Wonderland

ISSUE #2

After the events of ISSUE ONE, Dexter explains that seeing Micah die was the last straw, and he feels that he blames himself for his death despite the fact there was nothing he could do to stop it. He vows that the next person he sees in danger he will save. No matter who they are.

The ambush where Micah was killed also killed a lot of other soldiers, who were relatively unarmed because they believe they were in a safe area and moving from one base to another. Morale is pretty low, and Dexter becomes a recluse in his makeshift “lab” while the platoon tries to recuperate after the massive loss. Mandark is so focused on getting the approval of his comrades that he doesnt notice Dexter’s absence (because I believe at this point, Mandark would have sabotaged Dexter’s workshop if he found out about it).

It isnt long before the company is sent out into combat again and Dexter is forced to pause his work. Without getting too into it, Mandark is shot in the leg and nearly left behind:

Mandark is amazed, no, he admires Dexter immensely after this. Even after all the petty insults and bullying, his mortal enemy was willing to risk his life to save him. Despite the injury to his leg, he is expected to stay at the base and make a “full recovery”. Mandark is furious at this because he expected it to be his way out of the war. (After this injury, Mandark’s leg never properly heals and he walks with a limp for the rest of his life which he is very self-conscious about).

The tables are turned when Mandark becomes the subject of bullying over Dexter, especially since now he is considered a liability. Dexter spots Mandark struggling to clean the wound on his leg and offers to help, which Mandark accepts in silence. This becomes a regular routine for the two of them.

One night while Dexter is cleaning his wound, he implies to Mandark that he has a plan:

He explains that while it is possible to create this technology on his own, it would be best if he found an ally to help speed up the process. Knowing that any day could be their last.

Mandark hesitates and then happily accepts. Shaking Dexter’s hand furiously.

END OF ISSUE #2

START OF ISSUE #3

This part is a lot less planned because the script is all over the place. Admittedly I was just going to wing this one.

It starts with the company (which was supposed to have a name, but I couldnt pick one) in a combat sequence. Everyone’s shooting and there’s complete chaos. When hope seems to be lost, Dexter and Mandark come crashing into the scene with a robot that drives like a tank. After an impressive light show, the enemy is driven back and the soldiers are saved from another potential massacre. Dexter and Mandark exit the robot and are hailed for their rescue. All is good!

Dexter is now certain that the higher ups will soon take notice of their work and take them out from the frontlines. He hopes that he will at least be put in a separate branch and division that focuses on science and weapon machinery. Whereas Mandark, who usually stays quiet about wanting to escape, now wants to do the same. This puts off Dexter as he isnt used to Mandark being this friendly with him, or the idea of working alongside him long-term.

Then came the decisive day. Dexter and Mandark were set to present their work to the general after the captain put in a good word for them. But before this meeting could occur, the base is attacked. The enemy particularly focused on supply tents and buildings, destroying armories and tanks. This included Dexter’s workshop, which held the robot he and Mandark were supposed to present together that day.

Before he could have time to grieve the loss of his ticket home, Mandark grabs Dexter’s arm and drags him to the jungle. The two duck behind a boulder and are covered by brush. Dexter is miserable, also panicking as he describes how he found his months work destroyed. Mandark listens quietly but his mind is anxiously thinking about something else.

Then this scene happens:

This scene was drawn before the actual script so the expressions are very different than the final scene I had planned.

Initially, Dexter is just shocked by this. Mandark stutters as he explains that because they were likely not going to survive this attack, he wanted to get this off his chest. He presumed the feeling as mutual as Dexter had saved and took care of him, as well as inviting him to work and escape together. (This is also the first scene in which Mandark refers to him as “Dexter” instead of Twelve, implying that he wants him to take this confession seriously).

Dexter doesnt take this well:

Their relationship is shattered after this. Mandark feels used and worse, foiled yet again by his arch nemesis.. I want it to be up to interpretation whether Dexter was lying to Mandark just to push him further away.

After the smoke clears, the platoon all emerge from hiding to find their base wrecked. The surviving captain commands all soldiers to fall back into the brush while they await rescue. Dexter quietly storms away from Mandark. We then cut back to Dexter and Mordecai in the future, as Mordecai interrupts his story to laugh about the supposed love confession.

He apologizes after he is given a death glare from Dexter and tells him to continue. Dexter says something along the lines of: “Well, you know the rest. Everyone does.”

This next scene is mostly unplanned. It is supposed to be a montage where Dexter was recognized as the hero who saved his squad. Dexter is finally approached by the general who asks him if he worked alone. Dexter hesitates, thinking about all the help Mandark contributed to the lab, but chose to keep him out of the conversation. He tells the general that he worked alone, and Dexter was catapulted to fame. Not only was his heroic story broadcast everywhere, but it conveniently left out any involvement of Mandark. Dexter, leaving Mandark in the hellish frontlines of the war, became a lead scientist for the military. Going on to create robots and bioweapons that turned the tides in the militaries favor. Dexter was ignorant of how his inventions were being used, unknowingly causing the deaths of thousands of people.

Mandark eventually catches up to Dexter. He was able to survive on the frontlines long enough that his inventions also started to catch the attention of leadership, however by the time he was placed alongside his rival it was too late. The war was already coming to a close and Dexter is blasted in the media as the notorious war criminal scientist.

It cuts back to Mordecai and Dexter sitting quietly at the bar. “Then what?” Mordecai asks:

Notes:

- I had originally planned for this story to be heavily character interaction focused especially with developing Mandark and Dexter’s evolution into “friends” to seem like a realistic possibility.

- After this story, the events of Ego Trip’s future AU is supposed to occur. Dexter and Mandark are washed up veterans who get a job at IOI (Institute of Inventions) where Mandark eventually steals Dexter’s blueprints and takes over the company.

- There is also a few scrapped storylines. Mordecai and Lalavava supposedly worked together in an arms factory when they were drafted. Mordecai was going to mention that Mandark had a boyfriend named Bradley (SurferGuy), but was cut due to this relationship being a secret.

- Unlike Mandark, Dexter is heavily affected by PTSD after the war. This manifests in his eventual paranoia and further deepens his already antisocial behavior. It’s made even worse in Ego Trip as his paranoia is reinforced by Mandark claiming his inventions and being tortured by him at work.

- Mandark was also focused on getting the approval of one of the soldiers (Unnamed Soldier B) who eventually becomes captain. This guy is a the stereotypical hard-headed soldier and Mandark idolized him. But after Mandark is nearly mortally wounded, most of the respect he had for him had fallen (Realistically the captain never respected him because he always called him Susan).