Page 1
Setting: Unknown. A middle aged woman speaks at a podium.
Woman: "...and even if I will not live long enough to see this through, our dream, our Plan for Peace…"
She raises a fist.
Woman: "With the power of exclusionary zoning, sterilization, and ghettos, the Negro Project will come to fruition! I, Margaret Sanger, declare it today!"
The following image displays nothing but static, as if a TV suddenly lost signal.
Setting: Unit 17's hotel room. The previous scene was a TV show. Wendy just turned off the TV, causing Elliot to turn around and fuss.
Elliot: "I was watching that!"
Wendy: "Yeah, but we gotta go drop off Kei and Nana. Plus, we've got work to do."
Elliot: "Yeah. I was just a little sucked in."
Wendy: "What were you watching, anyway?"
Page 2
Elliot gets up and stretches.
Elliot: "This alternate universe show. Has something to do with what it would be like if the racism issue didn't suddenly die down in the world."
Wendy: "I see. It does sound interesting. That Sanger chick sounds like a psycho."
Elliot: "Yup. Glad she ain't in our universe."
The two head out and into the hall.
Elliot: "Where is everybody?"
Wendy: "You weren't listening, huh? They're waiting for you downstairs because you were taking forever."
In the lobby, Devlon, Jasmine, Chase, Kei, Terry, Iris, and Nana wait around until they see Wendy and Elliot come down the stairs.
Wendy: "Alright. Found him."
Chase: "Bout time."
Devlon: "Next time we'll get a room without a tv."
Elliot walks over and nudges Devlon.
Elliot: "We do that and you won't get to enjoy playing Super Jump Siblings again."
Devlon looks away with a hint of embarrassment.
Devlon: "I uh, I mean maybe just one TV." That game was so fun.
Jasmine: "So what's the plan, peeps?"
Page 3
Wendy takes center to explain.
Wendy: "I'll take Kei and Nana home. I think that makes the most sense since I have a badge and all."
Jasmine: "I call shotgun. I've got a badge, too."
Wendy: "You do?"
Jasmine: "We all do. But it isn't for the public to see. The bots can give us a quick scan. We don't even have to pull it out."
Wendy looks intrigued.
Wendy: "You don't say?"
Devlon: "Bots can read if someone or something is organic or not, or if people are irregulars or not."
Chase: "So when they spot an irregular…"
As Chase continues to explain, the scene shifts to the perspective of Stone, Jade, and their boss. The Sword Dude with the Katana from the last chapter walks in through the door.
Chase (off screen): "...they usually give em a quick scan for some I.D."
Page 4
Stepping into the light, Sword Dude's appearance is more clear; a dark skinned young man. Dark brown eyes. Short hair like Elliot. He has a katana at his waist.
Off screen voice: "So, did it work out nicely?"
Sword Dude: "Yeah. Jade's tracker works like a charm."
Off screen voice: "See? Told you we could help you find him."
The Boss Dude who fought Wendy at the hospital steps forward.
Boss Dude: "So, does coming here to meet us mean you'll consider joining us, Caleb?"
Caleb: "Nah. I respect what you do, but I like to do things my way. But I'll still keep my promise."
Caleb turns his back to leave again.
Caleb: "You'll get your chance to meet him real soon. Oh, and for future reference…"
Caleb opens the door.
Caleb: "His name is Devlon."
Page 5
Scene change. The car that Wendy rented is parked in front of Kei's house on this bright, cloudy day.
Kei: "Thanks again. I'm a lot less worried now, knowing Elliot is surrounded by people as kind as you all are."
Wendy: "No problem. He's safe with us. Or rather, people are safe as long as he's with us."
Jasmine: "Yeah. Hahaha!"
Wendy, Jasmine, and Terry make their way to the front steps with Kei and Nana.
Kei: "I hope to see you guys sooner than later."
Nana: "Yeah. Thanks for being so nice."
Jasmine: "No prob, sweetheart."
An old couple answers the door. They look pleasantly shocked and happy to see Kei and Nana.
Old people: "Oh! Oh we've missed you so much, Kei. Nana!"
Nana: "Hi Mama Rudy! Hi Papa Mo!"
Kei: "I'm sorry; there's so much to explain. We didn't mean to make you worry, we just-"
Mama Rudy hugs Kei.
Mama Rudy: "I'm just glad you're finally home from your police camp."
Confused, Kei wiggles out of Mama Rudy's embrace just enough to tilt his head and look into her eyes.
Kei: "My what camp?"
Page 6
Wendy slides in next to Kei's ear.
Wendy: "Forte reached out and pulled some strings. Just roll with whatever they say."
Kei: "Got it."
Mama Rudy: "You're officer Wendy, right? Thank you so much for watching over them."
Wendy: "No problem at all, ma'am."
Papa Mo: "Would you like to come in for some lunch?"
Wendy points at Terry with her thumb.
Wendy: "I'd love to, but we have another stop to make. Another cadet to drop off."
Terry:I ain't no cadet!
Wendy, Jasmine, and Terry walk down the stairs of the front porch.
Wendy: "Kei, you have our numbers if you need anything. You take care."
Kei: "Thank you."
Nana waves with a cheerful smile.
Nana: "Bye! Come again soon, okay?"
Page 7
Wendy drives down the street with Terry in the back and Jasmine up front.
Terry: "Didn't think they'd live so close to me. Alright. The yellow house on the right."
They pull up on the curb in front of a yellow, two-story house.
Terry knocks on the door, then turns to the two ladies.
Terry: "Hey real quick. My mom can be a little…emotional at times. Just a heads up."
Wendy: "We get it. Your mom hasn't seen you in a while. It's only natural."
Terry: "That's not what I meant-"
A woman opens the door and is surprised to see Terry. She's a middle aged redhead with bright red lipstick. Pretty.
Terry's mom: "I…I can't believe it."
Terry: "Hey ma."
She embraces him, her face at his neck.
Terry's mom: "Oh, my baby's home! Let's go inside."
She looks at Wendy and Jasmine.
Terry's mom: "Are these your friends? Come on in, ladies."
Page 8
The four of them stand in a nice, well kept kitchen. Terry's mom puts on a pair of glasses..
Terry's mom: "Hold on. Lemme get a good look at ya."
She looks at Terry in amazement. Her eyes begin to fill with tears.
Terry's mom: "You've grown so much since the last time I saw you. Terry, you…"
Wendy pulls out a tissue and rubs her eyes.
Wendy: "Aw. Such a sweet reunion."
Jasmine chuckles and tilts her head.
Jasmine: "A little mushy, but still. Good for him."
The very next panel displays Terry's mom's fist coming down on Terry's head, sending him face first into the ground.
Terry's mom: "WHAT THE HECK TOOK YOU SO LONG TO VISIT! AND YOU DON'T CALL OFTEN!"
Wendy and Jasmine stand in the background, startled.
Page 9
Terry gets up, holding his head with one hand.
Terry: "Ah, mom! I couldn't just visit! You know how it is out here. I don't want word to get out that your son is an irregular."
This catches Wendy's attention while Terry continues to argue with his mom.
Wendy:Wait, so she knows about Site 7? Forte didn't have to pull some silly lie?
Terry: "But I have a human cop accompanying me this time, so I took advantage of that so I could see you."
Terry's mom rubs the back of her head with embarrassment, now facing the two young ladies.
Terry's mom: "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Linda. I'm Terry's mom."
Suddenly, raises an eyebrow as she looks Wendy up and down.
Linda: "What the… what's going on, here?"
Page 10
Full body shot of Wendy.
Linda: "Hot mamacita! You're drop dead gorgeous! What's your name, sweety?"
Bashful, Wendy looks away for a moment.
Wendy: "Oh, um. Thank you. My name is Wendy."
Linda: "My baby hit the jackpot with this one!"
Linda looks to the side next to Wendy at Jasmine.
Linda: "Hold on…"
Front body shot of Jasmine.
Linda: "Hot, dark chocolate with a sprinkle of sea salt! You got the drip, girl!"
Jasmine smiles confidently, soaking in the compliment.
Jasmine: "Oh, do go on. Tell me more about my eyes."
Linda: "Terry, these are a coupla tens!"
Wendy: "Thank you, ma'am. But we're not-"
Suddenly, Linda looks upset as she looks down with a shadow cast over her eyes.
Linda: "Wait. Oh no. Oh no. This isn't good…"
Page 11
The next panel displays Linda ramming a steel chair into Terry's head. Wendy watches in terror while Jasmine's eyes widen in shock.
Linda: "I did NOT raise a dirty two timer! Ladies, don't settle for being a side piece!"
Wendy: "Oh my! Ma'am, that's not what this is-"
Jasmine interrupts Wendy, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Jasmine: "Hold up, Wendy!"
Within seconds, Terry is laid across the kitchen table. Linda is in the air, coming down from an elbow drop.
Linda: "They're such lovely ladies! How could you?!"
The two girls watch on in the background. Wendy is clearly concerned. Jasmine, on the other hand, is entertained.
Wendy: "Shouldn't we help him?"
Jasmine: "Nah. Just enjoy it a lil longer."
Linda lands on Terry, busting the table.
Jasmine crosses her arms. With a raised eyebrow and smirk, she's more than pleased with what she sees.
Jasmine: "Maybe we should recruit her."
Wendy runs towards Linda to help.
Wendy: "You have the wrong idea, Ms. Linda. We're not his girlfriends. We're cops! We came to safely bring him to you!"
With an expression of relief, she looks down at her bruised son.
Linda: "Wait, really? Oh."
Page 12
Linda rubs the back of her head, eyes closed with a smile while Terry struggles to get up.
Linda: "Oh! Ahahaha! I shoulda known. There's no way my ugly son could score a coupla tens."
Wendy: "Oh boy…"
Linda turns and smiles at her recovering son.
Linda: "Honey, you should be chasing ones and twos instead of tens. I want grandkids, ya know."
Jasmine: "Hahaha. Yeah, son!"
Wendy: "Jasmine… stop."
Terry gets up, dusting himself off.
Terry: "Anyway, Ma. I wanted to let you know about an event coming up in a few months."
Linda: "You mean the integration laws they're trying to pass, right?"
Terry: "The what?"
Linda raises an eyebrow.
Linda: "What were you talking about? Haven't you seen the news?"
Wendy and Jasmine sit down with them in the living room as Linda continues.
Terry: "I was talking about the Assessment Games. What news are you talking about?"
Linda lowers and shakes her head.
Linda: "No. There was a girl on the news. A sweet little thing. She was shot by a cop recently."
Wendy jumps out of her seat.
Wendy:She's talking about Iris! "Did something else happen at the scene afterward? Jasmine and I were there when it happened."
Jasmine:We never saw the rest of it on TV. It was triggering Iris, so we cut it off before finishing the news story.
Page 13
Linda puts her hands together and leans in closer.
Linda: "Sir Franciscus gave a whole speech concerning the issue. He was saying something about bringing irregulars out into the light. Take a look."
Linda shows them her phone, which displays the image of Franciscus speaking on a podium.
Franciscus: "And I understand. I understand that those policemen were afraid for their lives. I do not want to appear insensitive. But there is a better solution to this than force."
Jasmine seems irritated by that remark.
Jasmine: "Feared for their lives? Gimme a break! Iris wouldn't hurt a fly!"
Franciscus's speech continues on the phone.
Franciscus: "We humans should come together to give the irregulars a helping hand. We've had issues with one another until now, but if we start showing them a more civilized way of living, I am sure we can come together in time."
Page 14
Linda clicks on the progress bar of the video.
Linda: "Yata yata yata. He just says stuff about helping irregulars here. Let's forward it a bit."
Jasmine: "I'm not liking the way he's wording stuff about irregulars."
Back to the speech.
Franciscus: "Sometimes those of us in power don't reveal things to the public right away. It is because we need to wait until society is ready. But I am ready to reveal that we are already in the works of integrating irregulars and humans."
He raises a hand towards his audience.
Franciscus: "We have been working with a special police force of irregulars behind the scenes. With their cooperation, we've worked hard to keep you all safe. Though you haven't seen it, they've played a role in your safety. So, when the time comes, we hope you'll accept them with open arms."
Jasmine gets up and begins walking towards the kitchen with her hands on her hips.
Jasmine: "I'm done. I couldn't care less who accepts me. I don't need help with being 'civilized,' either."
Linda: "The comments have mixed reviews on this video. A lot of people are against it. Weird. They should be thanking you for keeping the cities tidy behind the scenes."
Page 15
Wendy gets up.
Jasmine: "What's up?"
Wendy: "I wanna get the full context behind this video when we get back. Maybe talk to Forte and Franciscus and see how they plan on doing this."
Jasmine rolls her eyes.
Jasmine: "Good luck."
Linda waves at the two young ladies, trying to get their attention.
Linda: "Oh, what was this other news you all wanted to tell me? Some assessment or something?"
Terry: "Yeah. There's an event coming up where we test our skills against other Irregulars in the force. Kinda like a tournament. It's closed off for Special Ops only, but I was gonna see about pulling some strings and maybe Forte can set you up with a live stream or something."
Linda: "Oh! And you three are participating?"
Terry: "Yeah. There are a few more of us on the other side of town. We have to link back up with them soon, but I wanted to see you and let you know about the event first."
Page 16
Scene change. Devlon and Elliot walk down the street of an abandoned neighborhood. The same neighborhood where Devlon and Jasmine fought two faceless.
Elliot: "So, how the heck are we gonna lure these faceless things in? Just wanna yell 'I'm an irregular' in the street?"
Devlon: "They've come for us more than once. I really think they're able to detect us somehow. Let's just see if we find anything suspicious. They could be anywhere."
Elliot: "I mean, I think some pale faceless things will be pretty obvious to spot."
Eventually, they end up in an area with fewer buildings and abandoned houses.
Elliot: "We walked all this way for you to choose the most boring spot?"
Devlon: "This is where Jasmine and I had our most recent faceless. Also, if we encounter something, we don't want others to see us or get involved. You gotta start thinking about stuff like that."
Elliot: "Preeeeeeetty sure this neighborhood is abandoned."
In the distance, someone walks closer to them.
Some dude's voice: "Finally found you. Now…"
Page 17
Full page front shot of Caleb dashing forward, gripping his sword handle, ready unsheathe it.
Caleb: "Let's see what you're made of, Devlon!"