Cult Mentalities

Author: Chuck Bikle

Plot outline (part 1)
After rescuing a senator’s son from a cult , Agent Enigma discovers that he is possessed by a demonic creature. Deciding to investigate further , he sneaks into the cult’s compound and interrupts a sacrificial ceremony which leads him into a battle with cultists and demons alike.

SCRIPT

PAGE 1

PANEL 1 ( 1/3rd page)
We see the interior of a large ,empty warehouse. In the center are a table and two-chairs. Sitting in the chairs are Agent Enigma and a teenage-kid wearing dark-grey ceremonial-robes. The kid is tied up to his chair. Both appear to be fatigued. The only illumination in the room is provided by a hanging light-bulb.
1 AGENT ENIGMA (THOUGHT CAPTION): Half an hour ago I rescued this kid from a fanatical cult known as the Primal-Hand.
2 AE (TC): He happens to be the son of a prominent senator.
3 AE (TC): Right now I’m trying to de-program him.
4 AE (TC): I’m called Agent Enigma.
5: AE (TC) I’m what you would call a super-spy.

PANEL 2
We see Agent Enigma’s face as he speaks.
1 AGENT ENIGMA: “Jason…”
2 AE: “You’re family sent me to help you.”
3 AE: “They must care for you a great deal…”

PANEL 3
We see Jason’s angry reaction.
1 JASON: “You never should have come for me…”
2 JASON: “When the Abyssal Savior learns of your interference , you will be banished to the Abyssal Abyss !”
3 JASON: “Soul-Flayers will feast on your essence and Nether-Hooks will rend your flesh !”

PANEL 4
Agent Enigma and Jason stare at each other from across the table. Jason seems tense and angry. Agent Enigma seems relaxed.

PANEL 5:
Same panel as 4.
1 AE: “So…”
2 AE: “…You like marshmallows in your hot-chocolate ?”

PAGE 2

PANEL 1
We see Agent Enigma inject Jason with a unique-looking syringe.
1 DESCRIPTION CAPTION( “Dick Tracy” style): Hypno-Tranq
2 AE: “Jason , I’m going to give you something that’s going to make you sleepy.”

PANEL 2
We see Jason suddenly become panic-stricken.
1 JASON: “NO !”
2 JASON: “DON’T DO THIS , YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND…!”

PANEL 3
We see Agent Enigma speak into a mini-tape recorder as Jason begins to struggle and convulse.
1 AE: “Note to self: Jason seems to be reacting oddly to my hypnotic-formula…”
2 AE: “…Although his file didn’t indicate any unusual medical conditions.”

PANEL 4 ( ½ page)
We see an Blood-Demon emanate from Jason. He is unharmed by it. Agent Enigma is speaking into a tape recorder.
1AGENT ENIGMA: “Events have taken a strange turn , as a demonic-apparition has just emanated from Jason’s body.”
2 DEMON: “RAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH !!!!!”
3 JASON: “Hggkk !”
4 AGENT ENIGMA: “It appears that my de-programming session has become an impromptu exorcism.”

PAGE 3

PANEL 1:
Agent Enigma takes a defensive martial-arts stance while speaking to the Apparition , which is drooling and looks like it’s about to lunge.
1 AGENT ENIGMA: “Howdy.”
2 DEMON: “sssshhhsss.”

PANEL 2:
As the demon lunges , Agent Enigma leaps over him.
1 DEMON: “Mortal flesh.”
2 DEMON: “Today , I dine on…”
3 DEMON: “MORTAL FLESH !”
4 AE: “You sound like my ex-wife.”

PANEL 3
Agent Enigma draws and fires a sleek , high-tech energy weapon.
1 DESCRIPTION CAPTION: –Laser Carbine with parabolic motion-scope.
2 AGENT ENIGMA: “Time to end this , I have reports to write.”
3 SFX: (energy weapon) Zsssss!

PANEL 4:
The demon is hit with the energy-beam and it bursts into flame.
1 DEMON: “AAAAA….!”
2

PANEL 5:
The demon makes a final threat before incinerating completely.
1 DEMON: “Because of your interference , your fate is sealed…”
2 DEMON: “My master , Exax will hunt you down and subject you to an eternity of pain.”
3 AGENT ENIGMA: “But we’re still friends right ?”

PAGE 4

PANEL 1:
We see Agent Enigma speaking into the tape-recorder.
1 AE: “I’d say that my assignment just became more complicated.”
2 AE: “Just a wee-bit.”

PANEL 2:
We see an exterior-view of a non-descript truck on the open road.
1 AGENT ENIGMA: “When I agreed to be a guinea-pig for the “Super-Agent” formula it was understood that I would be taking on the more “unconventional” assignments.”

PANEL 3:
We see the interior of the truck. Agent Enigma is sitting at a conference-table and is speaking to a video screen. On the video-screen is a shadowy-figure.
1 AE: “Power-mad dictators armed with a biochemical weapon based on the Ebola-virus , shape-shifting android saboteurs , beautiful Russian spies and the occasional extra-terrestrial guest to our fair planet.”
2 AE: “All part of my nine-to-five working day.”
3 AE: “However…”

PANEL 4:
Agent Enigma speaking to the shadowy-figure.
1 AE: “Some things are not part of my job-description.”
2 AE: “demons would be one of them.”

PANEL 5
The shadowy-figure on the monitor-screen speaks to Agent Enigma.
1 SHADOWY-FIGURE: “Why didn’t this “demon” attempt to possess you the way it
possessed Jason?”

PAGE 5

PANEL 1
Agent Enigma speaks.
1 AE: “I don’t know.”
2 AE: “Perhaps there is some sort of “ritual” involved.”
3 AE: “We might find out more from Jason’s interrogation.”

PANEL 2:
The shadowy-figure speaks.
1 SHADOWY-FIGURE: “How is the senator’s son doing ?”
2 AE: “So far he’s stable.”
3 AE: “But we’ve told the senator that we’ll need more time to deprogram him from the Primal-Hand’s influence.”

PANEL 3:
Conversation.
1 AE: “Which brings up some disturbing questions.”
2 AE: “How many of the other members of this cult are possessed ?”
3 SHADOWY-FIGURE: “And what is the true nature of the Primal-Hand ?”

PANEL 4:
Agent Enigma speaks.
1 AE: “Perhaps I’ll find out when I break into their compound.”
2 SHADOWY-FIGURE: “Be careful Agent Enigma…”
3 SF: “You’ve already infiltrated them once , this time they’ll be prepared for you.”

PAGE 6

PANEL 1
We see two armed guards standing outside what appears to be a back gate. The cult’s symbol is on the front of their uniforms.
1 AE: ( Dialogue Caption) “No one is ever prepared for me.”

PANEL 2
Both guards get struck by tranq-darts. They both keel over.

PANEL 3
We see Agent Enigma walk up to them.
1 AE: “Why don’t you guys punch-out.”
2 AE: “I’ll lock-up the temple when I leave.”

PANEL 4 (1/2 page)
We see what appears to be an auditorium “renovated” with occult-trappings. In the center of the room is an altar. Strapped to the altar is a beautiful young woman who is unconscious. Standing above the woman is the leader of the cultists , Master Grasp. Gathered around the altar are cultists wearing ceremonial-robes and wielding ceremonial-swords.
1 MASTER GRASP: “Soon my children , this local weather-girl will be under the icy-control of our Abyssal Savior , Exax !”
2 MG: “Granted , it’s a very small-step in our domination of the media , but a step nonetheless !”
3 THE CULTISTS: “ALL HAIL EXAX !”

PAGE 7

PANEL 1
We see two of the cultists fall to the floor.
1 CULTISTS: “ALL HAIL EXAX !”

PANEL 2
Three more fall to the floor.
1 CULTISTS: “ALL HAIL …!”
2 MASTER GRASP: “WAIT , SOMETHING’S WRONG !”

PANEL 3
One of the cultists( cultistA) points at another cultist(cultistB)while two more fall to the floor and other cultists are visibly choking.
1 CULTIST A: “GET HIM , *Koff* , HE’S RELEASED SOME SORT OF KNOCKOUT GAS , *Kaff* !”
2 OTHER CULTISTS: (various coughing noises)
3 CULTIST B: “Wait , NO I …*Koff*…”

PANEL 4
We see all the cultist( except for cultist A) pile on top of cultist B.
1 CULTISTS: “GET THE TRAITOR !”
2 CULTIST B: “AGGk… !”

PANEL 5
We see Cultist A leap over and sock Master Grasp.
1 MASTER GRASP: “What are you…?”
2 SFX: Whap !
3 MG: “Unkgg !”

PAGE 8

PANEL 1
We see cultist A pick-up the weather-girl. In the background we see the cultists fighting and falling unconscious.
1 WEATHER GIRL (drowsily) “…And we’re expecting a high-pressure system to come in from the north.”

PANEL 2
One of the cultists tears off the robe revealing cultist A to be Agent Enigma. Agent Enigma kicks him.
1 CULTIST: “Look its…!”
2 SFX: Thwack !
3 WEATHERGIRL: “…And that should bring some showers to the Tri-County area…”

PANEL 3
While holding the girl , Agent Enigma draws and fires a unique-looking handgun at the cultists.
1 DESCRIPTION CAPTION(“Dick Tracy”-style): Gauss Gatling
2 SFX: ( Gauss Gatling) ThweeEEEEP. ThWEEEeep THWEEEEeep.
3 CULTISTS: Various cries of pain.
4 WEATHERGIRL: “…tomorrow should be sunny…”

PANEL 4
We see Master Grasp start to stagger to his feet. His sword is glowing.
1 DESCRIPTION CAPTION: Abyssal Blade imbued with shadow-energy.
2 MASTER GRASP: “Prepare to meet MY maker interloper !”

PANEL 5
Agent Enigma shoots Master Grasp.
1 SFX: THweepP
2 AGENT ENIGMA: “No thanks , I hate blind dates.”

PAGE 9

PANEL 1
We see “Oil Demons” emanate from the fallen cultists.
1 AGENT ENIGMA: “Things seem to have taken an ugly turn.”
2 OIL DEMONS: “You have forced us to hatch earlier than we planned.”
3 AE: “Well , I’m sorry about that …
4 AE: “…You know how it is.”

PANEL 2
Agent Enigma runs out of the room and down a hallway while carrying the female. He is firing back at the room.
1 AE: (thought-balloon) I still need to pick up milk.
2 SFX: THWeeeeeeeP

PANEL 3
As Agent Enigma continues to run down the corridor , he speaks into his wrist-radio.
1 AGENT ENIGMA: “This is “Uncle Bill” reporting to “Mr. French” , I need back-up.”
2 AE: “Send in “Buffy and Jodie.”

PANEL 4
We see an demon rise up out of the floor in front of Agent Enigma.
1 AE: “Oh hi….”
2 DEMON: “We will gnaw on your existence.”
3 AE: “We ?”

PAGE 10

PANEL 1( full page)
we see Agent Enigma (still holding the weather-girl) surrounded by demons.
1 AE: “Oh…
2 AE: “I see what you mean.”
3 WEATHERGIRL: “…and here’s Gil with sports.”
4 NARRATION CAPTION: TO BE CONTINUED.

Descriptions:

Agent Enigma: Costume is overall black with silver eye-visor , gloves , boots and “utility-belt”. Has a silver shoulder-holster and a silver knife-sheath attached to right leg. Also has a wrist-radio on his left wrist.

Cultists of the Primal-Hand: ( KKK-style) Red-robes with dark-red leather sashes , boots and gloves. They also wear a dark-red leather collar around their necks. They all have odd-looking ceremonial swords tucked into their sashes. On the front of the robe is the insignia of a black shadowy-hand.

The Blood-Demons of Exax: Sinister , shadowy dark-red and liquid-looking with no visible facial-features except for blank-eyes. Their arms extend well beyond their normal-reach.

Master Grasp: His robe looks the same except that it has more bells and whistles. His sword is also more ornate.