The Strongest Force Alive, Part 3.1

Page 16 Panel 1: An idea suddenly pops up in their eyes a beat later, remembering a vital point that hit the young faeman's mind regarding the plan.

HI-HI

(Cont., to Fran; translated from German) Ooo, almost forgot. Fran, would you mind opening the glove compartment please?

Panel 2: Cut to a shot of Fran a few moments after doing what was instructed, holding a jar of handmade cream in her right hand.

FRAN

(looking panel right, to Hi-Hi; translated from German) I already have my own waxing regimen, Hi. Thank you for the consideration though, as I did not pack my usual wax...

Panel 3: Hi-Hi chuckles and nods slightly as they speak, clarifying the statement from the previous panel as well as the substance's meaning.

HI-HI

It's not that kind of wax, Ms. Fran. It's a personal concoction I made following my last mecha excursion. It consists of different rare herbs and my own unique magics.

Panel 4: We move to a shot of Fran and Reina in a kind of before and after type of setup as Hi-Hi finishes their explanation. To the left is the ladies normal metal-like faces, and to the right it's the same faces with slight differences here and there. In particular, a more human configuration: a result of the cream.

Caption

(Cont., Hi-Hi)

"A little dollop on each of your respective faces will, if all goes well, make you look human to any Brownshirt or Brownshirt sympathizer you might encounter."

Panel 5: Back in the present, we see Fran and Reina exchange a worried glance with one another as the car motors on to its destination.

Caption

(Narrator)

"Understandably, the ladies were wary of Hi-Hi's magic cream. But they trusted Orkun's judgment, and decided to put the cream on their faces. There was also a trust (in Reina's case) connected to his company in a...more personal capacity."

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"But I'm getting slightly ahead of the story."

Page 17

Panel 1: We jump to the group arriving at the boat: a mid-sized boat with a hallway that leads to a basement area.

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"There's still the ride of the Bitty Boat along the Schelde to the border to the Netherlands."

Panel 2: At the border minutes later, we see the pair interact with a Naval border officer who happens to be examining the ID documents Orkun gave them.

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"As Hi-Hi said, thanks to the magical wax, the meeting ended without a major incident."

Panel 3: The officer looks up from the IDs a few beats later, shining a flashlight in our protagonists direction with a highly inquisitive look on his face.

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"Though not without some rather tense moments."

Panel 4: Cut to a shot of Fran and Reina illuminated by the torch light a beat later, looking similar to the examples we saw in the previous page.

Panel 5: Close-up on the pair's hands at the same time, sharing a secret holding of hands through the moment; a little spark of electricity connecting the two of them through the seats.

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"For the remainder of the trip- and for 5 years afterward, there was a sense of cautious joy amongst our lovers."

Page 18

Panel 1: Action shot a short time later, showing the three of them on the boat after passing through the checkpoint. You can see the beauty of the trip up between Melsen and Merelbelke in the bulk of the panel view.

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"Not that the main goal ever fell away from their thoughts, of course. That's not how the humech mind, as you well know. But the moment was a welcome respite to remind just why they were fighting."

Panel 2: We jump to months later in a little apartment in Ghent where the pair have begun to acclimate themselves to Dutch life. You can see Fran at a desk on the phone with someone over a stack of documents.

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"It proved a necessary one as they settled into life in Ghent, helping German expats get settled in the city as well as journey north to Finland or west to Great Britain."

Panel 3: At another part of the apartment, we see Orkun silently exchanging a different bit of information to Fran silently. You can see a map and some financial documents in his right hand.

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"It was also in this time that Orkun returned to their lives, weaving himself into their romantic dynamic quite well even as he'd have to leave to help more expats from the growing grip of Nazi Germany upon the continent."

Panel 4: Cut to Reina the next day at a newsstand, greeting her fellow mecha as she pays for the latest edition of the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper.

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"Then came the unwelcome chill of an early Winter evening..."

Panel 5: We move to a shot of the headline of that newspaper, highlighting the worsening relations between Poland and Nazi Germany as well as calls by the NSB in the Dutch House to align with Nazi Germany.

Caption

(Cont., Narrator)

"...bringing with it a familiar, and unwelcome visitor."

Panel 6: Back at their apartment, we see Reina at the doorway holding the newspaper out in her right hand; a look of genuine fear and anxiety on her metal face.

REINA

(to Fran and Orkun, translated from German) We need to do more.

Caption

(Reina)

"We already have the perfect target- Victor Cruyssen. Particularly, one of his big airship dealers here in Ghent."