PAGE 1
Wendy points her gun ahead at Elliot. Elliot has his hands up. At his feet lies the headless military bot. Rubble and junk fill the background.
Wendy: "Alright, you're coming with me!"
Elliot: "W-wai—hold on! I didn't do anything!"
Wendy: "Oh really?"
Wendy displays slight irritation (gun still pointed straight ahead).
Wendy: "So the explosion and the headless bot lying at your feet are just…"
Elliot: "Look, if you just gimme a chance, I can explain."
Wendy: "You know what? Fine!"
Wendy kicks open a folding chair.
She slouches back in a metal folding chair. Her legs are crossed and her arm is hanging on the back of the chair in a very "I don't give a crap" fashion.
Wendy: *sigh* "It's whatever. I've got time. You have the floor"
PAGE 2
Elliot stands, looking confused. Wendy sits straight ahead of him, slouching in her chair. Her police car is far behind her. She nonchalantly lifts her hand towards Elliot.
Elliot: "Wait, huh? Really?"
Wendy: "Go ahead. You were gonna explain all of…this."
Elliot: "R-right. But where'd you get the chair?"
Wendy: "You're wasting time."
Elliot: Where should I start? "Well, it's a little hard to believe, but what happened was…"
Elliot moves very quickly as he explains his story.
Elliot: "So, I was like…and then…"
He begins acting out some dramatic scenes.
Elliot: "And I was like 'don't shoot,' so then…"
He ends in a clown costume with a rainbow afro as he explains his story to Wendy.
Elliot: "But the clown's white van didn't have any windows, so I didn't go in even though he offered me candy."
Close up on Elliot's face. He has a blank stare on his face.
Elliot: "Aaaaand that's when you showed up."
Close up on Wendy's face, still looking as if she's waiting for the story to start. She appears unimpressed.
Wendy: "Sssoooo…"
PAGE 3
Wendy continues to slouch ahead of Elliot.
Wendy: "All you said was 'I was like' and 'and then' and started doing a funny dance. But the part about the weird clown was a nice touch, at least."
Elliot: "…"
Close up of Elliot as he tightly shuts his eyes and gripping his face out of frustration. Sweat bullets shoot down his face.
Elliot: Oh man! I didn't say anything relevant! I totally forgot I can't summarize when I'm this nervous!
Elliot calms himself down.
Elliot: (Sigh) Okay, pull it together Elliot. It's time for plan B!
Wendy continues sitting in her chair, waiting for Elliot to say something believable. There's a wide distance between them.
Elliot: "Ya know what? Let's make a deal."
Wendy: "What deal?"
Elliot: "You saw that 'do not enter' sign on the gate? Technically, you're breakin' the law by being here, so...I won't say nothin' if you won't."
He smiles at Wendy with the utmost confidence.
Elliot: "How bout it?"
Wendy gets out of her seat, clearly annoyed.
Wendy: "Okay, I've heard enough. That story wasn't even entertaining." (Sigh) Well, this was a waste of time. "You're coming with me."
PAGE 4
Wendy walks toward Elliot as she brushes her hair away from the front of her eyes with the back of her hand.
Wendy: "Let's just go quietly, okay?"
Elliot is getting nervous. Wendy is walking toward Elliot. Wendy's face has "I'm ready to go home" all over it.
Elliot: "Uhhh, wait. Can't we talk about this?"
Wendy: "We just did."
Elliot: "But…but"
As Wendy walks toward Elliot, she reaches for something behind her near the waist; a pair of handcuffs.
Elliot: Crap, she's getting closer! I'm gonna go to jail! I'm really gonna go to jail! But I don't have good grip with bars of soap! I'm doomed!
Wendy's getting closer.
Elliot: Hold on.
From Elliot's perspective: close up on the Wendy's hip, also showing the hand with the cuffs.
Elliot: Uh-huh
Close up on the side of Wendy's face. The focus is her long dark hair, stopping right below her clavicle bone.
Elliot: Not that she's closer, I can tell…
PAGE 5
Full body front shot of Wendy walking with the handcuffs in her hand.
Elliot: She's drop dead gorgeous!
Wendy: "Things'll go smoother if you come quietly, okay?"
Elliot has an idea. He begins to walk forward towards Wendy. He looks very confident, one eyebrow raised.
Elliot: That's it!!! It's time for plan C!
They get closer.
Elliot: I just need to play it cool, deepen that puberty-induced voice, and…
Wendy: "That's it. Nice and easy cooperation."
Elliot places a hand on Wendy's shoulder as he smiles at her. This throws Wendy off a little.
Elliot: Alright. Now, play it cool and just…
Elliot looks into her eyes and raises an eyebrow, Miles Morales style.
Elliot: "Hey." El, You. Are. So. Smooth!
PAGE 6
Wendy appears speechless.
Elliot: Oh yeah. You've got her.
Wendy bashfully looks down and to the side. She blushes. Her eyes are glassy. She brushes her hair to the side with her hand, almost appearing nervous.
Wendy: "O-oh. I…"
She places a hand on Elliot's hand (the hand that he place on her shoulder).
Wendy: "Your hand. It's so warm. So.."
Wendy looks at Elliot, still blushing.
Wendy: "…full of life."
Elliot: Holy crap, this is next level! The health books didn't cover this. She totally wants me!
Close up of Wendy's face, still looking at Elliot. Her hand is still on Elliot's hand. Her blush is gone. Instead, the heavily inked death stare she gives Elliot is strengthened by dark shadows. Her glassy eyes are now very sharp. She's looking into Elliot's very soul with pure darkness.
Wendy: "You'd do well to refrain from touching me, so we can keep it that way."
PAGE 7
Scene change. The two are in Wendy's police car driving down the street.
Wendy speaks to Elliot while she drives, her eyes on the road. She's speaking as if they didn't just have that frightening encounter.
Wendy: Well, it isn't the usual way to arrest someone, but it would have been too much of a hassle cuffing him in THAT condition. "At the very least, I appreciate you coming quietly."
Elliot's in the back seat in the middle. His hand is still stretched forward from when his hand was on Wendy's shoulder. He's frozen in fear.
Elliot: This chick is scary! I saw my life flash before my eyes.
Wendy: "You just extended my shift, you know that? I was just minutes away from ending my shift and going home."
Elliot looks at Wendy with excitement, leaning forward between the two front seats.
Elliot: "So I can just go home then, right?"
Wendy: "Nice try. We have a long night ahead of us. Oh, and don't try anything funny. Uncuffed in my car and acting crazy means I'll have to shoot you."
Elliot: But you're the one who chose not to cuff me.
A couple minutes go by.
Elliot: "Sooooo, where's your partner?"
Wendy: "Don't have one."
Elliot: "Huh? Don't you cops always move in twos? Oh wait, was that military bot your partner? Cuz like, he just self-destructed and left you alone and-"
Wendy: "Are you really gonna blame the bot?!"
PAGE 8
Elliot looks up with a finger to his chin.
Elliot: "Hmmm. You'd think you'd have a little remorse at the loss of your partner."
Wendy turns around.
Wendy: "IT WASN'T MY FREAKIN PARTNER!"
Elliot: "Anyway, why was the bot there in the first place? Aren't they like, for emergencies only or something?"
Wendy looks down at her car radio. She looks surprised as it begins to buzz.
John: "Officer Wendy, do you copy?"
Wendy: Annoyance from all sides, I see. *sigh* "Go for Officer Wendy."
John: "We were tracking the bot in your area, but lost its signal. Calls about an explosion followed, but your vehicle is driving away from the scene."
Wendy: "Yes, I have the suspect in the car. Taking him in for questioning."
John: "That doesn't make any sense. The explosion, the bot, and you have a single suspect in the car?"
Elliot sits forward near Wendy, leaning on the shoulder edge of her seat.
Elliot: "Yeah, that's me. What's crackin'?"
Wendy turns to Elliot, frustrated as if she were his mother.
Wendy: "Will you shut up?" And sit back!
Elliot: "What? Might as well enjoy myself before I get locked up."
John: "You could have at least informed us of the situation, Wendy! We had to hear from local calls when there was an officer already there!"
John: "You're supposed to patrol and call for backup when in danger! If the bot was destroyed, common sense says it's dangerous!"
PAGE 9
Wendy's radio continues to bark orders.
John: "Look, I'm just looking out for you. You risk your life and the lives of others when you try to handle things you're not capable of. Tomorrow I'll assign you a new-"
*click
Wendy jams her entire palm on the radio button to shut it off. She looks tired and frustrated.
Elliot: "Well, he seems friendly."
Wendy: "Very."
Elliot: "So what's his deal?"
Wendy: *sigh* "Just a salty bastard is all. Saved his life on a mission once. He pissed his pants. I had to carry him. Now he's promoted and is my boss."
From outside the car, bird's eye perspective: They stop at a red light.
Elliot: "Didn't know promotions worked like that."
Wendy: "They don't." Seniority sucks.
Elliot: "Sounds like you're the one who needs a promotion."
Wendy: "Think so, huh?"
PAGE 10
The light turns green.
Wendy: "Anyway, let's change the subject. You asked about the bot, right?"
Wendy: "You're right that the need for military bots usually means something huge is going down. That's why he was there at the Maple Mall site. Of course, you killed that bot, so I'm gonna find out how you-"
Elliot: "I told you I didn't do it! Besides, if I'm that dangerous, why didn't you cuff me?"
Eyes still on the road, Wendy gives a thumb's up, pointing at the roof above Elliot's head. Elliot curiously looks up.
Wendy: "That's why."
Elliot: "Huh? Wait, what are those holes for?"
Elliot looks at the roof with sweat rolling down his face. The roof has little holes in it; there are two holes on the left and two holes on the right.
Wendy: "They're mini turrets that will unleash a barrage of bullets, custom made to fit through these small holes. So, act funny if you want. A push of a button is all I need."
Elliot: "Custom made?" Isn't that Illegal? Just how many laws does she break? "This can't be legal! Let me go and I won't tell."
Wendy turns to Elliot with a small device in her hand. She has an evil smile on her face, showing her teeth to display sharp fangs. Elliot's head sweats more bullets.
Wendy: "What's the saying? 'Snitches get stitches?' Well, in your case, snitches end up like swiss cheese in a body bag."
Elliot: WHAT KIND OF COP!?
Wendy is facing the road again. Both hands are on the wheel.
Wendy: "But that would be illegal."
Elliot: AS IF SHE CARES!
Wendy: "Alright, out ya go. We're here."
They pull up to a building, a small police station. The metal gate next to the building slowly closes behind them.
Elliot: "Here? Where's here?"
Wendy: "Your new home."
Elliot: "Wait, huh?"
PAGE 11
Inside the police station, Wendy's foot drives up Elliot's butt as he flies into a jail cell. The cell has a single bench across from the bed. The lights are very dim.
Wendy: "In ya go!"
Wendy closes the cell as Elliot gets up, gripping the bars to the cell.
Elliot: "Hey wait, you can't just lock me up! What about my lawyer?"
Wendy: "Pipe down. I just need you to wait there until I get back."
Wendy leaves. Elliot now sits on the dark bench as he looks down in despair. He's hunched forward in a depressing manner.
*Sounds of a door opening and closing.
Wendy comes back. Elliot's cell has tally marks that look like he's been marking the days of his imprisonment.
Wendy: "Alright, let's go."
Elliot runs to the cell door, sticking one hand out. The other hand is running a tin mug across the cell door bars. He has a light rugged beard on his face.
Elliot: "Finally, the outside world! I've been countin' the days!"
Wendy: "Really? It's been, what, 30 seconds?"
Wendy unlocks the cell.
Wendy: "Alright, come with me."
Elliot: "Where we goin?"
Nothing is seen as he enters a pitch-black room.
Elliot: "What the…where are we? Why is it so dark?"
Wendy clicks on the lamp. To her right is a large monitor. Behind her is a small desk.
Wendy: "Commencing interrogation!"
Elliot: "Wait, what?"
PAGE 12
Wendy slaps Elliot across the face.
Wendy: "I'M asking the questions, here!"
Elliot holds his head. Wendy walks over to the right towards the monitor and hits a button. The monitor beeps.
Wendy: (Smiling) "Oh. Looks like the download is complete."
Elliot: "Ugh. Huh? What download?"
Wendy: "Most military bots have cameras in their eyes. If I'm lucky, I'll get a 3rd person view of what happened, if the bot was able to sync to the mall's security cams before it died."
Wendy continues hitting buttons while Elliot yells, holding his face.
Elliot: "What? So, was there even a point to the interrogation? Or did you just wanna hit me?"
Wendy cheerfully smiles at Elliot with closed eyes.
Wendy: "Oh, of course not. It's not like I was looking for a reason to hit the person who extended my stressful night. Now let's see if your story checks out."
The monitor displays the events at the mall with Elliot, but from the bot's perspective. The bot's firing his gun at someone/something.
Wendy: "1st person? I guess he didn't sync after all. Still, looks like he's firing at you, though it's too dark to see from that distance."
Elliot: "No, that's not me. There was another guy- "
Wendy: "Shhh!"
The monitor displays a first person view of the bot now turning his gun to Elliot. Elliot is facing the bot with one hand out in defense. (Reference chapter 1 when Elliot is begging the bot for mercy).
Wendy: "Not you, huh?"
Elliot: "Well, that's me, obviously. Just look at those guns! But the other guy-"
Wendy: "Wait, what the..."
The monitor shows nothing but static and lines.
Wendy: "What was that?"
Elliot: "See? I told you! He just died. I didn't-"
Wendy: "No. There was a flash. Or…lemme just play it again in slow mo."
PAGE 13
The monitor shows the robot's first person view again as Wendy rewinds a few seconds. In slow motion, the monitor shows Elliot on the ground, extending his hand forward to show he's unarmed. There's light emitting from his hand. His face is turned away, eyes shut tight in fear. There is a circle around Elliot. The monitor shows words appearing next to Elliot: "target: organic threat". There are smaller circles around pieces of rock and rubble around the area that read "natural: no threat."
Wendy tilts her head as she glares at the screen.
Wendy: "What in the…"
Elliot tries to peep from behind.
Elliot: "What? What?"
The monitor shows a light emitting from Elliot's hand.
The monitor shows a bright light. The bottom of the screen shows words that read "Irregular Confirmed."
The last thing the bot sees is the blast shooting from Elliot's hand before the monitor shows static and lines.
Elliot freezes.
Elliot: "Wait…"
PAGE 14
Elliot reacts to what he just saw on the monitor. He looks shocked and shaken. His mouth is open. He doesn't know what to think.
Elliot: Irregular? Me?
He looks down at the palms of his hands. He looks worried.
Elliot: There's just…no way.
Wendy can't believe what she just saw on the monitor, either. She looks down to the corner of her eyes. She's on guard as if she's about to be ambushed. She's nervous.
Wendy: This guy's an irregular? One of those…
Close up on Wendy's chest. A lanyard is dangling down her chest with a picture connected to the lanyard. It's the same picture that hangs on her rearview mirror (picture of Wendy smiling next to a guy making bunny ears behind her head). She tightly grips the picture.
Wendy: …those people?
Wendy begins digging through the drawers of the desk across from the monitor, her back still turned to Elliot. Elliot stands up behind her, unsure what to say.
Elliot: "Stuff's rigged, ya know?"
Wendy: "Is that so?"
Elliot looks up and to the side.
Elliot: "Yeah, that's not even me. Evil twin stirring up trouble again."
Wendy: "Right."
With her back still turned to Elliot, she pulls out a pistol and cocks it.
Wendy: "This day just keeps getting more interesting."
Elliot: "Uhh…we should really go look for that look-alike culprit, huh? Hey, what's THAT for?!"
PAGE 15
Full page image. Wendy turns around, pointing her gun at Elliot. Elliot throws his hands up.
Elliot: "Wait, whatareyadoin'?!"
Wendy: "I'm ordered to take any irregular I encounter to Site 7! You're coming with me."