James Brighton Society, Chapter 1: Pages 11-12

Page 11, 6 Panels- The Cloak Room, Washington D.C. Panel 1-2: Same setting/layout as the last panel of the previous page. It comprises solely of an action shot, showing Grem reaching out to open the clicking mechanism that helps to lock it in. In Panel 2, with the flap opened, he reaches in and pulls out a portable communication device. The size and design of which is slightly similar to old cellular phones from the 1980s, but with a slightly shaved down top. GREM [thought bubble, Panel 1]: There are only 12 people on the planet who have my number, half of which are either dead or despise my guts. GREM [Cont.; Panel 1, Bubble 2]: Could be Margaret, but she’s still out in France with the Resistance helping sneak refugees out to England. I doubt she’d be crazy enough to risk getting discovered by some Metall-Meister for a personal call. GREM [Cont., Panel 2]: Maybe it's Lee. He's been talking about that hoverboard project of his...maybe he finally got it working. Panel 3-4: Cut to a slight close-up of Mr. Allen’s face a couple beats later. The PC device is hovering just into view in the bottom right of the panel, tilted upward toward his waiting blue eyes. His fingers press the button unseen at this point that helps to answer the call, stopping the beeping sound that came into play in Panel 2. In the next panel, with the same setting and layout as before, he places the device up to his right ear. GREM [answering the call, curiously; Panel 4]: Hello? CHRISTOPHER STARK [Off-Panel, to Grem; Panel 4]: Is this Grem Allen? GREM [a little lost; Panel 4, Bubble 2]: …Aye, that’s me. Who's this? Panel 5: We move to an interior shot of a kitchen in an apartment in a separate part of the city where we see Steve Brennan standing in front of a window. He’s a man in his mid-30s, dressed in a navy blue sue with a formal white shirt and black tie (standard government bureaucrat wear). The condition of which appears to be less than crisp than what you would expect at that moment. You can see a window over his left shoulder, showing a little section of Georgetown with snow and frost that is a little heavier than it was at the Cloak Room. STEVE BRENNAN [into the phone, visibly panicked]: This is Steve Brennan. I—I work in Sen. Jacobs’ office. I don’t know if you remember me. We only met each other at a function at the Capitol last year and you gave me your number in case anything went wrong-- GREM [interjecting with remembrance, through the speaker]: Oh right, I remember ya. You were the only guy there who didn't make me want to jam a liter of coffee into my veins. [chuckles] GREM [Bubble 2]: What's up? Panel 6: Same setting/layout as the previous panel. Mr. Brennan's train of thought is suddenly jolted by the sound, off-panel from the right side, of a series of loud “BANG! BANG! BANG!” coming from the doorway. His panic heightens a few more notches at this point, gripping the metal of the phone’s receiver as he speaks. The snow, as before, continues to fall outside as seen through the window, which gathers a little more frost than earlier. STEVE BRENNAN [Cont.]: I need your help! You told me you had some experience dealing with supernatural stuff. I--Someone's trying to kill me... Page 12, 7 Panels- The Cloak Room/Steve Brennan's Apartment, Washington D.C. Panel 1: Back to a shot of Grem's face at the bar a second later. He tries to follow the train of thought from the mystery caller, trying to understand what he's meaning. He leans his head, along with the rest of the top half of his body, forward slightly as he speaks. His free right hand reaching over to grab the base of the Guinness glass at the same moment. GREM [into the receiver, to Steve]: Whoa whoa, who is trying to kill you? How are they supernatural? Panel 2: Back to a shot of Steve's face at his apartment a few beats later, layered in the same setting and layout as the last panel of the previous page. The banging that was in place at that same moment at the entrance door has grown louder. Also, the rush of panic in the man's face has increased over time since then. STEVE BRENNAN [quickly and with great urgency/regret, into the receiver]: I--I can't say who it is Mr. Allen. All I know is is they're big on Greek imagery and myths. And... STEVE BRENNAN [regretfully, Bubble 2]: Shit, I shouldn't have gone into bed with them. Panel 3: Same setting/layout as Panel 1. As the immortal Irishman has heard the words coming from the person he'd met only once, he realizes what type of situation Mr. Brennan is in. You can see shades of the lager on the man's lips as he speaks; the glass descending back down to the bar counter. Also, you can see his body start to straighten back slightly from where it was in Panel 1. GREM [trying to calm him down]: Okay Steve, where are you? STEVE BRENNAN [through the receiver, to Grem]: I'm at the 7th floor of the Avalon Arms, Georgetown. GREM [Bubble 2]: Alright, I should be there in about 10-15 minutes to get my gear and back there. Just--hold tight and try not to die. STEVE BRENNAN [through the receiver, Bubble 2]: You don't understand, Gremlin. I may not be alive by the time you get here. Panel 4-5: Same setting/layout as we saw in Panel 2. The banging that was heard then and now to the right of the panel view has gotten louder, to the point that you can hear the wood start to buckle and break by the time we reach Panel 4. Steve moves back as far as he can in regards to the phone cord. In Panel 5, a couple of beats later, his train of thought is interrupted as the door smashes open. His eyes immediately peeled toward that general area with a great deal of fright. STEVE BRENNAN [Cont. shaking his head violently, Panel 4]: The group they're from turn people into ruthless, killing machines. You do what you're told till you aren't viewed as vital anymore. GREM [through the receiver, Panel 4]: It's hard for me to help you out if you won't give me anything to actually help you out. STEVE BRENNAN [Panel 4, Bubble 2]: In the floor underneath my bed, you'll find something big...something that I scrounged together from their home base. It may not help in life, but...maybe it'll help in death. Panel 6-7: A two-part set of panels that center back on our protagonist a few moments later. In Panel 6, which has the same setting and layout as Panel 3, we see him silently react to the final portion of Mr. Brennan's statement at that moment. Then, in the next panel, the pose remains as the full weight of it starts to hit him right then and there. STEVE BRENNAN [panicked, in a higher register from the PC's receiever; Panel 6]: Shit, they broke in...good luck, Mr. Allen! GREM [shaking his head, confidently; Panel 6]: Fuck that, boyo! I'll be there in 10. Just hold on... SOUND EFFECT [from the receiever; Panel 7]: BOOM BOOMBOOMBOOM! SOUND EFFECT [Panel 7, Bubble 2]: ARHGGH--KRZZT!.... GREM [Off-Panel caption, Panel 7]: "By Zeus..."