James Brighton Society, Chapter 9: Pages 21-23
Page 21, 5 Panels- Dungeon, Undisclosed Location
Panel 1-2: We open on a black box devoid of setting or character in the first panel. In Panel 2, things clear up slightly enough that the reader sees a craggily ceiling that looks at home in a castle somewhere. You can hear the sound of moans and groans coming from our heroine also in Panel 2, along with the sound of what appears to be a guitar playing from somewhere.
RY-3E [Cont., Off-Panel; Panel 1]: It is his dinner time.
Panel 3: Cut to a shot of Tasha a few moments later, seated on her knees; the music from earlier continuing on as she speaks. Her dress is torn and ragged in places due to the fight, and her face is bruised and bloodied as a result of the blows from the Mecha-guards. She looks around at the setting, barely opening her eyes and trying to figure out her situation.
TASHA [sighs, woozy]: Hijo de puta...for that, I'm gonna kick his little withered raisins up to his eyeballs!
Panel 4-5: A two-part set of panels that moves on the same setting as the previous panel, along with the same music. It starts in Panel 4 with the former Detective jumping up on her two feet. She's pulled back though in Panel 5 just as she takes a few steps forward, she's stopped by a chain locked to the ground. Tasha glances and notices
the impediment keeping her there.
TASHA [groans, Panel 5]: Okay, I may have spoke too soon. OFFICER REESE [Off-Panel, Panel 5]: Natasha? TASHA [Panel 5, Bubble 2]: Kyle?
Page 22, 6 Panels- Dungeon, Undisclosed Location
Panel 1: Cut to a shot of Mr. Reese from the other side of the room a second after the end of the previous page; the music from before continues playing for the majority of the page. He looks just as bruised and battered as Ms. Randolph with the coat that he wore going into the party; his buttoned-up shirt torn in sections. He sees Tasha and gives her as good a smile as he can, given his swollen and
bloodied face.
OFFICER REESE [concerned, to Tasha]: What the hell happened to you?! OFFICER REESE [Bubble 2, reacting to Tasha in Panel 2]: I got cornered by two or three Mech guards into the coat room. I got a few lucky shots in on their metal hides, but eventually I got taken out by a bolt of electricity. Probably the same one as--
Panel 2: We move back to the former Detective in the same setting and layout as the last panel of the previous page. She's in a standing position, holding the side of her ribcage as she speaks with a touch of pain in her voice.
TASHA [sore and a little wobbly, to Officer Reese]: Ran into a group of guards upstairs looking for wherever the Magog was. I took a few of 'em out with Gremlin's gauntlet, but not before one of 'em slammed a lightning bolt in my ribs. What about you?
Panel 3: Cut to Kyle in the same setting and layout as the first panel. He wipes off a bit of blood from the left side of his face, getting back to his feet as he looks up toward the ceiling of the shot. His eyes displaying a degree of great annoyance in regards to the stringed instrument as it plays in a different key.
OFFICER REESE [exasperated]: What the hell is that sound?
Panel 4: Same setting/layout as Panel 2. She tilts her head up to the right of the panel view, trying to move around in the hope that the pain will settle down soon. You can see in her eyes that, although acknowledging the music for the first time, she wants to steer the conversation over to the immediate task at hand.
TASHA [dismissive]: We can deal with that when we're not closer to death. Now, help me find a way out of wherever the hell we are.
Panel 5-6: Back to the good Officer in Panel 5, in the same setting and relative layout as Panel 3, moving from side to side and chuckling at the statement from the previous panel. A few beats later, in Panel 6, his train of thought is interrupted by the sound of a massive door opening in the room off-panel. The music that had been evident the past few pages suddenly stops in Panel 5, and a beam of light in Panel 6 starts to come into the room as he's speaking.
OFFICER REESE [staring at the ceiling, clinging to the optimism of the statement; Panel 5]: Yeah. Hopefully it's close to where the Society is keeping this Ma... OFFICER REESE [petrified, Panel 6]: ...Gog!
Page 23, 1 Panel- Dungeon, Undisclosed Location
Panel 1: A full-page panel that takes in both Officer Reese and Tasha looking on as the door is fully opened. The setting behind and all around them brightened with a rush of yellow, compared to the muted tones of the past few pages. You can see the shadow cast by the mystery creature over our two heroes, looking on with equal degrees of fear at the creature set to come their way.
OFFICER REESE [confused, to Tasha]: What the hell...? TASHA [adding on]: Rationale to get drunk and kiss humanity goodbye? OFFICER REESE [Bubble 2]: ...Besides that.
END OF CHAPTER 9