James Brighton Society, Chapter 1: Pages 17-18

Page 17, 5 Panels- Living Room, JBS Headquarters, Arlington Virginia Panel 1: Cut to a shot of a group of gray hairs chatting with one another in the house's first floor living room, which has some Christmas decorations in it (including a tree), being served hors d'ouevres by a contingent of mecha waiters. Each of them represent the upper crust of high society not just in Arlington, but in D.C. as well. You can see the faces of some of the leading Senators and Congressmen of the time, including Senate Majority Leader Alben Barkley of Kentucky and House Minority Leader Rep. Joseph Martin, Jr. of Massachusetts. Panel 2: Same setting/layout as the previous panel. Another minute passes, and the attention of the group of twenty or so distinguished dignitaries in attendance at that moment turn outward at the sound of a voice breaking through from outside the room. Most of the faces appear pleased by the sight of the person off-panel, with some or indifferent near the back of the panel view. GV JONES [Off-Panel, echoing in from outside the living room]: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the Consiglio Privato. Panel 3-5: A three-part set of panels that are centered on the Grand Vizier dressed in his resplendent suit, descending the staircase to join the other guests in the main living room. You can see a little more decorations, including a string of lights on the railing of the stairs, as he speaks in the calm and measured tone that is his trademark. By the time we reach Panel 5, Mr. Jones will be at the final few steps of the staircase, ready to reach the floor leading to the living room. GV JONES [Cont., Panel 3]: I know many of you have obligations with matters of state or family matters regarding Christmas celebrations next week. And I'm happy you all can make the time for this brief soiree. GV JONES [Cont., Panel 4]: As a child, I was always fascinated by the concept of mythologies, particularly those that coincided with Christmas. Of all the different stories and songs connected to the yuletide season, there was one myth that always fascinated me- the Kallikantzaros. GV JONES [Cont.; Panel 4, Bubble 2]: A creature of varying height and appearance (depending on who you spoke to) that comes to the surface every year around Christmas time, causing trouble for us mere mortals instead of trying to destroy the world. GV JONES [Cont., Panel 5]: There was one part of the story that was always the same in each translation I read- they'd last 12 days on the surface, and then die. It didn't seem right to me. I would wonder at night if the Kallikantzaros would ever one day realize the raw deal they'd gotten and decide to destroy us all, right then and there. Page 18, 4 Panels- Living Room, JBS Headquarters, Arlington Virginia Panel 1: Cut to a shot of one of the wealthy attendees who have been listening to all this. He steps forward from the crowd seemingly annoyed by the longwinded story being told by the host. He has a big head and equally large bald spot with salt and pepper at the sides and green eyes. The man's wearing a nice tuxedo with a matching black bowtie, an outfit that is sharaed by a great deal of the male guests in the mansion. MALE GUEST [to GV Jones, perturbed]: I was told you were going to discuss this "super-weapon" that has been in development since March. Does this story have any connection to it, Mr. Jones? GV JONES [Off-Panel to the Male Guest, looking to calm him down]: I was just about to mention that, Mr. Archer. Panel 2: Back to a shot of the Grand Vizier as he starts to make his way toward the nearby hall. The sounds of the footsteps being generated on the tile floor courtesy of the soles of his dress shoes can be heard faintly as he speaks. He grins and lets out a quick chuckle at the question; the background behind him a mix of dark blue, gray, and yellow from the electric lights of the party he's set to join. GV JONES [Cont., back to the story]: One Christmas, when I was 15, me and my parents took a trip to Greece. And as we toured the Parthenon, I actually saw a stray Kallikantzaro looking back at me. Panel 3: We move to another action shot, following the Grand Vizier as he officially joins the party. The layout widens to take in a section of the attendees looking on with bated breath as he continues speaking. You can see the well-dressed gentleman start to reach in to his coat in order to pull something out at the same moment. GV JONES [Cont.]: It was...actually far cuter than the descriptions in the mythos. Not unlike a bulldog puppy, if it had two legs instead of four. In my youthful naivete, I approached it with the thought of taking it back home as a pet. But as I moved to pick it up, it...slashed my face with its powerful claws and ran away. Panel 4: We follow Mr. Jones a handful of seconds later as he enters the group, making his way in a straight line toward Mr. Archer. The guests part ways from their hosts, looking on with a level of curiosity and fear as he speaks, which includes Mr. Archer. As for the host, you can see nothing but cold determination in his face and overall body language. The coat has closed back to its normal positioning, at this point, hiding whatever Jones had pulled out from within. GV JONES [shifts tone toward something more menacing]: Which leads us to the present...