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Description
Comic Book Page Commission for for the page.
All work in Photoshop with Wacom.
Thanks for the look! Check out their NEW page!

The Story

The government operative known as Mako finished that last bite of her chicken sandwich and pitched the foil wrapper into a nearby trash can. She casually looked around as she lifted a can of energy drink to her lips and took a sip. To anyone watching her, she seemed like just another dock worker eating a late night meal. But if anyone had looked closely enough, they might have noticed that her dungarees looked a bit too new, that her dock shoes might have been dirty but the soles were brand new. She appeared relaxed but her eyes watched everything intently as she scanned her surroundings.

This was the place Torch Juggler had mentioned. Mako had visited the wounded heroine in the hospital as soon as she had regained consciousness. Juggler’s memory was still hazy, but she did recall going to the old docks. She was investigating reports from certain business owners regarding intimidation and extortion. Although she was unsure of all the details, she remembered hearing something about a big operation and the name “Aquarius”. That was all the recovering heroine could tell Mako.

Mako’s own investigation into the name Aquarius had revealed very little that wasn’t related to astrology and astronomy. One glaring exception had been report of a tramp steamer named Aquarius has been docked in Angel Falls. Having her government contacts check for her, Mako learned the ship had sailed the same night Torch Juggler was ambushed and nearly killed. She had ordered a satellite search for the freighter and placed all Coast Guard units on alert. Until the ship could be found, she decided to investigate the dock where the ship had been berthed. Her journey had brought here, to one of the most rundown sections of the Angel Falls port facility. The Aquarius had been docked at pier 31 for several days. According to records the ship had been in port for three days. Mako had dressed in typical clothes for dock workers and had come to the pier to investigate further. Stopping by some trees under the pretext of eating lunch, she used a pair of compact binoculars to look over the area before approaching any closer.

The pier had appeared nondescript and unremarkable. Currently empty of berthed ships, it was a perfect example of the state of affairs at the Angel Falls waterfront. After years of decline and disuse, nearly all of the waterfront’s facilities were in need of serious repair and refurbishment. Since this pier was at the farthest end of the waterfront it was adjacent to only a single warehouse. Sauntering over to the building, Mako began her reconnaissance of warehouse 13. The medium sized building was surrounded by a rusty and sagging chain link fence. At first glance it seemed identical to nearby warehouses, but the government agent’s trained eye soon spotted some interesting differences. First of all, this was the only warehouse with any cars parked in the parking lot. A dozen or so nondescript cars were near the building. As she walked by, she saw most of them had bumper stickers from the local dock workers’ union visible. Another detail that caught her attention was all of the building’s windows were intact and had been painted over with an opaque paint. Most of the other warehouses had some portion of their windows broken out or boarded up.

Checking to make sure she wasn’t being watched, she made her way around the side towards the back of the building. She saw the side and back doors were chained shut with heavy duty chains and padlocks. They were of sufficient size that even her enhanced strength on dry land wouldn’t be able to break them. In the water, where her strength was greater she might have been able to break them, but not now. The chains and locks were still shiny and rust-free. This was a clear indication that they were very recent additions.

Mako stopped and listened, but could hear no voices or activity coming from inside the building. She went over to one of the drain pipes running down from the roof. A few sharp tugs convinced her it should support her weight. Looking around again for signs of anyone watching or any surveillance equipment, she reassured herself she was alone. Grasping the pipe with her hands, her enhanced muscles gave her the strength to quickly climb up the pipe and onto the warehouse’s sloped roof. Pulling herself over the edge of the roof, she surveyed the expanse of peeling roof, ventilation units, and skylights. Moving with careful stealth, she made her over to the nearest skylight and peered inside. Unlike the windows, the skylights were not painted over. But numerous years of pollution, dirt, and smoke had made them so grimy they were almost impossible to see through. Unlike the locks on the doors, the padlocks on the skylights were old and well-weathered. Mako took a deep breath and exhaled as she twisted the lock violently to one side with all her strength. There was a loud metallic PING as the hasp of the padlock snapped in two. Removing the shattered lock, Mako slowly lifted the sky light and looked inside.

The dim moonlight revealed a gruesome scene. Her eyes were designed for superior low light vision and they served her well now. The floor of the warehouse was littered with bodies. None of them were moving and the faint odor of early stage decomp confirmed Mako’s suspicions. She was looking down at a charnel house.

To be continued …..

Line art and colors by

Mako is property of and appears with permission

Description
Comic Book Page Commission for for the page.
All work in Photoshop with Wacom.
Thanks for the look! Check out their NEW page!

The Story

The government operative known as Mako finished that last bite of her chicken sandwich and pitched the foil wrapper into a nearby trash can. She casually looked around as she lifted a can of energy drink to her lips and took a sip. To anyone watching her, she seemed like just another dock worker eating a late night meal. But if anyone had looked closely enough, they might have noticed that her dungarees looked a bit too new, that her dock shoes might have been dirty but the soles were brand new. She appeared relaxed but her eyes watched everything intently as she scanned her surroundings.

This was the place Torch Juggler had mentioned. Mako had visited the wounded heroine in the hospital as soon as she had regained consciousness. Juggler’s memory was still hazy, but she did recall going to the old docks. She was investigating reports from certain business owners regarding intimidation and extortion. Although she was unsure of all the details, she remembered hearing something about a big operation and the name “Aquarius”. That was all the recovering heroine could tell Mako.

Mako’s own investigation into the name Aquarius had revealed very little that wasn’t related to astrology and astronomy. One glaring exception had been report of a tramp steamer named Aquarius has been docked in Angel Falls. Having her government contacts check for her, Mako learned the ship had sailed the same night Torch Juggler was ambushed and nearly killed. She had ordered a satellite search for the freighter and placed all Coast Guard units on alert. Until the ship could be found, she decided to investigate the dock where the ship had been berthed. Her journey had brought here, to one of the most rundown sections of the Angel Falls port facility. The Aquarius had been docked at pier 31 for several days. According to records the ship had been in port for three days. Mako had dressed in typical clothes for dock workers and had come to the pier to investigate further. Stopping by some trees under the pretext of eating lunch, she used a pair of compact binoculars to look over the area before approaching any closer.

The pier had appeared nondescript and unremarkable. Currently empty of berthed ships, it was a perfect example of the state of affairs at the Angel Falls waterfront. After years of decline and disuse, nearly all of the waterfront’s facilities were in need of serious repair and refurbishment. Since this pier was at the farthest end of the waterfront it was adjacent to only a single warehouse. Sauntering over to the building, Mako began her reconnaissance of warehouse 13. The medium sized building was surrounded by a rusty and sagging chain link fence. At first glance it seemed identical to nearby warehouses, but the government agent’s trained eye soon spotted some interesting differences. First of all, this was the only warehouse with any cars parked in the parking lot. A dozen or so nondescript cars were near the building. As she walked by, she saw most of them had bumper stickers from the local dock workers’ union visible. Another detail that caught her attention was all of the building’s windows were intact and had been painted over with an opaque paint. Most of the other warehouses had some portion of their windows broken out or boarded up.

Checking to make sure she wasn’t being watched, she made her way around the side towards the back of the building. She saw the side and back doors were chained shut with heavy duty chains and padlocks. They were of sufficient size that even her enhanced strength on dry land wouldn’t be able to break them. In the water, where her strength was greater she might have been able to break them, but not now. The chains and locks were still shiny and rust-free. This was a clear indication that they were very recent additions.

Mako stopped and listened, but could hear no voices or activity coming from inside the building. She went over to one of the drain pipes running down from the roof. A few sharp tugs convinced her it should support her weight. Looking around again for signs of anyone watching or any surveillance equipment, she reassured herself she was alone. Grasping the pipe with her hands, her enhanced muscles gave her the strength to quickly climb up the pipe and onto the warehouse’s sloped roof. Pulling herself over the edge of the roof, she surveyed the expanse of peeling roof, ventilation units, and skylights. Moving with careful stealth, she made her over to the nearest skylight and peered inside. Unlike the windows, the skylights were not painted over. But numerous years of pollution, dirt, and smoke had made them so grimy they were almost impossible to see through. Unlike the locks on the doors, the padlocks on the skylights were old and well-weathered. Mako took a deep breath and exhaled as she twisted the lock violently to one side with all her strength. There was a loud metallic PING as the hasp of the padlock snapped in two. Removing the shattered lock, Mako slowly lifted the sky light and looked inside.

The dim moonlight revealed a gruesome scene. Her eyes were designed for superior low light vision and they served her well now. The floor of the warehouse was littered with bodies. None of them were moving and the faint odor of early stage decomp confirmed Mako’s suspicions. She was looking down at a charnel house.

To be continued …..

Line art and colors by

Mako is property of and appears with permission