Running from Spain
by Matthew McLean
PAGE ONE (four panels)
Panel 1. A large, establishing frame. The scene is a line out front of a club. The club itself is a decrepit brick structure, poorly lit from flickering halogen street lights and a neon marquee that reads, "ION ANNE". The line to gain entry to the club stretches along the sidewalk. The bouncer at the door is checking a list that he has on a sheet metal clipboard before allowing anyone to enter.
The line is filled with a wide variety of people. Through the future miracle of affordable cosmetic surgery nearly all of them are attractive. Some wear leathers, others blue jeans or tailored suits. There is a gaggle of women in mini-skirts whispering and giggling, obviously pointing at a woman who is wearing nothing but her extremely long, striped and tinted hair. The gaggle of women, in turn, are being eyed by a group of young toughs wearing jeans and ritual scars. A man in a black leather bodysuit has a leash for a prosthetic hand which is connected to a leather-clad woman who kneels by the curb of the sidewalk. She is speaking with a valley girl dressed in clothing that glitters and blinks.
On the opposite end of the bouncer are two disheartened people who have just been turned away. They are both bald, asexual and have strange, too-wide eyes.
A screenshot advertising Genetech Muscle Therapy™ floats disembodied above the crowd.
The BOUNCER is an anvil of a man; short, nearly as wide as he is tall. He's completely bald and wears an earpiece. He wears a dark suit with buttons that snap across his chest. If he had sunglasses on he would look like a secret service agent, if he had a hat he'd look like a doorman. The bouncer is examining the clipboard as the next person in line stands before him.
The next person in line is much taller than the bouncer and nearly as wide. He is not a handsome man; white skin with brown hair that is cropped very short. His nose is a little crooked from having been broken and he has a strong jaw line. He stands in front of the bouncer somewhere between impatient and as soldier at ease. He is wearing black combat boots and jeans with a brown leather jacket that is zipped up the front. His right hand is composed of polymer myomars, marking it as artificially. While it can't be seen, his entire right arm is cybernetic. This is our protagonist; his name is HATCHER.
Panel 2. This frame is closer on HATCHER and the BOUNCER. The BOUNCER is dutifully ignoring HATCHER as he pretends to examine the list in front of him.
BOUNCER:
I'm sorry, sir, but I don't see your name anywhere on the list.
Panel 3. This frame is from back and to the left of the BOUNCER looking over his shoulder. HATCHER is in the background and has reached forward to grip the top of the clipboard in his cybernetic hand. In between HATCHER's ring and forefinger is a large denomination dollar bill.
HATCHER:
I'm on the list.
Panel 4. HATCHER is walking past the bouncer and into the club. The BOUNCER is looking extremely distraught; HATCHER's fingers have imprinted the clipboard where he had been gripping it.
PAGE TWO (three panels)
Panel 1. The place is packed, with the crowd silhouetted against the bright stage lights. On the stage is the night's act ION ANNE, a band of five. This frame may be too small for detail, but I've provided the bands' description below for reference.
The lead singer is a very attractive woman with a full head of dark hair. She is too skinny by far. She wears a white blouse with a short pleated skirt and knee high leather boots.
The bass player is another woman who has her head completely shaved except for a long braid that starts along the ridge of her skull and ends in a pony tail down her back. She wears a vest and baggy pants. The guitar player is a muscled black man with steel rivets pushed into his sleeveless jacket and pants. I doubt the reader will ever be close enough to see this but he also has steel teeth. The drummer looks out of place and time. He is a tall (even seated) man wearing a beret and a tie-dyed shirt. He is wearing any number of beaded necklaces. The keyboardist looks like an Oriental version of Sid Vicious. He wears what looks to be an ancient and huge set of headphones.
CAP / HATCHER:
The hot number on stage is Ion Anne. The kids in the band are rock classicists.
Panel 2. This frame dominates the page with a closer view of ION ANNE. The band is tuning its instruments.
CAP / HATCHER:
They don't use headplugs. No sinners, no chipsets. They don't even run a psychotropic feed.
CAP / HATCHER:
Ion Anne has the style, drive and talent to make it big some day real soon.
Panel 3. This frame's point of view is from on the stage from behind ION ANNE looking down on the crowd. HATCHER can be seen in the crowd, surrounded by more people like the ones outside. If you don't want to draw detail, just put everyone in silhouette but HATCHER.
CAP / HATCHER:
That's like blood in the water for the man I'm looking for tonight. He'll be here.
PAGE THREE (four panels)
Panel 1. A frame of HATCHER at the bar. The bartender looks to be made of pipe cleaners and barb wire. HATCHER has his back to the bar, leaning against it. He is scanning the crowd. He has pushed the sleeves of his jacket up to his elbows, revealing more of the cybernetic right arm.
CAP / HATCHER (CAP):
I settle in and keep an eye out as they start their set.
SFX:
Music
Panel 2. ION ANNE has begun to play the first set and the crowd is getting into it. The crowd has broken up into its different subcultures, but everyone but HATCHER is dancing. In front of the stage is a mosh pit, the toughs colliding with one another, while everyone else dances with eyes towards stage.
CAP / HATCHER:
It's not long before the band has the crowd moving.
SFX:
MUSIC
Panel 3. This frame is centered around two suits in the crowd; one a middle aged man with a dark complexion, the other a much younger, broader and taller individual. The middle aged man is SANTIAGO; handsome with graying dark hair with a bit of a belly. His suit is well tailored with a golden cross pinned into his lapel. The other is his BODYGUARD, much taller and fitter, with blonde hair. He is wearing sunglasses despite being indoors and is looking around at the crowd despite the fact that SANTIAGO is pointing at the stage and talking.
A green circle surrounds SANTIAGO's head. This is from the tactical display in HATCHER's cybernetic optical unit. Translucent text appears next to the halo encircling SANTIAGO's head. The text displays SANTIAGO's name at the top with other indecipherable stats below it.
CAP:
ALBERTO SANTIAGO.
Panel 4. This frame is only close up on HATCHER's face. This close a number of his facial scars can be seen. A green circle similar to the one in Panel 3 can be seen mirrored in his right eye, surrounding the pupil.
CAP / HATCHER:
Got him.
PAGE FOUR (six panels)
Panel 1. SANTIAGO and BODYGUARD head through the crowd and towards a doorway opposite of HATCHER at the bar. A sign above the doorway reads RESTROOMS.
Panel 2. Another frame that may be drawn as if the reader is standing behind the bar. HATCHER, having spotted SANTIAGO leaving for the restroom, follows across the crowded dance floor and through the doorway.
Panel 3. HATCHER entering the men's room. The door swings open opposite of the reader, so the Men's symbol on it is clearly visible. In the background is a man pissing into a urinal. Above the urinal, running along the wall, is a mirror from which the PISSER is reflected. The PISSER is a young man, skinny to the point of anorexia. His hair is slovenly shaved, patches of it still growing through. He wears oversized overalls and not much else.
Panel 4. HATCHER walks up behind the PISSER, standing to his left. Both men are clearly visible in the mirror. HATCHER's left hand has unzipped his jacket revealing the pistol slung under his left arm. The PISSER, who sees this in the mirror, looks over his shoulder clearly horrified, still holding his johnson. HATCHER has his forefinger held up to his lips in a 'hush' gesture.
Panel 5. HATCHER follows the PISSER as the skinny young man tries not to piss down his leg while making a hasty exit from the bathroom.
Panel 6. HATCHER locks the bathroom door behind the PISSER.
PAGE FIVE (five panels)
Panel 1. A frame showing SANTIAGO and BODYGUARD at urinals opposite the entrance to the bathroom. SANTIAGO stands at the right urinal with the BODYGUARD to his left. The BODYGUARD has his head titled back as he moans from the release of urinating. HATCHER is walking down the length of the bathroom towards the two of them.
BODYGUARD:
AaaaaaaaaahhhhH!
SANTIAGO:
Good show, yeah?
Panel 2. HATCHER stands to the left of the frame, SANTIAGO and BODYGUARD in the right portion, standing at the urinals. HATCHER has taken the pistol out of his jacket; his right hand is at his side so the pistol is in clear view of the reader. The pistol is a small automatic with a long cylindrical silencer attached to the front. If you aren't familiar with weaponry, let me know and I can provide pictures for reference.
Panel 3. HATCHER has raised the pistol to level it at the BODYGUARD. He fires a bullet into the BODYGUARD's head, causing blood and brains to spray across the tile wall atop the urinal he was using.
SFX (PISTOL):
THWAP
Panel 4. SANTIAGO falls to the floor, pants still undone, screaming and pissing himself. The BODYGUARD's remains slump onto the wall and slide down, leaving a further trail of blood as the contents of his head fall out onto the floor.
Panel 5. SANTIAGO is on the floor, knees up against his chest, his eyes and mouth wide with terror. He sits in a puddle of his own urine. He looks up at HATCHER who has turned the gun on SANTIAGO.
HATCHER:
You didn't think running out of Spain would save you from Dragon, did you Albert?
SANTIAGO:
AAHHHH!!!
PAGE SIX (five panels)
Panel 1. HATCHER has kneeled down to SANTIAGO's level. HATCHER has lowered the pistol so he isn't staring down the sights anymore, but the pistol is still leveled at SANTIAGO perfectly. SANTIAGO is squeezed against the wall next to the urinal, shirking in fear, as if he wishes to disappear into the tiles.
HATCHER:
You should have come to see Dragon when your record label folded. We could have worked something out.
SANTIAGO (whisper):
Please, please…
HATCHER:
But you ran and now here we are.
Panel 2. Same as Panel 1 but from a different angle. SANTIAGO has regained some of his composure and is able to complete an entire sentence.
SANTIAGO:
Please, please don't kill me…
HATCHER:
I'm not going to kill you Albert.
Panel 3. SANTIAGO looks openly and completely surprised. He stares at HATCHER wide-eyed with a kernel of hope in his eyes. HATCHER, as if to back up what he is saying, has lowered the barrel of the pistol so it isn't pointed at SANTIAGO anymore.
SANTIAGO:
You're not?
HATCHER:
No. If I did that then Dragon would never recoup his investment.
SANTIAGO:
Then what does Dragon want?
Panel 4. HATCHER has removed something from his jacket with his free hand. It resembles a large, black tazer; a black box with two prongs on the end. It has a number of warning labels and security decals.
SANTIAGO is desperate enough that he is daring to believe HATCHER. It shows on his face and his body language. He is no longer scrunched up against the wall. He looks at the blackbox in HATCHER's hand with curiosity rather than open fear.
HATCHER:
Do you know what this is?
SANTIAGO:
No…
PAGE SEVEN (four panels)
Panel 1. HATCHER holds the black box up so SANTIAGO can clearly view it. SANTIAGO stares at it and begins to get nervous again. While HATCHER may have said he won't kill him the blackbox does not look promising.
HATCHER:
It's a Gaussian Protocol Transfer. They used these on the L-7 Colony after the revolt when they ran out of space for the prisoners.
Panel 2. HATCHER has turned the blackbox at SANTIAGO so the prongs are pointed at him. SANTIAGO's hopeful expression has begun to turn again, doubt and fear crawling onto his face.
HATCHER:
If properly administered it downloads the subject into a ROM personality construct.
HATCHER:
The biological entity doesn't survive the transfer, but the resulting construct may continue indefinitely.
Panel 3. HATCHER, realizing that SANTIAGO is running scared again, has brought the pistol back up, leveling it at SANTIAGO's chest. SANTIAGO actually looks more terrified than he did before.
HATCHER:
I'm not going to kill you. I'm taking you back to Dragon in a box.
HATCHER:
You'll be at his beck and call for the rest of your pathetic existence.
Panel 4. HATCHER flicks his finger on the black box, causing a surge of electricity to jump between the prongs. The electricity briefly lights up SANTIAGO's face, which has completely drained of color.
HATCHER:
Which will be approximately --
SFX (BLACKBOX):
ZZZZZTTTTTT
HATCHER:
-- forever.
PAGE EIGHT (three panels)
Panel 1. SANTIAGO has fully realized what is about to be done to him. He finds the courage of the desperate. His face twists in rage as he swats HATCHER's pistol aside and futilely throws a punch at the soldier as he tries to stand. HATCHER drops his pistol, but keeps his grip on the blackbox.
SANTIAGO:
NO!!!
Panel 2. Being larger, stronger and better trained, HATCHER holds SANTIAGO back down to the porcelain without much trouble. SANTIAGO kicks and froths at the mouth as a mad animal desperate for survival. HATCHER jams the prongs of the blackbox into SANTIAGO's face. SANTIAGO's skull lights up from the electricity flowing in / out of it, turning his head into an x-ray.
Panel 3. This frame should dominate the page, taking up most of the space. It is a close-up of HATCHER's face; he has a twisted smile on his face with his lips slightly parted to speak. His eyes are maniacal and his face is given a demonic glow from the electric surge flowing between SANTIAGO to the blackbox.
HATCHER:
Rejoice and be happy for eternal life is at hand!
