DISCLAIMER: This story is an unauthorized piece of fan-fiction using characters and concepts owned by Marvel Comics (see the copyright note at the end) that is not meant to make any profit. It is copyright 1999 by Tilman Stieve. You can download it for your enjoyment, but do not to sell it for profit, or Marvel's lawyers will get you. Do not archive without informing me first.

Writer's Note: This is an abridged version of the script on which Glockgal's drawings were based, with revisions according to the art and text of the final version. It obviously would have been a lot worse without Lori Sammy's creative input, in particular her invaluable help in creating the looks of the original characters.
This story is set in the alternate reality of "The Survivor Has a Different Kind of Scar," in the year 2022.

A Comic Story from the Days of Future Twilight
Words by Tilman 'Menshevik' Stieve
Pictures by Lori 'Glockgal' Sammy

PAGE 1
(3 panels, the second one is much bigger than the other two, so you could say it's a splash panel with two subsidiary ones)

Panel 1: Marygay Parker (27), an actress, in closeup, smiling. She is wearing loose, shoulder-length hair (she is a brunette) and an ESU sweatshirt.

Caption 1: I MET HER AT AN OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF "MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA."

Caption 2: SHE WAS A HOPEFUL YOUNG ACTRESS OUT TO PROVE SHE COULD DO MORE THAN TV SERIES.

Panel 2: Marygay Parker is shaking hands with Hope Cooper (23). Marygay is standing on the right, legs confidently apart, her left hand holding the door to her dressing-room. She is wearing jeans and the sweatshirt from panel 1.

Hope is holding a folder with dress designs in her left hand. She is wearing pants, shirts and a waistcoat with many pockets. Her hair is shorter than Marygay's, and lighter.

Speech balloon 1 (Hope): HI, Ms. PARKER. I'M HOPE COOPER. LESLIE PUT ME IN CHARGE OF YOUR COSTUMES.

Speech balloon 2 (Marygay): PLEASED TO MEETCHA! CALL ME MARYGAY OR MG. EVERYBODY DOES.

Caption: SHE SAID SHE LIKED MY DESIGNS.

Title (big letters):
GETTING TO KNOW YOU

Credits (smaller letters):
A TALE BY TILMAN STIEVE (WORDS) & LORI SAMMY (PICTURES)

Panel 3: A close-up of Hope's hands (short nails) unwinding a tape-measure. Each hand has three fingers and a thumb.

Speech balloon (from off-panel): SO LET'S TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS...

Caption 1: NOBODY WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO TELL HER. IF YOU FOLLOW THE NEWS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A GENIUS TO TELL WHO AND WHAT I AM.

Caption 2: THE BLUE HAIR IS A CLUE.

Caption 3: THE FINGERS ANOTHER.

PAGE 2
(3 Panels)

Panel 1: Hope's eyes are wide open, her mouth almost as much. It's love. She is holding the measuring-tape horizontally. You see that she is wearing a labrys pendant around her neck.

The 2 caption boxes on the left are decorated with little faces.

Caption 1 (Val Cooper (60); she evidently looks old, but not too wrinkly): "YOU'RE VALERIE COOPER'S DAUGHTER, AREN'T YOU?" SHE SAID.

Caption 2 (Mystique): "YES," I REPLIED. EVERYONE KNOWS MY BIOLOGICAL FATHER, MYSTIQUE OF FACTOR X, ...

Next to the two caption boxes on the right you see Irene Cooper (26) in a business-type dress (she's a lawyer) holding her one-year-old daughter, Louise.

Caption 3: ...THE FEDERAL SUPER-TEAM. MY ELDER SISTER IRENE ALSO USED TO BELONG TO THEM.

Caption 4: ME? I'M THE BLACK SHEEP OF THE FAMILY. THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SUPERHEROES.

Panel 2: Hope is crouching next to Marygay, taking an outside leg measurement. Hope's expression is a bit embarrassed, Marygay is more self-assured. She is smiling.

Caption 1: I HAD ALWAYS BEEN SCEPTICAL ABOUT LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

Caption 2: AFTER TARYN I HAD VOWED I'D NEVER FALL IN LOVE AGAIN WITH SOMEONE I MET AT WORK.

Panel: 3: As Hope takes Marygay's waist-measurement, the two stand close together.

Caption 1: BUT ALL THAT WAS FORGOTTE...

Caption 2: ... WHEN I LOOKED INTO HER OLIVE-GREEN EYES.

Caption 3: IT TOOK ALL MY SELF-RESTRAINT NOT TO KISS HER THERE AND THEN.

Caption 4: SHE WAS INTERESTED TOO.

PAGE 3
(6 Panels, 3 in the top row, 3 in the bottom one, the latter about twice as high as the former)

Panel 1: Marygay and Hope talking. They are standing apart. Marygay in the background, talking, hands raised and apart, gesticulating. Hope in the foreground, facing away from her (towards the reader), her arms crossed across her chest.

Caption: WE GOT CLOSER TALKING, BUT THEN SHE HAD TO SPOIL IT, GOING ON AND ON...

Speech balloon (Marygay): "DON'T YOU THINK SUPERPOWERS GIVE YOU A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE THEM?"

Panel 2 (small): Hope's head/face in closeup. She is angry.

Speech balloon (Hope): "WHY DOES EVERYONE WITH POWERS HAVE TO BE A FRIGGIN' SUPERHERO?"

Panel 3: Down shot of the dressing-room. Marygay is standing in the center of the room, Hope in front of the open door.

Speech balloon (Hope): "WHAT DO _YOU_ KNOW ANYWAY?"

Panel 4: Hope (seen from behind) is walking out the door, her right hand on the door-knob.

Speech balloon (Hope): "I USED TO HAVE A BROTHER AND ANOTHER SISTER. DO YOU WANT IRENE AND ME TO FOLLOW THEM TO THEIR GRAVES?!"

Panel 5 (the biggest): Looking over Marygay's shoulder, we see the door slam shut.

Sound Effect: SLAM!

Panel 6: Marygay, alone in her dressing-room, arms folded across her chest. She is puzzled by the violence of Hope's reaction.

Caption 1: I LEFT AND DID NOT WAIT FOR HER ANSWER.

Caption 2: DAMN! AND FOR A MOMENT I THOUGHT SHE MIGHT BE THE ONE...

PAGE 4
(5 Panels)

Panel 1: Closeup (upward shot) of Hope with the faces of Rogue and Nightcrawler in in the clouds above the roofs of New York

Caption 1: IRENE AND I WORSHIPPED ROGUE AND KURT.
I WAS BARELY FOURTEEN WHEN THEY WERE KILLED.

Caption 2: MY SISTER JOINED FACTOR X A WEEK LATER...

Panel 2: Back in the dressing-room, Marygay takes her Arachne costume out of the wardrobe. She looks annoyed.

Caption 1: ...I WAS SO RELIEVED WHEN SHE LEFT THAT RACKET.

Caption 2: WHAT DID MARYGAY KNOW OF THE REALITY OF THAT?

Panel 3 (biggest): New York City street at night. Hope is walking home.

Caption: MOMMY VAL WAS SO DISAPPOINTED WHEN I REFUSED TO PUT ON SPANDEX. BUT AT LEAST _SHE_ HAS BEEN THERE. SHE KNOWS ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE NOT SHOWN ON TV.

Panel 4 (inset in panel 3, with ragged border): Closeup of Hope's face as she stops and turns around. She has heard a noise behind her.

Panel 5: Hope runs around the corner into a dark alley.

PAGE 5
(One big panel and several small ones)

Panel 1 (small, inset in panel 2 (top left) with ragged border): Closeup of Hope's hand pulling something from her coat pocket.

Panel 2 (the big one covers the entire page): Downshot. Hope looks into the alley: A couple of middle-aged tourists cowers near a dumpster. Two of the thugs who menaced them are busy fighting against Arachne. A third one is standing apart.

Caption 1: I HAD BEEN IN THE BIG BAD APPLE A COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW ARACHNE IN ACTION. SHE WAS FAMOUS. THEY SAID SHE MUST BE SPIDER-MAN'S DAUGHTER OR COUSIN.

Caption 2: I'VE ALWAYS HIDDEN MY POWERS, BUT MY MOMS TAUGHT ME TO BE PREPARED, JUST IN CASE...

Panel 3 (insert in panel 2 (lower centre, right) with ragged border): Closeup of Hope's face. Reaction shot. She is in the process of putting on a ski mask.

Panel 4-8 are inserts that form a coherent picture (split panel) of the battle seen from eye-level:

Panel 4: Arachne is kicking on thug, but another is holding her arms from behind.

Panel 5: The cowering tourists.

Panel 6 and 7: The third thug has pulled a gun and is pointing it at Arachne, waiting for a chance to shoot her.

Panel 8: Hope (face covered) in fighting position. There is some kind of fiery emanation around her eyes.

Caption: I CAN TELEPORT ANY OBJECT FROM ONE POINT IN MY FIELD OF VISION TO ANOTHER. THERE IS JUST ONE SNAG...

PAGE 6
(1 big panel, 5 small ones)

Panel 1: The thug near the dumpster is dismayed as his gun disappears in a flashy light effect.

Caption 1 (actually on the big panel, #4): I DARE NOT USE MY POWER ON ANY LIVING BEING...

Caption 2 (actually on #4): ...BECAUSE I DRAW A PART OF THE ENERGY REQUIRED FROM THE OBJECT ITSELF...

Panel 2: The gun rematerializes at Hope's feet.

Panel 3: Closeup of the gun (you're the firearms expert, you choose the make and model :-)). It is coated in ice and cracks have appeared.

Caption : ...SO A 'PORT LOWERS ITS TEMPERATURE BY 200 DEGREES.

Panel 4 (big): Big action shot of Hope dispatching the thug with a karate kick.

Caption: AFTER THE PIECE WAS "EXTRACTED," THE REST OF THE FIGHT WAS EASY.

Panel 5: Arachne and Hope stand face to face. Between them lies the prone shape of the formerly gun-bearing thug.

Panel 6: Hope (in silhouette) is running away into the darkness. In the foreground, Arachne is partially visible, seen from behind.

Speech balloon (Arachne, small letters): "YOU?"

Caption: I SPLIT AS SOON AS I COULD.

PAGE 7
(5 Panels)

Panel 1 (small): Hope's face partially obscured by the apartment door she is opening (it's in New York, so expect a lot of locks, bolts etc.). This is seen from inside of her apartment.

Caption: I WALKED THE STREETS FOR HOURS, TRYING TO DECIDE HOW I FELT ABOUT WHAT I'D JUST DONE, IN SPITE OF MY RESOLUTION NOT TO GET INVOLVED.
WHEN I GOT HOME...

Panel 2 (big): Looking over Hope's shoulder, the reader sees the living-room. By the look of things, Hope is not a tidyness freak. Arachne is standing in the middle of the chaos. Her posture could be somewhat reminiscent of page 1 panel 2, but more nervous. She is not wearing a mask, so Hope can see Marygay's face. She does not find it easy to reveal her secret, but she thinks Hope is worth the risk.

Panel 3: Silhouettes of Marygay and Hope in profile, holding hands.

Speech balloon 1 (Hope): "GUESS YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT AFTER ALL. I'M SORRY..."

Speech balloon 2 (Marygay): "DE NADA. HOW COULD YOU HAVE KNOWN I WAS TALKING ABOUT _ME_?"

Speech balloon 3 (Marygay): "THANKS FOR THE ASSIST THOUGH."

Speech balloon 4 (Hope): "YOU'RE WELCOME. OF COURSE NOW I'LL HAVE TO BECOME A COSTUMED CLOWN AFTER ALL..."

Panel 4 (small): Closer up. The two have moved nearer to one another (foreheads touching or nearly so). You only see the faces.

Speech balloon 1 (Marygay): "WHY?"

Speech balloon 2 (Hope, outside the actual panel): "IF YOU THINK I'LL LET SOMEONE I CARE FOR GALLIVANT ALL OVER THE CITY RISKING HER NECK ON HER LONESOME..."

Panel 5 (circular border): They kiss.

Caption (bottom right, on scroll): FIN.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: Valerie Cooper, Empire State University, Factor X, Mystique (Raven Darkhoelme), Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) and Spider-Man (Peter Parker) are copyrighted and trademarks registered by Marvel Comics. Arachne (Marygay Parker), Hope Cooper, Irene Cooper-Marks and Louise Cooper-Marks are mine.

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