Issue 7
Jeffery is getting off of an elevator. His head is bowed, and looks very upset, as if he has been crying.
Panel 2
He is fumbling for keys in his pocket and is muttering to himself.
Jeffery:..trick…just a tri
Panel 3
Michael is opening the door and looking him, he has a half smile on his face.
Michael: Jeffery! I thought I heard…are you ok?
Panel 4
Michael and Jeffery are looking at one another face to face.
Michael: Jeff, what’s wrong, you look upset.
Jeffery: I don’t want to talk about it now, what are you doing here?
Michael: I…..Chris and I broke up.
Panel 5
Jeffery now has a shocked look on his face.
Jeffery: I…I’m sorry, I really am.
Michael: Where were you, why were you saying “trick”….are you sure your OK?
Panel 6
Aiden is in the doorway. Grabbing both Aiden and Jeffery.
Aiden: Come on guys, you’re missing this!
Pages 2 and 3
Aurora has sawed Tiff in half. Tiff’s face has a very concerned look on her face. She is in a box that has two pieces, the piece with her legs are kicking wildly. Annie is sitting on the floor in a T-Shirt and shorts. Evelyn is in a robe, she is wearing high heels and lingerie, as shown by the very sheer robe. Michael is in Pjs and a Tshirt. Aiden is in shorts and a tanktop. Aurora is wearing sweat pants and a tank top, but also has her robe on. On the floor is a pile of various magazines. In the foreground is one that is open to a splash page with photos of Evelyn.
Tiff: Ok, Aurora, you can put me back together now….
Aiden: Hold on, let me take a picture with the phone to send to Rachel….
Annie: Does it hurt?Evelyn: HAHAHA, I don’t ever remember having this much, even when Paris, Lindsey and I went out without our knickers just looking for photographers!
Aurora: Ok….OK what do you want to see next?Michael: Might as well get comfortable, Jeffery, doesn’t look like your gonna be getting a lot of sleep tonight.
Jeffery: What’s going on here?
The text on the magazine: Chat Room: The Cabal prologue. words by A Marshall, M Floyd, and J Robles, pictures taken by Robles. Additional concepts by S Blotner
It has been a whirlwind couple of days for Ax Corporation’s new employees: Evelyn, Aiden, Jeffery, Annie, Michael and Aurora have battled a teammate, had relationship ups and downs, and now are letting out some steam! Don’t know what’s been going on? Turn the page and find out!
Page 4
Jeffery is standing next to Michael. He has one eyebrow raised. Michael is giving him a slow smile.
Michael: What? Rachel left tonight to go out of town on her and Aiden’s anniversary, said she has to get a way for a bit, and the gang figured we’d both be down because of my breakup and that so….
Jeffery: Wait, what? Slow down, what’s going on?
Panel 2
Annie is laughing and pointing at Jeffery. Tiff is sitting next to her, she is wearing a matching pjs.
Annie: I don’t know why the speedster saying ‘slow down’ is so funny to me!
Tiff: Because you’ve had 3 margaritas.
Annie: I know my limits….is there anymore?
Tiff: I’m cutting you off.
Panel 3
Michael is leading Jeffery to the large sofa.
Michael: Ok, well, I hadn’t told Chris that I was a parahuman and he didn’t take it very well when he found out…..
Off panel: Well, I think me being thrown into your dinner didn’t help.
Michael: I’ll get to that, bad thing is we were there celebrating Rachel being pregnant…..
Panel 4
Jeffery is hugging Aiden. Evelyn has a pitcher in her hand, her nightgown and hair is being blown around.
Evelyn: Whoa!
Jeffery: Congratulations! I’msohappyforyouthatmustbesoexcitingforyouand
Aiden: Whoa! Slow down! Thank you, well dinner wasn’t going so great anyway, I kinda told Rachel I wasn’t ready for marriage yet and wanted to wait.
Panel 5
Evelyn is slapping the back of his head while pouring a glass of margarita into a glass.
Evelyn: Here, Jeffery, everyone except Aiden and Aurora can drink. And Aiden? Stupid, stupid..
Aiden: OW! Yeah, I know, I know. Rachel thought me being on the team was beginning to interfere with us, and needed to get away to think, I didn’t think she was going to leave tonight though. I miss her so much….
Panel 6
Annie is giggling. Tiff is rolling her eyes.
Annie: WHIP-pshhhhh! Someone is whipped! HAHAHA
Tiff: You have to be, without a doubt, the most annoying drunk, in the world.
Annie: Cut me some slack before, I never drank before, or been kissed or you know taken the subway, been audited for taxes or…..! I think I’m babbling….
Panel 7
Jeffery is now on the floor besides them at superspeed. The magazines that were on the floor are now being blown around. Jeffery has the cup of margarita in his hand, the drink is moving to catch up with the glass.
Jeffery: You were kissed?! By who, Paul?
Panel 8
Annie has one eye open and looking at him strangely. Tiff is getting up.
Annie: You shouldn’t do that, I see soooooooo many Jeffery’s.
Tiff: I’m getting a trash can just in case….
Page 5
Aurora is removing the cloak and picking up a glass that has goo in it.
Aurora: I got a concussion, and some prisoners got broken out while the rest of the team fought some weird guy in armor. We are thinking he was paid to keep us busy. Damn…ice cream melted…..Frostilicus!
Panel 2
She is sitting next to Michael on the couch. Michael is drinking out of a mug.
Aurora: Good as new! What are you drinking? It smells bad but looks good…..
Michael: It’s a Black Bach and not until your twenty-one. Yeah, day after we get our asses handed to us by Regal, Annie and I are made team leader, sh!t hits the fan, well for most of us.
Aurora: Well, I think you should look on the bright side, now you got the awkward part out of the way, he knows your parahuman and now your “out” to everyone.
Panel 3
Jeffery, now in shorts and a T-shirt is sitting at Michael’s feet. Jeffery’s ankle is bandaged.
Michael: You’re right, telling my parents, first that I was ‘special’ then that I was gay, were two outings, I never want to repeat. I’m just glad that Moto’ and Marla are cool with the gay thing.
Jeffery: How did you tell them….I mean your parents?
Michael: Parahuman or gay? And which parents?
Jeffery: Both and both.
Panel 4
Insert Michael Origin(Michael, your turn)
Page 8
Annie is looking at Michael.
Annie: You know, I thought I had the crap job life. But at least things are looking up for you.
Michael: HAHA, like mine is any worse than yours! You must be the queen of suck!
Annie: HEY! Mine is bad I admit, but you know it’s probably not the worse one here….
Michael: I think it is….spill it and we’ll see.
Annie: OK, if you really want to know….
Panel 2(The panel is the remainder of the page. It is Annie’s face talking, with the text going doing the middle of the page and the pictures describing the scenes down the far right.
Annie: My brother and I grew up in the swamps of Louisiana. It was just us and Mom. She worked all the time, she was a waitress. Living in Houma was OK, I guess. Robbie and I were always running around, playing, going to school and practically raising ourselves. Whenever we saw Mom, she had a sad look on her face, but she loved us just the same. The last time I saw her, she was actually home and walked us to the bus stop. She embarrassed us, by hugging us repeatedly saying that she loved us over and over and once we got home, she would have dinner ready and we would spend the entire night together. Then about 2 hours later we were at the principals office. There was a fire…she…had gotten trapped inside. The only relatives that we knew we had were distant cousins that lived in Salvation. But we got word that they died years ago, and there was only us. Robbie and I were waiting in the state orphanage before we could go to the foster home, when the man came for me.
He has some kind of weird hold on me, taking me without struggle and I remember getting into the car with him, wanting to go back from Robbie, but I was afraid to leave the man. He took me far, it was in the mountains, there were a lot of other children there….it was…he did things to us. Injected us with serum, then watched us to see what we would do. Those of us who developed powers, stayed. The ones that didn’t….I don’t want to think about what happened to those who didn’t.
Page 9
Annie now has a blank expression, the page should be the same although a reverse of the previous.
Annie: He was trying to get us to be his slaves, but one night I broke free from his control. I gathered the others and we left. We burned the complex to the ground. I don’t know or care if he got out. Then we started to look for family, a place to belong. Over time we placed most of our youngest charges, then when it was down to a few, we realized, we didn’t have anywhere to go. We started to steal, rob, anything to survive, really. We became the Crazy Gang. And it was fun for a few years. Then, it was like a realization. I wanted a life, I wanted to be responsible, I was out. Then Trish had an idea, One last heist, one last way to get money. The bank robbery. I resisted but her mental control…If Evelyn, Jeffery and that Doll thing hasn’t intervened, I would be as dead as the folks in the bank. Prison wasn’t so bad, I kept to myself, studied, if I had the electrical powers might as well learn how to use them….then well, the rest you know….
Page 10
Panel 1
Annie is looking at everyone. Everyone seems to be looking down and away from her.
Annie: O come on, it’s not that bad, I mean here I am!
Panel 2
Everyone is still in the same positions.
Panel 3
Annie is getting up holding an empty glass.
Annie: Screw you, I’m getting another drink.
Panel 4
Chris is putting a box into a midsize SUV. He has an angry look on his face.
Chris: Piece of shit, lying to me, the entire time, two years! Two years with a liar….
Panel 5
There is a man dragging a body into a car, across the alley.
Panel 6
Chris is pulling a cellphone out of his pocket and dialing, he is walking a little closer.
Chris: Hey! Hey? Is everything alright, do you need….
Page 11
Chris is being grabbed by Nancy Boy.
Chris: Hmmph!
Panel 2
The body that was being dragged is getting up. It is the Fecal Master and behind the Fecal Master is Fruit Fly.
Fruit Fly: Chris….you want to get even with him, don’t you? Don’t worry, we only want to help you, weather your want it or not…..
Panel 3
Annie is laughing. Michael is standing ,his lips should be moving but the sound balloon should be coming from the couch. Aurora is eating her ice cream, while levitating. Jeffery is changing the bandages on his ankle. Evelyn is walking in to the living room with a tray. The tray has a bottle of whiskey and a large bottle of soda. There are four glasses with ice.
Michael’s Voice:…I want your filthy bottoms off my cushions!
Evelyn: I have brought refreshment! A lovely concoction called Whiskey Sodas, who would like one?
Annie: ME! Ugh, I need to slow down. Just a little bit.
Michael: I want one, so where did we leave off?
Panel 4
Evelyn is pouring a drink. She is looking at Michael, while speaking.
Evelyn: Maybe we shouldn’t go into this anymore. I mean, how tired is it to discuss one’s “origin story”?
Michael: C’mon Evee, are you just a little curious?
Evelyn: Yes, well, I admit to have a passing curiosity of your past, but what is more important are the people you are now.
Panel 5
Aurora is holding her ice cream bowl upside down.
Aurora: I guess I did finish, I’ll magic up some more later, I think its fascinating .
Evelyn: OK, then you, next. Tell us about your past.
Panel 6
Aurora is spreading her hands. There is a bubble that has an image of a little girl drawing with crayons in side. The words she is speaking are being projected in to the bubble.
Aurora: Well, I grew up in West Virginia. My father was a miner, my mother was killed shortly after I was born. My father was a good man, he didn’t know how to relate to me. I was….special to say the least.
Page 12
Same as Page 11, panel 6, with the image of a fire.
Aurora: I used to have dreams. They would tell me what was going to happen. I warned my father about the fire that would destroy the trailer. He didn’t believe me, I made sure that night to hug him extra tight and tell him that I loved him over and over. When the fire came, I tried to wake him, then…..when he did wake up, he threw me out the window. It was too small for him to squeeze through….
Panel 2
Same as Page 11, panel 6, with the image of three older woman finding her.
Aurora: My dreams told me that I wouldn’t have to wait long for help. The Sisterhood found me and took me to their commune. There they related to me, they recognized my gifts and taught me how to focus it and channel it. Then when I became thirteen, I was accepted into the circle. I was a member of the coven.
Panel 3
Same as Page 11, panel 6, with the image a young Aurora using magic.
Aurora: I advanced quickly. Unless it was a large spell, I didn’t need ceremony, I didn’t need the foci that they did. I was the north in circle. They loved me as much as any one mother could and I loved them as I did my father. For years, they taught me, instructed me in magic and were my guides.
Panel 4
Same as Page 11, panel 6, with the image of a circle of protection.
Aurora: The last time, I saw them alive, they were going to show me magical objects. Arisha gave me the book, and the next day, we were to begin pouring over spells. I went to bed happy, but I woke up with a start. The dreams were gone. The circle was drawn around my cabin, but the rest of the commune was destroyed. My sisters were dead.
Panel 5
Same as Panel 11, panel 6 with the image of Aurora holding a staff and her magical bag.
Aurora: I found a clue, there was a map that had divining runes leading to Salvation. I packed up the book, all of the magical artifacts I could find, and the Staff of Gaia and I boarded a bus to Salvation. I will find out what happened to my sisters.
Panel 6
Aurora is not looking up but is pointing a wand at her now empty bowl.
Aurora: I need more ice cream.
Page 13
Annie is looking at Evelyn.
Annie: OK, so…Evee, you?
Panel 2
Evelyn is sitting on a decorative chair.
Evelyn: Not too much to tell, dear. I am an amnesiac, woke up and was discovered. Always knew I could change appearance and density and then helped stop a bank robbery. That rush was exquisite, there was nothing like it, but I didn’t want to sign on the dotted line for this time.
Panel 3
Evelyn is now smiling.
Evelyn: Then the prison break happened and voila! Here I am.
Panel 4
Michael is sitting next to Jeffery, now helping him bandage his ankle.
Michael: OK, so you never tried to look for anyone you might be related to, or who you were?Evelyn: No, what would be the point in that, dear? What important is who I am now and what I do now.
Michael: Yeah, but you might have family that is looking for you, or you know like someone, who you might have wronged or you might have been a terrible person.
Panel 5
Evelyn is smiling at him.
Evelyn: Ahhh, yes the “I might” questions. Honestly, Michael I really don’t care, they would have found me, it’s not I have been hiding under a rock. I am a complete tabula rasa and I enjoy my blank slate.
Panel 6
Michael is now looking at Jeffery.
Michael: I guess…….Is the pressure good, Jeff?
Jeffery: Yeah, it’s OK, I need to rub it a lil to get the circulation going though.
Michael: It’s OK, I’ll do it.
Page 14
Panel 1
Aurora, Tiff, Evelyn, Jeffery, Annie, and Michael are all looking toward Aiden.
Aiden: What?
Michael: Your up.
Aiden: I don’t want to. I mean I have problems, but you guys seems to have everything go wrong.
Annie: Just tell us, it can’t be just totally boring.
Aiden: I know you guys had it rough, but my life hasn’t been exactly a cake walk either….
Panel 2(Takes up rest of page)
The panel looks like various photographs in a scrapbook. There are slips of paper around each photo which are Aiden’s narrative.
There is a photo of Aiden’s family that resembles a Sears family photo, bad clothes and hair and all.
Aiden: My parents always had really freaking high expectations for me and my brother. Like when I was 10, I started taking trombone lesions and Zach started taking trumpet. It was actually in band that I met Rachel. I knew she was different, even then, after all she played the euphonium.
In school, I was pretty much expected to make straight A’s. (there is a pic of young Zach and Aiden with their instruments, Zach looking bored, Aiden flashing a smile) The handful of times I made Bs, I was grounded for two weeks each. Less than a year ago, I was grounded during one of our biggest games against James Woods High.(there is a photo of Aiden in his football uniform on the field). At first, my parents weren’t going to let me play, but Coach Hassenfeffer talked them into letting me go. The worst was my sophomore year when I made a C+ at the end of a semester…(there should be a taped in scan of a report card with a C+).
Page 15
Splash page, this page is the same as the last
I stayed in my room upset and almost to the point of tears for three days. Rachel came to see me that Sunday and told me that she knew how much I tried and convinced me that as long as I did my best, that was all that was expected of me.(the photograph is Aiden on his bed, looking upset and Rachel is sitting next to him, with a book in her lap. She is looking at the camera, smiling)Ever since then I’ve felt better about myself and actually gave me a certain amount of self confidence. When I fell out of that tree and turned into….well, I don’t know what it was I became, but the feeling that I don’t know my body or what I am…no one understood. My family was great with dealing with my powers, but they always seemed like there was something not right about me.( The picture should be Aiden turning into a dog, growing at the family dog.) But Rachel, she knew how to tell me everything was OK. In fact, I joined Ax, because of her encouragement. (the picture is of the team around Aiden and Rachel)
Page 16
Everyone in the room is looking at him.
Aiden: What?Michael: Dude, yeah you were right, totally lame.
Panel 2
Everyone is laughing except for Aiden.
Panel 3
Aiden is giggling.
Aiden: Screw you, dude!
Panel 4
Jeffery is wincing. Michael is now setting his foot down.
Jeffery: Ok, ow! That’s starting to hurt again.
Michael: Do you want me to stop?
Jeffery: No, I think I may need to walk around for a bit.
Panel 5
Annie is looking at Jeffery and Michael.
Annie: Not yet, your next.
Michael: Right! Were you trying to get out of telling us?
Jeffery: Uh, OK, well if you guys told….
Page 17
It is the outside of a farm. It is windy and there and Jeffery is there trying to close a barn door.
Jeffery(?): Stupid, stupid farm, if Dad was alive, I wouldn’t have to be here doing this stupid work.
Panel 2
Jeffery(?) is walking towards the house in the wind storm.
Jeffery: Need to inject myself again, stupid powers in this house, wish Jeffery were here…
Panel 3
Jeffery(?) is turning around surprised.
Off Panel Voice: Gavin?
Panel 4
Gavin is looking behind him in shock. Psy-Anyde, a man the size of a house, and a man who has the body of a snake are coming out of the corn field.
Psy-Anyde: Gavin, do you really want your twin brother back? We can help you.
Panel 5
Gavin is looking skeptical.
Gavin: Would I have to leave the farm?Psy-Anyde: Yes.
Panel 6
Gavin is grinning.
Gavin: Good, let’s get the hell out of this dump.
Page 18
Jeffery is laying down on the couch, with Michael rubbing his feet. Aurora is eating another bowl of ice cream, levitating above the couch.
Jeffery: Well, things were normal on the farm. My days were school, chores with my twin, Gavin, and finding time to play with my best friend, Tyler. Then when I was twelve, my grandpa came to visit. He and my mom had a falling out when I was younger, so he never came around.
Panel 2
The panel has now changed. It appears to be a young Gavin and Jeffery sitting at a dinner table with an older man, who looks haggard and tired.
Jeffery: Gavin loved grandpa, I….didn’t get a good feeling. He told us he left his research facility and was moving to California and didn’t know where else to stop for the night. He talked my parents into letting him stay. Early the next morning when Dad woke us up for chores, he was gone. And then we all got sick. My sisters, parents, Gavin, Tyler, who had spent the night, and I, threw up repeatedly. Then shakes and finally fatigue.
Panel 3
The panel is a scene of a young Jeffery running fast through a corn field.
Jeffery: I woke up the next morning and I was full of energy. It was great! I went to talk to the Tyler’s family farm to see how he was and took a short cut through the field. I was so excited that I broke into a run. Then before I knew it, everything was blurry, It was as if his family farm was at the end of a blurry streaky tunnel. And I was there. A walk that normally takes me thirty minutes took me five. I was happy. It was just like the comic books, I had powers!
Panel 4
The panel is Jeffery and Tyler outside of town. There should be speed lines of Jeffery moving at hyper speed.
Jeffery: We didn’t tell anyone else, kept it our little secret. Well us, and Gavin. Gavin had this weird sense about powers but that’s as far as it got. He hated Tyler so we didn’t spend much time with Gavin. Tyler and I would time my running into town and back and would play practical jokes on bullies in town. Then one day…
Panel 5
The panel is of Jeffery and Tyler’s shadow kissing.
Jeffery: Tyler just leaned over and kissed me. It was the best experience of my life so far. I had liked him since I could remember, but this was just….we started to spend even more time away from everyone. Then we had an idea. We would wait until we were older and runaway to Salvation. There were super heroes there, we could run away there, live, and be….together.
Panel 6
The panel is of Jeffery watching a large crowd. The crowd is dragging someone away.
Jeffery: Early on Tyler’s seventeeth birthday, I packed, it was time to go. We saved up some money and agreed that at seventeen we could get jobs. But I made it to the clearing and saw the men. And Tyler’s truck….Somehow, they found out about him. I…saw my dad there…and they were hitting him….repeatedly. I was paralyzed. There was nothing I could do…..
Page 19
Jeffery is running through the crowd grabbing Tyler from the ground.
Jeffery: I….heard him beg for them to stop. I…couldn’t take it, then I acted. Finally, I grabbed his body and ran to the other side of town. He…in…my….arms. Th-The sun came up and I had buried him. It was the hardest thing, I ever had to do. Then I walked. I walked from Nebraska to here, I walked to Salavation. When I got here, I quickly ran out of money, I had nowhere to go…
Panel 2
The panel is Jeffery dressed in dirty clothes and rags, running from the Java Cup.
Jeffery: There was a nice man, Collin, who runs the Java Cup, he would provide me some meals and free coffee. I stayed at some of the shelters, then the bank robbery. After that, I deceided that I couldn’t just stand around doing nothing. There were still people to defend and protect. There is one crazy guy, The Fecal Master, or what not, that hates the homeless and he and I have clashed a few times. But other than that I was stopping shop lifters, pick pockets, and burglers.
Panel 3
Jeffery is back on the couch. Michael is still massaging him. The others are staring at him.
Michael: Jeff…Jeffery are you OK?
Panel 4
Jeffery is getting off of the couch.
Jeffery: I think I need to walk around….
Page 20
Jeffery is on the balcony, he is looking out at the view of the city. Michael is coming up behind him.
Michael: Jeffery? Everyone else has gone to bed, I thought I would come and check on you. You’ve been out here a while.
Jeffery: Yeah, I’m OK, I just….I haven’t thought about Tyler in a long time and thought….well you lost someone, it doesn’t get easier does it?
Panel 2
Michael is looking at Jeffery.
Michael: No, it doesn’t, but you can channel your grief, talk about it, and move on. You will always have a piece of your heart missing, but it’s not the end of the world.
Jeffery: Richard called me a trick tonight.
Panel 3
Michael looks angry.
Michael: Why? That motherfu-
Panel 4
Jeffery: We….we slept together. Then I woke up, he asked me to leave, and said to not put my feelings into it because I was a trick, and I…I don’t know why I even slept with him, I feel cheap and used.
Michael: You’re not just a trick, and sometimes these things just….happen. I thought you were dating James though.
Jeffery: We…don’t have any strings or an agreement or…I don’t know what we are, I feel so…I guess I just wanted to feel loved.
Panel 5
Michael is hugging Jeffery.
Michael: That’s what friends are for, Jeff. If anything else, you should know that with this team, we are here for each other, to support one another. You should never forget that. Ever.
Panel 6
Michael is attempting to get free from the embrace Jeffery is still holding him.
Jeffery: Don’t….please…just a little longer.
Michael: Ok, Jeff….
Page 21
Psy-Anyde, Hightower, Slyther, Nancy Boy, Fruit Fly, Gavin, The Fecal Master, and Gunsmyth are standing over Chris. He is attempting to crawl away.
Chris: Please…l-let me go…..
Page 22
There are a pair of boots with a star pattern in front of him. Chris is looking up in fear.
Off Panel Voice: No. You’re going to help us. And don’t worry, you said you would kill Rukus. We are going to give you tools to do that…..
Jeffery is getting off of an elevator. His head is bowed, and looks very upset, as if he has been crying.
Panel 2
He is fumbling for keys in his pocket and is muttering to himself.
Jeffery:..trick…just a tri
Panel 3
Michael is opening the door and looking him, he has a half smile on his face.
Michael: Jeffery! I thought I heard…are you ok?
Panel 4
Michael and Jeffery are looking at one another face to face.
Michael: Jeff, what’s wrong, you look upset.
Jeffery: I don’t want to talk about it now, what are you doing here?
Michael: I…..Chris and I broke up.
Panel 5
Jeffery now has a shocked look on his face.
Jeffery: I…I’m sorry, I really am.
Michael: Where were you, why were you saying “trick”….are you sure your OK?
Panel 6
Aiden is in the doorway. Grabbing both Aiden and Jeffery.
Aiden: Come on guys, you’re missing this!
Pages 2 and 3
Aurora has sawed Tiff in half. Tiff’s face has a very concerned look on her face. She is in a box that has two pieces, the piece with her legs are kicking wildly. Annie is sitting on the floor in a T-Shirt and shorts. Evelyn is in a robe, she is wearing high heels and lingerie, as shown by the very sheer robe. Michael is in Pjs and a Tshirt. Aiden is in shorts and a tanktop. Aurora is wearing sweat pants and a tank top, but also has her robe on. On the floor is a pile of various magazines. In the foreground is one that is open to a splash page with photos of Evelyn.
Tiff: Ok, Aurora, you can put me back together now….
Aiden: Hold on, let me take a picture with the phone to send to Rachel….
Annie: Does it hurt?Evelyn: HAHAHA, I don’t ever remember having this much, even when Paris, Lindsey and I went out without our knickers just looking for photographers!
Aurora: Ok….OK what do you want to see next?Michael: Might as well get comfortable, Jeffery, doesn’t look like your gonna be getting a lot of sleep tonight.
Jeffery: What’s going on here?
The text on the magazine: Chat Room: The Cabal prologue. words by A Marshall, M Floyd, and J Robles, pictures taken by Robles. Additional concepts by S Blotner
It has been a whirlwind couple of days for Ax Corporation’s new employees: Evelyn, Aiden, Jeffery, Annie, Michael and Aurora have battled a teammate, had relationship ups and downs, and now are letting out some steam! Don’t know what’s been going on? Turn the page and find out!
Page 4
Jeffery is standing next to Michael. He has one eyebrow raised. Michael is giving him a slow smile.
Michael: What? Rachel left tonight to go out of town on her and Aiden’s anniversary, said she has to get a way for a bit, and the gang figured we’d both be down because of my breakup and that so….
Jeffery: Wait, what? Slow down, what’s going on?
Panel 2
Annie is laughing and pointing at Jeffery. Tiff is sitting next to her, she is wearing a matching pjs.
Annie: I don’t know why the speedster saying ‘slow down’ is so funny to me!
Tiff: Because you’ve had 3 margaritas.
Annie: I know my limits….is there anymore?
Tiff: I’m cutting you off.
Panel 3
Michael is leading Jeffery to the large sofa.
Michael: Ok, well, I hadn’t told Chris that I was a parahuman and he didn’t take it very well when he found out…..
Off panel: Well, I think me being thrown into your dinner didn’t help.
Michael: I’ll get to that, bad thing is we were there celebrating Rachel being pregnant…..
Panel 4
Jeffery is hugging Aiden. Evelyn has a pitcher in her hand, her nightgown and hair is being blown around.
Evelyn: Whoa!
Jeffery: Congratulations! I’msohappyforyouthatmustbesoexcitingforyouand
Aiden: Whoa! Slow down! Thank you, well dinner wasn’t going so great anyway, I kinda told Rachel I wasn’t ready for marriage yet and wanted to wait.
Panel 5
Evelyn is slapping the back of his head while pouring a glass of margarita into a glass.
Evelyn: Here, Jeffery, everyone except Aiden and Aurora can drink. And Aiden? Stupid, stupid..
Aiden: OW! Yeah, I know, I know. Rachel thought me being on the team was beginning to interfere with us, and needed to get away to think, I didn’t think she was going to leave tonight though. I miss her so much….
Panel 6
Annie is giggling. Tiff is rolling her eyes.
Annie: WHIP-pshhhhh! Someone is whipped! HAHAHA
Tiff: You have to be, without a doubt, the most annoying drunk, in the world.
Annie: Cut me some slack before, I never drank before, or been kissed or you know taken the subway, been audited for taxes or…..! I think I’m babbling….
Panel 7
Jeffery is now on the floor besides them at superspeed. The magazines that were on the floor are now being blown around. Jeffery has the cup of margarita in his hand, the drink is moving to catch up with the glass.
Jeffery: You were kissed?! By who, Paul?
Panel 8
Annie has one eye open and looking at him strangely. Tiff is getting up.
Annie: You shouldn’t do that, I see soooooooo many Jeffery’s.
Tiff: I’m getting a trash can just in case….
Page 5
Aurora is removing the cloak and picking up a glass that has goo in it.
Aurora: I got a concussion, and some prisoners got broken out while the rest of the team fought some weird guy in armor. We are thinking he was paid to keep us busy. Damn…ice cream melted…..Frostilicus!
Panel 2
She is sitting next to Michael on the couch. Michael is drinking out of a mug.
Aurora: Good as new! What are you drinking? It smells bad but looks good…..
Michael: It’s a Black Bach and not until your twenty-one. Yeah, day after we get our asses handed to us by Regal, Annie and I are made team leader, sh!t hits the fan, well for most of us.
Aurora: Well, I think you should look on the bright side, now you got the awkward part out of the way, he knows your parahuman and now your “out” to everyone.
Panel 3
Jeffery, now in shorts and a T-shirt is sitting at Michael’s feet. Jeffery’s ankle is bandaged.
Michael: You’re right, telling my parents, first that I was ‘special’ then that I was gay, were two outings, I never want to repeat. I’m just glad that Moto’ and Marla are cool with the gay thing.
Jeffery: How did you tell them….I mean your parents?
Michael: Parahuman or gay? And which parents?
Jeffery: Both and both.
Panel 4
Insert Michael Origin(Michael, your turn)
Page 8
Annie is looking at Michael.
Annie: You know, I thought I had the crap job life. But at least things are looking up for you.
Michael: HAHA, like mine is any worse than yours! You must be the queen of suck!
Annie: HEY! Mine is bad I admit, but you know it’s probably not the worse one here….
Michael: I think it is….spill it and we’ll see.
Annie: OK, if you really want to know….
Panel 2(The panel is the remainder of the page. It is Annie’s face talking, with the text going doing the middle of the page and the pictures describing the scenes down the far right.
Annie: My brother and I grew up in the swamps of Louisiana. It was just us and Mom. She worked all the time, she was a waitress. Living in Houma was OK, I guess. Robbie and I were always running around, playing, going to school and practically raising ourselves. Whenever we saw Mom, she had a sad look on her face, but she loved us just the same. The last time I saw her, she was actually home and walked us to the bus stop. She embarrassed us, by hugging us repeatedly saying that she loved us over and over and once we got home, she would have dinner ready and we would spend the entire night together. Then about 2 hours later we were at the principals office. There was a fire…she…had gotten trapped inside. The only relatives that we knew we had were distant cousins that lived in Salvation. But we got word that they died years ago, and there was only us. Robbie and I were waiting in the state orphanage before we could go to the foster home, when the man came for me.
He has some kind of weird hold on me, taking me without struggle and I remember getting into the car with him, wanting to go back from Robbie, but I was afraid to leave the man. He took me far, it was in the mountains, there were a lot of other children there….it was…he did things to us. Injected us with serum, then watched us to see what we would do. Those of us who developed powers, stayed. The ones that didn’t….I don’t want to think about what happened to those who didn’t.
Page 9
Annie now has a blank expression, the page should be the same although a reverse of the previous.
Annie: He was trying to get us to be his slaves, but one night I broke free from his control. I gathered the others and we left. We burned the complex to the ground. I don’t know or care if he got out. Then we started to look for family, a place to belong. Over time we placed most of our youngest charges, then when it was down to a few, we realized, we didn’t have anywhere to go. We started to steal, rob, anything to survive, really. We became the Crazy Gang. And it was fun for a few years. Then, it was like a realization. I wanted a life, I wanted to be responsible, I was out. Then Trish had an idea, One last heist, one last way to get money. The bank robbery. I resisted but her mental control…If Evelyn, Jeffery and that Doll thing hasn’t intervened, I would be as dead as the folks in the bank. Prison wasn’t so bad, I kept to myself, studied, if I had the electrical powers might as well learn how to use them….then well, the rest you know….
Page 10
Panel 1
Annie is looking at everyone. Everyone seems to be looking down and away from her.
Annie: O come on, it’s not that bad, I mean here I am!
Panel 2
Everyone is still in the same positions.
Panel 3
Annie is getting up holding an empty glass.
Annie: Screw you, I’m getting another drink.
Panel 4
Chris is putting a box into a midsize SUV. He has an angry look on his face.
Chris: Piece of shit, lying to me, the entire time, two years! Two years with a liar….
Panel 5
There is a man dragging a body into a car, across the alley.
Panel 6
Chris is pulling a cellphone out of his pocket and dialing, he is walking a little closer.
Chris: Hey! Hey? Is everything alright, do you need….
Page 11
Chris is being grabbed by Nancy Boy.
Chris: Hmmph!
Panel 2
The body that was being dragged is getting up. It is the Fecal Master and behind the Fecal Master is Fruit Fly.
Fruit Fly: Chris….you want to get even with him, don’t you? Don’t worry, we only want to help you, weather your want it or not…..
Panel 3
Annie is laughing. Michael is standing ,his lips should be moving but the sound balloon should be coming from the couch. Aurora is eating her ice cream, while levitating. Jeffery is changing the bandages on his ankle. Evelyn is walking in to the living room with a tray. The tray has a bottle of whiskey and a large bottle of soda. There are four glasses with ice.
Michael’s Voice:…I want your filthy bottoms off my cushions!
Evelyn: I have brought refreshment! A lovely concoction called Whiskey Sodas, who would like one?
Annie: ME! Ugh, I need to slow down. Just a little bit.
Michael: I want one, so where did we leave off?
Panel 4
Evelyn is pouring a drink. She is looking at Michael, while speaking.
Evelyn: Maybe we shouldn’t go into this anymore. I mean, how tired is it to discuss one’s “origin story”?
Michael: C’mon Evee, are you just a little curious?
Evelyn: Yes, well, I admit to have a passing curiosity of your past, but what is more important are the people you are now.
Panel 5
Aurora is holding her ice cream bowl upside down.
Aurora: I guess I did finish, I’ll magic up some more later, I think its fascinating .
Evelyn: OK, then you, next. Tell us about your past.
Panel 6
Aurora is spreading her hands. There is a bubble that has an image of a little girl drawing with crayons in side. The words she is speaking are being projected in to the bubble.
Aurora: Well, I grew up in West Virginia. My father was a miner, my mother was killed shortly after I was born. My father was a good man, he didn’t know how to relate to me. I was….special to say the least.
Page 12
Same as Page 11, panel 6, with the image of a fire.
Aurora: I used to have dreams. They would tell me what was going to happen. I warned my father about the fire that would destroy the trailer. He didn’t believe me, I made sure that night to hug him extra tight and tell him that I loved him over and over. When the fire came, I tried to wake him, then…..when he did wake up, he threw me out the window. It was too small for him to squeeze through….
Panel 2
Same as Page 11, panel 6, with the image of three older woman finding her.
Aurora: My dreams told me that I wouldn’t have to wait long for help. The Sisterhood found me and took me to their commune. There they related to me, they recognized my gifts and taught me how to focus it and channel it. Then when I became thirteen, I was accepted into the circle. I was a member of the coven.
Panel 3
Same as Page 11, panel 6, with the image a young Aurora using magic.
Aurora: I advanced quickly. Unless it was a large spell, I didn’t need ceremony, I didn’t need the foci that they did. I was the north in circle. They loved me as much as any one mother could and I loved them as I did my father. For years, they taught me, instructed me in magic and were my guides.
Panel 4
Same as Page 11, panel 6, with the image of a circle of protection.
Aurora: The last time, I saw them alive, they were going to show me magical objects. Arisha gave me the book, and the next day, we were to begin pouring over spells. I went to bed happy, but I woke up with a start. The dreams were gone. The circle was drawn around my cabin, but the rest of the commune was destroyed. My sisters were dead.
Panel 5
Same as Panel 11, panel 6 with the image of Aurora holding a staff and her magical bag.
Aurora: I found a clue, there was a map that had divining runes leading to Salvation. I packed up the book, all of the magical artifacts I could find, and the Staff of Gaia and I boarded a bus to Salvation. I will find out what happened to my sisters.
Panel 6
Aurora is not looking up but is pointing a wand at her now empty bowl.
Aurora: I need more ice cream.
Page 13
Annie is looking at Evelyn.
Annie: OK, so…Evee, you?
Panel 2
Evelyn is sitting on a decorative chair.
Evelyn: Not too much to tell, dear. I am an amnesiac, woke up and was discovered. Always knew I could change appearance and density and then helped stop a bank robbery. That rush was exquisite, there was nothing like it, but I didn’t want to sign on the dotted line for this time.
Panel 3
Evelyn is now smiling.
Evelyn: Then the prison break happened and voila! Here I am.
Panel 4
Michael is sitting next to Jeffery, now helping him bandage his ankle.
Michael: OK, so you never tried to look for anyone you might be related to, or who you were?Evelyn: No, what would be the point in that, dear? What important is who I am now and what I do now.
Michael: Yeah, but you might have family that is looking for you, or you know like someone, who you might have wronged or you might have been a terrible person.
Panel 5
Evelyn is smiling at him.
Evelyn: Ahhh, yes the “I might” questions. Honestly, Michael I really don’t care, they would have found me, it’s not I have been hiding under a rock. I am a complete tabula rasa and I enjoy my blank slate.
Panel 6
Michael is now looking at Jeffery.
Michael: I guess…….Is the pressure good, Jeff?
Jeffery: Yeah, it’s OK, I need to rub it a lil to get the circulation going though.
Michael: It’s OK, I’ll do it.
Page 14
Panel 1
Aurora, Tiff, Evelyn, Jeffery, Annie, and Michael are all looking toward Aiden.
Aiden: What?
Michael: Your up.
Aiden: I don’t want to. I mean I have problems, but you guys seems to have everything go wrong.
Annie: Just tell us, it can’t be just totally boring.
Aiden: I know you guys had it rough, but my life hasn’t been exactly a cake walk either….
Panel 2(Takes up rest of page)
The panel looks like various photographs in a scrapbook. There are slips of paper around each photo which are Aiden’s narrative.
There is a photo of Aiden’s family that resembles a Sears family photo, bad clothes and hair and all.
Aiden: My parents always had really freaking high expectations for me and my brother. Like when I was 10, I started taking trombone lesions and Zach started taking trumpet. It was actually in band that I met Rachel. I knew she was different, even then, after all she played the euphonium.
In school, I was pretty much expected to make straight A’s. (there is a pic of young Zach and Aiden with their instruments, Zach looking bored, Aiden flashing a smile) The handful of times I made Bs, I was grounded for two weeks each. Less than a year ago, I was grounded during one of our biggest games against James Woods High.(there is a photo of Aiden in his football uniform on the field). At first, my parents weren’t going to let me play, but Coach Hassenfeffer talked them into letting me go. The worst was my sophomore year when I made a C+ at the end of a semester…(there should be a taped in scan of a report card with a C+).
Page 15
Splash page, this page is the same as the last
I stayed in my room upset and almost to the point of tears for three days. Rachel came to see me that Sunday and told me that she knew how much I tried and convinced me that as long as I did my best, that was all that was expected of me.(the photograph is Aiden on his bed, looking upset and Rachel is sitting next to him, with a book in her lap. She is looking at the camera, smiling)Ever since then I’ve felt better about myself and actually gave me a certain amount of self confidence. When I fell out of that tree and turned into….well, I don’t know what it was I became, but the feeling that I don’t know my body or what I am…no one understood. My family was great with dealing with my powers, but they always seemed like there was something not right about me.( The picture should be Aiden turning into a dog, growing at the family dog.) But Rachel, she knew how to tell me everything was OK. In fact, I joined Ax, because of her encouragement. (the picture is of the team around Aiden and Rachel)
Page 16
Everyone in the room is looking at him.
Aiden: What?Michael: Dude, yeah you were right, totally lame.
Panel 2
Everyone is laughing except for Aiden.
Panel 3
Aiden is giggling.
Aiden: Screw you, dude!
Panel 4
Jeffery is wincing. Michael is now setting his foot down.
Jeffery: Ok, ow! That’s starting to hurt again.
Michael: Do you want me to stop?
Jeffery: No, I think I may need to walk around for a bit.
Panel 5
Annie is looking at Jeffery and Michael.
Annie: Not yet, your next.
Michael: Right! Were you trying to get out of telling us?
Jeffery: Uh, OK, well if you guys told….
Page 17
It is the outside of a farm. It is windy and there and Jeffery is there trying to close a barn door.
Jeffery(?): Stupid, stupid farm, if Dad was alive, I wouldn’t have to be here doing this stupid work.
Panel 2
Jeffery(?) is walking towards the house in the wind storm.
Jeffery: Need to inject myself again, stupid powers in this house, wish Jeffery were here…
Panel 3
Jeffery(?) is turning around surprised.
Off Panel Voice: Gavin?
Panel 4
Gavin is looking behind him in shock. Psy-Anyde, a man the size of a house, and a man who has the body of a snake are coming out of the corn field.
Psy-Anyde: Gavin, do you really want your twin brother back? We can help you.
Panel 5
Gavin is looking skeptical.
Gavin: Would I have to leave the farm?Psy-Anyde: Yes.
Panel 6
Gavin is grinning.
Gavin: Good, let’s get the hell out of this dump.
Page 18
Jeffery is laying down on the couch, with Michael rubbing his feet. Aurora is eating another bowl of ice cream, levitating above the couch.
Jeffery: Well, things were normal on the farm. My days were school, chores with my twin, Gavin, and finding time to play with my best friend, Tyler. Then when I was twelve, my grandpa came to visit. He and my mom had a falling out when I was younger, so he never came around.
Panel 2
The panel has now changed. It appears to be a young Gavin and Jeffery sitting at a dinner table with an older man, who looks haggard and tired.
Jeffery: Gavin loved grandpa, I….didn’t get a good feeling. He told us he left his research facility and was moving to California and didn’t know where else to stop for the night. He talked my parents into letting him stay. Early the next morning when Dad woke us up for chores, he was gone. And then we all got sick. My sisters, parents, Gavin, Tyler, who had spent the night, and I, threw up repeatedly. Then shakes and finally fatigue.
Panel 3
The panel is a scene of a young Jeffery running fast through a corn field.
Jeffery: I woke up the next morning and I was full of energy. It was great! I went to talk to the Tyler’s family farm to see how he was and took a short cut through the field. I was so excited that I broke into a run. Then before I knew it, everything was blurry, It was as if his family farm was at the end of a blurry streaky tunnel. And I was there. A walk that normally takes me thirty minutes took me five. I was happy. It was just like the comic books, I had powers!
Panel 4
The panel is Jeffery and Tyler outside of town. There should be speed lines of Jeffery moving at hyper speed.
Jeffery: We didn’t tell anyone else, kept it our little secret. Well us, and Gavin. Gavin had this weird sense about powers but that’s as far as it got. He hated Tyler so we didn’t spend much time with Gavin. Tyler and I would time my running into town and back and would play practical jokes on bullies in town. Then one day…
Panel 5
The panel is of Jeffery and Tyler’s shadow kissing.
Jeffery: Tyler just leaned over and kissed me. It was the best experience of my life so far. I had liked him since I could remember, but this was just….we started to spend even more time away from everyone. Then we had an idea. We would wait until we were older and runaway to Salvation. There were super heroes there, we could run away there, live, and be….together.
Panel 6
The panel is of Jeffery watching a large crowd. The crowd is dragging someone away.
Jeffery: Early on Tyler’s seventeeth birthday, I packed, it was time to go. We saved up some money and agreed that at seventeen we could get jobs. But I made it to the clearing and saw the men. And Tyler’s truck….Somehow, they found out about him. I…saw my dad there…and they were hitting him….repeatedly. I was paralyzed. There was nothing I could do…..
Page 19
Jeffery is running through the crowd grabbing Tyler from the ground.
Jeffery: I….heard him beg for them to stop. I…couldn’t take it, then I acted. Finally, I grabbed his body and ran to the other side of town. He…in…my….arms. Th-The sun came up and I had buried him. It was the hardest thing, I ever had to do. Then I walked. I walked from Nebraska to here, I walked to Salavation. When I got here, I quickly ran out of money, I had nowhere to go…
Panel 2
The panel is Jeffery dressed in dirty clothes and rags, running from the Java Cup.
Jeffery: There was a nice man, Collin, who runs the Java Cup, he would provide me some meals and free coffee. I stayed at some of the shelters, then the bank robbery. After that, I deceided that I couldn’t just stand around doing nothing. There were still people to defend and protect. There is one crazy guy, The Fecal Master, or what not, that hates the homeless and he and I have clashed a few times. But other than that I was stopping shop lifters, pick pockets, and burglers.
Panel 3
Jeffery is back on the couch. Michael is still massaging him. The others are staring at him.
Michael: Jeff…Jeffery are you OK?
Panel 4
Jeffery is getting off of the couch.
Jeffery: I think I need to walk around….
Page 20
Jeffery is on the balcony, he is looking out at the view of the city. Michael is coming up behind him.
Michael: Jeffery? Everyone else has gone to bed, I thought I would come and check on you. You’ve been out here a while.
Jeffery: Yeah, I’m OK, I just….I haven’t thought about Tyler in a long time and thought….well you lost someone, it doesn’t get easier does it?
Panel 2
Michael is looking at Jeffery.
Michael: No, it doesn’t, but you can channel your grief, talk about it, and move on. You will always have a piece of your heart missing, but it’s not the end of the world.
Jeffery: Richard called me a trick tonight.
Panel 3
Michael looks angry.
Michael: Why? That motherfu-
Panel 4
Jeffery: We….we slept together. Then I woke up, he asked me to leave, and said to not put my feelings into it because I was a trick, and I…I don’t know why I even slept with him, I feel cheap and used.
Michael: You’re not just a trick, and sometimes these things just….happen. I thought you were dating James though.
Jeffery: We…don’t have any strings or an agreement or…I don’t know what we are, I feel so…I guess I just wanted to feel loved.
Panel 5
Michael is hugging Jeffery.
Michael: That’s what friends are for, Jeff. If anything else, you should know that with this team, we are here for each other, to support one another. You should never forget that. Ever.
Panel 6
Michael is attempting to get free from the embrace Jeffery is still holding him.
Jeffery: Don’t….please…just a little longer.
Michael: Ok, Jeff….
Page 21
Psy-Anyde, Hightower, Slyther, Nancy Boy, Fruit Fly, Gavin, The Fecal Master, and Gunsmyth are standing over Chris. He is attempting to crawl away.
Chris: Please…l-let me go…..
Page 22
There are a pair of boots with a star pattern in front of him. Chris is looking up in fear.
Off Panel Voice: No. You’re going to help us. And don’t worry, you said you would kill Rukus. We are going to give you tools to do that…..
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