Supreme Sanction, Part 2

PAGE ONE

PANEL ONE:

INTERIOR. Close-up on a pair of hands putting a vase of flowers on a hospital table.

 1 CAPTION:      6 MONTHS AGO

 2 CAPTION:      S.H.I.E.L.D. MEDICAL FACILITY, LONG-STAY WARD

 3 CAPTION:      LIBERTY ISLAND, DELAWARE

PANEL TWO:

INT. Medium shot, looking up from the vase. It’s Rick Tyler, off-hours, wearing a brown bomber jacket. His expression is inscrutable, but tense.

 4 RICK:         I know I haven’t come by as much as I SHOULD--

PANEL THREE:

INT. Rick turns towards the window, hands in pockets. Sunlight streams in through the cracks of the blinds.

 5 RICK:         --But it’s starting to look BAD.

 6 RICK:         I don’t … I don’t know where to go from HERE.

PANEL FOUR:

EXTERIOR. Shot from outside the hospital. Rick is parting the blinds with his finger and thumb and peaking through. The reflection on the window partially obscures Rick and a patient who lies in the bed behind him. It’s an unreasonably sunny day.

 7 RICK:         I thought maybe SEEING you would help … You would’ve found a way out of this. I’m SURE you would’ve.

 8 RICK:         Me, I can’t do ANYTHING right, it seems.

PANEL FIVE:

INT. Back in the hospital, Rick turns his head, hands back in jacket, to talk to his off-panel companion. His demeanor is sullen, like a whipped dog.

 9 RICK:         … they’re taking it AWAY from us.

10 RICK:         Our life’s WORK. They’re just gonna take it away like it BELONGED to them, like it wasn’t OURS to begin with.

 

PAGE TWO

PANEL ONE:

INT. Rick is sitting now, hands clasped, arms between his knees. His head is hanging parallel to the floor, and his faced is still obscured partly, making his expression hard to read.

 1 RICK:         … I think the reason it’s been a while. The reason, I HAVEN’T …

 2 RICK:         You were a TOUGH man to live with. It wasn’t EASY. High standards to live up to, being your …

PANEL TWO:

INT. Side shot of the same scene. The rays of the sun bathe his back in light, while the front side of his body is hunched over in shadow.

NO DIALOGUE

PANEL THREE:

INT. Rick rises to leave, the moment gone. His expression disconcertingly more cheerful.

 3 RICK:         Well ANYWAY, don’t worry about a THING.

 4 RICK:         I’ll come up with SOMETHING. I always do. Just needed to get my bearings is all.

 5 RICK:         You put this project ahead of EVERYTHING—-

PANEL FOUR:

INT. Rick leans on the foot of the bed. Companion is still off-panel, but we see the lower body.

 6 RICK:         --Even your own HEALTH.

 7 RICK:         There’s NO way I’m going to let them get away with this. Not after everything you SACRIFICED to get this FAR.

 8 RICK:         I PROMISE.

PANEL FIVE:

INT. Rick looks forward at the reader, to where his companion would be. His stance is awkward, hands back in his jacket. He’s close to the door but can’t quite leave yet. Again, his face is inscrutable.

NO DIALOGUE

PANEL SIX:

INT. Long shot, from the foot of the bed. We see clearly now an older man, face seemingly ravaged by time, lying in the hospital bed with tubes up his nose hooked up to a respirator. Machines to the side monitor his health and keep him alive. His eyes are closed as if deeply sleeping, but we know better. The clipboard at the foot of his bed reads “REX TYLER.”

    NO DIALOGUE

 

PAGE THREE

PANEL ONE:

INT. Long-shot. Lead Intelligence Analyst Jimmy Woo, a youthful-looking Asian man wearing a headset, whirls around to address someone off-panel. Our eye-level is lower than him, looking up.

 1 CAPTION:      6 MONTHS AGO

 2 CAPTION:      S.H.I.E.L.D. CENTRAL COMMAND, FLOOR

 3 JIMMY:        Seriously, who the hell was supposed to send me the updated PROTOCOLS?

PANEL TWO:

INT. Establishing shot of Danny Chase with a half-eaten croissant in his mouth, sitting at a messy-looking computer workstation across a cluster of desks. He’s young and lanky, with red hair and freckles. Adding to the image, he’s sporting glasses two sizes too big for his face. Jimmy is still in the panel, looking away from us and towards Danny.

 4 DANNY:        Jeez, JIMMY, it’s been like FIVE minutes since I got off LUNCH. Gimme a BREAK. I’ve been juggling NSA chatter all MORNING.

 5 JIMMY:        BULLSHIT, Danny. EVERYONE on the floor’s been busy since the ALERT LEVEL was raised. Just get it DONE--

PANEL THREE:

INT. Jimmy is startled to see Nick Fury hovering over his terminal as he turns back around. We can see Danny sniggering in the background.

 6 JIMMY:        Or FURY’s gonna have my ASS--

 7 FURY:         Sorry, AGENT WOO, my tastes don’t run THAT WAY.

 8 JIMMY:        COLONEL!

PANEL FOUR:

INT. Jimmy stands up straight as a board, embarrassed over his faux pas. Fury takes it in stride, thumbing backwards to Clark Kent, who’s standing behind him.

 9 JIMMY:        I’m SORRY, sir, I would never mean to IMPLY--

10 FURY:         Don’t sweat it, Agent. I’m a MARINE. I’ve heard WORSE.

11 FURY:         I wanted to bring Clark here to the floor, show him what the business of protecting the country is REALLY like.

PANEL FIVE:

INT. Clark outstretches his hand for a shake. Woo reaches for the hand, and Danny, croissant in mouth and staring at his screen, throws a hand up absently.

12 FURY:         (off-panel) CLARK KENT, meet our Lead Intelligence Analyst, JAMES WOO. Behind him is another one of our top analysts, DANNY CHASE.

PANEL SIX:

INT. Jimmy takes his hand and begins talking. Clark’s almost a foot taller than him.

13 JIMMY:        Ah, I DID hear you arrived on LIBERTY ISLAND yesterday.

14 JIMMY:        Well, there’s nothing TOO glamorous to what I do, so let me just show you the floor—-

 

 

PAGE FOUR

PANEL ONE:

INT. Jimmy looks down to his phone, which is ringing. The numberpad glows blue. Fury looks quizzical.

 1 JIMMY:        Hmm, SORRY about that. It’s TECH calling from downstairs in the server room.

 2 FURY:         Personal cell phones aren’t ALLOWED on the floor, Woo.

 3 JIMMY:        I know, but my station com has been down all morning, COLONEL. I had to IMPROVISE …

PANEL TWO:

INT. Jimmy points to a rising Danny as he takes the call.

 4 JIMMY:        DANNY, do you mind?

 5 DANNY:        Sure, but that work’s gonna take even LONGER to get done now.

PANEL THREE:

INT. Opposite to above, showing Clark’s reaction. He’s got a slightly alarmed look on his face, like something’s not quite right. Danny starts talking off-panel.

 6 DANNY:        (off-panel) --The programmers here call this place “The Brain” because it really is the NERVE CENTER of S.H.I.E.L.D.

PANEL FOUR:

INT. Long shot. Clark looks to Fury, slightly puzzled.

 7 DANNY:        (off-panel) This is where we evaluate intelligence, process chatter, appraise threats, relay satellite imaging, tap phones … all the behind-the-scenes SUPER-SPY stuff.

PANEL FIVE:

INT. Similar long shot to previous. Fury acknowledges the look with a raised eyebrow.

 8 DANNY:        (off-panel) We like to think we’re PARTNERS with the agents in the field. It’s OUR job to make sure they go in there with the best available info, and come back out ALIVE.

 9 DANNY:        (off-panel) So, guys—-

PANEL SIX:

INT. Large panel, from behind Clark and Fury. Danny’s been gesturing towards the floor this entire time, but now we actually see it. Jimmy, Danny, and a few others are at terminals overlooking a massive room, littered with high-tech computers, display screens, and intelligence analysts going about their business. Danny is looking back, wondering why his companions haven’t been paying attention.

10 DANNY:        --Guys?

11 DANNY:        Everything all RIGHT?

PANEL SEVEN:

INT. Close-up on Clark’s face.

12 CLARK:        --It’s NOTHING.

 

PAGE FIVE

PANEL ONE:

INT. Clark and Fury walk down a semi-lit hallway. The architecture is modern, but foreboding. No natural light enters the complex, which seems to be underground.

 1 FURY:         So what WAS that about back there?

 2 CLARK:        I don’t know exactly. Just got a bad feeling from that agent.

PANEL TWO:

INT. Fury turns around to address Clark, hands tucked into his black trenchcoat. Agents busily walk up and down the corridor of the high-tech facility in the background.

 3 FURY:         Who, WOO? He’s been with the agency since its inception. Guy’s a bit UPTIGHT, but he’s a straight-shooter.

PANEL THREE:

INT. On Clark, staring off in the distance, looking apprehensive.

 4 CLARK:        I GUESS. You would know better than ME, Colonel. I’ve just learned over the years to trust my FIRST INSTINCT when it comes to people--

 5 CLARK:        --too much has happened for me NOT to.

PANEL FOUR:

INT. Long shot. The pair resume walking. Fury’s gesticulating with his hands.

 6 FURY:         I can RESPECT that, kid. Out in the field your instincts have got to be TRUSTWORTHY to keep yourself and your squad ALIVE.

 7 FURY:         Though with you, the FORMER ain’t as big a deal as the LATTER.

 8 FURY:         There’s nothing in Woo’s background that should make you suspicious of him, though. He was thoroughly VETTED before he transferred from CIA.

PANEL FIVE:

INT. Close-up on Clark. Less tense expression.

 9 CLARK:        You’re probably RIGHT. It was probably NOTHING.

10 CLARK:        --But I couldn’t HEAR the person on the other side of the PHONE.

 

PAGE SIX

PANEL ONE:

INT. Fury is marching forward purposively across a sky ramp connecting two sections of SHIELD, with Clark in tow. Sunlight strikes white walls along the walkway, in contrast to the cramped cold ambience of Intelligence.

 1 FURY:         All right, I’ve got one MORE major player for you to meet, Clark.

 2 FURY:         Let me warn you, he’s got his head up in the CLOUDS sometimes. Graduated M.I.T. at age NINETEEN. Rhodes Scholar, created the first working NANOASSEMBLER to get his Ph.D.

 3 FURY:         This was all before he turned TWENTY-FIVE, by the way.

PANEL TWO:

INT. Close-up on Fury as he opens a white door, turning back to smirk at Clark.

 4 FURY:         Not that you should be INTIMIDATED or anything--

PANEL THREE:

INT. Clark smiles thinly and raises an eyebrow.

 5 CLARK:        RIGHT …

PANEL FOUR:

INT. Large establishing panel of Chris Powell’s lab. Chris is a strikingly young African-American man with close-cropped hair, wearing a sharp lab coat over a suit, surrounded by much older scientists taking direction from him. The lab is overflowing with futuristic tech, with two mysterious black orbs levitating in the air in front of them. Clark and Fury can be seen in the background, having just crossed the door. Fury is gesturing towards Chris.

 6 FURY:         Meet CHRIS POWELL, our lead engineer and nanotech specialist!

 7 CHRIS:        All right, we need to get a handle on why this new NANOTUBE injection system isn’t syncing up with the AMULET.

 8 CHRIS:        We need to REDO the code for the sync algorithm and--

 

PAGE SEVEN

PANEL ONE:

INT. Chris turns in his chair to look at the two new guests as Fury raises a hand to shout.

 1 FURY:         Yo, CHRIS!

 2 CHRIS:        NICK! Lord, what’re you doing here?

 3 CHRIS:        I don’t get to see you unless I’m trying to explain SCIENCE to ignorant old WHITE men--

PANEL TWO:

INT. Chris approaches with a boyish grin on his face, arms outstretched to embrace the older man. Fury laughs. Clark looks on, bewildered at how casual the young man is with the Colonel.

 4 FURY:         Hahaha! Careful now, those old white men approve your FUNDING, you know. Pays to keep them dreaming of weaponized GREY GOO.

 5 CHRIS:        Well, they’d be PISSED about the amount of stuff that’s CRAPPED OUT on us today.

PANEL THREE:

INT. Silhouetted, red background. Fury and Chris man-hug as Clark looks on, arms folded across chest.

 6 FURY:         Sure. I won’t tell your NANNA what a terrible job you’re doin’ around here, PROMISE.

 7 CHRIS:        Haha, whatever Nick. Why you down here anyway? TiVO broke again?

PANEL FOUR:

INT. Fury smiles, hand on Chris’s shoulder, as he turns back around to introduce Clark. Clark smiles, extending his hand for the shake. Chris returns the gesture.

 8 FURY:         I wanted you to meet Clark Kent, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s newest acquisition. And your future TEAMMATE if this damn bill ever gets PASSED.

 9 CHRIS:        Ahh, no WAY. I picked up your file from INTEL. Gonna be fun seeing what you can do--

PANEL FIVE:

INT. Front shot of Chris shaking Clark’s hand, who is off-panel. He’s got a playful look in his eye.

10 CHRIS:        --‘Cause you ain’t the only one around here who’s SUPER, that’s for damn sure …

PANEL SIX:

INT. Fury, arms folded across his chest, smirks at the two young bucks measuring each other.

11 FURY:         OK, OK. You boys got plenty of time for the cock-fighting LATER.

12 FURY:         Right now I want you to show Clark some of the toys you got COOKING in here.

 

PAGE EIGHT

PANEL ONE:

INT. Chris walks towards a standing cabinet, hands in the air as if to say, “I didn’t do it.” The other two follow.

 1 CHRIS:        Hey, I didn’t START nothin’.

 2 CHRIS:        So Clark, you know anything about MATERIALS SCIENCE or QUANTUM PHYSICS?

PANEL TWO:

INT. Close on Clark, head tilted, dumbfounded.

 3 CLARK:        Uhh …

 4 CLARK:        Didn’t quite get around to it yet at SMALLVILLE HIGH. You’re going to have to give me the ABRIDGED version.

PANEL THREE:

INT. In profile, Chris chuckles.

 5 CHRIS:        No PROBLEM. Like I said, I been giving this LECTURE enough times to know how much science I can get away with.

 6 CHRIS:        For NOW, you just need to know that NANOSCIENCE is the study of the really SMALL … think 40,000 times SMALLER than the width of a HUMAN HAIR.

 7 CHRIS:        That scale’s useful for a couple reasons. FIRST, the rules operate differently down there. Everyday stuff like GOLD can have way different properties on that scale.

PANEL FOUR:

INT. Chris’s head is turned backwards to continue talking to Clark as his hands fix on the cabinet door handles.

 8 CHRIS:        SECOND, imagine being able to create ANYTHING from scratch, at the ATOMIC level. That’s the possibility my first NANITE design opened the door to.

 9 CHRIS:        NANITES are just what we call nano-scale ROBOTS that can shuffle MOLECULES around to build what we need.

10 CHRIS:        Imagine drinking a can of soda with a NANITIC PAYLOAD programmed to find and eliminate cancerous TUMORS. We have the technology to DO that.

PANEL FIVE:

INT.The three men continue to talk. On the left, Chris is reaching into the cabinet. In the middle, Clark’s back is to us, hands outstretched in question. Fury is leaning against a counter on the right, knee raised and arms folded.

11 CLARK:        Then why isn’t it out on the market?

12 CHRIS:        Well, aside from the FDA hoops we’d have to jump through, it’d cost a COUPLE MILLION a can. Not something you can sell in a VENDING MACHINE.

13 FURY:         You’ve gotta realize, Clark, before Chris came along scientists in this field were effectively in the STONE AGE.

14 FURY:         After he designed the first nano-robot that could be feasibly ENGINEERED, the U.S. government dibbed exclusive rights to pick his BRAIN for the next ten years.

15 CHRIS:        They made a good investment, ‘cause they got THIS--

PANEL SIX:

INT. An intent Chris holds up a container with a black diamond-shaped crystal inside. The middle of the diamond has a v-shaped section missing, leaving the top part eerily floating above the bottom.

16 CHRIS:        --THE AMULET.

17 CHRIS:        BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars paid for this baby. The most complex NANITIC NETWORK ever designed for defense application.

 

PAGE NINE

PANEL ONE:

INT. The page is a sequence of long shots. Chris begins opening the container.

 1 CHRIS:        In the 1980’s, some scientists warned that a mass of self-replicating NANITES could overrun the world, turning everything it touched into COPIES of itself.

 2 CHRIS:        This was called the “GREY GOO” scenario--

PANEL TWO:

INT. Chris clutches the Amulet in his fist, as black goop extends from the Amulet and begins to swallow his arm, in an eerily organic fashion.

 3 CHRIS:        --Me, I’m partial to BLACK.

PANEL THREE:

INT. Chris holds his fist up, determined. The black goop has solidified into a thin second skin around his arm.

 4 CHRIS:        Fibers composed of nanotubes create an amazingly lightweight, fire-retardant, bulletproof “SKIN.”

 5 CHRIS:        Think NANO-KEVLAR.

PANEL FOUR:

INT. Chris shows his arm to Clark as Fury looks on.

 6 CHRIS:        The nanites patrol my BODY, correcting inefficiencies in my system, enhancing strength, energy output, stamina, YOU NAME IT. 86’ed an INFECTION the other day too.

 7 CLARK:        Is that SAFE? How do they know what they’re supposed to do?

 8 CHRIS:        They’re INTELLIGENT, to an extent. They figured out how my body works a long time ago … and started IMPROVING it.

PANEL FIVE:

INT. Clark raises an eyebrow skeptically.

 9 CLARK:        --and what if they didn’t want to be so NICE?

PANEL SIX:

INT. Chris replaces the Amulet as the skin begins to retract, tight grin on his face.

10 CHRIS:        Hasn’t happened YET …

 

PAGE TEN

PANEL ONE:

INT. Splash page. A newspaper headline reads “SUPERBOY RETURNS? KANSAS WONDER STOPS METROPOLIS TRAIN DERAILMENT.” A blurry camera phone pic of Clark shoulder-deep in concrete, stopping the train from last issue, adorns the front page.

 1 CAPTION:      NOW

 2 CAPTION:      S.H.I.E.L.D. CENTRAL COMMAND, PERSONNEL LOUNGE

 3 CLARK:        (off-panel) SO, you think the cat’s out of the bag on this one?

 

PAGE ELEVEN

PANEL ONE:

INT. Large establishing shot. Fury, Sue Dibny, and Clark lounge about an expensive-looking recreation room. Fury is trying to eat soup while Sue excitedly talks about the newspaper in front of him. Clark is sitting in a chair, crouched over, hands clutched. Dr. Kavita Rao stands stiffly and prissily, away from the group.

 1 SUE:          As far as I’m concerned, this is a FANTASTIC way for the team to debut!

 2 SUE:          Think about the MERCHANDISING we can tie into this! SUPERMAN action figures with BREAKAWAY TRAIN playsets!

 3 SUE:          You can’t PLAN a product launch build-up this GOOD. The DEBUT tonight will be ELECTRIC!

PANEL TWO:

INT. Clark casts a skeptical eye from his seat.

 4 CLARK:        I’m not sure how comfortable I am with how COMMERCIAL this all is.

 5 CLARK:        I mean, aren’t we supposed to be a SECURITY FORCE here?

PANEL THREE:

INT. Sue, arms raised, still excited. Fury lounges back, munching on bread.

 6 SUE:          Oh, Clark. Of course that’s what you’re here for. OF COURSE. But along the way, there’s OPPORTUNITIES to be had.

 7 FURY:         Clark, there’s a BUSINESS side to this. A part of the reason why S.H.I.E.L.D. was given the go-ahead is because we could partly fund OURSELVES.

 8 FURY:         So LIBERTY ISLAND was built with INVESTOR DOLLARS and we pay for YOUR services by putting your face on LUNCH BOXES--

PANEL FOUR:

INT. On Clark, deadpan.

 9 CLARK:        … Just seems a little CUTTHROAT to me.

PANEL FIVE:

INT. Fury leans back in his chair, looking up, amused.

10 FURY:         --Comes with the TERRITORY.

PANEL SIX:

INT. Cup of tea in hand, Fury gestures to Kavita, who is staring ahead with uptight body language, unfazed by the conversation.

11 FURY:         So DR. RAO, any chance you’ll come down and converse with the COMMONERS?

12 KAVITA:       I’m here for ONE REASON, Colonel Fury. My time’s better spent doing research for you than GOSSIPING.

 

PAGE TWELVE

PANEL ONE:

INT. Large vertical half-page panel. Jessica enters the room as Spider-Woman for the first time. She’s stunning.

 1 JESSICA:      So it’s OFFICIAL.

 2 JESSICA:      I feel RIDICULOUS.

PANEL TWO:

INT. Fury and Clark sit with mouths agape in typical heterosexual male fashion. Sue is ecstatic, merchandising possibilities swimming in her head.

    NO DIALOGUE

PANEL THREE:

INT. Kavita examines the fabric on Jess’s arm as Jess wriggles a bit in her new skin. Sue approaches.

 3 KAVITA:       How does the new FABRIC feel on you? DR. POWELL assured me his new nanofiber would be PROTECTIVE while clinging very close to the SKIN.

 4 JESSICA:      Yes, WELL … THAT’S a way of putting it.

 5 JESSICA:      It’s just a bit … IMMODEST.

 6 SUE:          NONSENSE, Jess. You look GORGEOUS! Young girls everywhere are going to ADORE you!

PANEL FOUR:

INT. Sue turns to look at the boys as Kavita continues to examine the fabric. Jessica looks ahead, to Clark.

 7 SUE:          Don’t you AGREE, Clark?

PANEL FIVE:

INT. Clark still sits stunned, transfixed like a man possessed. Echoes of last issue when Jess met Clark.

 8 CAPTION:      --Clark?

 

PAGE THIRTEEN

PANEL ONE:

EXT. Sue and Fury are walking down a red carpet, bulbs flashing, crowd excited. Wearing an impeccable Armani suit, Fury looks a bit uncomfortable with the surroundings, adjusting his tie constantly. Sue is in a gorgeous low-cut black dress and is loving the spectacle.

 1 CAPTION:      THAT NIGHT

 2 CAPTION:      METROPOLIS HYATT-REGENCY

 3 SUE:          Clark’ll be FINE, Nick.

 4 SUE:          Seriously, he’s a NATURAL. He’s got the “Farmboy-Does-Good” act to an ART FORM.

 5 FURY:         … I don’t really think it’s an ACT, Sue. He really COULD be in over his head on this one. Hell, I’M not comfortable with all this.

 6 FURY:         Since when did an agency PRESS JUNKET become the OSCARS?

PANEL TWO:

EXT. Close on Sue and Fury. Sue is smiling and waving, Fury is apprehensive.

 7 SUE:          I’m your DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS, Nick. Let me do my JOB.

 8 SUE:          Trust me, after tonight, the nation’s going to be so endeared to your SUPER-KIDS, they won’t EVER think of cutting your funding.

PANEL THREE:

EXT. Pull out on the huge hotel, gorgeous, modern, and packed to the brim with press and people. Nick and Sue continue up the stairs to the gala event.

 9 FURY:         I hope you’re right.

10 FURY:         PERSONALLY, I think we’re broadcasting “TERRORISTS ATTACK HERE,” but what do I know? I’m just a paranoid Gulf War vet--

11 FURY:         --Not friggin’ SAMUEL L. JACKSON.

 

PAGE FOURTEEN

PANEL ONE:

EXT. Large shot. “Hourman” and “Hourwoman” wave to the crowd. Word bubbles sans pointers litter the panel.

 1 REPORTER 1:   HOURMAN! HOURWOMAN!

 2 REPORTER 2:   What of the rumors of ILLEGAL SUPERHUMAN TESTING?

 3 REPORTER 3:   Are your powers really STEROID-BASED?

 4 REPORTER 4:   HOURMAN! HOURMAN!

 5 REPORTER 5:   What is your stance on the MUTANT PROBLEM?

 6