Issue 2 part 1
Several days after the farmhouse bloodbath, the gang has returned to their headquarters — a battered apartment building deep in Vena City's slum district. Arjun and Jimenez are locked in a heated video game battle while Yanira watches and laughs. When Jose walks in with freshly dyed blonde hair, the mood shifts. He snaps at Orton about the New Bloods incident, then collects himself and pulls Arjun to the rooftop. There, overlooking the crumbling slum sprawl, Jose reveals a new job: their connect James Jones, now head of security for powerful corpo-politician Migay Velazquez, has identified a wall safe full of diamonds inside Migay's mansion. Jose wants Arjun — and only Arjun — to sneak in, crack the safe, and get out. He hands Arjun a light-flash grenade built by Tutiven as a last-resort escape tool. Back in the game room, Jimenez confronts Arjun about the rooftop talk, and the two share a genuine moment of friendship. Two nights later, Arjun arrives at Migay's estate where James Jones disables the security gate and sends him in alone. Arjun scales the mansion wall, slips through a third-floor window, and begins hacking the wall safe — only to freeze when voices approach. He dives into a closet just as Migay enters with crime boss Ryota Myra and his two lethal enforcers, Borroto and Zhenna. Ryota coldly accuses Migay of betrayal, and before Migay can defend himself, Zhenna shoots him dead. James Jones bursts in and is immediately launched across the room by Borroto's massive red pulse-energy hammer. Then Migay's young son Sammy appears in the doorway calling for his father. Ryota orders no witnesses. As Zhenna raises her weapon toward the child, Arjun — hidden in the closet, hands trembling — makes an impossible choice. He pulls on shielded goggles, activates the light-flash grenade, and throws open the closet door. The blinding detonation floods the office. In the chaos, Arjun snatches Sammy and sprints out of the mansion and across the courtyard as alarms blare and blinded guards stumble. He reaches Jose's red getaway car, throws himself into the backseat with the unconscious boy, and screams at Jose to drive. Jose speeds away into the Vena City night, demanding to know who the child is. The issue ends on a noir freeze-frame: the car vanishing into the neon-drenched slums, the mansion's alarms still shrieking behind them, and Arjun clutching a boy he was never supposed to save — having abandoned the diamonds, exposed the job, and made a powerful new enemy in Ryota Myra. Page-by-page breakdown: - Pages 1-2: EXT/INT. GANG HEADQUARTERS — DAY. The establishing shot opens on the gang's run-down apartment building rising above Vena City's slum district — broken windows, rusted fire escapes, faded graffiti. Inside the converted game room, Arjun and Jimenez are deep in a video game match on mismatched couches surrounded by weapons, cybertech parts, and old furniture. Arjun wins again. Jimenez slams his controller down and blames glitches. Yanira laughs from across the room and teases him. The scene is warm and loose — a rare moment of normalcy for the crew. Orton watches with a quiet smile. Tutiven sits nearby, relaxed. The gang feels like a family, even in their cramped, beat-up headquarters. [Characters: Arjun, Jimenez, Yanira, Orton, Tutiven] - Pages 3-4: INT. GANG HEADQUARTERS — GAME ROOM — CONTINUOUS. The apartment door swings open and Jose walks in — his hair is now bleached blonde, giving him a sharper, more intense look. Everyone notices immediately. Tutiven raises an eyebrow and comments on the new look. Jose runs a hand through his hair and says it's time for a new attitude and a more serious approach. Orton smirks and asks if he's still upset about the New Bloods incident. Jose's expression instantly hardens and he snaps that Orton almost died. The room goes completely silent. Orton's smile disappears. Jose catches himself, takes a breath, and looks toward Arjun with a quieter, more controlled expression. He tells Arjun to come to the roof — he needs to talk to him. The tension lingers in the room as the two head upstairs. [Characters: Jose, Arjun, Orton, Jimenez, Yanira, Tutiven] - Pages 5-6: EXT. GANG HEADQUARTERS — ROOFTOP — DAY. Arjun and Jose stand at the building's edge overlooking a vast stretch of Vena City's abandoned lower districts — cracked buildings, empty streets, broken signs, distant industrial ruins. The wealthy skyline is barely visible through the haze. Jose stares out and tells Arjun they are better than all of this. He apologizes for how he has been acting but pivots quickly: he tells Arjun that the two of them could rule Vena City, and that Arjun has more potential than anyone else on the crew. He admits, with a flicker of cold honesty, that the rest of the team won't last in the big leagues. Arjun pushes back — he believes in all of them. Jose softens and admits he is overstressing. Then he gets to the real point: he has a job. Just for Arjun. He explains the connect — James Jones, now head of security for corpo-politician Migay Velazquez — and the plan: Jones has identified a safe full of diamonds on Migay's third floor. Migay will leave the front door accessible and security minimal. Arjun sneaks in, cracks the safe, grabs the diamonds, gets out. Jose will be outside keeping watch. He then pulls out a square cybertech device — a light-flash grenade built by Tutiven — and hands it to Arjun as a last resort. Arjun agrees. The two share a quiet, loaded look over the city. [Characters: Jose, Arjun] - Pages 7: INT. GANG HEADQUARTERS — GAME ROOM — MINUTES LATER. Arjun returns to the game room. Jimenez immediately asks what the rooftop talk was about. Arjun covers, saying Jose just wanted to talk through the Skittles situation. Jimenez's face twists with frustration — he thinks Jose needs to let it go. Arjun stops him from going up to confront Jose, admitting he did technically lie about letting Skittles go. Jimenez shakes his head and tells Arjun he has nothing to feel bad about — trying to spare a life is rare in Vena City, and Skittles is the one who manipulated that kindness. Arjun says he just feels naive. Jimenez, with his goofy but warm face turning genuinely serious, looks Arjun dead in the eyes and tells him he is his best friend — and that if he ever needs anything, including someone to set Jose straight, he just has to say the word. Arjun smiles wide, eyes closing, visibly moved. A quiet, human moment between the two. [Characters: Arjun, Jimenez, Yanira, Orton, Tutiven] - Pages 8-9: EXT. MIGAY VELAZQUEZ'S ESTATE — NIGHT. Two days later. A massive futuristic mansion behind a glowing cybertech perimeter gate — clean streets, immaculate grounds, a world apart from the slums. Armed guards patrol the property. Security cameras sweep the area. Arjun approaches the gate alone. James Jones appears on the other side and disables the energy field. He tells Arjun the safe is on the third floor, last room on the left hallway, and that Arjun is on his own from here with minimal security. He warns him not to mess this up. Arjun slips through. He moves silently across the courtyard, staying low, timing the guards. He reaches the exterior wall, scales it, uses a balcony railing to climb to the third floor, and finds a window. He eases it open and slips inside. He creeps through the dark hallway, reaches the office, checks the hall one last time, and enters. A sleek cybertech safe is built into the wall. Arjun kneels and connects his hacking device. BEEP. Then — voices in the hallway. Arjun yanks the device free and dives into a closet, pulling the door shut behind him. [Characters: Arjun, James Jones] - Pages 10-11: INT. MIGAY'S OFFICE — CONTINUOUS. The office door opens. Migay Velazquez enters, followed by crime boss Ryota Myra and his two enforcers — Borroto, a massive bruiser carrying a red pulse-energy cybertech hammer, and Zhenna, cold and composed. Migay greets Ryota with forced pleasantry. Ryota cuts through it immediately: Migay was supposed to use his politician connections to pass Ryota's law. He failed. Migay nervously promises next year. Ryota then reveals someone recently attempted to take his life — and coldly implies the attempt came from someone who used him to climb, then tried to remove him when they couldn't return the favor. Migay panics and begins to protest. BANG. Zhenna raises her weapon and shoots Migay in the head without hesitation. He drops instantly. Arjun watches from the closet, face pale, horrified. James Jones suddenly bursts into the room demanding to know what is happening. Borroto swings his massive red hammer — WHAM — launching James hard into the wall. Zhenna grins and compliments her partner. Ryota turns to leave. Then a small voice comes from the hallway doorway. Sammy — Migay's young son — stands there calling for his papa. Borroto picks the boy up. Zhenna asks Ryota what to do. Ryota looks at the child, expression unmoved, and says: no witnesses. Zhenna turns toward Sammy and raises her weapon. [Characters: Arjun, Migay Velazquez, Ryota Myra, Borroto, Zhenna, James Jones, Sammy] - Pages 12-13: INT. MIGAY'S OFFICE — CONTINUOUS into EXT. MIGAY'S ESTATE — NIGHT. Inside the closet, Arjun is frozen. His breathing is ragged. His hands shake. He covers his face — paralyzed between survival and conscience. He looks at the closet door. Then at the light-flash grenade in his pocket. Then back toward where the child is. His expression shifts. Decision made. He pulls the shielded goggles over his eyes. Grips the grenade. Clicks it active. He throws open the closet door and shouts at Ryota's crew. He hurls the grenade directly at them. FLASH — a blinding explosion of white light fills the entire office. Ryota, Borroto, and Zhenna scream, staggering. Arjun moves through the chaos, grabs Sammy from Borroto's loosened grip, and sprints out of the office and down the hallway. EXT. MIGAY'S ESTATE: Alarms blare across the property. Guards stumble around, temporarily blinded. Arjun bursts out of the mansion with Sammy in his arms and sprints across the courtyard. The cybertech gate flickers. He keeps running, breathing hard, not looking back. Sammy is unconscious but alive. Arjun grips the boy tight and mutters to himself — he knows exactly what he just did. He abandoned the diamonds. He blew the job. And he just made Ryota Myra's list. [Characters: Arjun, Ryota Myra, Borroto, Zhenna, Sammy] - Pages 14-15: EXT. MIGAY'S ESTATE — PERIMETER ROAD — NIGHT into VENA CITY STREETS — NIGHT. Arjun clears the estate perimeter and spots Jose's red getaway car idling at the edge of the road. He throws himself into the backseat, Sammy cradled against him. Jose whips around from the driver's seat, eyes wide, demanding to know what happened and who the kid is. Arjun is breathless — he just tells Jose to drive. Jose stares at him for a half-second, then floors it. The car tears into the neon-drenched Vena City night. The mansion's alarms still wail in the distance behind them. As the car disappears into the slum streets, the final noir panel pulls back wide: the glowing city swallowing them whole, Migay's estate lit up with chaos on the horizon, and Arjun in the backseat holding a boy he was never supposed to save — no diamonds, no clean exit, and somewhere behind them, Ryota Myra still standing. The issue ends on a cold, unresolved freeze-frame. The job is blown. The city watched. And nothing about what comes next will be simple. [Characters: Arjun, Jose, Sammy]
CHARACTERS
Migay Velazquez
Protagonist
Ryota Myra
Antagonist
Jose
Protagonist
Orton
Supporting
Yanira
Supporting
Skittles
Antagonist
Jason
Protagonist
Sammy
supporting
Arjun
Protagonist
Jimenez
Supporting
Emo
Protagonist
Tutiven
Supporting
Aline
Supporting
Linguine
Protagonist
Borroto
Antagonist
Zhenna
Antagonist
James Jones
Antagonist
Clan leader
Protagonist
Emy
Protagonist
PAGE 1
Panel 1:Wide establishing shot of a battered, towering apartment building rising above the Vena City slum district. Broken windows gape like missing teeth. Rusted fire escapes zigzag down the facade. Faded graffiti tags cover the lower floors. Exposed wiring trails between buildings. The surrounding blocks are half-collapsed or abandoned. A grey haze hangs over the rooftops. The building looks worn but inhabited — lights glow faintly behind a few curtained windows.
Narrator:“Several days after the farmhouse. Vena City's slums. Home.”
PAGE 2
Panel 1:Interior of the converted game room apartment. Mismatched couches face a large monitor propped on stacked milk crates. Weapons, cybertech parts, and motorcycle components line the walls and floor. Arjun and Jimenez sit side by side on a sagging couch, controllers in hand, eyes locked on the screen. Arjun leans forward, jaw set, fully focused. Jimenez's knee bounces with nervous energy. Tutiven reclines in an armchair nearby, arms folded, watching with a relaxed half-smile. Orton sits on a crate at the room's edge, watching with a quiet grin.
Panel 2:Close-up on the monitor screen — a game victory screen flashes with bright pixel graphics and a bold winner announcement. Controller buttons mash in blur-motion at the screen's edge.
Panel 3:Jimenez slams his controller down onto the couch cushion with both hands, head thrown back, face twisted in exaggerated anguish. His goofy expression is all disbelief and frustration. Arjun beside him pumps a fist in the air, grinning wide.
“Arjun: Got you again, Jimenez! Jimenez: Aw, damn it! This stupid game is broken!”
Panel 4:Yanira stands across the room leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, laughing openly — head tilted back, one hand covering her mouth. Her posture is relaxed and genuinely amused.
“Yanira: Broken? Babe, what's actually wrong with it?”
Panel 5:Jimenez points an accusatory finger at the monitor screen, his face scrunched with mock outrage. His goofy expression is a picture of wounded dignity.
“Jimenez: It's full of glitches! That's what's wrong with it!”
Panel 6:Wide pull-back shot of the whole game room. Arjun and Jimenez on the couch, Yanira laughing by the wall, Orton grinning on his crate, Tutiven relaxed in the armchair. Weapons and cybertech clutter every surface. It looks cramped and rough — but the laughter filling the room makes it feel like a home.
PAGE 3
Panel 1:The apartment door swings wide open, banging against the interior wall. Jose stands in the doorframe — same build and posture as before, but his hair is now bleached blonde, cropped tight, giving his face a sharper, harder edge. He wears a dark jacket. His expression is composed but carries weight. Every person in the room turns to look at him simultaneously.
Panel 2:Close-up on Tutiven's face — one eyebrow arched high, mouth slightly open, expression caught between surprise and dry amusement.
“Tutiven: Whoa. New look?”
Panel 3:Jose runs a hand slowly through his blonde hair, chin raised. His expression is measured — a man who has decided something.
“Jose: New look. New attitude. Time to start taking things more seriously.”
Panel 4:Orton sits on the crate, smirking — arms folded loosely, one corner of his mouth pulled up. His posture is relaxed, poking at something he knows might land wrong.
“Orton: Aw, come on. Still mad about the New Bloods thing?”
Panel 5:Jose's face snaps toward Orton — jaw tight, eyes hard, every trace of composure gone in an instant. His voice fills the room. Orton's smirk evaporates. Jimenez and Yanira go still. Arjun looks up from the couch.
“Jose: YOU ALMOST DIED, ORTON!”
PAGE 4
Panel 1:Dead silence. Wide shot of the room. Nobody moves. Jimenez's controller rests forgotten on the cushion. Yanira's laughter is gone. Orton stares at Jose with his smile completely erased. Tutiven sits very still in the armchair. The warm moment from before has been punctured.
Panel 2:Medium-close on Jose. He exhales through his nose, eyes dropping to the floor for a half-second. His shoulders drop slightly — a visible effort at self-control. When he looks up again his expression is quieter, deliberate.
Panel 3:Jose's gaze shifts across the room and lands on Arjun, who is watching him from the couch. Jose's expression is controlled now — quieter, purposeful. He tilts his head toward the door with a small, deliberate gesture.
“Jose: Arjun. Come to the roof. I need to talk to you.”
Panel 4:Arjun sets his controller on the couch and stands, glancing briefly back at Jimenez. Jimenez watches Arjun go with a flat, unreadable expression. The rest of the crew watches the two of them move toward the door without speaking.
PAGE 5
Panel 1:Wide establishing shot of the rooftop. Arjun and Jose stand at the building's edge, their backs to the camera. Below and beyond them stretches a vast, broken landscape — cracked apartment blocks, empty streets with weeds splitting the pavement, collapsed industrial structures, rusted water towers, broken signage hanging at angles. A thick haze blurs the horizon. Far in the distance, barely visible through the smog, the glittering skyline of Vena City's wealthier districts rises like a mirage.
Narrator:“The rooftop. The city spread out below them like a wound.”
Panel 2:Side profile of Jose, both hands resting on a crumbling concrete ledge, eyes fixed on the ruined cityscape below. His blonde hair catches the dull grey light. His expression is distant, carrying something between ambition and cold certainty.
“Jose: Look at all this. We're better than all of it. You know that, right?”
Panel 3:Jose turns to face Arjun directly, expression shifting — a flicker of something more genuine beneath the hard surface. He puts a hand on Arjun's shoulder.
“Jose: Look… I'm sorry about how I've been. You and I could run this city, Arjun.”
Panel 4:Jose's voice drops lower, his expression going flat and honest — almost cold. He glances back toward the door leading downstairs, then back at Arjun.
“Jose: The others… they won't last in the big leagues. You have more potential than any of them.”
Panel 5:Arjun faces Jose squarely, expression firm but not hostile. His posture is open, pushing back without aggression — a man who genuinely believes what he's saying.
“Arjun: Don't say that. We're all gonna make it. They just need more time. That's all.”
PAGE 6
Panel 1:Jose looks down at the ledge for a moment, then exhales and nods — a small concession. He straightens and turns back toward the city view, his expression resetting to something more controlled and purposeful.
“Jose: You're right. I'm overstressing. Anyway — the real reason I brought you up here.”
Panel 2:Jose faces Arjun directly, voice low and clear. Arjun's eyebrow rises slightly.
“Jose: I've got a job. Just for you, we can’t involve the gang. They wouldn’t ever agree to something this big.”
Panel 3:Jose leans on the ledge and explains, looking out at the city as he talks. Arjun listens, arms folded, attentive.
“Jose: I have a connect. James Jones. He's head of security for Migay Velazquez.”
Panel 4:Arjun's expression sharpens — he recognizes the name. His arms uncross. He looks at Jose with increased attention.
“Arjun: Migay Velazquez? The corpo-politician? That guy is no joke, man. Jose: That's exactly why I need you.”
Panel 5:Jose lays out the plan in clipped, direct sentences, holding up two fingers as he ticks off the steps. His expression is focused, tactical.
“Jose: Jones says Migays got a safe in his home office, it’s filled with diamonds. Jones will leave the front door wide open, and make sure there’s minimal security that night. I’ll be outside keeping watch for you. I got your back.”
Panel 6:Jose reaches into his jacket and produces a small square cybertech device — compact, matte black, with a single recessed button on its face. He holds it out flat on his palm toward Arjun. The device gives off a faint electronic hum. Arjun looks down at it.
“Jose: Worst case — Tutiven built this. Light-flash grenade. Pop it, blind everyone, run.”
PAGE 7
Panel 1:Arjun walks back into the game room through the interior door. Jimenez is immediately on his feet, controller abandoned, goofy face pulled into a look of sharp curiosity. Yanira glances up from her phone. Orton and Tutiven watch from their seats.
“Jimenez: Yo. What was that about?”
Panel 2:Arjun waves a hand casually, expression relaxed — a practiced cover. He drops back onto the couch.
“Arjun: He just wanted to talk through the Skittles situation.”
Panel 3:Jimenez's goofy face twists with immediate frustration — brow furrowed, hands gesturing outward. He takes a step toward the door.
“Jimenez: He needs to let that go already! I'm going up there—”
Panel 4:Arjun reaches out and grabs Jimenez's arm, stopping him. His expression is firm but not urgent — he means it.
“Arjun: No. It's fine. I did technically lie to him. I feel so naive.”
Panel 5:Jimenez shakes his head slowly, expression going from frustrated to genuinely sincere. His goofy face has turned serious — eyes direct and warm.
“Jimenez: You tried to spare someone's life. That's rare these days. Skittles is the one who played you. You did nothing wrong.”
Panel 6:Jimenez looks Arjun dead in the eyes, both hands at his sides, voice low and steady. This is the most earnest he has been. Arjun looks back at him — and then a wide, genuine smile breaks across his face, eyes closing slightly with it.
“Jimenez: You're my best friend, Arjun. I mean it. You need anything — anything — just say the word. Arjun: Thanks Jimenez.”
PAGE 8
Panel 1:Wide establishing shot of Migay Velazquez's estate at night. A massive, angular futuristic mansion sits behind a tall perimeter fence that pulses with a soft blue-white cybertech energy field. The grounds are immaculate — manicured hedges, clean stone paths, bright exterior lighting. The streets outside are empty and well-lit. Give a cyberpunk house feel
Narrator:“Two days later. Migay Velazquez's estate.”
Panel 2:Arjun approaches the glowing energy gate from the outside, alone.
Panel 3:On the other side of the gate, James Jones steps out of the shadows He reaches for a small panel on the gate post. The blue energy field flickers and then dies, leaving a gap in the perimeter.
“James Jones: You must be Arjun. Quick.”
Panel 4:James Jones speaks in a low, urgent voice, pointing one finger toward the upper floors of the mansion. His expression is tight — this is a man with too much to lose.
“James Jones: Third floor. Last room on the left. You’ll have minimal security but you're on your own. Don't mess this up.”
PAGE 9
Panel 1:Low wide shot of the courtyard. Arjun moves in a low crouch across the open stone ground, staying close to the hedgeline. A guard's back is turned twenty feet away. Arjun is still.
Panel 2:Arjun presses flat against the exterior wall of the mansion, hands splayed on the stone. He looks straight up — the third-floor balcony railing is visible above. He begins to climb, fingers finding gaps in the decorative stone facade.
Panel 3:Arjun grips a third-floor balcony railing and hauls himself up and over it in one smooth motion, landing silently on the balcony in a crouch. A dark window is directly in front of him.
Panel 4:Arjun's hands ease the window open — slow, controlled. The darkness of the interior hallway beyond is absolute. He slips one leg through, then the other, sliding inside.
Panel 5:Interior of a dark hallway. Arjun creeps forward, staying close to one wall, head low. Closed doors line both sides. At the far end of the hall, one door sits slightly ajar — a thin strip of ambient light visible at its edge. Arjun moves toward it.
Panel 6:Arjun is inside the office. A sleek cybertech futuristic safe is built flush into the far wall — matte black panel, recessed handle, a digital lock interface glowing faintly green. Arjun kneels in front of it and connects a small hacking device to the interface port. The device emits a soft electronic BEEP. Then — Arjun's head snaps up. His eyes go wide. Voices, muffled but close, are coming from just outside the office door.
Narrator:“Midway through cracking the safe. Arjun begins to hear a voice approaching in the hallway. ”
PAGE 10
Panel 1:Arjun rips the hacking device free from the safe port and spins on his heel. His eyes sweep the room — landing on a closet door set into the side wall. He lunges toward it.
Panel 2:Arjun pulls the closet door shut from the inside. Through the thin gap at the door's edge, a sliver of the office is visible. The main office door swings open. Light floods in from the hallway. Migay Velazquez enters first — a heavyset man in an expensive suit, face arranged in a forced, political smile. Behind him enters Ryota Myra — lean, composed, dressed in a dark long coat, expression carved from stone. Behind Ryota come two figures: Borroto, an enormous man whose bulk fills the doorframe, a massive red pulse-energy cybertech hammer slung at his hip — its head crackling faintly with red energy. And Zhenna — compact, sharp-featured, cold eyes scanning the room automatically as she enters.
Panel 3:Migay spreads his hands in a welcoming gesture, smile plastered in place — but his eyes show the strain of a man who did not expect this visit. Ryota stands a few feet away, arms at his sides, watching Migay with absolute stillness.
“Migay Velazquez: Mr. Myra. I wasn't expecting you. How can I be of service?”
Panel 4:Close-up on Ryota Myra's face. His expression is perfectly flat — no anger, no warmth, just cold certainty. He speaks quietly.
“Ryota Myra: Apparently… you can no longer provide any service.”
Panel 5:Ryota steps closer to Migay, who takes a half-step backward. Ryota's voice remains level. Migay's hands drop to his sides — the political smile is gone.
“Ryota Myra: You were supposed to get the politicians to pass my law. That’s why I put you up there with them. Migay Velazquez: Next year — I can still make it happen—”
Panel 6:Tight shot through the narrow closet door gap — Arjun's eye visible in the sliver of darkness, wide and unblinking, watching the scene unfold from inside the closet. The faint red crackle of Borroto's hammer is visible in the background of the office beyond.
PAGE 11
Panel 1:Migay Velazquez stands in the center of the office, hands raised, mouth open in a panicked protest. Ryota Myra faces him from two feet away, expression carved from stone, eyes flat and unmoved. Borroto looms to the right, the red pulse-energy hammer crackling at his hip. Zhenna stands slightly behind Ryota, her right hand already rising toward her holstered weapon.
“Migay Velazquez: Mr. Myra — I assure you, I had nothing to do with— Ryota Myra: There was also a recent attempt made on my life. Some might say it would have been by someone who used me to get a position. Then tried to take me out when they couldn’t return the favor.”
Panel 2:BANG — full bleed sound effect panel. Zhenna's arm is fully extended, weapon aimed point-blank at Migay's head. A muzzle flash erupts. Migay's body is mid-collapse — knees buckling, arms dropping, face slack. The expensive office chair spins away behind him.
Panel 3:Through the narrow gap of the closet door — a sliver of darkness framing Arjun's eye and the bridge of his nose. His eye is stretched wide open, the white of it vivid. Migay's fallen shoes are barely visible on the floor in the background beyond.
Panel 4:The office door bursts inward with a crash. James Jones stands in the doorframe — dark security uniform, face twisted in alarm, one hand braced on the doorframe, the other reaching for his sidearm. Ryota Myra and Borroto turn toward him. Zhenna does not flinch.
“James Jones: What the hell is happening in here?!”
Panel 5:Borroto winds up and swings the massive red pulse-energy hammer in a wide horizontal arc. The hammer head connects with James Jones's torso — a burst of crackling red energy exploding on impact. James is launched sideways through the air, body fully horizontal, arms flung wide.
Panel 6:James Jones crashes hard into the far wall and crumples to the floor in a heap, one arm bent under him, head drooping. Zhenna glances at Borroto with a sharp grin — her first real expression. Ryota Myra has already turned away toward the hallway door, back to the room. Then — in the open doorway behind Ryota — a small boy in pajamas stands barefoot. Sammy. His eyes are wide and searching.
“Zhenna: Nice one, bro. Sammy: Papa?”
PAGE 12
Panel 1:Borroto reaches down and scoops Sammy up under one massive arm, holding the boy against his side. Sammy's arms hang loose, face confused and frightened, eyes searching the room. Zhenna looks toward Ryota Myra, who stands with his back half-turned, hands clasped behind him.
“Zhenna: What do we do with him, Mr. Myra? Ryota Myra: No witnesses.”
Panel 2:Inside the closet — full panel. Arjun is pressed against the back wall, knees bent, one hand clamped over his mouth. His eyes are wide and fixed straight ahead. His whole body is rigid. The thin strip of light from the closet gap cuts across his face diagonally.
Panel 3:Arjun's trembling hands come up and press flat against his own face — palms covering his eyes, fingers splayed across his forehead. His shoulders are drawn in tight. The light-flash grenade is visible clipped to his belt, its single recessed button glinting faintly.
Panel 4:Arjun's hands drop from his face. His jaw is set. His eyes are open and fixed on the closet door. He reaches to the clip at his belt and closes his fingers around the light-flash grenade, lifting it free. With his other hand he pulls a pair of shielded goggles down over his eyes from his forehead.
Panel 5:Arjun's thumb presses the recessed button on the grenade. The device emits a sharp electronic CLICK and a faint pulse of white light along its edges — it is active. His goggles reflect the tiny white glow back at the reader. His grip on the door handle tightens.
PAGE 13
Panel 1:The closet door EXPLODES open. Arjun stands in the frame — goggles on, arm cocked back, grenade already leaving his hand. Ryota, Borroto, and Zhenna are caught mid-motion across the room. Borroto still holds Sammy. Zhenna's weapon is raised. All three turn toward the sudden movement.
“Arjun: HEY, ASSHOLES!!”
Panel 2:FULL PANEL — total white. The entire office is consumed by a blinding detonation of white light. The shapes of Ryota, Borroto, and Zhenna are visible only as dark silhouettes staggering, arms thrown over their eyes, mouths open in screams. The room's furniture and walls are bleached out completely.
Panel 3:Arjun — goggles protecting him — shoves through the white chaos. He grabs Sammy under both arms, pulling the boy free from Borroto's loosened grip. Borroto staggers backward, one hand clawing at his own eyes, the massive hammer swinging loose and useless at his side.
Panel 4:Wide shot of the estate exterior at night. Alarms scream — red warning lights strobe across the immaculate grounds. Two guards stumble near the hedgeline, hands pressed to their eyes, weapons lowered and useless. The mansion's upper windows glow and flash. Arjun bursts out of the main entrance at full sprint, Sammy clutched against his chest with both arms. The boy's head lolls — unconscious but breathing.
Panel 5:Close on Arjun's face as he runs — jaw clenched, goggles shoved up to his forehead, eyes forward. He looks down once at Sammy's unconscious face pressed against his shoulder, then back up. His expression is raw — no triumph, just the hard knowledge of what he has done.
“Arjun: What the hell did I just do?”
PAGE 14
Panel 1:Wide shot of the estate perimeter road. A red car idles at the curb just beyond the gate — engine running, headlights off. The gate behind Arjun flickers with dying cybertech energy. Arjun is at full sprint toward the car, Sammy pressed against his chest, the mansion blazing with alarm lights behind him.
Panel 2:The rear door of the red car flies open. Arjun throws himself inside — one arm hooking the door frame, the other cradling Sammy. His feet are still off the ground as he pulls the boy in with him. The door bangs against its own hinges.
Panel 3:Jose has spun completely around in the driver's seat — one arm hooked over the headrest, blonde hair disheveled, eyes wide and scanning Arjun and the unconscious boy with sharp alarm. His expression demands an explanation.
“Jose: Arjun — what happened? Who is that kid?!”
Panel 4:Arjun is in the backseat, chest heaving, one arm wrapped tight around Sammy's small unconscious body. His goggles hang loose around his neck. He looks directly at Jose — face exhausted, jaw set, no room for debate.
“Arjun: Just drive. Drive, Jose. NOW.”
Panel 5:Jose faces forward, both hands gripping the steering wheel hard. His jaw tightens. He floors the accelerator — the car's tires scream against the pavement, smoke curling at the rear wheels. The red car tears forward into the dark road, headlights cutting into the night.
PAGE 15
Panel 1:Inside the speeding car. Arjun sits in the backseat, Sammy unconscious across his lap, the boy's small chest rising and falling. Arjun's head is tilted back against the seat, eyes on the car ceiling, one hand resting on the boy's shoulder. Jose's eyes are visible in the rearview mirror — watching Arjun, jaw tight, saying nothing.
Panel 2:Through the car's windshield — the neon-drenched streets of Vena City's slum district blur past. Cracked storefronts, flickering holographic signs in faded pink and yellow, broken streetlights. The red car is a streak cutting through the labyrinth. In the far distance behind them, over the rooftops, Migay's estate glows with strobing red alarm lights on the horizon.
Narrator:“The diamonds were still in the safe.”
Panel 3:Close on Arjun's hand resting on Sammy's small shoulder. The boy's pajama sleeve is rumpled. Arjun's knuckles are scraped. His grip is firm and protective — not letting go.
Narrator:“He blew the job. He made the list.”
Panel 4:FINAL PANEL — massive wide noir shot. The red car is a tiny silhouette disappearing into the glowing maze of Vena City's slum streets. Crumbling apartment towers rise on both sides, their windows lit with faint domestic light. Holographic signs bleed color across wet pavement. On the far right of the panel, barely visible through the haze, Migay's estate blazes on the horizon — alarm lights still strobing. The city is vast, indifferent, and watching. Somewhere inside that tiny car, a boy breathes. Somewhere behind them, Ryota Myra still stands.
Narrator:“Vena City doesn't forget. And neither does Ryota Myra.”
