Chereads / Small World(s) / Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Proving Ground

Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Proving Ground

Chapter 9

 

PAGE 1

 

Wendy and Devlon stand at a distance opposite the robotic baby. A dead Elliot is seen nearby, smoke coming from his face. 

 

Wendy: "Well, I guess it's on us."

 

Devlon: "Yup. That guy's got a long way to go."

 

The baby raises the long robotic arm coming out of his shoulder, holding a missile.

 

Devlon: "Here it comes!"

 

Gripping his sword handle, Devlon charges at the baby.

 

Devlon: "I'll make this quick!"

 

Wendy: (arms crossed) So much for teamwork.

 

Close up on Wendy from behind. She's alarmed by a dragging sound behind her and turns around. 

 

Wendy: "Hm?"

 

Wendy turns around to see a group of about 20 zombified bots.

Wendy: "Oh yeah. Leave me with a group of them."

PAGE 2

 

Devlon's perspective. Devlon jumps up towards the baby. The baby, who's being supported by large robotic spider arms, fires two missiles at Devlon. 

Devlon kicks off one missile, sending it down to the ground, and slashing the other incoming missile in half. 

 

Devlon lands on the ground, looking toward the evil baby, who's walking closer.

 

Devlon: "Is that all you got?"

 

SFX: *clink*

 

Devlon turns around, curious about the sound he heard.

 

Devlon: "Hm?"

 

Close up on his face. All of a sudden, Devlon's confident smirk turns to fear and anxiety.

 

Devlon: "Oh no! She needs my help!"

 

Devlon runs in Wendy's direction.

 

 

PAGE 3

 

Shift to Wendy's perspective. She's currently flipping over a bot and kicking another bot as she lands.

 

Another bot comes from behind to grab her, but she immediately swings the bot over her shoulders.

 

As more bots surround her, Wendy dodges a couple bots, fires at a few, kicks some more, and knocks some bots into each other. She's really holding her own!

 

There are dead bots all around. But there are more in the distance coming for her. As more enemies try to close in on her, she begins to stretch. 

 

Wendy: "They just keep coming, huh? Oh well. I can hold out until Devlon beats the boss, no sweat." They're pretty weak.

 

Devlon: (off screen) "I'm on my way!"

 

PAGE 4

 

Devlon frantically approaches Wendy. Wendy casually turns to him. 

 

Wendy: "Oh, hey."

 

Devlon: "I came to help you."

 

Wendy: "Sure thing. We can sweep out the rest of them real quick now that you took care of the boss."

 

SFX: *CLANK!*

 

Both Devlon and Wendy turn around to see that the boss baby is alive and well.

 

Wendy: "You didn't destroy the boss?! What happened?"

 

Devlon: "I came to help you first."

 

Wendy: "Help me with what, cleaning up the bodies? I got this! Or maybe you wanna switch?"

 

Wendy confidently walks in the baby's direction, cocking her pistol.

 

Wendy: "Fine! You take the rest of those guys. This baby is mine!" 

 

The baby pulls out another missile from his extra shoulder.

 

Wendy: He keeps producing those missiles. But if I pop his shoulder, he won't be able to aim.

 

Wendy aims her pistol at the baby as she runs toward him. 

 

Wendy: "Never thought I'd have to shoot at a baby."

 

 

PAGE 5

 

Wendy is taken by surprise as Devlon swoops in from behind and grabs her and dashes away. 

 

Wendy: "Waaaa?!"

 

Devlon: "Don't worry, I gotcha."

 

Devlon stops once they're at a greater distance from the baby again. Devlon is still holding onto Wendy from behind. He looks concerned. 

 

Devlon: "Are you okay?"

 

Wendy: "Get…"

 

Wendy elbows Devlon in the gut, knocking the air out of him.

 

Wendy: "OFF of me!"

 

Perspective shift to the ground floor where Forte and the others view the mission on the monitor. Jasmine and Chase stand in front of the screen.

 

Chase: "Oooo! That's gotta hurt."

 

Jasmine: "Ugh. Come on Devie! This is a disaster!"

 

Chase: "Think they'll succeed?"

 

Jasmine places a hand on her forehead and shakes her head.

 

Jasmine: "Nah. It's too soon. He's gonna crack."

 

Chase: "Have more faith in them. 20 bucks says they make it."

 

Jasmine: "HA! Looks like I'm 20 bucks richer."

PAGE 6

 

Perspective shifts back to Devlon and Wendy. Devlon lets go of Wendy, holding his abdomen. 

 

Devlon: She's…stronger than she looks. It hurts to stand up straight…

 

Wendy: "What the heck was that?! I was just about to fire at the baby!"

 

Devlon: "You…were in danger."

 

Wendy: "What?! I had things under control! But NOW I'm in danger, thanks to you!"

 

The baby takes aim at them. 

 

Wendy: "You made me drop my weapon. And I don't think close combat against a robotic baby with missiles is smart."

 

The missile is fired, coming straight for them. Wendy stands her ground, analyzing. 

 

Wendy: The missiles aren't as fast as I imagined them to be. Maybe it's because it's set to D+.

 

Wendy bends her knees, ready to take off.

Wendy: If that's the case, I can definitely dodge them and reach the baby.

 

Devlon: She's still so calm in this situation. It is only a simulation, afterall.

 

 

PAGE 6

 

Close up on Wendy. The next panel is from Devlon's first-person perspective as he looks at Wendy.. Her face has changed a bit. Her cheeks have a slight bubbly roundness to them. Her serious eyes look more innocent, very similar to the girl Devlon mistook her for when they first met.

 

Devlon: No. It isn't her. 

 

Devlon shakes his head.

 

Devlon: Just a simulation. She isn't in any real danger!

 

Devlon tightly closes his eyes.

 

Devlon: It isn't her. Her name is Wendy! Just say it!

 

Devlon looks over at Wendy again. 

 

Devlon: Her name is Wendy. Just say her name!

 

Close up on Devlon's mouth uttering a word.

 

Devlon: "Karla."

 

Eyes full of tears, Devlon frantically dashes to Wendy's aid. 

Devlon: "I'm coming, Karla!"

 

Wendy: "Who?"

 

PAGE 7

 

Devlon grabs Wendy for the second time, dodging the missile that Wendy was preparing to dodge. He's headed toward the dark alley they started in. 

 

Wendy: "What the…what's with you! Let me go!"

 

Devlon's let Wendy go in the alley.

 

Devlon: I'm losing it! But, if she's out of sight, I can focus on ending this mission quickly. 

Devlon clenches his teeth.

 

Devlon: I just can't…focus around her.

 

Wendy: "What is wrong with you! You can't just go grabbing me every chance you get!"

 

Devlon turns and begins to walk away from her towards the street (though he's still in the alley).

 

Devlon: "It's not like that. I just…"

 

Wendy: "You just what?"

 

Devlon: "I just need you to hang tight while I finish up here." I can't do this.

 

Wendy grabs Devlon by the back of the collar of his shirt and pulls him, forcing him to face her.

 

Wendy: "Oooh no you don't. 'Hang tight?' I'm getting old boss vibes from you. Lemme tell you somethin'. I'm not some helpless little girl!"

 

Devlon: "No, that's not it! Just let go and-"

 

Wendy: "Screw you! I can finish this easy mission myself." 

 

As Wendy admonishes Devlon, a creepy female figure appears from behind. Both Devlon and Wendy appear to be unaware.

 

Devlon: "You can't. It's dangerous!"

 

 

PAGE 8

Wendy: "Just watch me-"

Wendy's conversation is cut short. Her eyes widened. She slowly looks down.

With a little blood leaking from her mouth, she seems to be confused as to why there are three long blades exiting her chest. One coming out of the right side of her chest, one in the middle, and one where her heart is.

Wendy: "..."

Devlon, who's been facing Wendy since she pulled him over to her, also looks down. The blades coming out of Wendy's chest were long enough to also stab him, though it missed his heart. 

Devlon: "N-no way…" I wasn't paying attention!

 

Devlon notices the creepy person behind Wendy, pulling the blades out of both of them.

Wendy falls to her knees, holding her chest with one hand as she struggles to look up at Devlon. 

 

Wendy: "This is all…your fault."

 

Wendy's eyes roll back as she falls on her face. 

 

Devlon: "Hey! Get up! Can you hear me?"

Wendy: "..."

Devlon: Not again! It's too real. I can't…

 

Devlon drops his weapon and walks backwards, not realizing that the robotic baby has caught up to him, standing right behind him with the remaining enemies that Wendy didn't finish off.

 

The next panel shows nothing but a screen full of static. 

 

PAGE 9

 

Next scene. Perspective shifts to everyone who's been observing the simulation on the bottom floor. Jasmine, Forte, and the others stand in front of the monitor.

 

Jasmine: "Yep. Shoulda bet 50. Forte, are you sure pairing them up is gonna work? Devie was doing just fine until she got here."

 

Chase: "Yeah. I gotta admit, I hate seeing him like this."

 

Iris: "This looks like a mission Devlon could easily do on his own. Why did he lose?"

 

Terry: "It's related to something that happened before you got here, Iris. I will admit, they might not work well on the same team."

 

Forte: "I get your point, but this may be a good obstacle for him to overcome. Plus, he now has a full team again."

 

Iris: "All this talk about those two. But what about Elliot?"

Jasmine smiles at Iris with a wink.

 

Jasmine: "I see where you're getting, Iris. But I don't think he's into tea parties. You're not his type."

 

Jasmine turns around as the door behind them opens. 

 

Jasmine: "Speak of the devil. There he is. You put on a great show there. I missed you."

 

Iris: (Flailing her arms) "Hands off!"

 

Devlon, Elliot, and Wendy walk through the door. Devlon looks down in humiliation. Elliot looks at Wendy with concern. Wendy's eyes are closed. There's a huge nerve of irritation on her forehead. She's pissed. 

 

Jasmine: "Welcome back to the world of the living."

 

Forte: "Enough. Welcome back, you three. Now that you've got an idea of what it's like working together in a not-so-realistic scenario," thanks Jasmine, "What do you think you can improve on?"

 

PAGE 10

 

Elliot scratches his head.

 

Elliot: "Well, I mean, I guess I-"

 

Wendy: "Devlon here can improve on his existence."

 

Terry: "Daaaaang!"

 

Devlon turns to Wendy.

 

Devlon: "I was just looking out for you!"

 

Wendy: "By getting us killed, huh? And did I ask for your help? You were supposed to take on the boss!"

 

Devlon: "Then I saw you were in trouble."

 

Wendy: "I was fine! I can handle a couple low grade bots."

 

Devlon: "But it'll be different in real life! You may not be capable of…"

Elliot looks from Devlon to Wendy as if he's a child watching the grownups fight.

 

Elliot: Uh-oh.

 

Wendy: "Not capable? I've heard that one before!"

 

Devlon: "No, that's not…"

Jasmine slides in the conversation with her hands on her hips.

 

Jasmine: "Awww, look. Their first fight."

 

Devlon: "Jazz, for once can you just…"

 

Wendy: "Hardly a fight. But if it was a real fight, maybe he'd understand I'm no helpless girl."

 

Jasmine cocks her head to the side with a grin. She seems entertained.

Jasmine: "Oh? Why not challenge him to prove yourself, girly?"

 

Wendy: "Hm. There's an idea." Girly?

Elliot raises his hand and looks around.

 

Elliot: "Wait, that's a thing here?

PAGE 11

 

Jasmine goes over and rests her arm on Elliot's shoulder. She stands with a leg crossed as she leans on him. She looks as if she's enlightening him. 

 

Jasmine: "Yep. We can do such things in the sim room, but real life is best for sparring."

 

Elliot: "SpAArIng? *ahem* Sounds cool." What the…am I..?

Jasmine confidently smiles at Elliot, giving him a wink.

 

Jasmine: His voice cracked. Too cute! "I can show you a thing or two in a sparring match. More than the rest of these pushovers, anyway."

 

Back view of the three, plus Jasmine. In front of them is Forte. He has his arms crossed as he speaks. Chase is standing next to him. 

 

Forte: "Actually, that may be a good idea."

 

Chase: "How? No more ideas from Jasmine, please. Ms. Wendy is probably exhausted."

 

Jasmine: "I was kinda kidding. If anything, let me have a go at her."

 

Forte: "It'll be a great display of her abilities. I'm sure she doesn't appreciate being underestimated. Plus, this may help Devlon to chill out a bit, don't you think?"

 

Chase: "Yeah, I see your point. I won't lie, I don't like the thought of him fighting a lady.."

 

Wendy cracks her knuckles. Devlon looks down slightly, clearly distressed. 

 

Forte: "It looks like Wendy's up for it. Let's head to another room."

 

Wendy: "These last two days have felt like two years."

 

Forte: "Alright. Let's head out."

PAGE 12

 

Devlon stands in a room with a wide open space. Across from him at a distance stands Wendy. Elliot, Forte, and the others stand off to the side.

 

Forte: "Okay, it's simple. A quick sparring match. Wendy's bullets are rubber. And Devlon's blade should be dulled, should he feel the need to use it."

Devlon looks at Wendy. He looks discouraged and worried. 

 

Devlon: "You sure you wanna do this?"

 

Wendy: "Of course. And don't hold back, either."

 

From the sidelines, Elliot turns to Terry.

 

Elliot: "Wendy's gonna fight Devlon. Isn't he one of the best?"

 

Terry: "His rank is higher than ours, yeah. I don't know what that Wendy chick is thinkin'. She's good, no doubt, but…"

 

Elliot: "Where do you stand against Devlon?"

 

Terry: "Meh. Higher than me, but he's been here longer, so…"

Jasmine chimes.

 

Jasmine: "But he's tied with me. Matter of fact, we've fought seriously multiple times."

 

Elliot: "Really? Who's got more wins?"

 

Jasmine smiles and raises a brow.

 

Jasmine: "Never got to a winner or loser. Ya see, Devlon's faster and stronger than I am. But even so…He's never been able to hurt me, even when his attacks land."

 

Elliot: What the…

Jasmine turns and looks over at Devlon and Wendy with a more serious look.

 

Jasmine: "I'd love to get a shot at putting that girlie in her place for the fun of it. I didn't think Forte would take my suggestion seriously."

 

Devlon and Wendy standoff.

 

Devlon: "Look, I-"

 

Wendy: "Save it. I'll show you what I'm made of so there'd be no question about what I'm capable of. I got this too often at the other job."

 

PAGE 13

 

Forte raises a hand.

 

Forte: "Okay. Both fighters ready? Begin!"

 

Wendy dashes at Devlon full speed.

 

Wendy: "Here I come!"

 

Upon reaching Devlon, Wendy throws in a right hook, which Devlon easily catches in his hand. He appears uncomfortable.

 

Wendy follows up with a left hook. Devlon catches that one, too. With a guilty look on his face, he easily holds both of Wendy's fists.

 

Wendy doesn't let up. Without any hands left to use, she quickly leaps and kicks Devlon in the chest with both feet, pushing him back just a little. This takes Devlon by surprise. 

 

PAGE 14

 

Wendy dashes in at Devlon again. She cocks back a fist as she closes in on him. Devlon's eyebrows raise. He's surprised.

 

Devlon: She's definitely faster than the average human.

 

Wendy throws a punch at Devlon. Her eyes follow him as he dodges to the side.

 

Devlon: But she just isn't fast enough-

 

Close up on Wendy's legs. One leg twists on the floor for a spin while the other leg rises.

 

Wendy spins around, throwing out a spin kick. Devlon ducks to dodge. 

 

Devlon: She knew I'd dodge her punch. She only used the punch to get closer!

 

PAGE 15

 

Wendy follows up with a kick from her other leg, still building momentum from her spins. This forces Devlon to dodge by jumping backwards. 

 

Devlon: She's been using the momentum of her missed attacks to her advantage…whiffing her first kick so she can strengthen the next with a spin!

 

As Devlon dodges the second kick, he notices Wendy pulling her hand from behind her hip. 

 

Devlon: Wait, she's…

 

Devlon grips his sword handle on his back.

Devlon: Those follow-up attacks were distractions, too!

 

Wendy pulls her handgun from her holster and fires.

 

Devlon ducks right before the trigger is pulled, dodging the first shot. Then quickly moves to the side for the second.

Devlon pulls out his blade for a downward slash, blocking the third shot.

Devlon: She isn't letting up! She's kept up this pressure…and even forced me to draw my blade.

Wendy calmly holds her gun aimed at Devlon.

 

Devlon: This one is a genius, for sure.

 

Wendy: "You're gonna get hurt if you keep holding back, ya know."

 

PAGE 16

 

Close up on Devlon, looking at a piece of the bullet he blocked. 

 

Devlon: She's right. (Rubber bullets, huh?). She's definitely better than I thought. But…

 

Close up on Devlon's mouth.

 

Devlon: "You're right. Hey, I didn't mean any offense earlier. You're really good, but…"

 

They stand across from each other, about 5 feet apart. They both have their weapons drawn.

 

Wendy: "But?"

 

Devlon: "You're strong, but still only human."

 

Wendy: "And I've survived this long as a human. Once I win, you'll admit that I can work special missions just fine. Got it?"

 

A lightbulb flickers above Devlon's head. He looks concerned again.

 

Devlon: "S-so…if I win…you'll stand down?"

 

Wendy: "Ya know what? FINE! I'll expect a well written apology for looking down on me."

In the background, Jasmine holds out her hand to the other spectators.

 

Jasmine: "And the bets are in! Who y'all got?"

Elliot looks down, discouraged.

 

Elliot: "We just became a team, and it's already…"

 

Terry: "Devlon's gonna wipe the floor with her."

 

 

PAGE 17

 

Wendy dashes in, firing a couple shots at Devlon. Devlon ducks the shots as he dashes forward at Wendy. 

Wendy: Of course he dodges. But maybe…

As Devlon closes in on Wendy, he suddenly looks puzzled.

Devlon: Huh? Why'd she stop firing?

 

Wendy underhands her gun at him, which throws him off a little.

 

Wendy slides to the side of Devlon. Her gun is flying over his head. 

 

Now at Devlon's side, the gun lands in Wendy's hand. She takes aim at point blank range.

 

Devlon turns around to see Wendy aiming right at him.

 

PAGE 18

 

Devlon quickly turns, slashing the gun out of Wendy's hand. 

 

Wendy responds with an uppercut, but Devlon catches her by the wrist. He tightly grips her wrist.

 

Wendy: "What the…" He's…hurting me!

 

Wendy grabs hold of Devlon's injured shoulder with her free hand, causing Devlon to wince. 

 

Devlon: "Ack! Really?"

 

Wendy: "Hurts, doesn't it?"

 

Wendy jumps on Devlon, wrapping her legs around him, looking down into his eyes. Devlon looks up into her eyes. He looks surprised, red lines of blush on his cheeks. Elliot stands bug-eyed in the background.

 

Devlon: "…um, wha-"

 

Wendy: Now that he's distracted…

Wendy leans in and bites down on Devlon's injured shoulder. Devlon lets out a painful scream.

 

PAGE 19

 

Devlon pulls back and shoves Wendy off of him.

As Wendy lands, Devlon palms her right in the abdomen, sending her a few yards away.

 

Wendy rolls as she hits the floor until she lies near the spectators on her stomach.

 

Elliot: That's gotta hurt. "Wendy, are you okay?" 

 

Jasmine: "Devlon, c'mon! She's down. Do her like you'd do against me!"

 

Wendy struggles to get up, only managing to get on all fours.

 

Wendy: I didn't think a person could…actually hit that hard. It's like I was hit by a bus.

 

Close up on Wendy's face. She's looking up in front of her with a surprised expression. 

Wendy: I'm barely able to catch my breath. How is he…?

 

Zooming out, Wendy is shocked to see Devlon standing over her. He holds his blade only about an inch away from her face.

 

Wendy: To get in front of me this fast is insane!

 

Devlon: "I'm sorry I hit you that hard. Now… do you surrender?"