guys, sorry to intrupt but uh according to county records, Larry Ganem lives in Lebanon, Kansas, and is a very happy 107 years-old. [He closes the laptop.] I say we get some shut-eye, head over first thing in the morning.

Hunter

Wait, wait, wait. Listen to this. According to Dad's journal, he once tortured a demon that said he made his bones working for Abaddon, who, it turns out, is a "Knight of Hell".

Kurt

What the hell is that?

Henry

Oh. Knights of Hell, they're the enforcers and royal guards of Hell. Hand-picked by Lucifer himself. They were among the fiercest demons of the underworld [stands up] Legend has it that the Archangels had killed all of them, which, as we have witnessed, is not the case.

Hunter

So she's the last of her kind.

Henry

Correct. [gesturing to the journal] You say that belonged to your father?

Hunter

Yeah.

Henry

May I?

Hunter slides the journal across the table towards Henry.

Hunter

It's a journal my father kept that enlists most of the monsters here on Earth. I assume Men of Letters – you use journals, too?

Henry

I intended to. I sent away for one the day before my initiation. [He lifts a photograph tucked into the inside cover of the journal to reveal the initials “HW” stamped in the leather.] As a matter of fact, judging by my initials here, this one, I believe.

Hunter

Whoa, that was yours?

Henry

It must have arrived after... I'm beginning to gather I don't make it back from this time, do I?

Hunter

We don't know for sure. All we do know is that Dad never saw you again.

Henry

What did he think happened to me?

Hunter

He thought you ran out on him.

Henry

John was a legacy. I was supposed to teach him the ways of the Letters.

Hunter

Well, he learned things a little differently.

Henry

How?

Hunter

The hard way. Surviving a lonely childhood and a freakin' war. Only to get married and have the love of his life taken away by a demon and later killed by one himself. That man got a bum rap around every turn. But you know what? He kept going. And in the end, he did a hell of a lot more good than he did bad.

Henry

I'm sorry. I wish I had been there for him.

Hunter

Yeah, it's a little late for that now, don't you think?

Hunter gets up and walks towards the door.

Henry

It's the price we pay for upholding great responsibility. We know that.

Hunter

Your responsibility was to your family, not some glorified book club!

Henry

I was a legacy. I had no choice.

Hunter

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.

Hunter walks out the door and slams it. Kurt and Henry sit at the table for a few moments, then Kurt gets up and goes out to talk with Hunter. Henry reads through John’s journal for the next few hours. When he finally closes it, he looks over at Hunter who is now asleep in bed.

The following morning, Kurt wakes Hunter to tell him that Henry had gone off on his own and had taken some ingridients from the trunk of the Impala for the time traveling spell. They then decide to go after him. Later, Henry breaks into a local Hoodoo shop to get the remnants for his spell. When Kurt and Hunter are looking for him, they discover that the employee from the comic shop had been murdered. Kurt figures they need to split up while Kurt heads to Larry’s home before Abaddon can get to him.

Hunter then drops off Kurt at Larry Ganem's home while Hunter goes to handle Henry on his own. After Kurt explains everything to the now elderly Larry Ganem, he tells Kurt that the mysterious box contains a key to a "supernatural mother load" of knowledge and books that has been recorded for the last thousands of years, all in under one roof. He warns Kurt to keep it away from Abaddon at all costs.

Kurt

So, how do we stop her? How do we stop Abaddon?

Larry

You don't. [He takes a pen out of his pocket and writes on a notepad.] If you know where the key is, then take it to these coordinates. Throw it in. Shut the door forever. And walk away.

Kurt

Wait, w-why would I do that?

Larry

Because it is the safest place on earth, warded against any evil in existence. It is impervious to any entry, except the key.

Kurt

Right, but then all that knowledge would be – would be lost and gone forever.

Larry

And that is the price we have to pay for keeping it away from Abaddon. You do... have the key, don't you?

Kurt

I don't, um... but, uh…my "brother" does.

Just then, Abaddon reveals her presence possessing Larry's wife in their house. She then ruthlessly kills Larry and takes Kurt hostage. Meanwhile, Hunter interrupts Henry's ritual, worried that further timeline interference would cause he and Kurt to cease to exist. Hunter then gets a call from Abaddon and threatens that she has Kurt hostage. She wants to make a trade; Henry and the key for Kurt’s life and tells Hunter he has an hour to decide. Hunter now then tells Henry the situation. When Henry refuses to relent, wanting to spare John from his difficult life, Hunter has no choice but to knock him out cold in the process.

Henry awakens on the road with Hunter and says he's sorry he had to knock him out.

Henry

No, you're not. You've wanted to do that since we met.

Hunter

Henry, you need to understand something. When my dad died, I couldn't save him... no matter how bad I wanted to. I never want that to happen to Kurt... ever. If there's a chance that I can save him, I'm gonna do it. He's like a brother to me. In fact, he "was" my baby brother, in his past life on this Earth. A demon took his life as well. And then he was given a second chance to live, as "Kurt", on another Earth. And then he got scrambled back into this mess, even on his second life. So you see, I have to do whatever it takes to protect him and get him out of this mess.

The two eventually arrive at an abandoned warehouse to meet with Abaddon and make the trade.

Hunter and Henry walk through the plant. Henry’s hands are behind his back and they encounter with Abaddon holding on Kurt.

Henry

Don't do it, Hunter.

Hunter

Too late for that now. [calls out] Abaddon! I'll send Henry here over with the box. You do the same with Kurt. No tricks.

Hunter puts the box into Henry’s jacket pocket.

Abaddon

My only interest is Henry and the key. You two are free to go.

Kurt, whose hands are bound in front of him, starts walking towards Hunter. Henry starts walking towards Abaddon. Kurt pauses when he and Henry meet in the middle.

Kurt

Henry, I'm sorry.

Henry

Me too.

Kurt gets to Hunter's side and he cuts him off his ropes.

Kurt

Don't do this, Hunter. This is a bad idea.

Hunter

Just keep quiet. Let's go.

Hunter and Kurt try to leave the room, but Abaddon with a hand and shuts their exit.

Hunter

Hey, we had a deal!

Abaddon

[laughs] Surprise. I lied.

Abaddon plunges a hand into Henry’s abdomen, ripping out his organs.

Kurt

Henry!

Kurt starts to run towards Henry, but Hunter puts out a hand to stop him.

Hunter

Wait. Wait.

Abaddon withdraws her hand and Henry gasps. His mouth is full of blood. We see that he is holding a gun behind his back and that his handcuffs weren’t fastened.

Henry

You're not the only one with surprises.

Henry shoots Abaddon under the chin. Her skull, with the gunfire, flashes.

Then a flashback on the road between Henry and Hunter.

Henry

So, what are you thinking?

Hunter

Can you take Abaddon down?

Back in their encounter with her.

Abaddon

Whoo! What a blast. Now, give me the box.

Abaddon reaches into Henry’s jacket pocket and takes out the box but reveals a pack of cards inside. She gets angry

Abaddon

[screaming] Where is it?!

Loud crashing noises and the lights go off and on with sparks flying.

Abaddon

Okay. We can do this the hard way.

Abaddon tries to possess Henry but is unable to. Seeming to now be powerless. She pushes Henry away and he falls to the ground. Kurt runs to Henry and to aid him. Abaddon tries to move, but seems to be held in place. She screams again and sparks fly from the lights.

Abaddon

Why am I stuck?!

Flashback on the road.

Henry

[to Hunter] I can't kill her. But I can slow her down.

Henry hands a bullet to Hunter with a devil’s trap carved on the head of the bullet.

Hunter

A devil's trap carved into a bullet, nice.

Hunter puts the bullet into a gun and hands the gun to Henry.

Hunter

You're gonna have to get close. And "close" means...it could get ugly.

Henry

I know. But now I see what you're willing to do to save your family.

Henry shakes slightly as he leans against Kurt and looks up at Abaddon.

Abaddon

You still didn't kill me!

Hunter

No, but you'll wish we did. [Hunter morphs as the Titanium Ranger and uses his axe to decapitate her head. It bounces off and still seems conscious on the floor] The demon-bullet in your noggin is gonna keep you from smoking out. We're gonna chop you up into bits and bury each strip under cement. You might not be dead, but you'll wish you were.

Henry

We did it.

Hunter crouches down in front of Henry.

Hunter

No, you did it. For a bookworm, that wasn't bad...gramps.

Henry

[smiles] I'm sorry I judged you two so harshly for being Rangers. I should have known better.

Kurt

About?

Henry You, the both of you, are forever Winchesters. As long as you two are alive, there's always hope. [Hunter and Kurt look at each other.] I didn't know my son as a man, but having met you two... [Henry takes Hunter’s hand with his right hand and holds out his left hand to Kurt] …I know I would have been proud of him.

On his last breath, he dies in their arms. They give each other emotional looks and nods and then they look on to the box he'd left behind for them to now protect.

Later that evening, the boys then dig a grave for Hunter's grandfather in the cemetery of his fellow deceased Men of Letters.

Hunter

All I see in our family tree is a whole lot of dead.

Kurt

[He takes a photograph out of his pocket.] Hey, I, uh... found this in Henry's pocket.

Kurt hands the photo to Hunter. It is the picture of Henry and the young John Winchester.

Hunter

My dad looked happy.

Kurt

Kind of makes you wish he knew the truth, huh? I mean, all those years thinking his old man ditched when the poor son of a bitch really came here and saved our bacon. Freaking time-travel, man.

Hunter

You think it would have made a difference?

Kurt

What?

Hunter

My dad. If he'd had his own father around.

Kurt

And see how he'd raised you diffrently? I bet he did the best he could either way, Hunter.

Hunter

Yeah, I thought so too.

Kurt takes the box out of his pocket.

Hunter

What are the chances that place is still standing?

Kurt

A chance we've got to take, I guess. I mean, we are legacies, right? Both Ranger and...now Letters.