** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
* Steve Gerber has kindly granted permission to place these files *
* on Cerebus. The copyright remains in effect, and this file may *
* not be reproduced without the following NOTICE. Steve currently *
* writes SLUDGE for Malibu's ULTRAVERSE. He can be reached on *
* the net via the COMICS-L mailing list. *
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
****** NOTICE ******
The following is the script material for VOID INDIGO #2.
The material is Copyright 1984 by Steve Gerber and Val
Mayerik.
I am uploading this material for what could be described as
historical and educational purposes. You may download the
material and print as many copies as you like for your own
use.
***HOWEVER, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MAY COPIES OF THIS SCRIPT
OR ANY PORTION THEREOF BE REPRODUCED IN ANY MEDIUM OR BY ANY
MEANS AND MADE AVAILABLE FOR SALE.***
If I discover that copies of the script have been sold, my
lawyer will be in touch with the offending party or parties,
appropriate legal action will be taken, and you can bet your
baby brother's life I will never upload another script to
this forum.
Trust me: you don't want a run-in with Destroyer Lawyer.
Police thyself.
---Steve Gerber
VOID INDIGO-2
INTERIOR FRONT COVER
REVERSE TYPE (I.E., NEGATIVE, WHITE-ON-BLACK) PLEASE.
RUN EPIC MASTHEAD ACROSS TOP OF PAGE, INDICIA ACROSS BOTTOM.
NO ART ON THIS PAGE
LOGO: VOID INDIGO
SUB-HEAD: (HAND-LETTERED IN COMPLEMENTARY STYLE)
Book Two - SPIKES AND DEMONS
SUB-HEAD: Part Two - RAPTURE AND VIOLENCE
COPY (TYPESET):
The fundamental principle of escapist culture is the
systematic denial of humanity's dark side. Institutions of
government and business, the media, the educational system,
and the psychological establishment have combined forces in an
attempt of unprecedented proportions to sell humankind a bill
of goods about its own nature. According to this new view of
the species, we are creatures whose basic nature is to do
good. Our genes, unlike those of every other species in
creation, are not inherently competitive, but co-operative.
. . .
The deepest collective terror of a culture founded upon
escapism is the existence of any force greater than -- or
outside the control of -- the self. Our current cultural
matrix thus downscales God to fit on a bumper sticker ("Honk
If You Love Jesus"), reformulates the mysteries of the human
soul as mere issues of psychology, and substitutes fascination
with special effects for curiosity about the cosmos.
. . .
Thus, the ubiquitous "slasher" has replaced the vampires
and zombies that formerly populated the cinema of horror.
Random violence committed by humans, even with the flimsiest
of motivations, is understandable to an audience that lives in
dread of the unfamiliar. Violence purportedly of supernatural
origin, on the other hand, is almost always ambiguous as to
its alignment with good or evil, and never fully
comprehensible on the level of rational consciousness. Such
ambiguity constitutes a profound threat to the supremacy of
the escapist's unexamined self, and so today's filmgoers
dismiss the entire premise as "unrealistic" or "sick."
---From America the Trivial: The Unmaking of Myth in
Escapist Culture by Delilah Stone, Dekkion Press, NY 1982
PAGE ONE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
FULL-PAGE SPLASH - BLEED OFF ALL FOUR SIDES
EXT. HIGH ANGLE - THE MULGREW HOUSE & LAWN IN GLENDALE - NIGHT
We're looking down on the front yard from a severe angle.
Rising directly toward our pov is the transformed COLLEEN
MULGREW, sheathed in flame, wings spread, legs locked around
JHAGUR's waist. She is carrying him with her into the sky.
Her arms are held up and out in a "V", and in one hand, she
holds the jeweled spike. The "flames" from her body have
begun to spread over his. His sword is still sticking
straight through her midsection.
Below them, in the yard, we see PETE MULGREW and MRS.
MULGREW lying prone amid the broken bricks, broken glass,
and other assorted wreckage of the room that blew out of
the house when Colleen underwent her change. Both are
seriously injured, bleeding from glass cuts, bruised by
the impact, etc., but they are no longer unconscious.
Pete, though barely able to lift his head, is struggling
to look skyward at Colleen and Jhagur. Mrs. Mulgrew is
starting to get to her hands and knees...but slowly,
painfully.
1 BLURB: "I am the living will, the living power...of
KAOK. Your soul is to be obliterated. And
the task has been given to me.
2 BLURB: "I am to consume you...first with ecstasy
...then with FLAME!"
3 BLURB: PETE MULGREW looks up in horror...for the
passion-starved voice that moments ago spoke
those words belongs to his 14-year-old
DAUGHTER.
4 BLURB: But COLLEEN MULGREW is no longer the child of
her earthly parents. She has been summoned
by entities from another plane...through the
ancient SPIKE she grasps in her hand.
5 BLURB: Seduced by their power, thrilled by the
sensations they visited upon her body, she
has invited them INTO her.
PAGE TWO
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
NOTE: SET UP PAGE AS FOLLOWS, VAL. BLEED ART OFF ALL FOUR
SIDES OF PAGE. PANELS ARE ARRANGED ON THREE TIERS; PANELS 2,
4, & 6 ARE SMALLER INSET PANELS W/SINGLE-LINE BORDERS (NO
GUTTERS) INSIDE TRIM LINE.
(1)
ANGLE - JHAGUR & COLLEEN RISING INTO THE SKY
The Mulgrew house is far, far below them now, in the b.g.
Jhagur is doing a sort of mid-air sit-up, his hands reaching
for Colleen's throat.
1 BLURB: And now, willingly, she does their
bidding...!
2 COLLEEN: ("FLAME" BALLOON; FINE-LINE BORDER EDGED
WITH LITTLE TONGUES OF FLAME; STAGGERED
LETTERS; ITALICS) There can be no
defiance...Ath'Agaar.
3 BLURB: She calls JHAGUR not by his own name...
but by that of the barbaric chieftain
who was his EARLIER INCARNATION.
4 COLLEEN: (SAME) To resist me is to resist the
BEYOND-WORLD itself.
(2)
INSET PANEL, TOP TIER: CLOSE - JHAGUR'S HANDS - COLLEEN'S HEAD
& THROAT
As his hands close around her throat, the silvery flame
spreads to his hands. Colleen's head is tossed back; she's
laughing wildly.
5 BLURB: He tries nonetheless.
6 BLURB: But when his powerful hands close about
her throat, her only response is LAUGHTER.
(3)
WIDE SHOT - JHAGUR AND COLLEEN
He's trying to strangle her in mid-air -- but the silvery
flames are crawling up his arms. His mouth is wide open,
screaming in agony. She's still laughing, apparently unfazed
by the attack.
SFX: (JHAGUR SCREAMING; LETTERS OPEN FOR COLOR)
=AAA-RRA-AGH=
7 COLLEEN: (SAME) You cannot throttle a DEMON,
Ath'Agaar! You shall only hasten your
END...
(4)
INSET PANEL, MIDDLE TIER: CLOSEUP - JHAGUR'S FACE AND HANDS
He draws his hands back from her neck. They are large in f.g.
of shot, and they look nearly cauterized---the undersides of
his fingers are blackened and smoking. On his face is an
extremely uncharacteristic expression of horror and pain.
8 COLLEEN: (OFF-PANEL; SAME) ...hasten the
BURNING...
9 COLLEEN: (SAME) ...while depriving yourself of the
PLEASURE I can give us BOTH...!
(5)
WIDE SHOT - COLLEEN AND JHAGUR
They've left the Glendale neighborhood far behind, already and
are now FLYING HIGH OVER THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS, WITH THE CITY
LIGHTS IN B.G., in a scene similar to that on the cover. Now
she leans forward at the waist, so that both their bodies are
almost parallel to the ground, as if they were rolling on a
bed in mid-air. Her face is moving toward his.
10 COLLEEN: (SAME) Feel me, Ath'Agaar...feel the
ironlike grip of my loins about yours!
11 COLLEEN: (SAME) Feel the heat of my desire for
you...of the BEYOND-WORLD'S desire to possess
you..!
(6)
INSET PANEL, BOTTOM TIER: CLOSEUP -THEIR FACES
One of her hands grips his hair, pulling his face to hers in
an extremely sensual kiss. The flames spread to Jhagur's face
and hair! (NOTE: She still holds the spike in the other
hand.)
12 COLLEEN: (SAME) Feel my lips searing into YOURS...
13 COLLEEN: (SAME) ...and SUBMIT to the inevitable!
14 JHAGUR: (ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER; ITALICS) no...
PAGE THREE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
INSET PANEL - INSIDE TRIM LINE - UPPER LEFT CORNER OF PAGE -
SINGLE-LINE BORDER, NO GUTTER
ANGLE - PAST BACK OF COLLEEN'S HEAD TO JHAGUR'S FACE
With his face and hair in silvery flames, he is twisting his
neck, whipping his head out of her grip. Indigo energy is
crackling in his eyes.
1 COLLEEN: ("FLAME" BALLOON; FINE-LINE BORDER EDGED
WITH LITTLE TONGUES OF FLAME; STAGGERED
LETTERS; ITALICS) It will be a GOOD
DEATH, Ath'Agaar...a quick and
PLEASURABLE death...
2 JHAGUR: (ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER; ITALICS)
no...!!
(2)
NO BORDER AROUND THIS PANEL - BLEED OFF ALL FOUR SIDES OF PAGE
WIDE SHOT - COLLEEN AND JHAGUR
As an indigo blast from Jhagur's eyes strikes her point blank
in the face. The effect is bizarre: we see her SKULL clearly
outlined beneath the flames and the indigo energy. Now, she's
the one screaming, releasing her grip on Jhagur, throwing her
arms out wide -- and the spike is flying out of her hand!
3 COLLEEN: (SAME) ...the end of your soul...and of
your suffer--EEEE-YAAAA-AAAGH!!
(NOTE TO LETTERER: SCREAM EFFECT---IN
CAPS, OPEN FOR COLOR---"BREAKS"
OUT OF BALLOON, EXTENDS ACROSS WIDTH
OF PANEL)
4 JHAGUR: (SAME; LETTERS IN DOUBLE-BOLD) NO--!!
(3)
INSET PANEL - BOTTOM BORDER OF PANEL JUST INSIDE BOTTOM TRIM
LINE
THE HILLSIDE BELOW - ANGLE ON A DERELICT
resting on the hillside. NOT the typical New York wino, Val,
but an "acid-casualty" type, in his middle to late thirties.
His hair is a long, unkempt mop. His beard hasn't been
trimmed in years. His jeans and t-shirt are ripped nearly to
shreds, and he wears old sandals with broken straps on his
feet. He is lying on the ground, propped up on his elbows,
head craned back, looking up vacantly at the stars. An empty
bottle of cheap wine lies on the grass beside him.
5 BLURB: From the hillside below, acid casualty
PEACE BARWICK looks up in wonder: he has
never heard a star SCREAM before.
(4)
INSET PANEL - BOTTOM BORDER OF PANEL JUST INSIDE BOTTOM TRIM
LINE
CLOSER ON THE DERELICT
The spike has dropped into panel (speedlines indicating its
downward path) and imbedded itself in the Derelict's neck.
It's happened so suddenly and with such force that only a few
tiny drops of blood are spurting from the wound.
6 BLURB: That transcendant expression of agony
will be the LAST thing he hears...
(5)
INSET PANEL - BOTTOM BORDER OF PANEL JUST INSIDE BOTTOM TRIM
LINE
CLOSEUP ON THE DERELICT
As if he's just realized what happened. Starting to look
panicky now, reaching for the spike in his throat. Little
rivulet of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
7 BLURB: ...for the spike has selected Peace to be its
next victim.
PAGE FOUR
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
VAL: NO FORMAL PANEL BORDERS ON THIS PAGE; THINK OF IT AS A
MONTAGE, ONE SHOT FLOWING INTO ANOTHER. I'VE STILL NUMBERED
THE SHOTS FOR CLARITY, HOWEVER. (BRACE YOURSELF; WHAT'S
COMING HERE IS TRULY HIDEOUS.)
(1)
THE DERELICT - SEEN FROM NECK UP
Trying to pull the spike out of his neck -- but the spike is
glowing again -- as it did in the Mulgrews' drawer -- and the
flesh of his hands is melting in the glow!
1 BLURB: It has use for certain of his fleshly parts.
(2)
SIMILAR ANGLE ON DERELICT
The glow has enveloped his head, and it's lolling to one side
as his face begins to melt.
2 BLURB: And if it must destroy certain OTHERS
to obtain them...well, that's life in the
multiverse.
3 BLURB: There may be order-- and even justice--
in the cosmic scheme, but there is no
guarantee of benevolence.
(3)
SIMILAR ANGLE ON THE DERELICT
As one of his eyes POPS out of its socket, flying into
foreground.
4 BLURB: So perhaps Peace Barwick is paying now
for the unhappiness he brought to his
parents...or for his abandonment of his
wife and child...
5 BLURB: ...or for breaking the collarbone of
that 79-year-old American Legionnaire he
shoved to the ground during a
demonstration in Berkeley, back in 1965.
6 BLURB: Or perhaps not.
(4)
LONGER SHOT - THE SEPARATED EYE AND THE DERELICT
The Derelict is collapsing, tipping over as though about to
fall off the bottom of the page. His eye, however, is
hovering in the air -- pulsing, glittering, ballooning in
size.
7 BLURB: Perhaps he was simply unlucky enough to
be in the right place, at the right
time, when an entity far more powerful
than himself needed an EYE.
8 BLURB: Eleven millennia ago, that entity-- the
demigod called KAOK-- spoke to the sorcerous
DARK LORDS through a LIVING ORB.
PAGE FIVE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
WIDE ANGLE - PAST JHAGUR AND COLLEEN TO HILLSIDE
This is essentially the REVERSE ANGLE OF THE COVER SHOT, Val.
Jhagur and Colleen in f.g., hillside in b.g. He's doing a
mid-air "sit-up" again, and punching her in the face. She's
more or less ignoring the blow -- though her expression is now
noticeably more frantic, ever since the blast of indigo
energy.
VERY PROMINENTLY IN B.G.: the still-growing, still-pulsing
eye, which now bears an uncanny resemblance to the Dark Lords'
LIVING ORB, is rising from the hillside into the sky. We note
the Derelict's body on the hillside, too; just a shape
sprawled on the grass. It might as well be a burlap sack.
He's served his purpose in the ol' cosmic scheme of things.
1 BLURB: The spike PIERCED that original orb...
2 BLURB: ...and loosed its terrible energies on
the world, obliterating the Dark Lords
and every trace of their civilization...
3 BLURB: ...except the spike itself.*
4 BLURB: (BOTTOM OF PANEL; SMALLER LETTERING, PLEASE)
*See Marvel Graphic Novel #11: Void Indigo.
--L.S.
(2)
THE FLOATING ORB
From its iris shines a beam of light -- at the off-panel
Jhagur and Colleen. (NOTE: See if you can improvise a new
variation on the old Ditko "mystic light" effect here, Val --
heavy lines of irregular weight, suggesting a stream of
energy, to indicate the beam, as opposed to fine, straight
lines that would look more like Superman's X-ray vision.)
5 BLURB: Since that night of terror, what energy
remained of Kaok's link to the material
plane has smouldered in the spike's
jeweled head--
6 BLURB: --waiting --
(3)
JHAGUR AND COLLEN
are bathed in the beam of light. It seems to put both of them
in agony. Colleen is unlocking her legs from around Jhagur.
He's starting to fall!
7 BLURB: --for the day the Dark Lords would RULE
again--
8 BLURB: --for the day the soul of Ath'Agaar
would be SLAIN--
(4)
LOW ANGLE - PAST FALLING JHAGUR TO COLLEEN AND ORB
He's plummeting straight toward "camera." Behind him, we see
Colleen, writhing in torment in the beam of light from the Orb
-- which seems to be pulling her toward it.
9 BLURB: --for the day when Kaok would RISE
from the Beyond-World to proclaim the
earth his KINGDOM.
(5)
ANGLE - DERELICT'S CORPSE ON THE HILLSIDE
Jhagur (speedlines indicating the path of his fall) drops onto
the hillside, landing next to the corpse. He lands with his
weight on one shoulder. It hurts.
10 BLURB: The problem, then as now, however, is
that the barbarian's soul refuses to
CO-OPERATE.
11 BLURB: Even in this alien incarnation,
Ath'Agaar prefers suffering to
SURRENDER.
PAGE SIX
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(NOTE: FIVE VERTICAL PANELS, EACH ABOUT THE SAME WIDTH AND
HEIGHT. STAGGER TOP AND BOTTOM BORDERS TO CREATE A SLIGHTLY
MORE JARRING EFFECT. VERY NARROW GUTTERS BETWEEN PANELS.)
(1)
LOW ANGLE - PAST JHAGUR TO COLLEEN AND ORB
He's lying prone on the ground, dazed, barely conscious.
We're looking past him, into the sky, at Colleen and the orb.
Its iris is opening like a black hole and pulling Colleen
toward it.
1 BLURB: Worse yet, from the demigod's point of
view, he now possesses a POWER his
earlier incarnation did not.
(2)
CLOSER - COLLEEN AND ORB
She's being sucked into the iris of the thing! Her head and
shoulders are no longer visible to us.
2 BLURB: Does he KNOW, the demigod wonders...?
3 BLURB: No. That is unlikely.
(3)
STILL CLOSER - COLLEEN AND ORB
Her torso has disappeared into the eye. Only her wildly-
pumping legs are visible to us now.
4 BLURB: More probably, he assumes the indigo
energy from his eyes is simply a trait
of his SPECIES.
5 BLURB: He would not grasp its meaning...not
YET.
(4)
THE ORB
Colleen has utterly vanished inside it. Jhagur's sword is
flying out of the iris---spat out like a little fishbone.
6 BLURB: He still believes he needs a SWORD with
which to defend himself...!
7 BLURB: Well, let him KEEP it.
(5)
CLOSEUP - JHAGUR
Jhagur is looking straight toward "camera," his eyes barely
open, his face badly blistered from the flame. The sword,
seen in MULTIPLE IMAGES, with speedlines indicating its path,
drops point-first into IMMEDIATE FOREGROUND of panel and stabs
into the ground just inches from Jhagur's face.
8 BLURB: Perhaps relying on the blade will
maintain his IGNORANCE a little longer.
PAGE SEVEN
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(FIRST TWO PANELS CONTINUE LAYOUT OF PAGE SIX: SAME HEIGHT AND
WIDTH AS THE PANELS ON THAT PAGE. PANEL 3 IS SAME HEIGHT, BUT
TWICE AS WIDE. PANELS 4-6 ARE STACKED VERTICALLY AT RIGHT OF
PAGE, INSIDE TRIM LINE. PANEL 7 LOOKS LIKE THE BOTTOM BLOCK
OF THE SAME STACK, EXCEPT IT'S SLIPPING OUT FROM UNDER.
BOTTOM AND RIGHT BORDERS OF THIS PANEL ARE AT THE TRIM LINE.)
(1)
SLIGHTLY LONGER SHOT - JHAGUR AND SWORD
Putting a little more distance between the sword and the
"camera." Jhagur's head is dropping to the ground. He's lost
consciousness.
1 BLURB: (NO BORDER AROUND BLURB; STAT COPY INTO
NEG, PLEASE)
The orb vanishes, then. The sky goes
dark, and all is silent...
2 BLURB: (SAME) ...except for the wail of SIRENS
approaching from the distance...
(2)
SAME ANGLE - SLIGHTLY LONGER STILL
The sword would now be in the MIDDLEGROUND of the panel. In
IMMEDIATE FOREGROUND, the bare leg of a FEMALE CHILD (at least
a couple years younger than Colleen) is stepping into panel.
We see her only from about thigh-down: her leg is slim but
muscular, like a gymnast's, and her bare feet look hardened
from going months (maybe years) without shoes. She's wearing
some kind of fringed leather tunic that stops about mid-
thigh. She wears several BRIGHTLY-COLORED PLASTIC BRACELETS
AROUND ONE ANKLE!
3 BLURB: (SAME) ...and the snap of a twig beneath
a hard, bare sole.
(3)
WIDER PANEL - ABOUT TWICE WIDTH OF PANELS 1 & 2 - JHAGUR AND
THE GIRL
As she crouches down at his head. We can see all of her now,
and she's a very exotic---and disturbing---sight. Her
dark hair is a profusion of wild curls that cascades over her
shoulders and down her back, looking more like an animal's
mane. Her body is slim, solid, and supple, the muscles not
bulky but clearly defined (again, like a gymnast's build).
Her face is compelling, but not pretty: narrow, steel-grey
eyes; sharp nose; small mouth; strong jawline. The fringed
leather tunic is just that---cinched around her waist by a
thin leather cord.
She has a very feral look about her, as if she's been living
for a long time on her own, in the wild. However...
In bizarre counterpoint to all of the above, she wears several
more PLASTIC BRACELETS on one wrist, a DIGITAL WATCH on a
black plastic band on the other arm---and she's holding a
closed SWITCHBLADE in her right hand!
4 BLURB: She is only a child-- younger even than
Colleen-- but she moves with the
suppleness, strength, and grace of the
deer that still roam these hills above
Hollywood.
5 BLURB: And with none of their timidity.
6 BLURB: Warily, she draws closer to the
carnelian red stranger...kneels at his
head...
(4)
GIRL'S POV - HER HANDS AND JHAGUR'S HEAD
Her hand is pulling a strand of his white hair out straight.
Simultaneously, the switchblade is clicking open.
7 BLURB: ...and opens her blade.
SFX: (SWITCHBLADE OPENING) =SNIKK=
(5)
GIRL'S POV
She uses the switchblade to whack off a long lock of his hair.
SFX: (BLADE CUTTING HAIR) =SWATTCH=
(6)
ANOTHER ANGLE - CLOSE ON JHAGUR'S HEAD AND GIRL'S FOOT
He's still unconscious. Her foot is now turned away from him,
as she walks out of panel.
8 BLURB: Tonight, though, she's only hunting
souvenirs.
PAGE EIGHT
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
CUT TO: CLOSEUP ON A BRIGHT RED CHERRY
in the process of being squished between the thumb and
forefinger of a man's hand. Any sexual symbolism is not only
inaccurate, it's virtually irrelevant: the cherry can't help
but remind us of Jhagur's head.
1 BLURB: The Appaloosa Bar in North Hollywood:
2 BLURB: Skooosh.
(2)
INT. APPALOOSA BAR - WIDE ANGLE FAVORING LINETTE AND JESS
At a table near the bar's small stage, where JESS (from V.I.
#1, page five) and his band play. Jess is seated at the
table with a couple of other guys from the band---a big,
bearded bearlike country boy named GAVIN, and a tall, lanky
spindle of an urban cowboy named STOKER. Each has a drink in
front of him. Jess, with a sneer, is dropping the squished
cherry into his mouth.
Gavin looks annoyed at Jess.
In f.g., LINETTE, in her cowgirl outfit, is walking away from
their table, carrying a tray of empty glasses and mugs. She
looks distracted, off in space, as if she's not even hearing
what Jess is saying.
3 JESS: Whup! Broke your CHERRY, Linette! Bet
that brings back old, OLD memories, huh?
4 GAVIN: Can'tcha see she's shook up, Jess? Lay off
'er.
5 JESS: "Lay off 'er?" Shit...I'm prob'ly the
only guy in the valley that ain't laid
ON 'er!
(3)
CLOSE ON JESS
He yells something at Linette.
6 JESS: MORE PEOPLE'S RODE ON YOU THAN ON "SPACE
MOUNTAIN"--
(4)
LINETTE
caught off-guard, trips, bellyflopping onto the floor,
spilling her tray, breaking a couple of the glasses.
(NOTE: This should probably be the largest panel on the page,
Val.)
7 JESS: (BURST; POINTER BACK TO PANEL THREE)
--AIN'T THAT RIIIIIGHT, LINETTE?!?
8 LINETTE: (LOWER-CASE LETTERS) =ooohh=
SFX: (BREAKING GLASS) CHASSH!
(5)
ANOTHER ANGLE ON LINETTE
The BARTENDER and several patrons are helping her to her feet.
She's almost in tears, and she's cut her hand on a sliver of
broken glass.
9 BARTENDER: You okay, Linette? That's the third
spill you've taken in three nights...!
10 CUSTOMER: She cut her hand on that glass, Rudy...
11 LINETTE: Naw, it's okay...just a nick...really...!
PAGE NINE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
LINETTE AND BARTENDER
He's escorting her toward the bar area, a brotherly arm around
her, just giving support. Note: there's a TV set on a shelf
over the bar, Val.
1 BARTENDER: You been awful high-strung the past few
nights. You're not snortin' or shootin'
nothin', are ya?
2 BARTENDER: Y'know how the boss feels about that...!
3 LINETTE: I'm okay...that loudmouth just startled
me is all...!
(2)
ANOTHER ANGLE - LINETTE
Linette is glancing off-panel at the TV set, her eyes widening
in horror. POLICEMEN, moving in step with a couple of
PARAMEDICS, who are wheeling a gurney into a hospital
emergency room. On the gurney is an indistinct figure into
custody.
4 LINETTE: Maybe I oughtta take off early to--
5 TV ANNCR: (ELECTRIC BALLOON; FROM TV) ...we'll
have comments from leading scientists
on the eerie phenomenon in the Hollywood
sky tonight...
(3)
CLOSE - THE TV SET
shows a scene at the doors of a HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM: HALF-
A-DOZEN UNIFORMED POLICEMEN, are escorting a gurney, into the
hospital. On the gurney is---JHAGUR, wrapped in blankets from
his shoulders down; his arms rest limp at his sides, outside
the blankets. The burns on his face, arms, and hands have
darkened into patches of ugly black blisters.
6 TV ANNCR: (NO POINTER) ...and pictures of the
strange prisoner the LAPD captured near
the scene...
SFX: (LINETTE SCREAMING) EEEEEEEEEEEE
(4)
ANGLE - LINETTE AND BARTENDER
She has fainted into his arms. He gawks at her, baffled.
Several patrons of the bar have turned around on their stools
and do likewise.
7 TV ANNCR: (OFF-PANEL) ...on "Newswatch-8" at eleven...!
(5)
CUT TO: INT. MAISON JAPON RESTAURANT - CLOSE ON WALL
TELEPHONE AT HOST'S LECTERN
Taro's hand is replacing the receiver in its cradle.
8 BLURB: The "Maison Japon" restaurant, West
L.A.:
9 TARO: You were supposed to have killed her.
10 TARO: She drove herself to a doctor's office
--and refused anesthesia while the
bullet was removed.
PAGE TEN
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
INSET PANEL - ANGLE - OVER SHOULDER OF JAPANESE YOUTH TO TARO
The youth is the kid who shot Amanda Tower at her front door
in VI #1. We see him from back. Taro, at the lectern-type
stand of the restaurant host, is glaring daggers at the youth.
1 TARO: She's now at Dorman-Conner -- because the
doctor threatened to call the police if
she tried drive home.
2 TARO: I told you the woman had a constitution
of steel -- but you didn't believe me,
did you?
(2)
LARGER PANEL - BLEED OFF TOP, LEFT & RIGHT OF PAGE
WIDE ANGLE - ACROSS THE RESTAURANT TO TARO AND THE YOUTH
It's late -- no customers present. A big, barrel-chested,
broad-shouldered, hugely-muscled Oriental man -- the type you
always see in Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris pictures -- is wiping
off the tables. Taro has swung at the youth with the back of
his hand (speedlines indicate this motion). The youth is
careening toward the huge Oriental, who looks up from his
chore with an expression of disgust.
3 TARO: (BURST; CAPS IN DOUBLE-BOLD) --DID YOU?!
4 BIG MAN: Stupid, boy...got big shoulders, pea
brain...
5 YOUTH: (LOWER-CASE LETTERS) =aaaagh=
(3)
SMALL PANEL - THE BIG MAN'S FEET
As the youth tumbles down into panel (speedlines show his
path), and his head hits the floor at the big man's feet.
6 BIG MAN: (OFF-PANEL) Mess on floor...
PAGE TEN
(4)
SMALL PANEL - THE FACE OF THE BIG MAN
As he looks up in disgust from the youth at his feet to off-
panel Taro.
7 BIG MAN: I should clean up...?
(5)
SMALL PANEL - TARO
nods perfunctorily at the big man.
8 TARO: Yes!
(6)
SMALL PANEL - BIG MAN'S POV - THE YOUTH
The big man's hand is reaching down into panel, gripping the
youth by his spikey haircut, starting to lift him off the
floor!
NO COPY
(7)
ANGLE - BIG MAN & THE YOUTH
The big man is now holding the youth off the floor by his
hair. The youth is screeching in pain. The big man smiles.
NO COPY
(8)
CLOSER - BIG MAN & YOUTH
The big man REPEATEDLY bashes the youth's face into his own
forehead! (Multiple "ghost-images" of the repeated impacts.)
Blood spurts from the youth's face. We can't see in this
panel exactly what's happened to him.
NO COPY
(9)
SMALL PANEL - POSITION AT RIGHT & LEFT TRIM LINES OF PAGE -
ANGLE ON FLOOR
As the youth drops into panel like a rock. His head hits the
floor...hard. He's facing straight into "camera." And he's
dead, his face reduced to a bloody pulp, barely recognizable
as a face anymore.
NO COPY
PAGE ELEVEN
(1)
EXT. DORMAN-CONNER MEDICAL CENTER - EST. SHOT - NIGHT
Hospital where Trepper died in graphic novel.
1 BLURB: Dorman-Conner Medical Center:
2 NURSE: (FROM AN UPPER FLOOR OF BLDG.) You don't
forget a face like that, Mr.
Wallerstein.
3 NURSE: Believe me, that`s the man--
(2)
INT. DORMAN-CONNER - NURSES` STATION ON UPPER FLOOR - WIDE
SHOT
Wallerstein, in loose-fitting flower-print Hawaiian shirt,
baggy slacks, and tennis shoes is leaning over the counter,
talking to the nurse on duty (we'll call her MARGO). She's
smallish (maybe just a little over five feet tall) with a lot
of curly reddish hair. Her facial features are also small--
tiny round eyes, buttonish nose, small mouth pursed in a
perpetually-sardonic expression. She's seated behind the desk
of the nurses' station, filling out reports, and looking up at
Wallerstein at the same time.
4 NURSE: --or whatever--
5 NURSE: --that killed David Trepper.
6 W'STEIN: Maybe. But until further notice, he's
a patient-- period.
(3)
ANGLE PAST NURSES' STATION DOWN HALLWAY
Wallerstein, seen from back, is shuffling down the hallway
toward the patient wards. Margo is leaning over the desk,
calling after him. (She's small enough that her body is
positioned across the desk like a seesaw on its fulcrum;
that's the only way she could lean over it.)
7 NURSE: Right. Let me know if there's any
change in status.
8 NURSE: Uhm...you free any night this week?
9 W'STEIN: You've got on a wedding ring.
10 NURSE: Next week, then...?
(3)
HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - AT DOOR OF ROOM #807
TWO UNIFORMED COPS, each wearing a riot helmet and holding a
rifle, stand almost at attention outside the door. One of the
cops sees Wallerstein strolling up. The cop-- whom we'll call
EVANS-- recognizes him, and lowers his gun.
11 EVANS: Got you outta bed again, huh,
Wallerstein?
12 W'STEIN: Second time today. How's our friend
doing?
13 EVANS: Search me. The docs won't let us near
'im.
(4)
ANGLE FAVORING WALLERSTEIN
As he reaches for the door handle, Evans leans across the door,
barring it with his arm, preventing Wallerstein from entering.
14 EVANS: They're in there with 'im now. I let
you in, they'll scream bloody murder...!
15 EVANS: You could visit your other friend
first...
16 W'STEIN: What...?
(5)
CLOSE ON WALLERSTEIN
Expression of mild shock.
17 EVANS: (OFF-PANEL) That woman you questioned
this morning--
18 W'STEIN: Amanda Tower?
19 EVANS: (OFF-PANEL) She's here, too. Down the
hall-- 816.
***NOTE: PUT PANELS 6 & 7 ON BOTTOM TIER, SEPARATE FROM THE
REST OF THE PAGE, VAL. START PANEL SIX 1/2" INSIDE STANDARD
BORDER; EXTEND PANEL SEVEN TO TRIM LINE; USE SOLID BLACK
GUTTER TO SEPARATE BOTTOM TIER FROM TIER ABOVE.
(6)
CUT TO: INT. AMANDA'S HOSPITAL ROOM - ANGLE PAST AMANDA TO
DOOR
Amanda is lying on her back in the hospital bed. Her eyes are
closed, but her body is completely rigid-- cords in her neck
standing out taut, arms flat on the bed, straight at her
sides, fists clenched. In b.g., Wallerstein has opened the
door a crack, is starting to enter. Except for the soft glow
of streetlamps through the venetian blinds, this shaft of
light from the corridor is the only light in the room.
20 BLURB: (EVANS SPEAKING) "Somebody put a slug in
her gut this afternoon. She won't say
who."
21 W'STEIN: Miss Tower? Amanda...?
(7)
EXTREME CLOSEUP ON AMANDA
Her head is horizontal in the panel. It turns to face the
door and Wallerstein. She has opened one eye.
22 AMANDA: Get out, Wallerstein.
23 AMANDA: I'm trying to concentrate.
PAGE TWELVE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
******************************************************
VAL: ALL PANELS INSIDE TRIM LINE; SOLID BLACK
GUTTERS; BLEED SOLID BLACK OFF ALL FOUR SIDES OF
PAGE, SO PANELS LOOK LIKE THEY ARE SITTING ON BLACK
B.G. ALSO: SUGGEST JUST A GRAY OR GRAY-BLUE WASH AS
ONLY COLOR ON THIS PAGE, TO ENHANCE FEELING OF
DARKENED ROOM.
******************************************************
(1)
WIDER SHOT OF AMANDA'S ROOM
Wallerstein is entering, pressing the door closed behind him.
This makes the room completely dark again. Wallerstein is
seen mostly in silhouette. Amanda is an ill-defined mass
under the covers of the bed.
We see now that she's hooked up to an IV bottle and there are
monitors beside her bed keeping track of her vital signs. The
entire room is dark, so all we can see are the vague outlines
of the equipment, their blinking LEDs, and the pulses across a
cathode-ray tube indicating Amanda's heartbeat.
1 W'STEIN: I think we need to talk, don't you?
2 W'STEIN: You might still be in danger.
3 AMANDA: Danger doesn't frighten me. Few things
do.
(2)
ANGLE ON WALLERSTEIN
He sits in a chair beside the bed. He's backlit by the soft
light through the venetian blinds.
4 W'STEIN: I believe you. Still...been a hell of a
day, hasn't it?
5 W'STEIN: You wake to find some lunatic's hacked
up your girlfriend with a sword...then
before the day's out...
6 W'STEIN: ...WHAM! Lead in your belly.
(3)
ANGLE - OVER WALLERSTEIN'S SHOULDER TO AMANDA
She's looking straight up at the ceiling, trying to ignore
him. We CLEARLY see the heart monitor next to Amanda's bed.
The pulses continue across the screen.
7 AMANDA: If you don't get out of here...
8 W'STEIN: We think we've got the, uh...the guy who
killed Brita.
9 W'STEIN: Just a few doors down the hall, in fact.
(4)
WALLERSTEIN - AMANDA'S POV
He's nodding, playing this as nonchalantly as possible.
10 AMANDA: (OFF-PANEL) Here...?
11 W'STEIN: I thought you might want to talk to me
before he did...
12 W'STEIN: ...in case you left out anything this
morning.
(5)
REVERSE ANGLE - AMANDA FROM WALLERSTEIN'S POV
She looks at him piercingly. The light glints angrily off her
eye.
13 AMANDA: I had nothing to do with Brita's death.
14 AMANDA: And her death had nothing to do
with...what happened to me.
15 W'STEIN: Okay. Just thought I'd ask.
(6)
WIDE SHOT - THE ROOM
Wallerstein has risen and started back toward the door.
16 W'STEIN: I didn't really expect to find you
awake, let alone coherent.
17 W'STEIN: Glad to see you weren't hurt badly...
18 AMANDA: The bullet tore a hole the size of your
fist in my stomach, Mr. Wallerstein...
(7)
ON WALLERSTEIN
At the door. He's opened it a crack, looks back over his
shoulder at off-panel Amanda. Light from hallway allows us to
see his shocked expression.
19 AMANDA: (OFF-PANEL) ...and burst my spleen on
its way out of my body.
20 AMANDA: (OFF-PANEL) An ordinary person would
have bled to death in minutes.
(8)
ON AMANDA
looking at the off-panel Wallerstein again, a thin smile on
her face, proud of herself.
21 AMANDA: But I can do things ordinary persons
can't.
22 AMANDA: I'll show you someday...if you think
you've got the balls to watch.
PAGE THIRTEEN
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
*****************************************************
VAL: DO PANEL ONE INSIDE STANDARD BORDERS, ACROSS
WIDTH OF PAGE. PANELS 3, 4, & FIVE ARE A STRIP ACROSS
BOTTOM OF PAGE, EXTENDING JUST TO BOTTOM TRIM LINE.
PANEL TWO BLEEDS OFF ALL FOUR SIDES OF PAGE, AROUND
AND BETWEEN THE OTHER PANELS.
*****************************************************
(1)
CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DOOR TO AMANDA'S ROOM
As a puzzled, shaken Wallerstein steps out, Evans, the
uniformed cop comes running up to him. Evans is shouting at
the top of his lungs.
1 EVANS: Wallerstein-- Jesus!-- you gotta see
this! The docs are goin' outta their
minds!
2 W'STEIN: What-- ?
3 EVANS: The red guy-- just c'mon, willya!
(2)
CUT TO: LARGE PANEL - INT. JHAGUR'S HOSPITAL ROOM - HIGH
ANGLE - WIDE SHOT
looking down on Jhagur's hospital bed as if our "camera" were
positioned on the ceiling. Wallerstein is just entering the
room. A FIFTYISH MALE DOCTOR (we'll call him JACOBS), his
YOUNG, GOOD-LOOKING MALE COLLEAGUE (named PHILLIPS), and an
attractive, late-thirtyish FEMALE DOCTOR (called LANDERS) are
grouped around Jhagur's bed.
What's lying in that bed now looks like a STONE OR PLASTER
IMAGE OF JHAGUR. His body has covered itself in some sort of
GRAY COCCOON, PERFECTLY MOLDED TO HIS FORM AND FEATURES.
Jacobs's hand is caught in the weird substance, near Jhagur's
shoulder. Jacobs is half sunk to his knees, howling in pain!
Phillips is trying to pull him free. Landers is on the
opposite side of Jhagur's bed, gaping in helpless horror and
astonishment.
4 BLURB: Moments later, down the hall...
5 PHILLIPS: (BURST; STAGGERED LETTERS; DOUBLE BOLD)
=AAAA-RRRRAAAGH=
6 W'STEIN: My god...what happened...?!
7 LANDERS: DR. JACOBS-- he tried to administer a
salve-- to the burns--
8 LANDERS:: --and that --that GRAY SHIT came oozing
out of his pores-- hardened INSTANTLY--!
(3)
INSET PANEL: CLOSE - JACOBS'S ARM AND HAND
with Phillips's hands gripping the arm. They manage to pull
it free of the gray substance. The OUTER LAYER OF SKIN HAS
BEEN EATEN AWAY, as if by acid, from Jacobs's hand, exposing
the raw, red, gnarly-looking lower layer of skin.
9 PHILLIPS: (OFF-PANEL) Good lord...the outer layer
of skin is...GONE!
(4)
INSET PANEL: ANGLE - ACROSS WALLERSTEIN TO DOOR
As Phillips hustles Jacobs out of the room. Wallerstein is
utterly nonplussed.
10 W'STEIN: I guess that settles one nagging
question...
(5)
INSET PANEL: CLOSEUP - JHAGUR'S FACE
covered in its sheath of gray "plaster."
11 W'STEIN: (OFF-PANEL) Our boychick's not human.
PAGE FOURTEEN
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
CUT TO: EXT. APPALOOSA PARKING LOT - WIDE SHOT - NIGHT
The Bartender and Linette are near the door of the place.
The Bartender is yanking the still-woozy Linette back out of
the way, as a very beat-up white Honda Civic (one rear fender
is completely caved in) screeches to a halt just inches from
them. Linette and the Bartender both look alarmed, startled.
We can't see the DRIVER of the Honda clearly in this shot, but
whoever it is looks like a huge sack stuffed behind the wheel.
1 BLURB: North Hollywood:
2 BARTENDER: What the hell-- LOOK OUT!!
3 LINETTE: You crazy bitch-- what're you tryin' to
do?!?
SFX: (HONDA'S BRAKES) SCRR-HEEECH!!
(2)
ANGLE - PAST LINETTE TO PASSENGER SIDE DOOR OF HONDA
As Linette approaches the door, a very pudgy arm is flinging
it open for her. Not gently. We still can't see the
driver clearly.
4 DRIVER: You got one hell of a nerve complainin',
Linette-- after how you treated me!
5 DRIVER: You want a ride-- staple your blowhole
'n get your ass in here!
(3)
INT. THE HONDA'S FRONT SEATS - ANGLE PAST LINETTE TO DRIVER
As Linette gets into the car, we see the driver is her
neighbor DELFINE. She's dressed as impeccably as usual: a
tank top that rides up over her huge gut, shorts that bind
around her thighs almost cutting off the circulation, one
large curler in her hair, hanging down over her forehead.
She's pointing to her lower lip, which is badly swollen from
Linette's punch last issue. Linette looks very shaken, pale,
in no mood to argue with Delfine.
6 LINETTE: I'm sorry, Delfine...
7 DELFINE: I don't even doubt it-- now that you
need a FAVOR.
8 DELFINE: Too bad your KNUCKLES didn't think o'
that before they inflated my LIP, huh?
(4)
ANGLE - PAST DELFINE & LINETTE TO WINDOW
The Bartender is leaning in, looking concerned about
Linette. Linette pats his hand, which rests over
the partly lowered window. Delfine sneers at him.
9 BARTENDER: Your friend's not drunk, is she...?
10 LINETTE: Nah...we had a spat earlier on tonight.
11 BARTNDR: You're sure now? You'll be okay?
12 LINETTE: I'm sure. I'll be--
(5)
EXT. WIDE ANGLE OF PARKING LOT
As Delfine peels out-- and the Bartender leaps back, barely in
time to keep from losing his head and his hand.
13 LINETTE: (FROM CAR; VERY SMALL LETTERS) --fine.
SFX: (HONDA PEELING OUT) RRRRREEEEP
PAGE FIFTEEN
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
AERIAL SHOT - MAGNOLIA BLVD. BEYOND THE PARKING LOT
Delfine's car weaving wildly in and out of traffic on the
street, speedlines indicating its path.
1 DELFINE: (FROM CAR) "Spat" my toenails! You
walloped me in the puss for no goddam
reason!
2 LINETTE: (FROM CAR) God, Delfine-- slow down,
wouldja--!
(2)
INT. HONDA - ACROSS DELFINE TO LINETTE
Delfine is shaking her head "no." Linette is bracing herself
with both arms against the dash.
3 DELFINE: Not 'til I find out what our "spat" was
about!
4 LINETTE: I'll tell you-- I swear I will-- on the
WAY...!
(3)
INT. HONDA - ANOTHER ANGLE
Now Delfine looks straight ahead through the windshield--
angry, thinks she's being toyed with. Linette, in f.g., is
starting to cry, wiping a tear away with one hand. This is
unusual for her; she's really deeply upset.
5 DELFINE: What way-- where? You said you wanted a
ride home!
6 LINETTE: I know, I know-- I gotta ask just one
more favor!
7 LINETTE: Take me down to VENICE...!
(4)
CUT TO: EXT. RAKA'S HOUSE ON WHITECAP STREET IN VENICE
The Honda has pulled up in front of the place, and Linette is
getting out. There are no lights on in the house.
8 BLURB: (LINETTE SPEAKING) "It's a life or death
emergency! I haveta see RAKA again...!"
9 DELFINE: (FROM CAR) Make it fast, hear? I'm not
gonna cool my tush out here all night!
10 LINETTE: I'll try...
*****************************************************
PANELS 5-9, VAL, ARE INTENDED AS A SEQUENTIAL STRIP;
ALL SHOULD BE ON THE SAME TIER AND SEPARATED EITHER
BY VERY THIN WHITE GUTTERS OR SOLID BLACK LINES.
EXTEND THE STRIP TO THE TRIM LINES AT RIGHT, LEFT &
BOTTOM TO GIVE YOURSELF AND THE ART SOME ELBOW ROOM.
*****************************************************
(5)
SMALL PANEL - THE DOOR OF THE HOUSE
Linette raps on the door. She's biting her lip, hoping they
won't be angry that she came at this late hour...hoping they
won't turn her down.
11 LINETTE: C'mon...don't be asleep, babe...
Linette's desperate...
SFX: (RAPPING ON DOOR) =TOK TOK TOK=
(6)
SMALL PANEL - IN A LITTLE CLOSER ON LINETTE
Linette waits, hand tentatively poised to rap again. No
response.
NO COPY
(7)
SMALL PANEL - IN JUST A LITTLE CLOSER ON LINETTE
Linette has clenched both fists, looks toward off-panel
Delfine, worried. There is still no response.
NO COPY
(8)
SMALL PANEL - TIGHT ON LINETTE
With just a little bit of the door visible behind her. She
has turned away from the door, head hanging in defeat. In
b.g., we see THE DOOR IS OPENING JUST A CRACK.
NO COPY
(9)
SMALL PANEL - LINETTE'S HEAD AND SHOULDERS
A GNARLED, ANCIENT FEMALE HAND is reaching out of the crack in
the door and grabbing her shoulder. Linette gasps and jerks
her head to look at the shoulder and the hand-- startled half
out of her wits!
12 LINETTE: (LOWER-CASE LETTERS) =aaahhk=
PAGE SIXTEEN
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
INT. RAKA'S HOUSE - ANGLE OVER OLD CRONE'S SHOULDER TO LINETTE
The Old Crone who greeted Linette last issue is standing in
the now-open doorway. Linette is whirling around to face her,
very startled. We don't see what the old woman is wearing but
its collar and shoulder look like those of a man's suit
jacket.
1 LINETTE: Ooh, my-- you scared me about half to
DEATH--!
2 CRONE: Your appointment was for Wednesday, Miss
Cumpston. Raka never sees the same
person twice in one day.
(2)
ANOTHER ANGLE - THE DOORWAY
As Linette, seen more or less in profile comes barging past
the old woman into the room. We see now that the Crone is
wearing a perfectly fitted man's tuxedo!
3 LINETTE: It can't wait, ma'am. Somethin'
horrible's happened.
4 LINETTE: You tell 'er I'll pay whatever she
asks...
5 CRONE: I'm afraid it's not that simple...
(3)
CLOSEUP ON OLD CRONE
Adjusting her black tie, smiling enigmatically.
6 CRONE: ...and besides, she's not in at the
moment.
(4)
ANGLE - STAIRWAY TO SECOND FLOOR
Linette is marching up the stairs with the old woman behind
her, following at a surprisingly brisk pace.
7 LINETTE: Don't bullshit me, lady! You told me
yourself-- she never leaves the
whatchamacallit!
8 CRONE: The dream chamber. Yes, that's true.
9 CRONE: But the dream chamber isn't in at the
moment, either.
(5)
ANGLE - PAST TOP OF THE STAIRS TO DOOR OF DREAM CHAMBER
Linette has reached the top of the stairs and is striding
implacably toward the door. The Old Crone (seen from back) is
just a couple of steps behind her.
10 LINETTE: Uh-huh. Right. Where'd it go-- out
dancing?
11 LINETTE: I'm GONNA see Raka, ma'am-- and nobody--
(6)
INT. DREAM CHAMBER - ANGLE ON THE DOOR
And nothing else in the room. It's being flung wide open, and
Linette is starting to walk inside. But she halts in mid-
step, stunned at what she sees.
12 LINETTE: --but NOBODY-- is gonna stop m--
(7)
WIDE ANGLE - INT. OF ROOM
Linette is standing in the middle of the room, looking
poleaxed. The old woman stands in the doorway, leaning
against the doorjamb, arms folded (a little smugly) over her
chest. THE ROOM IS COMPLETELY EMPTY: Not only is all the
occult paraphernalia gone, the walls are now painted white and
there's an ordinary throw rug on the floor where the pentagram
had been.
13 CRONE: You will come back Wednesday, won't you,
Miss Cumpston?
PAGE SEVENTEEN
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
EXT. TWO-LANE HIGHWAY IN MOJAVE DESERT - WIDE SHOT - NIGHT
A black Rolls Royce races down the highway, its headlights
cutting a path through the blackness. In f.g., a jackrabbit
leaps out of the way of the car.
1 BLURB: The Mojave desert, northeast of Los
Angeles:
(2)
ANGLE - A CLUMP OF BOULDERS OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
The Rolls has turned off the road and is driving toward the
rocks, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it. The rocks are
nothing special-- just some very large stones piled atop one
another to form a little natural enclosure. There's enough
space between the boulders for a man to crawl-- or be
dropped-- in.
NO COPY
(3)
ANOTHER ANGLE - THE ROLLS AND THE STONES
The car has stopped next to the rock formation. The driver's
door is opening, and the Big Oriental Man from Taro's
restaurant is getting out.
NO COPY
(4)
ANGLE - OVER BIG MAN'S SHOULDER INTO TRUNK OF THE ROLLS
As he opens the trunk. The body of the spikey-haired youth is
laying in the trunk. Now that the blood has dried, his face
looks even worse.
NO COPY
(5)
ANGLE - PAST THE EDGE OF THE ROCKS TO THE BIG MAN
He's walking toward the rocks with the youth's body cradled in
his arms.
NO COPY
(6)
REVERSE ANGLE - PAST BIG MAN TO THE ROCKS
He tosses the youth's body into the space between the rocks,
into the natural enclosure, out of sight.
NO COPY
(7)
ANGLE - THRU APERTURE INTO THE NATURAL ENCLOSURE
It's a nest of rattlesnakes. Half-a-dozen or so of them are
attacking the corpse.
NO COPY
(8)
ANGLE - PAST CAR TO ROCKS
The car is in f.g., driving back onto the road. We can see
the silhouette of the Big Man behind the wheel. There is no
one in the car with him. We can just make out the rocks
through the cloud of dust the car is kicking up.
NO COPY
PAGE EIGHTEEN
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
INT. THE ROLLS - ANGLE ACROSS BIG MAN TO PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW
Emphasizing again that there is no one in the car. The Big
Man is grinning as his hand moves toward the knob to turn on
the car's radio.
NO COPY
(2)
CLOSEUP - THE BIG MAN'S HAND
Turning the radio knob-- as a powerful female hand reaches
into panel (speedlines emphasize its incredibly quick
movement) and grips his wrist.
1 RADIO: (ELECTRIC BALLOON; ITALICS) --and here's
another blast from the past--
(3)
SIMILAR ANGLE TO PANEL ONE
The Big Man's expression turns to one of shock. With good
reason: sitting in the passenger seat beside him is AMANDA
TOWER-- in her hospital gown. She's holding up the Big Man's
arm, tightening her grip on his wrist. Her expression is
terrifyingly cold, ruthless. She makes him look like a
pushover.
2 RADIO: (OFF-PANEL; SAME) --Tommy James!-- The
Shondells!-- "I Think We're Alone Now"--
3 AMANDA: We are going to talk...or you are going
to die. Is that clear?
4 BIG MAN: Y-- yuh--
(4)
CLOSEUP - AMANDA
Her eyes are chillingly cold.
5 AMANDA: Who ordered me shot? The GUILD-- or
TARO?
(5)
AMANDA'S POV - PAST THE BIG MAN'S WRIST IN HER HAND TO HIS
FACE
He's wincing from the pain. He looks like he's about to die
of fright.
6 BIG MAN: Dunt know...think...it Taro...!
(6)
ANGLE - AMANDA AND BIG MAN
Still holding the Big Man's wrist with one hand, Amanda lifts
the other with fingers spread and hooked like talons. The Big
Man nods repeatedly, sweat pouring from his brow. He's
terrified. Her expression hasn't changed.
7 AMANDA: Don't lie to me, Tong. You've seen what
my hands can do.
8 AMANDA: Are you telling the truth?
9 BIG MAN: Yuh-- sure! TRUTH!
(7)
AMANDA'S POV
Her fingers uncurl, releasing the Big Man's hands. Her hand
and arm seem to be dissolving away. The Big Man stares at her
in disbelief and awe.
10 AMANDA: (OFF-PANEL) Tell Taro we spoke. Tell
him I said: payment is required.
11 AMANDA: (OFF-PANEL) And enjoy the ride home.
It's a pleasant night.
(8)
ANGLE - PAST BIG MAN TO WHERE AMANDA SAT
She's gone-- without a trace. He's staring gape-jawed at the
empty seat.
12 RADIO: (ELECTRIC BALLOON; OFF-PANEL; FLOATING
MUSICAL NOTES AROUND COPY IN ITALICS)
--"the beating of our hearts is the only
sou-ound"--
PAGE NINETEEN
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
INT. AMANDA'S HOSPITAL ROOM - WIDE SHOT - NIGHT
It's a scene of panic: Dr. Landers (the woman) is pounding on
Amanda's chest with clasped hands, trying to restart Amanda's
heart. (Speedlines indicate the powerful downward motion of
her arms.) Margo-- the nurse we met earlier-- is rushing into
the room, pushing a defibrillator device on a cart. (The
device has two electrodes with hand-grips on two coiled cords.
It's used to shock the heart into beating again.) Wallerstein
is also in the room, off to one side, trying to stay out of
the way.
1 BLURB: Dorman-Conner Medical:
2 LANDERS: HURRY! Get that defibrillator in here!
Her ECG's been flat almost five full
minutes!
3 NURSE: Then there's probably no reason to
RUSH...!
(2)
SMALL PANEL - WALLERSTEIN
grimaces at Margo's comment.
4 W'STEIN: Yeah, but it couldn't hurt.
5 W'STEIN: Maybe we can still hold it down to one
brain death in the room.
(3)
SMALL PANEL - MARGO
is adjusting the controls of the device, flipping the "ON"
switch. (It's battery-operated.) She looks off in
Wallerstein's direction and the doctor's.
6 NURSE: Hee-hee-hee. When did you get your
M.D., flatfoot?
7 NURSE: Okay, Dr. Landers, you're set...!
(4)
SMALL PANEL - ANGLE PAST LANDERS TO AMANDA
Amanda still lies completely motionless on the bed, eyes
closed, head lolling at an odd angle. Landers is holding
the two electrodes against Amanda's chest.
8 LANDERS: On my signal! Ready--
(5)
SMALL PANEL - CLOSEUP - AMANDA
Her eyes suddenly snap open. She smiles patronizingly up at
Landers.
9 AMANDA: I don't think all this fuss is necessary,
doctor.
(6)
WIDE ANGLE - INCL. WALLERSTEIN, LANDERS, MARGO & AMANDA
As Amanda sits up in bed. Landers looks like she's going to
fall over; the electrodes are dropping from her hands onto the
bed or the floor as her grip fails. Margo is numbstruck.
Wallerstein is rubbing his forehead in utter disbelief.
Amanda retains the same patronizing smile.
10 LANDERS: Good god...!
11 NURSE: You're-- ALIVE--?!
12 AMANDA: I was...away for a bit, that's all. I'm
fine.
13 AMANDA: In fact, if you examine my wound, I
think you'll find it sufficiently healed
to release me.
PAGE TWENTY
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-1/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL CAFETERIA - WIDE SHOT - NIGHT
Similar to a school cafeteria: long formica tables,
metal chairs, and a bank of vending machines lining one
wall. It's the middle of the night, and the place is almost
deserted. An intern and a nurse can be seen in b.g.,
sitting, talking, drinking milk from cardboard cartons and
eating doughnuts.
Wallerstein is in f.g., sitting ON one of the tables, resting
his feet on the seat of a chair. He's drinking coffee from a
paper cup. Dr. Landers, carrying a cup of coffee, is about to
join him. She looks very fatigued-- and more than a little on
edge. About an hour has passed since the previous scene.
1 BLURB: The hospital commissary, a short time
later:
2 W'STEIN: Did you examine her...?
3 LANDERS: Yeah. I did. It looks like she was
shot months ago, not hours.
4 LANDERS: We may keep her another day. For
observation.
(2)
CLOSER ON WALLERSTEIN AND LANDERS
She sits on a chair next to the one on which he's planted his
feet. She's clearly exhausted. He looks at her
sympathetically. He's not much better off himself.
5 W'STEIN: What about the "scarlet pimpernel?"
6 LANDERS: No change. Dr. Phillips thinks he can
hear a heartbeat, though, under
that...stuff.
7 LANDERS: I just wonder if that's good news, or bad.
(3)
TIGHT ON LANDERS
looking up at off-panel Wallerstein. Her eyes are dulled, and
dark circles are beginning to appear under them.
8 LANDERS: For all his otherworldliness-- he
reminds me of the streetgang types we
get in the emergency room.
9 LANDERS: There's something primitive-- even
barbaric-- about him.
(4)
LOW ANGLE - PAST LANDERS TO WALLERSTEIN
He nods, agreeing with her assessment.
10 W'STEIN: Nobody mistook him for E.T., doctor. We
may be able to link him to two murders.
11 W'STEIN: And just 'cause he's not quite human--
that doesn't mean he's from another
world.
(5)
ON WALLERSTEIN
looking down at off-panel Landers. He's trying to maintain a
sense of humor about all this.
12 W'STEIN: For all we know, he could be the product
of a chemical spill in Pomona.
13 W'STEIN: Maybe he was illegally manufacturing red
dye number two, and it blew up in his
face.
(6)
CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DOOR TO AMANDA'S ROOM
Still dressed in her hospital gown, she's slipping out the
door, into the hallway.
14 BLURB: (WALLERSTEIN SPEAKING) "After all, what
kind of shmuck comes from outer space--
15 BLURB: "--to kill a terminally-ill Olympic
athlete and a transvestite--
(7)
ANGLE - ANOTHER DOOR IN THE CORRIDOR
Marked "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY." Amanda is looking
furtively over her shoulder as she slips into this room.
16 BLURB: "--and leaves a note in ENGLISH at the
scene of the second crime?
17 BLURB: "Which reminds me: do the words `VOID
INDIGO' mean anything to you?"
PAGE TWENTY-ONE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
*****************************************************
NOTE: It's important, Val, that Panels 6, 7, 8 & 9
appear on the same tier. Aside from this, you can
arrange the panels pretty much in any way that suits
you. Because they will, of necessity, be SMALL
panels, it may be a good idea to work all the way out
to the trim line and bleed everything off the page.
*****************************************************
(1)
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DOOR TO JHAGUR'S ROOM
The two uniformed cops still stand at the door of the
room, armed with rifles. Amanda, now in a nurse's
uniform, comes walking up to the door, carrying a
medicine tray. The cops give her a funny look...
1 AMANDA: Medicines. Dr. Landers ordered them.
(2)
ANOTHER ANGLE - JHAGUR'S DOOR
...but Evans opens the door for her and she continues into
the room.
2 EVANS: I guess it's okay...
(3)
INT. JHAGUR'S ROOM - ANGLE PAST JHAGUR TO DOOR
As Amanda steps inside. Jhagur is still encased in the
strange gray matter tha covered his body earlier. Amanda,
who's just coming through the door, looks at him in awe--
and fascination. Keep this room very atmospheric, also,
Val. Like Amanda's, it's dark-- but there might now be many
more machines and measuring devices in here, all glowing
eerily.
3 AMANDA: On my way back from the desert, I felt
your prescence here.
(4)
CLOSER - JHAGUR'S BED
Amanda is sitting down on the bed, placing the medicine tray
on a nightstand next to the bed. She seems completely
unafraid of Jhagur.
4 AMANDA: You're Brita's murderer, aren't you?
(5)
ANGLE ON JHAGUR AND AMANDA
She lies down next to him on the bed, placing her arm across
his chest, as if they had been sleeping together. She still
shows no hint of fear.
5 AMANDA: And you know about VOID INDIGO.
(6)
TIGHT ON THEIR FACES
Amanda presses her cheek against the rough, stonelike
surface of Jhagur's gray "mask."
6 AMANDA: I want you to know me.
(7)
EXTREME CLOSEUP - THEIR FACES
As Amanda presses her lips to Jhagur's, kissing him. Just a
tiny wisp of smoke rises from her lips. The gray matter is
burning her. (NOTE: Careful here, Val. This could look
extremely silly-- like a "passion effect" from a Popeye
cartoon-- unless the smoke effect is very subtle.)
NO COPY
(8)
SAME ANGLE
The gray stuff starts to spread over Amanda's face.
Everywhere it touches her skin, the flesh starts to burn,
like Dr. Jacobs's hand. The process is obviously not
painless, yet she makes no move to avoid or to stop it.
She's wearing that steely expression again, the one of
absolute control. Her lips are just a little bit away from
his face now, so that she's able to whisper.
7 AMANDA: Yes...take me...the burning...doesn't
matter...!
(9)
FULL SHOT - AMANDA AND JHAGUR
This needn't be a very large panel, Val, but it should show
almost the full length of their two bodies stretched out on
the bed. The gray stuff is already all over Amanda,
beginning to enclose her a coccoon like his. Every part of
her body that is not covered by clothing is giving off
steam, as her face did.
8 AMANDA: I want you...to show me...what you
know...
PAGES TWENTY-TWO AND TWENTY-THREE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
INSET PANEL - UPPER LEFT OF PAGE 22
INT. THE HOSPITAL ROOM - HIGH ANGLE ON JHAGUR AND AMANDA
We're looking down on the bed as if our "camera" were
mounted on the ceiling of the room. Jhagur and Amanda
now look like a couple of lava-encrusted figures that
might have been unearthed at Pompeii: she's now
completely enclosed in the gray stuff.
1 AMANDA: (VERY SMALL, LOWER-CASE LETTERING;
BALLOON POINTER OPEN WITH LITTLE "BURST"
EFFECT AT THE END) ...show me...void...
indi--
2 BLURB: Moments later, Amanda is completely
encased in the strange gray substance.
(2)
INSET PANEL - HIGHER ANGLE ON JHAGUR AND AMANDA
Essentially, this angle would be impossible in reality. We
are looking down on them from a vantage point higher than
the ceiling would be. They are completely still, frozen in
their bizarre embrace.
3 BLURB: Her flesh never meets that of the
alien...
(3)
INSET PANEL - SAME ANGLE AS PANEL TWO
Except that now the NAKED SPIRIT FORMS of Jhagur and Amanda
are rising from the coccoon and floating right out of the
panel, into the large panel that extends across the rest of
these two pages.
4 BLURB: ...and yet, in some ineffable way, they
touch.
(4)
LARGE PANEL - BLEED ON ALL FOUR SIDES
EXT. THE INDIGO VOID
(NOTE: This, Val, was one of the few visual effects that
disappointed me in the graphic novel. I want a very
distinctive visual for this place, to set it utterly apart
not only from the conventional portrayal of other dimensions
in "Dr. Strange"-- but also, and perhaps more importantly,
anything we might do in "The Starling." What follows is a
slightly amplified version of the way I described the Void
in the graphic novel script:)
What this looks like is BLOOD UNDER A MICROSCOPE-- rather
than the geometric abstractions of "Dr. Strange," this
"realm of the spirit" looks like it's part of some LIVING
BEING. Amoeba-like, protoplasmic shapes float in what
almost looks like a universe of LIQUID SPACE.
Through this liquid universe extends the GREAT CHAIN OF
BEING, extending far beyond our POV into the infinite. The
chain is not taut, but rises, falls, and loops back on
itself in places.
In b.g., the liquid is forming itself into the vague
outlines of A MULTITUDE OF FACES-- HUMAN AND OTHERWISE.
Some are grotesque, demonic; others seem to be wailing,
crying. They ALL seem to be watching what's going on
between Jhagur and Amanda:
Their "bodies" have been "shot" out of panel three, and they
tumble, entwined and unclothed, IN MULTIPLE IMAGES, across
the rest of these two pages. (As with the sexual scenes in
"Starling," they should be drawn in poses that do not reveal
either's genitalia.) Each pose is different and more
bizarre and provocative than the one before.
One thing remains consistent, however: both Jhagur's
expression and Amanda's remain controlled, almost aloof,
throughout. (One of the multiple images should bring them
close enough to the foreground for us to see that clearly.)
Amanda's obsession with "control" extends itself to sex, and
it thus parallels that of the natives of Jhagur's homeworld,
as described in the graphic novel.
(FYI: This, incidentally, is why he and Linette do not and
probably would never sleep together. Her natural
inclination would be to turn it into a party-- which would
be anathema to Jhagur.)
The scene should look as if it were shot through a blue
filter-- the predominant color is indigo, with other shades
of blue for contrast.
5 BLURB: What is unleashed between them is not a
tidal wave of passion--
6 BLURB: --but a carefully measured CURRENT of
stimulation, which methodically erodes
every intellectual defense against
pleasure.
7 BLURB: Its intensity would be unbearable for
most humans-- the necessary delay
between stimulation and gratification,
intolerable.
8 BLURB: And an earthman would find incomprehensible
the notion that the act could take place
on the plane of the SPIRIT, not the
flesh, and be equally satisfying.
9 BLURB: Yet that is THE WAY on Jhagur's
homeworld of GEBURA-- and that is
precisely what occurs between him and
Amanda-- in the VOID INDIGO.
PAGE TWENTY-FOUR
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
****************************************************
VAL: BLEED ART OFF ALL FOUR SIDES OF PAGE TO ALLOW AS
MUCH ROOM AS POSSIBLE. PANEL FOUR, IN PARTICULAR,
SHOULD BE STRATEGICALLY PLACED FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT.
PANEL FIVE SHOULD BE A LARGE, VIOLENT PANEL, DRIVING
HOME THE REVELATION IN THE PANEL THAT PRECEDES IT.
****************************************************
(1)
INT. JHAGUR'S HOSPITAL ROOM - HIGH ANGLE - NIGHT
We're again looking down on the bed from a pov at about
ceiling height. The gray encrustation around Jhagur and
Amanda has started to crumble. They're moving, and
pieces of the stuff are falling to the floor.
1 BLURB: They spend what seems an eternity
together in the vast blue emptiness of
the other realm.
2 BLURB: When they awake, they know the shape of
one another's souls with terrifying
completeness.
(2)
CLOSER - AMANDA AND JHAGUR
sit up in bed, facing one another. The gray matter is
dropping from their bodies like old, dry plaster.
IMPORTANT: Amanda is seen from back-- and mostly in shadow.
There have been radical changes in her, but we can't see
them as yet. Keep this staging looking natural, Val. I
don't want the readers to realize we're hiding something
from them.
We can, however, see Jhagur fairly clearly. His burns have
healed completely, and his manner has undergone a very
noticeable change: he wears an odd, faraway look, as though
he were seeing far beyond this room, perhaps into the Void
itself. His body language matches his expression. The
customary tension is gone-- he looks relaxed, even languid.
He and Amanda gaze fixedly at one another.
3 JHAGUR: (ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER; ITALICS) You
are...unlike other females of this world.
You are a warrior, as am I.
4 JHAGUR: (SAME) Our souls have met. Now I must
know your mind.
5 AMANDA: (SAME!!) And I yours. We have a great
deal of...information to exchange.
(3)
ANGLE - PAST JHAGUR AND AMANDA TO DOOR OF ROOM
Jhagur's back blocks our view of Amanda. We still see only
a bit of her, and that in shadow. The door has been flung
wide open and Evans, the uniformed cop, is barging inside.
Jhagur looks in that direction, mildly startled. Amanda
also has her head turned in that direction-- away from our
"camera."
6 EVANS: HEY! It's been five minutes, lady!
What the hell's happenin' in--
7 EVANS: (TINY LETTERING; NORMAL-SIZED BALLOON)
oh shit...!
(4)
CLOSE ON AMANDA
Looking up at off-panel Evans: HER HAIR HAS TURNED PURE
WHITE LIKE JHAGUR'S-- HER SKIN HAS TURNED CARNELIAN RED,
LIKE HIS-- AND HER EYES ARE NOW PUPILLESS INDIGO ORBS, LIKE
HIS! BEAMS OF INDIGO ENERGY FLASH FROM HER EYES TOWARD
EVANS!
NO COPY
(5)
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR
Looking straight down the corridor: the door to Jhagur's
room is on one side of panel, the opposite wall of the
corridor is on the other side. The indigo energy beam has
hit Evans squarely in the chest and is hurling him out of
the room (SPEEDLINES INDICATE HIS PATH THROUGH THE AIR), to
crash against the wall of the corridor! Thick black smoke
is rising from the spot on his chest where the indigo beam
struck him, and his shirt in that spot has been completely
burned away!
The SECOND UNIFORMED COP, still out in the corridor, gapes
in astonishment.
SFX: (EVANS HITS WALL) THWHAMM!
(6)
INT. JHAGUR'S ROOM - SMALL PANEL - JHAGUR AND AMANDA
rise from the bed. She's a little unsteady, rubbing her
eyes. He offers her no assistance.
8 AMANDA: (ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER; ITALICS) It
hurts...I couldn't kill him...not strong
enough...!
9 JHAGUR: (SAME) You will learn to spare yourself
SOME of the pain. With practice.
(7)
INT. CORRIDOR - WIDE SHOT
Jhagur and Amanda move out of the room, into the corridor.
The Second Cop, kneeling over the badly burned Evans, barely
notices them.
10 JHAGUR: (SAME) You will learn, too, not to kill
needlessly...
11 JHAGUR: (SAME) ...or without instruction from
the VOID.
PAGE TWENTY-FIVE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
INT. LIVING ROOM OF LINETTE & JHAGUR'S APARTMENT - DAWN
Linette and Delfine are seated on the couch. Linette's
face is buried in Delfine's shoulder. She's crying.
Delfine pats her on the back, attempting in her smug,
patronizing, self-centered way to comfort her.
1 BLURB: North Hollywood, some time later:
2 DELFINE: You should'a just told me Michael was
the trouble, hon. You don't haveta
hide that stuff from Delfine!
3 DELFINE: G'wan-- cry your li'l ol' eyes out--
I'll letcha know if my shoulder gets
soggy--!
(2)
ANOTHER ANGLE - LINETTE AND DELFINE
Linette looks up from Delfine's shoulder. Tears are
streaming down her (Linette's) face. Her mascara and makeup
are running. She's a mess. Delfine is eating it up; she
loves simple melodrama, and she loves playing the part of
the caring friend: it makes her the center of attention.
4 LINETTE: It's not what you THINK, Delfine
...honest!
5 LINETTE: I'm scared he got HURT, not LAID! I
just wanna know he's all right!
6 DELFINE: Well, THAT'S easy as pie, hon--!
(3)
ANGLE - PAST DELFINE TO LINETTE
Delfine has leaped up from the sofa and grabbed the
telephone. She's starting to dial a number. In b.g.,
Linette has buried her face in her hands and is shaking her
head "no," tossing her hair wildly. Delfine doesn't seem
overly upset by this.
7 DELFINE: We can just call the cops an' the
hospitals--
8 DELFINE: --if you're REALLY worried about the
guy's HEALTH, that is...!
9 LINETTE: DAMMIT, DELFINE-- PUT DOWN THAT PHONE!!
(4)
REVERSE ANGLE - PAST LINETTE TO DELFINE
Delfine hangs up, nods "knowingly" at Linette, who still has
her face buried in her hands.
10 DELFINE: I figgered as much.
11 LINETTE: NO!...callin' wouldn't...do any good, is
all...
12 LINETTE: ...it'd just...make everything...WORSE...!
(5)
ANGLE - PAST THE SOFA TO THE DOOR OF THE APARTMENT
Delfine is waddling back toward the sofa, supremely
confident she has Linette's situation all doped out.
Linette is looking up at her plaintively, tears still
running down her face. In b.g., the door is starting to
OPEN. Neither woman notices this yet.
10 DELFINE: I'll say-- who needs a runaround man an'
a big PHONE BILL, besides?
11 LINETTE: Couldn't you just BELIEVE me an' let it
go, Delfine...?
(6)
CLOSEUP - DELFINE
whips her head around in the direction of the door. She
looks shocked by what she sees.
12 MICK: (OFF-PANEL; ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER;
ITALICS) Go home, Delfine. I have to
speak to Linette-- ALONE.
13 DELFINE: Well ream me sideways...!
PAGE TWENTY-SIX
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
LARGE PANEL - ANGLE ON DOOR OF THE APARTMENT
The door is open, and Jhagur (in his MICK persona, looking
utterly human) is standing just inside-- with Amanda! She's
still in the nurse's uniform, but her skin, hair and eyes
have returned to their normal hues.
Delfine is brushing past them, storming out of the
apartment, fuming.
Linette, still seated on the couch, stares wide-eyed at
them, not knowing what to make of this.
1 DELFINE: A NURSE, huh? No wonder she didn't want
me me callin' any HOSPITALS!
2 DELFINE: You got some nerve, man-- worryin'
Linette half-crazy, then bringing' your
outside interests HOME!
3 DELFINE: You put up with THIS, girl-- don't come
cryin'to ME no more! You go get
PROFESSIONAL help!
(2)
ANGLE ON LINETTE
She's stopped crying. She wipes the tears from her eyes, as
she gazes at off-panel Mick and Amanda.
4 LINETTE: They showed pictures of you on TV...
bein' carted into the hospital...!
5 LINETTE: You looked like a rack of ribs...burned
an' all...I didn't know if you were
alive, or what...!
(3)
ANGLE ON MICK
He nods, understanding.
6 MICK: (ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER; ITALICS) My
body has means of dealing with such
wounds.
7 MICK: (SAME) Are you all right now?
(4)
LINETTE
starts to stand from the couch. She gestures at off-panel
Amanda.
8 LINETTE: I will be...after a couple cold
ones...!
9 LINETTE: So who's your girlfriend?
(5)
ANGLE ON MICK AND AMANDA
He places a hand on her shoulder. She looks off-panel at
Linette, puzzled. She can't make any more sense of this
relationship than Delfine could.
10 MICK: (ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER; ITALICS) Her
name is Amanda. I want her to stay with
us for a time.
11 MICK: (SAME) She is of great importance to
me...and to my quest.
(6)
ANGLE FAVORING AMANDA
Linette is walking into panel, carrying a six-pack of beer
in one hand. She's pulling a can free of the six-pack and
offering it to Amanda. Amanda stares at her, nonplussed.
12 LINETTE: Sounds good to me.
13 LINETTE: How 'bout a beer, Mandy?
14 LINETTE: You don't mind "Mandy," do you...?
PAGE TWENTY-SEVEN
***NO ART ON THIS PAGE***
***REVERSE TYPE: WHITE ON DARK BLUE B.G. PLEASE***
TYPESET COPY (SINGLE-SPACED; TYPEFACE SHOULD RESEMBLE
TYPEWRITER TYPE):
Dear Jane,
. . .
Nobody wants paperback rights to the book, it turns
out. Allen, my agent, called yesterday and said the
eleventh publisher had passed. The reasons are always the
same: no one, they say, wants to read a "downer" these days.
People want to be happy. Or be told how to become happy.
They are not interested in hearing that their happiness
might be illusory, and they are especially hostile to any
intimation that living a worthwhile existence might require
mental effort. In other words, they are the very people I
have written about, and they are not interested in seeing
themselves portrayed "negatively."
. . .
I've started work on something more commercial: a
fantasy novel about a mutant child who is the
granddaughter of one of the original Manhattan Project
scientists. She grows up, visits Japan, sees the
memorial to the devastation at Hiroshima, and becomes a
ninja who takes revenge on the nuclear establishment.
Allen already has offers from three publishers. He
thinks it could become a bidding war.
He doesn't understand why I insist upon writing this
piece of shit under a pseudonym.
. . .
To answer your question, I'm sorry I ever moved to
California and wish I had the resources to move back
east. Being around my so-called "family" again has been
as painful as you would expect. The Stone women-- myself
included, I'm sure-- are all quite mad.
It's interesting how that madness has contoured
itself to each of our different personalities.
Amanda was always the hunter and the stalker; she's
become a reasonably successful entrepreneur using the
alimony from three failed marriages to capitalize her
assorted ventures. She's wealthy enough now that she no
longer has to feign interest in men. Her latest amour is
a wiry little cross-dresser named Brita.
Rachel-- or "Raka," as she calls herself these
days-- remains the visionary. In the past couple of
years, though, she's abandoned both Buddhism and
evangelical Christianity for an esoteric brand of
mysticism that eludes me altogether. As with every other
belief system she's embraced, she claims this one is
The Answer. (I can't even get her to state the question
in any kind of coherent form.)
Given my unimposing track record in the intellectual
area, I think Amanda's daughter-- who remains in my
care-- may be this family's only hope of redeeming
itself. Cosima seems to be the only integrated
personality we've ever produced. She combines her
mother's physicality and predatory instinct with Rachel's
metaphysical bent and my own facility at rational
analysis. To be honest, I find her frightening at
times-- she's raising herself, really; I'm her guardian
for legal purposes only-- but we like one another, and
she usually does follow my advice in matters concerning
society's expectations of her. She seems to grasp that
her knowledge is still deficient in this area.
. . .
Affectionately,
D.S.
---Excerpt from a letter to Ms. Jane Skolnik,
from Delilah Stone, dated 9/12/83.
PAGE TWENTY-EIGHT
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
EXT. BENEDICT CANYON - TARO'S HOUSE - DAWN
This is a very expensive, very futuristic-style dwelling
rising out of a wooded cliffside in one of the most
exclusive areas of town. The house looks more like a
Steven Spielberg Mothership than a building. It's
composed of four cylindrically-shaped towers, each a
different height, connected by tubelike structures
running bewteen them. "Attached" to each tower is a
disk-like structure (or portion thereof) with a band of
windows running around the center. These decks are the
actual "rooms" of the house.
In front of the house is a wide circular driveway.
Six cars-- mostly new, mostly BMWs, Porsches, and the
like, but with the odd exception of a beat-up Chevy
Malibu convertible-- are parked in the drive. Also
parked here is the dust-covered Rolls the Big Man drove
into the desert on his mission to dispose of the youth's
body.
1 BLURB: Benedict Canyon...dawn.
2 TARO: (FROM UPPERMOST DISK OF TALLEST
CYLINDER/TOWER) For us, there can be no
mistaking what was seen in the skies
last night...
3 TARO: The PROPHECY has come to pass.
(2)
LARGE PANEL: INT. THE ROOM INSIDE THAT DISK - WIDE ANGLE -
SAME
Nothing the slightest bit sinister-- on the surface-- about
the room or its occupants. It's essentially a huge,
circular living room, with plush curved sofas arranged in a
horseshoe around a large marble block that serves as a
coffee table.
Seated on the sofa are the owners of the six cars-- a
collection of very standard L.A. types:
---a good-looking tennis pro type, age about 35, in
tennis attire (white shirt, white shorts, white socks,
white canvas shoes) whom we'll call REED YOUNG;
---a youngish movie executive type, age about 27, in
sport coat, tie, slacks, named JASON MACKEY;
---a stockbroker type, fiftyish, but in excellent
physical condition, salt-and-pepper hair, dressed in a
three-piece suit, named PETER DANBURY;
---a tall, svelte, blond, aspiring actress type,
dressed in a sweat jacket, striped leotard, tights, leg
warmers, and flat-soled ballet-type slippers (she looks
like she stopped in on her way to an aerobics class,
which she probably did), age about 23, named MELISSA
SOUTHWOOD;
---a black pop singer type, in silk baseball jacket,
dark shirt, very tight-fitting pants, teased frizzy
hair, etc. (I'm seeing one of the Jackson brothers
here, Val-- but not Michael Jackson himself) called
AL SIMONE;
---an Hispanic woman, dressed in very businesslike
fashion in a conservative dress, nylons, heels; we'll
call her TERESA ALEJANDRO.
They are posed very naturally, as if they were engaging in a
meeting of some perfectrly ordinary organization. There's a
pot of coffee and a basket of pastries on the table. Some
of the crowd are sipping coffee and munching Danish as they
listen to Taro.
Taro stands at the open end of the horseshoe, addressing the
others. The Big Man, looking ominous as ever, stands off to
one side and behind Taro, like a bodyguard.
This panel should be large enough, Val, that we can see the
whole assemblage clearly, get a good idea (visually, at any
rate) of who they are.
3 TARO: KAOK is free on earth once more.
4 TARO: Already, he has selected his winged
messenger-- and an eye whose light will
guide her.
5 TARO: Soon, the souls of the DARK LORDS will
reawaken, and the GREAT WAR will begin--
6 TARO: --the battle for dominion over the earth
and all those who live upon it.
(3)
ANGLE ON MELISSA AND AL
Melissa sets down her pastry and coffee, looking upset. Al
puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.
7 TARO: (OFF-PANEL) Today is the last day of
your lives as ordinary men and women.
8 TARO: (SAME) Clear up any unfinished human
business...
(4)
CLOSE ON TARO
As cold and businesslike as ever, not even mildly affected
by the strange words he's speaking.
9 TARO: ...because tonight, you will undergo the
RITUAL OF MORTIFICATION...
10 TARO: ...and the work of THE DEATH GUILD will
begin in earnest.
PAGE TWENTY-NINE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
WIDE SLIM PANEL - THE LIVING ROOM
As Taro's guests file out, looking a little grim. The Big
Man (hereafter called TONG) has stepped up beside Taro.
They converse privately.
1 TONG: They afraid...fear thick, black, like
smoke...!
2 TARO: Fear of the UNKNOWN, Tong-- essential to
any act of religious conversion.
3 TARO: They believe their lives will be
irrevocably CHANGED tonight.
(2)
ANGLE ON TARO AND THE BIG MAN
The Big Man has stepped up beside Taro. He nods in
response to Taro's comment.
4 TARO: Which they will. But not all that much.
5 TARO: They'll participate in the ritual
...pledge their souls to Kaok...
(3)
CUT TO: EXT. THE CIRCULAR DRIVEWAY
As the guests get into their cars. One, the Chevy Malibu,
with Reed Young at the wheel, is already peeling out of the
driveway. Tong and Taro look down on the scene from the
windows of the uppermost "disk."
6 TARO: ...and then go back to teaching
aerobics, managing portfolios, or
whatever.
7 TARO: On a daily basis, the BEYOND WORLD will
be as irrelevant to their lives as the
Christian heaven.
(4)
CUT TO: INT. THE LIVING ROOM - TARO AND TONG
turn away from the window. Tong looks puzzled. Taro wears
a small, self-satisfied smile.
8 TARO: But when called to duty, they'll respond
like true believers of any stripe.
9 TARO: They'll place the Guild's interests
above the rights-- and even the lives--
of all others.
(5)
CLOSE ON TARO
He is holding up his two hands, the fingers clasped
together, but the palms slightly apart, indicating a
bonding, not a gesture of prayer.
10 TARO: Not because of faith-- because of human
nature. They need to feel IMPORTANT.
11 TARO: And after tonight, they'll believe
they've formed a bond with the new ruler
of the universe.
12 TARO: Who could be more important than a
personal friend of GOD'S...?
PAGE THIRTY
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
CUT TO: INT. A CONDOMINIUM IN THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS -
CLOSE ON A CHILD'S ALARM CLOCK
It's a clock imbedded in the expansive stomach of a
plastic bear. It reads 7:00. The alarm is going off,
and the hand of the LITTLE GIRL we saw in the hills
earlier is reaching for the clock.
1 BLURB: A condominium in the Hollywood Hills:
SFX: (ALARM CLOCK) RRRRRINNNNG
(2)
WIDER SHOT - INCLUDING THE LITTLE GIRL
Sitting up in bed, stretching. The bed looks perfectly
normal-- nice fluffy pillows, clean sheets, quilted
comforter-- but over the bed, arryaed on the headboard and
hanging on the wall are some very peculiar items: a necklace
of animal teeth, the skull of a coyote, a long knife, and
the lock of Jhagur's hair, among them! They look like the
mementoes of a primitive hunter.
The little girl is dressed in "Underoos" now...her soft
little sleeveless shirt has a picture of Darth Vader staring
out from it.
NO COPY
(3)
ANGLE PAST THE LITTLE GIRL TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM
RAKA, our tattooed dream priestess, is sitting calmly on the
windowsill. The little girl looks startled but not
frightened. Raka smiles-- almost warmly-- at the little
girl.
2 RAKA: (WAVY BALLOON; STAGGERED ITALICS) Good
morning, Cosima.
3 COSIMA: =yawwn= Hunh...Aunt Rachel?...
4 RAKA: (SAME) Just a dream of Aunt Rachel.
You're not awake yet, dear.
(4)
ANGLE FAVORING RAKA
She's walking toward the bed now, almost gliding across the
floor in very dancerly fashion. Little Cosima is rubbing
her eyes, trying to wake up.
5 RAKA: (SAME) I'm going to need your help,
Cosima. We have to do something that may
be very dangerous.
6 RAKA: (SAME) We have to help another little
girl who's trapped in the BEYOND-WORLD.
7 COSIMA: Who...?
(5)
ANGLE - THE BED
Raka sits at the foot of the bed, pats Cosima's leg-- no
sexual implication here, Val; it's purely a gesture of
affection.
8 RAKA: (SAME) You don't know her. Her name is
COLLEEN. She's very nice. You'll like
her.
9 RAKA: (SAME) Without our help, though, she's
going to die.
(6)
TWO-SHOT - RAKA AND COSIMA
Raka takes both of the little girl's hands in hers,
squeezing affectionately. The little girl nods sleepily.
10 RAKA: (SAME) Can you become a dream tonight--
the way I taught you-- so I can take you
with me?
11 COSIMA: ...sure...I guess...
12 RAKA: (SAME) Good. Then I'll see you t--
(7)
ANGLE - DOOR OF BEDROOM
It swings open and DELILAH STONE enters. Delilah is the
middle sister-- older than Raka, younger than Amanda.
She's dark-haired, tall, pretty but not stunning. Her build
is somewhere between that of the husky Amanda and the more
wiry Raka. Unlike the other two, she appears relatively
normal. She's dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals.
13 DELILAH: COSIMA-- wake up! You'll miss the bus
for school!
(8)
ANGLE - OVER DELILAH'S SHOUDLER INTO THE BEDROOM
Cosima is sitting up in bed-- alone. There is no sign of
Raka anywhere.
14 COSIMA: ...uhn...okay, Aunt Rachel...!
15 DELILAH: It's just Aunt Delilah, hon. You've
been dreaming...
PAGE THIRTY-ONE
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
(1)
INT. LINETTE & MICK'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - ANGLE PAST
LINETTE TO DOOR OF ROOM
The curtains are pulled; the bedroom is dark. Linette,
in f.g., is lying with her head half sunken into a
pillow. Framed in the doorway of the room is Amanda,
still in the nurse's uniform. She's backlit by the
morning light in the living room. We only see her severe
silhouette.
1 AMANDA: What could a little whore from the
sticks possibly mean to someone like
you...?
(2)
INT. THE LIVING ROOM - ANGLE PAST MICK TO AMANDA
He's sitting in the old easy chair, eating a sandwich (the
plate is setting on the arm of the chair) and drinking beer
from a can. Amanda has turned from the bedroom doorway to
face him. Both still look entirely human. He looks up
at her, smiles indulgently. She looks like she's about to
explode.
2 AMANDA: You can't be sleeping with her. She
could never endure what I did in the
void.
3 AMANDA: And she's surely no companion for your
intellect or your warrior's soul.
4 MICK: (ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER; ITALICS) Very
true.
(3)
ON AMANDA
Bristling.
5 AMANDA: Then why do you stay in this rat trap?
Why do you insist that I stay here?
6 AMANDA: She's an insect. She's beneath us both.
(4)
ON MICK
Starting to stand, with his now-empty plate in one hand and
the beer can in the other.
7 MICK: (SAME) Then go home...where your friends
can find you and shoot you again.
(5)
ANGLE - PAST AMANDA TO MICK AT THE KITCHENETTE
He's putting the plate in the sink and tossing the can away.
8 AMANDA: I have no friends. I have allies,
enemies, and my own resources-- just as
you do.
9 MICK: (SAME) There you are mistaken. I have
one friend...
10 MICK: (SAME) ..."insect" though she may be.
(6)
ANGLE - MICK AND AMANDA
He steps up to her, facing her directly. She reaches for
his belt.
11 AMANDA: Friends trust one another-- so they tell
me.
12 AMANDA: You DON'T trust her. Or you would have
shown her the TRUTH.
(7)
SMALL PANEL - CLOSEUP - MICK'S BELT BUCKLE
Amanda's hand is pressing it-- and it's starting to shimmer.
13 AMANDA: (OFF-PANEL) You would have shown her
what I'VE become...
(8)
SMALL PANEL - SAME ANGLE ON BELT BUCKLE AND AMANDA'S HAND
Except that the belt buckle is has become the jewel-studded
one of Jhagur's space pilot's uniform, Mick's clothing has
become Jhagur's warrior's garb, and Amanda's hand is now
carnelian red like Jhagur's own skin.
14 AMANDA: (ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER; ITALICS; OFF-
PANEL) ...and what SHE can never be.
PAGE THIRTY-TWO
HEIGHT: STANDARD 15-3/4"; TRIM 17-1/4"; BLEED 17-3/4"
WIDTH: STANDARD 10"; TRIM 11-3/4"; BLEED 11-3/4"
FULL-PAGE PANEL - BLEED OFF ALL FOUR SIDES
Jhagur stands facing a white-haired, red-skinned, indigo-
eyed Amanda. She is starting to unbutton her nurse's
uniform, letting it fall from her shoulders
provocatively. They're staring hard at one another.
This is as much a challenge as a seduction.
In b.g., unseen by either Jhagur or Amanda, we can just
barely glimpse Linette...peeking around the corner of the
bedroom door, wide-eyed.
1 AMANDA: (ANGULAR BALLOON BORDER; ITALICS)
I will be your ally, Jhagur...but
there's a PRICE for the information you
want from me.
2 AMANDA: (SAME) You have to do to my BODY what
you did to my soul.
3 JHAGUR: (SAME) I see. Then there is something
of the insect in YOU, as well.
4 BLURB: (NEAR LOWER RIGHT CORNER OF PAGE)
NEXT> SISTERS & ASSASSINS!