46 & 2 Issue Nineteen

Never a broken man.

46 & 2 Issue 19:

By

Zachary Smith

PAGE 1.  PANEL 1.

A baby bird is chirping on the ground in front of a store.  It’s flapping around with one injured wing.  People are walking past it, ignoring the situation. 

PAGE 1.  PANEL 2.

Chino is riding the BART, listening to music.

Caption (music):  “My fear hunts me down.  Capturing my memories.  The frontier of loss.”

PAGE 1.  PANEL 3.

Someone, it is indiscernible who yet, has knelt down in all of this traffic, all we see are pail, feminine hands.  Encircling the bird as it still tries to fly.  The bird still chirps, and jumps around erratically. 

The person is Scarlett.

PAGE 1.  PANEL 4.

Chino is walking down the street of a San Francisco neighborhood, the neighborhood is middling, neither bright and happy, or run down.

Caption (music):  “They tried to escape across the street where Jesus stripped bare and raped the spirit he was supposed to nuture.”

PAGE 1.  PANEL 5.

The bird is pulled to the chest of Scarlett, we see strands of red hair, but no face yet.

The bird looks calm, less chirping.

PAGE 1.  PANEL 6.

Chino is smoking a cigarette near the stoop of a San Francisco home, the home reflects the neighborhood. 

Caption:  “In the name of my In the name of my

Yeah, born of a broken man…”

PAGE 1.  PANEL 7.

The bird is brought to the eye level of Scarlett, and we see a green eye looking at the bird, and it nuzzles against the hand of the Scarlett. 

PAGE 1.  PANEL 8.

Chino is tossing the cigarette as he knocks on the door.

PAGE 1.  PANEL 9.

Scarlett begins walking with the bird.

PAGE 1.  PANEL 10.

A man has opened the door, this is Kevin, Chino’s dad.

Kevin:  “Can I help you?”

PAGE 2.  SPLASH PAGE.

Chino looking up from the stoop, Kevin in the door frame.

Chino:  “Maybe a while ago, dad, but not now.”

Kevin:  “Hello Fei.”

Chino:  “…Can I come in?”

Kevin:  “I guess so.”

Chino:  “Thanks.”

PAGE 3.  PANEL 1.

Scorpio and Sho are drinking coffee on the balcony of his apartment, they see Scarlett approaching.

Scorpio:  “How is she doing?”

Sho:  “Good, for someone who just escaped from Area 51.”

Scorpio:  “Do you believe that?”

Sho:  “Yeah, I can sense she is telling the truth, but I can’t see into her head.  There are super advanced psychic defense systems in their.  She’s been built to keep out people that she doesn’t want in their.”

PAGE 3.  PANEL 2.

She is walking up the stairs, Sho is moving inside to get the door, as Scorpio finishes his cigarette.  They speak in a whisper.

Scorpio:  “Were you watching her the whole time?”

Sho:  “As best I could, like I said, I can’t get into her head.  She just wants to be outside, who can blame her.  Sounds like she’s been cooped up for a long time.  Plus, if she made it here okay, I doubt walking down the street is going to hurt her.”

Scorpio:  “I guess.  We should see what she will tell us though.”

PAGE 3.  PANEL 3.

Sho is letting Scarlett in, she walks into the apartment as he talks.

Sho:  “Did you enjoy the walk?”

Scarlett:  “It’s so lovely out there, I just can’t believe it.  See what I found?”

Sho:  “Oh, a baby bird?  You know it might be a good idea to return the bird, it may still need the parents help.”

Scarlett:  “It’s a fledgling just learning to fly, but it hurt it’s wing when it fell.”

PAGE 3.  PANEL 4.

Scorpio looks at the bird in her hand, it chirps at him.

Scorpio:  “Ugly little thing.”

Scarlett:  “I disagree Mr. Israeli.  It is quite beautiful.”

Scorpio:  “And what are you going to do with it?  I’m not throwing up my food back into it’s mouth.”

PAGE 3.  PANEL 5.

Scarlett holds up the bird, away from Scorpio, almost offended.

Scarlett:  “No need.”

Sho:  “We should see if the parents are still there.  They don’t actually abandon it if you touch it, the smell thing is a myth.”

Scarlett:  “Why can’t we do it?”

Sho:  “Statistics for people helping a young bird are not good.”

Scarlett:  “Yeah, but we’re not normal people, right?”

PAGE 3.  PANEL 6.

Sho pets the bird with his finger.  Scorpio stands away from it.

Scorpio:  “She’s got a point.  Speaking of which, Scarlett, we have a few questions.”

Scarlett:  “I’m sure you do, get me some water and protein, for the bird and we can discuss them.”

PAGE 4.  PANEL 1.

Chino sits in a chair, across from his dad, who is on a sofa.  There are pictures on the wall, Kevin’s other family, his wife, son, and a baby girl, Chino’s half-sister, but he doesn’t know about her until now.  They are all Chinese, the new wife, stepson, and half-sister.

Chino:  “Nice pictures.”

Kevin:  “We take a lot of vacations.”

Chino:  “Where is everybody at?”

Kevin:  “They went to Amy’s mothers for the day to say hi.”

Chino:  “You didn’t want to go?”

Kevin:  “Not really.”

PAGE 4.  PANEL 2.

Kevin stands up, Chino looks at him.

Kevin:  “Sorry I’m being rude, did you want anything to drink?”

Chino:  “No, I’m fine.”

Kevin:  “Okay, if you need anything just let me know.”

Chino:  “Heh.”

Kevin:  “What?”

PAGE 4.  PANEL 3.

Kevin has sat down, looking at Chino.

Kevin:  “What’s funny?”

Chino:  “Just what you said.”

Kevin:  “I’m just trying to be a good host, I don’t see what’s funny about that.”

Chino:  “You’re right, you’re being a great host.”

Kevin:  “What does that mean?”

Chino:  “Nothing.”

PAGE 4.  PANEL 4.

Kevin leans forward.

Kevin:  “How is your grandma?”

Chino:  “Which one?”

Kevin:  “Oh, well I meant…”

Chino:  “Your mom?  The one you haven’t called in three years.  But I can see why, you’ve been very busy.  New baby I see.”

PAGE 4.  PANEL 5.

Kevin grabs one of the pictures next to him, he is glowing with pride, it’s one of him and the baby, Miang. 

Kevin:  “Oh, yes.  This is Miang.  Your sister.  She’s two now.”

Chino:  “Congratulations.”

Kevin:  “Thanks.  So, uh, um, what did you need?”

Chino:  “What?”

PAGE 4.  PANEL 6.

Kevin is putting the picture back into place.

Kevin:  “What did you need?  Why did you come by?”

Chino:  “I wanted to see you.  To tell you about me.  To tell you that I almost died just yesterday.”

Kevin:  “What?  Oh god, what happened?”

Chino:  “I was shot in the head.  I actually, I shot myself in the head.”

Kevin:  “You tried to kill yourself?  You look fine, are you lying?”

Chino:  “Hahaha.  I wish.  No, I almost died, and I just wanted to see you, to tell you about it.”

PAGE 5.  PANEL 1.

Scorpio is putting a can of opened tuna on the table, there is a small glass bowl with water in it, that the bird is drinking from.  Sho and Scarlett are already seated.  Scarlett watches the bird intently. 

Scorpio:  “So, I have to ask this again, just so that I can wrap my mind around it, you are from the secret government installation, Area 51?”

Scarlett:  “Yes.  One of the lower level bases?”

Sho:  “How many are there?”

Scarlett:  “I don’t know for sure.  I’ve only seen a couple.  I know there is one level devoted specifically to being the Alien’s landing port.”

PAGE 5.  PANEL 2.

Scorpio looks at Sho when she says this.  Sho looks at her.  She continues to watch the bird.

Scorpio:  “Alien landing port.  Riiiiight.  And you know this how?”

Scarlett:  “They talk to me when they come here.  They are similar to Sho, Chino, and I, so they just talk with their minds.  They tell me of the blank space they use to travel.”

Sho:  “What is the blank space?”

Scarlett:  “It’s a dimensional shortcut they use to travel from planet to planet, galaxy to galaxy.  They’ve been across the entire universe.”

PAGE 5.  PANEL 3.

Scorpio has his hands against his head in frustration.  Sho takes a sip of coffee.  The bird is eating from the can

Scorpio:  “Listen Scarlett, not that I’m calling you a liar, but maybe you’re brain got fried, like Chino’s, and you’re just thinking all this stuff.”

Scarlett:  “No, it’s very real.  I’ve lived nearly my whole life there, so I’m at least sure of somethings.”

Scorpio:  “Aaaarghhh.  This is exactly what I was telling Chino not to worry about, Alien conspiracies and shit.”

Scarlett:  “There is not much conspiracy.  They come, they visit, share, and talk.  They just want their identities hidden, so our government provides that for them.”

PAGE 5.  PANEL 4.

Sho:  “That seems wise.  They don’t interfere.”

Scarlett:  “Hmmm.  That is what I was thinking about.  This bird for example.  Should I have let it out there on the street, just to eventually starve, or be crushed, or eaten?  Is it right that I helped it.”

Scorpio:  “Of course.”

Scarlett:  “But is it?  That’s not natural right?  Just like the Aliens don’t interfere with us, shouldn’t we leave lesser beings alone.”

Sho:  “Lesser beings?”

PAGE 5.  PANEL 5.

Scarlett looks at Sho, she is petting the bird.

Scarlett:  “It’s a term my father used once.  Something that is less than us, like Mr. Israeli here.”

Scorpio:  “I’ve been called a lot of things, but a lesser being, that just really hurts for some reason.”

Sho:  “If it would not be our place to interfere, then it would neither be our place to pass judgment.  There are no less or mores, there just is.”

PAGE 5.  PANEL 6.

Scarlett is petting the bird.

Scarlett:  “But we are different.  We do exist here.  With this hand, I could crush this bird or heal it.  What should I do?  Comply with nature and let it be and possibly die, or strive to help it which seems to go against the natural order?”

Sho:  “What do you feel?”

Scarlett:  “I…I don’t know.  I’ve never been asked.”

PAGE 6.  PANEL 1.

Chino’s hands are tapping against his leg, still nervous.

Kevin:  “Dating the Chang girl, huh?  I bet Ben loves that.”

Chino:  “Hmmm.  He doesn’t say much about it.”

Kevin:  “What does he say?”

Chino:  “Things.  About you, about me.”

PAGE 6.  PANEL 2.

Kevin takes a piece of candy from a Jar.

Kevin:  “Like what?”

Chino:  “…Like you liked to go out too often.  Play, drink, gamble.”

Kevin:  “Hmm.  What do you think?”

Chino:  “I don’t know, I don’t remember.”

PAGE 6.  PANEL 3.

Kevin stands up, stretching out his back.

Kevin:  “Come on, you can tell me.  What do you think of your old man?”

Chino:  “That you’re a piece of shit.”

PAGE 6.  PANEL 4.

Kevin has walked over to Chino, he has placed his hand on his shoulder.

Kevin:  “I was.  I used to be.  Now, I’ve changed.  Look at this house, my life.  It’s complete now.”

Chino:  “Just ignore the bastard out there with your name and it’s all a perfect sham, isn’t it?”

PAGE 6.  PANEL 5.

Kevin is squeezing Chino’s shoulder, hard.  Chino winces in pain.

Kevin:  “You don’t get to talk to me like that.  I am your father.  This is my house, and you can get out if you don’t like that, son.”

PAGE 6.  PANEL 6.

Chino holds his shoulder looking up at Kevin.  Kevin is angry.

Chino:  “Really?  Son?  Not according to Allen.  According to him, I’m not even your kid.  So unless my mom’s name is Mary, and your name is Joseph, then there is a big problem here.  Dad.”

PAGE 7.  PANEL 1.

Scarlett is a baby, right after Blicero walked out with her in issue 14.  She is asleep on an operating table, doctors are drawing blood from her.  Blicero watches from the other room, glasses the only thing about him reflecting light.

Scarlett (caption):  “I don’t remember my mother, she died when I was really young.  My father tells me that she was a wonderful woman.”

PAGE 7.  PANEL 2.

Doctors are putting baby Scarlett through an X-ray machine.

Scarlett (caption):  “And of course I don’t remember anything about my first few years after I was born.”

Sho:  “Yeah, none of us do.”

Scarlett:  “Hmmm.  That makes me feel better.  I wasn’t sure if my memories had been erased or not?”

Scorpio:  “What?  Erased?”

PAGE 7.  PANEL 3.

Scarlett is a little older, the doctors are talking to Blicero.  She sits on a medical table.  Their hand movements and shoulder position suggestion confusion.  Blicero is not happy about this. 

Scarlett (caption):  “Yeah.  Some of the new kids are having their memories erased by the half-breed psychics.  It’s really scary.  They also tried to erase my memory of seeing Chino, but they weren’t successful.”

Sho (caption):  “You’re brain is very complex.”

Scorpio (caption):  “Sho means that as a compliment.”

PAGE 7.  PANEL 4.

Blicero is watching from outside a room, Scarlett is in the room by herself, no one else around her.

Scarlett (caption):  “I’ve had to learn to make a space for myself.  Since my head is the only thing allowed to me, I keep it pretty locked up.”

Sho (caption):  “What happens to you in there?”

Scarlett (caption):  “Experiments.  Endless experiments.  I don’t remember the early ones, but they just keep getting more complicated and brutal.  He wants us to be in top form when he needs us.”

Scorpios (caption):  “Who?”

PAGE 7.  PANEL 5.

Scarlett has flames encircling her, she is crying.  Blicero watches intently from the observation room.

Scarlett (caption):  “My father.  Or, the man who claims to be my father.”

Sho (caption):  “He’s not your real father then?”

Scarlett (caption):  “I don’t think so.  His mind is big, complex, and horrifying.  I don’t go in there.”

Scorpio (caption):  “What’s his name?”

PAGE 7.  PANEL 6.

A tight shot of Blicero’s face, as the flames are extinguished.  He is happy.

Scarlett:  “Blicero.”

PAGE 8.  PANEL 1.

Chino at the age of four, peering out of his bedroom door.

Chino (caption):  “You know, I lied.  There are a couple things that I remember about you.  This one time, it was really late, you came home and mom had been waiting up for you.  Usually she sat with me, but this time she thought I was asleep so she went into the living room.  And I could hear her on the phone saying things about you.”

PAGE 8.  PANEL 2.

Chino has opened the door wider.  We see larger shadows.

Chino (caption):  “I don’t remember what she was saying, but I can tell you that it wasn’t anything good.  I remember the tone, and the anger in her voice.  I hated that voice, it scared me.  I never wanted her to use it on me.  But it had been a few days since I had seen you, and I was wondering where you were, and maybe she knew, that’s why she was talking about you on the phone.”

PAGE 8.  PANEL 3.

Chino has come all the way out of the door, and is peering through the hallway entrance, the shadows are now even bigger, and we can clearly see that it’s a man (Kevin) and a woman’s (Rosa) shadow.  The woman is on the reader’s left and the man is on the right.

Chino:  “But she just hung up, and I could hear the door opening, and I knew it was you.  I had to go and see you.  But I was scared.  After what she was saying, I didn’t want her mad at me for not being asleep.  Then I heard both your voices in this scary tone, and it was very unsettling.”

PAGE 8.  PANEL 4.

We see Kevin and Rosa arguing, plainly now, they are still casting their shadow’s but now we see their bodies as well.  There is an over turned lamp that is causing the light to be very bright.

Chino:  “You guys were arguing, I hated it when you argued.  That was one good thing about you never being there, I never had to hear that.  She was mad because you just came home drunk, again, and then knocked over her favorite lamp.  I thought it would all just blow over.”

PAGE 8.  PANEL 5.

Kevin is smacking Rosa, with a back hand, and she is falling.  This should be similar to last issue, pages 12-13. 

Chino:  “I was very wrong.”

PAGE 9.  PANEL 1.

Scarlett is now older, around five.  Her hair has grown out.  She is performing tests with a doctor, she is guessing what is on the card.

Scarlett (caption):  “He would run all sorts of experiments, like I said.  Some of the first I remember were guessing what pictures the doctors were looking at, but I couldn’t see.  I passed all of those.”

Sho (caption):  “My telepathy was the first thing to manifest.”

Scorpio (caption):  “Blicero, Blicero, I’ve heard that name before.  I’ll be right back.”

PAGE 9.  PANEL 2.

Men are beating Scarlett with batons, and they are breaking against her.  She’s about 8.

Scarlett (captions):  “He had all sorts of different tests ready for me to see what I could do.  Some were more painful than others.”

Sho (captions):  “You probably are the most advanced one of us because you found out most of your abilities early.”

Scarlett (caption):  “Hmmm.  I was the highest scorer at the base.  None of the other kids could beat me.”

PAGE 9.  PANEL 3.

Scarlett and five other kids are on work out machines.  They are around 11.  Scarlett is lifting the most weight out of any of them, but the rest of them are lifting impressive weights for the age, she is just lifting the most.

Sho (caption):  “How many other kids are there?”

Scarlett (caption):  “At first it was just six of us, but the number would grow every few months when a new one would be found.  Either their parents would contact someone and it would be flagged as a potential.  Other times the kids were caught doing something noticeable with their abilities.  And they were snagged right away.”

PAGE 9.  PANEL 4.

Scarlett is now 13, there are many of them now, about 40 in a room.  They all have an adult in front of them, and are controlling what the adult is doing.  Maybe indicate this with the kids making puppet motions with their hands.  Scarlett doesn’t need to do that because she is too advanced.  One kid making his adult hit himself, and this kid is laughing.

Scarlett (caption):  “These kids tended not to last too long.  They were not accustomed to being controlled, and didn’t like having their powers regimented.  They were the first test subjects for the beta team.”

Sho (caption):  “The psychics who have half the brain of one of us.  Oh god.  How many of them are there.”

Scarlett (caption): “I’m not sure, I think around 20.  They’re small, a special operations team that Blicero has been test running with the government.  They can control, and read, and project thoughts, but they have none of our other abilities.”

PAGE 9.  PANEL 5.

We switch back into the living room.  Scorpio has walked back in with a file.

Sho:  “How many of us are there in the lab right now?”

Scarlett:  “I would say about a hundred.  They use a combination of drugs and the half-breeds to keep us controlled.  Everyone once in a while one of us will break the restraints, but then they just increase our dope dosage.”

Scorpio:  “Here we are.  The half-breed that attacked Chino in Blackfield, he said Blicero was the one who sent them.  He said that he was from Homey Airport, but the stupid Mick had no idea what that meant.”

Sho:  “What does it mean?”

Scorpio:  “That our girl is legit, or thinks she is.  It’s another name for Area 51.”

PAGE 10.  PANEL 1.

Chino is seven years old, playing basketball, terribly, with a young man, early twenties.

Chino (caption):  “I don’t know if she ever recovered from that.  She dated one loser after another.  They all tried to be my pals, but you know, I always knew they were just trying to get her into bed.”

PAGE 10.  PANEL 2.

Chino is a little older, he is waiting in a car, reading comics.  They are outside a hotel.

Chino (caption):  “She did have one cool one who bout me some old Punisher black and white reprints, and some Detective Comics.  I swear, I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for those books.”

PAGE 10.  PANEL 3.

Chino and his mom are living in the hotel room.  There is a T.V. set up with a vcr and gaming system on it.  Chino and Rosa are watching T.V. together. 

Chino (caption):  “Living in hotel room, was…well…embarrassing.  I couldn’t invite my friends over, and have them come hang out.  We spent a lot of time there, mom and grandma were fighting, and she just didn’t have a lot of money, so we couldn’t get an apartment.  But we weren’t on the streets, she would never let it get that bad.”

PAGE 10.  PANEL 4.

Chino is at the church playing soccer with the rest of the guys (Chi, Abe, Steph, and Frankie), Joshua has just taken over as the Reverend.  He is playing soccer with them.  Other kids are around playing.  Breanna stays far away from Joshua.  Mala and Myung are jumping rope. 

Chino (caption):  “Mom had to work a lot to keep us off those streets, so I was at church a lot.  We got a new Reverend, and he is the best guy in the world.  A way better father to me than you ever were.”

PAGE 10.  PANEL 5.

Chino is learning how to shoot a basket from Joshua, Lydia is helping Mala with her boxing.

Chino (caption):  “If it weren’t for the Rev. and aunt Lydia, I might have been the worst boy to ever exist on the planet.  Couldn’t shoot a basket, throw a punch, catch a ball, but Lydia picked up the slack on that for you.  She had to be a part time dad to me and Mala, the Rev. did the rest.”

PAGE 10.  PANEL 6.

Kevin is walking around his seat.

Kevin:  “Listen, as much as I’d like to sit here and let you insult me all day, I’ll ask you again, what do you want?”

Chino:  “I told you, to tell you about me.  If I would have died yesterday, you wouldn’t have known any of these things about me.”

Kevin:  “Hmmm.  I guess I just don’t care.”

PAGE 11.  PANEL 1.

Blicero looks out from behind glass as Scarlett is trapped in a room full of bees, she has already been stung many times.

Scarlett (caption):  “This is how I remember him in my head.  Do you see him?”

Sho (caption):  “Yes.  Project more towards Scorpio, I can see easily.”

Scorpio (caption):  “Oh god.  What an asshole.  This man is a monster.  What does he want with you?”

PAGE 11.  PANEL 2.

Blicero is meeting with Milo and Wintergreen.  He is presenting Scarlett to the two of them.

Scarlett (caption):  “We are to be soldiers sold off to the highest bidders.  At least that is what he told his funders.  They never knew the true purpose of the experiments.  He’s never said it to anyone.”

Sho (caption):  “Oh, I can sense.  Fuck.”

Scorpio (caption):  “You never cuss, this must be awful.  Tell me!”

PAGE 11.  PANEL 3.

Scarlett is firing a gun at some targets.

Scarlett (caption):  “We will be soldiers, and we will be sold.  But who we’re loyal to will never change.  Blicero is conditioning us to obey him.  He is prepping us to take control of the governments that we are sold to so that we can have access to certain facilities.”

Scorpio (caption):  “What facilities?”

PAGE 11.  PANEL 4.

Scarlett is hacking code on a computer screen as an advisor helps her.

Scarlett (caption):  “We will break into every nuclear facility and control station on earth and force them to launch.  And if we can’t force them physically, we will mentally control them.”

Scorpio (caption):  “He wouldn’t.  That’s mutually assured destruction.  He’ll die too.”

Sho (caption):  “But he doesn’t care about that, does he?  He wants it all to burn.”

PAGE 11.  PANEL 5.

We see the map that Blicero has looked at before, and it has bomb site locations on it.  He is showing it to Scarlett.  She takes it in.

Scorpio (caption):  “No.  NO WAY!  This is the fake shit I write about, no way it can be real.  This was supposed to be the fantastic crap that would diver the attention of the big brother so I could write about what was really going on.  Now I’m hearing that these fuckers really are planning on blowing the world up, and there doesn’t seem like a lot we can do about it.”

Sho (caption):  “It’s not everyone.  Just the one man.”

Scarlett (caption):  “Yes, Blicero only shares his desire with me.  No one else knows that this is his plan.  He recently killed his funders because he no longer had any use for them.  He thinks he has assured his victory.”

PAGE 12.  PANEL 1.

Chino is sitting on the couch, Kevin is standing looking at him.

Chino:  “You…don’t care that I almost died?”

Kevin:  “To be honest with you Fei, I hardly think about you at all.  It wouldn’t make much of a difference to me if you had lived or died.  We’ve spent a majority of your life apart, so what does it matter what I think.”

Chino:  “I…it just does.”

PAGE 12.  PANEL 2.

Kevin has sat back down.  Chino is looking down.

Kevin:  “It shouldn’t matter what I do.  It doesn’t matter to me what you do, what anyone else does, as long as it does not affect me directly.  We’re our own people, and we can do whatever we want.”

Chino:  “Can I ask you something then?  Why did you leave?”

PAGE 12.  PANEL 3.

Kevin sits calmly, looking at Chino.

Kevin:  “Once again you care too much about what I think and do, but if it will satisfy you, here goes.”

PAGE 12.  PANEL 4.

Kevin and Chino are sitting at home, Chino is watching T.V. and Kevin is drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette.  Chino is about 4.

Chino:  “Who is Angela?”

Kevin:  “What!?”

Chino:  “Angela.  I see a lady in my head, and she is naked.  I keep hearing Angela, Angela.”

Kevin:  “…What’s her hair color?”

Chino:  “Blond on her head, but not everywhere else.”

PAGE 12.  PANEL 5.

Kevin is on the phone in the other room.

Kevin (caption):  “I called her right away to see if you she had told anybody else that we had been together, but nope, she wanted to keep it a secret from her husband as well.  You saw in your head the woman that I had been screwing for the last six months behind your mother’s back.  I was thinking about here when you asked her name.  I was freaked out.  How did you know?  Was it some lucky guess?”

PAGE 12.  PANEL 6.

Kevin is talking with Chino in the living room.

Kevin:  “Son, what number am I thinking of?”

Fei:  “54.”

Kevin:  “What color?”

Fei:  “Green.”

Kevin:  “What do I think about your mom?”

Fei:  “…I don’t want to say.  It’s a bad word.”

Kevin (caption):  “Things were not right with you.”

PAGE 13.  PANEL 1.

Scarlett pets the bird as the three of them sit in the room together.

Scarlett:  “This is why I worry about us.  If it we weren’t around, this wouldn’t happen.  We couldn’t take control of these people and force them to kill themselves.”

Scorpio:  “Don’t worry honey, it was always a possibility that they would do it to themselves.”

Sho:  “It would be hard to deny our role in this if we were willingly going along with Blicero’s plan, but we’re are not.  Like the three of us, we don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Scarlett:  “But we have.  Fei has.  He killed that man.”

PAGE 13.  PANEL 2.

Scorpio looks at Sho.  The bird is hopping on Scarlett’s hand.

Scorpio:  “Did you, oh never mind, she probably ‘felt it,’ or something.”

Sho:  “It’s a big thought in his head, it’s hard to keep quiet.  He thinks about the man a lot.  But what he did, I mean, it had nothing to do with what we can do, per se.  Anyone could have done that.”

Scarlett:  “After they had a psycadelic high that almost killed them and fractured their personality into five different entities.”

PAGE 13.  PANEL 3.

Scorpio and Sho look defeated.

The bird is further up Scarlett’s arm.

PAGE 13.  PANEL 4.

Scorpio looks up, cigarette in hand.

Scorpio:  “…People are horrible.  There is no denying that.  We came face to face with a monster that a lot of people wouldn’t incarcerate because they agree with his actions.  But that doesn’t mean you should give in.”

Scorpio:  “Fei doesn’t think about how he saved his friend, does he?”

Scarlett:  “Who?”

PAGE 13.  PANEL 5.

The bird is now on Scarlett’s shoulder.

Scorpio:  “Abraham is the kid’s name.  The preacher told me the kid might die of blood poisoning until Fei showed up and healed him.  Or how Fei stopped that Narcissca asshole from controlling everyone.  It’s small things, and maybe that can’t make up for the bad things that he has done, but it shows you that there are some positives that come with your abilities.”

Scarlett:  “Hmmm…maybe—“

PAGE 13.  PANEL 6.

The bird has taken flight.

Sho:  “LOOK!”

PAGE 14.  PANEL 1.

Kevin sits in the chair.  Chino has his head down, not making eye contact.

Kevin:  “You came out wrong, and I couldn’t deal with it.  Plus, your mother just wasn’t the same when you came along.  Maybe it’s whatever is wrong with you, I don’t know, but it was time for me to go.”

Chino:  “Is that it?”

PAGE 14.  PANEL 2.

Kevin walks towards the door.  Chino is still sitting.

Kevin:  “I think it’s time you go, Amy will be back soon, and I don’t want you here when she get’s back. 

Chino:  “You don’t care about me at all do you?  Even if I had died yesterday, it wouldn’t have meant anything to you, would it?”

PAGE 14.  PANEL 3.

Kevin is walking towards the door to let Chino out of the house

Kevin:  “Listen, I’m sorry that it’s been hard for you recently, but you survived, and you’ll be the better man for it.  You’re a man now, you need to deal with your own problems.”

PAGE 14.  PANEL 4.

Chino is standing next to him saying this.

Chino:  “…You’re right.  There is something wrong with me.  I killed a man, molested my girlfriend, let a pedophile roam free.  I’m awful.  But at the end of the day, am I any worse than you?  An adulterer, woman beating, dead beat dad?”

PAGE 14.  PANEL 5.

Kevin hit’s Chino.

PAGE 14.  PANEL 6

Kevin hold’s his hand in pain.

PAGE 15.  PANEL 1.

The bird falls towards the ground.

PAGE 15.  PANEL 2.

Scarlett dives to catch him.

Scarlett:  “OH NO!”

Scorpio:  “Good catch.”

Sho:  “Yea.”

PAGE 15.  PANEL 3.

Scarlett pet’s the bird again.

Sho:  “Maybe that’s what we are.  We’re not here to fix people or control them, maybe just to help things along, and pick them up when they are falling down.”

Scorpio:  “Not some ruling overmench, but a super powered physical therapist?  I think you’re selling yourself short.”

Scarlett:  “…No.  Sho is right.  It wouldn’t be right for us to exert our will or beliefs on someone else, but if we were to help them along, then maybe these extra gifts can be put to use.”

PAGE 15.  PANEL 4.

Scorpio sits with his back turned to them, thinking.

Scorpio:  “You can’t become a crutch, that would be just as bad.  People can be lazy as shit, and if anything is to change, they’ll need to do it for themselves.”

Sho:  “Exactly.  Like with this bird, we’re giving it a second chance, but that doesn’t mean that it will succeed, sad as that may be.  It just needs to be given the chance.”

Scarlett:  “Is that what we’re doing for you?”

PAGE 15.  PANEL 5.

Scarlett pets the bird.

Scarlett:  “Giving you a chance?”

PAGE 16.  PANEL 1.

Chino stands over Kevin.  I want Chino to look dark and menacing.

Chino:  “You never gave me a chance.  Just walked.  Bailed because it was the easiest thing to do.  Should have stuck around, I could have shown you things that you wouldn’t believe.  Get up old man.  Try again.  Try harder.”

PAGE 16.  PANEL 2.

Kevin stands up.

Chino:  “There you go.  I can’t fight very well, but in this state, that doesn’t matter.”

Kevin:  “What state?”

Chino:  “Hit me again.  Come on, you weak piece of shit.  If you parent as well as you fight these kids are going to be bastards as well.”

PAGE 16.  PANEL 3.

Kevin is angry, throwing another punch with his uninjured hand.  It lands flush on Chino’s face.

PAGE 16.  PANEL 4.

Kevin yells out in pain.  Chino has no expression on his face.

Kevin:  “Oh god…broken.”

Chino:  “I am, aren’t I?  But right now, nothing can hurt me.  You didn’t, nothing can.”

Kevin:  “I didn’t want you to be this, this thing.”

PAGE 16.  PANEL 5.

Chino squats down next to Kevin.

Chino:  “You didn’t want me at all.  This is what you get from that.  An uncaring bastard.  You know who I’m like, right?”

Kevin:  “Fuck—“

PAGE 16.  PANEL 5.

Chino is walking away from his Kevin, closing the door behind him.  Kevin is on the ground, his hands are a mess.

Chino:  “—you.”

PAGE 17.  PANEL 1.

Scorpio watches as the bird flutters around Scarlett and Sho.

Scropio:  “One thing that still bugs me, who is going to give the other kids a second chance?”

Scarlett:  “The ones at the base?”

Scorpio:  “Yeah.  Aside from it just being the right thing to do, if we help them then the world doesn’t go up in flames.”

Sho:  “You have a point, if they don’t have access to the others then their plan falls apart.”

PAGE 17.  PANEL 2.

Scarlett and Sho are thinking while Scorpio stands and thinks.

PAGE 17.  PANEL 3.

Scorpio moves away from them, Sho looks at Scarlett and she looks at him.

Scorpio:  “I hate to say this, but it’s not possible right now.  For the time being, those kids are stuck.  She barely made it out of their alive, can you imaging how bulked up their security is now?”

Sho:  “…I hate to admit it, but you’re right.  The four of us, I mean, what could we do?”

Scarlett:  “Not much.  They would have ammunition coming in from all sides, gas, paralytic shots being fired.  Everything they got, they would throw it at us.”

PAGE 17.  PANEL 4.

Scorpio hits his head with his hand, Sho pulls out his phone because it is ringing.

Scarlett:  “If we knew a tactician, maybe, but even then…”

Scorpio:  “FUCK!  I know one.  But if my death is any indication, he’s not a very good one.”

Sho (on phone):  “Hello?”

PAGE 17.  PANEL 5.

Scorpio and Scarlett looks at Sho.

Sho:  “Hello father.”

PAGE 18.  PANEL 1.

Chino is descending the stairs of the stoop that lead up to the house.  Walking up is a 13 year old boy, Charles, Chinese, an older Chinese woman, Amy, 25, and she is holding a Chinese baby girl, Miang, around 2.

Amy:  “Hi, can I help you?”

Chino:  “No, I got what I came for.”

Charles:  “FEI!”

PAGE 18.  PANEL 2.

Charles runs up to Chino, and is hugging him.  Chino doesn’t know how to respond.

Amy:  “You’re Kevin’s son.”

Chino:  “Yes.”

Amy:  “Were you looking for Kevin?  He should be here.”

Chino:  “We talked.  I was just leaving.”

PAGE 18.  PANEL 3.

Charles looks up to Chino.

Charles:  “You can’t leave yet!  We just got here!  Please stay, I haven’t seen you in forever.”

Chino:  “I…I can’t.  I really need to get going.”

Charles:  “Why?”

PAGE 18.  PANEL 4.

Chino looks back at the front door to the house.

Chino:  “Listen, if you want to hang out sometime or just talk, here is my phone number.”

PAGE 18.  PANEL 5.

Chino writes down the number on a piece of paper.  Amy is walking past them, with Miang.

Charles:  “Are you living in San Francisco now?”

Chino:  “Yea, been here about a month.”

Charles:  “Cool, we gotta go to Chinatown.”

PAGE 18.  PANEL 6.

Chino Gives Charles the phone number.  Amy is going inside.

Chino:  “Here you go.  Hold on Amy, please?”

Amy:  “What is it?”

Chino:  “Can I hold her for just a second?”

PAGE 19.  PANEL 1.

Scarlett is going towards the door, Sho is leaving the room.

Scorpio:  “Where are you going?  You don’t even have a cell phone.”

Scarlett:  “Outside, I need some air.  And so does this little guy.”

PAGE 19.  PANEL 2.

Chino is holding Miang, and bouncing her, she is laughing.

Amy:  “You’re good with her.”

Charles:  “She likes you.”

Chino:  “It’s ‘cause we’re family, huh?”

PAGE 19.  PANEL 3.

Scarlett walks down the stairs of the apartment.

Scarlett:  “I’d sing you a song, but I don’t know any.  We can’t listen to music where I’m from.  My father never allowed it.

PAGE 19.  PANEL 4.

Amy is heading inside with Miang.

Amy:  “Come by again, when you have time.  KEVIN, WE’RE HOME.”

Kevin (off panel):  “I’m upstairs.”

Chino:  “Maybe.”

Charles:  “Ah, come on.  You gotta come by again.  We need to hang out, I can show you all my skate boarding tricks, dad hasn’t seem them yet either.  And maybe we can, you know, just hang out, listen to some music.”

Chino:  “That’s be nice.”

PAGE 19.  PANEL 5.

Scarlett starts to sing as she reaches the bottom of the steps.

Scarlett:  “I’ll reach out, borrow one.  ‘Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken and learn to fly.  All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arrive.’  I know you’re not black silly.”

PAGE 19.  PANEL 6.

Chino is hugging Charles.

Charles:  “I miss you.  I know dad is a jerk, but we can still hang out.”

Chino:  “I know, I’ve missed you too.  We will.”

PAGE 20.  SPLASH PAGE.

Scarlett releases the bird into flight.