Knights of Columbus #7

Issue 7: “Welcome to the Machine”

PAGE ONE

“Previously” page.

PAGE TWO

1/ Extreme close up on the surface of a raindrop, mid air. Reflected in its surface is the funeral of Bobby, Josh’s boyfriend, taking place on the Oval at the Ohio State University.

CAPTION: (Dialogue) We are gathered here today to honor the passing of BOBBY REITER, a young man who touched many lives in his brief time here at this school.

2/ Pull back to show multiple rain drops, up close, falling toward the ground from above. In the midst of them, we continue to follow the same rain drop, ever downward.

CAPTION: Bobby was well-liked by ALL, and loved by many. Only eight months into his school year, he had made more friends and CONTRIBUTED MORE to the school’s community than most do in their entire FOUR YEAR stay here at Ohio State.

3/ High angle shot over the head of the pastor presiding over the ceremony, standing at the podium and facing the large crowd of friends and family convened to honor Bobby’s death. Our familiar raindrop careens downward from above, aimed to strike the podium.

CAPTION: But now Bobby has been taken AWAY from us, another victim of the recent string of VIOLENT CRIME that has rocked this city.

4/ On the Bible, spread out on the podium before the pastor. His thumb grips the pages in the lower corner, as our raindrop finally hits its mark, bouncing off the page with a small splash, displacing the water in two separate directions.

PASTOR (continuing, off panel): We’re told by police that these killings are CONNECTED, that it is only a matter of TIME before this ruthless SERIAL MURDERER is brought to JUSTICE.

5/ Long panel as Josh watches the ceremony, a single tear rolling down his otherwise stoic cheek. Behind him stand Andrew and Beth, looking on with concern and respect. All three are dressed in the dark hues that signify mourning for the dead.

PASTOR (off panel): But today, let us NOT THINK of Bobby as another notch on the belt of some DEPRAVED SOUL.

6/ Bird’s Eye View of the ceremony, showing at once the full gathering of attendees, gathered in a group before Bobby’s casket, arranged on the lawn of the South Oval. Positioned next to the casket is the podium, at which the pastor continues his presentation.

PASTOR: Let us remember him for the GOOD that he did, and for the beauty he brought into the lives of all those around him.
PASTOR: Today is not a day of MOURNING, but rather of REMEMBERANCE for the LIFE of this kind heart. Not a day of SADNESS in the face of loss, but of CELEBRATION of a life well-lived.
PASTOR: That’s how Bobby would have wanted it.

PAGE THREE

1/ Long panel as Andrew turns over his shoulder to Beth.

ANDREW: I thought LANDON was coming with you. Where is he?

BETH: Where do you THINK?
BETH: He’s over by that TREE behind us, so he doesn’t have to see YOU.

2/ Close on Andrew, annoyed.

ANDREW: Are you serious?
ANDREW: He can’t put that aside for the duration of a FUNERAL?

3/ Beth looks straight forward, watching the ceremony as she speaks.

BETH: He’s Landon.
BETH: He feels how he feels. There’s nothing you or I can do about it.

4/ On Landon, leaning on a nearby tree to watch the funeral, hands in his pockets, looking vaguely annoyed by the prospect of being within a few hundred feet of Andrew MacTiernan. Otherwise, he is respectfully somber.

ANDREW (off panel): That’s MATURE. He does realize it’s been a LONG time, right? All of that nonsense is over and done with.

BETH (off panel): Doesn’t mean he has to LIKE you.
BETH: Or even be AROUND you, if he doesn’t want to.

5/ Andrew looks forward, back to the funeral, his features conveying his sense of disbelief at Landon’s behavior.

ANDREW: Just seems to me that if there was ever a TIME to can the pettiness…
ANDREW: …some poor kid’s FUNERAL would be it.

PAGE FOUR
1/ Beth glances back over her shoulder at Landon, still leaning against the tree.

BETH: In all FAIRNESS, we don’t know this kid. Far as Landon’s concerned, this is just some stranger’s funeral. No disrespect intended.


2/ She turns back to Andrew, playing the diplomat.

BETH: We’re here because you wanted YOU AND ME to represent the KNIGHTS for Josh’s sake, and that’s IT.
BETH: It’s not his job to come up here and rub elbows with everybody.

3/ Long panel, as the two of them face the funeral, talking out of the sides of their mouths at each other. Andrew stands with his hands clasped behind his back, as Beth crosses her arms, momentarily using her free hand to brush her damp hair out of her face.

ANDREW: It just seems…TACKY.

BETH: Yeah, well, DEAL. I’m sure Landon would argue that you and I even TALKING to each other is “tacky,” so I figure hey, opinions are like assholes, right? At least he showed up.
BETH: How is there a body? I thought this kid was ripped to pieces.

ANDREW: Can you keep it down a bit?
ANDREW: He was pretty messed up, yeah. But not ripped to pieces. I guess Josh got to the car and then freaked. Went BACK to get Bobby’s BODY. He DRAGGED it back, if you can believe THAT.

BETH: Wow.

ANDREW: Wow is right. They’re doing funerals for the other kids over the next couple of DAYS, but Bobby’s parents wanted it to be TODAY. Cops were able to recover everything from the sight. The perp took off when Josh came back for Bobby… guess he’d gotten his rocks off already.

BETH: Jesus. And the others are on it?

ANDREW: They’re on it.
ANDREW: Opinions are like ASSHOLES?

BETH: Yeah, everyone’s got one. Never heard that?

ANDREW: Gonna say NO. Hey, the eulogy’s over.

4/ Andrew approaches Josh from behind, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
ANDREW: You okay, Josh?
5/ Josh glances down at a bouquet of flowers in his hands, Andrew’s grip still resting on his shoulder. Beth approaches, smiling gently at Josh.

JOSH: As good as I CAN be, I guess.
JOSH: I don’t know, I just –

PAGE FIVE

1/ Close on Josh, looking at the ground as he speaks.

JOSH: I grew up in a SMALL TOWN.
JOSH: I was the only gay person I knew, always.

2/ On Andrew and Beth, as they listen to Josh’s story.

JOSH (off panel): I mean, SURE, there was the occasional BI-CURIOUS kid who would find out I was gay and they’d come to me looking for an easy way to see what it was LIKE…
JOSH: But there was never really anyone who could make me feel like I wasn’t ALONE.

3/ Pull back, to show the funeral in full. Josh, Andrew, and Beth stand some distance from the casket, and Landon can be seen leaning on his tree. Otherwise, the funeral has dispersed somewhat, attendees drifting this way and that, making small talk with each other and approaching the body. The rain continues to drizzle slightly.

JOSH: That is, until I came HERE, and met BOBBY.
JOSH: Back home, I just kept who I was to myself, for the MOST part. My friends knew, but they were never COMFORTABLE with it. They would tell me about their girlfriends, or what chicks they wanted to get with, but they never really wanted to hear MY side of things, you know?
JOSH: They’d CRINGE if I talked about the feelings I had for another GUY.

4/ Close up as Josh continues, Andrew watching and listening in silence.

JOSH: But then, I came here, to COLUMBUS, and suddenly everything was DIFFERENT. There were other people like ME, everywhere!

5/ Josh wipes his nose, sticky with residue from his tears, against his sleeve.

JOSH: And of course THAT’S had its ups and down, TOO. The gay scene can be ROUGH, sometimes.
JOSH: But Bobby changed all that.

6/ On Josh’s hands, holding the bouquet.

JOSH (off panel): He was the first person, straight or gay or whatever, who just wanted me to be ME. He loved me for what I WAS, and I never felt like I had to put on a SHOW for him, ever.
JOSH: I never had to impress him, because he was impressed by me just BEING there.
JOSH: We never said “I love you.” It just never got to that point. But I always believed he felt it, deep down somewhere.
JOSH: And I know now that I did. I loved him.

PAGE SIX

1/ Andrew and Beth flank Josh, Josh himself turning to face Andrew. Andrew places his hand on Josh’s back encouragingly.

ANDREW: You did a very brave thing, coming to me with this. We’re looking into it, even as we speak, Josh.
ANDREW: I promise you we’ll sort this out.

JOSH: I appreciate that, Professor MacTiernan. I really do.
JOSH: But if you don’t mind?

2/ Close on Josh, another tear welling up.

JOSH: I’d like to say goodbye to my boyfriend.

3/ Long, large panel, as Josh bends over the casket, placing his bouquet inside. Andrew and Beth watch in sadness, Beth gripping the edge of Andrew’s coat. Bobby has been embalmed well, his dress suit covering the hole left in his chest by his attacker. His arms are draped lazily at his sides.

JOSH: (small font, sad) Goodnight, Bobby.
JOSH (small): I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.

4/ Andrew bends down at Josh’s side, as Josh looks blankly off into space, seemingly gazing right through the casket to the other side.

ANDREW: I swear to you, Josh. We are going to do everything in our POWER to bring Bobby’s killer to an end. No matter what it takes.

JOSH: Make no MISTAKE, Professor.

5/ Extreme close-up on Josh, fury rising in his eyes. More hatred than should ever be able to cross this boy’s face now rears its ugly head, making him almost frightening.

JOSH: The man who did this is EVIL, as pure and UNMITIGATED as it GETS. And you would be doing the world a favor by KILLING him.
JOSH: To hell with a fair trial. That man deserves to DIE.
PAGE SEVEN

1/ Cut to a Full page splash, with the issue’s TITLES, CREDITS, and INDICIA at the bottom. Milo, Rhiannon, and Donovan sit in a triangle on the rooftop of Donovan’s building, poised for Buddhist-style meditation in the drizzling rain. They wear the same clothes we last saw them in, having been here since the night before. Rhi watches intently as Milo stares down Donovan, who - in spite of the implicit intensity of the moment - looks confused and skeptical.

CAPTION: Clintonville.

DON: You want me to do WHAT, now?

PAGE EIGHT

1/ Long panel as Milo looks encouragingly at Donovan, Rhiannon watching with interest in the BG.

MILO: I want you to close your eyes, and share the visualization with me.
MILO: I’m coming WITH you.

2/ Long panel, close on Donovan (positioned to the right). He raises a doubtful eyebrow.

DON: And you want me to envision a white light.

3/ Long panel, as Milo patiently meditates, his eyes closed without being squeezed tightly shut. He is positioned to the left.

MILO: A white light, coming down from above.
MILO: Imagine it entering your head at the crown, and seeping down throughout your entire body, warming you.

4/ Long panel, close on Donovan as he closes his own eyes. Rhiannon watches.

DON: White light. Down from above. Gotcha.
DON: Is anything gonna happen?

PAGE NINE

NOTE: The next four pages should be filled with skewed, unnatural angles on all the panels, heightening the sense of surreality inherent in the scene. All of it takes places inside Donovan’s psychic self, disconnected from the realm of physical reality.

1/ Bird’s eye view as a beam of white light descends from above, aiming downward into Donovan’s waiting body.

DON: (small) …anything gonna happen?

2/ Continue to follow the light, as it enters Donovan at the crown.

MILO (tailless balloon, off panel): Be patient.

3/ Inside Donovan’s head, we see a vast network of firing synapses and pulsating brain matter, chaotically undulating around the beam of light as it descends deeper into Donovan’s self. Inside the light, we see the small figures of Donovan and Milo, tossed about as if caught in a swirling downward drain.

4/ The beam of light deposits them violently onto a plateau in Donovan’s head, bouncing them off the brain matter. Milo lands relatively gracefully, finding his center of gravity quickly, while Donovan crumbles to the ground, or rather, the brain tissue, in an awkward heap. As the beam strikes the matter and deposits them, we hear the sound of thunderous collision.

SOUND EFFECT: THOOM!

5/ Donovan struggles to get to his feet as Milo stands behind him, hands on his hips and a giddy grin on his face. Near them, a hovering orb of white fire hovers, spitting stray flames this way and that.

DON: Holy crap, where are we?

MILO: Inside you. In a METAPHORICAL SENSE, anyway.
MILO: This is a psychic manifestation, representing our inward journey to your psyche. Kooky, huh?

PAGE TEN

1/ Donovan looks at the white fire with confusion, and Milo explains, gesturing with his hands as though he’s teaching a class.

DON: And this?

MILO: This is your CROWN CHAKRA.
MILO: It’s your seat of SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION. But we’re not concerned with that right now, so we’re going to bypass it and get right to the nitty-gritty.

2/ Milo and Donovan phase out in a field of all-encompassing white light, their figures becoming nothing more than hazy shadows in the glare.

3/ When they rematerialize, they appear next to a hovering violet-colored flame-orb, surrounded by the electrical impulses of Donovan’s brain synapses. In the midst of the synapses we can see the impression of many disembodied Egyptian eye-of-Ra symbols, floating in the BG. The two men are poised on either side of the flame.

MILO: Here we are.

4/ Close on Donovan, intrigued.

DON: More CHAKRA crap?

5/ Close on Milo, explaining.

MILO: It is, though not MY choice of words.
MILO: The human body contains SEVEN chakras, or seats of concentrated esoteric power. Think of them as little nuclear reactors inside you, waiting for their power to be TAPPED.
MILO: Of those SEVEN, I plan to focus on FOUR. This is our first stop: the BROW.

6/ Donovan reaches out and touches the flame, discovering that it generates no actual heat, as Milo explains further. The electrical impulses rage on like a lightning storm behind them.

MILO: The BROW chakra, also known as “the JEWEL that fell from the crown of the MORNING STAR,” is the home of INTUITION, paranormal ABILITIES, and PSYCHIC CONNECTIVITY. It is the source of the THIRD EYE.
MILO: Always characterized as a deep VIOLET color, this particular chakra is what you inadvertently use every time you have a sudden stroke of CREATIVE GENIUS, seemingly pulling an unconventional idea from the ETHER.

7/ Donovan nods in acknowledgement.

DON: So this is what we need to unlock to find my psychic ability.

8/ Milo is once again surrounded by the white light, whisking them off to their next destination, his figure dissipating into shadow.

MILO: This is only the first STEP, Donovan. We aren’t done YET.

PAGE ELEVEN

1/ Suddenly, the two of them are standing in the midst of a Midwestern Victorian home, decorated a bit less than tastefully for the Christmas season, the gaudy lights on the enormous evergreen in the background blinking in the many colors of the rainbow. Cheesy pinups of Santa Clause hang from the walls, and Christian imagery abounds in every corner. Plastic holly snakes up the long banister of a classical wooden stairway, leading from the living room to the upstairs bedrooms. In the middle of the Living Room, flanked by Donovan and Milo, is a glowing GREEN flame, crackling like a bonfire and illuminating the room to a small degree. Donovan looks shocked by his surroundings.

DON: This is my HOME!
DON: The house I grew UP in!

MILO: Actually, this is your HEART CHAKRA.
MILO: You’ve simply chosen to subconsciously represent it by conjuring images from your childhood. Sorry to disappoint.

2/ Close on Donovan, inquisitive.

DON: Do chakras always appear as balls of FLAME?

3/ Milo poses as though warming his hands on the chakra’s flame, though it generates no actual heat. He smiles with his eyes at Donovan over the frames of his glasses.

MILO: No, they don’t. The flame image is just how I PERSONALLY choose to represent them. I’m letting you piggy-back off my psychic residuals.
MILO: Now, the HEART CHAKRA is, unsurprisingly, the seat of love and compassion. But what’s significant for OUR purposes is that it’s ALSO the bridge between the worlds of the PHYSICAL and the SPIRITUAL.
MILO: Without activating THIS chakra, the BROW chakra would simply be a useless lump of misdirected psychic energy.

DON (off panel): And that’s bad?

MILO: Uh, yeah…catastrophically bad.

4/ On Donovan, as he nods in understanding.

DON: So they work together.
DON: Check.

VOICE (off panel) Who are you?

DON: Who - ?

5/ Donovan turns to the Living Room’s entryway, to see a dark haired child staring at him in confusion. The little boy looks up at him quizzically, dragging a stuffed plush Seal with fibrous filling spilling out of the overwrought seams. The boy wears pastel blue footy pajamas, the white stomach portion depicting three children’s sippy-cups lined up in a row. Donovan squats down to place a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

DON: Oh, my God. It’s ME, as a little BOY.
DON: Don’t you recognize me, buddy?
BOY: I don’t.

DON: But…I’m YOU.

BOY: Are not! Are not!

6/ Milo smiles as the white light engulfs them yet again, whisking them away.

7/ Donovan looks angered and shocked as he now stands in the middle of what appears to be a mystical inner sanctum, the home of some strange magician or deranged hippie. Streams of incense smoke fill the air and the only light comes from the glowing YELLOW chakra still off-panel. Images of pagan gods adorn the walls, obtuse runes framed on unlacquered wooden plaques hanging about.

DON: Milo, WAIT!
DON: That was IMPORTANT! Can we go back?

8/ Milo shakes his head, backlit by the flaming chakra that floats behind him.

MILO: You’re not really ready to revisit your childhood, just yet. That takes time.
MILO: And besides…

9/ Milo moves to the other side of the chakra as Donovan takes it in for the first time: a glowing ball of yellow flame, hovering amidst the Sanctum Sanctorum upon which they have stumbled. Milo gestures widely, indicating the chakra, as Donovan calms himself.

MILO: I wanted you to see THIS.

DON: Another one? Where are we NOW?

PAGE TWELVE

1/ Milo explains, staring into the flames of the chakra.

MILO: This is the SOLAR-PLEXUS chakra.
MILO: It’s regarded as the “CENTER” chakra, and for good reason. This is the monitor; the thing that keeps all the other chakras in CHECK. It’s the FOCAL POINT of MAGIC in all sentient life. Without this chakra, there would BE no chakras.
MILO: You need to keep it in mind at all times, and keep it healthy. If this chakra gives out on you, your own psychic development is a LOST CAUSE.

2/ Donovan looks expectant.

DON: Okay, that’s three.
DON: You said there were FOUR chakras we needed to focus on?

3/ They fade out in the white light one last time.

MILO: That’s right. We’ve got ONE MORE STOP to make.

4/ When they rematerialize, they are standing on the surface of the Moon. Mostly off panel, but still visible, is the Moon Lander, its metal pad resting on the dusty, craggy surface. To the right is the American flag, stuck deep within the surface of the silt. Donovan looks around in wonder, gasping at the unexpected change to a VASTLY different environment. Milo has his back to us, and framed square in the middle of Milo, Donovan, the flag, and the Lander, is the final chakra – a glowing RED beacon of fire hovering two feet off the gray rock beneath. In the BG, we see the distant orb of Earth, with the sun peeking out from behind it.

DON: Dear lord.

MILO: Sorry for the abrupt change. I guess you manifest this chakra as a pretty UNIVERSAL metaphor for its essence.

DON: Meaning?

MILO: Meaning that this is the BASE CHAKRA. It’s the source of all human WILLPOWER. The origin-point of our COURAGE, STABILITY and SURVIVALISM.
And that you’ve manifested it as one of the most iconic symbols of MODERN HUMAN WILLPOWER – the ORIGINAL MOON LANDING.

DON: Guess I’m just creative.

MILO: Before you go a step further in your development, you NEED to be aware of - and DEEPLY familiar with - this chakra. You have a DEMON inside you, Donovan. A demon that’s working HARD, every moment, to take control of you.
MILO: If you can’t summon up the kind of willpower than SAMSON summoned up before you, the kind of willpower necessary to control OZYMANDIAS, you will succumb to him.
MILO: Simple as that.

DON: And this is where that willpower comes from?

5/ Close on Donovan.

DON: This is the thing that keeps me under control?

6/ On Milo.

MILO: Exactamundo.
MILO: Now, Donovan…I need you to BRACE yourself. This is about to get MESSY.

7/ Donovan raises an eyebrow, confused.

DON: How so?

8/ Suddenly and violently, Milo sends a full-force uppercut into Donovan’s gut. The illusion of standing on the Moon is suddenly – and very literally – shattered, the BG of the panel exploding outward like shards of glass.

MILO: Like this.

SOUND EFFECT: THOK!

PAGE THIRTEEN

1/ Long panel, back to reality, with the same image of Milo striking Donovan in the real world, ending their psychic journey with immediate and unexpected violence. The drizzling rain is now becoming a downpour, and Rhiannon shields herself from above as she recoils in shock.

DON: Oof!

2/ Donovan doubles over in pain, angrily looking up at Milo.

DON: Why did you HIT me!?

3/ Head and Shoulders, on Milo, as he looks threateningly at Donovan. The rain begins to obscure his eyes behind his glasses, making him look even more bizarrely menacing.

MILO: Because you’re not READY.
MILO: And you NEED to be. FAST!

4/ Long panel as Milo strikes again, sending a left hook straight into Donovan’s face. Donovan twists, knocked toward us by Milo’s punch.

MILO: But it’s gonna take a SHOCK to your SYSTEM.

5/ On Milo, remaining calm, as he grips his left hand by the wrist, blood trickling down his raw knuckles. He doesn’t look at it, instead focusing on Donovan, who is doubled over - holding his face in pain - off-panel.

MILO: I need you to repeat after me.

6/ On Donovan, gripping his bloodied face with his hand, blood running up over the edges of his fingers. Out of the corner of his eye, he looks hatefully up at Milo.

MILO (off panel): It’s a MANTRA. I call it the FOUR TRUTHS, SPOKEN TWICE.
MILO: As we RECITE it, I want you to picture that WHITE LIGHT, coming down and ENERGIZING those chakras we talked about. Picture them spinning WILDLY and burning EVER BRIGHTER.
PAGE FOURTEEN

1/ Milo brings his knee up, striking Donovan once again in the gut. Donovan lurches.

MILO: Once you know you are a PART of EVERYTHING, you will STAND ALONE like the MOON on a CLEAR NIGHT.

2/ Milo strikes Donovan in the face again, this time a right hook. Donovan whirls. As it happens, the rain pours harder still, coming down in sheets.

MILO: Once you acknowledge the OCEAN lapping at your SHORES, you will become an ISLAND UNTO YOURSELF!

3/ Long panel As Donovan scrambles painfully on the ground, doubled over, Milo raises his elbow, bringing it down into Donovan’s back with a crunch.

MILO: With the strength of ALL MANKIND at your fingertips, you are stronger than ANY MAN!

SOUND EFFECT: CRACK!

4/ Long Panel as Milo spins, delivering a roundhouse kick into Donovan’s face, sending Donovan tumbling backward over himself.

MILO: Once you REALIZE that you’re GOD…

5/ Low angle, as we see Milo towering over Donovan. Donovan lays on his back, propped up on his elbows, knees in the air, as we view over his shoulder. Milo pulls a fist back to land another punch.

MILO: GOD WILL KNEEL BEFORE YOU IN AWE.

6/ Donovan quickly gets to his feet, scrambling away from Milo’s would-be punch before Milo even has a chance to throw it. Milo doesn’t even have time to react. Donovan’s eyes glow orange – that same hot-coal orange that indicates Ozymandias’ presence.

DON: (Small font, quiet) My turn.

PAGE FIFTEEN

1/ Donovan lands the same uppercut punch into Milo’s gut, perhaps even more violent.

DON: Once you know you’re a PART of everything, you stand alone like the Moon on a clear NIGHT!

2/ He brings his elbow down into Milo’s back, duplicating the attack.

DON: Once you acknowledge the OCEAN lapping at your SHORES, you become an ISLAND unto yourself!

SOUND: Crack!

3/ He throws his own right hook, striking Milo in the face, but as Milo falls he manages to shove Donovan back, sending them BOTH toppling to the ground.

DON: With the strength of all mankind AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, you’re stronger than ANY MAN!

4/ Milo grips his face in pain, standing up as Donovan tumbles to the gravel rooftop next to him. Blood drips from both their hands and faces. Rhiannon stands in the BG, shocked.

DON: (withered balloon, exhausted) Once you realize that you’re God…

5/ On Donovan, lying on the ground and catching his breath. He looks up at Milo, and to Milo’s surprise, Donovan’s eyes glow tiffany blue.

DON: (withered balloon)...God will kneel before you in awe…

MILO: Oh my god, Donovan…
MILO: You did it…you’re in control…

6/ Close on Rhiannon. She closes her eyes and grips the bridge of her nose with her fingers, exasperated. She points to the right, off panel.

RHI: Uh, Milo?
RHI: We’ve got company, here…

7/ Standing alone on the far side of the rooftop, watching with unimpressed confusion, is Josh. He stands with his hands in his pockets, the vent next to him pumping out steam into the rainy afternoon sky. He raises an eyebrow in incredulous silence.

PAGE SIXTEEN

1/ Long panel, viewed over Josh’s shoulder, at the tableaux spread out before him. Donovan on the ground, looking up at Milo as Milo holds his fist in mid air, poised to strike again, while Rhiannon tries her best to smile pleasantly but is ultimately embarrassed by the awkwardness of the scene.

RHI: Hi!

2/ Close on Josh, stern faced.
JOSH: My name is Josh. Andrew sent me.
3/ Milo looks confused, fist still in the air. Rhiannon approaches him, pulling his fist down to his side for him.

MILO: Andrew sent you?

4/ Josh walks toward them, past Donovan lying on the ground. Don’s eyes have reverted to their normal color. Josh keeps his hands in his pockets, uncomfortable. He begins to speak, but stops once he gets a look at Donovan.

JOSH: Yeah.
JOSH: I’m supposed to lead you to the place where…

5/ Donovan, still not standing up, looks at Josh and tries to assure him.

DON: I’m not him.

6/ Josh turns to the others, blinking awkwardly in the rain. He looks for confirmation.

7/ Rhiannon raises her eyebrows and tilts her head as if to say “And there you go.”

RHI: He’s not him.

8/ Josh turns away from them and walks back toward the edge of the roof, as Milo helps Donovan to his feet and Rhiannon starts off after Josh.

JOSH: Alright, then.
JOSH: Let’s go.

PAGE SEVENTEEN

1/ Cut to a Large Panel as Milo, Rhiannon, Donovan, and Josh arrive at the clearing before Moonville Tunnel. They stare up at its gaping mouth, all but Josh seeming unimpressed. It is still daylight, and the rain has receded, leaving the clearing damp and misty, the grass covered in drops of dew. Lines of police tape hang about the area.

RHI: So this is it?

2/ Josh glances around nervously, pointing off panel to the right, in the direction of where he found Lori Miller, the day before.

JOSH: Yeah.
JOSH: Right over there is where I found that Miller girl. I’m assuming she’s gone, now.
3/ Low Angle as Rhiannon inspects the spot where Lori’s mangled form was found.

RHI: Yeah, she’s gone. The cops have cleared all of this out, already.
RHI: But there’s definitely enough blood here for an ARMLESS, LEGLESS dead girl.

4/ On Milo’s foot as he takes a cautious step forward into the clearing, the blades of grass giving way to gravel and trampled mud.

5/ Milo stops dead in his tracks as he enters the clearing, his eyes going wide as he senses something overpowering that he doesn’t like.

MILO: Whoa-ho!
MILO: Rhiannon, do you FEEL that?

PAGE EIGHTEEN

1/ Rhiannon makes her way to Milo’s spot in the clearing, also stopping short.

RHI: Feel wha –

RHI: Oh. WOW.
RHI: It hits you like a…like a WAVE.

2/ Milo turns to her, a look of foreboding peeking out over the edge of his glasses.

MILO: Whatever’s here…it USED to be HUMAN.
MILO: But it HASN’T been for a long, long time. Not anymore.

3/ Rhiannon turns, pacing over to Donovan, who still stands outside of the clearing, keeping his distance in the grass alongside a very nervous looking Josh. She removes her mother’s necklace, pulling it up over her head.

RHI: Donovan, I need you to hold onto my Mom’s RING for me.
RHI: Can you do that?

4/ Small panel of her placing the ring into Donovan’s outstretched hand.

5/ On Donovan, confused.

DON: But, uh…WHY?
DON: Aren’t I coming WITH you?

6/ Rhiannon turns back to the tunnel, Milo watching her as she joins him at his side.

RHI: Not yet, you aren’t.
RHI: I don’t want you anywhere NEAR this tunnel until Milo and I’ve had a look.
7/ Milo and Rhiannon stand before the tunnel, looking upward at its great stone façade.

MILO: You ready?

RHI: As I’ll ever be.

8/ Rhiannon looks downward, at everything and nothing. Her eyes suddenly lose all color, filling in their entirety with a soft, tiffany blue glow. She’s concentrating hard on whatever she’s doing, the strain of it filling her with psychic power.

9/ A hazy image appears, filling the panel, of Rhiannon’s metaphorical “wall.” The panel is frosted at the edge, fading out like a dream. One brick slides outward, falling from the red brick wall.

MILO (tailless balloon, off panel, small font): Rhiannon?

10/ Continue to focus on the wall, as several more bricks slide out, revealing a cavernous blackness behind: the looming threat of the dark psychic forces Rhiannon habitually keeps out through the sheer will of creating this wall.

MILO (still tailless, still small, still off panel): Rhiannon, don’t.
MILO: …don’t think that’s a good idea…

MILO: RHIANNON!

11/ Break the psychic trance, returning to reality, as Rhiannon whirls her head toward Milo. He stares at her in admonition.

RHI: WHAT!?

MILO: Uh, you were getting pretty hardcore, there. All glowy-eyed.
MILO: DO NOT bring your wall down. Not yet.

PAGE NINETEEN

1/ On Rhiannon, frustrated by the wasted effort.

RHI: Okay…so, we’re doing this TOGETHER, or what?

2/ The two of them approach the opening of the tunnel, Milo putting his hands out toward it as he senses the energy coming out from inside. Rhiannon looks hesitant.

MILO: Yes. We’re going to bring your wall down TOGETHER, so I can support you. And we’re going to bring it down JUST A BIT.

MILO: You’re an EMPATH, like WHOA, and I don’t want you getting assaulted by this thing. And your wall is obviously NOT INTERESTED in coming down easily, or you wouldn’t have gone to the GLOWY place trying to DO it.

RHI: Fair enough.

3/ The two stand side by side in front of the tunnel’s mouth, eyes closed tight as they concentrate on controlling Rhiannon’s defense perimeter. The world around them, save for themselves and Rhiannon’s wall, goes white, disappearing as they focus on the astral plane. Bricks start dropping from the wall, some sliding out only slightly. Rhiannon is closest to us, with Milo in the BG of the shot.

MILO: You feel it?

4/ Rhiannon keeps her eyes closed tight, feeling the energy emanating toward her with her hands outstretched, like a blind person feeling their way down a corridor. She is surrounded by the white light of her concentration, the clearing behind her still non-existent to her senses.

RHI: I do.
RHI: The man. In the tunnel. His name is Alex Kenyon.
RHI: He’s a former host of OZYMANDIAS.

5/ Milo turns to her, reality snapping back into place around him as his concentration is broken, his eyes popping open in surprise.

MILO: Donovan’s DEMON FAMILIAR?

RHI (off panel): Yes.

6/ Rhiannon maintains her pose from her previous panel, though she is now shown standing in the real world, the clearing behind her. Her eyes remain shut.

RHI: Ozzy…he took Alex OVER.
RHI: Kenyon couldn’t control it and he got LOST in there, somewhere. Even though Oz is GONE now, obviously –
RHI: - since he’s living inside DONOVAN –
RHI: -Alex remains ruined by him, manifesting all sorts of dark powers and developing a sort of IMHUMAN bloodlust.

MILO (off panel) So consider this a CAUTIONARY tale.
MILO: Your defenses back up, yet?

RHI: They’re up ENOUGH.

7/ On Milo’s foot again, taking a hesitant step into the blackness of the tunnel.
MILO: Then let’s do it.

8/ In the deep dark of the tunnel, Milo and Rhiannon explore, looking around cautiously, prepared for combat if need be. Over Rhiannon’s shoulder, a pair of glowing, orange eyes is seen hovering, watching her movements.

RHI: Jesus, Milo…
RHI: This ALEX…he’s almost PURE EVIL. I can feel his IMPRINT…

EYES: (ragged, monstrous balloon) Ozymandias!

PAGE TWENTY

1/ Long panel as Alex leaps from the darkness, seen in full view for the first time. Though he is hardly Donovan’s twin, he does look similar, with about the same height, hair color, build, etc. Furthermore, the way his features have been contorted by the corruption of Ozymandias make him look permanently like Donovan when taken over by the Demon. He wears a simple black shirt, frayed and weathered with uninterrupted use. He strikes upward, hitting Rhiannon in the gut so hard she flies upward off her feet, dangling over his fist as the wind is knocked out of her. Milo leaps backward in shock.

ALEX: Can you feel his imprint NOW, woman!?

MILO: RHIANNON!

2/ Rhiannon scrambles on the ground, clutching her aching stomach, as she looks up at her attacker. Only his legs and dangling blood-stained hand appear in the panel, looming over her threateningly.

ALEX: Ozymandias is HERE. I can FEEL HIM.
ALEX: TELL ME WHERE HE IS!

3/ Over Alex’s shoulder, as he prepares to throw a punch at the incapacitated Rhiannon, we see Milo hold his arm out, the first crackles of fire appearing around his forearm as he aims for Alex’s head from behind.

MILO: Not a chance, asshole.

4/ Long panel as Alex is sent flying backward by the plume of fire erupting from Milo’s outstretched hand. He crashes into the brick wall of the tunnel, small flecks of rock flying away from the impact point as trickles of blood emerge from his cheek where he struck.

SOUND EFFECT: FOOSH

SOUND EFFECT: CRUNCH

5/ Alex picks himself up off the ground, glowering up at Milo.

ALEX: Arrogant little prick.

6/ Milo throws a punch toward Alex, but his hand crashes into an invisible barrier, illuminating the barrier at the strike point, shimmering outward in a wave of light. Behind the barrier, Alex’s hand is held up palm-first, generating the shield similar to when Rhiannon employed this same technique against Bloody Mary. Milo winces in pain.

SOUND EFFECT: FSHAKK

ALEX: Stay put.

7/ Alex bends down to Rhiannon, barely off her feet yet, and grabs her by the chin – pulling her face up to look her in the eye.

ALEX: Rhiannon, he called you?
ALEX: And that little WALL of yours I felt when you approached…it’s not looking too STURDY right now, is it?

ALEX: Let’s see what you’ve GOT in there…

RHI: (withered balloon, still recovering) TRY me.

PAGE TWENTY-ONE

1/ Skewed angles, for the duration of this page, indicating the psychic trauma that Alex is wreaking, turning the world upside down in the battle’s insanity. Hazy panel, pulled from Rhiannon’s memories, as a tall shadowy figure looms over Rhiannon as a little girl. She clutches fiercely to an old stuffed crocodile, and from her little nose runs a thick drop of blood. She is crying, holding her free arm up in self-defense.

LITTLE RHI: Daddy! Daddy, please, NO!

2/ In reality, Milo tries in vain to leap forward and help her, but rebounds slightly off the invisible wall once more. Alex reaches up toward the wall again, reinforcing it.

MILO: RHIANNON!
MILO: Snap out of it!

3/ Angle switch, Behind Alex as he reaches behind him to hold the wall in place, continuing to look down at Rhiannon. Rhiannon stares blankly ahead in space, sitting on her knees on the floor with her arms dangling loosely at her side. Her eyes are glossed over, seeing nothing.

RHI: (withered) Daddy…please…
4/ Close on Milo, his hands pressed against the barrier and coating it with concentrated flame, looking for a weakness. His teeth are grinding fiercely and his furiously contracted eyes now glow the same tiffany blue we saw in Rhiannon’s struggle. Beads of sweat drip from Milo’s glasses, and his hair is hanging damply from his forehead. A small drop of blood appears at his nostril, running downward.

MILO: (small, furious) Son of a bitch…

5/ Extreme close up on Alex, turning abruptly toward Milo with eyebrows pulled taut in an expression of pure hatred and evil. His eyes light up with sadistic glee.

ALEX: What little secrets lurk inside YOUR troubled head, friend!?

6/ He breaks the barrier and locks his fingers into Milo’s temples, causing Milo to drop downward a bit, the remnants of his flames reaching up into view from off panel. Milo’s features contract in agony as Alex stares him in the face, concentrating hard on penetrating Milo’s psyche, looking down on him from above.

MILO: NO! NO!
MILO: GET OUT!!!

PAGE TWENTY-TWO

1/ Return to non-skewed panels, with a tall, distant shot of Rhiannon, curled into a tight ball against the wall of the tunnel, hiding herself from the world. Graffiti hovers over her head, and dirt floor stretches out before her crumpled form.

DON: (tailless, off panel, small as though distant) Rhiannon!

2/ Pull in closer, similar tall panel.

DON: (still tailless, still off panel, bigger balloon) RHIANNON!

3/ Close up, tall panel, same shot of fetal Rhiannon, as she slowly looks up from between her crossed arms, finally hearing that Donovan is calling for her.

DON: (still tailless, still off panel, but huge balloon) RHIANNON!
DON: GET BACK!

4/ Enormous panel as Donovan bursts his way into the chaos, Rhiannon scrambling out of the way and Milo falling to the dirt as Donovan lifts Alex into the air by his throat with a single outstretched hand. He bears the ripped, muscular form that means he is channeling Ozymandias, and his eyes crackle at the edges with the coal-orange glow. At the edges of the panels, encroaching on the darkness, are the colors of the chakras, whirling with light. Donovan bears the two sharp fangs that mean he has merged with Oz.

DON: (demon balloon, huge) GET BACK!

PAGE TWENTY-THREE

1/ A series of four , violence-skewed long panels begins here, as Donovan throws his powerful fist into Alex’s off-panel face, sending a shower of blood flying downward into the panel. The entire hue of the scene is the red of spilt blood.

SOUND EFFECT: Skkrunch!

2/ Hurling Alex down onto the ground, Donovan continues to beat him, the majority of the violence remaining out of panel as the blood flies up into view. Donovan’s fangs are bared and his temper is hot, smoking pouring from the corners of his eyes.

SOUND EFFECT: Krunch Krunch Krunch

3/ Close on Donovan, as he continues the beating. A fleck of blood flies up and strikes him on the cheek, running down to the edge of his mouth as the orange in his eyes shifts suddenly to a startlingly bright tiffany blue, the fangs still bared.

SOUND EFFECT: Squelchh!

4/ Low angle, as Donovan stands, looking down at his destroyed combatant. Donovan is dripping with blood, and it trickles off his fingertips as he speaks. Alex’s hand sticks up into the shot, bent at an unnatural angle, also dripping with gore.

ALEX: (off panel, withered) …ack…

DON: (demon balloon) I control Ozymandias now.
DON: And we don’t NEED you anymore.

PAGE TWENTY-FOUR

1/ Cut to Andrew, late at night, locking up the Downtown offices of the Knights of Columbus. The frosted window on the door declares it as such, and the dimly lit hallway leading to the door indicates that Andrew may well be the only person still conducting business in the Atlas Building at this hour. He turns the key in the lock, looking exhausted.

CAPTION: The Atlas Building, headquarters of the Knights of Columbus.

2/ Andrew turns, preparing to make his way down the hallway, but comes up short. He is suddenly startled by the group of people standing in his way, off-panel. He jumps, gasping in surprise.

ANDREW: AHH!
ANDREW: Jesus CHRIST, man! You scared me half to DEATH!

3/ Large panel, as Donovan stands in the hallway, looking both triumphant and exhausted, casting a vaguely threatening glare at Andrew (off panel) as his tiredness shines through. Behind him, leaning on opposite walls and looking like they’ve just been to hell and back, are Milo and Rhiannon, eyes closed as they look up at the ceiling or down at the floor, half asleep. Even further back the hallway, looking a little lost and shaken, is Josh. He sticks his hands uncomfortably into his pockets.

DON: Hey there, Fearless Leader.
DON: Thought you might want an UPDATE.

DON: Everything’s taken care of. It wasn’t me. And we GOT the guy.

4/ Andrew looks confused and uncertain.

ANDREW: GOT the guy? Like you KILLED him?!
ANDREW: Are THEY okay?

5/ Donovan glances back over his shoulder at the others, who are practically dropping to floor and passing out where they stand.

DON: They’ll be fine. They just need A LOT of rest.
DON: And yeah. I killed him.

DON: Didn’t really have much of a choice. He wasn’t human anymore.

6/ Andrew hesitates, but is ultimately satisfied that things could have gone worse.

ANDREW: …Okay. But I’ll expect a full update tomorrow. Right now, you should get them home. Let them sleep.
ANDREW: And Donovan…does this mean you’re in the FOLD now? Like, for GOOD?

7/ Close on Donovan, eyes narrowed with resolve.

DON: Oh, yeah.
DON: I’m in.

PAGE TWENTY-FIVE

1/ Cut to a long panel, as Beth and Landon sit in their living room, watching television in the dark. We see the shot from over their shoulders, behind the couch, as they watch in rapt attention the local news. Landon has his arm around Beth’s shoulders, and she leans forward slightly, caught up in the report.

REPORTER: …found the body in the MOONVILLE TUNNEL, and police report that it HAS BEEN CONFIRMED that this man was the perpetrator of the mysterious series of KILLINGS taking place over the last week, here in Central Ohio.
REPORTER: Just how Kenyon was dispatched remains a topic of SPECULATION, though most are pointing their fingers at the upstart VIGILANTE team of SUPERNATURAL CRIME-FIGHTERS, the KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. The brutalized STATE the man was discovered in has local pundits CONCERNED about the method the Knights may EMPLOY in PROTECTING our citizens, but it REMAINS the subject of DEBATE. More on this after….

2/ Tall panel as Rhiannon stands in her bedroom, looking at a framed photograph of her Father, with a mix of conflicted emotions contorting her face.

RHI: Daddy.

3/ Tall panel as Milo stands atop Donovan’s roof, looking down at Donovan as he meditates, off-panel. The stars shine brightly behind them, and the moon casts a pallid glow over the scene.

4/ Tall panel on Donovan, looking up from his meditation at Milo, the steam from the nearby rooftop vents flowing upward into the night sky.

5/ Tall panel, overhead as Josh approaches the newly covered grave of his boyfriend, a single flower dangling from his hand. A temporary grave marker is in place, and the grave itself is still fresh, the mounds of brown dirt still crumbling and thick. Josh hangs his head low, in sadness.

6/ Low angle, on a lone manhole cover in the sidewalk at the corner of Broad and High, the surrounding area lit by the neon lights of the buildings and the area eerily deserted at this late hour. The manhole cover raises slightly, something preparing to make its way to the surface.

7/ The same shot, only now the manhole cover pops up further as the hair-covered arm of a werewolf reaches up from inside and digs its claws into the pavement with a violent crunch, sending a spidery pattern of cracks outward from the cover, shattering the cement tile of the sidewalk.

SOUND EFFECT: SKrunnchh!




CAPTION: Next – ZOMBIES!