THE COLD SNAP- CHAPTER 1
Page 1: 4 panels, landscape.
Panel 1: Horizon shot of the Gate Watch in SALVAGER VILLAGE. The WATCHER stands silhouetted on a junky radio tower that has been refashioned into a watchman’s post. The gate is an arch cobbled together from rusted pieces of an otherworldly kind of metal. The landscape is barren and snowy, and the weather is overcast and dreary. Mountains are visible in the distance. The WATCHER is wearing puffy, insulated clothing and sits next to a spotlight and a radio. They sit in a small chair huddled up for warmth. Their breath is visible as mist.
Panel 2: The WATCHER stands up as a light is visible on the horizon followed by a trail dispersed snow. They stumble to reach for the spotlight as if caught off-guard. The light draws closer.
Panel 3: The WATCHER uses the spotlight and waves. We see a vehicle getting closer that resembles a Snowmobile. The figure on the snowmobile is visible waving back as he approaches.
Panel 4: The Snowmobile vehicle zooms through the gate and past the camera, revealing a thruster of some kind that keeps the back half of the vehicle afloat. Snow is scattered as it hovers past and the light of the thruster trails behind it. The WATCHER has sat back down again, seemingly recovering from the surprise.
Page 2: Panel 1: Various VILLAGERS watch from their doorways as the vehicle slows to a halt. This is AARON’s vehicle. The village seems to a reappropriated industrial station with various hodgepodge garages and shelters made from salvage to suit the needs of the VILLAGERS. Panel 2: AARON’s vehicle slows to a halt, remaining on the wide shot. He is getting off the vehicle. The second vehicle is ANGELO’s. We see a graveyard beyond the fence of the settlement. It has many shoddily made wooden crosses planted in the snowy ground. The disturbed snow from the vehicles blows away and falls to the ground.
Panel 3: We see a settler QUIET CHILD watching AARON from the building. A second CHILD points at AARON as he makes his way across the courtyard. The second CHILD is pointing and looking at an off-screen parent.
Panel 4: The Second CHILD is carried off by their parent. The QUIET CHILD watches this in confusion. Some people are filtering out of the building to approach AARON but he walks past them
Panel 5: AARON reaches some shelter. He takes off his mask to reveal his face. The people in the background look at him with strict and expectant faces.
Page 3: Panel 1: Interior of DARWYN’S workshop. The desk part of it is arranged neatly with an old, and clunky television set on the desk being repaired. There is an untidy corner with some more heavyweight tools. It is lit by a single lamp suspended from above and lit with a single cheap heater. DARWYN is working on the television set.
Panel 2: The door opens behind DARWYN as AARON steps in. The indoor light should contrast the outdoor light. AARON: “Hey there, kiddo.”
Panel 3: AARON closes the door behind him. He looks apprehensive. They should look as if they rarely talk to each other. DARWYN is just turning around, his concentration broken. AARON: “Kiddo?” DARYWN: “Oh, sorry! Hi...”
Panel 4: AARON looks around the workshop while finding somewhere to crouch down. Darwyn uncomfortably stands upright. AARON: “Hey... Darwyn, right? How’s work?” DARWYN: “Huh? It’s fine, I guess.”
Panel 5: AARON crouches down, looking intently at DARWYN. AARON: “Great…”
Panel 6: DARWYN looks nervously to the ground. There is an awkward silence.
Panel 7: AARON stares in the foreground while Darwyn looks uncomfortable. AARON: “I’m not going to sugar coat it. We need your help for a job. An outside job.
Page 4: Panel 1: Close-up of DARWYN as he looks visibly shaken. AARON continues talking regardless. AARON: “You know what this means, right? We would not usually ask you, but we heard about that thing you can do with tech…”
Panel 2: AARON’s voice becomes muffled as DARWYN zones out. We see a blurred visage of a shadowy figure with red eyes reaching for him. This appears to be a memory.
Panel 3: DARWYN stands in profile view, touching the back of his neck very gently where we see a little bit of his strange tattoo. The dialogue fades back in. AARON: “Hey. Hey Kiddo. Darwyn!
Page 5 Panel 1: Snap back to reality. AARON now has his hand on DARWYN’s shoulder. Darwyn jumps at the contact. AARON: “Hey now, look at me. “
Panel 2: We see AARON’s face. His look of sincerity is genuine. AARON: “There’s gonna be six of us watching your back. We have precautions. We won’t run into The Haze…
Panel 3: AARON gets back up. There is an awkward silence.
Panel 4: AARON heads toward the door. AARON: “I know, we’re asking a lot from you. But… well… We’re leaving in 15 minutes. Hop on the bike if you want to come along.
Panel 5: AARON closes the door, leaving DARWYN alone.
Panel 6: Darwyn looks down at the ground, disappointed in himself.
Page 6: Panel 1 Close-up of Darwyn. He is shaking just a little bit.
Panel 2 Light from outside signifies the door has been opened again. Darwyn looks up again.
Panel 3 DARWYN’s father, TAKAHASI is in the doorway, looking sternly at DARWYN.
Panel 4 Transition to the main building in the reception room. Darwyn sits in the foreground while TAKAHASHI and CATALINA argue.
Panel 5: TAKAHASHI and CATALINA argue some more. A FRIGHTENED VILLAGER walks onto the scene as they argue. He is carrying a small crate of furs. He looks visibly awkward having walked in on their spat.
Panel 6: The argument ceases. TAKAHASHI has clearly won and CATALINA looks defeated. The FRIGHTENED VILLAGER escapes the scene.
Page 7 Panel 1 Cut to a close-up of a wooden box containing a balaclava, goggles, and a bottle of water.
Panel 2 DARWYN stares down at the box silently, looking defeated.
Panel 3 CATALINA tries to look reassuring. CATALINA: “That boy, Aaron. He is a good young man at heart… he is just under a lot of pressure.”
Panel 4 DARWYN doesn’t respond to her words, simply taking the box.
Panel 5 CATALINA looks dismal. CATALINA: “Remember to drink plenty of water, understand? The cold can make it dry. And… don’t cover your face for too long… the moisture from your breath can soak the balaclava and it will freeze. Don’t forget the goggles too. They will protect your eyes…”
Page 8 Panel 1 Zoom out on CATALINA. She is standing and looking guilty. They have not moved from the foyer of the main building. People are starting to gather curiously.
Panel 2 DARWYN puts on his goggles. He looks like a scolded puppy, about to head out the door. DARWYN: “Te amo, Mum.”
Panel 3 CATALINA begins to sob. There are people moving in to comfort her. CATALINA: “Eu também te amo, Son!”
Page 9 Panel 1 Cut to outside in the courtyard. The viewpoint is from above, and AARON is looking directly at the viewer with a stern look. He is distracted from what he was doing, which was loading up a flare gun.
Panel 2 There is a figure in an upper floor window looking down at AARON. He is a half-blind man who looks like an older, jaded version of the young man.
Panel 3 Close-up on the flare gun. The chamber is loaded but not cocked. ANGELO (OFF PANEL): “Aaron.”
Panel 4 AARON looks over at ANGELO. ANGELO: “No distractions with live firearms, remember?” AARON: “My bad. Thanks, Angelo.”
Panel 5 Closer look on ANGELO. ANGELO: “S’what I do, Chief. You think we’ll make it in time?”
Page 10
Panel 1 AARON looks over to see DARWYN approaching in the distance. AARON: “We might yet…”
Panel 2 DARWYN is framed between AARON and ANGELO, looking timidly at the ground.
Panel 3 AARON puts away the flare gun in his right-side pouch. AARON: “Alright, kiddo…
Panel 4 DARWYN climbs onto AARON’s Railhopper as it begins to lift off the ground. AARON: “Stay alert…”
Panel 5 Close up on DARWYN as he looks toward the viewer. The vehicle thrusters begin to kick in. AARON: “Stay close to the group.”
Panel 6 Over the shoulder shot as Darwyn stares back at the settlement. The railhoppers have taken off and the settlement is noticeably more distant. They have left. AARON: “And if you see fog, raise the alarm immediately.”
Page 11 Panel 1 The WATCHER waves to the viewer as the viewpoint passes through the gate.
Panel 2 The gate becomes distant.
Panel 3 The gate becomes a blur on the horizon. The colour changes to orange
Panel 4 We see the reflection of the settlement in Darwyn’s visor. It has vanished completely.
Panel 5 Zoom out on DARWYN as he stares at the disappearing settlement.
Page 12 Panel 1 DARWYN continues to stare as the vehicles ride out onto the horizon.
Panel 2 DARWYN looks away from the village.
Page 13 Panel 1 The RAILHOPPERS make their way toward the rails. ANGELO’s hopper takes the lead. Narration of a conversation between AARON and the soon-to-be-introduced OSCAR. AARON: “What’s the situation?” OSCAR: “We’ve got half a hopper-load of metal plating, some insulative material, and some lockers inside had medical kits. More coats too.”
Panel 2 The thrusters of ANGELO’s hopper kick into action. OSCAR: “The craft looks like it was severed in two before crashing… I’d blame it on bandits, but it was a clean cut. Never seen anything like it.”
Panel 3 AARON’s hopper jumps onto the rails while ANGELO’s has already landed. AARON: “What about the driver?”
Panel 4 AARON’s dashboard lights up, showing that the vehicle is charging.
OSCAR: “Francis took a look at him. It’s likely he died from the crash...”
Panel 5 Zoom-out as the RAILHOPPERS ride the rails. OSCAR: “We stopped to give him a burial. We couldn’t close his eyelids. The way it seemed like he was staring at us… We didn’t want to bear it.”
Page 14 Panel 1 OSCAR stands in front of AARON, ANGELO and DARWYN. His head is lowered and there is a shoddy metal cross in the foreground. AARON: “Understood. Don’t worry, you’ve all done well. How long until the next Haze passing?”
Panel 2 OSCAR looks back toward his HOPPER. The other salvagers are milling around in the background. OSCAR: “Judging by current levels of radio interference, we’ve got an hour maximum.”
Panel 3 We see DANTE sitting and looking over at the newly arrived leader. FRANCIS and TAKAHASHI are in the middle of a game of rock-paper-scissors. They all look like they’ve had their break disturbed. AARON: “Alright folks, you heard Oscar. We’ll take the rest of our breaks when we get back. For now, it’s time to haul ass.”
Panel 4 FRANCIS and TAKAHASHI get to their feet. FRANCIS looks disappointed while TAKAHASHI tries to look reassuring. They have energy bars in their hands. FRANCIS: “Damn. Just one more good hand I would have won that Beef Pho flavour from you. TAKAHASHI: “We can still throw the last hand back at base. Can’t wait to beat you anyway!” DANTE (OFF PANEL): “Aaron, be real with me for a second.”
Panel 5 DANTE stands up as FRANCIS and TAKAHASHI look over at him. DANTE: “Could we not have just done two trips? We should have just taken everything from this thing and waited until we got back home to do the analysing shit. Why’d you bring the kid out here? He still hasn’t proved he can do what you said he could.
Page 15 Panel 1 AARON furrows his eyebrows, looking authoritative. AARON: “Now, hold on. I did consider this, but with the distance travelled to get here, and the value of what we’re dealing with, we’re probably gonna have other scavengers swarming this site if we don’t get a move on. We need to be selective in what we bring back.
Panel 2 AARON looks back at DARWYN. The rest of the group seems to surround him. AARON: “This is where the new guy comes in.”
Panel 3 Close up on Darwyn as he looks stressed, looking up at everyone. He has not taken his balaclava or goggles off.
Panel 4 FRANCIS and MATSUDA look confused and apprehensive.
Panel 5 DANTE looks stern and accusatory while OSCAR looks blank.
Panel 6 AARON looks expectant and ANGELO looks uncomfortable. There is a tense silence all around.
Page 16 Panel 1 DARWYN stands next to the wreckage, looking back at the others who are watching him in the foreground. AARON, DANTE and ANGELO are visible.
Panel 2 DARWYN turns to look at the wreckage, hand raised tentatively. The world around him blurs as he takes a deep breath.
Panel 3
DARWYN reaches out and touches the surface of the wreckage. The world darkens around him and various images show up in the background - words and blueprints rush through his mind, sprouting from the back of his neck. BACKGROUND: “Advanced circuitry. Heating coils. Compact model. Variable adjustment.”
Panel 4 Darwyn opens his eyes to reveal a similar blue glow to his tattoo. He gasps.
Panel 5 Darwyn stares forward, entranced, babbling all the information out at once. DARWYN: “The walls have several heaters embedded into them to maintain a constant room temperature. You’ll need to hollow out the padded walls and the support beams to get all of it out. The control panel is ruined, but there’s still an intact radar display that could start working again with some hardwiring. There should be a loose white wire connecting the main control panel to the heating system. Sever it before you take anything out. The selfdestruct system is offline but there’s a 36.75 percent chance of a remaining live wire that could reactivate it.
Page 17 Panel 1 Everyone stares in silence at DARWYN as he stands in front of the wreckage. They are all taken aback.
Panel 2 AARON smiles, his arms folded in smug satisfaction. AARON: “Well…”
Panel 3 AARON yells out, startling the others. AARON: “ALRIGHT, YOU HEARD THE MAN!”
Panel 4 We see FRANCIS and TAKAHASHI standing ready to attention as they are roll called. AARON (Off panel): “FRANCIS, TAKAHASHI! GET THAT LIVE WIRE DEALT WITH SAFELY.”
Panel 5 DANTE looks creeped out, ANGELO is surprised. AARON (Off panel): “DANTE, ANGELO! START PRYING OFF THOSE PANELS!”
Page 18 Panel 1 DARWYN looks startled too at the sudden change in mood. AARON (Off panel): “DARWYN, YOU STAY BACK AND HELP OSCAR KEEP LOOKOUT.”
Panel 2 OSCAR looks a little shaken, but he hides it more easily.
Panel 3 AARON stands in the centre of everyone, barking orders as he brandishes his heat weapon. AARON: “LET’S GET THIS TECH HOME, FELLAS!” ALL (Off panel): “RIGHT!”
Panel 4 The other SALVAGERS advance forward while DARWYN stares at his hands, amazed.
Panel 5 Close up on Darwyn’s hands as he monologues internally. DARWYN (Thinking): I did it… I actually…”
Page 19 Panel 1 Close up on DARWYN’s face as he finally gives a faint semblance of a smile. DARWYN (Thinking): “I actually helped… and people liked it…”
Panel 2 Zoom-out on DARWYN as he walks toward OSCAR’s Hopper. DARWYN (Thinking): “Does this mean Dad will be p-“ SFX: CLANG!
Panel 3 Close-up on DARWYN’s leg. His foot has hit something jutting out of the snow. It is mostly covered, but some metal is showing.
Panel 4 Close-up on DARWYN’s face. He looks confused and surprised.
Panel 5 Point of view shot from the hidden item as DARWYN picks it up.
Page 20 Panel 1 DARWYN stares as he holds a large helmet in front of him in both hands. Its visor is broken. SFX: “THUMP!”
Panel 2 Close up on DARWYN’s eyes as he stares down at something on the ground.
Panel 3 We see Darwyn holding the helmet. Below is a robotic HEAD that has fallen out. The face is that of a human female, but it is clearly sculpted to look that way. It looks slightly damaged, and wires are hanging from the neck part.
Panel 4 Close up on the HEAD’s eyes as they light up. They are now looking at DARWYN, and by proxy, the viewer. NARRATION: TO BE CONTINUED.