SYNOPSIS:

ACT 1 SYNOPSIS Opening Conflict and Struggle (HGS1 & HGS2): Darin, a 53-year-old former Marine, is incarcerated and tormented by his struggle to differentiate between reality and his traumatic hallucinations. Haunted by the loss of his family, he runs from the jail into a rain-soaked city. As he dashes through the streets, he experiences flashbacks of his loving family and their tragic end—his wife's death, the murder of his daughter, the war casualty of his son, and his grandson's drug overdose. In the midst of his own turmoil, Darin miraculously saves a child from being hit by a truck, becoming known to the public as the "Skyline Savior." A New Resolve (HGS3): Following the high of heroism, Darin faces a moment of despair in an abandoned warehouse, where he contemplates suicide. Lira, a young woman, intervenes, urging him to fight back against the forces responsible for their shared losses. Inspired, Darin begins crafting advanced technological collars in a frenzied state of invention, with the intention of using them to exert control over those who have wronged him. The Plan in Motion (HGS4): With the help of Leo, his high school friend, Darin fakes his own death convincingly, effectively disappearing from the grid. They tamper with dental records, switch bodies, and alter CCTV footage at the morgue, leaving the city to believe he is dead—freeing him to pursue his mysterious plan to even the score. The Setup for Justice (HGS5): Darin enlists Lira to smuggle a collar into the stronghold of a cartel head, Eduardo 'El Jefe' Ramirez. She bravely places the collar on Ramirez, capturing the moment as proof. However, as she tries to escape, her vehicle is struck in a setup crash, leading to her death—leaving Darin grieved and fueled for vengeance. Game of Power (HGS6): Tapping into the collar's capabilities, Darin manipulates Ramirez into a position of helplessness, exploiting his desperation to secure wealth and leverage. Meanwhile, Darin infiltrates the intelligence community by deceiving the Director of a significant agency. With technological artifice and psychological manipulation, he gains power over the Director, and with the sound of a quiet click, he symbolically places a collar of consequence around his own neck—signaling a dark triumph and the beginning of a new reign. The first act culminates with Darin orchestrating a web of influence and control that will set the stage for future confrontations in a world now unknowingly at his command.