Chapter 1
Establishing shot, a line of electricity poles leads to a walled, multistoried building.
A fed smokes a cigar as a handcuffed a man stands behind him.
It is revealed that, not only is the man handcuffed, but completely confined inside a cubical contraption.
The contraption opens.
TWO PAGE SPREAD! Vash and Wolfwood looking awesome
Another shot of the building.
The giant man is listening as the fed explains the situation.
A truck of giant boomerangs is wheeled in.
The giant man grabs the first boomerang.
A fed is caught on the end and is THROWN over the giant as the boomerang is lifted in the sky.
Another fed threatens to detonate a bomb in the giant's collar if he acts up again.
The giant uses a control in his left hand to operate his cybernetic right arm, the one that holds the boomerang.
He looks at the building and notices that two people have moved to the entrance of the building.
A closer shot identifies the two as Grey the Nine Lives and Midvalley.
The fed in charge orders the giant to kill them and the giant sets about doing this.
He pulls the trigger, which activates a rocket-pack-type thing in the giant's right arm which propels the boomerang forward at GREAT SPEED.
Compartments in the cybernetic arm release what looks like steam, which causes some feds to scramble out of the way.
One of the powerlines is cut clean in half.
A long shot reveals that the boomerang has severed all of the powerlines on its way to the building.
Midvalley ducks, while Grey takes the boomerang IN THE FACE.
The building sustains the collision.
Midvalley turns back and sees Grey completely laid out.
The feds open fire.
Midvalley dodges the bullets.
The giant grabs another boomerang...
AND LAUNCHES IT.
The building sustains heavy damage.
The feds continue to fire.
The building is being blown apart.
The ruins of the house are surrounded by smoke.
The giant looks happy as the fed orders him to confirm the deaths.
He makes it to the debris and looks around.
The building is blown apart.
The giant seems happy with his handiwork.
SUDDENLY the giant looks down to find a huge hand grabbing at him.
Someone else gets ready to play his saxiphone.
Underneath the giant lays Grey the Ninelives.
The giant screams as Grey takes the boomerang that hit him...
And stabs the giant with such force that the boomerang exits through the giant's back.
All the while, Midvalley is playing his sax.
A closeup of the end of the boomerang sticking out of the giant's back.
A longer shot reveals that Grey has picked up the giant and is forcing the boomerang all the way through the giant's body.
The feds attempt to retreat as they see Grey with the giant's body.
They run, but Midvalley sees them and kills them with his mad saxiphone skillz.
A close shot shows a soldier bleeding from the mouth, eyes and ears.
A longer shot shows other feds suffering the same fate.
Another soldier drops his gun as he hits the ground in agony.
Even the troops stationed further away from teh building are suffering from Midvalley's sax.
Something explodes from the wreckage of the building into the sky.
A conical object flies through the sky.
The feds try to shoot it down, but the bullets are deflected.
It lands near the troops and Hoppard reveals himself.
Hoppard orders the soldiers to stop their attack.
The soldiers look to be in a frenzy.
Suddenly, the bodies of the soldiers go completely rigid.
Hoppard looks on condescendingly.
Other soldiers look at their colleagues with confusion.
Hoppard stands down as soldiers realize they nave no control over their bodies.
A long shot shows that the entire group is affected the same way.
They begin to walk toward the giant's containment cell against their will.
They climb up the ladder on the side and force themselves into the containment vehicle.
The weight is so great that it appears the axel gives out on the back of the truck.
The vehicle is filled with live and dying bodies.
The soldiers look on in terror as they unwillingly stuff themselves into the truck.
Blood drips from a plug in the bottom of the truck.
Suddenly, the plug is forced out and blood begins gushing out of the bottom of teh truck.
A shot with extreme proportion ominously displays the truck.
People look on, laughing at the scene.
Legato is in his sarcophagus and is carried by his babysitter. (Some prefer the term "palbearer." I guess it does sound a LITTLE cooler...)
He looks on a little maniacally.
Establishing shot, appears to be a truck stop in the middle of the desert.
People are eating lunch outside underneath a tarp.
A fly annoyingly buzzes around.
The doc sips at a drink through a straw.
Brad comes back looking angry and complains to the doc about it.
A thomas owner looks satisfied as he counts money.
Brad looks mad, and then thinks back to his recent experience with Vash.
He replays the conversation he had in his mind as he zones out.
The doc gets his attention.
As the doc and Brad prepair to leave on the thomases they just purchased, a fly buzzes around.
Brad grabs a strap on the saddle of the thomas as he prepares to saddle up.
The annoying fly lands next to another fly on Brad's back.
Brad shoos the fly, but one stays put.
A closeup reveals that it's not a fly at all, but one of Leonov's puppets!
A vertical panel indicates a scene change.
A mysteriously floating ball floats misteriously.
A floating hand emerges between floating balls.
Leonov sits at a peculiar desk with strings and balls going out in every direction.
He manipulates one ball to transmit a message to Legato through one of his puppets.
Legato smiles and imagines doing very bad things to Vash.
Chapter 2
Someone is noisily eating.
Shot from above of a table with a formal place setting and candelabra.
Closeup of food.
Closeup of Legato bending forward, crumbs seem to drop from his face.
Legato's babysitter stands over him as he eats.
Unable to use his hands, Legato eats a steak messily.
There are food stains all over the table cloth.
Legato sees eyes shining from the darkness.
He stops and watches.
Midvalley approaches.
Midvalley watches Legato and begins to taunt Legato.
Hoppard tells Midvalley to stop.
Midvalley asks Grey, Leonov, Zazie, and Raidei for their input.
Midvalley continues taunting Legato.
Without dropping the steak, Legato sits up.
Midvalley pulls on Legato and points it at his head.
Hoppard is surprised.
Legato looks unphased.
Legato smiles and focuses his gaze.
Involuntarily, Midvalley's arm unnaturally SWINGS over his head and twists behind his back, the gun falling to the floor.
Legato looks on as Midvalley's body painfully contorts on the floor.
Legato informs the GHGs that their orders have changed.
Legato flashback: a wide shot of Knives in a bizarre leather-strappy outfit as Legato bows before him.
Back to present: Shot looks down at Legato at the table and Midvalley on the floor.
Legato finishes giving the GHGs their new orders.
None of the other GHGs argue.
Raidei looks on thoughtfully as Midvalley laments being made an example.
New scene! Wolfwood drives a motorcycle while Vash sits in the passenger compartment eating donuts.
Wolfwood looks...
at the donuts...
and Vash eating them...
and THROWS ON THE BREAKS, sending Vash and donuts flying.
Wolfwood yells.
Vash attempts to drive...
and demonstrates his inability to do so...
as both Wolfwood and Vash end up thrown from the bike.
Again, Wolfwood is driving while Vash munches on donuts.
Vash asks where they're going.
Wolfwood tells him they're going to Tonim Town. The population has disappeared and "KNIVES" is carved into a monument.
Vash asks Wolfwood how he knows about Knives.
No answer.
Shot of a man riding on a sandworm.
Closeup shows it's Raidei.
The sandworm is a good distance away from our heroes.
Later...
Vash stands in the middle of an empty town.
He looks at the monument and sees a figure obscured by dust...
RAIDEI!
Vash looks startled...
and tries to greet the samurai in Japanese.
Vash looks down as he briefly talks with Raidei.
Raidei suddenly notices something and appears to begin to unsheath his sword.
Vash looks over...
to see it is Wolfwood who has caught Raidei's attention.
To the great confusion of Vash, Raidei orders Wolfwood to stay out of this fight.
Vash continues to scream as Raidei gets into a fighting stance.
Raidei readies himself as Vash watches.
Wolfwood wonders how a man can fight bullets with a sword.
RAIDEI LUNGES AT VASH with INCREDIBLE SPEED!
Vash is as surprised as everyone else to see that Raidei is wearing STEAMPUNK SKULL-ENCRUSTED ROLLERSKATES!!
Raidei focuses...
and ATTACKS!
Vash has drawn his gun and uses it to perry and deflect Raidei's attack!
Raidei is surprised...
Vash looks a little pissed AND shocked...
BUT RAIDEI INSTANTLY ATTACKS AGAIN, SWINGING HIS SWORD BACK AT VASH!
Vash sees the blade coming,
aims his gun,
and shoots at Raidei's sword!
Raidei looks like he has lost some control (one hand isn't even on the hilt anymore).
Raidei now stands with his sword over his head with both hands now on the hilt.
It appears that Vash has shot at the SWORD in an effort to get it away from him.
Raidei looks at Vash...
who is looking at Raidei.
Raidei quickly rolls backwards and away from Vash.
He holds his sword ready as he praises Vash's fighting ability.
Vash yells for some help from Wolfwood, who politely declines.
Raidei reveals to Vash the new assignment of the GHGs: to cause him "ULTIMATE SUFFERING!"
and that the GHGs have found the location to Vash's "secluded home..."
Vash looks stricken.
Raidei (sheaths his sword and) watches Vash's reaction as Wolfwood looks on.
Raidei taunts Vash and refuses to stand down.
Vash looks intensly at Raidei as he readies his sword once again.
Chapter 3
Vertical establishing shot of Tonim Town.
Raidei skates around vash (possibly to kick up dust, possibly just to look cool, possibly because physics demands it).
Vash watches, looking pissed.
Raidei watches, eager to fight!
GUN VS SWORD!
Vash tries to reason with Raidei once more.
Tense, Wolfwood reaches toward his Cross Punisher with his right hand...
RAIDEI SENSES IT!
Wolfwood is taken aback by the force of Raidei's stair (?).
Raidei orders Wolfwood to stay out of the fight.
Raidei tells Wolfwood and Vash that he wants to try taking down something "other than humans."
Wolfwood remembers...
Ensemble shot of the GHGs.
Wolfwood looks at Vash and decides to help, but Vash quickly stops him...
and tells Wolfwood not to interfere.
Wolfwood is pissed.
Vash puts his SERIOUS GLASSES ON...
and reloads his revolver as Raidei waits.
Vash vows to change Raidei's ways.
They FACE OFF!
Raidei sees that Vash has NO DESIRE to fight.
The two men prepare to draw...
VASH FIRES, but RAIDEI HAS SKATED DIAGONALLY TO HIS LEFT!!
Raidei reaches for his sword...
Vash turns, but Raidei is already...
BEHIND HIM!
Raidei circles closer, his sword still sheathed.
Vash fires in the complete WRONG DIRECTION as RAIDEI DRAWS HIS SWORD AND ATTACKS!
But to Raidei's surprise, Vash has managed to jump out of the way AND throw his gun at Raidei ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY!!!
Vash ends up on the ground, but out of Raidei's range, and it is revealed that he has his gun tied to him with a string!!
Vash pulls the string, but Raidei rushes him before he can aim!!!
Vash pulls out his MACHINE GUN ARM!!!
AND AS IT's SWINGING OUT, VASH USES IT TO PERRY RAIDEI'S SWORD!!
VASH OPENS FIRE, but RAIDEI COUNTERS WITH HIS SWORD!
Raidei is surprised by the appearance of the hidden gun, but doesn't miss a single bullet.
Wolfwood cheers for...guns...mostly...
Short analysis of guns vs swords...but then...
VASH HAS RUN OUT OF MACHINE GUN AMMO!!!
and RAIDEI THROWS ON THE BREAKS!!!
Raidei chides Vash and launches into his Double Nebula attack once again...
BUT VASH WAS WAITING FOR THIS!
Vash THROWS HIS GUN INTO THE NEBULA!
The force of Raidei's move catches the gun and causes the string connecting to it to WRAP AROUND RAIDEI, binding his arms to his sides!!
Raidei is thrown off balance and recovers as quickly as he can...
but Vash had just enough time to reload!!!
He aims at Raidei...
AND FIRES!
The sword goes flying!!
And lands far to Raidei's right. Vash has already covered the distance and has his gun pointed at Raidei's head.
Vash declares himself the winner.
Chapter 4
Vash stands up, his gun still pointing at Raidei.
Raidei looks sullen or impetulant...
Vash smiles.
He turns and begins to walk away...
but Raidei will not accept defeat!
He can't believe he lost!
Vash walks past the sword.
Raidei gets intense...
AND LUNDGES FOR HIS SWORD!
He eaches out!
On the hilt, the sword has a trigger mechanism which enables Raidei to SHOOT THE BLADE OF THE SWORD!!!
Vash's back is still toward him as he picks the sword up!
He RUSHES FORWARD! HIS FINGER ON THE TRIGGER!!!
Wolfwood fires his gun.
Vash turns around too late.
Raidei is shot.
Repeatedly.
The gun goes flying out of Raidei's hand...
as he hits the ground.
Vash is horrified.
WOLFWOOD KEEPS FIRING.
VASH LUNGES AT WOLFWOOD!
and PUNCHES WOLFWOOD IN THE FACE!
Vash screams, Wolfwood looks pissed...
and he TOTALLY PUNCHES THE CRAP OUT OF VASH!
Wolfwood insists he has acted to protect Vash.
Vash insists Raidei wouldn't have killed him.
Arguing between Vash and Wolfwood.
More arguing.
Wolfwood takes one of his guns and forces it into Vash's hand.
Vash's fingers don't go ANYWHERE near the trigger.
Wolfwood forces the gun up to his own head...
and tells Vash to shoot.
Vash's finger is adimantly directed AWAY from the trigger.
More arguing.
conflicting ideology.
Wide shot of the town square from the top of one of the buildings.
Zazie has been watching...
Establishing shot: Sandstorm.
A town is visible through the wind.
People are holed up in the bar.
The door opens...
Two strangers covered from head to toe in protective suits enter.
Everyone takes notice.
They walk to the bar and one of them slams their fist down.
It's MERYL AND MILLY! ORDERING DESSERTS IN A BAR, NO LESS!!!
The men look a little shocked.
Meryl and Milly try to hitch a ride.
A thomas squawks.
A truck full of thomases squawk.
Reports.
Meryl reviews them as she sits between Milly and Jesse, the truck driver.
Milly takes some reports and finds a blurb about "a man in black with a big cross."
Milly is happy to hear they're following Wolfwood's trail.
The truck driver comments that they look happy to be catching up with Vash.
A long shot of the truck driving through the desert.
The thomases start freaking out.
Jessy looks back, Milly spots something in the sky.
As it approaches, it gets bigger...
and bigger...
It's a SHUTTLE!
Shock...
AS IT FLIES RIGHT OVER THEM, BARELY MISSING THE TRUCK!!
AND CRASH-LANDS A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY!!
Jesse, Meryl, and Milly scream in the cab...
SOMETHING HITS SOMETHING ELSE WITH GREAT FORCE! (Yeah...that's all I've got for this panel...)
The shuttle skids through the sand.
The truck looks to be upright...for the most part...
Milly, Meryl, and Jesse stare out of the passenger window.
They drive to the shuttle.
A small escape pod is several yards from the larger shuttle.
It begins to opens.
Meryl and milly look on as...
IT POPS OPEN!
and a girl falls out...
and she's asking for Vash...?!?!
Chapter 5
Establishing shot: Inside the SEEDS ship.
Flashback as Brad is putting Jessica into the shuttle.
Brad forces Jessica inside.
He stays on the ship.
The shuttle separates from the big ship.
And goes FLYING!!!
Cut back to present: Meryl and Milly are surprised, to say the least.
Establishing shot: Church and some people in a church yard.
A woman hangs out clothes as kids play.
Suddenly they notice something...
Wolfwood!
He smiles as they all run up to him.
They want him to pick them up.
He's still smiling.
He bends over.
He looks completely distraught...
but then smiles again.
He looks at his hands and sees they're covered in BLOOD!
WHOAH PANEL TRANSITION AS WOLFWOOD WAKES UP FROM A DREAM!!
AIR AND DEBRIS FLY!
AS WOLFWOOD IS THROWN INTO THE AIR, TOO!
And he collides with the bround!!
AND rolls over awkwardly.
He looks a bit irate as he assesses the capsized motorcycle.
Starts screaming at Vash.
But then realizes that Vash doesn't look too good...
(MY QUESTION: Why is Vash suddenly looking near death? I am assuming it is because he sustained lots of internal injuries during the incident with the Polos and the Fries (in TriMax Vol 1), then pretty quickly had to face Raidei. (He was so injured that he was falling over when he was taken into custody by the feds at the end of the last volume.) I am also assuming that Vash crashed because he lost consciousness and not the other way around. In regards to wrecking, Vash acted like a klutz before, but I think that just might have been in an effort to keep eating donuts and not actually be an accurate demonstration of his motorcycling skillz. Plus, if he's in this condition because of injuries sustained during the sandsteamer hijacking, it would go along with this chapter's focus that Vash will try to help others to his own detriment...and possibly to the detriment of the people he is helping...and that Wolfwood really does have to look out for him sometimes.)
Establishing shot: a plant bulb.
A small town.
Wolfwood steps inside a building...
CARRYING AN INJURED/COMATOSE VASH!
The owner and his son look surprised...
The owner takes a look at Wolfwood and Vash and decides they can stay.
The son argues as wolfwood casts Vash onto the couch...
and crawls to the bathroom...
The father argues with the son...
Vash hears the argument....
Night.
Wolfwood sits in his room smoking and thinking about the recent fight between our two heroes.
Outside town, the father makes his way to a desert compound.
Back at the hotel, the son is tied up in the back.
Vash comes out with his zombie face when he hears the noise...
And collapses soon after...
As Vash unties the kid, he explains the situation.
Vash watches the kid and smiles affectionately.
CUT TO EXTERNAL.
The kid is taking the same route his fater did.
Vash is following despite his unhealthiness.
The kid gets to the compound...
but soon realizes that VASH (and his swirly finger) are still there!
Promptly kicks Vash in the head...
But Vash has a plan...?
Inside, the father's getting roughed up by the baddies.
What looks like a lighter comes into view...
Fire errupts in front of the big baddie!
The "lighter" is really the baddie's weapon! And he used it to light his cigarette...
The father argues.
The baddy hits him.
And aims his gun at the father.
Suddenly, alcohol from a broken bottle falls ALL OVEr the bad guy.
He looks up...and sees LOTS of bottles of vodka in the air...
as someone shoots each bottle, saturating the baddies with flamable liquid.
Vash lowers his gun.
The kid has a lighter...
Vash looks like hell.
The bad guys throw down their weapons...
The kid hands the lighter off to Vash...
unsuccessfully...
He drops the lighter to the dismay of all...
KABOOM!
Transition...the family walks back to the town, the father carrying Vash. The kid is holding his mom's hand (aww...)
Day is breaking as they walk into town.
People are staring.
More people gather.
The kid starts yelling at people...
Heart to heart...
But then the townsfolk RUN AWAY!!!
Why...?
BECAUSE THE BIG BADDIE IS RIGHT BEHIND THEM!!!
He lundges at the family as a someone cocks a gun...
A CROSS SHAPED GUN! WOLFWOOD OPENS FIRE!!!
HE HITS THE BADDIE IN THE FACE!
The baddie is thrown backwards into a building.
The baddie is down.
Wolfwood is frustrated.
Wolfwood pulls a gun and puts it to Vash's head as he contemplates Vash's existence...
But Vash is completely delerious.
Chapter six.
Someone is remembering being shot for the first time...
It's...WOLFWOOD!
Wolfwood follows after Vash to a building with a huge wheel at the edge of a cliff.
A cable stretches through the dust clouds...
A gondola hangs from the cable.
Wolfwood looks out the window as Vash sits with his sunglasses.
(You get the sense that they're still experiencing a breakdown of diplomatic relations at the moment...)
Vash starts picking his noes...but then gets serious.
Wolfwood and Vash have a bit of a heart-to-heart on mortality, obligations, and ideology.
Wolfwood is still freaking out about Vash's official "human" status.
Vash looks pained.
Wolfwood notices light shining over him...
He turns to look...
and is SHOCKED!
They're above the clouds...
THE FLOATING SEEDS SHIP IS REVEALED!!!
Wolfwood stares out the window.
They make their decent...
and land at a building with a huge wheel just like the first.
Vash and wolfwood are on the landing.
A door cracks, then opens wide.
The two get onto some elevator platform, standing pretty far apart.
They go down.
Vash is worrying about Knives, the GHGs and their new mission.
They get to the bottom and the door begins to open.
Vash has his gun ready.
Vash looks at the scene.
A ball bounces toward him...
and he falls to his knees.
He picks it up and smiles in relief as a little kid comes to retrieve it.
People notice Vash is there.
Wolfwood watches...
More people come around...
They all gather round Vash.
Wolfwood looks on as Vash laughs and smiles tearfully...
All of the sudden, the people around him COLLAPSE INTO DOLL PARTS!
vash is horrified!!
Vash looks stricken as he sees two figures standing in the tree above.
It's Leonov and his puppet assistant!
Chapter 7
An upside down shot of the puppets that lay at Vash's feet...
A disoriented shot of Vash, Wolfwood, and Leonov.
A wider, more level but not quite straight shot of the entire scene...
As leonov is about to introduce himself, Wolfwood unwraps his Cross Punisher and AIMS at LEONOV!!
HE OPENS FIRE!
The smoke clears...
to reveal Leonov alive and well...
The puppet, however, is torn apart.
Unica falls apart, but Leonov restores him...
and BODY PARTS ARE FLYING EVERYWHERE AS WOLFWOOD SHOOTS AT THEM!!!
AND COMBINE INTO ONE BIZARRE, ANDROGYNOUS BODY!
Wide shot reveals the size of this puppet thing...
Vash has both guns out.
Wolfwood looks over at Vash with fear? Apprehension?
Vash stands, looking at the ground...
The puppet body grows.
Vash keeps looking down.
Wolfwood seems shaken...
As Vash looks up, a single BLACK/BLOOD?!?! TEAR COMING OUT OF HIS EYE?!?!
Wolfwood can't move. He feels death all around him.
For a moment, he feels what Vash is feeling...
Some sort of power or killing intent comes from Vash toward Leonov.
Vash looks directly at Leonov...
Sudden, Grey forces himself up through the ground Our Heroes are standing on!
Vash jumps/falls out of the way as Grey grabs Wolfwood.
Wolfwood looks down...
and sees Vash's face...
Vash is looking at him meaningfully.
(Whatever Vash is thinking, Wolfwood seems to understand and shocked at what Vash is telling him to do. . It could be that he's saying, "Wolfwood, that one's yours." He could be saying, "Wolfwood, the jig is up...I know what's going on here. You're one of them..." Or he could be saying something else... Or maybe Wolfwood doesn't know, but is shocked to see that Vash's eyes are not set on Leonov OR Grey, but on HIM!! Is this insinuating that, just as Wolfwood was having doubts about Vash's allegiance, Vash was having the same doubts, too? Is Vash thinking, "You dirty bastard, YOU KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN! You are a GHG! YOU'RE PART OF THIS!!!" Or maybe Vash is saying, "You have to face this one on you own..." I don't know! It's a complicated page, especially when you take into account the tension between Our Heroes in the last few chapters!!!)
Vash lands on the ground and aims...AT LEONOV!!
