The Crusader

Series Bible

Chuck Tolliver

Tom Lucas

 

 

Log Line

A man strives to right the wrongs in society by fighting against seemingly impossible odds, but never quits no matter the cost.

Characters:

Charlie Thompson / The Crusader: mid to late twenties school teacher by day hero by night. Always fights the good fight

Franklin: : by the book a little more Vic Mackey than Joe Friday but not by much

Tweed: ever the politician and master of playing ends against the middle.

Jack Knife: Street wise villain who takes what he wants. He does not want to rule the world but squeeze all he can from it.

Johnny: loyal to Jack to a fault. Street tough has the scars to show it.

Sparks: loyal to himself and right now Jack is what will work best for him. Tech savvy/hacker type.

Jess: a true believer with a heart of gold. She could be a possible love interest for Charlie in season 2 or 3.

The CEO: Profit at any cost would sell his own mother…for the right price.

Story arcs:

Season 1: The good fight. Medium level crimes that involve the everyday man but clearly are linked to Jack Knife our villain in season 1.

Season 2: Up the ante. We are now focused on attempting to get to Tweed. He clearly pulls all the strings in the bottom. What dark figure knows Charlie’s secret? Is he friend or foe? Is this who is sending Charlie some useful tech?

Season 3: who pulls the puppet masters strings? We are going to begin to go after the CEO. All of Tweeds actions lead back to him. Are Jess and Charlie finally going find each other as more than friends?

Season 4: Sparks will fly! While focused on the CEO Sparks returns for his own profit. A series of tech based crimes bilking money from the corporation and as a result from the people. Perhaps tweed will also try to climb back up.

The Pitch:

With so many in America fed up and feeling hopeless and helpless one ordinary man stands to fight the good fight. We will see our lead character, Charlie Thompson / The Crusader; continuously stand for what is right in a modern society where ALL are equal under the rule of law. The stories will vary from week to week. Sometimes dealing with a small injustice in the local neighborhood others dealing with corrupt politicians and robber barons but always on the side of what is right. Stories may hold to a single episode but should not reach more than three episodes to complete the arc fully. Each episode is to be self-contained and not reliant on any other episode to be understood.  More complex stories should be able to be staggered in this three episode arc throughout the season. Each season should be a cohesive story in itself. Each season should have a single villain to be pursed and captured, or left undetermined for a possible return at a later date.

Back ground:

After a severe economic crisis we have seen the divide between rich and poor grow to such an extent that the middle class is all but nonexistent. Most live abject poverty huddled in tenements reminiscent of turn of the century America. These people struggle on a daily basis to simply survive and many do by keeping their heads down and mouths shut. Crime rules the day in these inner city hovels. Police rely on gangs to keep the peace since many of the police force refuse to even enter these regions for fear of their own safety. This all happens in the shadow of the corporate towers that dot the skyline where many of the wealthy rule from. Each tenement is associated with a separate corporation and the low level workers form these corporations come from the adjoining tenement. To speak against the corps is to put your job, if you are lucky enough to have one, in jeopardy.

Character description:

Charlie Thompson / The Crusader: a simple history teacher who is fed up with the way society has rolled back in the name of economic progress for a few. He sees the world around him and knows this is not how it is supposed to be. Having grown up in the years of economic boom prior to the big bust he knows how the world is supposed to be and will fight to return the world to its former glory. In his mid to late 20’s, he has an extensive education and still wants to be a teacher. This is part of his “Boy Scout” honor. He sees this as a way of giving back. He was fortunate enough to have grown up in a time of economic growth when many were able to succeed. This was prior to the greedy feeding frenzy that led to the economic collapse. He was a state champion track star as well as gymnast. Raised by his father, a marine, who taught him basic survival skills Charlie is not afraid to kill to eat and understands the need to survive no matter the circumstance but values life. Charlie also knows that he must adapt to any situation in order to survive.  His own mother was killed by a gang member during a robbery, could this possibly be how “Jack Knife” made his bones? This occurred when Charlie was young, perhaps 10 years old or so. His father left the marines shortly after to raise his son. These two things are what have made Charlie what he is. His father has never shown him anything but love. His father never blamed him for having to leave the marines. This is where Charlie has learned you must adapt in order to survive any situation.

Franklin: the last good cop. In a city where everybody is on the take or looks the other way franklin is the only one who stands for law and order. He does this to almost his own detriment. He is not a complete “do-gooder” but tries to go by the book, even if he has to occasionally rewrite the book for the situation. He is good cop but is more Vic Mackey than Joe Friday, even if just barely.  Franklin worked security for a while at the high school Charlie attended. He knows Charlie, but only in passing. He would not recognize him say in his super hero costume, but would know him well enough to say hi if he saw him on the street in regular clothes. Franklin also spent some time in the marines where he learned many of the skills that our hero has. He may recognize them from time to time as things he learned. He may put together that this was a marine possibly doing these things but will probably never go beyond that in his investigation, until season three when he finds out the true identity of the crusader.

Tweed: local politician who claims to be on the side of the people, since the only time they actually seem to matter is in an election, but is actually a shill for one the most powerful corporations around, Omni Corps. A master at spin he is capable of framing blame for his “failures” to the “other guy”. The most dangerous place to be is between tweed and a press conference. A strong public image as a man of the people could not be further from the truth. The only things he actually does for the people is what the corps will let him do. Tweed is a capitalist through and through. He is a caricature of the robber barons from the early 20^th century. He is in it for personal gain and all others be damned. He is a family man, not because he is one but because he has to be. His image is everything. This will become more apparent in season two when the crusader sets his sights on tweed and exposes him for the fraud he is.

Jack Knife: a leader of the most violent of the gangs, the 86’ers, and the name comes from their origins on 86^th street, but having made many of a case simply vanish has given  rise to the verb of being “86ed”. He takes his orders from someone on top, as does everybody in this city.  Jack was born in poverty and blames everyone else for his misfortune. He is tweed to an extent but more from the sewers than society. Jack has grown up in a state run orphanage. This is where he learned to fight for what you get. And this is where he created the 86ers. His lieutenants are two  boys he grew up with in the orphanage. He sees himself as a cast off by society and therefore society owes him. Submitted to almost ritualistic abuse at the hands of the proprietors of the orphanage violence is merely a tool to extract what you want from others. The gang’s headquarters is now in the building that once housed the orphanage. It was closed down after it was found out that the owners were really only collecting the state checks and not really providing more than the absolute minimum for the children in their care. Many of these children were simply dropped on the door step of the orphanage, and jack is no different. Never knowing who his parents were; you can almost understand why he is the way he is, not that it makes it right in any way.

Johnny: loyal to Jack to a fault. Street tough has the scars to show it. Always a suitable punching bag for those above him; willing to take the blame and never the credit. This could be a sticking point for him but he lacks the drive to change. His is to serve those above him without question or hesitation.

Sparks: loyal to himself and right now Jack is what will work best for him. Tech savvy/hacker type. The character is a slick tech based Han Solo. Only in it for himself and if partnering with someone or helping others helps his goal of helping himself then so be it.

Jess: she is a true believer. Spends her time doing what she can for those in need. Works in a free clinic with in the inner city much to the dismay of her father, Tweed, she does this because she feels it is the best use of her talent. Having had every advantage she seems to understand the price that has been paid for her own wellbeing, even if only at the surface.  She is constantly putting herself in harm’s way for the good of others. She will not hesitate give all she has in order to help someone she has only just met. She is seemingly one dimensional in this aspect. She does have hopes and dreams as any of us do. She is what we all wish we could be if not so concerned with our own lives. She is focused on helping in any way she can. She knows Charlie as they went to the same high school together. Franklin also knows her. She was a popular girl in high school. A member of student counsel the debate team, with Charlie, and of course cheer leading. The all American girl next door.

The CEO: Nameless and faceless until well into season 2. He will only be seen in shadows or obscured views. He is the mysterious man who runs Omni Corps. He is concerned with one thing and one thing only the bottom line. As far as we know he is a solitary man and does not exist outside of the corporation.
 

 

 

 

Story lines:

Season one will revolve around the “small” stories. These are tales of individuals living in the “Bottom”, the slum region of our fair city. The tales can be as simple as finding a way to help someone make ends meet or as big as solving major crimes, murder rape extortion. Our hero is a vigilante. He does live by a code. This code is simple. He is always on the side of the righteous, not necessarily a religious righteousness but an equality of life righteousness. The idea that someone steals a loaf of bread to feed their family is not seen as a crime to our crusader; conversely someone who seeks to get ahead at the expense of others is a crime. This is grey area where our stories will take place. Stealing is wrong! Stealing to feed for survival is less wrong than say stealing someone’s retirement fund to line your pockets. This is not to say making money is a bad thing but it is how you go about it that can be bad. Many see the world we now live in as a product of unbridled greed. Success is not inherently bad, success at all costs can be. Our hero is only concerned with those who seek to better themselves at the cost of others.

Season one will focus primarily on the local gangs and the hood, “Jack Knife”, who runs them. He is clearly taking orders from someone over him. Our stories in season one will be focusing on breaking down this criminal enterprise. We will see the underbelly of our city and the things that have to be done on a daily basis just of survival. We will see our hero at his day job. Many of the stories will start in our Heroes’ school where he has access to the children, the real victims, of this system. From here he will pursue this week’s injustice. Each episode will reveal a little more about the gangs that run the “Bottom”. Every third episode should allude to the person pulling the strings of the gang leader, that person is none other than Tweed himself. Tweed will be the villain for season two. This should provide some drama and stress on the relationship between Charlie and Jess. She is not ready, or willing, to see her father for what he is. Ultimately he has someone over him pulling his strings. This will be the CEO of Omni Corps, or “The Corps” as it is referred to by locals.

Each episode should show some positives of the people in the bottom surviving. Life is not all bad, but it is not all good either. This should reflect the world in which we live in. in the Bottom when there are things to be celebrated they find a way to celebrate them. This community will commonly pull together to help each other and by the second half of the first season they will clearly be on the side of The Crusade. This should be in sharp contrast to the drab life around them. People watching this show should come away with the feeling that things are not as bad for them as they are for those living in the “bottom” and if they can celebrate perhaps I can too. The bottom will of course have its hold outs; those that see the turmoil caused by the Crusader as bringing more tragedy to them.  Season one this will be through criminal activity season two will be through public funding and jobs, or lack thereof.

Season three should be the big swing. The crusader will now have enough information, but not evidence, to go after the CEO.  Perhaps we will see a return of Tweed who goes missing at the end of season two. Tweeds return should be like a phoenix rising from the ashes to be reborn in the eyes of the people, think any politicians return to public view after scandal, Oliver north after Iran contra or Marion berry after the prostitute.

 

 

 

 

The Location

Mesa Vista

This is our city. Once the entire city was located atop a massive plateau but an underground explosion caused a portion of the plateau to drop below the rest of the city. This is the area is referred to as the bottom, these are the slums and low income areas. While the haves live above them, both in status and in geography, cut off from the reality that plagues much of the city. Mesa Vista is located just about anywhere in the U.S.  It has everything a thriving metropolitan city could need, and is a microcosm of the United States. . A well-used port that is located on one side of the town adjacent to the industrial region that ties in closely to the Bottom. Many of these workers do not have to travel through Mesa Proper to get to their jobs that ultimately drive the city. Much of the pollution and run off from these factories is somehow filtering through the bottom. This area is always in dark gray tones in contrast to the bright colored areas of Mesa Proper. There is very little contact between these two vastly different groups. Mesa is divided into haves and have not’s. Those at the bottom end of the white collar ladder are constantly working to keep form slipping any further down to what is a crime filled cesspool. Many in the bottom are just trying to survive and will do whatever they have to in order to survive. To the south side of the city is a small farm area that helps supply food to the citizen of the Mesa Vista. While much of the best food goes to Mesa Proper the left overs will end up in the sparse shops of the bottom. This region does not have an actual grocery store. Much of the food is purchased from street vendors or in small convenience stores that riddle the area. Many of these stores primarily sell alcohol and not focused on food.

Mesa Vista is located far enough south to have a thriving summer tourism economy but is also far enough north to receive snow in the winter and have a good winter tourism business. And of course whatever happens in mesa proper is much worse in the bottom. If it’s a nice sunny summer day in mesa proper then the temp is off the charts and humidity is high in the bottom. If it’s a picture perfect snowy Christmas card in mesa proper then it’s a harsh snowed in wasteland in the bottom. No matter what things are so bad that those who live in the bottom must always trudge out to their daily jobs and toil no matter the difficulty facing them. Many of them see no alternative and knows there is no way out. Not for them and not for their children. Very few will make the move from the bottom to mesa proper.

There is one public school who services this town; many of the haves attend the private school in the main city. Our focus of course on the high school for the bottom, Mesa Vista High. This is where Charlie teaches. This is where he went to school with Jess. This was of course prior to the underground explosion that separated the city and created the big divide. They are the Knights and for many years were considered one of the best schools in the America. This of course was before the split, or schism. This is what eventually divided the city economically. It was caused by a mining accident. This was ultimately blamed on workers who were striking for better treatment. When in actuality it was caused by unsafe mining and drilling for resources. Of course the workers were not in control of the media and the corporations were able to frame the story to vilify those workers. This led to stricter regulations against the poor. This made it easier and easier to segregate the rich from the poor. From this point forward anything that went wrong was blamed on “those people down there” the citizens rarely if ever refer to them as poor or under privileged they rarely even use the term “the Bottom” fearing it would somehow return them to human status. While no one is overtly a slave those in the bottom are a slave simply to the system. No matter what the deck is stacked against them. They are barely paid enough, and in most cases not even enough, to survive. Many are constantly borrowing against their next check to pay the loan against the last one. This leaves little money for anything but the bare necessities. If you are eating dinner in someone’s home in the bottom its best not to know what the meat on your plate really is.  This is always in sharp contrast to those in mesa Proper who have food to waste, and much of this waste is kept locked up away from the reach of those in the bottom. There are a few brave souls who attempt to steal the refuse of the wealthy. This is a crime punishable by jail time, which is worse than the bottom if you can believe that. This penalty, while only a few months, will forever change you and may actually be a welcomed death sentence for many.

The Bottom

This is a region of tightly connected buildings that look as though they should be condemned. Many of these buildings are filled with squatters and gangs. The gangs are a secondary police force in the region as no Mesa Vista police will dare enter the region, save for a few token officers placed on the force from the region. Most of them are beholden to the gangs or the corporations, which will be revealed to be one and the same late in the first season. People commonly litter the streets with nowhere else to go. Those who have jobs are at those jobs while others attempt to sell items on the street to those around them. This is mostly handmade items from scrap they scavenge or food they can grow on rooftop gardens or the ever present mystery meat. These streets are relatively empty at night as it is not safe to be out. This keeps only the very brave or stupid out in bars and other gathering places at night. People here do not want this life but are afraid to speak out for change for fear of losing what little they have to begin with. The media vilified the striking minors; Thus causing anyone belonging to a union, or other trade organization, the same as being a member of a terror organization. This does not stop some from trying but most stay anyway. The leaders of groups seeking change are commonly rounded up and never heard from again.

Mesa Proper

While the bottom is covered in dark colors illuminated only by the occasional trashcan fire, Mesa Proper is a bright star in the night sky. Towers of glass surrounded by green parks and other recreational areas is all that can be seen from here. Specialty stores cover the streets. This is what a 1950’s city of the future would look like. No mega marts but smaller specialty shops, a butcher next to a produce store next to a dried goods store. All accounts are settled at the end of the month and we never really see money change hands here. It is a utopia. No one wants for anything and all but the pettiest of crime is gone. If there is a crime of any magnitude occurs it is simply blamed on one of those people from down there.  If cash changes hands it’s obviously for criminal activity. The city is heavily segregated, that is not to say that a few from the bottom are not allowed in the area they are, but they are heavily scrutinized and watched when they are in Mesa Proper. If they even think of stepping outside of the line they are quickly detained and returned to their rightful place in most cases. The least amount of resistance will land them in jail. Even if they are simply doing something that everyone else is doing they will be singled out for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Crusader

Charlie Thompson is the crusader. This is a secret he keeps from the world not for his safety but for the safety of those around him. As such he wears a padded suit and mask to hide his identity and attempt to protect himself. All that Charlie has will be put together by scavenging items from sporting goods stores and the like. He has put this together from his various hobbies over the years. He likes hockey and football and as such uses the pads associated for his suit of armor. It is light weight which allows him to move freely but provides little in the way of weapon protection. He is just a man and will sustain injuries. Most of these he will treat himself. The more serious will have to be treated at the clinic where Jess works. Always active and adventurous most of these will go unquestioned. A track star and gymnast most of what he does will be from this back ground. Also having played rec league football and hockey have given him a desire for health and strength. Much of his knowledge about combat comes from the basics he was taught from his father the marine. He also receives his perseverance from him. “The only easy day was yesterday “is what his father used to tell him and now he tells his students this whenever they complain about how hard life is. It is not that he is cold or indifferent to their plight he simply wishes to pass the knowledge he was fortunate to receive from his father to many of the children whose fathers are either not around or too busy to teach these things to them. In his background is extensive martial art training. His father thought this would be a good way to teach him discipline and self-defense. Charlie took to martial arts as a refuge from the world around him. Never very confident he saw it as an escape and a way to protect himself, and those not capable of protecting themselves,  in a city that was beginning to change for the worse.

The persona of the crusader comes from history for Charlie. Always reaching to fight the good fight on the side of the righteous; Ever the protector of those around him when he could, the best that he could, to his ability as there were at the time. This is the sense of duty and honor he gained not only from his father but also from the boy scouts. He will rely heavily on these two things as a guiding force. As a result the Crusader does not kill he is about justice not vengeance. If a criminal dies it is not by the Crusaders hand but by the poor choice made by the criminal. Usually an accident that the crusader will try to prevent at all costs. The corporate media will use these “accidents” to try and frame the crusader as an evil vigilante. As he is continuously disrupting the plans of the corporations to do harm to the less fortunate around them, they seek profit above all else. The crusader does not carry a gun. It is not that he does not like them, he was an avid hunter and sport shooter, he does not wish to unnecessarily kill his target. He will use a variety of non-lethal force options currently available, i.e. pepper spray or stun/Taser gun to subdue or gain an advantage over his opponent. Not trained as a ninja he will commonly employ their tactics of diversion and illusion to escape or over power depending on the situation. He seeks to protect those who have no way of defending themselves.

He is not a loner who sits and waits to hear a police scanner or patrolling the streets looking for purse snatchers. He gathers his intelligence from conversations with students and local media. We all have said at some point “someone should do something”. The crusader does what we all wish we could. His goal is simply to make Mesa Vista a better place, for everyone. He attempts to right the wrongs. He tries to focus on the big wrongs but will occasionally set right the minor ones. These are opportunities that cross his path while in pursuit of the bigger picture. We may even have an episode every season or so where nothing but the little things are accomplished and we push story forward, this is the exception not the rule.

Omni Corp

This is the faceless corporation who has its fingers into everything. Mesa Vista is a company town on a larger scale and almost all aspects of the town are controlled by this corporation. It is what’s wrong with corporations. “Profit at all cost” is the private motto however the public motto is “better living through progress”. Whose better living? Whose progress? At what cost? They really are a blanket evil we can go to so that we can illuminate the problems of today. They are the reason for political and police corruption. They are the reason for environmental harm. And they are the reason for the economic meltdown that sent so many to the Bottom. They are our evil and as long as there is Omni Corp the crusader will have a never ending supply of evil doers to go after. Whether we look at it department by department as we work our way to the top or attempt to take down the evil corporation as a whole this is ultimately where all roads lead. Omni Corp “Better living through Progress”

The police force

Not to say that these guys do not do their job or that all cops are bad it’s just in this town, when you lie down with dogs you come up with flees. Many of the cops are on the take some actively participating in the furtherance of Omni Corps needs and desires others simply taking their money to look the other way. Either way this is not good for the average citizen. Franklin is one who is willing to patrol the streets of The Bottom. Franklin is also one of the few cops who do not take money to look the other way. He knows many of his fellow officers are on the take but makes no mention of it. He keeps his head down to stay safe in a city of wolves. He knows if he makes waves when needed back up may not show up. He does not take the money he will arrest the bad guy knowing full well Omni Corp will have the lawyers spring them in a matter of minutes. He knows the deck is stacked and still goes out every day to his job as best he can. He and the crusader are kindred spirits. This will lead to tension as Franklin knows that crusader is trying to do good but ultimately he is a vigilante and that is dangerous and criminal at the same time. He will attempt to arrest him on sight but the crusader will often slip away, a necessary evil for survival. That’s not to say franklin is out looking for the crusader. He sees the good done by the crusader not only in cleaning up the town but in giving hope to those on the receiving end of Omni Corp’s progress and profit.