Chapter 3 – Page 037
Say hello to Trixie! A veritable Artful Dodgerette.
As this page is going up amidst a pandemic that none of us quite foresaw when this chapter began, I was worried that my super-contemporary modern fantasy comic was reflecting a society that no longer existed, but the more I dwelt on it the more the lesson of this chapter is bearing out in homes and hospitals across the land: that in the face of hardship, we don’t devolve into animals and go all Mad Max, we come together and help each other because that’s what humans do.
↓ Transcript
Panel 1:
Nancy emerges from a carriage door to reconvene with PC Chambers. The trans girl Trixie is wedged in the far corner, observing.
CHAMBERS: I’ve surveyed this half of the train. How are things on your end?
NANCY: I’ve recruited a nurse to tend to the passengers further down the carriages. And I’ve found someone who might just be the key to getting us out of here.
Panel 2:
Mayweather shuffles past Nancy and shakes Chambers a little too roughly by the hand.
MAYWEATHER: Hullo! I’m Zoe Mayweather, Simar’s teacher! Except...I never was Simar’s teacher, but I used to be Simar’s teacher before I started never being Simar’s teacher, if you get my meaning...
MAYWEATHER: …heheh…
MAYWEATHER: ...sorry, the only people I’ve talked to in years have been electrical manifestations of my psyche, so...uh...yeah.
Panel 3:
Chambers glares at Nancy. Mayweather pulls out a map.
CHAMBERS: Are you building a cult or something?
NANCY: She was this weird when I got to her, obergruppenführer, you can’t pin this one on me.
NANCY: Propaganda-disseminator? Show him what you showed me.
Panel 4:
Mayweather presses a crude map against the window. It’s almost a work of art in how convoluted it is.
MAYWEATHER: This realm isn’t three-dimensional, places shift and morph all the time, but some parts always link to other parts.
MAYWEATHER: I’ve been to every corner of this mad space charting all the links between destinations.
CHAMBERS: Perfect! With this we’ll be home in no time!
Panel 5:
Mayweather and Nancy scowl at Chambers. Chambers is rubbing his brow. Trixie in the background starts to take an interest.
MAYWEATHER: …
MAYWEATHER: If I knew the way out, do you think I’d still be here?
CHAMBERS: Sorry! Sorry, it’s been a long day.
Panel 6:
Same view. Trixie has approached while the others confer.
NANCY: It’s a start. I can take readings at each of these points, Si can switch the train to other tracks, eventually we can triangulate the path back to the relativistic macroverse.
CHAMBERS: And how long will that take? I’m already turning into you two and we’ve only been down here a few hours. Much longer and the passengers are going to start sacrificing each other to appease the spirits or something.
TRIXIE: Maybe I can help?
Nancy emerges from a carriage door to reconvene with PC Chambers. The trans girl Trixie is wedged in the far corner, observing.
CHAMBERS: I’ve surveyed this half of the train. How are things on your end?
NANCY: I’ve recruited a nurse to tend to the passengers further down the carriages. And I’ve found someone who might just be the key to getting us out of here.
Panel 2:
Mayweather shuffles past Nancy and shakes Chambers a little too roughly by the hand.
MAYWEATHER: Hullo! I’m Zoe Mayweather, Simar’s teacher! Except...I never was Simar’s teacher, but I used to be Simar’s teacher before I started never being Simar’s teacher, if you get my meaning...
MAYWEATHER: …heheh…
MAYWEATHER: ...sorry, the only people I’ve talked to in years have been electrical manifestations of my psyche, so...uh...yeah.
Panel 3:
Chambers glares at Nancy. Mayweather pulls out a map.
CHAMBERS: Are you building a cult or something?
NANCY: She was this weird when I got to her, obergruppenführer, you can’t pin this one on me.
NANCY: Propaganda-disseminator? Show him what you showed me.
Panel 4:
Mayweather presses a crude map against the window. It’s almost a work of art in how convoluted it is.
MAYWEATHER: This realm isn’t three-dimensional, places shift and morph all the time, but some parts always link to other parts.
MAYWEATHER: I’ve been to every corner of this mad space charting all the links between destinations.
CHAMBERS: Perfect! With this we’ll be home in no time!
Panel 5:
Mayweather and Nancy scowl at Chambers. Chambers is rubbing his brow. Trixie in the background starts to take an interest.
MAYWEATHER: …
MAYWEATHER: If I knew the way out, do you think I’d still be here?
CHAMBERS: Sorry! Sorry, it’s been a long day.
Panel 6:
Same view. Trixie has approached while the others confer.
NANCY: It’s a start. I can take readings at each of these points, Si can switch the train to other tracks, eventually we can triangulate the path back to the relativistic macroverse.
CHAMBERS: And how long will that take? I’m already turning into you two and we’ve only been down here a few hours. Much longer and the passengers are going to start sacrificing each other to appease the spirits or something.
TRIXIE: Maybe I can help?