Chereads / Small World(s) / Chapter 5 - Chapter 5:First Impressions

Chapter 5 - Chapter 5:First Impressions

PAGE 1

 

Darkness. Darkness everywhere. In the darkness is a young man running with an outstretched arm.

 

Young Man: "Wendy? Wendy?"

 

A closer look reveals that this young man is the same young man in the picture that Wendy carries. 

 

From Wendy's perspective, she reaches out to the young man. Though he's running toward Wendy, the distance between the two increases. 

 

Young Man: "Wendy!"

 

Wendy: "I'm right here!" I finally found you!

 

Scene shifts; still Wendy's perspective. Wendy jumps out of her sleep to the sound of knocks on her door. She looks around to see that no one is there in the room with her.

 

Wendy: It was just a dream.

 

Male voice (off screen): "Wendy? You there?"

 

SFX: *knock knock*

 

Wendy sits up with a hand on her forehead, both eyes closed. 

 

Wendy: Ugh, my head. "JUST A MINUTE." Last night's long drive was just the start of my night.

 

PAGE 2

 

Wendy cracks open her door enough to see Devlon on the other side of it. He looks nervous.

 

Wendy (still waking up): "Can I help you?"

 

Devlon: "Ehh-er. Sorry for last night."

 

Wendy: "Uh-huh." You woke me up to tell me that?

 

Devlon: 'Uh-huh?' What does that mean? "Anyway, I've been put in charge of showing you around, so-"

 

Wendy: "You think I wanna take a tour with you after the stunt you pulled last night?"

 

Devlon: "N-no! I just…" Why is this so difficult?

 

Wendy: "Whatever. Just gimme an hour or so to get ready."

 

Devlon: "A whole hour?"

 

Wendy: "Um, yeah. I gotta change, do my hair and makeup and all. Gotta look presentable." Duh.

 

Devlon: "What's wrong with the way you look now? I don't think you really need makeup."

 

Wendy: "Hmm. So first you break into my room. Now you're telling me how I shouldn't use makeup?"

 

Devlon throws up both hands, gesturing that he meant no harm.

 

Devlon: "No, no!" Why'd you go and say that, Devlon? Don't make her angry. Just agree with her. "You…should totally wear makeup."

 

Wendy's jaw drops.

 

The door slams in Devlon's face. Devlon stands there, almost as if he's waiting for her to open the door again.

 

Devlon: Wait, did I say something wrong? How did a simple apology lead to this?

 

 

PAGE 3

 

Inside Wendy's room, she leans against the door with her eyes closed. 

 

Wendy: *sigh* "What's wrong with that guy? Not even 24 hours and he's worse than Elliot." But…

 

*FLASHBACK*

 

Wendy flashes back to a time where she and the guy in her photo are talking. In the flashback, Wendy's adding makeup to her eyes.

 

Young man: "What's so wrong with how you look now? With natural beauty like that, you don't really need makeup."

 

Wendy: "N-natural beauty?" He thinks I have natural beauty?

 

*END OF FLASHBACK*

 

Back to Wendy, pushing off the door with a hand on her forehead.

 

Wendy: *sigh* "Okay, maybe a shower will help me wake up and get my mind right."

 

 

PAGE 4

 

Scene change. Nothing but a speech bubble.

 

Speech bubble: "Elliot. Elliot!"

 

Elliot: "Huh? What's happening?" Oh yeah. That's right.

 

A crowd of people gather around to cheer Elliot on as he's standing over a pile of unconscious muscular men, all collapsed under his foot. 

 

Elliot: "Yessssss! I'll protect the people with my super awesome abilities! Hahaha!"

 

Crowd: "Elliot! Elliot"

 

Elliot: "Yup! That's my name!"

 

The crowd becomes agitated.

 

Crowd: "Wake up!"

 

Elliot: "Yeah that's right. Stay woke, ma brotha! Now is the time for irregulars to shine!"

 

Elliot is startled out of his sleep. It was just a silly dream.

 

Off screen voice: "WAKE UP!"

 

Elliott sits up, rubbing his eyes. Devlon stands with his arms crossed at the side of Elliot's bed.

 

Devlon: "Man you sleep like a rock!"

 

Elliot: "Huh?" Who're you again? 

 

Devlon: "Hey, you up yet? Like, up up?"

 

Elliot: Oh yeah. "Well, you'd be a lil out of it too, with the long night I had."

 

Devlon walks away toward the door.

 

Devlon: "That reminds me. Hold on for just a sec."

 

 

 

 PAGE 5

 

Devlon returns with a cart from outside Elliot's door. 

 

Devlon: "Okay, so I've got some-"

 

Elliot's lying down again, wrapped in his blanket like a burrito, his back facing Devlon.

 

Devlon: "What the!" HE WENT BACK TO SLEEP? "DUDE, WAKE UP!"

 

Elliot wakes up again. Devlon pulls the car to Elliot's bed.

 

Elliot: *chuckle* "What, you workin' room service?"

 

Devlon: "I'm just following through with a request!"

 

Elliot: "A request?" 

 

Now that the cart is closer, Elliot can see that it's a cart full of food.

 

Devlon: "Yeah. Wendy called in and asked for breakfast to be delivered to you. Said somethin' bout a long night without food or something."

 

Elliot: Wendy requested this? "Looks tropical and all, but where's the chicken n protein?"

 

Devlon: "None here. I whipped it up myself, but I don't use secondhand protein."

 

Elliot reaches for the cart with one hand.

 

Elliot: "You mean no meat? Man, your life must suck. Hope it tastes decent, at least."

 

With the same hand, Elliot pulls the entire food platter over and eats it all in one bite.

 

Elliot: "Okay, no lie, that was fire." Got some more?

 

Devlon: "What the! Do you not chew your food?" Good luck going to the bathroom. "Anyway, get dressed. We've got quite a day ahead of us."

 

Elliot: "Huh? Why?"

 

 

PAGE 6

 

Devlon pushes the empty food cart on his way out of the room. 

 

Devlon: "Gotta show you around a bit. Then we'll go to where training will take place."

 

Elliot: "Training?" Awesome! "Pshhh, lemme just brush my teeth and I'll be ready in five."

 

Elliot struggles out of bed. 

 

Elliot: "Is Wendy gonna join us? She's new, too. But you might wanna give her over an hour. She might be doing her hair, makeup, etc."

 

Devlon looks away to the side.

 

Devlon: "…Yeah. I have a feeling she'll need some extra time. Meet me in the hall and we'll see if we can get her to skip that part."

 

Elliot: "Tch! Asking a girl to skip that stuff? Whatever you say." Bad idea.

 

Elliot finishes getting ready and follows Devlon down the hall.

 

Devlon: "Her room's that door on the corner. I gotta run by the bathroom real quick, so just wait there."

 

Elliot waits by Wendy's door with his hands in his pocket.

 

*Literally 2 seconds later*

 

Elliot: *sigh* "Okay, I'm bored. Wendy? You there?"

 

Elliot knocks on the door.

 

Elliot: "Wennnnnndy!"

 

Since Wendy's room is on the corner of the hall, Elliot walks around the corner to the other side.

 

Elliot: Maybe she's in a different spot of the room? Guess I'll knock on the side wall. 

 

 

PAGE 7

 

In the bathroom, Wendy turns the shower on. She's fully clothed in pjs with a toothbrush in her mouth.

 

Wendy: I cannot wait to try the hot tub again…without interruption.

 

In the hallway: back to Elliot's perspective. He's about to knock on the wall on the other side of Wendy's room. Crawling up the wall towards Elliot is a little spider with a smile on its face. 

 

Elliot: "Hey Wendy? You in there?"

 

Elliot notices the spider.

 

Elliot: "Huh?"

 

Spider: I'm just so happy to be alive!

 

Eyes open wide without pupils, Elliot freaks out with his right hand swinging up. Without him realizing it, light blue energy emits from his right hand.

 

Elliot: "WAAAAAAA! SPIDER!!!!"

 

Spider: I can't wait to propose to her today!

 

Inside the bathroom, Wendy holds two bottles of body wash.

 

Wendy: Which body wash should I use?

 

Wendy is startled as the wall to her right explodes. The gigantic hole in the wall is clouded in smoke. Elliot's silhouette is seen in the smoke just standing there. 

 

Elliot: "SPIDERRRRRRRR!"

 

As the smoke clears, Wendy can see that the silhouette is none other than Elliot; the same dude who blew up her car.

 

Elliot: "Wait, huh?" Was she just about to…uh-oh.

 

 

PAGE 8

 

In the hallway, Devlon walks back toward Wendy's room from the bathroom.

 

Devlon: "Man I needed to go!" 

 

Devlon's relaxed expression quickly shifts to urgency when he notices a huge cloud of smoke near Wendy's room. 

 

Devlon: "Huh?!"

 

Devlon runs down the hall to Wendy's room and sees the large hole in the wall. He sees Elliot standing there, but from Devlon's perspective, he can't tell that it's Elliot. Elliot's silhouette looks like a serial killer.

 

Devlon: "Oh no! Someone's trying to attack Wendy!"

 

Devlon tackles Elliot, causing them both to collide with the floor inside Wendy's bathroom.

 

Devlon: "Gotcha!"

 

Devlon detains Elliot and is confused when he sees Elliot's face.

 

Devlon: "What the…Elliot! What're ya doing?"

 

Elliot: "Dude…bad timing. I uh…think she's pissed."

 

Devlon: "Who's pissed?"

 

Devlon looks up. Wendy stands right over both him and Elliot. Her hands are on her hips, her eyes glowing a bright red. If they didn't know any better, her appearance would suggest she had powers.

 

 Devlon: Oh no! Not again! Dude, say something quick! "Um, this isn't what it looks li-"

 

 

PAGE 9

 

Back near the entrance of Site 7 where Elliot and Wendy first met Forte. Forte crosses his arms and looks over at Elliot and Devlon, who're both badly bruised. Elliot has casts on both arms. 

 

Forte: "Two times, Devlon? And in less than one day?"

 

Devlon: "It wasn't my fault. I swear." I've never seen someone move so fast with such murderous intent.

 

Elliot: "Forte, putting it simple: that chick is insane! I mean, how did she get to be a cop?"

 

Since both of their attention is on Forte, they didn't realize Wendy was standing right behind them. 

 

Wendy: "So, I'm insane, huh?"

 

Elliot runs behind Forte, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

 

Elliot: "She's here to finish me off!"

 

Devlon: That was fast. Does Elliot's ability involve speed?

 

Wendy: *Sigh* "Just forget about it. Look, let's get this tour over with so I can be on my way. Any news with my boss and my totaled car, Master Forte?"

 

Forte: "Already taken care of. We'll get you a new car in no time. And we've already spoken to John. Funny guy."

 

Wendy: "Hilarious."

 

Forte: "As far as he knows, you're assigned to a secret mission until I can think of a lie to cover for your prolonged absence."

 

Keeping eye contact with Forte, Wendy cocks her head to the side.

 

Wendy: "Prolonged?"

 

Forte: "Yep! I've decided you'll be helping Elliot with his training in addition to getting a feel for this place. It'll do everyone some good as a start for humans and irregulars working together. Hahaha!"

 

PAGE 10

 

Elliot jumps with excitement.

 

Elliot: "Aww yeah! Training!"

 

Devlon looks over at Wendy. She's completely downcast with a rain cloud over her head.

Devlon: Is she okay?

 

Wendy: "You mean I'm stuck with these two?"

 

Forte: "Devlon, if you'd be so kind as to show them to the SR2?"

 

In a different area, the three stand in front of a large steel door. The door is thick and plain. Above the doorknob is a panel with a small screen. The letter D- is displayed on the screen.

 

Devlon: "Okay, here we are. The SR 2.0."

 

Elliot: "What's that stand for?"

 

Devlon: "Simulation Room. Master Forte wanted to make it sound mysterious, but some just call it the training room."

 

Wendy: "So how does it work?"

 

Devlon: "This room sends you into cyberspace, if you will. You'll be placed into a scenario where you'll be faced with trials of some sort."

 

As Devlon continues to explain, he pulls out a canvas and draws Elliot as a demonstration. Elliot is drawn in a more cute, cartoony fashion, similar to the chibby anime characters. On the canvas, Chibby Elliot is on an island with a volcano in the background. The volcano is erupting.

 

Devlon: "You can be placed in a different environment that's subject to change based on the rank of the trainees."

 

Wendy: "Rank?"

 

Devlon: "Yes. You can set the rank to one of three levels of each letter grade, from D- up to A+ and S. That'll determine the area and difficulty of the situation. You can also set the theme."

 

On the canvas, Devlon draws Chibby Elliot, now being attacked by flying drones.

 

Devlon: "This will test your physical abilities, reflexes, and such."

 

On the canvas, Chibby Elliot is approached by people in Tiki masks. One of them shanks Elliot with a spear.

 

Devlon: "But it also tests your critical thinking skills to see how likely you are to be deceived."

 

Wendy: "Sounds like you'd lose every time, huh Elliot?"

 

Elliot: "What?! Nu-huh. Not me!"

 

On the canvas, Chibby Elliot lies on the ground, face down. The words "Simulation Over" are at the top of the canvas. Smaller words like "you suck" and "I bet your mom didn't love you" are written around the canvas.

 

Devlon: "When the simulation is over, you'll receive a final grade as a class recommendation."

 

 

PAGE 11

 

Devlon tosses the canvas to the side, his facial expression is much more serious, almost worried.

 

Devlon: "Be warned. This technology allows you to perceive the simulation with all five senses as if it were real life. That means you can actually feel pain. With such a shock, you risk coming out very exhausted when it's over."

 

Elliot casually walks up to the door with his hands behind his head.

 

Elliot: "Heh, step aside. I'll give it a shot."

 

Devlon walks over to Wendy. They both watch Elliot analyze the door. 

 

Devlon: "Note that you should consult with a professional if heart attacks run in your family."

 

Elliot reacts to Devlon's words. He looks down with a shadow casting over his eyes. 

 

Elliot: "I see. There…there was a fatal heart attack in my family not too long ago. I-I couldn't do anything for her."

 

Wendy puts a hand near her chest, lightly gripping her shirt. Her eyes swell with tears and compassion. 

 

Devlon: Oh no. Did that trigger something for him?

 

Wendy: You poor thing. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Elliot."

 

Elliot turns his back to the others, tightly shutting his eyes.

 

Elliot: "It's okay. I don't mind sharing. It was two years ago today, actually…"

 

 

PAGE 12

 

*FLASHBACK*

 

In this flashback, a younger Elliot stands at the bedside of an elderly woman. The woman is in her bed. She has oxygen running through her nostrils. She's also connected to a large machine behind her bed. 

 

Elliot presents a wrapped gift to her.

 

Elliot: "Happy 97th birthday, grandma!"

 

Grandma: Oh no. It's him again. "Hey, baby. Thank you."

 

She unwraps the gift.

 

Grandma: "Awww. You shouldn't have."

 

The gift is a box with a handle on it.

 

Elliot: "Well, try it out."

 

Grandma: "My old eyes can't really read the label. What is it?"

 

Grandma turns the box, which reveals the name on the gift on the side. The name of the gift is Jack-in-a-box Z! With flame designs all around the box.

 

Elliot: "You'll find out."

 

Grandma: "Oh…okay."

 

She begins turning the handle as music notes rise out of the box. 

 

 

*END OF FLASHBACK*

 

 

 PAGE 13

 

Back to the present. Still facing away from the others, Elliot clenches his fists, fighting tears. 

 

Elliot: "It was terrible!" *sniff*

 

Devlon and Wendy stand next to each other, facing Elliot. Their eyes are squiggly circles with tears running down. Devlon grips the sword handle behind his shoulder. 

 

Devlon: "That poor woman…"

 

Still crying, Wendy stretches an arm out in front of Devlon, stopping him.

 

Wendy: "Don't do it, Devlon. He…He truly has no idea." *sniff sniff*

 

Elliot looks up at the Simulation Room door. 

 

Elliot: "But I think I'll be okay. I'm ready to gain some experience."

 

Devlon: "Alright. Since you're new, we'll start you off at a D- and move from there-"

 

Elliot: "Nah, I'm straight."

 

Elliot hits some buttons on the door and the door opens. He stands in the doorway with an overconfident smile on his face. 

 

Elliot: "Maybe for you guys, yeah. But I'm a super powerful irregular. I'll set it to A for 'Awesome!'" 

 

Devlon:  Is he insane? "Elliot, I seriously recomme-"

 

The door slams shut. Wendy and Devlon stand in front of the door. 

 

Wendy: "Sooooo, is he gonna be okay?"

 

Devlon: "Yeah. Worse that'll happen is he comes out with a broken ego."

 

Devlon: "Or permanent trauma."

 

Before they know it, the door cracks open.

 

Wendy: "He's finished, already?"

 

 

PAGE 14

 

The door opens. Steam exits the door. Elliot's silhouette is seen in the steam. 

 

As the steam clears up, you can clearly see Elliot standing. His eyes are closed. His overall demeanor has a serious tone. He's…different. 

 

Devlon looks at Elliot in disbelief.

Devlon: "Did he succeed?" Maybe he's more powerful than I thought.

 

Wendy: "Is that really Elliot?" What happened in there?

 

Elliot slowly opens his eyes and looks down, holding his open hands in front of him. 

 

Elliot: "You guys. I…"

 

He frantically flails his arms back and forth.

 

Elliot: "Where were you guys! I was screaming your names the entire time! 'Devlon! Wendy! Help me!' But nobody ******* came! They **** and ****! I screamed and received no help! Then they **** until I blew the **** up!"

 

He falls to the ground, face first.

 

Elliot: "It was terrible!"

Devlon crosses his arms and glares at Elliot, speaking with an admonishing tone.

Devlon: "What did I just say?" I should have known.

 

Wendy puts a hand on her forehead. 

 

Wendy: "I could have sworn he just told you… never mind." Learn the hard way, I guess.

 

SFX: Static coming from Wendy's radio, which is at her waist.

 

Radio: "Wendy? This is Forte. I need you to report to the Main Hall immediately!"

 

Elliot and Devlon squeeze in near Wendy, almost breathing down her neck in order to hear the radio.

 

Elliot: "Sounds urgent."

 

Devlon: "I wonder what's going on?"

 

Wendy: "Sounds like I wonder why my personal space is invaded."

 

 

 

PAGE 15

 

In the main hall, the three speak with Forte. 

 

Forte: "Wendy! There's been an emergency call for an armed robbery at Joe's Thrift Store. We need you to get there ASAP! I'll have Devlon accompany you."

 

Wendy: "Why me? Isn't this what everyone here trains for?"

 

Forte: "They take on missions that humans and bots can't handle. A group of irregulars will cause confusion in a crowd. I can have him go with you, but you'll be in charge."

 

Wendy: "If that's the case, send a bot with me!"

 

Forte: "Negative. After seeing how they could easily harm the innocent, like in Elliot's case, we initiated an update to them. The update won't be completed for another 16 hours."

 

Devlon: "They'll malfunction if it's interrupted."

 

Wendy: "And nobody thought to leave at least one in case of emergency?" They really act without thinking ahead.

 

Wendy and Devlon head to the front door.

 

Wendy: "Just radio me the address and I'll put it in GPS! C'mon Devlon!"

 

Forte stops Devlon.

 

Forte: "Oh, and Devlon."

 

Forte: "She'll be fine. Don't overdo it."

 

Devlon looks down, closes his eyes, then nods. 

 

Elliot runs past Forte to follow Devlon and Wendy. 

 

Forte: "Where do ya think you're going?"

 

Elliot: "I can help! I've got powers now."

 

Forte: "Powers that you can control?"

 

Elliot: "I mean…"

 

PAGE 16

 

Setting: Outside. In front of Site 7 in the parking lot. There are a few police cars around. 

 

Wendy: Looks a lot less creepy during the day. "Alright, where's my ca- oh no!"

 

Devlon: "What's the matter?"

 

Wendy: "I forgot; that Elliot kid blew up my car."

 

Devlon: "So what do we do?"

 

Wendy: "You got the keys to any of these?"

 

Devlon: "Keys? No. I don't drive."

 

This shocks Wendy.

 

Wendy: "Whadoya mean you can't drive?! How old are you?"

 

Devlon: "17."

 

Wendy: "That's old enough for at least a permit! Whose cars are these?"

 

Devlon: "The bots'. These cars take codes, not keys. Only the bots can-."

 

Nerves of frustration pop out of Wendy's head.

 

Wendy: "The bots drive, but you all don't?!"

 

Devlon: "Well, Master Forte doesn't trust us after a joy ride incident and…what?"

 

Wendy just stares at Devlon.

 

Wendy: "You really amaze me, you know that? So what are we gonna do?"

 

SFX: Honk! honk!

 

Wendy and Devlon turn towards the exit by the road. There's a man riding a carriage. The carriage is being pulled by a single black horse. In the back is a large heart-shaped pumpkin with wheels.

 

Pumpkin dude: "You kids need a lift?"

 

Devlon: "Hey Wendy, we can take that."

Wendy: "You do realize how odd this is, right?"

PAGE 17

 

Devlon and Wendy sit on a shared bench inside the pumpkin carriage. There's a small window on each side of them. Wendy and Devlon are about as awkward as anyone would be in this situation. Wendy's looking out the window and Devlon plays with his fingers, not knowing what to do or say.

 

Driver: "Welcome to the Pumpkin Carriage of Love. So, where're you two love birds headed?"

 

Devlon and Wendy: "Love birds?"

 

Wendy: "Look, we just need you to step on it, okay?"

 

Driver: "Man. You young couples and yer hormones. Just can't wait any longer, huh? 

So where y'alls headed for yer getaway?"

 

Wendy and Devlon look at each other, then back at the driver. 

 

Devlon and Wendy (shared bubble): "Thrift Store."

 

Driver: That's not very romantic.

 

Later, the two arrive at their destination, exiting the Pumpkin Carriage of Love with haste. The pumpkin driver dude is in the background waving goodbye. 

 

Wendy: "Let's never do that again." That guy was creepy.

 

Devlon: "Agreed."

 

PAGE 18

 

Wendy and Devlon bust through the front door. Ahead of them are two individuals with handguns. One of them is wearing shades. The other is wearing a backwards cap. To the left are registers n such. To the right are isles of clothing. The shoppers are near the clothing isles with their hands up. 

 

Shades robber: "I said raise those hands in the air!"

 

Hat robber: "And put all of your money in the bag!"

 

Wendy puts a hand on her hip and rolls her eyes.

 

Wendy: "Talk about desperate. A thrift store? They're robbing a thrift store?"

 

Devlon: "Desperate times, I guess."

 

Wendy: *sigh* "Alright, you guys are coming with me!"

 

The two men shift their attention to Devlon and Wendy. The shoppers move farther into the aisle to get away. 

 

Shades robber: "What? Some kid and a girl's gonna take us in?"

 

Wendy: "What? Does the presence of a lady intimidate you?"

 

Hat robber: "Go home before you get hurt!"

 

Wendy: "Devlon, if you don't mind, I'll take the one with the stupid hat."

 

Devlon: "Fine by me. Just be careful." 

 

Final panel is split diagonally. Left half of the panel is Devlon and Wendy. Devlon has a confident smirk on his face. Wendy's got a calm, neutral look with her arms crossed. On the right side are the two robbers. In the middle of the screen is "VS," similar to your typical fighting game.

 

Wendy: "Careful? Thanks, but this'll be over soon enough."