PANEL 1

KYLE

OVER HERE.

PANEL 4

FLUKE

HEY.

(cont)

I… UH…

(cont)

ALL THAT WAS IN YOUR LOCKER WAS YOUR SPARE UNIFORM…

PANEL 5

KYLE

THANKS.

PANEL 1

KYLE

I…

I DON’T THINK SO. MAYBE I READ THAT SOMEWHERE. BUT YOU DON’T EVER TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

PANEL 2

SPOOKY JONES

YEAH. WELL. IT’S TRUE. BIRTHDAYS HAVE POWER. LOTS OF SPELLS MAKE USE OF THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, IT’S A THING.

PANEL 3

SPOOKY JONES

ANYWAY, I WAS A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY, ALL ALONE, IN HELL, FOR A FULL YEAR. I WAS PRETTY MUCH THE SHINIEST TOY ANY OF THOSE MONSTERS HAD EVER SEEN.

PANEL 4

SPOOKY JONES

SO… WHILE I WAS THERE… ALONG WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THEY DID…

YOU THINK THEY’RE NOT GOING TO TRY TO MESS WITH MY HEAD WITH SEX STUFF…? WITH LOVE…?

PANEL 5

SPOOKY JONES

THAT THEY WON’T USE THEIR POWERS TO SOMETIMES… EVEN MAKE ME BELIEVE I ACTUALLY LIKED IT?

PANEL 6

KYLE

GOD. THAT’S AWFUL. I… I DIDN’T KNOW.

PANEL 1

COMMANDER

IT’S CALLED A NUFBUFF AND IT’S PRETTY GOOD. IT’S GOT CHOCOLATE, PEANUTS, COCONUT-

SPOOKY JONES

I…

PANEL 2

SPOOKY JONES

I KNOW.

IT’S… IT USED TO BE MY FAVORITE.

PANEL 3

COMMANDER

WELL, THAT’S VERY COOL. MINE TOO.

PANEL 4

COMMANDER

HOW ABOUT YOU PICK WHICH HALF YOU GET?

PANEL 5

COMMANDER

THAT WAY YOU CAN MAKE SURE I GET THE POISONED HALF.

PANEL 6

COMMANDER

HEY, IT’S WHAT I WOULD DO IF SOME STRANGE CHICK WERE OFFERING ME CANDY.

PANEL 1

COMMANDER

WE’LL BE BRINGING THE FULL MIGHT OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY DOWN ON THEIR HEADS.

I’D HARDLY CALL THAT WASHING OUR HANDS OF THIS.

PANEL 2

FLUKE

BUT YOU’RE SAYING WE’RE NOT GOING TO BE PART OF THE ACTUAL FIGHT…

PANEL 3

TSUNAMI

THAT’S RIGHT, PAUL. WE DON’T FIGHT. WE’RE A SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM.

PANEL 4

FLUKE

A SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM WHO DRILLS FOR COMBAT THREE DAYS A WEEK! ARE WE JUST DOING ALL THAT FOR THE EXERCISE?

TSUNAMI

AS FAR AS YOU’RE CONCERNED, YEAH.

PANEL 5

MCU, TSUNAMI.

TSUNAMI

I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING, BUT THIS ISN’T THE MOVIES WHERE A BAND OF PLUCKY KIDS TAKE ON OVERWHELMING ODDS AND SAVE THE DAY.

THIS IS REAL LIFE.

PANEL 6

SPOOKY JONES

THAT’S BETTER. I CAN ALREADY RULE OUT TEN OF ‘EM.

POINT US AT 2 O’CLOCK AND STEADY AS SHE GOES.

FLYBOY

O.K.

PANEL 1

PLATINUM PRIESTESS

DON’T BE STUPID. NOTHING HAS CHANGED!

PANEL 2

PLATINUM PRIESTESS

THE GREY WORKING HAD MANY UNFORESEEN REPERCUSSIONS. IT MAY HAVE WEAKENED ME, BUT IT RENDERED EVERY OTHER HUMAN ON EARTH WITH TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF MAGIC DANGEROUSLY INSANE.

PANEL 3

PLATINUM PRIESTESS

THERE IS NO ONE ELSE! WE HAVE SIMPLY RUN OUT OF TIME.

I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN REPAIR THE WALLS. I NEED MUCH MORE POWER BEFORE I CAN DO THAT. AND THAT MEANS THAT TEMPORARILY — AND IN A WAY WE CONTROL — THIS WORLD NEEDS TO CONTAIN A GREAT DEAL MORE ARCANE POWER FOR ME TO DRAW ON.

PANEL 4

ANNIHILATOR

BUT THAT’S JUST IT! WHAT IF YOU WEREN’T ALONE…

THE BOY’S FRIEND — THE JONES BOY — HE USES MAGIC AND SEEMS… COHERENT…

PANEL 1

FLYBOY POV.

SPOOKY JONES

LOOKS LIKE A TIMER, LOCKED TO THE ALIGNMENT THEY NEED.

WHEN THAT GOES OFF, ODDS ARE THE PEOPLE IN THE BOX WILL BE KILLED AND THE SPELL WILL BE CAST.

PANEL 2

SPOOKY JONES

AUTOMATED SACRIFICE. VERY 21ST CENTURY.

TSUNAMI

SO, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH TIME? TO CALL IN THE CALVARY?

PANEL 3

WS. BACK INSIDE GLIDER.

COMMANDER

I’VE ALREADY ACTIVATED THE GPS BEACON BUT THE MILITARY’S GOING TO NEED TIME TO MOBILIZE.

PANEL 4

COMMANDER

THEY’RE AN HOUR AWAY, AT LEAST.

BY THE TIME THEY GOT HERE, IT WOULD BE ALL OVER. THOSE PEOPLE WOULD BE DEAD AND THE SPELL WOULD BE CAST.

PANEL 5

TSUNAMI AND FLUKE.

TSUNAMI

RIGHT. OF COURSE IT’S TOO LATE.

PANEL 1

FLUKE

JEEZ, WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT? IS HE TOTALLY FREAKING OUT?

PANEL 2

KYLE

NO.

TURNS OUT HE’S A LOT BRAVER THAN ME, ACTUALLY.

PANEL 3

FLUKE

DON’T TELL ME YOU’RE GETTING COLD FEET…

PANEL 4

KYLE

NO. I’M NOT.

BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO WIN THIS, PAUL. AND NONE OF US ARE GOING TO GET HURT.

THEY’RE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO LOSE. AND WE’RE GOING TO HAVE OUR HAPPY ENDING.

PANEL 5

KYLE

BECAUSE WE’RE HEROES. AND THAT’S WHAT HEROES DO.

PANEL 6

FLUKE

WELL, YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!

PANEL 7

FLUKE

TRUST ME, KYLE, WITH HOW CHARGED UP I AM RIGHT NOW, THEY WON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT HIT ‘EM.

PANEL 1

PLATINUM PRIESTESS

EXCEPT I AM AFRAID YOU HAVE UNDERESTIMATED ME IN AT LEAST ONE CRUCIAL RESPECT —

PANEL 2

PLATINUM PRIESTESS

— I DON’T ACTUALLY NEED BIRD VISION TO KNOW WHERE ALL YOUR LITTLE CHICKENS ARE.

PANEL 4:

A) MAVEN: SO YOU WERE NOW ALONE.

B) DEACON: I WAS THE ONLY OPERATIVE REMAINING.

C) MAVEN: HOW DID THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?

D) DEACON: THE LANDING PAD HAD BEEN BOOBY-TRAPPED. WE HAD MISSED IT. THAT WAS FRUSTRATING.

PANEL 5:

E) MAVEN: COME, NOW.

F) MAVEN: ALL YOUR COMRADES HAD JUST BEEN KILLED. YOU’RE STRANDED ON A BARREN PLANET WEEKS OUT FROM THE CORE SYSTEMS. THAT MUST HAVE GENERATED STRONG EMOTIONS.

G) MAVEN: DID YOU FEEL ANGRY? SAD? SCARED?

PANEL 6:

H) DEACON: I HAD OTHER THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT.

PANEL 1:

A) DEACON: JEFF, I AM NOT TRYING TO MANIPULATE YOU. YOUR DEATH DOES SEEM …POINTLESS…

B) DEACON: YES, I HAVE MY ORDERS AND A JOB TO DO, AND I WILL DO THAT JOB TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY—

PANEL 2:

C) DEACON: — BUT I REALLY DO BELIEVE YOU ARE NO THREAT AND I WISH THINGS FOR YOU COULD BE DIFFERENT.

D) DEACON: THAT MEANS I AM TRULY SORRY!

PANEL 4:

E) JEFF: SIGH.

PANEL 5:

F) JEFF: ALL RIGHT. FINE. YOU’RE SORRY. ME, TOO. LET’S JUST FORGET ABOUT IT, O.K.?

PANEL 7:

G) DEACON: YEAH. O.K.