Census Day
Summary
Donnie relays a telepathic message to a stunned city crowd
Boomtown’s forces arrive, driving the Horde into retreat. Hank distracts the Keepers, allowing the rest to escape and collapse the tunnel behind them.
Treatment
The Horde has made it into the Midtown building at the end of the rathole. After the Perry incident, Hank tells Sid to give his gun to Tim. Sid acquiesces, but expresses his displeasure about handing a gun over to someone they’ve never even seen shoot. Hank tells everyone to approach the busy square nearby, but spread out.
A Minister of Law reads a speech in front of the Black Pyramid. It is broadcast all around the city including in the diner where Holman sits, watching the parade. A moment later, he is gone. Holman enters a Census office and soon leaves. When he passes the busy square, a Keeper and what looks like one of Marcus’ goons follow him. In the square, a reenactment of a legendary duel between Six-Gun Cyanide and the Stranger* is being put on. According to the performance, The Stranger accepted Six-Gun’s challenge to duel but Six-Gun shot the Stranger in the back in the middle of the night. The crowd boos the Six-Gun character and call for violence against the Outsiders. One audience member speaks up critically of the Stranger’s less-than-heroic treatment of those in the Annex. An argument breaks out in the crowd, distracting them from the performance until their attention is drawn to another area in the square. When the thespian becomes aggravated at their lack of attention, he pushes through the crowd to see why they are now facing the other way.
Hank, Donnie, and other members of the Horde are revealed to be the thing attracting the crowd’s attention. The thespian is stunned into silence. Hank gives a speech to the gathered crowd about the lies told by Boomtown which has led them to believe they are enemies when they should be allies. As Hank introduces Donnie as one who has the truth and allows him to take the stage to give the message to those who want to hear it, Tim appears to consider making a getaway, but instead resolves to stay, cocks his gun, and points it at Hank.
Donnie relays a quasi-telepathic message to the crowd. It bursts from him, imprinting the message of the vision into the minds of many observers. Hank and Sid are not affected, but Joan, Tim, and many members of the crowd go wide-eyed, white-eyed, and silent. An undercover Keeper arrives and climbs onto the stage. Sid runs at Tim, who he sees holding the gun and pointing it toward the stage. Realizing Tim’s awareness is impaired, Sid tires to grab the gun from him but it goes off, hitting Donnie in the leg and breaking the trance-like state from which he gives the message. Hank supports Donnie and knocks out the Keeper who claimed onto the stage. He notices shooters on the roof who demand the Horde’s surrender. Hank is shot and he tells Joan to get Donnie and the rest out; Joan delegates to Sid and helps Hank instead. Sid runs back to the tunnel with Donnie. They are stopped by a Keeper who appears to have heard the message, “What was it? How? How?” he asks, clearly emotional. Sid kicks the Keeper back and continues to lead Donnie back to the tunnel.
Joan gets the remaining Hordsemen to retreat, providing covering fire as they go. When Joan tells Donnie they must go but Hank is behind them Sid argues with her and demands to go back for Hank. Joan will not allow it and orders him into the tunnel, per Hank’s orders. Sid begrudgingly follows the order. Joan waits a moment more, firing at a Keeper giving chase and hoping Hank will make it to them, but he does not appear. Joan ducks into the building with the tunnel.
Hank, well-bloodied, fights through several Keepers, killing them, before several shooters take him down. “You’re too late,” he tells them, “They’ve already heard the message.” The shooters reload and, when Hank tries to draw a knife and approach them, fire upon him simultaneously. With the threat neutralized, the Keeper follows after Joan and the others. When he gets to the building’s door, an explosion flings him back into the alley’s opposite wall. The Keepers around Hank go to check it out leaving the fallen Hank immobile on the ground.