PAGE THREE

FIVE PANELS

Panel 1.

Tier-wide panel, stretching across the top of the page. Exterior wide shot of a rundown warehouse district. It's night, so that makes these warehouses look particularly deserted.

* NOTE TO LETTERER: These "e-mail captions" should have the look and design of an actual e-mail.

1 E-MAIL CAPTION:

SUBJ: Scheduling conflict?

DATE: 8/25 12:29:15 PM Eastern Standard Time

FROM: KRennie@StarkIntl.com

TO: TStark@StarkIntl.com

Mr. Stark --

You have an unknown entry in your calendar tonight. Have you forgotten about the charity event at the Plaza?

-- Mrs. R

2 E-MAIL CAPTION (2):

SUBJ: Re: Scheduling conflict?

DATE: 8/25 2:45:55 PM Eastern Standard Time

FROM: TStark@StarkIntl.com

TO: Krennie@StarkIntl.com

Didn't forget. Have to make a quick stop on the way. Call it an impulse buy…

Panel 2.

We cut to inside one of the warehouses. Angle on the back of a van. The doors open, revealing a large mechanism (about the size of a large steamer trunk). Cylindrical in shape, think two round (but somewhat intricate) metallic housings with a cylinder of frozen ice (still steaming) between them. There's an intense glow coming from within the ice. We're seeing a frozen laser here . . . and it should look very sci-fi and cool-looking.

3 ARMSTRONG (no pointer): Particle imprint intelligence. A SMART LASER capable of PRE-PROGRAMMED TARGETING…

Panel 3.

Angle on a pair of scientists, ARMSTRONG and TRUNDLE both of them wearing Wally Wood-esque jumpsuits (sans bubble helmets, but they should look almost like test pilots). They're standing by the side of the van (which should look a bit beat up), talking and gesturing with their hands as they talk. They should look kind of like a pair of goofballs. Slightly overweight, balding, glasses . . . not exactly imposing figures, but just smarmy enough that you know these are a pair of assholes.

4 ARMSTRONG: . . . once it's brought out of STASIS and ACTIVATED, of course. The wavelength may be locked in . . . but, it certainly gives all-new meaning to the term, "laser guided" . . .

5 TRUNDLE: We apologize for the DEEP THROAT ROUTINE here. Needless to say, this isn't exactly a LEGAL transaction . . .

6 TRUNDLE (2): . . . and there was NO WAY we were dealing with one of your SUBORDINATES on this.

Panel 4.

Reverse angle, with the scientists close in the foreground, their backs to us. Looking past them, we the silhouetted figure of Tony Stark standing in the background, facing us, backlit by the harsh headlights of his limousine parked right behind him (shining in our eyes).

7 ARMSTRONG: You understand, it's a question of EXPOSURE on our part. Not to mention SECURITY--

8 STARK: I understand, gentlemen. You wanted a GUARANTEE this wasn't a set-up. As you can SEE, my personal security is nowhere in sight . . .

Panel 5.

Stark's POV (or maybe angled over and above his shoulder), as he looks down at his wristwatch (which should be sleeker and more hi-tech than the normal watch . . . in fact, this should be unlike any watch we've ever seen, just to show how Tony loves his gadgets). The digital readout shows: 10:24 PM.

9 STARK (from off): . . . however, to be perfectly frank, I DO have somewhere I need to BE.