PAGE 1
Elliot urgently runs through a dark hall as if he's being chased. Dark red carpet in a large mansion, which is illuminated only by the lightning flashing through the windows.
Forte (off screen): "The first session is Elliot vs. Jasmine. While Jasmine is higher ranked, we want to test your reflexes and skill against a stronger opponent."
Elliot: *pant* "He didn't have to say it like that."
Elliot turns a corner and heads up some stairs.
Forte (off screen): "Since she's one of the higher ranked officers, she can give you first hand critiques."
Elliot: "I'll try not to disappoint. But why did he leave Jasmine in charge of the theme of this simulation?"
Jasmine's Eerie voice is heard throughout the mansion, but she's nowhere to be found.
Jasmine (off screen): "I'm coming for you, Ellie!"
Elliot: "Oh no!"
Elliot continues to dash up the long stairwell, but stops and notices ice forming on the floor. From the bottom of the stairwell, the ice is catching up to him.
As he continues to run, ice starts to form around the walls, as well. You can even see Elliot's breath.
Elliot: "How'd she catch up so fast!?" I can't see her.
Close up on Elliot's legs and feet as he runs up the stairs.
Elliot: "Nope!"
PAGE 2
Elliot busts through a door on the roof of the building. There's a tad bit of sunlight left, but it looks stormy out. The door that he burst through began to freeze over as soon as he opened it, so he just made it.
Upon making it to the roof, he's met by Jasmine's silhouette.
Jasmine: "Nice. You made it out and I wasn't even holding back."
Elliot: "Why does it have to be so creepy!?"
Jasmine: "Relax."
Jasmine steps forward until she's only a few feet in front of Elliot.
Jasmine: "See? It's only little ol me."
Elliot: "So uh…what's next?"
Jasmine's hair rises straight up, water beginning to spiral around her body.
Jasmine: "Now, this is the end!"
Elliot braces himself as Jasmine dashes towards him. As she does, Jasmine launches the water ahead of her at Elliot.
PAGE 3
Elliot blasts the water away, but this gives Jasmine the opportunity to close the distance as she cocks back a fist.
Jasmine: "Did you do that on impulse? Nice! But now you're wide open!"
Jasmine throws a punch at Elliot. He slightly bends back, barely dodging the punch.
Elliot:Woah!
Close up on Elliot's feet. Both are planted on the ground.
Elliot:No. It was close, but I can't dwell on it. I have to counter her whiff.
Elliot goes for an uppercut. Right when his fist is about to reach her chin, Jasmine's body liquifies and slithers to the side like a snake, causing Elliot to miss.
Jasmine: "Oooh, nice reflexes. I like that!"
Jasmine solidifies once again, standing at Elliot's side. Surprised, Elliot takes a couple steps back to gain distance. They're now at a standstill.
Elliot:She's fast. It's hard to keep up.
Jasmine: "Looks like Wendy taught you well with that close combat training. You've improved since your fight with Terry." (reference chapter 8).
PAGE 4
Jasmine confidently steps forward with a smile.
Jasmine: "Personal lesson number two: Special Close Combat."
Elliot: "Special close combat?"
She comes at Elliot with a straight punch, which Elliot dodges by moving back even further.
Elliot:She's got good reach, but as long as I keep my distance…
Something catches Elliot by surprise.
Elliot: "Huh?!"
As Elliot moves back to dodge Jasmine's straight punch, she opens her fist to an open palm. Ice quickly forms in her palm and extends into an ice pick, coming straight at Elliot's face.
Elliot instinctively moves his head to the side just enough for the ice pick to barely miss his head, but not enough to avoid it grazing his cheek. He back hands her ice-wielding hand to parry.
Jasmine spins in the direction that her blade hand was swept away, bringing the blade in for a side slash.
PAGE 5
Elliot ducks the slash successfully, but stumbles. He's having difficulty, readying another punch with her other hand.
Jasmine: "Let's keep the pressure going, shall we?"
Elliot blocks her incoming punch, but with two hands. He's losing his footing.
As Elliot pulls away, he looks at his hand. Though he successfully blocked her punch, his hands have a little ice on them.
Elliot: "What the…" So does this mean that even blocking is dangerous?!
Jasmine: "Don't lose focus, now."
Elliot catches an incoming kick to the mid section with both hands. Unfortunately, he now has even more ice on his hands and arms.
Jasmine: "You're starting to slow down."
Elliot:She's right! So this is what she meant by special close combat; she's using physical contact to slowly freeze me, so blocking is dangerous. I need to dodge instead, but I'm already slowing down! I'll have to blast her.
He holds both hands out towards Jasmine, charging to release a blast in her direction.
Jasmine flashes a small wave of water at him. Elliot moves back even more to dodge it.
PAGE 6
The next panel displays Jasmine standing on the edge of the roof with her arms crossed. Elliot, having stepped back too many times, has accidentally stepped off of the roof and now stands in mid-air in a cartoon fashion.
Jasmine: "Lesson #3: Surroundings. Keep an open eye and ear out for your surroundings. Otherwise you might stumble off the roof of a tall building, like so."
Elliot pulls out a notepad and begins taking note.
Elliot: "Uh-huh. Good advice. Definitely noted."
Jasmine: "Too bad you can't fly, huh?"
Elliot: "Yep."
And just like that, gravity remembers its job and Elliot begins to fall to his death.
About halfway through the fall, Elliot is hit with water from above, which quickly freezes him to the side of the building. His entire body is frozen, save his face.
Elliot: "What the!"
PAGE 7
Jasmine rides a small wave of water down to the middle of the building where Elliot is.
She liquifies her body and spirals around a frozen Elliot like a serpent. Only her head is in human form.
Still with a liquid body, Jasmine leans in close to Elliot, her face only inches away from his. She solidifies her hand and rubs his cheek.
Jasmine: "Close and personal lesson #1."
Elliot: "...um…w-what?" This is it! She's gonna kill me!
Back in the room with the large monitor, the rest of the gang (except for Iris and Chase) watch the simulation.
Terry: "Oh, this is it. I remember this finishing move."
PAGE 8
Back in the simulation: Close up of Jasmine's face. She tilts her head down just slightly, her light brown eyes looking up at Elliot. She looks like a doll. Very cute with puppy-eyes.
Jasmine: "So um…would you like to take me out on a date some time?"
Close up on Elliot, who is now surprised and caught off guard.
Elliot: "Huh? Uh, sure. When are you free?" Elliot, you've done it again, you sly dog! (without doing anything, this time)
Jasmine shocks everyone who's watching on the monitor. Not a single jaw was left undropped.
Wendy: "Are they really just making plans right now?"
Forte: "Okay Jasmine, I think we're done here! I'm shutting it down so we can move on to the next training exercise."
PAGE 9
Later…
The gang, minus Iris and Chase, is outside. Their surroundings look like an obstacle course for adults. However, the climbing wall, adult monkey bars, are currently descending underground.
Forte: "Welcome to part of our back yard!"
Wendy: "Kinda like bootcamp, huh? Why's the whole thing sinking underground?"
Forte: "Oh, there's no need for it right now."
Terry: "Then why are we out here?"
With the obstacle course now completely underground, the ground closes up completely, leaving nothing but a field of dirt.
Forte:"Because you are up next."
Terry: "Huh?"
Forte: "In the past, we've had assessments that test your overall abilities through survival in wild life, obstacle courses, and being out in the city in real situations. But this time, it'll revolve around battle skills."
PAGE 10
Forte: "That's why I'm trying to see where you all stand against one another. Though, Elliot's case was just so I could gauge his handle on his abilities. Now the real fighting begins. So, let me summon your partner."
Suddenly, Iris and Chase poof in place, appearing next to Forte. Iris wears Chase's shades. Iris's guardian Omar, who was with Iris in her most recent training session, is with them.
Chase: "My shades. When did you…?"
Omar: "Iris, he needs those. You should return them."
Iris: "Sure thing." They just look so cool on me.
Omar scans the area and stops to focus on Wendy and Elliot.
Omar: "Okay, I see two new faces. You must be the new friends Iris told me about. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Omar, one of Iris's guardians."
Wendy: "Oh, nice to meet you! She mentioned us?"
Omar: "Oh yeah. I've heard all about 'Wendy sis' and 'new big sis is so cool.' And then there's Elliot, I assume? How'd you put it, Iris? He's…bae? Did I say it right-?"
Iris looks like she's trying to shush him out of embarrassment.
Iris: "Shhh shh! Uh. Yeah, he's bae…toven? There we go!" Whatever that is.
Devlon: "So is Iris part of the next match?"
PAGE 11
Chase puts his shades on in a cool fashion.
Chase: "Nah, that would be me. Just hitched a ride from lil sis is all."
Devlon: "So you're Terry's opponent? Let's clear the way so they can-"
Forte: "Actually, they're partners. As in a team. Against you.
This catches Devlon by surprise.
Devlon: "Huh? Me?"
Forte: "And Wendy."
Chase walks over to Forte, shaking his head.
Chase: "Hold on, hold on. I can't fight a lady."
Elliot:Uh-oh.
Wendy: "Hey, I'm fine with it. You might end up losing like Devlon did if you think I need a handicap. No offense, Devlon."
Devlon: "No offense taken." Plan B for the whole squad. That way, they'll forget it ever happened.
PAGE 12
Chase: "I've seen you in action three times now, Ms. Wendy. I know you're combat capable. I just…can't."
Wendy: "It's fine, really. I won't take it personally if I lose. Okay Charles?"
Chase: "I uh…it contradicts what I teach Iris. I try to set an example for her and… I just can't!"
Close up on Wendy, who listens to Chase's concerns attentively.
Wendy:I don't think he's underestimating me. He's… really stressing out.
Chase: "Men are protectors. And we'd lay down our lives for our women, the ones we came from, if need be. Now I gotta fight one?"
Wendy: "Well…what if I was being attacked by a woman with overwhelming power?"
Forte: "Wendy's got a point there. This can be a challenge for you. What would you do if you encountered a female adversary?"
Focus is totally on Chase, his shades slid down just enough to see part of his bright red irises.
Forte: "A female adversary with killing intent. One who's stronger than you, has already incapacitated Wendy, and now threatens Iris."
Chase: "...Okay, I understand. It makes sense-"
PAGE 13
Consumed by the flow of his own fictional scenario, Forte gets a little too serious.
Forte: "And then the female adversary blows off Elliot's legs."
Elliot: "Wait, why my legs!?"
Forte: "And Devlon can't help because he's gone blind, mute, and deaf."
Devlon: "I think he gets the picture, sir."
Forte: "And then Terry lost his memory and can't help you because he doesn't know his own power. What then?"
Wendy:How did we even get here?
Chase holds the sides of his head, frustrated from the pressure.
Chase: "Okay, okay. I get it! I'll do this!"
Omar and Iris walk away to get some distance, waving for the others to do the same.
Omar: "Alright, we'll get outta your way and hit the side lines."
Wendy walks towards Iris and omar.
Wendy: "Iris, wait."
PAGE 14
Wendy stands in front of Iris, appearing apologetic. She hesitates and looks to the side for a moment.
Wendy: "About earlier, I uh…"
Iris: "Hm?"
Wendy: "I should have been honest to you about what happened. About the gunshot, the cop, everything. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
Iris: "I…I don't know."
Focus more on Iris in this panel. She doesn't look upset.
Iris: "What is there to forgive? You only did what a big sis would do. Jazzy sis, Wendy acts like she doesn't know what sisterhood is like."
Jasmine (in the background): "I know, right?"
Wendy: "I…er, you're not mad?"
Chase: "Nah. The footage on the news kinda freaked her out. She just needed to get to a place where she could calm down. She wasn't upset with you."
Iris: "Of course I'm not mad. We gotta stick together. Especially us sisters. Wanna know how much that pinky promise is worth? Cuz…I don't think you know."
Iris stands on her tip toes and raises her hands as high as she can.
Iris: " To me…sisterhood means this…no wait."
PAGE 15
Iris vanishes, leaving nothing but dust. Wendy looks up to the sky.
Iris is about 60 feet in the air, raising her hands as high as she can.
Iris: "The pink promise is worth THIS MUCH, BIG SIS! Now I want you to get in that ring and kick butt! I'll be rooting for you!"
Down on the ground, Chase scratches the back of his head and shouts to Iris.
Chase: "Hey, what about big bro? You gonna root for me?"
Iris teleports back to the ground and gives Chase a wink.
Iris: "Love you big bro. But I'm rooting for girl power today."
Wendy doesn't know how to respond. She looks away for a moment, eyes beginning to water.
Wendy: "Did she just love on me and hype me up at the same time?" Always wanted a real sister.
PAGE 14
Iris goes to the outskirts of the field at a distance next to Kei, Nana, and Omar. Meanwhile, Wendy rubs her eye.
Iris: "Alright, let's see some action!"
There are 5 people on the field: Devlon and Wendy, Terry and Chase, and Forte in the middle.
Forte: "Wendy, c'mere for a sec.."
Wendy walks over to Forte. Forte pulls out a vial with a dark brown liquid.
Forte: "I got this made specially for you, juuuust in case you were hurt pretty badly."
Wendy: "Thanks? What is it? If you're concerned about injuries, why are we not doing a simulation fight?"
Forte: "The simulation is good for gauging abilities and growing character, learning from mistakes, and so on. But you can't build strength or endurance while in the simulation. Also, there's no pressure of sustaining injuries or death. Fighting with that pressure is part of the exercise as well. As for this vial…"
PAGE 15
Forte holds the vial up, displaying it to Wendy.
Forte: "This vial is a highly concentrated liquid, made from the molecular structure of the biodegradable mechanisms of neurological supercalifragilistic eugenics."
Wendy:Is he using random big words out of context so he can sound smarter?
In the background, Elliot stands bug-eyed as he holds his face, totally mind blown.
Elliot: "Woah! So scientific!" What's all that mean?
Forte continues with the origin story of the mysterious liquid.
Forte: "Once applied, it will protect you from 3rd degree burns and permanent damage. I thought it would be of good use against Terry, just in case."
Wendy is very impressed to hear this, raising her eyebrows.
Wendy: "Oh, that's useful! That can come in handy for dangerous missions too. How many of those do you have handy?"
Forte: "Just this one."
That was short lived; Wendy now looks stressed out.
Wendy: "Then why give it to me now? Shouldn't you make another one first?"
Forte: "Oh, I didn't make this. A good old scientist friend made this for me. But he died last night."
Wendy: "WHAT?!"
PAGE 16
Forte: "He was so excited about his life's work that he jumped up. Upon landing, he slipped on a collapsed wet-floor sign and broke his lungs."
Wendy: "HOWWWW!"
Forte: "He was an irregular with the power of being born with glass lungs. Come to think of it, he couldn't take deep breaths because his lungs wouldn't expand."
Wendy: "HOW IS THAT POWER HELPFUL!?"
Wendy pauses and takes a deep breath.
Wendy: "Anyway, we should hold off on using that one-of-a-kind liquid. For now, let's save it until we can get a chemist to examine the liquid so they can replicate it and-"
With a blank stare, Forte opens the bottle and throws the liquid on Wendy.
Wendy just stands there, trying not to explode with anger. But her face is…emotionally numb.
Wendy: "You… don't think ahead much, do you?"
Forte: "Nah. Too stressful."
Elliot: "Yo, did he just pour literal plot armor on Wendy?"
Wendy: "Elliot, for me, please leave the comic lingo alone. This is real life." What is real life at this point?
PAGE 17
Forte steps away and raises his hand.
Forte: "Alright. Fighters ready?"
The following panels display the eyes of the four fighters. From top to bottom, it's:
Terry: "I've been waiting for a chance to get a rematch, Wendy."
Chase: "Stay focused, bro. They both have deadly close combat skills."
Devlon: "We're gonna need to close in since we're not heavy on projectiles."
Wendy: "You forget I have rubber bullets. I'll cover you."
PAGE 18
Full page display of Terry popping his knuckles. Flames rise from one of Terry's hands. Chase stands behind him, pushing his shades up with his fingers, his bright red eyes visible through the shades. They both are posing in a cool way as they look to the right. The letter V is shown on the far right of the page.
PAGE 19
This page shows the same thing, but Devlon and Wendy. Wendy's up front with Devlon behind her. Wendy's cocking her pistol as she and Devlon look to the left. Devlon grips his sword handle, his locks and Wendy's hair blowing in the wind. The letter S is on the far left of the page. Together, with the comic open, both pages 17 and 18 will make the word VS in the middle as the teams face each other. (For reference, picture the VS screen of Street Fighter x Tekken).