Knights of Columbus #12

Issue Twelve: “Sheep’s Clothing, epilogue: Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space”

PAGE ONE

“Previously” page.

PAGE TWO

1/ Long panel establishing shot of the corner of Broad & High, later that night. It’s late enough that downtown is essentially abandoned, with only the spare pedestrian in sight. The intersection is lit up brightly by the glowing marquees of the NBC building, highlighting the Statehouse in the BG. The traffic lights switch on and off, in spite of the absence of vehicles to direct.

CAPTION: Downtown, later that evening.

2/ Pull in on the alley between two buildings, empty save for a pair of beat-up tin trashcans. Rats scatter, feeling the electricity in the air as the edges of the trashcans spark slightly, caught in an invisible field of rising electromagnetic energy.

3/ The field finally climaxes, sparks and energetic discharge materializing in the vague form of a human being. The trashcan closest to us is toppled by the burst, spilling its contents into the alley.

SOUND EFFECT: FSSHHHAKKK

4/ The energy cloud finally takes definitive form, revealing none other than Donovan’s new friend LEGION as he fades into existence, the energy cloud dissipating as he takes form. He squints from the effort of materializing, holding his hands at his sides rigidly as though the shift caused him physical strain.

SOUND EFFECT: POP!

5/ Close on Legion, as he flicks his longish hair from his eyes and grins.

LEGION: Heh.

6/ He looks down at himself, running his isotoner-clad hands down the velour of his long black coat. He grimaces a little, flinching from his own manifest form.

LEGION: Always forget how it smells to go CORPOREAL.

7/ Leaving the alleyway, Legion wanders off into the city as we follow him from behind, the lights of downtown casting his long, ominous shadow over the abandoned sidewalk.
LEGION: Down to BUSINESS, then.

PAGE THREE

1/ Cut to a late-night television program, where two men debate the rise in superhuman activity. The host is an older, conservative-looking man in a gray suit, the only remaining hair on his head localizing itself around his ears like a crown. His companion is a younger, liberal, professorial type, with longer hair and a tweed jacket, resting a bit too comfortably in his host’s guest chair.

HOST: So you do NOT feel that these people are a threat to our NATIONAL SECURITY?

GUEST: Well, sure they are, I guess.
GUEST: But what’s NOT, these days?

2/ On the guest, talking over his folded hands.

GUEST: In post-911 America, EVERYTHING is viewed as a threat to national security in some way. Rather than focusing on the GOOD that is to be found in human development, we’ve become obsessed with the possible DANGER any sort of substantial CHANGE represents.
GUEST: It’s either the OLD order, which has MORE than made itself obsolete in the last ten years, or it’s reckless and ANTI-AMERICAN.

3/ On the host, looking irritated but intrigued as he gestures over-dramatically.

HOST: You posit that these…SUPERHEROES we’ve got cavorting all over the country are a NATURAL step in the course of human development.
HOST: That not only are they ACCEPTABLE, they’re INEVITABLE.

4/ Long panel on the guest, as he leans forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees as he wrings his hands nervously. He’s clearly an academic type, unaccustomed to spots on television programs.

GUEST: It’s the LAW of ACCELERATING RETURNS, Bill.
GUEST: Humanity has changed so radically in the past THOUSAND YEARS, the past TWO HUNDRED years…hell, the last FIFTY years. It was only a matter of time before the leap in development became DRASTICALLY and UNEXPECTEDLY biological.

GUEST: But if this is where we’re ALL headed, we can’t possibly expect to be able to run the world the same way we always HAVE. Things are going to have to CHANGE to accommodate these people, and what SCARES me is how frightened we are – as a species and specifically as AMERICANS – by the prospect of these kinds of changes.
GUEST: We’ll need a NEW kind of world, with NEW kinds of laws.

5/ On the host, looking challengingly at his guest.

HOST: And you think, in the interim, that we should just let these people run AMOK?

6/ Close on the guest, shaking his head to refute the claim.

GUEST: Well, that’s a different story, Bill.

PAGE FOUR

1/ Cut to a long panel as Donovan bursts in the door to his apartment, carrying Rhiannon in his arms as she dangles her arms lifelessly toward the floor. He looks terrified, sweat dripping down his brow as he stares pleadingly into her glassy eyes.

CAPTION: Clintonville. Donovan’s apartment.

DON: Come on, come ON!
DON: Hold ON for me, Rhiannon.

NARR (RHI): TRANSCENDENCE.
NARR: The DICTIONARY defines it as SURPASSING OTHERS, PREEMINENT or SUPREME. Not really a fair thing to SAY, in the most TRADITIONAL sense.

2/ He lies her down on the bed, carefully resting her head on his pillow as he does. We watch over his shoulder as her head slumps weightlessly back.

DON: I’m gonna take care of this, Rhi, I promise.

NARR: It also goes on to say LIVING BEYOND the ORDINARY RANGE of PERCEPTION. Getting better, right?

3/ Close on Donovan, looking worried.

DON: It’s just not gonna be EASY.

NARR: Finally, we are told that TRANSCENDENCE means BEING ABOVE and INDEPENDENT of the 'MATERIAL UNIVERSE.' That's sort of on the right TRACK now, but funny how it's still not quite RIGHT, isn't it?

4/ Long panel as Donovan pulls up a wooden chair, perching by Rhiannon’s bedside as he takes her hand in his. He looks her in the face, continuing to speak to her in spite of her comatose state, not wanting to accept the possibility that she can’t hear him.

DON: I have to admit I’m a little nervous.
DON: I’m still so NEW at all this crazy PSYCHIC MIND JUMPING stuff, and it’s all OLD HAND to you. I wish to god it were someone else, and you were here to HELP me with this…

NARR: See, the problem with LANGUAGE is that for all its ELOQUENCE and BEAUTY, there are some things it just can't seem to wrap its many USES around.

DON: …but you’re NOT, so we’re gonna have to hope I’ve been paying ATTENTION in our little TRAINING SESSIONS.

5/ He squeezes her hand and takes one last longing look at her comatose face, his own features collapsing into despair.

DON: I’m gonna need your help on this, Rhi. Whether you’re conscious of it or NOT.

NARR: The ESOTERIC is one of them.
NARR: As much as you would love to sit down and tell someone ALL ABOUT the beauty of PERSONAL SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE, you'll find that all too often the words just AREN'T THERE.

6/ EXTREME CLOSE on Donovan’s face, as he squeezes his eyes shut and hopes for the best. The edges of the panel go white as he slips into the astral plane, drawing on his demonic powers to step into Rhiannon’s mind.

NARR: No, when it comes to things like TRANSCENDENCE, it's better to be SHOWN. To EXPERIENCE. To be GUIDED.

PAGE FIVE

1/ This is a FULL PAGE SPLASH, featuring the issue’s TITLE, CREDITS, and INDICIA. We see basically what Donovan sees, though his head is in the panel, very close, to our left. He stares in shock at this new vision of the Astral Plane. It is a vast and dried up desert wasteland, its endless sand-brown surface cracked and crumbled with the sheer deadness of the land. The gray and black sky is filled with countless flashes of lightning, streaking this way and that, illuminating the nightmare landscape to a near thing of beauty. In the center of this tableaux, perhaps fifteen feet from Donovan, is Rhiannon. She hovers a foot or so off the ground, her legs firmly planted outward in a Superman stance, as though she were standing flat-footed on the air itself. Her hands are held rigidly at her sides, seemingly controlling her elevation. Her long, dark hair whips around in the winds, flashing in the glow of lightning as it strikes the deadened ground.

She smiles sweetly, innocently.

RHI: Donovan.
RHI: I’ve been waiting for you.

NARR: And for DONOVAN, that's what I'm about to DO.

PAGE SIX

1/ Cut to Milo and David, enjoying their late date in a crowded Italian restaurant. They stop throughout their conversation to occasionally take a bite of their food, but for the most part, they are completely absorbed in conversation. Throughout the entire scene, all panels are LONG PANELS.

CAPTION: The Short North. Milo and David’s first date.

MILO: So, you’re not actually saying you AGREE…

2/ On David.

DAVID: Not that I agree, no. Only that I can UNDERSTAND it.
DAVID: How is this a good time in world history for America to stand up and say “Hey, we’ve got a growing army of super-powered vigilantes running around fighting CRIME?”

DAVID: It’s a Public Relations DISASTER.

3/ On Milo, confused. He takes a bite.

MILO: I guess I don’t follow.

DAVID (off panel) Milo, look-
DAVID: Are you SURE you don't wanna go be with your FRIEND while she's in a COMA? Maybe you could be USEFUL there...

MILO: No, it's okay. Donovan wants to handle this, and I think that's what Rhiannon would want, too. She was as EXCITED by this date as I was, and I think she'd want me to go out and make the BEST of it.

4/ David leans forward, speaking with his hands.

DAVID: Okay, then...I guess what I'm saying is this: We spent AGES in Iraq, and just as long tearing AFGHANISTAN to shreds.

DAVID: We took a comparatively small hit – what, three-thousand people? – and we used it as an excuse to rampage around the MIDDLE EAST, devastating everything in sight and labeling everybody that didn’t like it a TERRORIST?

DAVID: It just hasn’t been that LONG since the Bush Administration. People don’t forget that quickly.

PAGE SEVEN

1/ On both, Milo setting down his fork as David takes a bite.

MILO: So you’re saying the fervor over the SUPER-TEAMS, it’s because of the WAR ON TERROR?

DAVID: I’m saying it’s about America’s standing on the WORLD STAGE right now.

2/ On David, chewing.

DAVID: Bush did not understand the principle of proportional RESPONSE, and it led us into a years-long nightmare of playing WORLD POLICE, telling people they can’t do THIS and they can’t do THAT, while doing whatever the hell WE wanted to, including TORTURING PRISONERS.

3/ On Milo as David continues. Milo takes a bite of his own food.

DAVID (OFF PANEL): It was this attitude of “We’re AMERICA. You can’t mess with US,” because we genuinely BELIEVED it.
DAVID: And in the name of FREEDOM, we decided to try and prove to the WORLD that Americans can walk the globe with a CHIP on their shoulder.

4/ On David, dabbing his chin with his napkin.

DAVID: Trouble is, last time somebody had that attitude toward the rest of the world, it was the ROMAN EMPIRE.

DAVID: Empires fall for a REASON.

PAGE EIGHT

1/ On Milo, gesturing with his fork as he agrees with David.

DAVID (OFF PANEL): And in the midst of ALL of this, we run around telling people they can’t hold onto their WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

MILO: While continuing to expect that no one would object to OUR possession of WMD’s, because we have them for “PREVENTATIVE MEASURES.”

2/ David leans back in his chair a bit, looking satisfied that Milo sees where he’s going.

DAVID: EXACTLY.

MILO (OFF PANEL): So you think that people like US, with these ABILITIES – we’re WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

DAVID: As far as the REST of the world’s concerned.
DAVID: And frankly, they’re RIGHT. You ARE. You saw what Rhiannon did back there. And I WATCHED you taking out WEREWOLVES all by yourself.

3/ Milo smiles sheepishly.

MILO: You helped a LITTLE.

DAVID (OFF PANEL): That’s true. But my point remains the same.
DAVID: The rest of the world has NO REASON to trust America if it possesses its own potential army of SUPER-POWERED BEINGS.

4/ On David, looking intense.

DAVID: And America has no reason to expect the rest of the world won’t respond with FORCE if they start to feel uncomfortable.
DAVID: What we’re looking at is the possibility of a super-human COLD WAR.

DAVID: And that’s a BEST-CASE scenario.

PAGE NINE

1/ Cut to a long panel establishing shot, inside a dimly lit bar somewhere on Campus. Andrew sits at the bar with Mark Shepard, director of the New York branch of the Paranormal Defense Initiative – the team known as PARALLAX. Shepard knocks back Magic Hat no. 9’s while Andrew sips at a Blue Moon, looking a little less comfortable in a bar than Mark does. They’ve clearly been talking for a while.

CAPTION: Campus. Andrew meets with MARK SHEPARD, Director of PARALLAX.

MARK: Going forward, I think the biggest problems we’re going to face are the institutions and TRADITIONS the generation BEFORE us worked so hard to put in place.

2/ On both of them, as Andrew sips his beer and Mark sets his down on the bar.

MARK: The BOOMERS have fought very hard to ensure that the system runs like a well-oiled MACHINE, and nothing unexpected gets into the EQUATION.

3/ On Andrew, as he fidgets with the edge of his glass, listening to Mark.

MARK (OFF PANEL): Gen-X, on the other hand, has done NOTHING to fix that system, besides pumping out a bunch of insincere movies and TV shows that fly in its FACE.

4/ On Mark, as he looks over at Andrew and takes a swig from his bottle. He grins cynically as he drinks, his facial stubble looking a day too long to be flattering.

MARK: But even in a world with WILL & GRACE and CHASING AMY, gays still get voted SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS in 2004.

5/ On Andrew, not sure if he fully agrees, but onto what Mark’s trying to say.

ANDREW: And you feel this is all the Boomers’ fault.

6/ Long panel, over Andrew’s shoulder as Mark turns to him, serious.

MARK: It most certainly IS the Boomers’ fault.
MARK: They’ve spent DECADES working their ASSES off to ensure that this country moves farther and farther away from ENLIGHTENMENT. They prefer to use IGNORANCE as a way to hide their heads in the sand when the world changes around them.
MARK: Even on an individual basis! Do you know how many Boomers still don’t know how to use e-mail? And when that kind of person gets in power, look out. They DO NOT. Want the world. To change.

PAGE TEN

1/ Long panel on Andrew, preparing to take a sip and looking at Mark over the edge of his glass as he does.

ANDREW: And this phenomenon is what you blame for all the OPPOSITION we’re facing with the PDI. Because the system is predicated on a world without posthumans.

2/ Mark leans closer, a little tipsy. He is growing more emotionally involved in the conversation the more he drinks, and it shows.

MARK: The system is DESIGNED in such a way that it CAN’T work with posthumans in the picture.
MARK: But rather than fix the SYSTEM, this American culture would rather fix the POSTHUMANS.

3/ Andrew leans back a little, setting his drink down to try and break the tension a bit.

ANDREW: Well, then, it’s our generation’s responsibility to lead the way for REFORM. I've got a TEAMMATE sitting in the OFFICE in a COMA because she was willing to risk life and LIMB to help SAVE people in this country that doesn't want us.
ANDREW: We HAVE to make people SEE that. If, God forbid, Donovan can't SAVE her, then she DIES for these people and we STILL somehow have to PROVE that we're here to HELP?
ANDREW: That's just SICK.

4/ Mark lifts his bottle, preparing to take another drink. He gestures it towards Andrew as if to say he’s toasting to Andrew’s sentiment.

MARK: Damn straight it is.
MARK: What we NEED to do is move toward a more EASTERN philosophy. Make the need for UNDERSTANDING be something we prize over the need for COMFORT. Get people to understand that change is an inevitable part of the SYSTEM.

MARK: American philosophy ::hic:: has become the opposite of that.

5/ On Andrew, looking intrigued at this next statement of Mark’s.

MARK (OFF PANEL): What the BIG WIGS fail to realize is that it’s not only INEVITABLE…
MARK: …this POSTHUMAN stuff has happened BEFORE.

ANDREW: What do you mean?

6/ Long panel as Mark leans forward, eyes darting around conspiratorially as he pulls Andrew in to the drama of the moment.

MARK: What do you know about Central America?

PAGE ELEVEN

1/ Cut to a Long Panel as we find Beth and Landon sitting side by side in their dimly lit living room, an end table with a lamp and flower positioned between their respective easy chairs. Across from them, closest to us, are Landon’s Mother, Magda, and two of her cronies, all in human form, with their backs to us. They sit in awkward silence.

CAPTION: Bexley. Beth, Landon, and an awkward family reunion.

2/ On Landon, folding his hands in his lap as he makes eye contact with his mother. His jaw is set, his gaze determined.

LANDON: I’m not taking the position.

3/ Magda, sharing the loveseat with her two followers, draws back, defeated and vaguely offended. In human form, she looks like an exhausted Sigourney Weaver, wearing large and ornate hoop earrings that correspond to the piercings she wears in wolf form.

MAGDA: You can’t –?

LANDON (OFF PANEL): I can’t be bribed, CAJOLED, or convinced in any WAY.

4/ Close on Landon, not giving in. He never breaks eye contact with Magda.

LANDON: I’m NOT taking the position.

5/ Magda sits back in her seat, folding her arms. She looks more annoyed than anything.

MAGDA: So you’re dooming us.

6/ Long panel as Beth folds her own arms and raises a confrontational eyebrow at her Mother-In-Law. The table lamp at her side highlights the dirt still caked in her hair from their recent wolfed-out battle.

BETH: He’s not “DOOMING” you.
BETH: He’s just not handing YOU, in particular, the DE FACTO control of the Brotherhood you thought you were gonna get by pulling this little COUP of yours.

PAGE TWELVE

1/ Magda looks coolly at Beth, moving only her eyes as she maintains her position facing Landon. She waves a hand dismissively.

MAGDA: Landon, your COW is mooing.

2/ On Beth and Landon, as Beth leans back in her chair and takes a sip from the glass of red wine at her side. Landon leans forward in his chair, gesturing diplomatically to underscore his threat.

BETH: Eat shit, Magda. Rhiannon is in SERIOUS condition because YOU decided that your POLITICAL MANEUVERING was worth getting INNOCENT PEOPLE HURT.

LANDON: Look, Mom…
LANDON: I’m trying to figure out a way to HELP without caving in to this POWER PLAY you’re so desperate to slip under everyone’s radar. You either genuinely want my help, or NOT.
LANDON: Keep comments like that to YOURSELF or get the hell out of my house.

3/ Magda turns to face Beth, looking as insincere as she sounds.

MAGDA: My apologies, Elizabeth.
MAGDA: You’re not a cow.

4/ Beth sets her glass of wine down on the end table, not returning Magda’s glance.

BETH: Again: Eat shit, Magda.

5/ Close on Landon, choosing his words carefully. He is clearly very aware of Beth’s presence at his side, and is not pleased to be saying what he’s saying.

LANDON: I WILL come to New York.

6/ Long panel, pull out as Landon leans forward, resting his wrists on his knees as he clasps his hands together, maintaining steady eye contact with his mother as he speaks.

LANDON: I’ll come and see to it that this transition goes SMOOTHLY, and that the BROTHERHOOD LEADERSHIP falls into whomever’s hands I’m comfortable with, within the rights and powers of my office as heir to the SEAT.

7/ On Beth as Landon speaks. She stares straight forward, doing a less than adequate job of concealing her displeasure. She grinds her teeth as she brings her glass of wine to her lips, staring at Magda over the rim of her glass.

LANDON (OFF PANEL): But Beth’s going to stay HERE and hold down the FORT until I get home.

8/ Close on Landon, nodding as he finishes, still maintaining eye contact.

LANDON: Because I AM coming home.

PAGE THIRTEEN

1/ Long panel as we CUT to the outside of Donovan’s apartment, in the alleyway that Milo and Rhiannon used in Knights #6. The fire escape catwalk can be seen extending upward near the top of the panel, and the emergency light placed over the top of the solid metal ground-floor exit door casts the scene in a yellowish hue. Approaching the side of the building, right beneath the fire escape, is Legion. He holds an unlit cigarette in his lips and fiddles with a lighter, shaking it as sparks fly.

CAPTION: Clintonville, outside Donovan’s building. A clandestine meeting.

2/ On Legion as he finally manages to get the lighter to work, puffing heavily as he lights the cigarette. He doesn’t glance upward, but is aware he is no longer alone.

LEGION: You’re LATE.

3/ Above him, peeking over the edge of the fire escape and looking somewhat intimidated by Legion’s presence, is Ozymandias – Donovan’s demon familiar.

OZ: Took him a few minutes to get into the DREAMTIME.
OZ: I would have been NOTICED if I’d slipped out any earlier.

4/ Long panel as Legion puffs away on his cigarette, not deigning to even look at Oz as the smaller demon hangs down from the fire escape, his upside-down head appearing next to Legion as it dangles. Legion looks annoyed and Ozzy’s concern grows, fearing his master’s rage.

LEGION: Things are starting to look an awful lot like Divinity’s PLAN, Oz. Is there a reason for that?
LEGION: Because I’d hate to think you were going to let me DOWN.

5/ Oz switches positions, draping himself down from the fire escape like a monkey hanging on a branch. He looks pleadingly at Legion, now that they are oriented the same direction.

OZ: These aren’t EASY people to MANIPULATE, Legion.
OZ: They’re strong-willed. Their friendships are getting TIGHTER.

6/ Legion finally looks directly at Oz, and it seems a blessing when he wasn’t. The man’s eyes flash bright orange, like coals in an open fire, as his eyebrows narrow in barely subdued anger.

LEGION: Exactly how well do you think you can HIDE things from me, Ozymandias?
LEGION: Care to take any BETS on it?

PAGE FOURTEEN

1/ Long panel as Oz drops down to the ground, looking defeated at Legion’s dark-booted feet. He drags his knuckles on the ground in embarrassment, looking away from his master and off into the distance.

OZ: Okay. I admit it. I like the guy.
OZ: I like living INSIDE him.

2/ Closer on Oz as he contemplates.

OZ: There’s something…EXHILARATING about this whole experience.
OZ: I don’t know how to explain it.

3/ Legion looks away, as though he’s uninterested in this entire meeting. He ashes his cigarette, flicking it gently with his wrist.

LEGION: Have I lost you to him, Oz?

4/ Oz jumps up on Legion’s shoulder, perching like a parrot as he looks beseechingly at his master. He clings to Legion’s velour coat as he perches, desperately hoping he won’t be abandoned.

OZ: Of COURSE not, sir!
OZ: When the time COMES, I’m your man. I promise!

5/ Legion looks pleased enough, bringing his cigarette to his lips and preparing to take a drag. He denies Oz anything like an approving glance.

LEGION: Good.
LEGION: I’ll be GOING, then.

6/ Long panel as Legion departs, flicking his cigarette off into the distance as Oz hangs from the fire escape, watching him leave.

LEGION: People to manipulate, SITUATIONS to complicate.
LEGION: You know how it is.

PAGE FIFTEEN

1/ Long panel as we CUT back to Rhiannon and Donovan, on the Astral Plane. Rhiannon turns as Donovan walks past her, taking in their bizarre surroundings with unconcealed awe. Lightning continues to tear the landscape to shreds.

DON: Rhiannon, what IS this place?

RHI: It’s the ASTRAL PLANE, Donovan. We’ve talked about it a bit.
RHI: At the moment, my VIEW of it is DAMAGED.

2/ Donovan turns back to her, looking worried.

DON: So your MIND…is on the ASTRAL PLANE?
DON: Or your soul. Mind or Soul, I don’t know which is RIGHT.

3/ Rhiannon looks comfortingly at him, the warmth in her smile melting the cold in the air around them.

RHI: Mind. Soul. Whatever.
RHI: Let’s go with ESSENCE.

4/ Rhiannon bends to the ground, picking a single flower that has sprung up between the cracks in the craggy ground. Donovan stands at her side, surveying the world around them, unable to pull his eyes from the sight.

RHI: My essence seems to have taken REFUGE here until my BODY repairs whatever DAMGE I did to it with that ANGER-BLAST.

RHI: Stuff like that…it’s a lot of energy to channel through one HUMAN BODY.

DON: And that’s why you’re in a COMA?

5/ Rhiannon stands, examining the flower with interest. Its bright colors look out of place in this tattered wasteland. She brushes her hair out of her face.

RHI: Seems that way, yeah.
RHI: Interesting that it let you use my BODY as a portkey. I don’t know how else you could have been led right TO me out here. I could be anywhere, in terms of location. That stuff’s sort of…FLUID, really, when you’re dealing with the DREAMTIME.

RHI: I guess the PHYSICAL tether’s not so weak, after all.

6/ Donovan steps up to her from behind, pulling her attention from the flower. He looks at her seriously, fear in his eyes.

DON: We need to get you BACK, Rhiannon.
DON: The longer you’re away from your BODY, the more likely you are to have BRAIN DAMAGE.

7/ Rhiannon smiles at him.

RHI: We will.
RHI: But first…why don’t you take a look over that ledge? It’s pretty interesting.

PAGE SIXTEEN

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH, with two smaller INSETS in the lower right hand corner. Donovan and Rhiannon crest the edge of a vast ravine, an as yet unseen break in the monotonous landscape. Lightning continues to crash, striking a single dead tree that clings to an outcropping on the edge of the ravine, but the real sight is in the ravine itself. Swirling relentlessly in midair, suspended in the depths of the ravine, is an undulating sea of brightly colored masks- resembling theatre masks, or the faces of the great stone monoliths of Easter Island. They swirl together, expressionless faces that pulse like a tidal wave, threatening to rise up over the edge of the ravine. At the edge, Donovan and Rhiannon stand watch, Donovan frozen in awe.

DON: Oh my God.

INSET ONE: Donovan turns to Rhiannon, awestruck. Close on his face.

DON: Where ARE we?

INSET TWO: On Rhiannon as she grins, brandishing the colorful flower at him.

RHI: Ha. Where aren’t we?
RHI: Oh, and by the way? There were no flowers here until YOU arrived.
PAGE SEVENTEEN

1/ Long panel as we CUT to Milo and David, still enjoying their date together. The walk down High Street together, arriving in the Downtown area as they each lick feverishly at an ice cream cone and continue their conversation. The lights of passing cars fly by, barely noticed by the two of them.

MILO: But it’s happening all OVER!
MILO: Anybody with even a LITTLE BIT of the SHINE, the SIGHT, whatever you wanna call it…they’re all being DRAWN to one another, like…like MOTHS or something.

DAVID: It’s true. More and more people I meet don’t look at me like I’m crazy anymore when I talk about PSYCHIC ABILITIES, or encounters with GHOSTS.
DAVID: It’s SPREADING.

2/ Milo takes a lick of his ice cream and faces David over the top of the melting scoop.

MILO: When these people get TOGETHER, it’s only a matter of time before somebody BREAKS THE ICE with a conversation about GHOSTS or something, and before you know it Pandora’s Box is open and they start to realize OTHER PEOPLE are experiencing the same kinds of THINGS on a daily basis.

3/ David looks at Milo and smiles, winking flirtatiously.

DAVID: Or they break the ice by fighting WEREWOLVES together.

4/ Long panel as they make their way down the street, holding hands comfortably.

MILO: Well, or that.

DAVID: I do agree with what you’re saying, though.
DAVID: Those few people who REALIZE they’re not alone…they start to let OTHERS know, and then, well –

MILO: The ball’s ROLLING.

5/ On David as he thinks, voicing his thoughts aloud.

DAVID: And together, those people only serve to ENHANCE each other’s OWN abilities, just as you and your FRIENDS have been doing all this time.

6/ Milo turns to David, serious.

MILO: Next thing you know, a COMMUNITY is forming.

MILO: David…the realm of the FANTASTIC doesn’t belong to the select FEW anymore. No more hiding in BASEMENTS and NEW AGE CLUBS, pretending its all some GAME we’re playing.
MILO: More and more, this world belongs to the people who choose not to be AFRAID.

PAGE EIGHTEEN

1/ David breaks the tension by gesturing with his ice cream cone, smiling.

DAVID: Can you IMAGINE anything more EXCITING, though?
DAVID: I’m so GRATEFUL we get to live through this TIME together.

2/ Milo turns to David, feigning disbelief. David returns a warm, sincere look.

MILO: Oh, DO we now?

DAVID: I certainly hope so.

MILO: David –

3/ Close on Milo, head cast to the ground as though he knows this next is about to bring their date to a screeching halt. He locks eyes with David.

MILO: I’m HIV POSITIVE.

4/ They stare at each other in silence for a moment, lit by the glow of the nearby buildings. Neither appears to have any idea what to say. Milo is on the verge of tears.

5/ Over Milo’s shoulder as David gives his terse response, attempting to be both comforting and bewildered by this unexpected turn of events.

DAVID: Milo…
DAVID: So am I.

6/ Close on Milo for an uncomfortable moment as he doesn’t believe David. He chokes back the tears that almost came.

7/ Pull back a bit, as Milo struggles with the information.

MILO: You’re SURE?

8/ David smiles and takes a lick from his ice cream cone, clearly delighted that they’ve found each other. He flirts with his eyes.

DAVID: Positive.
DAVID: Like I said.
PAGE NINETEEN

1/ Long Panel as we CUT to Beth, standing intensely over the kitchen sink, gripping the edges of the marble countertop as though they are her only balance in the world. Her hands, even in the death grip, shake violently as he face belies her desperate struggle to maintain composure. Behind her, in the kitchen doorway, Landon appears, looking very aware of how upset she is.

BETH: Hi.
BETH: Landon.

2/ On Landon, leaning in the doorway, his posture revealing that even though he knows he made the right decision, he is sorry for having made her feel the way she clearly feels about his decision. He fiddles with the woodwork on the doorway with his hand, looking at the ground.

LANDON: Beth. They’re gone.

3/ Closer on Beth, in profile, as she looks down into the sink. Her hair falls over her face, mostly obscuring her. She is unmoved by the news.

BETH: I know.

4/ Close on Landon, approaching cautiously from behind.

LANDON: Are you mad at me?

5/ Beth continues to keep her back to him, but raises her line of sight to look out the kitchen window, mounted over the sink she still leans on. She pushes her hair out of her face, tucking it over her ear.

BETH: No.
BETH: I understand the DECISION.
BETH: Even if I don’t AGREE with it.

6/ She finally turns to face Landon, though she doesn’t make eye contact. He pulls back a little, still scouting her mood.

LANDON: I sense a silent “BUT.”

7/ Beth shrugs a bit, but mostly remains serious.

BETH: BUT…
BETH (small font):…not so silent…
BETH: …that PLACE. Those PEOPLE. It’s not a GOOD world. They’re not GOOD people.
PAGE TWENTY

1/ Landon reaches out and cups the side of her face in his hand, sliding his fingers underneath her hair, which has fallen from her ear. He tilts his head, smiling gently at her to soften his disagreement.

LANDON: You’re making GENERALIZATIONS, Beth.

BETH: No, I –

2/ Close on Landon as he looks serious, a little stern.

LANDON: WE’RE good people, Beth. WE’RE from that world.

3/ Beth turns her head, warming to his touch and allowing her head to sink into it. She closes her eyes and speaks softly, barely opening her mouth. It’s a rare admission:

BETH: I know.

4/ Landon pulls his hand back a bit, leaving the tips of his fingers on her chin as he meets her gaze, and speaks gently but reassuringly.

LANDON: My job is to make sure the GOOD people stay in CHARGE.
LANDON: The BAD won’t get a FOOTHOLD, not if I’m there. And I’ll be FINE.

5/ On Beth, making truly solid eye contact with him for the first time in the scene. She looks almost desperately worried.

BETH: Promise?

6/ Large Panel, filling out the rest of the page, as Landon pulls Beth into an embrace and the tension melts away, lost in the most sincere kiss the two of them have shared in a very long time. Beth puts her arms around Landon’s neck, looking more vulnerable than she ever lets herself look.

LANDON: I promise.

PAGE TWENTY-ONE

1/ Long Panel as we CUT back to Andrew and Mark, still sitting in the same bar. Mark lunges into his explanation for the “Central America” comment, as Andrew listens intently. Throughout the scene, they continue to sip at their drinks. Mark is very enthusiastic, and gestures empathically with his hands.

MARK: Look, you’re a PHILOSOPHY professor, and you’re way into WORLD HISTORY, so you probably already KNOW a good bit of this, but bear with me.
ANDREW: Okay.

MARK: Like, 1400 BCE, or thereabouts, the OLMECS show up. Now, we don’t know much about the Olmecs, but what we DO know is PIVOTAL.
MARK: They developed reliable CALENDARS, built these LUDICROUS statues, had one of the FIRST solid examples of a WRITING SYSTEM, and they seemed to have kicked off this MESOAMERICAN trend of having a REALLY IMPRESSIVE understanding of mathematics and technology.

ANDREW: Right.

2/ On Mark, gesturing with a bottle of beer as he explains.

MARK: But what most people don’t REALIZE is that they started several OTHER trends that would become important to Mesoamerican culture, as WELL. Not only were these people the first to talk about the FEATHERED SERPENT GOD that would eventually come to be known as QUETZALCOATL, but they appear to have been the first WERE-PEOPLE.

3/ On Andrew, over Mark’s shoulder, as he looks up with interest and confusion.

ANDREW: WERE-PEOPLE? But Lycaon…

MARK: LYCAON began the reign of the EUROPEAN WEREWOLF, and he’s where we get the term LYCANTHROPE, but occultists are slowly coming to accept the possibility that he wasn’t the FIRST.
MARK: The evidence is STRONG that the Olmecs had their fair share of WereJAGUARS living among them.

ANDREW: WereJAGUARS? Huh.

4/ On the two of them, as Mark continues to explain. Andrew drains his beer, but another is already being dropped for him by the bartender. Mark ticks off the topic of Olmecs on his fingers as he moves on, making a mental checklist.

MARK: Next up, we got the Mayans. RAISED THE BAR in terms of genius in mathematics and ASTRONOMY. I’m talkin’ like, EVERY SINGLE RITUAL these people performed, it was something to do with the CELESTIAL CYCLES.
MARK: They weren’t just worried about what went on HERE, they wanted to know what the whole UNIVERSE was up to.
MARK: They believed in the Heavens, the Earth, and the Underworld – and the UTMOST in Spiritual ENLIGHTENMENT was to realign your worldview so that you don’t SEE those as three different things, but as one UNIFIED REALITY where it’s all the same. And the SYMBOL of that belief? The feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl. As ABOVE, so BELOW; flies like an EAGLE, slithers like a SNAKE.

ANDREW: Okay…

5/ On Mark, setting his beer down but still gripping the bottle at the top as he speaks directly to Andrew, who is now off panel. Mark’s beer is almost empty.

MARK: But everyone knows that.
MARK: Everyone knows they had ridiculously accurate calendars, everybody knows how many of their PROPHECIES have come TRUE…but what’s NOT really known is that the numerous GODS of their PANTHEON are just numbers in an EQUATION.
MARK: One big MATHEMATICAL EQUATION, each deity an essential integer in solving the great puzzle of the UNIVERSE – a GRAND UNIFIED THEORY, Mesoamerican style.

6/ Andrew turns to Mark, again surprised by this information. Mark hands his bottle off to the bartender as the bartender hands him another.

ANDREW: Is that TRUE?

MARK: Bet your ass it is. Look it up.
MARK: Next on the list is the AZTEC HEGEMONY.

ANDREW: Hegemony?

7/ On Mark as he takes the first swig from his new beer. He raises his eyebrows as if to say “what, you didn’t know that?” but refrains from anything cockier.

MARK: Hegemony.
MARK: Commonly mistaken for an EMPIRE, I know. But the Aztecs actually allowed all the lands in their possession to MAINTAIN whatever rulers and practices they had in place before the AZTECS got there, so long as everybody was willing to pay TRIBUTE to the dudes with the biggest PYRAMIDS. Ergo, a hegemony, not really an empire.

MARK: The Aztecs coined the term “MEXICA” to describe the land in which they lived, and the word means “Navel of the Moon.”

PAGE TWENTY-TWO

1/ Long panel, showing both of them as they carry on their conversation. Andrew scoffs in disbelief at the name, and Mark smiles as he gestures broadly. At this point, it’s safe to say that Mark is drunk, but not wasted, since he’s still coherent.

ANDREW: God! Could there BE a more PSYCHICALLY LOADED name?

MARK: I KNOW, right?!
MARK: See, THESE people believed in what they called “Teotl,” which is actually pretty similar to the TAO: an impersonal FORCE that permeates the universe, rather than a benevolent or malevolent GOD-HEAD. The various DEITIES they appeared to worship were actually “Teixiptla;” IDOLS or AVATARS, merely ASPECTS of the Teotl.
MARK: What’s INTERESTING, though, is that their most PROMINENT Teixiptla was the god Huitzilopochtli, a SUN god.

ANDREW: So they name their land “Navel of the Moon,” but turn around and worship a SUN GOD. Very YIN and YANG of them.

2/ Mark smiles as he sets his beer on the bar.

MARK: Well, it’s not just very yin and yang – it’s very QUETZALCOATL. See, the merging of multiple aspects of REALITY is a recurrent THEME, here.

MARK: Now, by THIS time, this stuff had started to SPREAD, even reaching so far as the northernmost end of SOUTH AMERICA. The INCAS had emerged, and they’re not only routinely performing SKULL SURGERY with a remarkable success rate, but they believe in reincarnation and even have a RAINBOW FLAG to represent their nation.

3/ On both of them as Andrew laughs to himself. Mark looks momentarily confused.

ANDREW: Milo would get a kick out of that.

MARK: Who’s Milo?

ANDREW: Never mind. I see what you’re saying, though. Another example of the HEAVEN-MEETING-EARTH motif.

4/ Long panel, featuring the two of them but focused on Mark. He looks more intense now than he has throughout the scene, as he prepares to reach his conclusion.

MARK: Right.
MARK: Now, it’s also worth MENTIONING that the Incas claim to have arrived at their home by WALTZING OUT OF THE WATERS OF LAKE TITICACA. Religious myth, or are we looking at possible Atlantean descendants, rising from the water to start a new life?

ANDREW: That’s a little far-fetched.

MARK: I know, but still. Forbidden archeology. Sometimes you have to say these things.
MARK: Now, MOST of this form of SHAMANISM and ESOTERICSM in Central America went out of STYLE over the centuries. The last known ORIGINAL worshippers of Quetzalcoatl were the TOLTECS: artisans and wise men who were PRIESTS of Quetzalcoatl until they EXILED him.

ANDREW: Exiled him?

MARK: They turned from his teachings, abandoned all studies in MAGIC, SHAMANISM, PSYCHISM, and any other spiritual world-bending, and they metaphorically cast the god OUT to wander the world – waiting for his TIME to be right again.
MARK: The MAYANS had prophesied Quetzalcoatl’s eventual RETURN, and history shows that the Mayans usually get this stuff RIGHT.

5/ On Mark, with Andrew out of panel. Pull in close on Mark as he maintains steady eye contact with Andrew in spite of his own intoxication. His eyes light up like he’s announcing that he knows where to find the Arc of the Covenant.

ANDREW (OFF PANEL): Why are you telling me all this, Mark? What’s happened?

MARK: Because on my last trip ABROAD, I FOUND something.
MARK: An ACTIVE tribe, in Central America, calling themselves the AKASHI.
MARK: These people are off the CHARTS, Andrew. They’re psychics, healers, empaths, telekines…

MARK: …you NAME it, they’ve got it.

6/ Andrew smiles, and raises his glass in toast.

ANDREW: Well, then.
ANDREW: Sounds like we have a TRIP to plan.

PAGE TWENTY-THREE

1/ Long panel, as we CUT BACK to the Television Debate Program we saw earlier in the issue, with the long-haired commentator looking intensely past us at his host, who is currently off panel.

GUEST: I think that the TRANSITION we’re about to face…it’s going to be a LONG one, a DIFFICULT one, and it’s going to be FRAUGHT with violence.

2/ Long panel, as we CUT BACK to Rhiannon and Donovan, standing on the edge of the chasm and watching the swirling faces. We see them from below, and we ourselves are down amidst the faces, as though we are one of them, looking up at our observers. Donovan turns to Rhiannon, perplexed. Rhiannon smiles.

NARR (RHI): Sooner or later, the ways you've been DOING THINGS - the EYES through which you've been VIEWING the WORLD - are going to become OBSOLETE.

DON: I’m serious, Rhi.
DON: What IS this?

RHI: It’s the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS, Donovan.
RHI: The essence of EVERYONE, the world over. The place where each individual’s subconscious mind comes to meet all the others on the ASTRAL PLANE.

3/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Milo and David, on their date, as Milo turns to David and asks him a serious question. They are now in the heart of Downtown, walking together past the Statehouse on their way back up toward the Short North.

MILO: So what do you think we should DO about all this, this crazy telepathic world of the FUTURE?

DAVID: Well, I think we should lead the WAY.
DAVID: As the people who already KNOW the direction the future seems to be TAKING, I think it’s our job to carry the future’s banner openly and PUBLICLY.
DAVID: I guess I’m just not sure HOW.

MILO: Well, you know how we could START?

4/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Rhiannon, turning to face Donovan, who is off panel. The landscape behind her remains the same desert wasteland, but near the spot where they are standing, we can see greenery and plant-life emerging all around.

RHI: If it weren’t for THIS PLACE, we wouldn’t have Jungian Archetypes. We wouldn’t have a ZEITGEIST. We wouldn’t have KISMET. All forms of human interconnectedness stem from this source.

DON (OFF PANEL): The collective unconscious is a PLACE?

RHI: It’s not just a place, Donovan. It’s everyplace, and it’s no place.

PAGE TWENTY-FOUR

1/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Milo and David. David stares in shock as Milo begins to lift upward off the ground, looking to the sky as he extends his hands away from his sides. Electricity begins to fly from his body in every direction, the bioelectric energy from his body extending outward and pushing him away from the earth.

DAVID: Oh, my God. Milo, what are you DOING?

MILO: Watch.

2/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to the television show. Focus on the host, looking intrigued, but the guest is the one who continues his speech off panel.

GUEST (OFF PANEL): I think that before the people of the world are ready for life alongside POSTHUMANS, extreme care will have to be taken with what they DO and DO NOT know.

3/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Donovan, looking fretfully at Rhiannon, who is off panel. Behind him, the tattered and withered tree that once highlighted the edge of the chasm has sprung back to life, though lightning still threatens to strike it dead once more.

DON: Rhiannon…
DON: Everything’s moving so FAST anymore. I don’t know how to PROCESS all this information that’s being THROWN at me.
DON: Not without LOSING myself in it.

NARR: You'll step back, and in one HORRIFIED, seemingly ENDLESS moment, you'll realize what's happened and you'll say "I've lost TOUCH."

4/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Milo and David. Skewed camera angle as we see, in the distant BG, an image of Milo now commandeering the digital screen of the NBC building. He stares forward from the monitor like Big Brother, delivering his message to the people of the city. In the Extreme FG we see the back of Milo’s legs as his feet now hover almost a yard off the ground. Electricity still sprouts from all over, lighting the scene. Between the two Milos we see David, striking a pose of tense uncertainty. He looks up at the floating, glowing Milo with awe.

MILO: I’m leading the WAY, David. Like you said.

MONITOR MILO: Do not adjust your sets. I have complete control of your TELEVISIONS, for the DURATION of this BROADCAST.

PAGE TWENTY-FIVE

1/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Rhiannon looking seriously at Donovan, who is off panel. She is being firm, but not aggressive – speaking to him in measured tones.

RHI: It’s not about LOSING yourself in it, Donovan.
RHI: It’s about letting it become a PART of you. You don’t lose yourself in basic world information – you simply accept that it’s TRUE, and it becomes a part of your reality. This is no more overwhelming to accept than the fact that the sky is BLUE.

RHI: You only believe it is.

NARR: Now, for MANY, the easy way out is to SCRAP the OLD and become something ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.

2/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Landon and Beth, entering the Living Room in surprise, having heard Milo’s voice on TV. They are still holding hands from the embrace they had just been sharing, and they stand horror-struck before the television as they absorb the reality of what’s happening.

BETH: Landon, what the hell’s he DOING?

MILO ON TV: We have lived too long with the burden of ARROGANCE in our BELIEFS. We believe we know the world, that we know its WORKINGS.
MILO ON TV: All that we can ever know is that the things we think we know about the world have always been true BEFORE TODAY, and with that information in tow we arrogantly truck forward, thinking that the things we believe will STILL be true when we wake up in the morning.

3/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to the television show, focused on the Guest.

GUEST: And I think that any POSTHUMAN who attempts to SUBVERT a gentle and PEACEFUL transition, who attempts to introduce CHAOS into the system, must be met with the FULL STRENGTH of the United States Defense Capabilities.

4/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Donovan, looking into the chasm of faces with uncertainty and an even mix of awe and terror. Rhiannon approaches him from behind, placing a hand on his back. The floating faces swirl by, glowing brightly.

DON: How do I become a PART of this without losing my IDENTITY?
DON: How do you join a COLLECTIVE without sacrificing INDIVIDUALITY?

NARR: Reinvent yourself. Start OVER. But that's a mistake.

PAGE TWENTY-SIX

1/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Milo, facing us directly on the Big Monitor Screen, digital fuzz making his image quake slightly, though his gaze remains stoic.

MONITOR MILO: The truth is that you are IGNORANT.
MON MILO: In a world where information is forever at your FINGERTIPS, you chose to remain STUBBORNLY IGNORANT.

MON MILO: The time for this CULTURAL LAZINESS is rushing to an END. The world has some difficult lessons to LEARN, and for AMERICA perhaps the most difficult of ALL.

2/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Donovan and Rhiannon, seen from a distance as the chunk of rock they are standing on descends downward into the chasm, floating them gently to a point where they are surrounded by a wall of hovering faces. They look around in awe.

RHI: It’s not a COLLECTIVE, Donovan. It’s a COMMUNION.
RHI: You don’t forsake who you are; you let your uniqueness ENRICH it.

NARR: No...when the time comes, and you find yourself reevaluating everything that you are and wondering what comes NEXT for you, don't embark on the FOOL'S ERRAND of starting from SCRATCH and becoming something DIFFERENT.

3/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Monitor Milo, staring right at us. We are closer this time, with only his face allowed in the panel.

MON MILO: For those of you who are like US, who can intuitively FEEL the PARADIGM SHIFT that is HURTLING toward us – I want you to know that you are NOT alone.

MON MILO: There are those who would have you believe that your gifts are IMAGINED, that you belong in an INSTITUTION. These are LIES.
MON MILO: You are not CRAZY.
MON MILO: You are not alone.

4/ Long Panel as we CUT BACK to the television Host, turning to face the camera, openly shocked by his guest’s opinion. He is, however, pleased to hear it.

HOST: You heard it here FIRST, folks. Even the LIBERALS are behind it.
HOST: Posthumans. We aren’t READY. And any posthuman attempting to push the world in a direction that we the people don’t WANT?

HOST: Must.
HOST: Be.
HOST: Silenced.

PAGE TWENTY-SEVEN

1/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Donovan and Rhiannon, facing each other on the floating rock as the faces whirl around them. Their hair and clothes are now flapping around, caught in the wind created by the mystical tumult. Donovan looks frightened, and Rhiannon moves in to comfort him, preparing to reach out and touch him.

DON: What we’re heading toward – what the WORLD is heading toward?
DON: It terrifies me.
DON: It’s so NEW, so DIFFERENT. I don’t know if I can face it ALONE.

RHI: You don’t have to. We’ll face it together.
RHI: You, me, and everyone else.

NARR: Do it right. Be mindful of what you WERE, but learn how to take the next STEP. Don't become DIFFERENT, just become MORE. Put the PAST in its PLACE and move ONWARD, UPWARD.

2/ Long panel as we CUT BACK, even closer to Monitor Milo. His eyes narrow, intense.

MON MILO: There will come a DAY, very soon, when we will either COME TOGETHER, or the future will DIE.

MON MILO: My name is Elliot Milo Woodyard, and I am one of the KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.

3/ Long panel as we CUT BACK to Donovan and Rhiannon. They come together, locking lips in a kiss for the first time. Donovan slides his hand beneath Rhiannon’s flowing hair, and she places her own hand on the back of his neck, pulling them tighter together. The floating faces whip by in a manic rush.

RHI: Everything’s going to CHANGE, now.

NARR: Don't run. Don't hide.

4/ EXTREME CLOSE as we CUT BACK to Monitor Milo. Only his eyes and the front locks of his hair are visible.

MON MILO: Everything’s going to CHANGE, now.
MON MILO: Goodbye.

5/ Small panel, as we see only the gray and black static that remains when a television has lost its signal.

PAGE TWENTY-EIGHT

1/ FULL PAGE SPLASH as Donovan and Rhiannon snap back to reality, with Rhiannon laying on her back, wide awake, on Donovan’s bed. Donovan is on top of her, propping himself up with his hands. They are still kissing, as they were on the astral plane. They both smile at each other.

NARR: Transcend.

RHI: Donovan.
RHI: This is all real, here.

DON: I know.

PAGE TWENTY-NINE

1/ Cut to a TALL PANEL, as poor Detective John Spacey hangs against a cold stone wall in rusty iron manacles. He has been beaten to hell, and is covered in open wounds and dark bruises. We see a shaft of light fall over him as the door to his room is opened.

SOUND EFFECT: CREEEKKK

2/ Spacey looks straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge the owner of the shadow that has fallen over him as his captor surveys him.

CORA (OFF PANEL): John.

3/ Panel remains exactly the same, though Cora’s hips and hands (which are resting on her hips) have entered from the left.

CORA: Anything to say to me?

4/ Panel remains exactly the same, though Cora now turns abruptly and walks out of view, her hand swinging behind her.

CORA: Fine.

5/ From behind, we see Cora, looking back over her shoulder at John. The dungeon around her is dark and dank, with torture devices mounted on the walls. She smiles coyly, flirting with her eyes.

CORA: Snub WIFEY. See how she deals with it.
6/ John finally looks up at her, grimacing at the pain.

SPACEY: You’re…not…her.

PAGE THIRTY

1/ Long panel as Cora bends down to hold John by the face, caressing his heavily stubbled cheeks and rubbing her thumb over one of his wounds. She grins wickedly at him as he tries to look away.

CORA: Well, SURE.
CORA: I suppose that’s TRUE. But I thought we could at least have a bit of FUN.

SPACEY: Go to hell.

2/ Tall panel as Cora stands up, pulling a knife from seemingly nowhere as she smiles at John, flipping her hair out from her eyes.

CORA: Hey, now. Don’t count me out YET.
CORA: I may have fire and brimstone in my FUTURE, but I’ve got plenty more fun to have before I kick the BUCKET.

3/ She leans down and jabs a finger into John’s face, pressing against his forward and forcing him to tip his head back as he strains against her.

CORA: You, on the other hand? Not so much.

4/ Tears stream down John’s face as he looks away from her, unable to see his dead wife’s face on whoever this is.

SPACEY: Please. Please….do whatever you WANT to me.
SPACEY: Just, please, for the love of God…don’t be HER when you DO IT.

5/ John jumps and his eyes go wide as Cora rams the knife into his gut, off panel. A little blood spurts out of his mouth. She grimaces with the effort, but clearly enjoys it.

CORA: Sorry, honey.

SOUND EFFECT: SHUNK

CORA: I don’t take requests.

6/ Close on the dripping knife that Cora holds in her hand, filling the FG of the shot as, in the BG, the door opens once more. A silhouette fills the doorframe, leaning tentatively on the jamb and shifting uncomfortably.

SHADOW: Um, Malice, sir?
SHADOW: Is everything OKAY in here?

CORA/MALICE (OFF PANEL): Of COURSE, Thomas.

7/ Cora turns to reveal the face of Malice, having satisfied himself that Spacey is dead. He looks determined, as though he’s just been hit with a stroke of genius. Having killed Spacey, he loses interest in maintaining the Cora charade and heads toward the door, glancing at Thomas as he goes.

MALICE: But why don’t you DIG UP a few extra SUPPLIES for me, Thomas?
MALICE: I have a MACHINE to build.

Next: Knights Annual #1!