Salem, New York.
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We open to a red and black plaque shirt sitting on a windowsill and wipes a metal butterfly on a guitar fingerboard. The hands put the metal butterfly gently down and began strumming with his hands and began to sing.
Well, I won't back down
A shot is fired through the door. Some men enter.
No I won't back down.
A woman jumps behind the couch holding her son as they try to shoot them.
You could stand me up at the gates of Hell
It flashes to the young boy lying on his back on an examining table, naked save for a strategically-placed towel.
But I won't back down
The kid, wearing a hospital-style robe, stands by the closed door. No other human could hear the conversation down the hallway. A man continues down the corridor, leaving a doctor standing alone in the fluorescent light.
No I'll stand my ground
The doctor enters the room to find the boy sitting on the examining table, paging through a magazine. She smiles up at him but the boy only glares.
Won't be turned around
The doctor and two Medical Technicians accompany the boy to a water-filled plexiglass tank the size of a lidless coffin.
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
An array of stainless-steel machines crowds around the tank, including a series of robotic arms that taper into foot-long needles.
Gonna stand my ground
One wall of the theater is glass. Behind the glass is the control room, where Stryker looks on, hands behind his back.
And I won't back down
The head doctor and several Support Staff enter data into computers monitoring the experiment.
Hey baby
The boy was forced to removes his robe and hands it to the female doctor before stepping into the tank of water.
There ain't no easy way out (I won't back down)
One of the technicians fastens a breathing tube, connected to an oxygen tank, to the boy's mouth.
Hey I will stand my ground
The boy lies down, submerging himself in the cold water. The technician clamps the boy's wrists and ankles into place with stainless-steel shackles bolted to the plexiglass walls.
Well, I know what's right
The boy's eyes are open as he watches the robotic arms swivel into place, poised above him like a gang of metal vipers.
I got just one life
A General stands in the back of the room, observing the experiment with great interest. An Agent leans against the back wall, bored, cracking his knuckles. The female doctor takes a seat beside the head doctor, who studies a readout on his computer screen.
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
The boy lies underwater, watching as the robotic arms descend toward him. The needles begin to spin at high speed, like massive power drills. They churn the water when they enter.
But I'll stand my ground
Close on the boy's eyes as the needles enter his body. The boy has never suffered this. He closes his eyes.
And...
The guitar suddenly stops as it cuts to the back of the plaque shirt showing more of his hidden features seeing he was only a teenager. He slightly turns his head as the camera pans over to an older woman with grayish white hair who looked concerned.
???: Jacob... it's time.
The boy looks back down at his guitar and strums in one last time. It pans down to his knuckles as metal claws burst from his hand.
The screen goes black as his voice was heard one last time.
And I won't back down...
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X-MEN EVOLUTION: X-22
Coming soon......