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RAPID CITY #36 by Josh Dahl joshdahl75@gmail.com Page 1 Showdown at Sand Lake. 5 panels This whole page is composed of panels stretching all the way from left to right. Panels 1 and 5 are the thinnest, 2 and 4 are slightly thicker, and panel 3 is the largest. Maybe play with the panel borders with wire and ice crystals. Panel 1 Wide shot of the bleak, wintery, lake-lot. Coil stands at the far left of the panel. He is facing the reader, but far away. He is tense and ready for war. ICICLE's feet are just barely in the panel at the far right. Tight shot on COIL's eyes, maybe some more of his face. He looks angry. COIL Your arm... what is that? Panel 3 Wide shot of the two of them facing off like gunslingers. Icicle is on the left and Coil is on the right. Each fills their own side of the panel. This panel has no borders, and bleeds out across the entire page. ICICLE Why did you come here, Coil? COIL To kill you. Panel 4 Mirror of panel 2. Tight on Icicle's eyes. Looking icy. ICICLE No you didn't, you coward, youPanel 5 Mirror of panel 1. Icicle far away, facing the reader. She is at the far right side of the panel. At the far left are Coil's feet. They look like he is running toward her. ICICLE ! Page 2 Panel 1 Splash page. 1 panel Full page shot of Icicle running toward, or past, the camera. Coil is in direct pursuit. The wires he has on his hands and wrists are flowing out like graspy tendrils. Just a few inches, though. They are

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running toward the lake, so it should not be visible in this shot. He looks predatory and she just looks focused on running. COIL Ha-ha! Run, little Icicle! Page 3 Panel 1 Panel 2 The fight begins. 5 panels Icicle stumbling as Coil catches one of her feet with some of his wires. Coil looms over her. Wires entwining COIL Looks like I got you now. Panel 3 Icicle grabs a fistful of them with her right arm. ICICLE With what? Panel 4 Icicle slices through the wires with an ice blade on her left arm. ICICLE These? Panel 5 Icicle sneering at him. ICICLE I brought you here, stupid. Page 4 Panel 1 Pow. 8 panels Icicle swings up at him with a huge ice fist. He is able to block with wire wrapped forearms. He is knocked back, though. Icicle gloating. ICICLE You're not so tough on your own. Why didn't you bring Charge with you? Panel 3 Squaring up. COIL I don't need him to beat you, Icicle. ICICLE You sure needed him last time we fought. Panel 4 Coil landing a blow to the side of her ice helmet. His knuckles hit her cheek. COIL You mean...

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COIL ..when I cut your arm off? Panel 5 Panel 6 He lands a hard blow to her stomach. Coil is over her hunched form, again, his wires begin encircling her. He has one hand on her face, with wires creeping across it, he is winding up his other fist to smash her face. She is grimacing. ICICLE I grew. Panel 7 She fires a spiky right-arm punch into his gut. Some blood flies. ICICLE My arm. Panel 8 Tighter, more intense, similar shot of Icicle landing another spiky gut shot. Bloody spittle flies from Icicle's mouth. ICICLE Back. Page 5 Panel 1 The Well Deserved Fate of a Southern Gentleman. 6 panels Icicle stabbing the fingers of her right hand, now ice spikes, through the mass of Coil's left shoulder and upper arm. ICICLE And by the way, Coil... Panel 2 Panel 3 Icicle using this "grip" to slam Coil to the ground. Large panel. Icicle walking toward the water, dragging Coil behind her. Our POV is from behind, watching the small woman drag the large man with much effort. She is grimacing and just touching the sandy edge of the small beach area. He is clutching at the spikes in his arm, trying to get wires around them. ICICLE I killed Charge. Panel 4 Panel 5 Panel 6 Icicle's feet in an inch of water. Close on Coil's huge right hand, now with far fewer wires, closing on Icicle's thin, blue, right wrist. Very close on Icicle's face as she reacts to suddenly being pulled off of her feet. We see surprise and alarm as she is jerked violently to the right. The upper hand. 7 panels

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Lots of action. Coil has locked onto Icicle's hand and is thrashing like an alligator. Her arm acts as a lever and slams her down, hard, in just over a foot of water. He is sealing his grip with wires. Panel 2 Panel 3 Icicle, underwater, being ground into the mud by the weight of Coil's body. Close on Coil, holding tight to the wrist of the arm that is stabbing him. His wires are sawing through the wrist at different points. He is grimacing down at the roiling water. COIL Good moves. No lie, you got good moves. Panel 4 The spikes, and hand, remain stabbed in to Coil's shoulder, but now the wrist has broken from the hand, and Coil is pulling the arm away from him. Now Coil is yelling down in to the water. COIL But now you're done. Panel 5 Panel 6 Tight shot of Icicle being ground into the mud. Close on his face, and the ice hand still stabbed into his shoulder. His expression is pained surprise as dozens of little spikes pop out of the hand in all directions. COIL You hear me? You're g-Panel 7 Coil is launched upward by an ice blast. We don't really need to know exactly what is happening, just that a huge amount of ice if hitting him from below, and he is being carried back by the force of it. Icicle up. 5 panels Close on Icicle breaking the surface of the water. She is supporting herself with her left arm. The shot is too tight to really see her right arm, but we can see that that shoulder is raised. She has mud on her face and is gasping in air. Wide shot showing what is going on. She is using ice spikes from her left side to anchor herself. Her right arm is holding Coil just above the water. The arm no longer resembles an arm, now it is just a projection of spiky ice tendrils grabbing Coil. He is struggling. She is standing up now, being supported by a spreading mound of ice. She has brought Coil toward her face, the ice around his neck clearly has

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knuckles, giant knuckles. He is sneering she is calm. Panel 4 Caption Panel 5 Caption Caption Page 8 Panel 1 Larger panel of her slamming him down into the water. Ever since I left this place... Coil slamming into the mud, still held firm in the ice grip. Air streaming from his mouth. ...I've been hating myself... ...for not killing you. She nearly kills 'mi. 9 panels This whole page is one image. It is Icicle standing in the water, now about thigh-deep, and using her ice hand to drive Coil into the muddy lake bottom. We can see above and below the water as a cut-away. So we have a good look at Coil struggling down there. This image is sliced through by evenly spaced gutters. At least 12, maybe more. The panels that are created by these gutters MUST be all the same size. They represent the seconds that tick by. Combine or spread out the captions however it works. The number of panels should be whatever looks good... and looks like seconds passing. You took everything I had, my love, my heart. My whole life. Gone. Another slice. What are you going to lose when you die? You've got nothing. Another slice. I can feel you fighting. Lashing out. Trying to hurt me. Another slice. You're running out of air, but you still won't let go of that rage. I can feel you tearing your skin on my ice spikes. Another slice. At the end, all you have is anger and hatred. Another slice. Surface of the water is about here. When those fade, there's nothing. Another slice. I feel you losing your strength.

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Another slice. Caption Panel 9 Caption Page 9 Panel 1 Then thrashing like crazy. Because you know this is it. Rage, then terror, then the truth. Another slice. Now I really know you. You're nothing, and you always have been. Mercy. 4 panels Very similar to the show of Icicle dragging Coil into the lake, also similar to the shot of her emerging from the lake in issue 26. Icicle has dropped most of her extravagant armor, and chunks of ice float in the lake behind her. She is dragging a limp, unconscious, Coil behind her. All you ever were was hatred. Icicle using her right arm to toss Coil's limp body toward the beach. You were my hatred, Coil. Continuing from the last panel, Coil is landing hard, but he is not landing on the beach. Instead, he is crashing unconscious into the security checkpoint at the front of the Rapid City police station. TWO COPS react in surprise. Coil is bound and unconscious. And I just don't want you any more. A mirror of panel 1, but now Icicle is walking away from the police station. Behind her we can see through the wall of windows on the police station. The younger cops is checking on Coil, the older one is at the door, watching Icicle leave. YOUNGER COP He's freezing cold, but he's got a pulse. Who was that? OLDER COP When something like this happens, it's usually a superhero thing. She must be new. Page 10 Panel 1 Open road. 7 panels Evening at the central Rapid City bus station. It is cold and windy. We can see a small Icicle walking toward a bus. There is not a lot of activity. A DRIVER is standing outside the bus she is walking toward. BUS DRIVER Ticket?

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The driver eying her suspiciously as he takes her ticket. ICICLE What? BUS DRIVER I gave you a ride yesterday, didn't I? ICICLE Yeah Panel 3 The driver smiling happily. BUS DRIVER I knew it. I never forget a pretty face! BUS DRIVER We get a lot of repeat customers, but usually not the very next day. Panel 4 Icicle smiling slightly as she steps onto the bus. ICICLE Just a few things I had to take care of before I left. ICICLE But now I'm outta here for good. Panel 5 Icicle steps further onto the bus, behind her, the driver turns to some guy. BUS DRIVER Well, best of luck to you. BUS DRIVER Ticket, please. Panel 6 Panel 7 Small shot of the bus leaving the parking lot. Wide shot of Icicle looking out the bus window at Rapid City. The bus is crossing a bridge over a wide river and the city is dark and somber. Block's hot. 6 panels Wide shot of morning in Rapid City. At a bank, an armored car is taking on a load of money. Along the usual guards, there is a heavily-armored FEDERAL GUARD. In the foreground, there is a shady looking guy walking past, looking sharply away from the money. He has a hoodie pulled up over his head. The hoodie guy is MONSTER keeping a low profile. Monster down the block from the bank, he is leaning into an apartment entryway and pressing an intercom

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button. Panel 3 Tight shot on Monster's mouth speaking into the intercom panel. INTERCOM Who is it? MONSTER Come on, you know. It's Monster, let me in. INTERCOM Bzzzzz. Panel 4 Wide panel of Monster entering a dirty crash-pad of an apartment. In there already are STRETCHER, SLATE, and SKYLINE. MONSTER It's crazy out there. SLATE How do you mean? MONSTER I mean the block is hot. Like "da-da-doh" hot. Panel 5 Slate talking, Stretcher looking serious and listening to her. SLATE Are you serious? What do we do now? We can't just stay here. STRETCHER For now, we're gonna have to. Panel 6 Another angle showing the others turning to look at Skyline. SKYLINE Stretcher's right. I've been Syndicate longer than you. We lay low and they'll be in touch. STRETCHER How? SKYLINE They'll be in touch. Page 12 Panel 1 Drifting. 6 panels Near the top of a tall building, CRIMSON GHOST crouches among the gargoyles and architectural features. He is in his flaming skull form, and partially invisible.

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Inset over panel 1. Tight on Crimson Ghost's face, he is looking down and looking as worried as a skull can look. Panel 3 Panel 4 Similar to panel 1 but closer and he is not mostly invisible. At the deli counter of a small town grocery store. In this whole scene, we can see HECTOR clearly, but the person he's talking to is never seen clearly. It is Icicle, but we never see enough to know that, we can't even identify gender. In this panel, Hector is taking the next ticket out of the number machine. He is in his civilian clothes. He is looking back at Icicle who is off panel. Far away HECTOR Hey there. What a surprise. You stocking up? Panel 5 Looking at Hector, Icicle is still off panel. ICICLE What are you doing here, Hector? HECTOR Running some errands for my boss. He wants me to tell you you're needed... Panel 6 ARACHNOID and HEARTATTACK in a darkened office which is in the process of being remodeled. Lots of sheets of plastic around. They have blankets and a small, battery powered, lantern. They are eating unheated TV dinners. Arachnoid has bandages on parts of his face and on one arm. back in Rapid City. Hector gets the word out. 8 panels Stretcher using an unusually long finger to press the intercom button in the apartment from the earlier scene. STRETCHER Who is it? INTERCOM Hector. Let me in, we have to talk. Panel 2 Hector standing in the middle of the room, addressing Stretcher, Monster, Slate, and Skyline. MONSTER What's going on, man? We heard Coil got pinched.

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HECTOR I'm going to tell you everything you need to know, so pay attention... Panel 3 Hector addressing a man with long hair who is vigorously painting a large canvas in a large studio. The man is uninterested in what he is saying. He is ANDREW WK. HECTOR From your point of view, clearly, the current situation appears chaotic and uncertain. Panel 4 Hector in a city. He is Kardashian, CATALYST is very upscale hotel room, overlooking the talking to VX, who is dressed like a high fashion and diamonds. Nearby, lounging in his briefs and his gas mask.

HECTOR You can't make your next move because you can't predict what the feds, the heroes, the Syndicate, or the other crooks will do. Panel 5 Hector addressing Heartattack and Arachnoid in an industrial stairwell. HECTOR I'm here to tell you your next move. Nothing. Just sit tight. Panel 6 In an excavated construction site, with bare iron work above, Hector is addressing five or six RED ALERT MOTOS. HECTOR King Shard has taken a very personal interest in developing the Rapid City marketplace for the syndicate. Panel 7 Hector is sitting beside CLAW HAMMER at the table where Claw Hammer sits to bet at the store where he hangs out. Claw Hammer isn't even looking at him. HECTOR Obviously, recent events have forced us to re-think our strategy here. But we've done that, and even as we speak. HECTOR ...moves are being made. Panel 8 Small inset over panel 7, tight on Hector. HECTOR Expect to be contacted in the next two days. Page 14 Hangar day. 6 panels

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In a large, but mostly unused hangar at the airport. Several villains are standing around, waiting. Among them are Slate, Stretcher, VX, Catalyst, Arachnoid, Heartattack, Calculus, some Motos, Skyline, Crimson Ghost, and several others. Around 20 -25 villains here. Large shot giving a sense of the space. Caption Two days later. CHATTER You think this might be a set-up? CHATTER Set-up? What set-up? We're just standing around. STRETCHER How long do they expect us to wait? SLATE That's how they do it. You don't wanna wait? Leave. RED ALERT It was nice while it lasted, man, but this whole thing is over. CALCULUS Why would they gather us here just to tell us they were leaving? Wouldn't they just leave? Panel 2 Panel 3 Shot of the big hangar doors opening a crack. Shot of the doors wide enough for a vehicle to drive through. A large black Hummer is driving through. The assembled villains fall silent and take notice. Reaction shot of some of the villains looking on in nervous silence. Perhaps shown reflected on the side of the vehicle. One armored boot emerging from the rear door of the Hummer. The rear door now open, we can see King Shard starting to step out. He is still mostly obscured by the dark interior of the vehicle. The edges and points of his armor glow in the darkness. KING SHARD Hello. KING SHARD Thank you for joining us here Page 15 Panel 1 The boss. 6 panels Close on Shard's face. Through this entire page, we never get one clear shot of Shard.

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KING SHARD It's nice to be back in Rapid City. Some of you know me. All of you know of me. My name is King Shard. Panel 2 Shard walking casually away from the Hummer and into the crowd. Everyone looks at him as he passes. KING SHARD You all work in Rapid City, therefore you work for me. To you, I am The Syndicate. But, this city has not had an official Syndicate presence for a very long time. KING SHARD Common wisdom had told us that there was no profit to be made here. Too big a risk for too little pay-off. Panel 3 POV of someone in the crowd watching Shard progress through. Shard is gesturing as he talks. KING SHARD But a few months ago, Coil came to me with a proposition. I could see then that we were leaving money on the table in Rapid City. KING SHARD You were in need of structure and order. And with that structure would come limitless earning potential. KING SHARD That potential is here, in this room. I can see it. It is that potential in which I invested my money, my power, and my reputation. Panel 4 Shard putting his hand on someone's shoulder like they are having a heart-to-heart. KING SHARD I made that investment because Coil showed me what you all had to offer. Unfortunately, Coil proved unable to bear the pressures leadership, and found himself in an extremely compromised position. KING SHARD Coil's decisions, and his fate, are his alone and they have no bearing on how we proceed. Panel 5 Shard, now at the back of the crowd, gesturing back toward the Hummer. KING SHARD It was my mistake to put him in charge. But now I correct that mistake.

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The crowd turning to look behind them, toward the Hummer. He does not need to be in this panel. KING SHARD This is my appointee, and your new boss. Treat her as you would me. Page 16 Panel 1 Meet the new boss. 3 panels Almost the whole page. Icicle standing outside the Hummer's back door. She is wearing an upgraded version of her costume. Her spike armor is carefully symmetrical, and slightly resembles Shard's. She looks menacing and serious. Her blue arm is very prominent. Hector is standing off behind her. Shard's speech comes from off panel. KING SHARD Icicle. Panel 2 Panel 3 Page 17 Panel 1 Short, full width panel showing shock, anger, and indifference on the faces of the villains. Another full width panel, this one just showing her icy eyes. Same as the old boss. 6 panels Icicle talking. ICICLE Some of you, the smart ones, are putting it together right now. Coil was in charge. I went after Coil. And now I'm in charge. ICICLE So maybe if you come at me, you could be in charge. Right? Panel 2 The crowd listening. ICICLE but who's gonna back your play? Is there anyone here you trust to have your back without putting a knife in it? Panel 3 Wide overhead shot of Icicle standing in front of the crowd. There is a word balloon coming from the crowd, but we can't tell exactly who is saying it. SOMEONE I don't need no back up, little girl, I can take you myself. Panel 4 High shot from behind the crowd of villains, looking at Icicle, she looks surrounded and out numbered. Still unclear who was talking.

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ICICLE That's what you want? Ok. Here's how we do it. I'm going to close my eyes... ICICLE ...and when I snap my fingers... Panel 5 Tight on her face, eyes closed, looking serene. ICICLE ...all of you kill me... Panel 6 Shot of her raised ice hand, her fingers snapping and making a "clink" noise. ICICLE ...or kill him. Page 18 Panel 1 Caption Panel 2 Caption Panel 3 Caption Panel 4 Caption Panel 5 A little help? 5 panels The scene.Exterior shot of the hangar building. Focus on some windows which are too dirty to see through. I was gone, you know. I just left it behind. Close on some villain with blood on his knuckles. That's all I ever wanted, to be done with all of this. And just disappear. Hector with a hose, spraying away blood as some other bad guys turn away. And I did it. I had it in my hands, I was gone. Hector and Shard walking away from the bad guys, toward the Hummer. But they found me. Shot of King Shard, content, in the back of the Hummer, through the tinted windows we can see the shapes of bad guys watching him leave. It was King Shard. The other shoe. 6 panels Claw Hammer and Icicle sitting at his table at the betting parlor where he always is. She is holding a coffee with both hands (her right hand is in a glove). He is snapping at her. They are both in their civvies. CLAW HAMMER Don't say that name. ICICLE

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He said he put Coil in power, so Coil's breakdown made him look bad. He said if I lived it would make him look even worse. Panel 2 Tight on Icicle talking, staring at her coffee. ICICLE But, he thought he could spin it. Make it look like I was his puppet taking over. Panel 3 Icicle turning slightly to talk toward Claw Hammer. He is stone faced, holding back frustration. ICICLE Can you see it? He didn't give me any choice. They would have killed me. ICICLE But this way, all I have to do is ride it out. I do what they tell me, stay alive, and then in a little while... Panel 4 Icicle forcing a small smile. ICICLE I can step back. Fade away. Retire. That's my way out. ICICLE But I need your help. You're the only person I trust to have my back. Panel 5 Leaving her gloved right hand on the table, she touches him with her left hand ICICLE You'll be my right hand. You'll have all the money you'll ever need and all you have to do is just... Panel 6 Shot from almost her POV. Him looking back at her, not giving away any emotion. ICICLE ...be there. ICICLE Ok? Tomorrow, the penthouse at the Stewart Arms... Page 20 Panel 1 Gerrymandering. 7 panels Wide establishing shot of a fancy penthouse suite at a nice hotel. Lounging near the bar are VX, Crimson Ghost, Mira Vega, Some Magic Guy, Red Alert Leader, and Some Guy All In Black. ...We're splitting up the city.

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Icicle sitting in a private lounge room, watching TV. She is wearing her Icicle suit, but has no spikes or ice arm. She looks numb. Panel 3 Same setting, now Hector is coming in through the door. She is looking up at him. HECTOR Everyone's here. You ready? Panel 4 Close on Icicle. ICICLE I guess so. Panel 5 She is standing up and walking toward him. HECTOR Hey. You proved yourself the other day in the hangar. After that, all of this is just formality. You hear me? ICICLE Yeah. Panel 6 Hector talking right in Icicle's face. HECTOR I'm here to make sure you succeed. And if you listen to me, you will. You get me? ICICLE Yes. HECTOR Now, what about your right hand? Panel 7 Page 21 Panel 1 Icicle looking Down at her stump, and the empty space beside her where a person would be standing. No right hand. 5 panels Icicle walking away from Hector, into the main room, while re-growing her right ice-arm. ICICLE I lost it. Panel 2 Close on her new ice-hand, the assembled bad guys are in the background watching her arrive. ICICLE Now this is all I have. Panel 3 Panel 4 Icicle leering at the bad guys as she walks over to the bar. There are expensive bottles of booze on top.

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From behind the bad guys as they watch her pour a drink. Panel 5 Page 22 Panel 1 Icicle carrying her glass and walking toward a big chair. The bad guys are watching her. Icicle on her throne of solitude. 1 panel One huge image of her slumped in the chair like a sorrowful monarch. The assembled bad guys are not in the shot, but they are just behind the camera. Their shadows fall across the scene like prison bars. Icicle looks small. Maybe some inset panels to draw attention to certain elements. Now. This. Is all I have. THE END

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