6x16
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
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TEASER
FADE IN:
1 EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE - FRONT DOOR. DAY. 1
A hand reaches into frame to KNOCK on the front door of a
standard, middle class suburban home.
We pull back to see SKYE, dressed a little more smartly than
normal, her long black hair tied in two neat ponytails and
her typical half-punk, half-goth chic more toned down.
The door opens to reveal HARRY LEWIS, a middle-aged man with
brown hair, who smiles as he sees Skye.
HARRY
Skye! Hello, good to see you again.
They shake hands, obviously already acquainted.
SKYE
Hi, Mr. Lewis. Just checking up on
Joe!
HARRY
Of course, come on in.
Harry steps aside and Skye enters the house.
2 INT. LEWIS RESIDENCE - FRONT ROOM. DAY. 2
The inside of the home is modestly furnished but welcoming,
and Skye scans round the living room before her eyes fall on
JOE, a six-year-old with brown hair, quietly colouring in a
book, lying on the carpet. A cartoon flickers on the TV
behind him.
Skye smiles proudly, staying with Harry as she watches Joe.
SKYE
Looks like he's still doing fine,
huh?
HARRY
Oh, yes. Out of all the children
I've fostered over the years, Joe's
both the quietest and the smartest,
especially when you take his, ah,
ability into account.
Skye smirks and nods.
SKYE
Heh, yeah, I know I wouldn't have
wanted Joe to end up somewhere that
didn't know how to handle him!
How many other kids like Joe have
you taken in?
HARRY
Oh, a few. Some are half demons
with all sorts of abilities, some
are like Joe, natural talents, as
it were. I'm just experienced in
how to handle them, what with
Marcie being part-bracken demon and
all!
Skye smiles again and heads over to Joe, crouching next to
him. He looks up at her and smiles.
JOE
Hello, Aunt Skye.
SKYE
Hey there, champ. They treatin' you
good over here?
Joe nods, and Skye grins back at Harry, who heads into the
kitchen. Skye peers at the picture Joe is colouring.
SKYE (cont'd)
What's that you're doing?
JOE
Picture.
He holds it up for Skye to see - it's a sketch of Angel and
his team, complete with names and big comedy fangs for Spike,
Angel and Skye. Skye chuckles and passes it back, and as Joe
gets back to work, she watches him fondly.
3 EXT. LEWIS RESIDENCE/STREET. LATER. 3
Skye steps out of the house, waving her goodbyes to Harry and
Joe in the doorway, and heads off, out of the suburb.
It;s starting to rain, the sky darkening as the clouds rush
in, and Skye pulls her jacket tightly around her.
4 EXT. LA - STREET. DAY. 4
Dashing into frame, the rain much heavier now, Skye takes
cover underneath the canopy of a news stand, plotting her
next move. The MAN in the news stand nods a hello at her.
MAN
Helluva day, ain't it? The weather
round here's been crazy for the
last week or so!
SKYE
(darkly)
Yeah, I wonder what could have
caused that...
She nods to him and dashes off again, running across the
street and down a side alley for some cover.
5 EXT. LA - ALLEYWAY. DAY. 5
The buildings either side of the alley make for a little
cover, but as Skye walks along, she pauses, sensing something
up ahead.
She glances up and down the alley but sees nothing, so she
starts to cautiously pace down the alley.
She passes a few garbage cans and piles of boxes, nothing out
of the ordinary, but she can still feel something isn't right
down here.
Pausing, she SNIFFS the air - and recognises the scent
straight away.
She looks slowly upwards - and her eyes bulge at what she
sees.
Switching to her angle, we pan upwards to see that Skye's
looking at a drainpipe running up the side of the building
next to her, but as we look further we see that there's
somebody hanging there - there's a brief glimpse of a pair of
trainer-wearing feet before we cut back to Skye.
She walks up to the drainpipe, shock on her face, and we see
at last what she's looking at.
Tied to the pipe, about five feet off the ground, is the body
of a young girl, no more than seventeen, dressed in a similar
punky style to Skye - but the crucifix round her neck and
wooden stake embedded in her chest is a clue to what this
girl really is.
A plain white envelope has been pushed onto the end of the
stake, with one word written boldly on its front - 'Skye.'
She jumps up to grab it, pulling the envelope free and
looking from it to the dead girl before opening it.
Inside is a note, which she unfolds and reads.
We look over her shoulder to see what it says: "Dear Skye.
That's one to me, none to you. On to the next one."
Bewildered, Skye looks back up at the body, and from one last
shot of the dead girl, swinging slightly in the breeze, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
6 INT. HYPERION - ANGEL'S OFFICE. DAY. 6
With the rain outside pounding against the building, we join
ANGEL and NINA, sitting quietly in his office. Angel wears
his familiar troubled expression, and Nina watches him, arms
folded.
After a long beat, she SIGHS and walks over to him.
NINA
Angel, you can't just sit in here
all day! You've got to try and
figure out what went wrong, and how
we can fix it.
ANGEL
I don't know what went wrong! Wes
should have stepped out of that
machine fully human again, not
human but without a soul! I don'
think any of us were expecting
that...
NINA
Whatever, point is, you've just let
him barricade himself in his old
room for almost a week now, and
while he's in there, he's not out
here with the rest of us, working
on the rest of that prophecy or
helping us find out why Wolfram &
Hart blacked out the whole city!
Angel sits, thoughtful and quiet, obviously trying to work
out what to do next, and Nina bows her head, sitting on the
edge of his desk and laying a gentle hand on his leg.
NINA (cont'd)
Okay, honey, I'm sorry. I know
you're doing what you can.
ANGEL
Am I?
NINA
You're still doing more than the
rest of us! Spike and Skye are
spending all their time out
patrolling, Connor and Sonia are
always out with Taylor, and
Illyria... I think Illyria's
actually moping, even though I
never thought I'd see that...
Angel finally stands, and Nina hops off the desk, hopeful.
ANGEL
Okay. I'll go try to talk to Wes
again. Maybe this time I'll do more
than speak to a door for half an
hour.
NINA
(smiles)
Attaboy.
She kisses him, turns, and leaves the office, giving Angel a
moment to gather his thoughts. He takes a deep breath.
ANGEL
Here we go...
7 INT. HYPERION - FIRST FLOOR. DAY. 7
Angel turns into the corridor with Wesley's room to find
ILLYRIA sitting cross-legged outside the door, keeping up a
silent vigil. She glances at Angel as he approaches.
ILLYRIA
He has not moved for many hours. I
believe he is sleeping, but i do
not wish to anger him by forcing
entry.
ANGEL
That's uh, very considerate of you.
ILLYRIA
It is not a concession I am used to
making for any being, but... Wesley
is troubling me greatly, Angel. I
wish to communicate with him, but I
am learning that patience can yield
greater results, especially when
dealing with the erratic,
emotionally-driven thought
processes of the human mind.
Angel blinks, trying to keep up with her, then steps up to
the door to Wesley's room.
ANGEL
I'll take it from here. You just
stand by, you know, just in case.
Illyria nods, stands, and walks out of view as Angel KNOCKS
on Wes' door.
ANGEL (cont'd)
Wes? It's Angel.
(beat)
Again. Look, I know you've been
through a lot, and so far we've all
been pretty patient and given you
some time to work things out, but I
can't let you sit in there any
longer. We've got a lot of work
still to do, and-
Angel jumps as WESLEY suddenly throws the door open. He looks
like he hasn't slept for days, his fingers twitching
nervously as he stares back at Angel.
ANGEL (cont'd)
(startled)
Oh, uh, hi. How are you?
WESLEY
Too many things, too many things
I've done, decisions that troubled
me at the time but now, now, no,
they don't bother me at all, they
just...
(beat; chuckles)
They don't matter! Do you see?
Angel eyes Wes cautiously, choosing his words carefully.
ANGEL
Wes, we need to talk. A lot. I know
there's no way to prepare yourself
for what something like this does
to you, but believe me, I think I'm
pretty qualified to know what to do-
Angel is interrupted as Illyria suddenly barges back into
frame, her pleading eyes looking up at Wes.
ILLYRIA
I demand that you speak to me! I
have waited here for days,
respecting your privacy, but I
refuse to wait any longer!
Wes blinks, looking from Illyria to Angel, before a smile
creeps across his face.
WESLEY
Well then, I suppose you two had
better come in.
He steps back inside his room, and with a glance at Angel,
Illyria follows. Angel steps inside after her.
8 INT. HYPERION - WES' ROOM. CONTINUOUS. 8
Angel notices the room is different - much of the old
furniture has been shoved around, with the walls covered
floor to ceiling in neat lines of black writing, numbers and
symbols.
Illyria notices the writing to, gazing around the room.
ILLYRIA
I know this... I have seen this
before, somewhere, when I was-
(catches herself)
When this shell was trapped in the
world of Pilea.
WESLEY
(nods)
Yes. I had a lot to consider and
not enough paper handy to do it on,
so I took a little inspiration from
you and took to the walls. I think
it looks rather nice, adds some
character to the place.
Angel steps over as a confused Illyria paces round the room,
her hand tracing across the writing.
ANGEL
What does it all mean?
WESLEY
(searching for the right
words)
It's almost impossible to explain,
it's like... It's like I've been
given a new perspective on things,
everything, in fact, and there's
just so many new thoughts dashing
across my brain, I had to record
them or I think I'd have just
burst!
Wes looks proudly round at the walls, but Angel just looks
lost - he isn't sure what to make of any of this so far.
ILLYRIA
(reading from wall)
"The homeless are especially
unnecessary - possible food
source?"
She throws a horrified look at Wesley.
ILLYRIA (cont'd)
What has happened to you?
WESLEY
(shrugs)
No soul. No conscience. Like I
said, a new way of looking at
things. Not having a soul does tend
to alter one's perception of the
world around you!
Angel looks like he is at an absolute loss for words - he
wasn't expecting any of this. Illyria marches up to Wes,
looking pretty angry.
ILLYRIA
You cannot exist like this! This,
this shell that has your face and
your name, it is not who you are!
It is not the Wesley I lost, and
who I fought so hard to bring back!
WESLEY
I'm very sorry to disappoint you,
Illyria, but I'm afraid I'm finding
it increasingly difficult to care
what you or anyone else thinks
about me.
Illyria starts to shake with barely supressed fury, and Angel
decides now is a good moment to leave. He steers Illyria
away, back towards the door.
ANGEL
We'll come back later. I'm waiting
for everyone to get back off
patrol, so we'll try talking again
later, okay?
WESLEY
Yes, I imagine that'll be...
(grins)
Interesting.
Unnerved, Angel closes the door, leaving Wes to pick up a pen
and continue writing.
9 INT. HYPERION - FIRST FLOOR. DAY. 9
Angel shuts the door, holding a struggling Illyria away from
it.
ILLYRIA
We must go back in! We must find a
way to restore what he has lost, we
cannot simply turn and walk away!
What if he-
ANGEL
(interrupts)
Illyria! We're going to fix this,
but not now. Wait till the others
are back, we'll find something to
do when we're all here. Okay?
Illyria is torn, looking from Angel to the door, but after a
few beats she lowers her head and nods. Angel sighs and looks
round.
ANGEL (cont'd)
Come on, let's get you back to your
room, you're probably getting even
less sleep than he is, and you-
FRED
Angel?
Angel freezes and looks down - Illyria has changed her
appearance to FRED's, the willowy brunette's tearful eyes
looking back up at him.
FRED (cont'd)
Angel... Let me speak to him. He
won't talk to me as I am, perhaps
this body will convince him
otherwise.
Angel stares at her for a moment, then shakes his head.
ANGEL
No.
(beat)
Not yet, anyway.
Fred SCOWLS, and with a shake of her head she morphs back
into Illyria once again, pushing angrily away from Angel and
marching down the corridor towards her own room.
Angel stays on scene for a moment before rubbing his eyes and
heading back to the lobby.
10 EXT. LA - STREET. DAY. 10
Still caught out in the rain, Skye hurries along, almost
running straight into SPIKE and CONNOR as they step out of a
convenience store.
SPIKE
Woah! Careful, pet, nearly had a
repeat of our first encounter
there!
SKYE
(distracted)
Oh, hey, sorry, I was...
Skye's clearly still disjointed from what she found in the
alley, and the boys exchange a look, picking up on it.
CONNOR
Are you okay? You look like Spike
did when he watched the 'Catwoman'
movie!
SPIKE
Bloody right!
SKYE
I'm...
She pauses, trying to work out what to tell them, before
shaking her head.
SKYE (cont'd)
It's nothing. Just met an old
friend I haven't seen in a while, i
was a little weird. You know.
Spike nods, reaching into one of his grocery bags and holding
up two bottles of beer with a grin.
SPIKE
I know. Why don't we get back to
the hotel, and you can tell me and
Bud here all about it?
CONNOR
Hey, how come she gets to drink and
I don't? She isn't twenty-one
either!
Spike just throws Connor a look, and he sighs, admitting
defeat.
CONNOR (cont'd)
Fine, whatever.
Spike nudges Skye, nodding back towards the street.
SPIKE
Let's go. We needed to get out of
there for a bit to give Angel
chance to talk to Wes, so let's see
what he found out.
Trying to look her normal self, Skye nods and follows as the
boys start to walk off screen. She throws a last glance
behind her before jogging to catch them up.
11 EXT. LA - BASKETBALL PARK. DAY. 11
We're looking in on a rain-swept inner city basketball park,
surrounded by chain link fence.
Standing alone in the court is a young black GIRL, somewhere
in her late teens, staring up from one end of the court up at
the hoop in the other end as she bounces a basketball
rhythmically in front of her.
After a few beats, she starts running forward, passing the
ball between her hands, bearing down on the hoop ahead.
She JUMPS into the air and throws the ball, and it lands
neatly on the rim of the hoop, dropping down and bouncing on
the ground.
The Girl WHOOPS, punching the air in victory, and reaches out
to grab the ball again.
She turns round to set up for her next run, but pulls up
sharply as she sees someone has joined her in the court.
It's THE KEEPER, his tall frame still swathed in a black
cloak, his golden face mask glinting out from within his
cowl.
The Girl straighten, starting to bounce the ball again, not
taking her eyes off the Keeper. He reaches a hand out and
beckons her.
KEEPER
Slayer... Come to me.
The Girl stops bouncing the ball, holding it in both hands
and starting to look more than a little unnerved. Who is this
guy, and how does he know she's a Slayer?
GIRL
What do you want?
The Keeper lowers his hands, CHUCKLING gruffly.
KEEPER
I want you to fight me.
The Girl SIGHS, rolling her eyes.
GIRL
Man! You demon creeps have always
gotta show up when I'm practising,
don'tcha?
The Keeper shrugs, and the Girl spins the ball on one finger
casually.
GIRL (cont'd)
Alright, you wanna rumble, you got
yourself one!
Quick as a flash, she THROWS the ball towards the Keeper and
starts to run towards him.
The Keeper GRABS the basketball with one hand, CRUSHING it
with a squeeze.
The Girl leaps into the air with a yell, one leg kicking out,
but the Keeper dodges past her, grabs her leg and SLAMS her
hard to the floor.
Winded, the Girl just manages to roll out of the way as the
Keeper STAMPS his foot down, narrowly missing her head but
managing to crack the court's concrete floor.
She gets back up, hopping from foot to foot as she loosens
up, sizing up her opponent who stands calmly before her.
She charges n to the attack again, throwing kicks and punches
with blinding speed, but the Keeper blocks or dodges every
single one, hitting her once - and the blow knocks the Girl
off her feet, sending her sprawling to the ground several
feet away.
The Girl coughs for breath as she tries to push herself back
up, the Keeper striding towards her.
His hand lashes out and grabs her by the throat, and she
struggles against him as he stares down at her.
KEEPER
Where is she?
GIRL
(choking)
Where... is who?
KEEPER
The one called Skye, the Slayer,
where is she?
GIRL
I don't... know any... Skye...
The Keeper stares down at her for another beat, then with one
twist of his wrist, he SNAPS her neck and drops the Slayer's
lifeless body to the floor.
He stands over her for a moment, then looks around, checking
that the coast is clear, before hefting her body up onto his
shoulder and walking calmly out of the court, pushing the
door in the fence open and leaving it creaking in the wind as
he walks off screen.
We stay on the empty court for a moment before we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
12 EXT. LA - STREET. DAY. 12
Spike, Skye and Connor are still heading back to the Hyperion
through the rain, Connor grabbing an apple from his groceries
and munching it as Spike talks.
SPIKE
But see, here's the thing that
still bothers me about the new,
budget version of Wes we've got. We
rescued him from a Wolfram & Hart
sponsored holding dimension, right?
And then when we make him corporeal
again, he hasn't got a soul.
Doesn't that strike either of you
two as pretty convenient?
CONNOR
Are you saying Wolfram & Hart knew
this would happen?
SPIKE
I'm just saying it's a possibility,
is all.
He turns to Skye, who is following them with her head down,
deep in thought.
SPIKE (cont'd)
What about you, Pigeon Little? Any
theories in that black-haired bonce
of yours?
SKYE
(distracted)
Huh?
SPIKE
(chuckles)
Ground Control to Major Tom, come
in! Which planet are you on today,
pet? It doesn't look like you're on
ours!
SKYE
Sorry, I'm just... I've just got to
go check something out. I'll meet
you guys back at the hotel later,
okay?
She turns and heads back the way she came, leaving a bemused
Spike and Connor behind.
CONNOR
What's up with her?
SPIKE
(shrugs)
Woman's problems, probably. Come
on, let's get out of this bloody
rain!
They walk on.
13 EXT. LA - STREET/ALLEYWAY. DAY. 13
Skye arrives back at the entrance to the alleyway where she
found the body, but now the police are there, cordoning the
scene off.
As a few onlookers watch, two paramedics load the body of the
unfortunate girl Skye found into a waiting ambulance, a sheet
over her but blood already soaking through it.
Skye sags, not knowing what to make of it all, reaching into
her jacket for the letter that was left for her and reading
it again. With a last glance at the scene at the alley, she
heads of screen.
14 INT. HYPERION - LOBBY. DAY. 14
Spike and Connor enter the lobby, finding Angel, Nina and
Illyria already down there, Spike picking up on the dour mood
in the hotel.
SPIKE
Blimey, who died?
ANGEL
Huh?
SPIKE
You lot all look like you've won
the lottery and then found the
ticket chewed up in the washing
machine! I take it The Spirit
Formerly Known As Wesley upstairs
is still keeping to his own
company?
NINA
Spike, this isn't the time for-
SPIKE
For what? Some inappropriate
humour? News flash, Nina, it's what
I'm good at.
Besides, Angel's bound to come up
with something sooner or later,
that's what he's good at. Right?
Spike looks to Angel, but Angel throws a look back which says
'I'm all out of ideas.' Spike rolls his eyes.
SPIKE (cont'd)
Marvellous. I left for the day to
give you lot some time to figure
out a plan without blaming me for
distracting you, and you've still
got nothing?
WESLEY (O.S.)
I wouldn't say that.
Everyone looks up as Wes appears at the edge of the first
floor balcony, looking down on them all.
WESLEY (cont'd)
I've got plenty of things to say,
and while everyone is here, I'd
like to take the opportunity to say
them!
Wes starts to head down the stairs as Angel glances round.
ANGEL
(to Spike)
Where's Skye?
SPIKE
Still out, she seemed a bit pre
menstrual so I left her to it.
ILLYRIA
(to Wesley)
We do not wish to hear your
opinions unless they are aimed at
restoring your soul, Wesley!
WESLEY
(grins)
Then I'm afraid you won't want to
hear what I've got to say.
Wes stands before them all, hands in his pockets.
WESLEY (cont'd)
I'm starting to like being like
this. It's remarkably liberating,
acting without conscience or
regret. I can see why Angel and
Spike always find themselves drawn
towards this side of themselves.
Wes walks towards them, pausing to nudge a vase off the
reception desk, where it shatters on the floor.
NINA
(angrily)
Hey! I made that!
WESLEY
(shrugs)
I didn't really like it.
Nina looks to Angel to do something, and Angel strides
forward, stepping in front of Wes.
ANGEL
Alright, Wes, no more games. Say
what you've got to say, but if you
keep acting like you're going to be
a threat, then we'll have to take
care of you.
WESLEY
(smirks)
Would you really?
(to Illyria)
Would you let them?
Wes walks over to Illyria, who backs up, almost looking
nervous.
WESLEY (cont'd)
You, who campaigned so tirelessly
to get me back and then to make me
human again, and for what? What
could you stand to gain from it?
Another person to attempt to exert
your authority over? A friend,
perhaps?
(beat)
A lover?
Illyria clenches her fist as the others react to Wes' words.
Wes stares right back at Illyria, knowing he's pushing all
the buttons.
ILLYRIA
(cold)
You are not Wesley. He would never
say-
WESLEY
No, you're right. I wouldn't. At
least, not before this happened to
me. Now... Well, now things are
somewhat different.
Do you want to know what I really
think of you? The absolute truth?
Illyria stares at him for a beat, then slowly nods.
WESLEY (cont'd)
I despise you.
Illyria looks shocked, seeming less like a former God King
and more like a heartbroken girl as Wes continues.
WESLEY (cont'd)
Yes, you fascinate me on a
scientific level. Yes, the fact
that you possessed the body of the
one woman I think I've ever truly
loved meant that I allowed you a
degree of leniency, but I only ever
wanted to find a way to bring Fred
back.
ILLYRIA
(attempted defiance)
You lie, you are trying to deceive
me, you just-
WESLEY
I know Fred's still buried inside
you somewhere, and I intend to
bring her out. And when I do, I
will find a way to banish you back
to the Deeper Well where you
belong, so that this world will
never again be plagued by you!
Wes turns away from Illyria, who can't find the words to
answer. Angel marches over, grabbing Wes and shoving him to
one side.
ANGEL
Alright, that's it! We're gonna
keep you locked in your room until
we work out how to get your soul
back, I'm not gonna have you waltz
around here and belittle my team!
WESLEY
(scoffs)
'Your' team? Angel, Spike's as good
as the leader of this team now, and
you know it! The only authority you
have is that you make less mistakes
than he does, but even he didn't
sacrifice one of his so-called
'team' to admit defeat to Wolfram
and Hart!
Angel glares coldly back at Wes, still keeping a firm hold on
him. Wes smiles, the floodgates open now.
WESLEY (cont'd)
All last year at Wolfram and Hart,
Spike proved he had what it took to
be a hero - well, as far as he can
be, at least.
SPIKE
(offended)
Oi!!
WESLEY
You were content to sit in your
office and let us do the work, but
when it came down to the last
fight, you managed to convince us
all to help you, and look what
happened! I died, Charles died, and
you lost!
Angel, furious, raises a fist to strike Wes, but Nina grabs
him, pulling his hand away.
NINA
Angel, no! Don't do this!
WESLEY
(to Nina)
Ah, that's right. You, the New
Woman. The substitute.
ANGEL
(stern)
Everyone, clear out of here, now.
Wes and I need to have a little
talk.
Nobody moves. Angel looks round as Spike chuckles.
SPIKE
Bugger that, if there's going to be
a fight, I want in! I've been
looking forward to getting a chance
to get even with Captain Britain
over there, whatever the
circumstances.
CONNOR
Dad?
ANGEL
Connor, get Nina out of here.
Connor nods and takes Nina by the arm, pulling her away from
Angel. She gives Angel another pleading look.
NINA
Angel, don't listen to him! That's
not Wes in there, you can't let him
get to you!
WESLEY
(to Nina)
He'll never really love you, you
know.
Nina stops, looking wide-eyed from Angel to Wesley.
WESLEY (cont'd)
Oh, I'm sure he's very fond of you,
but deep down, there are two things
that'll stop him from every really
loving you the way you want him to.
The first is that pesky curse upon
his heart that's caused so much
trouble over the years, and the
second is a certain blonde
Californian Slayer by the name of
Buffy. That's who he really wants.
Nina, tears in her eyes, looks to Angel, wanting him to deny
everything Wes just said.
NINA
(softly)
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