PANEL 1:
A) KYLE: UH, HUH. YOU’RE JUST SHOWING OFF FOR THOSE GIRLS, AREN’T YOU?
PANEL 3:
B) SPOOKY: PRETTY MUCH.
PANEL 4:
C) COMMANDER: CUT THE CRAP, GUYS.
D) COMMANDER: HOW ARE WE DOING INSIDE THERE?
PANEL 5:
E) SPOOKY: NO ONE DEAD YET, BUT IT’S PRETTY BAD. BURNS, SMOKE INHALATION… AT LEAST 40 VICTIMS…
PANEL 6:
F) TSUNAMI: THINK YOU’LL BE ABLE… TO HEAL THEM?
G) SPOOKY: I’D NEED DIRECT PHYSICAL CONTACT. AND SOON…
PANEL 1:
A) ANNIHILATOR: UH, HUH. YOU THINK THAT’S WHY THE EVIL, OLD MAN IS LETTING YOU LIVE? FIGURED OUT MY WHOLE, EVIL PLAN, HAVE YOU?
PANEL 2:
B) KYLE: WHAT OTHER REASON WOULD YOU…?
PANEL 3:
C) KYLE: UNLESS YOU’RE GOING TO BLACKMAIL ME…
PANEL 4:
D) KYLE: WELL, I WON’T BETRAY MY TEAMMATES! I WON’T!
PANEL 5:
E) ANNIHILATOR: IS THAT YOUR ONLY CONDITION?
PANEL 6:
F) KYLE: I’M TELLING YOU, I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU DO, I WON’T BETRAY MY TEAMMATES…
PANEL 1:
A) DEACON: WELL, I THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK.
B) JEFF: I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I GOT IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
PANEL 2:
C) JEFF: DEACON, YOU ARE NOT TO FOLLOW ANYONE ELSE’S COMMANDS BUT MINE NO MATTER WHAT OTHER CODES YOU RECEIVE OR HAVE RECEIVED. THIS IS A PERMANENT INSTRUCTION.
D) JEFF: DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
E) JEFF: I UNDERSTAND.
F) SFX: (AT WINDOW) WHRRRR!
G) SFX: (AT THE DOOR) SHUNK!
PANEL 3:
H) JEFF: DO I NEED TO SAY THE CODE AGAIN?
I) DEACON: NO. ONCE WAS ENOUGH.
PANEL 4:
J) DEACON: I APOLOGIZE FOR TAKING SO LONG.
K) DEACON: THE GOOD DOCTOR REQUIRED SOME THERAPEUTIC INSIGHTS ON MY PART.
PANEL 5:
L) JEFF: BUT YOU KNEW THEY’D BRING YOU HERE?
M) DEACON: A FULL RECOVERY WAS IN EVERYONE’S INTEREST.
PANEL 6:
N) DEACON: I SIMPLY NEEDED SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IN ME.
PANEL 1:
A) MAVEN: WHILE I’M SURE YOU COULD PROVIDE MONTHS OF INTERESTING RESEARCH FOR CORPORATE A.I., YOU ARE SIMPLY TOO DANGEROUS TO BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN FUNCTIONAL.
PANEL 2:
B) MAVEN: AND THEN THERE ARE THE FAMILIES OF THE MURDERED RETRIEVAL TEAM OPERATIVES TO CONSIDER –
C) MAVEN: — AT THE VERY LEAST, YOUR DESTRUCTION MIGHT OFFER THEM… SOME CLOSURE.
PANEL 3:
D) DEACON: DOCTOR — PLEASE!
E) MAVEN: SORRY, D3763. THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU JUST CAN’T TALK YOUR WAY OUT OF.
PANEL 4:
F) DEACON: BUT YOU CAN’T DO THIS!
PANEL 5:
G) MAVEN: DEACON, HOLD!
PANEL 6:
H) MAVEN: KNEEL!
I) SFX: SMASH!
PANEL 1:
A) JEFF: YEAH, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I’M CAPABLE OF FEELING.
B) JEFF: HUMAN BEINGS HAVE BEEN HOOKING UP FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS.
PANEL 2:
C) DEACON: AND I’M JUST A MACHINE.
PANEL 3:
D) JEFF: DEACON, I DIDN’T MEAN… IT’S JUST…
PANEL 4:
E) JEFF: I DON’T KNOW.
F) JEFF: I MEAN, HOW CAN I REALLY KNOW YOU CARE ABOUT ME?
PANEL 5:
G) DEACON: I THINK YOU’D HAVE THAT QUESTION REGARDLESS OF MY ORIGINS.
PANEL 6:
H) DEACON: MY ACTIONS AREN’T ENOUGH?
I) JEFF: YOU’VE STILL GOT YOUR ORDERS.
J) DEACON: THAT DOESN’T CHANGE THE WAY I FEEL.
PANEL 1:
A) DEACON: DOCTOR, I CAN SEE IN RETROSPECT THAT MY JUDGMENT MIGHT APPEAR QUESTIONABLE IN THIS MATTER, BUT WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT-
B) MAVEN: DEACON, I HAVE USED YOUR MASTER CODES TO COMMAND YOU NOT TO LIE TO ME AND I CONSIDER THIS EVASIVE BEHAVIOR A FORM OF LYING!
PANEL 2:
C) MAVEN: WHY DIDN’T YOU COMPLETE YOUR MISSION AND KILL THIS BOY?!
PANEL 3:
D) DEACON: HE WAS… DIFFERENT FROM OTHER HUMANS I HAD MET. HIS EXPERIENCES, HIS SENSE OF HUMOR… I WAS… I WAS…
E) MAVEN: WHAT, DEACON?! WHAT WERE YOU?!
F) DEACON: I WAS…
PANEL 4:
G) DEACON: CURIOUS.
PANEL 6:
H) MAVEN: ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY?
I) DEACON: YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND — I’VE SPENT LIMITED TIME WITH HUMANS. MOST OF IT UNPLEASANT.
J) DEACON: MY INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER A.P.’S HAVE BEEN… UNSATISFACTORY.
PANEL 1:
A) MAVEN: YOU FEEL SOME… CONNECTION WITH THIS BOY?
PANEL 2:
B) MAVEN: DEACON?
PANEL 3:
C) DEACON: AT THE TIME, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO MAKE THE TARGET BELIEVE I CARED ABOUT HIM.
D) DEACON: BUT THAT WAS ONLY BECAUSE I NEEDED HIS COOPERATION.
PANEL 4:
E) DEACON: PLEASE HOLD STILL.
PANEL 1:
A) ROY: WHAT ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT? IT’S NOT LIKE IT CAN DO ANYTHING…
B) ROY: …AND WE CAN JUST COMMAND IT TO FORGET WHATEVER WE DO HERE.
PANEL 2:
C) ROY: I SAY, LET’S HAVE A LITTLE FUN.
D) ROY: LEARN A THING OR TWO.
PANEL 3:
E) ROY: (OFF-PANEL) LIKE, HOW LONG YOU THINK IT CAN HOLD ITS BREATH?
PANEL 4:
F) BOB: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! THIS THING’S WORTH OUR ENTIRE LIVES’ SALARIES COMBINED!
PANEL 5:
G) ROY: JESUS, BOB. DON’T BE SUCH A PUSSY.
H) ROY: IT’S NOT LIKE I’M GOING TO DAMAGE IT PERMANENT.
PANEL 6:
I) ROY: FIVE OF THESE THINGS KILLED 430 COLONISTS WITH THEIR BARE HANDS. FIVE, PAL.
J) BOB: SO YOU WANT TO PISS IT OFF?
K) ROY: I WANT TO MAKE A POINT. SHOW IT SOMETHING.
PANEL 7:
L) ROY: I MEAN, LOOK IN ITS EYES. IT THINKS IT’S BETTER THAN US.
PANEL 1
COMMANDER
MOVE! MOVE! SPREAD OUT! KEEP THEM OFF-BALANCE!
PANEL 1
COMMANDER
THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE ANY POWERS, BUT WE CAN’T LET THEM GET TO SPOOKY.
PANEL 2
COMMANDER
LOOKED LIKE MAYBE TWENTY ON TWO.
NOT A PROBLEM, RIGHT?
PANEL 3
FLUKE
NOT WITH A LITTLE LUCK ON OUR SIDE…
PANEL 4
KYLE
ALL RIGHT, THIS IS GOOD.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE? THE SACRIFICES?
COMMANDER
DON’T WORRY. I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN ABOUT THEM.
PANEL 5
COMMANDER
SPOOKY, ONCE YOU’VE GOT THE ANNIHILATOR IN THE AIR, IS KEEPING HIM RESTRAINED GOING TO TAKE ALL YOUR CONCENTRATION?