Issue 2 - Rabbit Hole

NOTE: The first and the last parts of the issue uses a layout that rotates between two different scenes. One scene follows M, while the other follows the Detectives. The dialogue may not seem to flow, but I think this is because the panels are described by words, as opposed to images. I’m hoping with drawn panels, the lines of dialogue will come off more naturally. You may need to read the panel descriptions and dialogue separately (or just read them together, but several times) in order to get the sense of flow better. Or, it might be the case that my approach doesn’t work and I need to change it.

Scene - M
Panel 1: The old box sitting on M’s desk is open.

Panel 2: Looking down into the box, there is, among other things, an old pistol, a rusty knife, and a piece of jewelry at the bottom.
Casus (VO): You ever wake up, falling?

Scene Change - The Detectives
Panel 3: Detectives Buri and Casus are leaving the police headquarters, walking towards their car. The rookie, Casus, looks like he’s trying to make conversation with his more experienced partner, Buri. That, or something is bothering Casus, and he’s trying to exorcise it out.
Casus: I mean, wake up to the feeling of falling.

Scene Change - M
Panel 4: A hand reaches into the box and takes out the piece of jewelry, revealing it to be a necklace. The pendant on the necklace is not particularly pretty or fancy. Quite the opposite, there is a very simple, almost earthly elemental motif about its design.

Panel 5: The hand wraps the necklace around a neck, and puts it on.

Panel 6: Centering on the necklace, the panel zooms out slightly, revealing the lower portion of M’s face, her shoulders (covered by clothing), and the top of the child’s tilted head as he/she (the gender of the child is not apparent) is looking up at the necklace.
Casus (VO): Sometimes, during the day, I can still feel it. Like it’s tucked away in some corner of my chest.

Scene Change - The Detectives
Panel 7: The two detectives get into their car. Buri treats this venture as just another part of his job - routine and without meaning. Casus, on the other hand, has a youthful exuberance and nervousness to him, like he’s job shadowing and he’s excited yet cautious about everything he is experiencing. However, he still carries a concentrated look on his face, as if in an effort to share the wisdom of his youth and innocence.
Casus: Sometimes, you just realize how fast the world is coming at you, yunno?

Scene Change - M
Panel 8: The panel zooms out further, revealing M sitting with her child in her lap. M is wearing a summer dress. Her child is also clothed, ready to go outside. Sitting in her lap, the child is mesmerized by the pendant and is raising his/her hand, hoping to grasp it.

Panel 9: The panel zooms out completely, showing that the previous images were in fact the reflection from M’s bedroom desk mirror. On the desk is a long-haired wig on a mannequin’s head, assorted weapons, as well as the old box. M is sitting there, staring at herself blankly, while the child manages to get a hold of the pendant. In his/her hand, the child stares at the pendant intently.
Casus (VO): And you feel it. You feel the fall.

Scene Change - The Detectives
Panel 10: Buri is driving, with a concentrated look, while Casus is staring out his window, looking beyond what his eyes are sharing with him.
Casus: And you realize, you can’t stop.

Scene Change - M
Panel 11: M puts the long-haired wig over her short hair, completing her “transformation”.
Casus (VO): Sometimes, I think that’s why I’m doing this, why I’m carrying this badge and gun. It’s because I’m trying to slow the world down.

Panel 12: M walks out of her room, with her child in her arms.
Casus (VO): To stop the fall.

Panel 13: M grabs a harness off the kitchen table, and straps her child around her body, with the child facing outwards.
Casus (VO): Maybe for someone else.

Panel 14: M is closing the door behind her, leaving her apartment. M’s appearance gives her a more feminine look. Yet, the appearance feels forced, like she is wearing a second skin, a disguise.
Casus (VO): Maybe for myself.

Scene Change - The Detectives
Panel 15: Casus is still staring out his window, deep in thought. Buri is still driving, looking like he’s heard this monologue many times before.
Buri: Yunno what I think, kid?

Panel 16: Buri continues to stare forward. His deep frown, numerous wrinkles, short but unkept beard, and imperfect skin gives him the look of a battered old soul. While possessing some regal elements of a Nordic king, one cannot help but perceive Buri as a fitting poster-child for a depressed man in the post-modern era.
Buri: I think you should forget about the falling.

Panel 17: Buri turns his head to his partner with a very serious look.
Buri: And start worrying about the folks we’re about to meet.

Panel 18: The detectives’ car merges into the city traffic. In the distance before them is the more dark and ominous part of town, where their investigation is taking them.
Buri (OP): Cos’ trust me, kid …

Scene Change - M
Panel 19: M steps out of her apartment building and into the sun. While her child is strapped to her, she is nevertheless embracing the child. Her environment engulfs her in its vibrancy. The neighbouring buildings stand like mountains, the street is spurring with human activity, and the cars are herding down the road.
Buri (VO): It’s the ones who are done falling, who are already on the ground, the ones who are trying to crawl their way back up.

Panel 20: M is walking down the street, and towards the sunrise, blending in with her surroundings. And yet, there is a defensive aura about her, like she is traversing through dangerous territory. Her arms around her child signify this.
Buri (VO): They’re the ones you should worry about.

End of scene layering / cycle

Scene Change
Panel 21: At another part of the city, Stern is standing at a street corner. Dumb walks toward him. A taxi has just driven away.
Dumb: So? How did it go?

Panel 22: Stern hails down a black car. Dumb is standing next to him.
Stern: Fine. These taxi drivers never know what’s goin’ on. They just act as runners who get a bonus for keeping their mouths shut.

Panel 23: A car stops before them. Dumb sits in the passenger seat, while Stern takes the back seat.
Dumb: Well, I’ve always had a bad feeling about these R&G folks. Ever since they showed up in town, they’ve made it too easy for guys like us, yunno? I kinda miss the old world, when everything was in-house.

Panel 24: Stern hands an address over to the driver.
Stern: Me too, Bell ("Dumb"). But those wild wild west days are over. We’re playing a new game now. Yunno, handshakes and suits. Papers and lawyers. Stock options and pensions.

Panel 25: Sitting in the passenger seat, Bell, like a pre-occupied child, is picking at the side-door upholstery.
Bell: Or bullshit meetings, like the one we have now.

Panel 26: Stern stares out of his window at the high-rises in the distance. It’s obvious he’s dreaming of big things.
Stern: Well, Bell ol’ buddy, this Malady killer ain’t going sign us over this big development contract all by himself. Mr. Chande has first gotta be introduced to our boss’ interest in the matter.

Panel 27: Bell looks over his shoulder to his partner discontently.
Bell: Don’t patronize me, Sturn ("Stern"). All’s I’m saying is that I miss the old days, back when my hands did all the necessary introducin’.

Panel 28: Sturn buttons up his sleeve collar and brushes back his hair.
Sturn: I hear ya, Bell. Don’t get me wrong, I miss the action myself. But honestly, from one wolf to another, I could certainly get used to all this sheep’s clothing.

Scene Change
Panel 29: M is walking down the street with her child strapped to her. With one hand, M takes out a cell phone and starts dialing a number.

Panel 30: M brings her cellphone to her ear.

Panel 31: M speaks into her cellphone, while looking down at a piece of paper in her other hand. Around her are signs of poverty, broken homes, and social outcasts. Behind the decaying shells of society are the forces of greed, festering and leaching off the poor souls who inhabit the area as their home.
M: I’m calling for a pickup. Number is 216.

Panel 32: M walks beyond her street, and across the intersection is a public park. She puts the piece of paper back into her pocket.
M: I’ll be at the south-east corner of Koime Park.

Panel 33: M hangs up her phone, holds her child, and crosses the street.

Panel 34: M enters the park. The park is extremely old. It was once lush and full of beauty. While it retains some skeleton of that aesthetic, most of its fleshful elegance has been stripped away by decades of neglect and human wear-and-tear. In the end, it looks like more of an inhabited cemetery than an empty park. Strangely enough, the child has an instant positive reaction to seeing the park. M speaks to her child.
M: You miss the park, don’t you? Well, Mommy’s sorry she hasn’t been able to take you out in a while. She’s just been busy with work, that’s all.

Panel 35: The two continue walking down the path. Around her are fallen statues and homeless people resting against them. A homeless man has his outstretched hand, hoping for some charity. M ignores him.
M: So how about I make it up to you, Sweety, and take you to see Aunt Judy’s? Would you like that?

Panel 36: The child looks up at M and giggles and smiles.

Panel 37: The two continue on a path through the park. The sun is rising in the sky. Beyond the park, the city skyscrapers stand tall, casting shadows on the landscape below.
M: Alright then. Aunt Judy’s it is, then.

Panel 38: M walks out the other end of the park, with a taxi cab waiting at the corner of an intersection.

Panel 39: M steps into the cab.

Panel 40: M puts a seatbelt around herself, with her child in her arms. M speaks in a cold, straight-to-the-point tone.
M: Pickup for Number 216.

Panel 41: Mechanically, the taxi driver turns to the passenger seat, rummages through a folder, and pulls out an envelope. M is baby-talking and playing with her child, who is visibly excited by his/her new surroundings.

Panel 42: The taxi driver turns back towards M and hands her the envelope.
Taxi Driver: You need me to take you somewhere?

Panel 43: M looks down at the envelope, with the words R&G spelled in big letters on the front.
M: Yeah. Take us to Aunt Judy’s.

Start of scene layering / cycle

Scene - The Detectives
Panel 44: The two detectives are still driving in their car. Buri is at the wheel while Casus is looking over notes in his file. Buri recognizes a car ahead of them.
Buri: Put those papers away and look sharp, Detective. I think we just caught our first gazelle.

Scene - The Henchmen
Panel 45: The driver in Sturn and Bell’s car looks into his rear-view mirror, noticing a car is following them.
Driver: Boys, looks like we got someone on our tail.

Scene - The Detectives
Panel 46: Detective Casus is looking intently towards the car ahead of them, while awkwardly scrambling to put his file away. Buri’s face, on the other hand, turns more predatory.
Casus: Who is it?

Scene - The Henchmen
Panel 47: Bell looks to his side view mirror, and sees the detectives trailing behind them.
Bell: It’s that depressed old fuck, Buri. And it looks like he’s got a partner now too.

Scene - The Detectives
Panel 48: Detective Buri turns the wheel, changing lanes so that he can get closer to the other car. Casus is beginning to look scared.
Buri: Looks like two of Mr. Babow’s street associates, Sturn and Bell. Don’t worry, junior. We’re just going to have a talk with them.

Scene - The Henchmen
Panel 49: Sturn opens up his cellphone, and starts typing a message.
Sturn: And here you thought today was going to be a bore. Well, since you've been all nostalgic on me, why don't you go enjoy a trip down memory lane with some of the boys ...

Panel 50: Sturn’s black car continues to drive towards the big downtown towers, with the detectives in tow. Trailing behind, however, are several other black cars, making a formation around them.
Sturn: ... and remind that fossil what happened the last time he had a boy wonder.