The Authority was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch. It's owned by DC Comics. I'm not making a dime, nor will I be until the day I convince DC to hire me (this won't be soon).

 

PAGE 1

Panel 1:

The light from the gigantic door that was opened is being eclipsed by the ship that’s coming through it. We don’t see this directly, because our focus is on the Carrier’s wrecked bridge and the team standing on it, but the play of light on them reflects it. The team, sans Angie, is standing there, covered in squid bits, gaping at the emerging ship. Apollo is still holding the flying alien, but it’s getting squeezed to mush in his distraction. Swift is the first one to recover her nerve.

 

SWIFT:                  HOLY SHIT.

 

CAPTION:                  TITLE & CREDITS: FIELD TRIP: 2 OF 4 BY PERSIAN SLIPPER

PAGE 2

Panel 1:

Angie has recovered as much as she is going to and has begun frantically trying to communicate with the Carrier.

 

ANGIE:                  HOLY SHIT IS ABOUT RIGHT. CAN ANYBODY GET THE SHIP TO MOVE?

 

Panel 2:

Shen and the Doctor make a fast survey the wreckage of bridge as the ship from the Bleed continues to emerge.

 

SHEN (RT):                           THE HELM’S A MESS.

 

DOCTOR (RT):                     AND THE SHIP’S NOT SPEAKING ANY LANGUAGE I KNOW.

 

Panel 3:

Angie again. She’s thinking.

 

ANGIE (RT):                         THAT’S NOT HARD.

 

ANGIE (RT):                         HEY, THAT MIGHT WORK…

 

Panel 4:

Nano-blood flows from Angie’s fingers into the wires connecting her to the Carrier.

PAGE 3

Panel 1:

Shen and co. are looking dubiously at the other shiftship. It has cleared the door and the Carrier is the only thing between it and Earth.

 

DOCTOR (RT):                     ANGIE? COULD YOU HURRY UP WITH THAT? LIKE BEFORE EARTH BECOMES HOME OF THE SQUID-HEADS?

 

Panel 2:

Angie has screens of the universe and the multiverse up, plotting a course.

 

ANGIE (RT):                         SHUT UP.

 

ANGIE 2 (RT):                      SHEN, YOU’VE GOT BRIDGE CONTROL. TAKE US TOWARDS JUPITER.

 

Panel 3:

Limited flight screen have appeared in front of Shen and she is pushing them as fast as she can.

 

ANGIE (RT):                         NO, WAIT, TAKE US INTO THE BLEED. UNIVERSE 83412 LOOKS UNINHABITED.

 

Panel 4:

The bridge goes red as the ship slips into the Bleed. Helm control is offline again, however. The Carrier is spitting up Angie onto the deck.

 

ANGIE:                  SHOULDA KNOWN SHE’D HATE MANUAL CONTROL…

PAGE 4 & 5

The Carrier is out in the Bleed now, but the other ship has followed them in and is firing large, nasty looking energy bolts at them. The Carrier has thrown up shields, but some of the energy bolts are getting through. The Carrier’s heading to the right out of page 4, while the other ship occupies page 5.

 

PAGE 6

Panel 1:

The ship was clearly rocked by an explosion. The team is picking themselves off the floor.

 

JACK:                    WHAT WAS THAT?

 

MIDNIGHTER:     THEY’RE FIRING ON US. IDEAS?

 

Panel 2:

Jack looks around the bridge, soaking up the feel of the ship.

 

JACK:                    NOT MANY. THE CARRIER’S RUNNING SCARED.

 

Panel 3:

He turns to Angie again, his previous acrimony softened.

 

JACK:                 ANGIE, YOU WERE TALKING TO HER. IS SHE WILLING TO PROTECT US?

 

ANGIE:                  SHE’S WILLING TO PROTECT HER OWN ASS.

 

Panel 4:

Midnighter looks at Angie, not quite angry but glaring a little. Angie glares back, her anger at Jack still fresh and taking it out on the Midnighter for his brusqueness.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     DO I HAVE WEAPONS SYSTEM CONTROL OR NOT?

 

ANGIE:                  WHATEVER SHE’S NOT FIRING IN PANIC SHOULD BE CONTROLLABLE.

 

Panel 5:

The Midnighter stalks off the Weapons Room. Apollo is looking a bit apologetically at the rest of the team. He is also wiping squid goo off on his uniform. Jack has his back turned to all of them as he stares out the window. His hands are clasped together behind his back.

 

APOLLO:               SORRY ABOUT THAT. HE’S A BIT FOCUSED.

 

DOCTOR:              LIKE WE HADN’T NOTICED.

 

Panel 6:

Jack turns back to them, a nasty gleam in his eye.

 

JACK:                    HERE’S THE PLAN.

PAGE 7

Panel 1:

Apollo and the Doctor are floating behind the ship, just behind the Carrier’s shield. Energy blasts are splashing off it. The Doctor is wearing a spacesuit manufactured from nano-tech.

 

DOCTOR (RT):                     WHY THE HELL DID JACK SEND ME FOR THIS? I CRAP MY PANTS ANYTIME SOMEBODY WAVES A GUN AT ME!

 

Panel 2:

Apollo is moving out from behind the shield, leaving the Doctor floating by himself behind the shield. Apollo is grinning a little as he does so.

 

APOLLO (RT):                      RELAX. YOU’VE GOT THE EASY JOB. DEFENSE IS A PIECE OF CAKE. I’M DOING ALL THE HARD WORK.

 

Panel 3:

Big panel of Apollo dodging missiles as he blasts the gun emplacements of the other shiftship with his eye lasers. In the background, the weak spots in the Carrier’s shield are being reinforced by purple magic. The incoming missiles are turning to rain. A few outgoing missiles are also starting to appear. They go right through the shield.

 

DOCTOR (RT):                     EASY FOR YOU TO SAY…

PAGE 8

Panel 1:

The Weapons Room is dark and full of screens showing all angles of the ship from the point of view of the gun emplacements. In front of each group of screens is a console. The Midnighter is standing in front of one. He has up all the shots from the rear of the ship. He is pushing buttons in sequence. Some of the guns are firing randomly, but some have a clear pattern to their fire. Jack is entering the room.

 

JACK:                    CARE FOR SOME HELP?

 

Panel 2:

The Midnighter pushes some buttons, which brings up another set of views of the ship’s rear. He uses his other hand to motion Jack to the console he has pulled the screens up in front of.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     GO AHEAD. NOT AS SATISFYING AS HAVING A TRIGGER TO PULL, THOUGH.

 

Panel 3:

Jack pushes a button and a rocket streaks off to impact on the other ship in a large shower of sparks. The demonic glint is back in his eye.

 

JACK:                    IT’LL DO FOR NOW.

 

Panel 4:

Back to the bridge. Aside from the squid bits dripping everywhere, it’s the complete opposite of the Weapons Room: bright, airy, and full of real windows, not screens. Angie and Shen are standing next to each other, watching the Bleed fly by. We’re looking at them in right profile, Shen closer, Angie farther away.

 

SHEN:                    I FEEL SO USELESS.

 

ANGIE:                  YOU FEEL USELESS? AT LEAST YOU GOT TO DO SOMETHING.

 

Panel 5:

Angie has shifted to face Shen, her anger bubbling up again. Behind the two of them, Doors are beginning to open.

 

SHEN:                    YOU WERE DOING SOMETHING IMPORTANT. NOT EVEN THE DOCTOR CAN SPEAK THE CARRIER LIKE YOU DO.

 

ANGIE:                  I CAN DO THAT FROM ANYWHERE IN THE SHIP! JACK WAS JUST BEING CHILDISH--

 

Panel 6:

Angie notices the reflection from the widening doors in the glass. Her eyes widen.

 

ANGIE:                  OH, GOD—

PAGE 9

Panel 1:

Angie has spun around and is firing wilding on the invading hordes.  Shen  is standing next to her, wide-eyed. The aliens are bigger and uglier than the first wave. Where the first ones were just soft tissue, these have a cartilaginous outer shell from which their tentacles and heads protrude. Instead of eyestalks, they have soft, pulpy heads with two eyes and a beak facing forward and an eye in back to keep track of what’s behind them. They are holding nasty looking laser pistols. Their cartilage doesn’t stop the bullets, however, and they are being cut in half, blue-black blood spewing out of them.

 

ANGIE (RT):         ENGINEER TO ALL POINTS: GET BACKUP HERE NOW! THEY SENT MORE OF THE BASTARDS!

 

Panel 2:

Angie is spinning off multiples to deal with the new Doors that are opening all the time. Swift is in the air again, ripping the heads off the ones Angie doesn’t get.

 

ANGIE:                  FEEL USELESS NOW?

 

Panel 3:

The Weapons room. Jack and the Midnighter look at each other. The Midnighter’s already standing, ready to go.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     YOU WANT THIS?

 

JACK:                    YOU CAN HAVE IT. I’VE DEALT WITH ENOUGH PISSED OFF ANGIE FOR THE DAY.

 

Panel 4:

Apollo is flying back into towards the Carrier. He is passing by the Doctor and grinning broadly.. The shots from the other ship have slacked off a bit.

 

APOLLO (RT):      KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, DOCTOR.

 

DOCTOR (RT):     SHUT UP.

 

DOCTOR:              SUNNY BASTARD.

 

APOLLO (RT):      YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS.

PAGE 10

Panel 1:

Apollo and the Midnighter arrive at the door to the bridge at about the same time. Swift and Angie are still creating carnage.

 

APOLLO:               FANCY MEETING YOU HERE.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     I GET AROUND.

 

SHEN:                    ABBOTT, COSTELLO, GET OVER HERE AND FIGHT!

 

Panel 2:

The boys join the fight. The Midnighter puts a foot through the center of one of the aliens and pieces fly everywhere, adhering to already slimy surfaces. Apollo is charbroiling from the air, while Angie and Swift continue on as they were.

 

Panel 3:

The squid bits from the Midnighter’s latest kill have started to glow a nasty orange. The Authority team members are still kicking the shit out of all the squid in sight, but have slowed down and noticed the glow.

 

SHEN:                    WHY IS IT GLOWING?

 

MIDNIGHTER:     DOWN!

 

Panel 4:

The bridge goes up in one large explosion.

PAGE 11

Panel 1:

The Doctor is floating alone, eyes squeezed shut. He is muttering something under his breath.

 

DOCTOR:              I MUST NOT FEAR. FEAR IS THE MIND-KILLER. FEAR IS THE LITTLE-DEATH—AW, BUGGER THIS.

 

Panel 2:

His eyes are open and he looks fed up. He waves his hand in the general direction of the Carrier’s shields.

 

DOCTOR:              TEFLON.

 

Panel 3:

He steps into the Dreamtime. The nanotech suit shrinks down to a silver overlay on his clothes. The previous shaman is waiting for him, looking down his nose as always.

 

OLD DOCTOR:     YOU MUST HAVE THE COURAGE TO PROTECT YOUR TRIBE, LITTLE DOCTOR.

 

DOCTOR:              I WOULD HAVE MORE COURAGE IF I WASN’T SCARED TO DEATH.

 

OLD DOCTOR:     COURAGE IS THE ART OF MASTERING FEAR.

 

DOCTOR (mutters):             I HAVEN’T HAD ENOUGH POT TODAY FOR THIS…

 

Panel 4:

The Doctor looks around as the Old Doctor continues his lecture. He is clearly bored and twitchy.

 

OLD DOCTOR:     IF YOU CANNOT MASTER YOUR FEAR, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO --

 

DOCTOR:              I’M A COWARD. I ACCEPT THIS. GOODBYE.

 

Panel 5:

He steps through into the Carrier again and sets off in search of some drugs. As he is stepping through, the old Doctor yells at him.

 

OLD DOCTOR:     COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!

 

DOCTOR:              MAYBE AFTER MY FIX.

PAGE 12

Panel 1:

The explosion has subsided, revealing Angie, Swift, Apollo, and the Midnighter are all crouched under a thin shield made from Angie’s nano-machines. Angie is curled in a ball to one side, trying to cover the fact that she used the nanites that normally cover her to form the shield. Outside the shield, the bridge has become even more of a wreck, with charred, smoking squid bits everywhere and all the machinery destroyed.

 

SHEN:                    WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT?

 

Panel 2:

Angie has retracted the shield to cover herself and the team is walking slowly out of the bridge, mindful of the damage and the smoking squid corpses.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     DISTRACTION. THEY’RE PROBABLY DOORING IN MORE SOMEWHERE ELSE ON THE SHIP.

 

APOLLO:               HOW DO THEY PLAN TO FLY THE SHIP IF THEY BLEW UP THE HELM?

 

ANGIE:                  EASY. THEY’LL TALK HER INTO IT

 

Panel 3:

They continue walking, until they are in front of a bank of windows giving them a view of the other ship.

 

APOLLO:               TALK HER INTO IT?

 

ANGIE:                  SHE WANTS TO GO HOME. SHE ALWAYS HAS. SHE THINKS THEY’LL--

 

JACK (RT):           JACK TO ANYBODY: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

 

APOLLO:               THEY BLEW UP THE BRIDGE, JACK. AND MIDNIGHTER THINKS THEY’RE DOORING IN MORE REINFORCEMENTS.

 

JACK (RT):           I’LL BE RIGHT THERE.

 

Panel 4:

The group has stopped walking, waiting for Jack. Angie is glaring at them, a little embarrassed.

 

ANGIE:                  IF ANY OF YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT ME NAKED, I’LL SKIN YOU.

 

APOLLO:               LIPS ARE SEALED.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     WOULDN’T DARE.

 

SHEN:                    ME NEITHER.

PAGE 13

Panel 1:

Jack appears in front of them via door. He’s asking questions the second he gets his face through.

 

JACK:                    WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED?

 

ANGIE:                  SUICIDE BOMB.

 

Panel 2:

Jack stops short at this, puzzled. Shen, explaining, gestures at the Midnighter, who is looking as sheepish as he ever gets, which is not very.

 

JACK:                    SUICIDE BOMB?

 

SHEN:                    HE KICKED ONE OF THEM TO PULP. IT EXPLODED.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THE DAMN THINGS HAD NITROGLYCERIN FOR GUTS?

 

Panel 3:

Jack sighs, but resumes the questioning.

 

JACK:                    DO WE KNOW WHERE THE REINFORCEMENTS WE THINK THEY HAVE ARE COMING IN FROM?

 

MIDNIGHTER:     NO, BUT IF I WERE THEM, I WOULD BE SENDING THEM INTO THE ENGINE ROOM, THE CARGO HOLDS, AND THE TRANSPORT ROOM. WITH CONTROL OF THOSE, THEY’VE GOT THE SHIP.

 

Panel 4:

Jack looks even less delighted with the world.

 

JACK:                    FINE.

 

JACK:                    WHERE THE HELL’S THE DOCTOR?

 

APOLLO:               I LEFT HIM GUARDING THE SHIELD.

 

JACK:                    I HAVEN’T SEEN HIM ON THE SCOPES FOR TEN MINUTES. THOUGHT HE WAS WITH YOU.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     CHRIST.

PAGE 14

Panel 1:

The Doctor is walking out of his quarters, rolling his left sleeve down with his right hand while the left hand holds a large bong under his nose. He’s loose limbed and content looking and happens to be walking about six inches off the ground.

 

DOCTOR:              THAT’S BETTER.

 

Panel 2:

He rounds a corner a runs straight into the boy band Shen had been keeping in her room. Both parties look startled. The token black guy recovers first. The Doctor grins dreamily at them.

 

BLACK GUY:        MAN, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?

 

DOCTOR:              PIRATES. WE’VE GOT PIRATES. NASTY SQUID ONES.

 

Panel 3:

Finally, the would-be bad boy speaks for the group. The remark about the pirates has gone completely over their heads.

 

BAD BOY:             DUDE… CAN WE HAVE SOME OF THAT?

 

JACK (RT):           DOCTOR! FORGET WHATEVER HALLUCENOGENIC FANTASY YOU’RE HAVING AND GET BACK HERE!

 

Panel 4:

The Doctor has given the blond one the bong and is jogging off to answer Jack.

 

DOCTOR:              ENJOY IT. THAT’S MY BEST HASH!

 

ALL-AMERICAN:               COOL.

PAGE 15

Panel 1:

The Doctor arrives, panting. Jack and the Midnighter are glaring at him, Shen and Apollo are looking long-suffering, and Angie is pacing.

 

ANGIE:                  NICE OF YOU TO JOIN US.

 

DOCTOR:              WHAT, I CAN’T SMOKE --

 

JACK:                    SHUT UP. WE NEED A PLAN.

 

Panel 2:

The Midnighter has shifted a little to look out the window at the other shiftship.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     WHAT ABOUT BOARDING THEM?

 

APOLLO:               WHAT?

 

Panel 3:

The Midnighter is giving Apollo a significant look.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     BOARD. TAKE OVER. THAT OTHER SHIP, WITH LESS ALIENS AND BETTER HANDLING.

 

Panel 4:

Apollo rolls his eyes. Jack looks pleased. The rest of the team is more neutral.

 

JACK:                    I LIKE IT. BUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO FLY IT?

 

SHEN:                    I’LL FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.

 

ANGIE:                  I’LL HELP

 

JACK:                    NO, I NEED YOU TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

PAGE 16

Panel 1:

Angie explodes. How surprising. Jack remains calm.

 

ANGIE:                  DO YOU NOT TRUST ME OR SOMETHING?

 

JACK:                    I DO TRUST YOU. WHICH IS WHY I NEED YOU TO BRING JENNY BACK TO EARTH AND STAY WITH THE CARRIER.

 

ANGIE:                  YOU JUST DON’T WANT ME WITH YOU, DO YOU?

 

JACK:                    I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU TO SEND A COPY WITH US. WE’RE PROBABLY GOING TO NEED TO HACK THEIR COMPUTER.

 

ANGIE:                  FINE.

 

Panel 2:

A copy of the Engineer synthesizes itself from thin air. The original speaks.

 

ANGIE:                  WHERE’S JENNY?

 

DOCTOR:              HOLD ON.

 

Panel 3:

The Doctor steps back into the Dreamtime. The other Doctors look on disapprovingly.

 

DOCTOR:              I NEED JENNY BACK.

 

OLD DOCTOR:     WHY SHOULD I ENTRUST THE CHILD TO YOU?

 

DOCTOR:              BECAUSE I’M OFF TO RISK MY SCRAWNY ASS AGAIN.

 

OLD DOCTOR:     COME.

 

Panel 4:

Scene shifts to another part of the Dreamtime. A young dark-haired, olive skinned woman dressed in simple blue cloth is watching Jenny frolicking with a small Nordic girl and a Japanese boy in formal regalia.

 

OLD DOCTOR:     SHE IS HERE, UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF THE VIRGIN.

 

DOCTOR:              THE VIRGIN? AS IN THE VIRGIN…

 

Panel 5:

The Doctor shakes his head and picks Jenny up.

 

DOCTOR:              WHATEVER.

 

PAGE 17

Panel 1:

The Doctor steps out of the Dreamtime and into the transport room. The splattered alien corpses make it clear that the rest of the team had to fight their way in. The Doctor hands Jenny to the original Angie, who looks vaguely unenthused.

 

DOCTOR:              HERE.

 

ANGIE:                  THANKS.

 

Panel 2:

Angie is stepping into the door. Jack is looking at her a little wistfully, and a little worriedly. Angie has softened a hair at this.

 

JACK:                    HEY, BE CAREFUL.

 

ANGIE:                  I’LL TRY.

 

Panel 3:

Jack turns back to the rest of the team, including replicant Angie, shit-eating grin on his face.

 

JACK:    LET’S GO KICK SOME ASS.

 

DOCTOR:              TENTACLE.

 

SHEN:    WHATEVER.

 

PAGE 18

Panel 1:

Angie steps out of a door into Apollo and the Midnighter’s neighborhood. We’re looking away from the house and therefore see the neighbors’ houses in the background. Curiously, there are TV news vans parked in the neighbors’ driveways, as well as a large amount of congestion on the street.

 

Panel 2:

POV from Angie’s shoulder. The yard in front of her is overflowing with people holding signs, pictures of baby Jenny, flowers, candles, and various and sundry other religious items. The signs say things like “Jenny is our Savior,” “We believe in Jenny,” and “The Holy Child.” A few others have pictures of Apollo and the Midnighter, portraying them as the blessed parents of the holy child. A small counter-protest is also underway, with sighs about violating the first Commandment and such.

 

ANGIE:                  WHAT THE HELL?!

 

Panel 3:

The entire crowd surges forward toward her and Jenny, screaming various pleas, prayers, blessings, and other things of that ilk.

 

Panel 4:

Angie looks skyward.

 

ANGIE:                  I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU.

PAGE 19

Panel 1:

The Authority pours out of a door behind covering fire from replicant Angie and Apollo and Swift providing air support. The squid are a bit surprised to see them attacking from inside the pirate ship. They are currently in the Weapons room of the other ship, not the bridge.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     THINK THESE ARE THE EXPLODING KIND, TOO?

 

APOLLO:               ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.

 

Panel 2:

Apollo fries one of the squid pirates. It explodes beautifully.

 

Panel 3:

Apollo is landing while he looks at the Midnighter, smirking. The Midnighter has a matching smirk. He's also pulling something out from his coat.

 

APOLLO:               SHOULD I TELL EVERYONE TO TAKE COVER?

 

Panel 4:

The Midnighter stands framed by the mayhem around him, triumphantly fondling a small flame-thrower emitting a tongue of flame. He is grinning happily.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     PLEASE.

 

 

 

PAGE 20

Panel 1:

Everyone except the Midnighter cautiously looks up from behind the bulkhead where they took

cover. The area around them is covered in squid bits dripping from every surface, but nothing

looks majorly damaged. The Midnighter himself is doused in squid guts, ink, and squid bits, but

there's a shit-eating grin on his face and the flame thrower is by his side.

 

JACK:                    THANKS FOR NOT BLOWING UP ANYTHING IMPORTANT.

 

MIDNIGHTER:     I TRY.

 

Panel 2:

The team is sprinting through the alien ship, the Midnighter and his flamethrower leading the way.

 

DOCTOR:              WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?

 

MIDNIGHTER:     COLLAPSIBLE FLAME-THROWER.

 

SHEN:                    WHERE'D YOU GET THAT?

 

APOLLO:               CHRISTMAS GIFT.

 

Panel 3:

They break into the bridge and all hell breaks loose again. Lots of explodo.

 

JACK:                    DON'T BREAK ANYTHING!

 

Panel 4:

As the Doctor, Apollo, the Midnighter, and Jack take care of the last aliens, replicant Angie and

Shen try to hack into the ship.

 

SHEN:                    HURRY UP!

 

ANGIE:                  I'M WORKING ON IT; YOU TRY HACKING INTO CODE WRITTEN BY SQUID.

 

SHEN:                    I WOULD, BUT COMPUTERS HATE ME.

 

PAGE 21

Panel 1:

Angie is being mobbed by the crowd, but she’s holding them off using a hastily made translucent barrier her nanites made. It’s just holding the crowd far enough back so that she can push through towards the house. It still feels claustrophobic inside the bubble.

 

ANGIE:                  I DON’T SUPPOSE ANY OF THESE NUTCASES CAN BABY-SIT WITHOUT PROCLAIMING YOU THE MESSIAH?

 

Panel 2:

Angie gets to the porch, where she spots the girl who was baby-sitting Jenny in the last issue as well as a few other girls of the same age. They are all sitting near a sign that read “The Caretakers of the Chosen One.” One of the girls had stood up and is pointing at Jenny.

 

GIRL:                      SHE HAS RETURNED! WE CAN FULFILL OUR DUTIES ONCE MORE!

 

ANGIE:                  DOES THIS MEAN YOU CAN BABY-SIT?

 

GIRL:                      IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO CARE FOR THE HOLY JENNY!

 

ANGIE:                  I’LL TAKE THAT AS A YES.

 

Panel 3:

The girls are now standing in the foyer, one of them holding Jenny protectively, while Angie holds back the crowd so she can close the door. The girl who was baby-sitting last issue is speaking to her fellows.

 

GIRL:                      MAYBE SHE WILL BLESS US WITH HER HOLY POWER ONCE AGAIN!

 

ANOTHER GIRL: WE CAN ONLY PRAY TO BE SO HONORED.

 

Panel 4:

Angie is stepping through another door, on her way back to the Carrier. The girls are clustered around her.

 

ANGIE:                  DON’T LET ANYONE IN. THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOOD AND STUFF TO KEEP YOU SUPPLIED FOR A WHILE. AND DON’T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO JENNY.

 

GIRL:                      WE WILL PROTECT HER WITH OUR LIVES.

 

ANGIE:                  YOU DO THAT. AND REMEMBER TO MAKE HER TAKE A NAP.

 

Panel 5:

The Carrier door is closing behind Angie. The girl holding Jenny looks down at Jenny in beatific awe.

 

GIRL:                      WE ARE TRULY BLESSED.

 

PAGE 22

This page is split in half horizontally, with the swearing linking the two in the middle of the gutter.

 

Panel 1:

Angie emerges from the door in the transport room to find herself facing a row of aliens holding blasters. She is startles by this, naturally.

 

ANGIE:                  OH SHIT.

 

Panel 2:

The team is looking out the window of the shift-ship they’ve captured at the much bigger, nastier shift-ship that’s just appeared. The tank equivalent of a ship, it looks like a mushroom whose cap is covered entirely in bristles, or in this case, cannons. Definitely not friendly.

 

DOCTOR:              OH SHIT.

 

SWIFT:  AGAIN.

 

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