Immortal Sins II, Part 2
Immortal Sins
(Pt. 2)
Part 2
(October 13, 2009)
Written by: Masquerade
Act Three
INT. FAITH'S IMPALA - NIGHTCLUB PARKING LOT - GRANADA HILLS - NIGHT
Faith has one elbow on the open driver's side window of her Impala and a no-nonsense look for the person on the other end of her phone.
FAITH
No one's gonna get hurt.
(beat)
No one human, anyway.
Can you get it?
Her lips twist into a frown.
FAITH
You owe me a favor, Bette,
you said so yourself.
A pause as she listens.
FAITH
Of course you can go through "channels."
That's not the favor.
Faith stretches her back out against the car seat restlessly, then continues with a calm, measured voice.
FAITH
I actually want their help.
(a hesitant beat)
...But I don't want them entering the house.
LOW SHOT - Faith's knee and foot bounce with nervous energy.
FAITH
You're gonna convince them.
(exasperated beat)
Yeah, you can!
Another pause. In a burst of energy, Faith reaches for the car door handle and opens it, stepping out.
FAITH
That's pretty much what I want their help with.
She smacks her free hand on the roof of the car and grins.
FAITH
Thanks, Bette.
Crazy Jack's Bar and Grill on Chatsworth in Granada Hills.
Before dawn, and everything'll be cool.
She hangs up and stares forward for a moment. CLOSE-UP on her agitated weariness. Finally, she looks down at her phone and clicks a few buttons.
INSERT - A STATUS LINE on the phone display reads, 0 Calls 0 Messages
Faith slams the door shut with frustration and takes a few steps away from Impala, phone in hand.
TIGHT CRANE SHOT - Faith and her car. The FRAME RISES, widening the view until it takes in the ENTIRE PARKING LOT. Faith is alone there with only a pair of trucks parked nearby.
INT. CAVERNOUS UNDERGROUND CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS
Buffy is battling a legion of demons with bare fists and booted feet. A large, burly THUG comes up behind her, raising a club high over her head.
SORCERESS (o.s.)
Don't kill her!
The thug-demon halts in mid-bludgeon. Buffy elbows it HARD, KNOCKING THE DEMON BACK. Another, more muscular demon takes its place in an instant. It clenches Buffy's arms in a tight lock. She gapes with pain.
The sorceress looks on coldly, then beckons the demon holding Buffy towards her. She glances up towards the arching heights of the cavern.
SORCERESS
(to the robed demon beside her, murmuring)
Sunrise is less than two hours.
Buffy struggles against her demon captor as it pushes her towards the sorceress.
BUFFY
What's so...important...about...sunrise?
The sorceress pours a potion onto a rag, ignoring her. Buffy 's thrashing increases. Her eyes dart around the immediate area. As she is brought closer, Buffy spots - the BLOODIED SWORD, now sitting on a STONE ALTAR. The sorceress steps towards her, proffering the rag.
SORCERESS
Hold her still.
BUFFY
(struggling)
You're keeping me alive...for something.
What is it?
The sorceress says nothing. She brings the rag up to Buffy's nose and mouth. Just then, the cavern SHAKES again, knocking everyone off stride. Buffy jostles herself free of the demon's grip, then dives into a forward flip, GRABBING THE SWORD OFF THE ALTAR as she comes up. She drops to a crouch, barely avoiding several demons' arms as they seize the space where she stood. LOW SHOT - She scurries away, doubled over. More demons lunge at her and she falls into a somersault, then leaps to her feet.
The sorceress whirls, dismayed.
SORCERESS
Get her!
SPIKE (o.s.)
Oi, Buffy!
QUICK-PAN UP - Spike is standing on the rock ledge jutting out from the cleft in the cavern wall about twenty feet up.
Buffy ignores him, blocking one demon's sword with her own, then another. One of her thrusts slips past a demon's guard and SLASHES the side of its neck. The demon howls. Buffy races on, finally risking a glance up. She KICKS AWAY a demon in her path, then raises her sword against an ax slicing down on her. Another demon lunges at her low, trying to avoid the sword. Buffy grabs a second demon and uses it to mow down the first. They TUMBLE BACKWARDS. The second demon falls over the first and they crumple in a ball on the ground. Quickly, Buffy charges them, mounts the arched back of the second demon, and LAUNCHES HERSELF off the shoulder of a third standing just beyond them. Its hands grapple the air uselessly as Buffy SAILS UPWARD TOWARDS THE LEDGE.
Her toes just miss the edge and she TUMBLES DOWN, free hand flailing. Quickly, Spike grabs it and lifts her up beside him.
BUFFY
(exhaling)
Thanks.
SORCERESS (o.s.)
(screeching below)
Get her!
CUT TO - DEMONS instantly pursue, mounting the rock wall and climbing.
Spike and Buffy pick up rocks from the ledge where they are standing and pitch them down at her pursuers. Several demons cry out and fall back from the wall. Others keep climbing. TWO-SHOT - Buffy and Spike pivot to retreat into the tunnel at the back of the cleft. Just then, a LARGE PRIO MOTU appears there, swinging an ax. The demon is on Buffy in a second. Buffy ducks low, grabs its legs, and uses its momentum to TOSS IT OVER HER SHOULDER.
CRANE SHOT - The Prio Motu FLAILS, howling, and tumbles onto its comrades below, knocking them over before it SKEWERS ITSELF on one of their swords.
Buffy and Spike dash into the tunnel.
INT. TUNNEL
LONG SHOT - They make a run for it.
INT. CAVERNOUS UNDERGROUND CHAMBER
The climbing demons are almost to the ledge. Suddenly, ROCKS RAIN DOWN from another position higher up, knocking them off the wall. The fallen demons land hard on the floor of the cavern. Another wave demons start to scale the wall in their place. The sorceress points up.
SORCERESS
And there's someone at the mid-level tunnels!
As if in answer, another rock sails down and beans the sorceress in the head, knocking her silly.
EXT. SLAYER COUNCIL BUILDING - EARLY MORNING - ESTABLISHING
INT. FIRST FLOOR FOYER
The Slayer Council scholar Rachel waits just behind the glass front door, anxious eyes on the street. Her eyes widen as HEADLIGHT BEAMS arc up to the curb and cut out. An engine's growl fades. A few beats later, a car door slams. Rachel backs up as - her POV, through glass - Nigel rushes towards her in his overcoat and loafers. He opens the door and enters.
RACHEL
(puzzled)
Nigel, what are you...did Faith call you?
NIGEL
I received a call from her,
but it went to voice mail before
I could answer.
He heads towards the stairs. Rachel throws a look back out the front door, then follows him. They head up.
NIGEL
The message was gibberish,
something about not being able to get hold of Aiden....
Rachel compresses her lips solemnly.
RACHEL
She's been trying to reach him by phone.
The slayers are heading into the Gathering mansion,
but the Dagger of the Nyazians is nowhere to be found.
Faith needs a way to keep that gate from being opened.
INT. SECOND-FLOOR CORRIDOR
They cross towards the suite door, where Rachel slows.
RACHEL
I came over here to find out why she couldn't contact him.
NIGEL
(looking at her)
Is he all right?
Rachel shakes her head.
RACHEL
No.
CUT TO - INT. SUITE MAIN HALLWAY
They head up the hall.
RACHEL
I've already called an ambulance.
That's who I was looking for when you pulled up.
IN FRAME - The swirling portal. Nigel and Rachel pass through it.
INT. LIBRARY
Nigel's eyes settle on the floor beside the conference table with alarm.
NIGEL
Aiden!
He rushes over to where Aiden lies and kneels beside him, feeling as his neck for a pulse. Rachel hovers behind him.
RACHEL
(anxiously)
Last time I checked, he was alive.
Nigel grimaces as he withdraws his hand, fingers spread.
NIGEL
Ugh.
He fishes in his coat pocket with his other hand and pulls out a handkerchief. He wipes at his fingers.
NIGEL
He's still with us.
Rachel closes her eyes briefly in relief. Nigel's voice tightens as if he is struggling to hold his breath.
NIGEL
I'd prefer...the paramedics not...enter the suite.
We need...to get him...out into the corridor.
Rachel nods. Nigel raises a hand and covers his nose and mouth, taking in Aiden's position thoughtfully.
NIGEL
(voice muffled)
Right. Let's put him in his chair.
He stuffs his handkerchief in his pocket and takes hold of Aiden under his shoulders.
NIGEL
(glancing back)
I need you to take hold of his ankles whilst I lift him.
Rachel steps back as Nigel slides Aiden forward a few feet with a grunt. Then, gingerly, she steps around the two of them, bumping into the table at her back, then Aiden's wheel chair at her front. TIGHT SHOT - The computer mouse shifts slightly, dislodging the monitor from its sleep. Rachel glances at the computer screen as she takes up position at Aiden's feet. Her brow wrinkles. She steps over to the table to get a closer look.
RACHEL
This is interesting....
(reading)
"The Key of Pandemonium--a ritual for unleashing
incredible energies...."
Nigel looks up with distraction.
NIGEL
Read it after we take him out to meet the paramedics.
Rachel's eyes widen.
RACHEL
Right.
She returns to Aiden again and sinks into the wheelchair, then bends forward to grip Aiden's ankles. She eyes Nigel, taking her cues from him as he LIFTS AIDEN BODILY TO HIS FEET, grunting. Then Rachel stands, helping to steady Aiden upright.
NIGEL
Now let's get him into his chair.
Together, they lower Aiden to seating. His head sags forward. Nigel grasps hold of the arms of the chair and draws it towards himself, then steps around it to wheel Aiden out of the library. Rachel follows.
INT. PROFESSOR ROTH'S KITCHEN - EARLY MORNING
Professor Roth stands at her coffee machine, sipping from a mug with a sour frown and staring out the window. There are fatigue circles under her eyes. Her POV - Her neighbors' homes, lit softly in the darkness by porch lights and street lamps. A HEAVY METALLIC CLUNK, CLUNK off screen draws her alarmed attention. CUT TO Willis, who draws his hand up from the BLOOD-STAINED MACHETE he just deposited on the counter. We recognize it as belonging to the vampire guarding Tracy's apartment.
WILLIS
He's lost the thrall.
Melanie gapes at the machete, then at him. Her brow wrinkles as his words sink in.
MELANIE
That's impossible. He embraced it.
(she drifts towards him)
You don't get out of the Patron's thrall once it's embraced!
Willis turns away from the vampire guard's weapon, pacing into the middle of the room. He looks very disturbed.
WILLIS
Yes, I know.
He stops, hands on his hips.
WILLIS
Fortunately, I think the crack is wide enough.
Melanie's expression darkens. She circles towards him, her voice dripping with contempt and suspicion.
MELANIE
And what "crack" would that be?
A sinister smirk from Willis. He takes in her kitchen casually.
WILLIS
The one in the wall of the Patrons' dimension
created by the release of their power.
It was widening rapidly, up until a few hours ago.
Melanie sets her coffee cup on the counter, lips working with fury.
MELANIE
That was the plan all along, wasn't it?
She glares at him.
MELANIE
Connor Reilly isn't just some "potential hero"
whose corruption would earn the Patrons brownie-points.
Willis raises his chin, his expression triumphant.
MELANIE
Connor Reilly...has a potential for good so vast,
that taking it away is the straw
that's finally broken the camel's back!
Willis says nothing for a moment. Then, quietly -
WILLIS
Yes.
Melanie's eyes wander. Her expression is aghast.
MELANIE
You've been manipulating everything I've done....
Every move I've made was calculated to neutralize him,
and whatever he's supposed to do....
Her brows knit in stunned thought. Willis turns, leveling his gaze on her. The smug smirk is still there.
WILLIS
Whatever it was, it's not worth worrying about.
The Patrons will be joining us here regardless.
(QUICK-CUT TO the anxious twinge on Melanie's face)
And you can't stop that, in case you're considering it.
He returns to the far counter and grabs up the machete, then turns on her. Melanie steps back, gulping hard, eyes wide. Then, without another word, Willis turns and leaves. Melanie gapes after him. After a stunned beat, her mouth twists with bitter hatred. Her eyes dart towards the doorway to the dining room with determination.
MELANIE
I can think of one way to stop it.
INT. DINING ROOM
She crosses the dining room, stops at the antique buffet, and kneels down, opening a cabinet door. Inside is a metal lock box. She pulls it out, snaps it open, and dumps its contents on the carpet. TIGHT OVERHEAD SHOT - A HAND GUN and a box of bullets.
CUT TO EXT. PROFESSOR ROTH'S HOUSE - A MOMENT LATER
Professor Roth backs her Lexus out of the garage and down the driveway.
INT. PROFESSOR ROTH'S OFFICE - UCLA CAMPUS - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
SUPER LEGEND:
Eight months ago
CASUAL PAN of the chaotic, intellectual clutter we've come to know - Colored bottles, woodcuts, a chalkboard littered with Chinese characters;
WOMAN (OFF-SCREEN)
(clarifying)
But it's not a...medical cure.
PROFESSOR ROTH (O.S.)
I think you've seen enough now to know
there's more to this world than science can provide.
CONTINUED PAN - framed and fading black-and-white photographs, a doctoral diploma in Theology from Loyola-Marymount, 2001;
PROFESSOR ROTH (O.S.)
And besides, have you found a medical intervention
that's actually worked?
CONTINUED PAN - and bookshelf after bookshelf of philosophical treatises, sacred texts, medical reference guides adorned with gold leaf caduceus symbols, alchemical works, and literary classics.
Professor Roth has a sympathetic look for the dark-haired young woman sitting in her visitor's chair. The girl's face is pale and drawn, and her eyes are too darkly hollowed for someone her age.
JULIA
If I had, I wouldn't have stepped foot in Sekhmet.
Professor Roth's response is a disquieted frown.
PROFESSOR ROTH
I've heard of the place.
(a sigh)
And apparently...they've heard of me as well.
I'm not surprised, but I do find it...disturbing.
Julia's expression turns anxious.
JULIA
Doctor, I need to know how much this is going to cost.
My insurance has run out.
Professor Roth chuckles dryly. She stands and walks over to the small refrigerator under a side table.
PROFESSOR ROTH
I doubt this particular treatment is covered by Blue Cross, anyway.
(she opens it and kneels down, fishing inside)
We can talk about money later.
She pulls out a bottled water and a small medicine vial of milky liquid and stands. She sets them on the table.
PROFESSOR ROTH
(uncapping the containers)
This is just an initial dose.
I want you to take it,
then go see your doctor in a week.
(she adds a few drops of the medication to the water)
Verify that it's restoring the proper
molecular balance in your blood cells.
Then we'll discuss if you want to proceed.
She turns, recapping the water bottle, which goes on wrong and drops to the floor. Professor Roth bends over to retrieve it. Julia's POV - Dangling from a chain around Professor Roth's neck is her Anunnaki pendant - a bearded man in profile superimposed over a pair of spread wings.
Julia peers at it with a knit brow, then turns her attention to - TIGHT SHOT - a medical text with the CADUCEUS SYMBOL. Her eyes widen. Quickly she stands. Her voice is carefully measured panic.
JULIA
You know...what? I--I changed my mind.
Professor Roth stands tall, bottle in hand, looking puzzled. Julia eyes her back, petrified, then turns abruptly and heads for the door.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Julia?
Professor Roth glances down to see her exposed pendant, fingers it briefly, then looks up after fleeing visitor.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Julia, wait!
JULIA (o.s.)
(voice echoing down the hall)
I don't want it!
INT. CORRIDOR
Julia fumbles in her purse, half-running, half-walking. She yanks a red cocktail napkin out, then fumbles in her purse again, bolting for the elevator. REVERSE ANGLE - Professor Roth strides after her.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Julia, wait--!
Julia stabs at the "DOWN" button. Her eyes dart between the closed elevator and the professor. She is clutching her cell phone.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Julia, let me explain--
JULIA
No! You're one of them!
Those...Anunnakis!
She stabs the button again. Professor Roth ducks in her chin and raises a hand, eyeing the girl intently.
MELANIE
Mnemosyne...dip into the waters of the river Lethe....
Panicked, Julia spots the stairwell door.
MELANIE
...and wash away this girl's--
She makes a dash for it.
MELANIE
...memories of this hour!
The spell hits just as the door shuts. Professor Roth charges after her.
INT. STAIRWELL
Julia clomps down the stairs.
INT. UPSTAIRS CORRIDOR
Professor Roth hurries into the elevator as the doors part.
CUT TO - EXT. DODD HALL - NIGHT
Julia hurries outside, stuffing her phone back into her purse. She fingers the pendant on her own necklace anxiously. Her face is a mask of fear. The napkin is still clutched in her other hand. She heads out.
MAN (O.S.)
Ms. Moore.
With a gasp, she pivots and turns. Standing there is Willis, cane in hand. He shakes his head, chuckling wryly.
WILLIS
She screwed up again, didn't she?
JULIA
(baffled)
What?
Willis' eyes narrow.
WILLIS
She's been doing that lately. Going soft.
He raises his cane. Julia backs away from him.
JULIA
Sorry, I have to--
Just as she is about to turn, ELECTRICITY ARCS OUT from his cane, zeroing in on her necklace pendant like a lightening rod. It sends Julia flailing back, but she doesn't loose her balance. A LARGE, ANGRY BURN smolders on her chest. Willis looks on, stunned.
WILLIS
(baffled)
What the hell?
He grips the neck of his cane and stares at it. Julia hobbles back, mouth agape, a string of blood welling in the corner of her lip. She stumbles around, eyes bulging, and totters away. Willis starts after her, then is whirled around by the whoosh of the door behind him.
Melanie charges towards him.
PROFESSOR ROTH
What did you do that for?!
That wasn't necessary!
CRANE SHOT, PORTOLA PLAZA - Julia stumbles out, her course taking her into the path of a lone student passing under an overhead lamp. We can hear her hoarse breathing. TIGHT SHOT - Connor hears Julia before he sees her.
CUT TO - EXT. DODD HALL
Professor Roth clamps her hand on Willis' arm. Willis scoffs, yanking it away. Their voices are low and hushed.
WILLIS
(with blithe disdain)
A selective memory spell? Really, Melanie,
did you think that would actually work?
PROFESSOR ROTH
They work if you do them right.
WILLIS
But you didn't.
And she would have yakked about you to the wrong people.
Melanie gives him a grimacing scrutiny.
PROFESSOR ROTH
How did you even know she was here tonight?
WILLIS
She's been asking a lot of questions.
So has her boyfriend.
(smug beat)
I followed her here,
and then of course, I had to--
Melanie's face fills with rage.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Eavesdrop?!
Willis cool expression melts into a sinister smile.
WILLIS
The Patrons asked me to keep an eye on you.
They know you want out of your debt to them.
Melanie draws back her head defensively.
WILLIS
But nobody gets out of the deal.
And those who won't accept the deal once it's offered...
have to be neutralized, one way or another.
CUT BACK to the CRANE SHOT of Portola Plaza. Connor kneels over Julia as she slumps still.
INT. CHAMBER HOLLOWED OUT IN ROCK - BENEATH THE GATHERING MANSION - EARLY MORNING (PRESENT DAY)
The COCKROACH-FACED DEMONS circle around the hole in the rock floor. Their POV, looking down - The hole is roughly cylindrical with jagged walls and nearly THIRTY FEET DEEP. The POV SHOT shifts into a SLOW, DESCENDING DOLLY that sinks all the way to the bottom where -
Angel is huddled inside a FISSURE in the wall with Connor lying across his lap. Angel's POV, looking down - Connor moans, eyes at half mast. Angel digs in his coat pocket and fishes out his cell phone. INSERT - The phone display. The power meter is charged, but the communications dish icon sits inert. Angel stabs at the buttons and brings the phone to his ear. He brings it back down with a scowl.
ANGEL
Damn it.
He stabs at the buttons a few more times, then pockets the phone with despair. Connor turns his head to take in their refuge.
CONNOR
...Dad?
Angel brushes the filthy bangs from Connor's face. Then FOOTSTEPS AND COMMOTION ABOVE bring an anxious grimace to his face. He leans forward a bit to look up around the edge of the fissure. His POV - Only the walls of the deep hollow they have fallen into. There are SHOUTS and GRUNTS and WEAPONS CLANKING above. Angel glances down at his son with determination.
ANGEL
Hang on, Connor, I'm getting you out of here.
He gathers up Connor in his arms and, still seated, shifts himself forward, emerging from the fissure. He looks up.
His POV, up the deep crevice - MERE GLIMPSES of the demons as they do battle against some unseen foe.
Angel stretches Connor out on the ground on his back. Then, awkwardly, he removes his own jacket and Connor's as well and strings them together into a single, long loop, which he tugs tightly to ensure its strength. He lifts the loop and secures one end of it across his own shoulders. The remainder he lets hang down his back and gather on the ground. Angel shifts around, still sitting, until he is positioned with his back to his son's legs, then scoots between them. He reaches back, grabs Connor's forearm and lifts him up against his back. Connor moans again softly. Angel draws Connor's legs around his hips, then secures Connor's arms around his neck.
Angel stands slowly, grunting and repositioning his own legs for leverage, with Connor seated in the makeshift sling. Connor sags against him. With his son secure, Angel's eyes scan the jagged walls rising above them. He clasps his hand onto a small protrusion, makes sure it will hold, then finds another for his other hand.
Slowly, he begins to ascend.
BLACK OUT.
END OF ACT THREE
Act Four
EXT. PARKING LOT - GRANADA HILLS - EARLY MORNING
Cars and trucks now pepper the far end of the dimly-lit lot. Slayers mill around them, talking. A nondescript commercial delivery truck is parked beside Faith's Impala. MEDIUM TWO-SHOT - Faith and a buff-looking woman in green army fatigue pants and an olive green t-shirt are unloading plastic crates from the truck. The woman's forearms are adorned with multiple tattoos. She sets one last crate on the asphalt, making four in all. They are labeled with the insignia of the United States Army and the label M.R.E. Meals Ready to Eat. The woman opens one. Faith peers inside.
BETTE
This is all we could spare in
such a short period of time.
TIGHT OVERHEAD SHOT - White plastic blocks, looking for all the world like bricks of cheese. If it weren't for their metal backing, and the wires.
Faith nods.
FAITH
That's all right. I can wing it.
Bette closes the crate and picks it up. She follows Faith over to her Impala. Faith unlocks the trunk and opens it. Her no-nonsense determined expression pinches into aghast surprise.
FAITH
What the fuck?!
Bette stops beside her.
BETTE
Something wrong?
Bette looks inside the trunk. Her POV - A long metal truck toolbox bolted to the bottom of the trunk lies open and empty. Faith shakes her head.
FAITH
Nothing that's your problem.
My sword was in here, now it's gone.
Bette turns, scanning the parking lot with well-trained alertness.
BETTE
Someone ripped it off.
FAITH
Not from here, I've been with my car the whole time.
Probably from home.
She lets out a weary sigh, then steps out of Bette's way.
FAITH
Let's get the rest loaded.
Bette turns back and gently settles her crate in the trunk. Then the two of them return for more. Bette offers a smile.
BETTE
You know, I wanted to thank you.
I know we haven't hung out much since I got out.
FAITH
You've been busy.
(Faith reaches down for a crate)
'Sides, I think we about covered every topic on Earth,
being stuck in that eight-by-twelve every day.
She hefts it.
BETTE
(hefting her own)
Yeah, I guess we did.
They share a grin. Faith follows her back to the Impala.
BETTE
All that creepy stuff you told me
really gave me a lot to think about.
She pauses behind the trunk, looking thoughtful.
BETTE
Changes the way you think about everything, really.
Faith sets her crate inside.
FAITH
It did a lot more than change the way you think, Bette.
Bette lays her own crate beside it, then gives Faith a sincere look.
BETTE
You were so hell-bent on getting straight,
like you really, you know, believed in it.
I understand why now.
(she shakes her head)
The things I've seen in the last few months....
(overwhelmed beat)
Joining the Ops has changed my life.
Faith nods an acknowledgement. Then Bette chuckles breathlessly. She turns back for the last crate.
BETTE
(walking)
Speaking of which,
Alpha Squad's ready to deploy at your say-so.
She picks it up and turns, giving Faith an impressed look.
BETTE
Do you know the kind of respect you gotta pull
to get them to let a civilian call the shots?
Faith shrugs.
FAITH
If the jarheads could have stopped the Gathering
on their own, they would have.
No offense.
(Bette shakes her head; none taken)
You guys got your know-how,
we've got ours.
Bette approaches Faith's car and sets the crate inside.
BETTE
I hear that.
She clasps Faith's upper arm.
BETTE
Let me explain the detonator to you.
They return to the truck. As they walk, Faith's phone rings. Bette steps up to the open doors of the rear of the truck. Faith pauses and tosses her head back with relief, phone to her ear.
FAITH
Jesus! Thanks for calling me back.
(then, with exasperation -)
Why hasn't Aiden called?
(her expression falls as she listens)
Shit.
Bette glances back curiously.
FAITH
Okay.
(then, with distraction -)
Hang on...the Key of what?
(she turns pacing)
Pandemonium. Uh-huh.
Then she stops, scoffing.
FAITH
"As simple as that"--nothing simple about crashing
a party with a thousand demons!
(she shakes her head)
No, the Dagger of the Nyazians is out of play.
We know where it was, but now there's no sign of it.
A pause; she listens.
FAITH
Okay, I'm heading down.
DISSOLVE TO - INT. CONCRETE WATER CHANNEL - A SHORT WHILE LATER
Faith approaches the corrugated metal tunnel, a military-issue backpack slung over her shoulders. She is accompanied by three other slayers, a tall, willowy blonde with a crossbow under her arm, a determined-looking brunette, and an athletic Japanese girl with an ax in her hand. The other three have large camping packs on their backs. The blond slayer shifts her shoulders under the weight of her pack.
BLOND SLAYER
What's in these things?
FAITH
(perfunctorily)
Retraction cables.
Faith gestures the girls closer. They huddle in. Faith scans the assembled team.
Faith
Who's got the best arm?
The Japanese slayer raises a hand.
KAHOKO
I played baseball back home.
(a sheepish grin)
I was scouted for a professional league...
(then a wistful frown)
but I had to come here.
The others look impressed, but Kahoko shakes her head.
KAHOKO
It would have been totally unfair,
nine grown men having to take on
eight grown men and a slayer.
(she shrugs)
Still, would have been cool to be the first girl
in professional baseball.
Faith grins, then has a hopeful look for her.
FAITH
Tell me you were a pitcher.
Kahoko shakes her head again, apologetically.
KAHOKO
Left field.
Faith clasps her shoulder.
FAITH
Close enough.
(then, to all the girls -)
Okay. One team is gonna head to the bottom
of the cavern to disrupt that gate-spell of theirs.
The girls nod nervously.
FAITH
The other team is going to position themselves
to extract the first half once they've finished.
Kahoko looks uncertain.
KAHOKO
Finished what...exactly?
INT. DEEP HOLE IN THE GROUND - BENEATH THE GATHERING MANSION - EARLY MORNING
Angel ascends slowly, Connor sagging against his back. He risks a glance up. UPWARD SHOT, his POV - The cockroach-faced demons have disappeared. The distant, low chanting from the main cavern is the only sound that can be heard.
ANGEL
Don't know where those demons went to,
but we'll just be grateful for small favors.
He continues climbing for a moment.
ANGEL
...Once we get you out of here,
we'll get you to a hospital--
Just then, a TREMBLE passes through the cave. TIGHT SHOT - Rubble slips out from under Angel's boot. TIGHT SHOT - His right hand loses its hold.
Quickly, Angel shoots out his right foot and hand to the other side of the hole to brace himself, then almost loses his balance as the weight of Connor tugs him backwards. He grits his teeth, steadying himself. The tremor passes. He throws his head back in an exhale, despair etched on his face. HOLD on that. Angel pants.
ANGEL
I'm sorry I dragged you here, Connor,
I don't know what I was thinking.
...We don't have the dagger,
there's just a lot of demons who are after you....
He stares up miserably for a few beats, then rights his gaze to scan the rugged rock that surrounds them. With a grunt, he launches his right hand and foot off their side of the hole and brings himself completely back to the side he started on, grappling there for a hold. As soon as he has it, he resumes his climb. He struggles to cover some area before he speaks again.
ANGEL
But I'm going to get you out of here in one piece, I swear.
Connor sags limply, jostled by Angel's movements, but not moving himself. Angel's eyes dart to one side with alarm.
ANGEL
...Connor?
No response, not even a moan. Angel pauses.
ANGEL
(struggling to look over his shoulder)
Connor!
Then, finally, between cracked lips -
CONNOR
...Tired.
ANGEL
Damn it, Connor, you can't sleep.
You probably have a concussion.
CONNOR
Never, had...cussion...
even in...Quortoth....
Angel compresses his lips with chagrin and resumes climbing.
ANGEL
...And I've never known how to talk to you.
I'll probably put you to sleep
trying to keep you awake.
(a grunt; he climbs)
But I have no other way to know you're okay.
You have to stay awake.
He falls silent again as he continues up, his frustration evident on his features. Finally -
ANGEL
(muttering)
Damn it.
I think it's time...for fingernails on a chalkboard.
(a grunt)
You liked it...when you were a baby.
He clears his throat. Then, softly crooning (or is it croaking?) -
ANGEL
You are my sunshine...my only sunshine....
(he climbs, falling into a rhythm)
you make me hap...py, when skies are gray....
You'll never know, Son, how much I love you....
He chokes up, his expression anguished. Then, pushing on -
ANGEL
...Please don't take...my sunshine...away.
CUT TO Connor, hanging limply. Angel throws him a worried glance.
ANGEL
Connor...?
(then, with rising panic)
Connor?!
CONNOR
(mumbling)
Good...plan, Dad. Your singing...will...
definitely...keep the bad guys...at bay.
Angel chuckles with relief.
ANGEL
That, or attract flies.
He continues up.
CLOSE-UP on Connor - He cracks a smile. Then his eyelids droop closed. A SLOW HEARTBEAT starts up, at first part of the background. Then it gradually OVERWHELMS THE SOUNDTRACK.
DISSOLVE TO an OVERHEAD SHOT. Angel reaches the top of the hole. He slides his torso and hips up to the surface with brute strength, then snakes along until he can roll over onto his side and safely deposit his son on the chamber floor. Two of the COCKROACH DEMONS that were after Connor lie on the ground nearby, dead.
A voice resonates over the continuing heartbeat -
WOMAN (O.S.)
You have to embrace the darkness.
QUICK-PAN to Alix, standing near the doorway of the rock-hewn chamber, dressed in a simple blue silk shift. She is speaking to a fourth person in the room.
A SECOND CONNOR stands awake and uninjured near the edge of the hole. He is looking down at his father and himself, right where we left them. Angel leans over the first Connor, forcing his eyelids open to check for injury.
Then the second Connor seems to notice Alix for the first time.
SECOND CONNOR
(puzzled)
Alix?
She strolls towards him, arms loose at her sides. As she speaks, the HEARTBEAT softens again into the background.
ALIX
You've feared that side of yourself
since the memories returned.
(intent beat)
In Quortoth, you had no choice--it was kill or be killed,
and you knew instinctively if Father wouldn't approve;
you knew where the line was.
She tilts her head, closing the space between them.
ALIX
But now, you want to live like a human.
Connor's face contorts with confusion.
SECOND CONNOR
I am human.
A grudging smile from Alix. She veers off to one side of him.
ALIX
But that's not where you come from.
As she speaks, she MORPHS into DARLA. Connor's mother reaches out her fingertips to her sons' jaw and turns his head to look at her. Taken aback, Connor allows the intimacy.
DARLA
You were made by two vampires,
and fed human blood in the womb.
Born in an alley,
and raised in hell.
Connor gazes at her warily.
DARLA
You come from death.
The stench of the grave,
the desperate hunger of the soulless.
She MORPHS into Alix again.
ALIX
And that's why you fear you're the devil.
Connor backs away reflexively, then gapes behind himself, startled, to make sure he isn't too close to the hole.
ALIX
But the line is still there.
You don't have to cross it.
Connor dodges around her to a spot well clear of the hole in the Earth. Alix circles, tracking him.
ALIX
Yet you won't even go near it.
You hide in the safety of school work
and the memories of a suburban life that never happened.
Connor whirls on her, his face contorting with pain.
SECOND CONNOR
You don't know, Alix!
You don't know what it's like to be human
(he clasps fingertips to his chest)
and feel the things I...feel...deep down.
His hand balls into a fist and he sneers at her with feral disdain, allowing those feelings rise to the surface. Alix takes in the sight of him with undisguised pleasure.
ALIX
"There's a monster inside."
(an intent smile)
I know. I sensed it in you from the beginning.
She tilts her head again, mock-pouting.
ALIX
(sing-songy)
And "nobody knows what that's like."
With that, she MORPHS into Angel.
ANGEL
But there's someone who does, Son.
Connor gapes from the Angel standing before him to the Angel rising from the ground. That Angel has loaded the first Connor onto his back again.
SECOND ANGEL
Someone who has for a long time.
(he shakes his head slowly)
You're not the devil, Connor.
SIDE TWO-SHOT of the second Connor and Angel, facing off. Beyond them, the real Angel veers around the hole in the chamber floor and yanks up Steven's ax from the ground, then heads out of the chamber through an access way in the back wall.
ALIX (O.S.)
You're an angel.
Connor whirls around to see Alix standing there again.
ALIX
And not 'cause your dad decided to give himself
that lame name.
(her gaze is steady)
But because of what you believe in,
and the power you've been given to fight for it.
(beat)
It's what you were made for.
Connor shakes his head slowly, grimacing.
SECOND CONNOR
That "power" comes from demons.
You said it yourself--from death and blood and anger.
Alix shrugs blithely.
ALIX
So God has a sick sense of humor.
No surprise to me.
She steps up close to his side and raises her chin until her lips are nearly pressed to his ear.
ALIX
(in a husky murmur)
"Control" isn't stopping. Control is using.
Connor pivots away from her with a scowl, then notices that he and his father are no longer there. His eyes fall on the access way in the back wall where they exited. He starts towards it. As he does, the cavern around him dissolves into a WHITE, FEATURELESS PLACE.
EXT. LONG BEACH FREEWAY - EARLY MORNING
AERIAL SHOT - One lonely sedan speeds along, headed south bound.
INT. LEXUS
Professor Roth stares ahead intently, cell phone to her ear.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Information. City, please?
MELANIE
Hollywood.
The number of the Temple Luna Club.
WOMAN'S VOICE
One moment.
(a long pause)
That number is 323-555-1031.
I'll connect you.
MELANIE
Thank you.
Ringing.
EXT. TEMPLE LUNA CLUB - ESTABLISHING
The blocky one-story brick building sits closed and apparently devoid of activity under yellow security lights.
INT. NIGHTCLUB
The dance floor is empty of people and lit up under harsh overheads. A RINGING from the bar prompts the GOTH-GIRL CLUB MANAGER to set her broad push-broom against a table and walk over. Somewhere nearby, we can hear a low, steady chanting of a congregation of voices. The manager picks up the receiver on the phone parked at the end of the bar.
MANAGER
Temple Luna.
INT. LEXUS
MELANIE
Hi, I need to speak to someone in the coven.
MANAGER'S VOICE
They're a little busy at the moment.
Professor Roth nods grudgingly.
MELANIE
Yes, I imagine they are.
(a vexed beat)
Is there some way to leave a message?
MANAGER'S VOICE
I can take a message.
Professor Roth's lips tighten with determination.
MELANIE
All right, the message is this:
The Dagger of Nyazians is not on this plane,
it's in another dimension.
MANAGER'S VOICE
(suspiciously)
Who is this?
MELANIE
I'm the one that stole it from Angel
in the first place.
INT. NIGHTCLUB
The manager scoffs, sinking onto a bar stool.
MANAGER
Oh, you are?
So why should I believe you?
MELANIE'S VOICE
(with urgency)
Just listen to me.
I can get the dagger for Connor Reilly.
INT. LEXUS
MELANIE
...But I need someone to meet me at Club Sekhmet
in Long Beach, because that's where the portal is.
Connor must lay claim to it,
and there's no time to waste, because there's
not going be another dimension there soon.
TIME DISSOLVE TO - EXT. SEKHMET - EARLY MORNING
Professor Roth pulls up in front of the club, sans phone. She leaps out of her car. She pauses beneath the prowling lioness nameplate and yanks at the door. It's locked. She draws out her keys and tries them with no luck. Her eyes give the door a once-over with consternation. Then with another determined look, she pivots and marches up the sidewalk.
INT. WHITE AND FEATURELESS PLACE - CONTINUOUS
Connor stops and whirls around. Alix and the Gathering cave are gone; the WHITENESS has encompassed everything. Connor continues in a circle, to find -
THREE WIZENED CRONES in the white peplos of ancient Greece, seated there. They pay no attention to him, intent on their work. The first crone twists thick fluffs of flax into thread, then wraps the thread around a spindle. The second takes the end of the thread from another, thickly-wound spindle, and stretches it out with her arm, measuring it against a rod. The third takes the end of the thread from the second and cuts it with sharp shears. Snip.
Without looking up, the first crone speaks. Her voice is old and hoarse.
CLOTHO
Who fears...the Fates?
As if in reply, the second cackles -
LACHESIS
Fate...is an illusion.
The third snips the thread.
ATROPOS
There is only limitation, and choice.
Connor walks towards the first crone, puzzled. She looks up at him abruptly.
CLOTHO
Walk away, Connor Angel, if that's...what you wish.
The second does not look up from her measuring task.
LACHESIS
You are human.
Embrace those simple pleasures.
Snip! The third brings down her shears and reaches with her other hand for more thread.
ATROPOS
The Anunnaki will thrive.
(Lachesis steadies a length of it for her)
The dark ones will continue to ravage the Earth.
Snip.
ALL IN UNISON
But you will be..."free."
Connor scowls at them irritably.
CONNOR
Who are you?
They stare back at him expressionlessly.
CLOTHO
Listen to the guide.
LACHESIS
She will advise you.
ATROPOS
The guide has wisdom.
Connor throws out his hands with exasperation.
CONNOR
What "guide"?
The blonde I thought was my guide turned out
to be in cahoots with the Anunnaki!
But even as he says it, the crones FADE and the featureless whiteness is replaced by a GLOWING GOLD EXPANSE streaked with BLUE.
INT. UNDERGROUND TUNNELS - EARLY MORNING
Angel hikes through the torch-lit tunnels, Connor slumped unconscious on his back. The ax he took from the rock chamber is clenched tight in his fist. AHEAD, his POV - The tunnel ends, spilling its shadows into a dimly glowing open area. Angel slows.
INT. ANOTHER CHAMBER
He enters. UPWARD PAN, his POV - A stone staircase leads up the high masonry wall to a platform and entrance on another level. Above that, DAWN FILTERS DOWN through gaps in the high stone ceiling. CLOSE-UP - Angel winces into it despairingly.
DISSOLVE TO - EXT. COURTYARD - HYPERION HOTEL - DAY (FLASHBACK)
THROUGH THE HAZE OF MEMORY - Cordelia leads Angel down the steps into the shadows of the sunny courtyard. Angel cradles an infant Connor in his arms. He pauses warily as Cordelia continues out into the sunshine.
ANGEL
Cordelia...
CORDELIA
(matter-of-factly)
We're going outside,
where your son is gonna wanna go play.
(she turns towards him)
Where you have to rush him to the hospital
if he gets sick in the daytime.
But I see your point.
You can't go outside during the day like other parents,
because you're a vampire.
And even if you weren't,
you can't do everything for him.
Angel glances down at the baby, then steps forward, stretching one hand out into the sunlight.
ANGEL
(with determination)
If he has to get to the hospital at noon,
(smoke starts to rise from his hand)
on the sunniest day of the year,
he'll get there...
(he looks at Cordelia)
even if I don't.
Cordelia looks on, alarmed, as Angel's hand continues to smolder.
CORDELIA
(anxiously)
Angel....
(she pushes at his hand)
Stop, Angel...!
Angel retracts his hand and turns away. Quietly, cradling his son in both arms, he mounts the steps back into the Hyperion.
DISSOLVE TO - INT. STONE CHAMBER - GATHERING MANSION - DAWN (PRESENT DAY)
With a determined compression of his lips, Angel starts towards the staircase. Then comes to an abrupt halt as -
The three remaining COCKROACH DEMONS appear one by one on the upper level. They glare down at him.
Angel backs off reflexively, then kneels. We hear the thud of footsteps on the stone steps as Angel sets his ax aside, grasps the sling, and dips his head to get it off. He lowers Connor to the ground, then quickly grabs up the ax and stands between the demons and his son.
BLACK OUT.
THE END
Executive Producer Joss Whedon Connor Vincent Kartheiser Faith Eliza Dushku Aiden Sean Maher Gunn J. August Richards Angel David Boreanaz Rona Indigo Alix Rachel Leigh Cook Illyria Amy Acker Spike James Marsters Buffy Sarah-Michelle Gellar "Darla" Julie Benz Voice of Vaughne Megalyn Echikunwoke
(Pt. 2)
Part 2
(October 13, 2009)
Written by: Masquerade
Act Three
INT. FAITH'S IMPALA - NIGHTCLUB PARKING LOT - GRANADA HILLS - NIGHT
Faith has one elbow on the open driver's side window of her Impala and a no-nonsense look for the person on the other end of her phone.
FAITH
No one's gonna get hurt.
(beat)
No one human, anyway.
Can you get it?
Her lips twist into a frown.
FAITH
You owe me a favor, Bette,
you said so yourself.
A pause as she listens.
FAITH
Of course you can go through "channels."
That's not the favor.
Faith stretches her back out against the car seat restlessly, then continues with a calm, measured voice.
FAITH
I actually want their help.
(a hesitant beat)
...But I don't want them entering the house.
LOW SHOT - Faith's knee and foot bounce with nervous energy.
FAITH
You're gonna convince them.
(exasperated beat)
Yeah, you can!
Another pause. In a burst of energy, Faith reaches for the car door handle and opens it, stepping out.
FAITH
That's pretty much what I want their help with.
She smacks her free hand on the roof of the car and grins.
FAITH
Thanks, Bette.
Crazy Jack's Bar and Grill on Chatsworth in Granada Hills.
Before dawn, and everything'll be cool.
She hangs up and stares forward for a moment. CLOSE-UP on her agitated weariness. Finally, she looks down at her phone and clicks a few buttons.
INSERT - A STATUS LINE on the phone display reads, 0 Calls 0 Messages
Faith slams the door shut with frustration and takes a few steps away from Impala, phone in hand.
TIGHT CRANE SHOT - Faith and her car. The FRAME RISES, widening the view until it takes in the ENTIRE PARKING LOT. Faith is alone there with only a pair of trucks parked nearby.
INT. CAVERNOUS UNDERGROUND CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS
Buffy is battling a legion of demons with bare fists and booted feet. A large, burly THUG comes up behind her, raising a club high over her head.
SORCERESS (o.s.)
Don't kill her!
The thug-demon halts in mid-bludgeon. Buffy elbows it HARD, KNOCKING THE DEMON BACK. Another, more muscular demon takes its place in an instant. It clenches Buffy's arms in a tight lock. She gapes with pain.
The sorceress looks on coldly, then beckons the demon holding Buffy towards her. She glances up towards the arching heights of the cavern.
SORCERESS
(to the robed demon beside her, murmuring)
Sunrise is less than two hours.
Buffy struggles against her demon captor as it pushes her towards the sorceress.
BUFFY
What's so...important...about...sunrise?
The sorceress pours a potion onto a rag, ignoring her. Buffy 's thrashing increases. Her eyes dart around the immediate area. As she is brought closer, Buffy spots - the BLOODIED SWORD, now sitting on a STONE ALTAR. The sorceress steps towards her, proffering the rag.
SORCERESS
Hold her still.
BUFFY
(struggling)
You're keeping me alive...for something.
What is it?
The sorceress says nothing. She brings the rag up to Buffy's nose and mouth. Just then, the cavern SHAKES again, knocking everyone off stride. Buffy jostles herself free of the demon's grip, then dives into a forward flip, GRABBING THE SWORD OFF THE ALTAR as she comes up. She drops to a crouch, barely avoiding several demons' arms as they seize the space where she stood. LOW SHOT - She scurries away, doubled over. More demons lunge at her and she falls into a somersault, then leaps to her feet.
The sorceress whirls, dismayed.
SORCERESS
Get her!
SPIKE (o.s.)
Oi, Buffy!
QUICK-PAN UP - Spike is standing on the rock ledge jutting out from the cleft in the cavern wall about twenty feet up.
Buffy ignores him, blocking one demon's sword with her own, then another. One of her thrusts slips past a demon's guard and SLASHES the side of its neck. The demon howls. Buffy races on, finally risking a glance up. She KICKS AWAY a demon in her path, then raises her sword against an ax slicing down on her. Another demon lunges at her low, trying to avoid the sword. Buffy grabs a second demon and uses it to mow down the first. They TUMBLE BACKWARDS. The second demon falls over the first and they crumple in a ball on the ground. Quickly, Buffy charges them, mounts the arched back of the second demon, and LAUNCHES HERSELF off the shoulder of a third standing just beyond them. Its hands grapple the air uselessly as Buffy SAILS UPWARD TOWARDS THE LEDGE.
Her toes just miss the edge and she TUMBLES DOWN, free hand flailing. Quickly, Spike grabs it and lifts her up beside him.
BUFFY
(exhaling)
Thanks.
SORCERESS (o.s.)
(screeching below)
Get her!
CUT TO - DEMONS instantly pursue, mounting the rock wall and climbing.
Spike and Buffy pick up rocks from the ledge where they are standing and pitch them down at her pursuers. Several demons cry out and fall back from the wall. Others keep climbing. TWO-SHOT - Buffy and Spike pivot to retreat into the tunnel at the back of the cleft. Just then, a LARGE PRIO MOTU appears there, swinging an ax. The demon is on Buffy in a second. Buffy ducks low, grabs its legs, and uses its momentum to TOSS IT OVER HER SHOULDER.
CRANE SHOT - The Prio Motu FLAILS, howling, and tumbles onto its comrades below, knocking them over before it SKEWERS ITSELF on one of their swords.
Buffy and Spike dash into the tunnel.
INT. TUNNEL
LONG SHOT - They make a run for it.
INT. CAVERNOUS UNDERGROUND CHAMBER
The climbing demons are almost to the ledge. Suddenly, ROCKS RAIN DOWN from another position higher up, knocking them off the wall. The fallen demons land hard on the floor of the cavern. Another wave demons start to scale the wall in their place. The sorceress points up.
SORCERESS
And there's someone at the mid-level tunnels!
As if in answer, another rock sails down and beans the sorceress in the head, knocking her silly.
EXT. SLAYER COUNCIL BUILDING - EARLY MORNING - ESTABLISHING
INT. FIRST FLOOR FOYER
The Slayer Council scholar Rachel waits just behind the glass front door, anxious eyes on the street. Her eyes widen as HEADLIGHT BEAMS arc up to the curb and cut out. An engine's growl fades. A few beats later, a car door slams. Rachel backs up as - her POV, through glass - Nigel rushes towards her in his overcoat and loafers. He opens the door and enters.
RACHEL
(puzzled)
Nigel, what are you...did Faith call you?
NIGEL
I received a call from her,
but it went to voice mail before
I could answer.
He heads towards the stairs. Rachel throws a look back out the front door, then follows him. They head up.
NIGEL
The message was gibberish,
something about not being able to get hold of Aiden....
Rachel compresses her lips solemnly.
RACHEL
She's been trying to reach him by phone.
The slayers are heading into the Gathering mansion,
but the Dagger of the Nyazians is nowhere to be found.
Faith needs a way to keep that gate from being opened.
INT. SECOND-FLOOR CORRIDOR
They cross towards the suite door, where Rachel slows.
RACHEL
I came over here to find out why she couldn't contact him.
NIGEL
(looking at her)
Is he all right?
Rachel shakes her head.
RACHEL
No.
CUT TO - INT. SUITE MAIN HALLWAY
They head up the hall.
RACHEL
I've already called an ambulance.
That's who I was looking for when you pulled up.
IN FRAME - The swirling portal. Nigel and Rachel pass through it.
INT. LIBRARY
Nigel's eyes settle on the floor beside the conference table with alarm.
NIGEL
Aiden!
He rushes over to where Aiden lies and kneels beside him, feeling as his neck for a pulse. Rachel hovers behind him.
RACHEL
(anxiously)
Last time I checked, he was alive.
Nigel grimaces as he withdraws his hand, fingers spread.
NIGEL
Ugh.
He fishes in his coat pocket with his other hand and pulls out a handkerchief. He wipes at his fingers.
NIGEL
He's still with us.
Rachel closes her eyes briefly in relief. Nigel's voice tightens as if he is struggling to hold his breath.
NIGEL
I'd prefer...the paramedics not...enter the suite.
We need...to get him...out into the corridor.
Rachel nods. Nigel raises a hand and covers his nose and mouth, taking in Aiden's position thoughtfully.
NIGEL
(voice muffled)
Right. Let's put him in his chair.
He stuffs his handkerchief in his pocket and takes hold of Aiden under his shoulders.
NIGEL
(glancing back)
I need you to take hold of his ankles whilst I lift him.
Rachel steps back as Nigel slides Aiden forward a few feet with a grunt. Then, gingerly, she steps around the two of them, bumping into the table at her back, then Aiden's wheel chair at her front. TIGHT SHOT - The computer mouse shifts slightly, dislodging the monitor from its sleep. Rachel glances at the computer screen as she takes up position at Aiden's feet. Her brow wrinkles. She steps over to the table to get a closer look.
RACHEL
This is interesting....
(reading)
"The Key of Pandemonium--a ritual for unleashing
incredible energies...."
Nigel looks up with distraction.
NIGEL
Read it after we take him out to meet the paramedics.
Rachel's eyes widen.
RACHEL
Right.
She returns to Aiden again and sinks into the wheelchair, then bends forward to grip Aiden's ankles. She eyes Nigel, taking her cues from him as he LIFTS AIDEN BODILY TO HIS FEET, grunting. Then Rachel stands, helping to steady Aiden upright.
NIGEL
Now let's get him into his chair.
Together, they lower Aiden to seating. His head sags forward. Nigel grasps hold of the arms of the chair and draws it towards himself, then steps around it to wheel Aiden out of the library. Rachel follows.
INT. PROFESSOR ROTH'S KITCHEN - EARLY MORNING
Professor Roth stands at her coffee machine, sipping from a mug with a sour frown and staring out the window. There are fatigue circles under her eyes. Her POV - Her neighbors' homes, lit softly in the darkness by porch lights and street lamps. A HEAVY METALLIC CLUNK, CLUNK off screen draws her alarmed attention. CUT TO Willis, who draws his hand up from the BLOOD-STAINED MACHETE he just deposited on the counter. We recognize it as belonging to the vampire guarding Tracy's apartment.
WILLIS
He's lost the thrall.
Melanie gapes at the machete, then at him. Her brow wrinkles as his words sink in.
MELANIE
That's impossible. He embraced it.
(she drifts towards him)
You don't get out of the Patron's thrall once it's embraced!
Willis turns away from the vampire guard's weapon, pacing into the middle of the room. He looks very disturbed.
WILLIS
Yes, I know.
He stops, hands on his hips.
WILLIS
Fortunately, I think the crack is wide enough.
Melanie's expression darkens. She circles towards him, her voice dripping with contempt and suspicion.
MELANIE
And what "crack" would that be?
A sinister smirk from Willis. He takes in her kitchen casually.
WILLIS
The one in the wall of the Patrons' dimension
created by the release of their power.
It was widening rapidly, up until a few hours ago.
Melanie sets her coffee cup on the counter, lips working with fury.
MELANIE
That was the plan all along, wasn't it?
She glares at him.
MELANIE
Connor Reilly isn't just some "potential hero"
whose corruption would earn the Patrons brownie-points.
Willis raises his chin, his expression triumphant.
MELANIE
Connor Reilly...has a potential for good so vast,
that taking it away is the straw
that's finally broken the camel's back!
Willis says nothing for a moment. Then, quietly -
WILLIS
Yes.
Melanie's eyes wander. Her expression is aghast.
MELANIE
You've been manipulating everything I've done....
Every move I've made was calculated to neutralize him,
and whatever he's supposed to do....
Her brows knit in stunned thought. Willis turns, leveling his gaze on her. The smug smirk is still there.
WILLIS
Whatever it was, it's not worth worrying about.
The Patrons will be joining us here regardless.
(QUICK-CUT TO the anxious twinge on Melanie's face)
And you can't stop that, in case you're considering it.
He returns to the far counter and grabs up the machete, then turns on her. Melanie steps back, gulping hard, eyes wide. Then, without another word, Willis turns and leaves. Melanie gapes after him. After a stunned beat, her mouth twists with bitter hatred. Her eyes dart towards the doorway to the dining room with determination.
MELANIE
I can think of one way to stop it.
INT. DINING ROOM
She crosses the dining room, stops at the antique buffet, and kneels down, opening a cabinet door. Inside is a metal lock box. She pulls it out, snaps it open, and dumps its contents on the carpet. TIGHT OVERHEAD SHOT - A HAND GUN and a box of bullets.
CUT TO EXT. PROFESSOR ROTH'S HOUSE - A MOMENT LATER
Professor Roth backs her Lexus out of the garage and down the driveway.
INT. PROFESSOR ROTH'S OFFICE - UCLA CAMPUS - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
SUPER LEGEND:
Eight months ago
CASUAL PAN of the chaotic, intellectual clutter we've come to know - Colored bottles, woodcuts, a chalkboard littered with Chinese characters;
WOMAN (OFF-SCREEN)
(clarifying)
But it's not a...medical cure.
PROFESSOR ROTH (O.S.)
I think you've seen enough now to know
there's more to this world than science can provide.
CONTINUED PAN - framed and fading black-and-white photographs, a doctoral diploma in Theology from Loyola-Marymount, 2001;
PROFESSOR ROTH (O.S.)
And besides, have you found a medical intervention
that's actually worked?
CONTINUED PAN - and bookshelf after bookshelf of philosophical treatises, sacred texts, medical reference guides adorned with gold leaf caduceus symbols, alchemical works, and literary classics.
Professor Roth has a sympathetic look for the dark-haired young woman sitting in her visitor's chair. The girl's face is pale and drawn, and her eyes are too darkly hollowed for someone her age.
JULIA
If I had, I wouldn't have stepped foot in Sekhmet.
Professor Roth's response is a disquieted frown.
PROFESSOR ROTH
I've heard of the place.
(a sigh)
And apparently...they've heard of me as well.
I'm not surprised, but I do find it...disturbing.
Julia's expression turns anxious.
JULIA
Doctor, I need to know how much this is going to cost.
My insurance has run out.
Professor Roth chuckles dryly. She stands and walks over to the small refrigerator under a side table.
PROFESSOR ROTH
I doubt this particular treatment is covered by Blue Cross, anyway.
(she opens it and kneels down, fishing inside)
We can talk about money later.
She pulls out a bottled water and a small medicine vial of milky liquid and stands. She sets them on the table.
PROFESSOR ROTH
(uncapping the containers)
This is just an initial dose.
I want you to take it,
then go see your doctor in a week.
(she adds a few drops of the medication to the water)
Verify that it's restoring the proper
molecular balance in your blood cells.
Then we'll discuss if you want to proceed.
She turns, recapping the water bottle, which goes on wrong and drops to the floor. Professor Roth bends over to retrieve it. Julia's POV - Dangling from a chain around Professor Roth's neck is her Anunnaki pendant - a bearded man in profile superimposed over a pair of spread wings.
Julia peers at it with a knit brow, then turns her attention to - TIGHT SHOT - a medical text with the CADUCEUS SYMBOL. Her eyes widen. Quickly she stands. Her voice is carefully measured panic.
JULIA
You know...what? I--I changed my mind.
Professor Roth stands tall, bottle in hand, looking puzzled. Julia eyes her back, petrified, then turns abruptly and heads for the door.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Julia?
Professor Roth glances down to see her exposed pendant, fingers it briefly, then looks up after fleeing visitor.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Julia, wait!
JULIA (o.s.)
(voice echoing down the hall)
I don't want it!
INT. CORRIDOR
Julia fumbles in her purse, half-running, half-walking. She yanks a red cocktail napkin out, then fumbles in her purse again, bolting for the elevator. REVERSE ANGLE - Professor Roth strides after her.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Julia, wait--!
Julia stabs at the "DOWN" button. Her eyes dart between the closed elevator and the professor. She is clutching her cell phone.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Julia, let me explain--
JULIA
No! You're one of them!
Those...Anunnakis!
She stabs the button again. Professor Roth ducks in her chin and raises a hand, eyeing the girl intently.
MELANIE
Mnemosyne...dip into the waters of the river Lethe....
Panicked, Julia spots the stairwell door.
MELANIE
...and wash away this girl's--
She makes a dash for it.
MELANIE
...memories of this hour!
The spell hits just as the door shuts. Professor Roth charges after her.
INT. STAIRWELL
Julia clomps down the stairs.
INT. UPSTAIRS CORRIDOR
Professor Roth hurries into the elevator as the doors part.
CUT TO - EXT. DODD HALL - NIGHT
Julia hurries outside, stuffing her phone back into her purse. She fingers the pendant on her own necklace anxiously. Her face is a mask of fear. The napkin is still clutched in her other hand. She heads out.
MAN (O.S.)
Ms. Moore.
With a gasp, she pivots and turns. Standing there is Willis, cane in hand. He shakes his head, chuckling wryly.
WILLIS
She screwed up again, didn't she?
JULIA
(baffled)
What?
Willis' eyes narrow.
WILLIS
She's been doing that lately. Going soft.
He raises his cane. Julia backs away from him.
JULIA
Sorry, I have to--
Just as she is about to turn, ELECTRICITY ARCS OUT from his cane, zeroing in on her necklace pendant like a lightening rod. It sends Julia flailing back, but she doesn't loose her balance. A LARGE, ANGRY BURN smolders on her chest. Willis looks on, stunned.
WILLIS
(baffled)
What the hell?
He grips the neck of his cane and stares at it. Julia hobbles back, mouth agape, a string of blood welling in the corner of her lip. She stumbles around, eyes bulging, and totters away. Willis starts after her, then is whirled around by the whoosh of the door behind him.
Melanie charges towards him.
PROFESSOR ROTH
What did you do that for?!
That wasn't necessary!
CRANE SHOT, PORTOLA PLAZA - Julia stumbles out, her course taking her into the path of a lone student passing under an overhead lamp. We can hear her hoarse breathing. TIGHT SHOT - Connor hears Julia before he sees her.
CUT TO - EXT. DODD HALL
Professor Roth clamps her hand on Willis' arm. Willis scoffs, yanking it away. Their voices are low and hushed.
WILLIS
(with blithe disdain)
A selective memory spell? Really, Melanie,
did you think that would actually work?
PROFESSOR ROTH
They work if you do them right.
WILLIS
But you didn't.
And she would have yakked about you to the wrong people.
Melanie gives him a grimacing scrutiny.
PROFESSOR ROTH
How did you even know she was here tonight?
WILLIS
She's been asking a lot of questions.
So has her boyfriend.
(smug beat)
I followed her here,
and then of course, I had to--
Melanie's face fills with rage.
PROFESSOR ROTH
Eavesdrop?!
Willis cool expression melts into a sinister smile.
WILLIS
The Patrons asked me to keep an eye on you.
They know you want out of your debt to them.
Melanie draws back her head defensively.
WILLIS
But nobody gets out of the deal.
And those who won't accept the deal once it's offered...
have to be neutralized, one way or another.
CUT BACK to the CRANE SHOT of Portola Plaza. Connor kneels over Julia as she slumps still.
INT. CHAMBER HOLLOWED OUT IN ROCK - BENEATH THE GATHERING MANSION - EARLY MORNING (PRESENT DAY)
The COCKROACH-FACED DEMONS circle around the hole in the rock floor. Their POV, looking down - The hole is roughly cylindrical with jagged walls and nearly THIRTY FEET DEEP. The POV SHOT shifts into a SLOW, DESCENDING DOLLY that sinks all the way to the bottom where -
Angel is huddled inside a FISSURE in the wall with Connor lying across his lap. Angel's POV, looking down - Connor moans, eyes at half mast. Angel digs in his coat pocket and fishes out his cell phone. INSERT - The phone display. The power meter is charged, but the communications dish icon sits inert. Angel stabs at the buttons and brings the phone to his ear. He brings it back down with a scowl.
ANGEL
Damn it.
He stabs at the buttons a few more times, then pockets the phone with despair. Connor turns his head to take in their refuge.
CONNOR
...Dad?
Angel brushes the filthy bangs from Connor's face. Then FOOTSTEPS AND COMMOTION ABOVE bring an anxious grimace to his face. He leans forward a bit to look up around the edge of the fissure. His POV - Only the walls of the deep hollow they have fallen into. There are SHOUTS and GRUNTS and WEAPONS CLANKING above. Angel glances down at his son with determination.
ANGEL
Hang on, Connor, I'm getting you out of here.
He gathers up Connor in his arms and, still seated, shifts himself forward, emerging from the fissure. He looks up.
His POV, up the deep crevice - MERE GLIMPSES of the demons as they do battle against some unseen foe.
Angel stretches Connor out on the ground on his back. Then, awkwardly, he removes his own jacket and Connor's as well and strings them together into a single, long loop, which he tugs tightly to ensure its strength. He lifts the loop and secures one end of it across his own shoulders. The remainder he lets hang down his back and gather on the ground. Angel shifts around, still sitting, until he is positioned with his back to his son's legs, then scoots between them. He reaches back, grabs Connor's forearm and lifts him up against his back. Connor moans again softly. Angel draws Connor's legs around his hips, then secures Connor's arms around his neck.
Angel stands slowly, grunting and repositioning his own legs for leverage, with Connor seated in the makeshift sling. Connor sags against him. With his son secure, Angel's eyes scan the jagged walls rising above them. He clasps his hand onto a small protrusion, makes sure it will hold, then finds another for his other hand.
Slowly, he begins to ascend.
BLACK OUT.
END OF ACT THREE
Act Four
EXT. PARKING LOT - GRANADA HILLS - EARLY MORNING
Cars and trucks now pepper the far end of the dimly-lit lot. Slayers mill around them, talking. A nondescript commercial delivery truck is parked beside Faith's Impala. MEDIUM TWO-SHOT - Faith and a buff-looking woman in green army fatigue pants and an olive green t-shirt are unloading plastic crates from the truck. The woman's forearms are adorned with multiple tattoos. She sets one last crate on the asphalt, making four in all. They are labeled with the insignia of the United States Army and the label M.R.E. Meals Ready to Eat. The woman opens one. Faith peers inside.
BETTE
This is all we could spare in
such a short period of time.
TIGHT OVERHEAD SHOT - White plastic blocks, looking for all the world like bricks of cheese. If it weren't for their metal backing, and the wires.
Faith nods.
FAITH
That's all right. I can wing it.
Bette closes the crate and picks it up. She follows Faith over to her Impala. Faith unlocks the trunk and opens it. Her no-nonsense determined expression pinches into aghast surprise.
FAITH
What the fuck?!
Bette stops beside her.
BETTE
Something wrong?
Bette looks inside the trunk. Her POV - A long metal truck toolbox bolted to the bottom of the trunk lies open and empty. Faith shakes her head.
FAITH
Nothing that's your problem.
My sword was in here, now it's gone.
Bette turns, scanning the parking lot with well-trained alertness.
BETTE
Someone ripped it off.
FAITH
Not from here, I've been with my car the whole time.
Probably from home.
She lets out a weary sigh, then steps out of Bette's way.
FAITH
Let's get the rest loaded.
Bette turns back and gently settles her crate in the trunk. Then the two of them return for more. Bette offers a smile.
BETTE
You know, I wanted to thank you.
I know we haven't hung out much since I got out.
FAITH
You've been busy.
(Faith reaches down for a crate)
'Sides, I think we about covered every topic on Earth,
being stuck in that eight-by-twelve every day.
She hefts it.
BETTE
(hefting her own)
Yeah, I guess we did.
They share a grin. Faith follows her back to the Impala.
BETTE
All that creepy stuff you told me
really gave me a lot to think about.
She pauses behind the trunk, looking thoughtful.
BETTE
Changes the way you think about everything, really.
Faith sets her crate inside.
FAITH
It did a lot more than change the way you think, Bette.
Bette lays her own crate beside it, then gives Faith a sincere look.
BETTE
You were so hell-bent on getting straight,
like you really, you know, believed in it.
I understand why now.
(she shakes her head)
The things I've seen in the last few months....
(overwhelmed beat)
Joining the Ops has changed my life.
Faith nods an acknowledgement. Then Bette chuckles breathlessly. She turns back for the last crate.
BETTE
(walking)
Speaking of which,
Alpha Squad's ready to deploy at your say-so.
She picks it up and turns, giving Faith an impressed look.
BETTE
Do you know the kind of respect you gotta pull
to get them to let a civilian call the shots?
Faith shrugs.
FAITH
If the jarheads could have stopped the Gathering
on their own, they would have.
No offense.
(Bette shakes her head; none taken)
You guys got your know-how,
we've got ours.
Bette approaches Faith's car and sets the crate inside.
BETTE
I hear that.
She clasps Faith's upper arm.
BETTE
Let me explain the detonator to you.
They return to the truck. As they walk, Faith's phone rings. Bette steps up to the open doors of the rear of the truck. Faith pauses and tosses her head back with relief, phone to her ear.
FAITH
Jesus! Thanks for calling me back.
(then, with exasperation -)
Why hasn't Aiden called?
(her expression falls as she listens)
Shit.
Bette glances back curiously.
FAITH
Okay.
(then, with distraction -)
Hang on...the Key of what?
(she turns pacing)
Pandemonium. Uh-huh.
Then she stops, scoffing.
FAITH
"As simple as that"--nothing simple about crashing
a party with a thousand demons!
(she shakes her head)
No, the Dagger of the Nyazians is out of play.
We know where it was, but now there's no sign of it.
A pause; she listens.
FAITH
Okay, I'm heading down.
DISSOLVE TO - INT. CONCRETE WATER CHANNEL - A SHORT WHILE LATER
Faith approaches the corrugated metal tunnel, a military-issue backpack slung over her shoulders. She is accompanied by three other slayers, a tall, willowy blonde with a crossbow under her arm, a determined-looking brunette, and an athletic Japanese girl with an ax in her hand. The other three have large camping packs on their backs. The blond slayer shifts her shoulders under the weight of her pack.
BLOND SLAYER
What's in these things?
FAITH
(perfunctorily)
Retraction cables.
Faith gestures the girls closer. They huddle in. Faith scans the assembled team.
Faith
Who's got the best arm?
The Japanese slayer raises a hand.
KAHOKO
I played baseball back home.
(a sheepish grin)
I was scouted for a professional league...
(then a wistful frown)
but I had to come here.
The others look impressed, but Kahoko shakes her head.
KAHOKO
It would have been totally unfair,
nine grown men having to take on
eight grown men and a slayer.
(she shrugs)
Still, would have been cool to be the first girl
in professional baseball.
Faith grins, then has a hopeful look for her.
FAITH
Tell me you were a pitcher.
Kahoko shakes her head again, apologetically.
KAHOKO
Left field.
Faith clasps her shoulder.
FAITH
Close enough.
(then, to all the girls -)
Okay. One team is gonna head to the bottom
of the cavern to disrupt that gate-spell of theirs.
The girls nod nervously.
FAITH
The other team is going to position themselves
to extract the first half once they've finished.
Kahoko looks uncertain.
KAHOKO
Finished what...exactly?
INT. DEEP HOLE IN THE GROUND - BENEATH THE GATHERING MANSION - EARLY MORNING
Angel ascends slowly, Connor sagging against his back. He risks a glance up. UPWARD SHOT, his POV - The cockroach-faced demons have disappeared. The distant, low chanting from the main cavern is the only sound that can be heard.
ANGEL
Don't know where those demons went to,
but we'll just be grateful for small favors.
He continues climbing for a moment.
ANGEL
...Once we get you out of here,
we'll get you to a hospital--
Just then, a TREMBLE passes through the cave. TIGHT SHOT - Rubble slips out from under Angel's boot. TIGHT SHOT - His right hand loses its hold.
Quickly, Angel shoots out his right foot and hand to the other side of the hole to brace himself, then almost loses his balance as the weight of Connor tugs him backwards. He grits his teeth, steadying himself. The tremor passes. He throws his head back in an exhale, despair etched on his face. HOLD on that. Angel pants.
ANGEL
I'm sorry I dragged you here, Connor,
I don't know what I was thinking.
...We don't have the dagger,
there's just a lot of demons who are after you....
He stares up miserably for a few beats, then rights his gaze to scan the rugged rock that surrounds them. With a grunt, he launches his right hand and foot off their side of the hole and brings himself completely back to the side he started on, grappling there for a hold. As soon as he has it, he resumes his climb. He struggles to cover some area before he speaks again.
ANGEL
But I'm going to get you out of here in one piece, I swear.
Connor sags limply, jostled by Angel's movements, but not moving himself. Angel's eyes dart to one side with alarm.
ANGEL
...Connor?
No response, not even a moan. Angel pauses.
ANGEL
(struggling to look over his shoulder)
Connor!
Then, finally, between cracked lips -
CONNOR
...Tired.
ANGEL
Damn it, Connor, you can't sleep.
You probably have a concussion.
CONNOR
Never, had...cussion...
even in...Quortoth....
Angel compresses his lips with chagrin and resumes climbing.
ANGEL
...And I've never known how to talk to you.
I'll probably put you to sleep
trying to keep you awake.
(a grunt; he climbs)
But I have no other way to know you're okay.
You have to stay awake.
He falls silent again as he continues up, his frustration evident on his features. Finally -
ANGEL
(muttering)
Damn it.
I think it's time...for fingernails on a chalkboard.
(a grunt)
You liked it...when you were a baby.
He clears his throat. Then, softly crooning (or is it croaking?) -
ANGEL
You are my sunshine...my only sunshine....
(he climbs, falling into a rhythm)
you make me hap...py, when skies are gray....
You'll never know, Son, how much I love you....
He chokes up, his expression anguished. Then, pushing on -
ANGEL
...Please don't take...my sunshine...away.
CUT TO Connor, hanging limply. Angel throws him a worried glance.
ANGEL
Connor...?
(then, with rising panic)
Connor?!
CONNOR
(mumbling)
Good...plan, Dad. Your singing...will...
definitely...keep the bad guys...at bay.
Angel chuckles with relief.
ANGEL
That, or attract flies.
He continues up.
CLOSE-UP on Connor - He cracks a smile. Then his eyelids droop closed. A SLOW HEARTBEAT starts up, at first part of the background. Then it gradually OVERWHELMS THE SOUNDTRACK.
DISSOLVE TO an OVERHEAD SHOT. Angel reaches the top of the hole. He slides his torso and hips up to the surface with brute strength, then snakes along until he can roll over onto his side and safely deposit his son on the chamber floor. Two of the COCKROACH DEMONS that were after Connor lie on the ground nearby, dead.
A voice resonates over the continuing heartbeat -
WOMAN (O.S.)
You have to embrace the darkness.
QUICK-PAN to Alix, standing near the doorway of the rock-hewn chamber, dressed in a simple blue silk shift. She is speaking to a fourth person in the room.
A SECOND CONNOR stands awake and uninjured near the edge of the hole. He is looking down at his father and himself, right where we left them. Angel leans over the first Connor, forcing his eyelids open to check for injury.
Then the second Connor seems to notice Alix for the first time.
SECOND CONNOR
(puzzled)
Alix?
She strolls towards him, arms loose at her sides. As she speaks, the HEARTBEAT softens again into the background.
ALIX
You've feared that side of yourself
since the memories returned.
(intent beat)
In Quortoth, you had no choice--it was kill or be killed,
and you knew instinctively if Father wouldn't approve;
you knew where the line was.
She tilts her head, closing the space between them.
ALIX
But now, you want to live like a human.
Connor's face contorts with confusion.
SECOND CONNOR
I am human.
A grudging smile from Alix. She veers off to one side of him.
ALIX
But that's not where you come from.
As she speaks, she MORPHS into DARLA. Connor's mother reaches out her fingertips to her sons' jaw and turns his head to look at her. Taken aback, Connor allows the intimacy.
DARLA
You were made by two vampires,
and fed human blood in the womb.
Born in an alley,
and raised in hell.
Connor gazes at her warily.
DARLA
You come from death.
The stench of the grave,
the desperate hunger of the soulless.
She MORPHS into Alix again.
ALIX
And that's why you fear you're the devil.
Connor backs away reflexively, then gapes behind himself, startled, to make sure he isn't too close to the hole.
ALIX
But the line is still there.
You don't have to cross it.
Connor dodges around her to a spot well clear of the hole in the Earth. Alix circles, tracking him.
ALIX
Yet you won't even go near it.
You hide in the safety of school work
and the memories of a suburban life that never happened.
Connor whirls on her, his face contorting with pain.
SECOND CONNOR
You don't know, Alix!
You don't know what it's like to be human
(he clasps fingertips to his chest)
and feel the things I...feel...deep down.
His hand balls into a fist and he sneers at her with feral disdain, allowing those feelings rise to the surface. Alix takes in the sight of him with undisguised pleasure.
ALIX
"There's a monster inside."
(an intent smile)
I know. I sensed it in you from the beginning.
She tilts her head again, mock-pouting.
ALIX
(sing-songy)
And "nobody knows what that's like."
With that, she MORPHS into Angel.
ANGEL
But there's someone who does, Son.
Connor gapes from the Angel standing before him to the Angel rising from the ground. That Angel has loaded the first Connor onto his back again.
SECOND ANGEL
Someone who has for a long time.
(he shakes his head slowly)
You're not the devil, Connor.
SIDE TWO-SHOT of the second Connor and Angel, facing off. Beyond them, the real Angel veers around the hole in the chamber floor and yanks up Steven's ax from the ground, then heads out of the chamber through an access way in the back wall.
ALIX (O.S.)
You're an angel.
Connor whirls around to see Alix standing there again.
ALIX
And not 'cause your dad decided to give himself
that lame name.
(her gaze is steady)
But because of what you believe in,
and the power you've been given to fight for it.
(beat)
It's what you were made for.
Connor shakes his head slowly, grimacing.
SECOND CONNOR
That "power" comes from demons.
You said it yourself--from death and blood and anger.
Alix shrugs blithely.
ALIX
So God has a sick sense of humor.
No surprise to me.
She steps up close to his side and raises her chin until her lips are nearly pressed to his ear.
ALIX
(in a husky murmur)
"Control" isn't stopping. Control is using.
Connor pivots away from her with a scowl, then notices that he and his father are no longer there. His eyes fall on the access way in the back wall where they exited. He starts towards it. As he does, the cavern around him dissolves into a WHITE, FEATURELESS PLACE.
EXT. LONG BEACH FREEWAY - EARLY MORNING
AERIAL SHOT - One lonely sedan speeds along, headed south bound.
INT. LEXUS
Professor Roth stares ahead intently, cell phone to her ear.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Information. City, please?
MELANIE
Hollywood.
The number of the Temple Luna Club.
WOMAN'S VOICE
One moment.
(a long pause)
That number is 323-555-1031.
I'll connect you.
MELANIE
Thank you.
Ringing.
EXT. TEMPLE LUNA CLUB - ESTABLISHING
The blocky one-story brick building sits closed and apparently devoid of activity under yellow security lights.
INT. NIGHTCLUB
The dance floor is empty of people and lit up under harsh overheads. A RINGING from the bar prompts the GOTH-GIRL CLUB MANAGER to set her broad push-broom against a table and walk over. Somewhere nearby, we can hear a low, steady chanting of a congregation of voices. The manager picks up the receiver on the phone parked at the end of the bar.
MANAGER
Temple Luna.
INT. LEXUS
MELANIE
Hi, I need to speak to someone in the coven.
MANAGER'S VOICE
They're a little busy at the moment.
Professor Roth nods grudgingly.
MELANIE
Yes, I imagine they are.
(a vexed beat)
Is there some way to leave a message?
MANAGER'S VOICE
I can take a message.
Professor Roth's lips tighten with determination.
MELANIE
All right, the message is this:
The Dagger of Nyazians is not on this plane,
it's in another dimension.
MANAGER'S VOICE
(suspiciously)
Who is this?
MELANIE
I'm the one that stole it from Angel
in the first place.
INT. NIGHTCLUB
The manager scoffs, sinking onto a bar stool.
MANAGER
Oh, you are?
So why should I believe you?
MELANIE'S VOICE
(with urgency)
Just listen to me.
I can get the dagger for Connor Reilly.
INT. LEXUS
MELANIE
...But I need someone to meet me at Club Sekhmet
in Long Beach, because that's where the portal is.
Connor must lay claim to it,
and there's no time to waste, because there's
not going be another dimension there soon.
TIME DISSOLVE TO - EXT. SEKHMET - EARLY MORNING
Professor Roth pulls up in front of the club, sans phone. She leaps out of her car. She pauses beneath the prowling lioness nameplate and yanks at the door. It's locked. She draws out her keys and tries them with no luck. Her eyes give the door a once-over with consternation. Then with another determined look, she pivots and marches up the sidewalk.
INT. WHITE AND FEATURELESS PLACE - CONTINUOUS
Connor stops and whirls around. Alix and the Gathering cave are gone; the WHITENESS has encompassed everything. Connor continues in a circle, to find -
THREE WIZENED CRONES in the white peplos of ancient Greece, seated there. They pay no attention to him, intent on their work. The first crone twists thick fluffs of flax into thread, then wraps the thread around a spindle. The second takes the end of the thread from another, thickly-wound spindle, and stretches it out with her arm, measuring it against a rod. The third takes the end of the thread from the second and cuts it with sharp shears. Snip.
Without looking up, the first crone speaks. Her voice is old and hoarse.
CLOTHO
Who fears...the Fates?
As if in reply, the second cackles -
LACHESIS
Fate...is an illusion.
The third snips the thread.
ATROPOS
There is only limitation, and choice.
Connor walks towards the first crone, puzzled. She looks up at him abruptly.
CLOTHO
Walk away, Connor Angel, if that's...what you wish.
The second does not look up from her measuring task.
LACHESIS
You are human.
Embrace those simple pleasures.
Snip! The third brings down her shears and reaches with her other hand for more thread.
ATROPOS
The Anunnaki will thrive.
(Lachesis steadies a length of it for her)
The dark ones will continue to ravage the Earth.
Snip.
ALL IN UNISON
But you will be..."free."
Connor scowls at them irritably.
CONNOR
Who are you?
They stare back at him expressionlessly.
CLOTHO
Listen to the guide.
LACHESIS
She will advise you.
ATROPOS
The guide has wisdom.
Connor throws out his hands with exasperation.
CONNOR
What "guide"?
The blonde I thought was my guide turned out
to be in cahoots with the Anunnaki!
But even as he says it, the crones FADE and the featureless whiteness is replaced by a GLOWING GOLD EXPANSE streaked with BLUE.
INT. UNDERGROUND TUNNELS - EARLY MORNING
Angel hikes through the torch-lit tunnels, Connor slumped unconscious on his back. The ax he took from the rock chamber is clenched tight in his fist. AHEAD, his POV - The tunnel ends, spilling its shadows into a dimly glowing open area. Angel slows.
INT. ANOTHER CHAMBER
He enters. UPWARD PAN, his POV - A stone staircase leads up the high masonry wall to a platform and entrance on another level. Above that, DAWN FILTERS DOWN through gaps in the high stone ceiling. CLOSE-UP - Angel winces into it despairingly.
DISSOLVE TO - EXT. COURTYARD - HYPERION HOTEL - DAY (FLASHBACK)
THROUGH THE HAZE OF MEMORY - Cordelia leads Angel down the steps into the shadows of the sunny courtyard. Angel cradles an infant Connor in his arms. He pauses warily as Cordelia continues out into the sunshine.
ANGEL
Cordelia...
CORDELIA
(matter-of-factly)
We're going outside,
where your son is gonna wanna go play.
(she turns towards him)
Where you have to rush him to the hospital
if he gets sick in the daytime.
But I see your point.
You can't go outside during the day like other parents,
because you're a vampire.
And even if you weren't,
you can't do everything for him.
Angel glances down at the baby, then steps forward, stretching one hand out into the sunlight.
ANGEL
(with determination)
If he has to get to the hospital at noon,
(smoke starts to rise from his hand)
on the sunniest day of the year,
he'll get there...
(he looks at Cordelia)
even if I don't.
Cordelia looks on, alarmed, as Angel's hand continues to smolder.
CORDELIA
(anxiously)
Angel....
(she pushes at his hand)
Stop, Angel...!
Angel retracts his hand and turns away. Quietly, cradling his son in both arms, he mounts the steps back into the Hyperion.
DISSOLVE TO - INT. STONE CHAMBER - GATHERING MANSION - DAWN (PRESENT DAY)
With a determined compression of his lips, Angel starts towards the staircase. Then comes to an abrupt halt as -
The three remaining COCKROACH DEMONS appear one by one on the upper level. They glare down at him.
Angel backs off reflexively, then kneels. We hear the thud of footsteps on the stone steps as Angel sets his ax aside, grasps the sling, and dips his head to get it off. He lowers Connor to the ground, then quickly grabs up the ax and stands between the demons and his son.
BLACK OUT.
THE END
Executive Producer Joss Whedon Connor Vincent Kartheiser Faith Eliza Dushku Aiden Sean Maher Gunn J. August Richards Angel David Boreanaz Rona Indigo Alix Rachel Leigh Cook Illyria Amy Acker Spike James Marsters Buffy Sarah-Michelle Gellar "Darla" Julie Benz Voice of Vaughne Megalyn Echikunwoke