bad brain issue #1 v2

8/6/2019 Bad Brain Issue #1 v2

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Bad Brain

Issue 1

Charles Webb, Writer(Lead Writer, Ubisoft Entertainment, Writer, MTV Geek)

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Minck Oosterveer, Artist(Ronson, The Unknown, Zombie Tales, Amazing Spider-Man)

[email protected] http://www.minckoosterveer.com

3000 years after the disappearance of the human race, brilliant scientist Stuart Palmer awakens to find that not only is he one of two human beings left in thegalaxy, but that part of his brain is missing. If he wants to regain his memories and find humanity, he’ll have to team up with Sanee, a deadly human soldier, and Pan,an alien bounty hunter paid to bring Palmer in.

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Bad Brain Issue #1

Charles Webb

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Page 1 – 4 panels

#1 – High above a brown, desert planet, a comet streaks into orbit with white-hot

fire near a satellite. (Insert: a camera on the satellite, whose lens reflects the

comet’s path)

#2 – Wide shot on the comet, burning the sky and dropping towards the surface of

the planet.

#3 – The comet strikes the ground with an explosion that sends up a small,

explosive cloud, its light illuminating the half-primate/half lizard occupants of the

planet’s nighttime surface who carry clubs and wear loincloths. These “lizoids” have

rough, scaly skin with tufts of fur on their gangly arms, and small horns on their

temples.

#4 – Close on the smoldering comet, which is revealed to be PALMER’s pod,

partially submerged in the rocky ground in the middle of a crater. A trio of lizoid

hunters approach the pod warily.





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Page 2 – 4 panels

#1 – The front hatch of the pod opens, frightening all but one of the lizoids. More

steam pours out of the pod and a humanoid shape can barely be made out.

#2 – PALMER stumbles out of the pod towards the lizoid, wearing a spacesuit with a

fogged over bubble-style helmet. He has a smaller space suit large enough for a cat

slung across his chest.

#3 – Suddenly, a small storm of small, insect-like robots explodes out of the pod

behind PALMER. He’s beginning to pull off his helmet but we still can’t see his face.

The remaining lizoid covers its head in terror.

#4 – One of the insects – this one about the size of a human hand and shaped like a

hornet – is inches away from the face of the lizoid who blindly swings at it in fear.

PALMER (off panel): [Cancel!]





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Page 3 – 5 panels

#1 – PALMER is standing with his helmet off, his hand outstretched towards the

attacking ‘bot. His face looks like a mess: his eye is black, his lip is cut. He has a

prominent scar on his forehead just at the hairline that looks fresh and surgical. All

of the ‘bots fall from the air with sparks and smoke. The lizoid is covering its head in

fear.

PALMER: Sorry.

#2 – PALMER sits down heavily a few feet away from the crash site. He’s fiddling

with the zipper on the smaller space suit he’s carrying.

PALMER: Don’t seem like we made it to Texas, does it, buddy?

PALMER: Any idea where the hell we are? Or how we got here for that

matter? Any theories?

#3 – Inside PALMER’s smaller suit is his sleeping cat, NORMAN. His little suit even

has his name stitched across the side. The cat and what we see of PALMER are

illuminated by a bright light from above.

NORMAN: Purrrr.

#4 – The illumination is from a spotlight, blinding and blotting out anything behind

it. It casts long shadows behind PALMER, who shields his eyes.





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#5 – The light is intense now, nearly blotting out PALMER as well, filling the entire

panel.





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Page 4 – 8 panels

#1, 2, 3, 4 – Four panels side-by-side. Each is an x-ray of PALMER’s physiology, thefirst an arm, the second, a leg, the third his torso, and the fourth his head in profile.

This last has overlays with alien text around the area where PALMER’s scar is

located. It’s obvious there’s something in there.

#5 – Establishing shot of a deep-space vessel above the desert planet.

#6 – A shot of PALMER’s pod in the hanger of this vessel, among shinier, more

sophisticated vessels.

#7 - Extreme close-up on PALMER. He looks dazed – completely out of it, but his

eyes are open. His jaws are opened wide as alien instruments examine his mouth.

SFX (off panel): Excited alien text.

PALMER (trying to talk around the tools): Guhluck.

#8 - Medium shot on PALMER’s space suit/uniform being held up by a TESTA

ROBOT. We only see the ROBOT’s thin fingers gripping the side of the battered

spacesuit. It holds the uniform as though it’s disgusting.

SFX (off panel): More excited alien text.

PALMER: Ptoo! C’mon, buy me dinner next time. Look, fellas – hey, put that

down! Get somebody down here that speaks Earth-man – ow!





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Charles Webb

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Page 5 – 8 panels

#1,2, 3, 4 – More x-rays, this time of NORMAN from different angles.

#5 - PALMER is agitated, but ROBOT #2 is behind him, poking at the scar on

PALMER’s head. A floating x-ray display covers the spot, showing the inside of

PALMER’s head – brain and all. PALMER is looking up at the display – and the item

embedded in it.

PALMER: That’s my brain. Why is a piece of my brain missing?

ROBOT #1 (garbled alien text)

PALMER: Did you put something in there? Who put that in there?

#6 – PALMER reaches towards the display with curiosity while the ROBOTS poke at

him. We’ve got a better view of the item in his brain – it’s a small, capsule-shaped

object that looks sinister for its lack of features.

PALMER: Who’s been screwing with my brain, fellas?

ROBOT #2: (more garbled text transition to English)… language probes

become functional. Ah!

ROBOT #1: You: Name_designation? Species_designation?

#7 - ROBOT #1 is holding up an inactive mechanical bug from the pod in one hand.





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ROBOT #1: Designate.

#8 – Same shot, in its other hand the robot is holding PALMER’s cat, NORMAN by

the scruff of his neck.

ROBOT #1: Designate!





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Charles Webb

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Page 6 – 2 panels

#1 – The cluttered, almost office-like observation deck of PAN’s ship. We only see

his feet propped up on a console with one of his three-fingered hands reaching out

to a steaming hot mug of drink. On his display are several floating images. One is

alien news text, the other is what looks like a slinky female of his species vamping

for the camera, and the last is a computer image – an outline of a human next to

the outline of a cat, all accompanied by alien text.

PAN: Oi. Oi!

#2 – Reverse through the transparent display as PAN enlarges the image with the

human/cat outlines. He’s leaning in to get a closer look and is excited by what he

sees.

PAN: They found ‘im!





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Charles Webb

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Page 7 – 3 panels

#1 - PALMER is seated at a table, attempting to eat some kind of slop while trying

to reason with ROBOT #1 who towers over him by a good 3 feet. ROBOT #1 is

trying to reach for the cat.

ROBOT #1: STUARTPALMERDOCTOR – detail. Are you military?

PALMER: Fellas, it’s either Palmer, or Dr. Palmer, or whatever. Astrophysicsand biology groups, Earth Science Defense Unit.

ROBOT #1: ???

PALMER: Earth.

ROBOT #1: ???

PALMER: Human. You never seen – hey, hands off the cat. Norman, come

here. You guys never seen a human before? Or a cat?

#2 - ROBOT #1 has cocked its head to the side as though it’s trying to work through

some kind of difficult thought.

PALMER (talking to the off-panel ROBOT #2): Careful with my bugs.

#3 - Same as #2…





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ROBOT #1: Species_designation… human… genome classified as extinct for3000 solar cycles. Dr. Stuart Palmer is only known sample of genome.





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Page 8 – 4 panels

#1 PAN – we get a full view of his large, 3-armed body as he stands arguing with a

Testa ROBOT SECRETARY at a desk just outside of the Robot ship’s hangar. PAN has

himself really worked up, pointing an angry finger at the secretary. The SECRETARY

ROBOT is still sitting, but trying to calm him.

PAN: WHERE… IS… HE?!

SECRETARY (a mixture of English and untranslatable gibberish): Corace Pan,

tikka, human Palmer, I don’t recall --

PAN: Shut it! ‘Zactly how many humans do you recall?

SECRETARY: I don’t –

PAN: It’s all over the subnet. Your lot picked him up offa some Trelgan dust

ball.

#2 - PAN is pounding on the desk, generally making a scene. Armored CORE

Security has surrounded PAN who doesn’t seem to notice. The SECRETARY is

scared. Underneath the panel, we see that SANEE is sneaking under the floor

through the tangle of wires and equipment. Her face is covered by a hood and

breathing mask.

SFX (on desk): BAM!

PAN: Don’t gimme that (expletives obscured by the looming guards).





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#3 – Same shot, one of the ROBOT GUARDS taps PAN on the shoulder. PAN visiblytenses up. Floating displays show mug shots of pan – they look like warrants. SANEE

is at the end of the panel now, almost clear of the hangar area.

#4 - PAN has his hands up as the ROBOT GUARDS have drawn their rifles on him.





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Charles Webb

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Page 9 – 4 panels

#1 – PALMER has collapsed into a sitting position on the floor, looking up at the

ROBOTS.

PALMER: How?

ROBOT #1: Unknown. There was an abrupt termination of contact from

human-occupied systems, followed by complete absence of species_human.

ROBOT #2: Greatest mechanical minds – therefore greatest minds – unable

to resolve sudden extinction of species.

#2 – PALMER has a glimmer of hope now.

PALMER: Wait – you mean disappeared?

ROBOT #1: Yes.

PALMER: But not dead. Not for sure. We just need to find them.

#3 – The ROBOTS are looking at each other, excited thought.

ROBOT #1: Perhaps appearance of designate_human could help in location of

species.





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ROBOT #2: Could perhaps develop genetically-attuned scanning device?

ROBOT #1: Would require designate_human samples.

ROBOT #2: Extensive samples.

#4 – The ROBOTS have turned their attention back to PALMER – less friendly now.

ROBOT #2: Recommend immediate categorization and archiving of samples.

ROBOT #1: Concurred. Sample_human_Palmer – prepare for vivisection.





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Charles Webb

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Page 10 – 5 panels

#1 - PAN is being rudely shoved back towards his ship by the GUARDS. He’s making

a big show of being angry.

PAN: …some kind of misunderstandin’! I was just leavin’ anyway. Those

warrants are outta date.

#2 - Medium shot on SANEE, rising from a hatch in another part of the ship. Shereaches into a satchel on her side.

Insert - Close up on her hand and the bag as she pulls out a crudely-made bomb –

lots of loose wires, etc.

SFX: BLURP!

#3, 4, 5: Close up on 3 bombs already secured in different locations, ticking down

with alien digits.

#6 – SANEE has pressed herself against a wall of a hallway, ROBOT guards

approaching her position, oblivious of her presence. SANEE has the detonator for

the bombs in her hand.

(Insert) SANEE presses the button on the detonator.

#7 – Outside of the ship, we see a large explosion rip through one of the decks.





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Charles Webb

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PAGE 11 – 4 panels

#1 – The robots have rudely thrown PALMER onto the table, about to tear him apart

for science. His struggle against them is disrupted as the entire panel is tilted

slightly to the side with the explosion unsettling the flight path of the ship.

ROBOT #1: Diagnostic… security on this level disabled… facility power

disrupted…

ROBOT #2: Apologies, sample_human_Palmer – must reschedule vivisection.

#2 - Reverse shot of the ROBOTS. The ROBOTS’ hands have converted to weird,

complicated weapons – a combination of guns, knives, saws, etc. Behind them and

unseen, SANEE stumbles through the med bay door, her suit smoldering from the

explosion.

#3 - The ROBOTS’ heads explode as SANEE blasts them with a flashlight-sized gun.

ROBOT SFX: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

#4 - SANEE stumbles toward PALMER. She removes her hood to reveal a very

human (and attractive) face. Unfortunately, her suit seems to have sustained

serious burns. PALMER is holding onto NORMAN.

SANEE: Miss me, Doc?





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Page 12 – 2 panel

#1 – SANEE falls forward but PALMER is able to catch her before she hits the floor.

PALMER: I’m sorry, I don’t – Jesus, these are serious burns, lady.

SANEE: I’ll live. Wait, “Lady?”

PALMER: I’m drawing a blank right now.

SANEE: SANEE. Your bodyguard and according to you the only other human in

existence.

PALMER: Not ringing a bell.

SANEE: You really did it, didn’t you? You let the sons of bitches take it all out.

#2 – SANEE starts fiddling with her weapon.

PALMER: Who? Take what out?

SANEE (ignoring him): You still want to save the human race – we have to get

out of here.





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Charles Webb

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#1 – PALMER is helping SANEE walk, NORMAN standing on his shoulder. They’re

making their escape through a corridor, PALMER back in his space suit (wearing

helmet) with a bag slung over his shoulder containing his gear. SANEE has put her

breathing mask back on.

PALMER: So, you’re human too?

SANEE: More or less. The docking bay is up on the left.

PALMER: And you said I let someone do something to -

SANEE: Hold on…

#2 – Using her recently burned arm, SANEE punches through a robot that springs

out of a side door, sending bits of it out of the back of its torso.

SANEE: Your face has gone live all over the ‘net. They’re going to be looking

for you – us.

#3 – PALMER’s looking at SANEE now, trying to slow things down. She’s holding her

arm in pain.

SANEE: Ah! Ow! Ow! Ow!





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PALMER: Why did they say the human race is extinct? How are we supposed

to save it?

SANEE: Because it is extinct and you were the one with the big plan. Huh.

#4 – PALMER and SANEE are looking at a small console on her wrist, which is

beeping.

SANEE: More robots coming.

PALMER: How many?





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Page 14 – 1 panel

#1 – Swarms of armed robots are crowding the hallway, rushing towards man,

woman, and cat. They practically fill the hall and the field of view. Some have

changed shape into insect-like forms and crawl along the walls and ceiling. They

seem pissed.

SANEE: All of them, I think.





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#1 – PALMER, SANEE, and NORMAN all running at a sprint from the mass of

ROBOTS.

#2 – A blast door closes behind the trio.

#3 – We see the three of them on the floor, trying to catch their breath – through

PAN’s legs.

SANEE: That should hold them for a little -

#4 – PALMER, SANEE, and even NORMAN react in shock as one of the ROBOTS’

arms smashes through the door.

SFX: RRRRRIP!





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#1 – A panoramic shot of PALMER and SANEE in their section of the hall with the

two closed blast doors on each end crowded by a mind-boggling number of ROBOTS

in various shapes and sizes. SANEE is on her feet now, trying to get PALMER behind

her.

SANEE: Now would be a great time for you to use that great big brain you’re

always bragging about.

PALMER: Ahhh… okay….

NORMAN: Meow?

SANEE: No rush. Hi, Norman.

#2 – Same shot, PALMER is down on one knee going through his bag. SANEE is

shooting at one of ROBOTS breaching the door.

SFX (on door): CLANG!

#3 – Close on one of the mechanical bugs that PALMER was able to salvage.

SANEE: That looks new.

PALMER: Here I was hoping you could tell me why I’m carrying around some

kind of empathic mechanical bug. Oh!





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#4 – SANEE is hopeful. PALMER is holding the reactivated bug up at eye level.

SANEE: Did you figure something out?

PALMER: Well yeah. But I meant “oh” on account of you saying I let “them”

take “it” out. Who and what?

SANEE: Too much to explain. Long story short there’s a lot of scary folks who

want to hack into your brain for all kinds of messed-up reasons. So, that plan

of yours…

#5 – PALMER lobs the mechanical insect at the door with the incoming ROBOTS. The

floor near it is littered with the remains of the ones that were shot by SANEE.

PALMER: On it.





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#1 – Close on the bug which has landed on its back near the door.

(Insert): Close of PALMER’s eyes – clenched shut in concentration.

SFX: CLANG! BANG!

#2 – The bug rights itself to a standing position and begins climbing up the door.

(Insert): Again on PALMER’s eyes – sweat pours down his forehead and nose.

#3 – It scurries into the hole.

#4 – Back to a wide shot of PALMER, SANEE, and NORMAN looking expectantly at

the door.

#5 – They all take a step back as something horrible sounding occurs on the other

side of the door. Behind them, a mechanical arm has breached that door.

SFX: THUM! THUM! THUM! THUM!





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#1 – A ROBOT BEHEMOTH with PALMER’s bug embedded in its chest rips through

the door, some of its half-destroyed compatriots clinging to its body. It’s more or

less humanoid in shape and aims one its eye lasers at SANEE and PALMER. SANEE

aims her gun at the BEHEMOTH.

PALMER: [86 ‘em!]

#2: The BEHEMOTH aims its lasers at the door behind the trio, shooting at the

robots that have broken through.

LASER SFX: SHOOOOOSH!





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#1 – SANEE is still dumbstruck by the BEHEMOTH, meanwhile PALMER is looking

around for a way out.

PALMER: So how’d you plan on getting us off this boat?

#2 – 4 hooks rip through the exterior wall in a rectangular section of the ship next

to the trio. All three turn to look at it.

#3 – Via a display on PAN’s ship we see the heat signatures of the trio through the

wall.

SANEE: The hard way, apparently. Go limp!

#4 – The hooks rip the section of the wall out, exposing the area to the vacuum of

space. The trio is sucked out violently.





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#1 – From a distance and above, we see PALMER, SANEE, NORMAN, and the

BEHEMOTH floating amidst the remains of the wall and miscellaneous smashed

robot debris.

#2 – PALMER catches site of NORMAN, and tries to float towards the defenseless

cat, when suddenly –

#3 – The whole mess – people cat, BEHEMOTH, and part – are scooped up by a net

coming from PAN’s ship.

#4 – The net quickly yanks them inside.





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#1 – Inside the cramped cargo bay of PAN’s ship – the CORACE – everything and

everyone is tangled in the net.

PALMER: Norman?!

NORMAN: Meow!

SANEE: Pan?! Cut us loose!

PALMER: Pan?

SANEE: Bounty hunter.

#2 – On PAN, who’s leaning in a doorway smoking an exotic-looking cigar. He looks

smug – pleased with himself to have finally caught his prey.

PAN: Now why would I cut you loose, luv?

SANEE (off-panel): We had a deal.

PAN: Tsk…

#3 – PAN points at himself…





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PAN: Bounty hunter.

#4 – PAN points at PALMER.

PAN: Bounty. Good to see you again, Doctor. After N’leia I got to worryin’

about you.

#5 – PAN circles around the net, looking in but keeping his distance. He’s using his

cigar to point down at the group in the net.

PAN: But thanks to Sanee, I’m finally getting paid.





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#1 – Back on the net – PALMER is pissed at SANEE, trying to turn around to look at

her.

PALMER: How’d you not expect this to go wrong?

PAN (talking to himself): First, I’ll get those bionic upgrades. No, first, liquor,

then upgrades!

SANEE: At the time, it seemed like a good idea. He didn’t seem smart enough

to pull off the coup de grace on me.

PAN (to himself): And the females! There will be many sexually gratified

females!

PALMER: And who the hell has a bounty on me?

SANEE: In this sector? Where to start? The Terror Lords of Ogus. The Moorgie

Syndicates. The bank at Jass Farko.

#2 – Suddenly, alarms go off and PAN looks up in its direction. We can see the net

and everyone tangled in it over his shoulder.

#3 – PAN rushes out of the room.

#4 – A beat where the group in the net looks out worried.





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PALMER: Why would a bank –

SANEE: You’ve made the last couple of years complicated.

#5 – PAN rushes back into the room and over to the net, visibly worried.

PAN: Change in circumstances. A Daggeruth flotilla closing on us.

SANEE: Meaning you need a second and a gunner.

#6 – PAN looks down at PALMER as he’s cutting them out of the net.

PAN: I’ll collect later, perhaps?





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#1 – The crew is on the cramped bridge of the ship, looking out the observation

window.

PALMER: The hell are we lookin’ at?

SANEE: Giant zombie space amoeba. Absorbs you, drains your moisture and

makes your drying corpse a slave.

PAN: What’s wrong with him?

PALMER: Part of my brain’s gone missing.

PAN: Ha!

SANEE (ignoring PAN): You had a theory that it was some kind of sentient

super cancer. Looks like we’re gonna get close enough to find out.

#2 – In space, we see a grotesque, gelatinous horror whose surface is covered with

parts of ships, parts of (and whole) people of various species, reaching out towards

PAN’s ship. It’s a few miles across. Most awful of all, it has several giant, glaring

eyes all over its “body.





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