TETSUKO

"Deadly Incident at Gannon Labs!"
(Alternate Opening)
by David C. Matthews

[NOTE: As noted in the commentary for page 4 of Tetsuko #1, this alternate opening to the story is intended to give a little more insight into the characters of Tetsuko, Derek, and a character that has yet to be introduced in the "official" storyline. It was abandoned as being too much of a distraction to the main storyline (namely, the transformation of Tetsuko into a super-strong muscle woman). My hope is: if you disliked Derek before, you'll positively hate him by the end of this sequence!

[And a note on notation: "(t)" following the name in a line of dialogue indicates the line is a thought, and therefore goes in a thought balloon.]

PAGE ONE

PANEL 1: Establishing shot: The University. Obviously a college campus. (This panel acts almost as an inset panel to the next panel.)

PANEL 2: Interior gym. We see TETSUKO BRECKENRIDGE, nineteen or twenty years of age, a slim, well-endowed woman with shoulder-length blonde hair (tied back for convenience) standing in font of a large wall-mounted mirror, a heavy dumbbell in each hand, doing curls to work her arms. Smooth, egg-shaped biceps bulge from her arms as she raises the weights; she's much stronger than the size of her muscles would seem to indicate. She counts her reps, oblivious to the gapes and stares of the other gym users.

1. TETSUKO: ...fifteen... sixteen... seventeen...

PAGE TWO

PANEL 1: (occupying the left edge of the page) Tetsuko luxuriates in a warm shower, washing away the sweat and fatigue of the workout. We see that her physique, though well-toned with smooth definition in her abs and thighs, does not carry the kind of muscle mass one would associate with a bodybuilder, or even a "fitness" competitor.

1. TETSUKO: Mmmmm... nothing feels better than a warm shower after a great workout!
2. TETSUKO: Well... *tee hee* almost nothing...

PANEL 2: Dressed now, in a cute little midriff halter and shorts, and carrying an armload of books, Tetsuko exits the Phys-Ed building, looking at her watch. A voice from off-panel attempts to catch her attention.

3. TETSUKO: Good! I still have twenty minutes before I have to meet Derek - -
4. DAVID (o.p.): TETSUKO!! TETSUKO!!

PANEL 3: Tetsuko turns and sees DAVID MATSUTANI running towards her. David is a skinny, almost scrawny young man dressed in a golf shirt and slacks, a notebook and two textbooks under his arm. He's not ugly, but his looks aren't exactly soap-opera-hunkish, and the glasses he wears don't help matters any.

5. DAVID: Wait up!! I've got something for you!!

PANEL 4: Closeup of Tetsuko's face, showing her chagrin. She'd hoped not to have to put up with him.

6. TETSUKO: And this day was going so well up until now...

PANEL 5: David catches up with Tetsuko. He'd pulled a sheaf of papers torn from a spiral-bound notebook out of his binder, and is handing them to her. She's trying not to show her disappointment, treating David cordially but not really warmly.

7. TETSUKO: Hello, David.
8. DAVID: I'm so glad I caught up with you! I've got those notes for Professor Vikram's biology exam.

PAGE THREE

PANEL 1: Two-shot of Tetsuko and David, angle over her shoulder at David, as she looks over the notes he's just given her.

1. TETSUKO: Oh, that's right... I did ask you for those notes.
2. DAVID: I hope they help you. I was up all night copying them.

PANEL 2: Tetsuko's eyes go wide as she realizes the work David's gone to for her. David's got his hand behind his head in the classic Japanese "embarrassment" pose.

3. TETSUKO: You copied all these in longhand??
4. DAVID: It wasn't any trouble! Writing them all out helped me study them myself!

PANEL 3: Tetsuko's smile is a little warmer now.

5. TETSUKO: Well, David, I... I really appreciate what you've done.
6. DAVID: Uh, well... l-like I said, wasn't any trouble.

PANEL 4: David begins backing away from Tetsuko, as though he feels unworthy to be in her presence any longer. Although she's kind of happy he's not sticking around, she's a little surprised he's leaving so suddenly.

7. DAVID: I, ah, have to get going now... I'll see you tomorrow in class! Bye!
8. TETSUKO: Uh... bye-bye, David.

PANEL 5: Angle on Tetsuko as she watches David (o.p.) leave.

9. TETSUKO: That was strange!
10: TETSUKO: Usually he tries to walk me to wherever I'm going, or ask me out on a date.

PANEL 6: High-angle long shot of Tetsuko as she begins walking to her next destination. Other students and teachers pass her going in all directions, the normal bustle of afternoon on a college campus.

11. TETSUKO: Maybe he's finally figured out that I'm not interested in him...
12. TETSUKO: ...not when I've got Derek.

PAGE FOUR

PANEL 1: Two-shot of two students, one male, one female. The girl, an attractive brunette, has her arms around the neck of the boy, a very handsome sandy haired chick magnet named DEREK HORNER ...yes, the same "Derek" Tetsuko mentioned just last page. There's something about his eyes that tells us he's not trustworthy; but the girl he's flirting with now, BRITTANY, apparently doesn't see it, or doesn't care.

1. BRITTANY: Derek... why can't we get together tonight?
2. DEREK: I already told ya, babe... I got homework due, and I've already put it off too long!
3. BRITTANY: Since when does homework matter more than me?!

PANEL 2: Derek is stroking Brittany's cheek, as she gazes into his eyes.

4. BRITTANY: I'd better not find out you've got another girl, Derek!
5. DEREK: BRITTANY! Why would I want another girl when I've got YOU?

PANEL 3: As he walks away, Derek turns to wave at Brittany.

6. DEREK: Tell you what! Soon as my homework's done, I'll call you! Promise!
7. BRITTANY: OKAY, Derek! SEE ya!

PANEL 4: Close-up of Derek's face; an evil leer crosses his lips, as if he's proud of some deception he's pulled. (Which, of course, he has.)

PANEL 5: Derek checks his watch, realizes he's late for a date.

8. DEREK (t): SHIT! I was supposed to meet TETSUKO at the STUDENT UNION!...

PANEL 6: Tetsuko is standing in front of a cafeteria-style building that bears a plaque or sign reading "STUDENT UNION". Like Derek in the previous panel, she's checking her watch. (Derek's thought appears as a caption.)

9. CAPTION: "...now I gotta listen to her whine, like she does every time I'm just a little bit late!"
10: TETSUKO: TWENTY MINUTES LATE! Why can't he ever show up when he says he will?

PAGE FIVE

PANEL 1: Tetsuko turns as she sees Derek approaching, a big cheery smile on his face. She doesn't know whether to be relieved that he's all right or ticked off that he's late again.

1. DEREK: TETSUKO!!
2. TETSUKO: DEREK! THERE you are!...

PANEL 2: Two-shot, Derek and Tetsuko.

3. TETSUKO: ...I was afraid something had happened to you, or something!
4. DEREK: Nah! Just had a meeting with one of my professors that ran long.

PANEL 3: Different angle. Derek is beginning to get angry.

5. TETSUKO: Was it about that assignment you were telling me about the other day? Have you finished it yet?
6. DEREK: NO, I HAVEN'T finished it YET! Stop NAGGING me about it!!
7. TETSUKO: I'm not nagging - -

PANEL 4: Derek shakes his finger in Tetsuko's face.

8. DEREK: I've got plenty of time to do that assignment... and I don't need YOU hovering around me like a goddamn MOTHER HEN!!
9. TETSUKO: But...

PANEL 5: Tetsuko and Derek walk side-by-side down the sidewalk away from the Student Union, avoiding each others' eyes: Tetsuko looks down at the sidewalk, looking like she's about to cry, while Derek looks off into the distance, a scowl of anger twisting his mouth.

10. TETSUKO (t): Why does he have to treat me so mean?! I'm just concerned about his grades...
11. TETSUKO (t): ...if he weren't so good-looking I'd have left him by now!
12. DEREK (t): God, she's always whining and bitching at me for something or other!...
13. DEREK (t): ...if she weren't such a babe, I wouldn't put up with it!

[And that's where the scene ends; it was at about this point that I decided to return to my original idea of opening the story at the point when Tetsuko shows up for work on the fateful day, and find some other way of imparting the exposition later in the series. Also, I moved the timeline for the transformation to summer, between semesters, so that it'll be a while before Tetsuko goes back to college... and all the "joys" she'll be facing then!]