So I figure that regular readers of the comic should be asking two questions by now. One, why did I spend all that time with that Caera person? And two, if Jacob is so incredibly dangerous, who is supposed to challenge him?
Here’s the answer to both those questions. You’re welcome.
Those of you who don’t remember Kevin Kidd, he’s the Genocide Man currently in charge of the project after the retirement of Lola Lamb. I’ll point you back to the end of chapter two, where Kevin asks Lola how best to increase the ranks of the project. Jacob’s defected, Peter is dead, Lola is retired, which only leaves Kevin…
…oh, and Joey. We’ll be hearing more about Joey this chapter, too. 🙂
↓ Transcript
Roger voiceover: ...in a hospital in Dakar.
Kevin: Caera Tu-ying. Diplomat with martial arts training. You write an interesting report.
Caera: Are you a doctor?
Kevin: Oh, I'm much more than that. Says here that you attacked Jacob Doe -- with a sword. Drew his blood, if forensics are to be believed. But most impressive of all, you survived.
Caera: This isn't survival. They say that after months of therapy, I might walk again. But I'll never be what I was. I'll never again be useful to my people.
Kevin: What if I told you I could cut those months of rehabilitation...down into weeks? And at the end, you'll be faster, stronger, and harder to kill than ever before?
Caera: I would say, draw my blood...fill a pen...and show me where to sign.
Kevin: Caera Tu-ying. Diplomat with martial arts training. You write an interesting report.
Caera: Are you a doctor?
Kevin: Oh, I'm much more than that. Says here that you attacked Jacob Doe -- with a sword. Drew his blood, if forensics are to be believed. But most impressive of all, you survived.
Caera: This isn't survival. They say that after months of therapy, I might walk again. But I'll never be what I was. I'll never again be useful to my people.
Kevin: What if I told you I could cut those months of rehabilitation...down into weeks? And at the end, you'll be faster, stronger, and harder to kill than ever before?
Caera: I would say, draw my blood...fill a pen...and show me where to sign.
Ah, but the real question to ask is: Down the road, will Kevin regret making this offer? 🙂
Huh, this is surprising. Actually, I took Caera just as a demonstration of the perils of this world and the futility of the resistance against the Genocide masterplan. You know, flavour.
As for opponents, I was expecting Jacob to have progressing boss fights against the other Genocide Men, eighties’ style.
So even with an injection of neurotoxin antidote it still leaves her so bad off she can’t even walk without a long rehabilitation? Daaaaaamn.
Yeah, Sarin neurotoxin screws you up pretty bad.
Boss fights? Interesting idea. Not exactly what I had in mind, but interesting. My plots tend to be a little more complex than that… 🙂
As a Genocide Bitch, will she also be bug eyed like Daddy Warbuck and Lil Orphan Annie?
You’ll get an explanation (well, a lampshading) for the blank eyes by the end of the chapter. 🙂
This story beg for a Daddy Warbuck…Bald to shaggy Fumiaki would do, I guess, notwithstanding lampshading…
That’s the name of the gizmo that saved Caera’s life(AKA Combopen):
http://choppingblock.keenspot.com/comics/cb20120815.jpg
Not to nit-pick, but the nasal canula supplying her oxygen would just fall off if it were attached like that.
I thought about that, but I wanted to assume some subtle technological advances, like adhesive plastic or the electronic display in her medical bracelet. You’ll notice tape being used in lots of strange ways in previous pages.
It’s probably too subtle and needs to be introduced. I should have just looped the cannula over her ears like they do in real life.
I am going to state two more things:
1. At the current resolution of the pictures, I would not have recognised the display in the bracelet as an electronic part. (It doesn’t contrast with the bracelet that much, so I’d taken it as unreadable scripture or markings.)
2. This wristband is not present in the last picture.
Ack, did I forget the band? Now that’s a genuine error. Thanks, Skur, you win a no-prize! I’ll add that to my list of things to fix before publication.