James Brighton Society, Chapter 3: Pages 3-4
Page 3, 5 Panels- Grem's Apartment, Downtown Washington D.C. Panel 1-3: A three-part set of panels that each take place in the same setting and layout as the last panel of the previous page. The two of them remains frozen in the same pose that we saw in the previous page, weapons out and ready to battle. In each panel, you can see a grin slowly grow to a smile by the time we reach Panel 3. DET. RANDOLPH [firing back, to Grem; Panel 1]: Not before I take you down too, gringo. GREM [snarky, to Det. Randolph; Panel 1]: I'd love to see you tr-- GREM [pained, Panel 2]: Bloody hell! ...We're good now? I can lower my old girl now?DET. RANDOLPH [nods, to Grem; Panel 2]: ...Yeah. If you attack me, I for the stump between your legs. GREM [Panel 2, Bubble 2]: Not really planning to, but...I'll keep it in mind! Anyway, when you got in, did they Anglo up your name?
DET. RANDOLPH [Panel 2]: Just the last name. In Guatemala, it's Rodriguez which they turned into—Randolph.
GREM [chuckling, Panel 3]: By the gods!
DET. RANDOLPH [Panel 3]: Yeah. I kept Natasha at least (thank Christ), though I shorten it to Tasha at work hoping to not deal with racist pendejos.
GREM [Panel 3, Bubble 2]: Does it work?
DET. RANDOLPH [Panel 3, Bubble 2]: Hell no!
GREM [Panel 3, Bubble 3]: Figured as much. Panel 4: Cut to a proper front shot of Mr. Allen a few beats later. His smile still as wide as it was in Panel 3 as his sword retracts to its normal butcher knife-sized configuration. You can see a few steps away in the background the entrance leading to a hallway, along with a little more of the apartment that was not seen earlier, as he speaks. GREM [Cont., thoroughly calm]: Now...let me show you what I got from Brennan's bedroom. Panel 5: Action shot of the immortal irishman moving toward the hallway a second later with his usual brand of confidence. His right hand moving to place the Fragarach back in its holster as he walks and talks. In the background, over the man's left shoulder, you can see the good Detective just beginning to start to follow him in the same direction. GREM [Cont.]: Unless you're waiting for more of the boys in blue to accompany you. DET. RANDOLPH [shaking her head as she straps her billy club back to her waist holster, to Grem]: No, just me. Most of my "colleagues" hate me or think I come from Mexico. Page 4, 7 Panels- Grem's Apartment/Workstation, Downtown Washington D.C. Panel 1-2: A two-part set of panels that center back on the Detective a handful of moments later. In Panel 1, we see the young woman step through the doorway leading into Grem's work station, looking around at the walls and the ceiling as she speaks. She moves over to the left of the room in Panel 2, continuing her observation of the room while reaching into her coat for the flask of booze. You can see on the wall in that panel the first of a series of photographs of Mr. Allen's exploits from his past. DET. RANDOLPH [Cont., Panel 1]: They'd happily toss me to the side and take credit for solving the case if they could. GREM [Off-Panel, Panel 1]: Fragile white ego is a bitch! DET. RANDOLPH [with a tinge of bitterness, Panel 2]: Don't have to tell me twice! You know, I wouldn't put it past one of 'em to try to blame me for his disappearance. Panel 3: Same setting/layout as the previous panel. Tasha stands in front of one of the framed photos, which shows the Irish inventor standing next to a woman in a pub somewhere. Judging by the clothes of some of the other people in the shot, it looks like it's from the earlier part of the 20th century. DET. RANDOLPH [curiously, pointing to the photo; to Grem]: Who's the woman in this photo? Panel 4: Cut to the work table a moment later, showing Grem standing in front of the safe. He looks over in Ms. Randolph's direction with both hands on the crimson red robe that he pulled from the safe at the end of Chapter 2. His eyes glance up toward the photo where the good Detective was pointing at in the previous panel. GREM [shaking his head, nonchalantly; to Det. Randolph]: Ah, that's Miriam. She's an old Mecha friend of mine, back when I was based exclusively in Europe. I chat with her when I can, visit her and her mate. Though not so much anymore given that she's in Lyon right now with the Resistance. Panel 5-6: Same setting/layout as Panel 3. Tasha nods with a high degree of respect at the explanation, turning her back toward. Her arm that was used in that panel is back down to her side as she speaks. In Panel 6, the Detective has her back turned to the audience and moves on, noticing a framed drawing a little distance near the first one. It's of a young woman wearing a fine pearl white dress. DET. RANDOLPH [impressed, Panel 5]: Huh, I didn't know CWs were in France... GREM [Off-Panel, Panel 5]: Aye. Some are local, others went in from other countries after the war began. DET. RANDOLPH [looking, with a degree of awe; Panel 6]: That's gorgeous...you do this? Panel 7: Back to Grem in the same setting and layout that we saw in Panel 4. He looks over at the drawing and tenses up upon seeing it. His teeth grits and you can see the first flashes of emotion start to come over his face as he starts to lift it up in such a way that the top half of the robe pops into view from the horizon line of the table upward. GREM [holding back the tears]: Aye, it's my...fiance Margaret. She--She passed away a while back.