Transcripts 2006-02

Transcripts from February 2006 strips.
==February 1==
Single PanelFiller? comic, probably to set the tone for the next story."Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the face of the entire earth- Genesis 11:4
==February 2==
Flash animation (backup version)The History of the Future United States told in multiple (mostly) still frames. Each frame includes a map of the United States (minus Alaska and Hawai'i) in various stages, with a lower panel describing events that occurred during the period of history depicted in the map. The one point of interaction is a "NEXT ►" button in the lower right corner.Page 1The U.S. is coloured completely red.Caption: While it is often said that the United States of America stopped being united after the collapse, it did consider itself as one nation for years afterwards. Even though the total breakdown of infrastructure meant that the senators pretty much looked after local affairs, paying little or no attention to noises coming from DC.Page 2California and New York State are coloured orange.Caption: Distraught at the lack of aid and support from the White House, the state of New York was the first to officially splinter from the United States. While not considering itself a separate country, it proclaimed independence and that it wasn't taking any more orders from DC. California, which was in a similar condition to New York, did the same a few months later.Page 3Oregon, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are now also orange.Caption: Threats of military action were made against the rogue states. However, these threats were clearly idle ones. By this time the US army had shrunk enormously, and the few solders left that would fight for a pittance were extremely hard to mobilise due to the lack of fuel. All these threats managed to accomplish was to gain sympathy and capitulation with neighbours of the rebel states.Page 4Michigan and Wisconsin are now also orange. Most of the east of Texas is green.Caption: When Michigan and Wisconsin also went rogue, there was panic in the far right of the population. In a riotous uprising, half of the state of Texas fell into the hands of right wing Christen fundamentalists. While also braking free of the rule of DC, their aim as to reunite the country as one... Only "better" then before. Not liking the totalitarian nature of this Christen movement, west Texas fought hard to keep them at bay.Page 5Washington State, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island are now also orange. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi are now also green.Caption: Finding heavy resistance to the west, the "True Texans" spread north and east were there was more support for their cause. However the number of rogue states had grown. Now the entire West Coast was working independently from DC.Page 6The West Coast states are now yellow and merged into one country. Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, and Delaware are now also orange. More of Texas, Missouri, and Alabama are now also green. Florida is brown.Caption: California, Oregon and the state of Washington then took it a step further. They joined forces and declared themselves an independent country! By this time DC had lost all it's power and could do nothing about it except throw insults and the new nation of California OW. Worried about march east of the True Texans and DC's reluctance to do anything about them, Florida followed suite and declared themselves an independent country.Page 7The remaining orange states have merged into one collective and are now grey. The green states have become one and now include all of the rest of Texas, plus Georgia.Caption: Worried about the build up of military forces on their borders, the eastern rogue states excepted to join the Anarchist Collective. It was considered more favourable to join the CAS then be over run by the Texans. This marks a huge shift in power. Texas was no longer the strongest military force in what was once the United States and took action accordingly. It too created it's own nation of Texas (by now west Texas had succumb) under one rule. Also at this time, a huge company under the name of Maytec was gaining huge political support in California OW. The company more or less owned the country and ran most aspects of it.Page 8The Anarchist Collective now includes West Virginia (and DC). New Texas now includes Tennessee.Caption: With the European forces of the Anarchists on their doorstep, DC declared war on the CAS. The "Eleven Hour War" saw the destruction of the White House and DC falling into the hands of the collective. The collective was waiting for an excuse to invade, and they foolishly gave them one. West Virginia surrendered to the CAS in the ensuring panic and Tennessee fell to the Texans. It was not long after this that the Core was founded out of the remains of NATO to counter the Anarchist threat.Page 9Kentucky and the westernmost tip of Virginia are now part of New Texas. The rest of Virginia is part of the Anarchist collective. North and South Carolina are one, and white.Caption: The Texans took Kentucky with no resistance. Not to be out flanked, the CAS took Virginia by force, but not totally. The Texans had managed to secure the western tip before he CAS could take full control. Being enclosed by the two powers, both states of Carolina became an independent country. Classing the CAS as the lesser of the two evils, they struck a deal with the anarchists. While remaining independent, Carolina would help the CAS when it could for its protection from Texan forces.Page 10The map is unchanged from the prior page.Caption: This remained the status quo for decades. All sides had time to reorganise and rebuild. A move against any of the factions by another would have resulted in a drawn out and bloody war that none of the sides could stomach. While not joining the Core nations, New Texas sided with them. Florida tried very hard to remain neutral, as did California, but California happily sold arms and other services to the other factions.Page 11Carolina has been taken over by New Texas, along with a little of Anarchist territory above the Carolina border. Long Island and some smaller parts of the East Coast are gone from the map.Caption: However, a natural disaster was to benefit the New Texans. A mega tsunami wiped out the entire East Coast with the northern end being the worst effected. The city of New York was totally destroyed and the CAS moved troops north from the borders aid disaster victims. New Texas took the opportunity to expand east into the poorly defended Carolina and north through a hole in the line into CAS territory.Page 12The map is unchanged from the prior page.Caption: This move was greeted with almost universal condemnation. Even the staunchest critics of the CAS thought the Texan move was at best in poor taste due to the loss of life in the tsunami and at worst provoking the CAS into a full blown war. However the CAS did not immediately retaliate, causing the other factions to suspect that the CAS had a significantly smaller military force then was believed.Page 13The map is unchanged from the prior page.Caption: This lead to the military build up of Texan forces on the borders. They openly admitted their intentions to take hold of the CAS controlled areas, stating that "God was on their side." These words were to haunt the Texans forever...Page 14The map is unchanged from the prior page. However, a crudely drawn and animated Godzilla is stomping back and forth over New Texas.Caption: Because the CAS had used the time after the attack to SUMMON GODZILLA TO SQUASH THEM ALL FLAT!(-- This article has been edited --)Page 14The map and animation are unchanged from the prior page.Caption: See me after class. You have been warned before about tampering with school materials Julian!— Miss Skye("NEXT ►" button loops to the beginning from this point)
==February 3==
Panel 1First Advisor Lara Black is sitting with her hands clenched in front of her face. She is staring into the camera, unamused by the speakers on the other side of the camera.Caption: SHORTLY AFTER THE TSUNAMI HITTING NEW YORK...Oracle (off-panel): I assure you that I'm being quite serious advisor Norris.Norris (off-panel): BULLSHIT! This... THING you're proposing couldn't possibly work!Unknown speaker (off-panel): Oh really? When did you get your engineering degree you silly old fart?Panel 2Lara angrily stands and slams her hands on the desk. Advisors Devon Woodgrove and Evan Harding are seated on her left, with the Oracle hovering behind Harding.Lara: SHUT UP THE LOT OF YOU! I'm sick of your constant bickering!Panel 3Front view of Lara scrunching up her face in extreme displeasure.Unknown speaker (off-panel): ... He started it!Unknown speaker (off-panel): DID NOT!Unknown speaker (off-panel): DID TOO!Lara (thinking): And people STILL wonder how a primary school teacher could become the First Advisor!
==February 6==
Panel 1Lara is looking at an Oracle-generated hologram of plans for an orbital weapon, unimpressed.Lara: I have to say I have my doubts too Oracle. This would take a lot of men and resources off the front line.Lara: Besides, orbital weapons have an awfully chequered past.Panel 2Front(?) view of the Oracle, with some holograms of earlier models being shot down by an off-camera weapon.Oracle: This is very true First Advisor. Earlier attempts at an orbital system have failed due to the platform being too large and easy to target, or too small and underpowered. Both could be easily shot down from a safe distance, and both were too costly to replace.Panel 3The Oracle displays the new design, which reflects a beam from the surface weapon to a satellite that reflects the beam toward the target.Oracle: My design however, has all of its costly parts on the ground. The platform in orbit is little more then a mirror. It is cheap and easily replaced. This is not a new idea, but before it has been deemed impractical. None of these people asked ME of course. I'm just the smartest entity in this solar system. What would I know?
==February 7==
Panel 1Advisor Brody Mercer stands and looks seriously into the camera, slightly raising a hand in gesture.Mercer: Most of us don't doubt your design Oracle, we doubt the practicality of the thing. Is it cost effective?Panel 2Close-up of the Oracle looking somewhat smug.Oracle: I anticipated this question and ran a simulation to judge the cost per enemy casualty and overall effectiveness. Observe:Panel 3Lara stares into the camera, crossing her arms and looking bored, with the other advisors in silhouette behind her; from left to right: Woodgrove, Harding, Norris, and Mercer. The Oracle hovers above Woodgrove's head.Panel 4Same as panel 3, but Lara is hunching over and rubbing her hands together. The same evil look is on all of the advisors' faces.Oracle: I thought showing the enemy roll around in agony would be a touch you all appreciated.
==February 8==
The Church of Poisoned Minds
Panel 1Black-and-white monochrome comic. Al is facing the camera but glaring down at a sheet of paper in his hands.Caption (Al): In September, a Danish newspaper published some satirical cartoons. They were notable for depicting the Prophet Mohammed, but definitely not for being funny.Panel 2A "radical Muslim" is clenching his hands and glowering at the camera while shaking nervously.Caption (Al): Radical Muslims decided this was a good reason to have a total spastic fit. This deepened the suspicion of Islam by normal people who thought this was really petty! To add to the fun, a protester in the UK who turned up at the Danish embassy with a fake bomb belt, turned out to be a drug dealer! Now I'm not well read on Islam, but I'm pretty sure Allah doesn't like pushers!Protester: BEHEAD THE HERETICS!Protester: ...wanna buy some skunk? It's some good shit!Panel 3A potted cactus wearing a head scarf.Caption (Al): So we have the total inability to take criticism, flipping out over the smallest thing and blatant hypocrisy. All the bedrocks of organised religion! All they are doing is giving their detractors ammunition. I mean, if I was an arsehole, I would depict the Prophet Mohammed as a potted cactus, just to annoy them...
==February 9==
Panel 1Lara, facing left, glares at the display in front of her (off-panel).Unknown speaker (off-panel): Okay, even if it does live up to its full potential, the Core won't just sit there with a sword over their heads!Unknown speaker (off-panel): The Core will sit there and do NOTHING, as always! I say we burn the Bible thumpers off the map!Unknown speaker (Woodgrove?)(off-panel): Well it's just too bad that your say carries no weight on this matter!Unknown speaker (off-panel): Hey Devon, why don't you play hide-and-go-fuck-yourself...Panel 2View of the display, with Lara facing it, her back to the camera. She raises her right hand toward the image.Panel 3Same as panel 2, but Lara looks back over her shoulder with a vicious grin.Lara: I've made my decision! I advise that we have ourselves a Dixie barbecue!
==February 10==
Panel 1A grainy display of the orbital weapon under construction. Fedorov's thumb? is over the bottom corner of the display.Caption: ABOUT A YEAR LATER...Fedorov: This is the best image we have of it Central?Central (off-panel): I'm afraid so. Security around New York is extraordinary, and the drone that took that picture this was destroyed seconds after this was taken.Panel 2Fedorov is looking closely at the display in his hand. Central is hovering just behind his shoulder.Central: At least we can tell that the CAS resources are not being used to rebuild the city. They are pouring everything into that huge tower. Sadly no one can surmise what its purpose is.Fedorov: Hummm...Panel 3Fedorov turns to face right. Central is now hovering next to Fedorov's face.Central: Should we contact the Texans?Fedorov: And tell them what? Besides, I don't like to talk to those fundamentalists. Once they get a foot in the door, you can never get rid of them!
==February 13==
Panel 1Fedorov has a fist on his hip, glaring at Central, who is hovering to his left.Fedorov: How are they building that tower so fast Central? Their supply lines are limited, yet they are constructing that tower at record speed!Panel 2A zoomed out view of Fedorov's office. Fedorov is standing facing his desk, with a sunset view of a city? by a body of water. Central is now hovering near Fedorov's right shoulder.Central: We know they moved all of their available fabricators to New York. It's safe to assume they are making the components for the tower from the wreckage.Fedorov: Good point, but modern buildings like that tower needs a lot of carbon and calcium.Fedorov: You can't find much of that in the old buildings of New York. The materials are too heavy!Panel 3Close-up of Fedorov's face, which is cringing. Central looks disappointed.Fedorov: ... I've just thought of a way to supplement a carbon and calcium supply after a natural disaster! Please say I'm wrong!Central: There's been a distinct lack of televised funerals from the CAS, so sorry sir, I can't rule it out!
==February 14==
The Church of Poisoned Minds
Panel 1Black-and-white monochrome comic.Text: The Church of Poisoned Minds Presents:A handy cut-out-and-keep hunting guide for vice-presidents and other evil looking people.Panel 2A photo of a quail.A Quail:Game bird. You my shoot this if so inclined (which lets face it, you are).Panel 3A photo of a startled person wearing glasses, looking into the camera with an aghast stare.Caption: A Person:You CAN NOT shoot these! Not even the ones that disagree with you!
==February 15==
Panel 1Fedorov looks at Central, who is hovering in front of his face.Central: I have an idea sir.Panel 2Close-up of Central.Central: It is unlikely that the Anarchists are building the tower by themselves sir. Maybe we could ask Maytec if they are working on anything for the CAS?Panel 3Fedorov turns away. Central glares at him.Fedorov: Okay, while you ask Maytec to break their non-disclosure deals, I'll go and do something more productive, like file my toenail clippings!
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