6x16
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                         Angel?

               Angel looks at her, trying to find the words - but his
               hesitation says it all. Nina's hands go to her mouth as she
               starts to SOB, and Connor moves quickly, tearing Nina away
               and leading her off screen.

               Unnoticed by everyone else, Skye steps into the lobby,
               pausing by the door as she looks over the scene, trying to
               work out what's going on.

               Nobody spots her as she pads down the steps, Skye sensing the
               confrontation but hanging back to wait and see what happens
               next.

               An incensed Angel grabs Wes by the shirt lapels, murder in
               his eyes as he stares Wes out.

                                   ANGEL
                             (darkly)
                         Alright, Wes, you just pushed it
                         too far. 

                                   WESLEY
                         Are you about to teach me a lesson?
                         Should I be worried?

                                   ANGEL
                         Me? No.

               Angel lets Wes go and steps away, motioning to Spike and
               Illyria.

                                   ANGEL (cont'd)
                         They are. I want you to co-operate
                         with us to fix this problem, Wes,
                         but it looks like you need a little
                         convincing.

               Spike grins as he and Illyria step forward, Spike cracking
               his knuckles. Angel begins to walk towards the stairs, and
               Wes calls out to him.

                                   WESLEY
                         Oh, very noble. You can't solve
                         your problems any other way than
                         through violence, can you? Good old
                         Wes finally speaks his mind about a
                         few home truths, so you walk away
                         and leave your lackeys to do the
                         job?

               Angel pauses at the foot of the stairs.

                                   ANGEL
                         Hey, don't get me wrong, I feel bad
                         about having to do this, and once
                         you get your soul back I know I've
                         got some apologising to do. But for
                         right now... Shut up.

               Angel turns his back on Wes and heads up the stairs. Staying
               with him, we can just make out Wes tries to defend himself
               against Spike and Illyria, the duo laying into him with a
               series of punches.

               Skye watches, shocked, not knowing what to do as Angel
               reaches the first floor. She darts to the foot of the stairs
               and calls after him.

                                   SKYE
                         Angel! You can't- I mean, how could
                         you-

                                   ANGEL
                         Wes would have done the same for
                         me.

               With that, Angel turns and walks off frame, leaving a stunned
               Skye to watch Spike and Illyria let off a little steam on
               Wes.

        15     INT. HYPERION - BACK ROOM. DAY.                         15

               Connor holds Nina as she CRIES, the duo sitting on a pair of
               chairs inside a small storeroom just off the lobby.

                                   CONNOR
                         Come on, Nina, don't cry, please,
                         he was just-

                                   NINA
                             (through tears)
                         He was right...

                                   CONNOR
                         No, no! I know Dad cares about you,
                         you can't listen to what Wes was
                         saying.

                                   NINA
                         No, Connor, he was right... Angel's
                         never going to love me, no matter
                         what I do...

               Connor's doing his best to comfort her, but he's not having
               much luck. He rubs her arms, trying to soothe her.

                                   CONNOR
                         We'll sort this out. We'll get Wes
                         back, the real Wes, and then we'll
                         get through this.

               Nina starts to sob again, and Connor closes his eyes as he
               holds her.

        16     INT. HYPERION - ANGEL'S ROOM. DAY.                      16

               Angel sits on the edge of his bed, hands clasped, locked in
               deep thought.

               After a few beats, he suddenly stands, marches over to the
               wall and PUNCHES it with a roar of anger, cracking a fist
               sized hole though the plaster.

               Breathing heavily, he closes his eyes and leans his head
               against the wall, trying to let the anger pass.

                                   ANGEL
                             (quietly)
                         I'm sorry, Wes...

               Angel goes back to the edge of the bed, sitting down again
               and running his hands through his hair.
               He's just made a difficult decision, and now he has to deal
               with it - one of the side effects of actually having a soul.

               We leave Angel to brood as we:

                                                             BLACK OUT:



                                   END OF ACT TWO
                                      ACT THREE

                                                               FADE IN:

        17     EXT. LA - STREET. NIGHT.                                17

               Night has now fallen and the rain has stopped, the slick
               streets shining with the reflected lights of the city as Skye
               trudges along.

               She stops by a street hot dog vendor, and the man running the
               stand, a cheery, elderly man named ROURKE, greets her warmly.

                                   ROURKE
                         Hey, kid! Good to see you. You want
                         the usual?

                                   SKYE
                         Yeah, thanks, Rourke.

               Rourke starts to rustle her up a chilli dog as Skye leans
               against the stand. Rourke notices her downcast expression.

                                   ROURKE
                         You alright, kid? You don't look
                         too peachy.

                                   SKYE
                         Long story.

                                   ROURKE
                         Start talking, it'll be a while
                         before I get more customers yet,
                         and besides, the grill's still
                         warming up so your chilli dog's
                         gonna take a few minutes!

               Skye manages a grin as Rourke gets her a can of soda.

                                   SKYE
                         I've got this problem, and I'm not
                         sure what to do about it. I tried
                         to ask my boss and co-workers what
                         to do, but they're all wrapped up
                         in this problem of their own, and I
                         didn't want to bother them, you
                         know.

                                   ROURKE
                             (nods)
                         Still feeling like the new girl,
                         huh?

                                   SKYE
                         Something like that.

                                   ROURKE
                         This problem they've got, is it
                         bigger than yours?

                                   SKYE
                         I don't know, maybe. Someone they
                         used to trust has gone bad and
                         they've got to sort him out, but
                         they've all known each other years
                         and I've only been in town just
                         over two months, I don't feel like
                         it's my place to interrupt what
                         they're doing!

               Rourke nods again, serving her that chilli dog which Skye
               bites into hungrily. Rourke watches her with a chuckle.

                                   ROURKE
                         You know, kid, I've never seen a
                         vampire with an appetite like yours
                         before.

               Skye blinks and looks back up at Rourke.

                                   SKYE
                         How did you-

                                   ROURKE
                             (taps nose)
                         Trade secret. Let's just say we're
                         playing on the same side. These
                         'friends' of yours, that's that
                         Angel guy and his crew, right?

                                   SKYE
                             (hesitant)
                         Yeah...

                                   ROURKE
                         Then you want my advice? Go tell
                         'em what's up. Angel's a good guy,
                         does a lot of work for this city.
                         Whatever he's got going on, he'll
                         find some way to help you out. He
                         can't stop himself being a hero,
                         you know?

               Skye smiles, reassured. She reaches for her wallet but Rourke
               shakes his head.

                                   ROURKE (cont'd)
                         On the house, kid.

               Skye nods, smiles and walks away.

        18     EXT. LA - STREET/BASKETBALL PARK. NIGHT.                18

               Skye passes the fence surrounding the park where the Keeper
               killed the next Slayer earlier, and pauses, her senses
               picking something up as before.

               She turns and looks into the court - the lights overhead are
               flickering, and parts of the court are wrapped in darkness.

               Torn for a moment, she carefully puts her chilli dog on top
               of a nearby post box and walks cautiously down towards the
               court, her eyes alert for any sign of trouble.

        19     INT. HYPERION - WES' ROOM. NIGHT.                       19

               Wes is lying on his bed, bruised and bloody, as Spike heads
               out, pausing as he closes the door.

                                   SPIKE
                         For what it's worth, mate, I'm
                         sorry we had to do that. But
                         consider it a lesson learned. You
                         piss us off like that again, we do
                         that to you again. Got it?

               Wes nods weakly, and Spike shuts the door.

        20     INT. HYPERION - FIRST FLOOR. NIGHT.                     20

               Spike walks down the corridor, finding Illyria standing
               there. She looks very guilty, hugging her arms tightly.

                                   SPIKE
                         He didn't give us a choice, Blue. I
                         know that must have hurt you, but
                         if we hadn't laid down the law like
                         that, we'd never have got him to
                         agree to help us get his soul back.

                                   ILLYRIA
                         That is not what troubles me. I...
                         I think that I-

                                   SPIKE
                         Enjoyed giving him a kicking?

               Illyria pauses, then nods.

                                   SPIKE (cont'd)
                         Don't worry about it. He was asking
                         for it. It's done now, with any
                         luck we'll get the real Wes back
                         soon and all this will be over. Go
                         get some rest.

               Illyria heads off to her room, and Spike taps on the door to
               Skye's room.

                                   SPIKE (cont'd)
                         Skye? You in there?

               He waits a beat, then opens the door and walks in.

        21     INT. HYPERION - SKYE'S ROOM. NIGHT.                     21

               Skye's room is pretty messy, with clothes and accessories
               strewn across the floor, and several piles of loose CDs
               heaped next to a small stereo. Spike chuckles as he scans the
               mess for her, scooping her jacket up off the floor.

                                   SPIKE
                         The mucky pup...

               Spike moves to hang her jacket up, but the white envelope
               falls out and lands on the floor.

               Frowning, Spike picks it up, opens it and takes out the note
               inside. His eyes widen as he reads it.

                                   SPIKE (cont'd)
                         Oh, bloody hell...

               He throws the door open and dashes outside.

        22     EXT. LA - BASKETBALL PARK. NIGHT.                       22

               Skye reaches the door in the chainlink fence and pushes it
               open. It CREAKS, the sound echoing round the empty court as
               Skye steps inside.

                                   SKYE
                         Hello?

               She looks round again, freezing when she catches a scent of
               something. She looks around her, and at that moment, the
               overhead streetlights finally stop flickering and switch on
               full, and Skye GASPS at what she sees.

               Hanging from the rim of the basketball hoop is the dead
               Slayer the Keeper killed earlier, another note impaled on her
               chest with a stake.

               With shaking hands, Skye takes the note down to read it.

               It simply says: "Simmons Park. Now. Or The Next One Dies."

               Skye crumples the note, drops it and races out of the park,
               running as fast as she can towards Simmons Park.

        23     INT. HYPERION - ANGEL'S OFFICE. NIGHT.                  23

               Angel is trying to go over some paperwork but finding it hard
               to concentrate. Spike bursts into the office, and for once
               Angel looks glad for the distraction.

                                   ANGEL
                         What is it?

                                   SPIKE
                         Skye's in trouble. Read this.

               Spike hands Angel the note, and he scans over it. Angel
               stands, reaching out for his jacket.

                                   ANGEL
                         Any idea what this means?

                                   SPIKE
                         Not yet, but I don't need Spider
                         bloody Sense to know it's not
                         something good! She's not in her
                         room, we're gonna have to find her
                         quickly.

                                   ANGEL
                         Spike, Los Angeles isn't exactly
                         small! Where are we going to start
                         looking?

                                   SPIKE
                             (thinks; grins)
                         I know just the place.

               Spike dashes back out of the office, and Angel hurries after
               him.

        24     EXT. SIMMONS PARK. NIGHT.                               24

               Skye runs into the park, a secluded part of the city, a patch
               of greenery and trees wedged in between several tall office
               buildings to try and distract from the concrete and steel all
               round.

               Out of breath, she looks round frantically before hearing a
               distant SHOUT for help. She breaks back into a run, following
               the sound.

               Running deeper into the park, she reaches a more open area, a
               clearing fenced in by trees on all sides. 

               Skye skids to a halt as she sees a figure waiting at the far
               end of the clearing - it's the Keeper, holding an unconscious
               girl in one hand.

               The girl is short with dark hair, and while she's obviously
               taken a beating, it doesn't look bad enough to have killed
               her. The Keeper drops her and steps forward as the skies
               overhead RUMBLE with thunder - another storm is coming.

               Skye takes up an offensive pose, sizing up the approaching
               Keeper.

                                   SKYE
                         Let me guess - you must be this
                         'Keeper' we're all so bugged about,
                         right?

               The Keeper nods, still walking steadily towards her.

                                   SKYE (cont'd)
                         So what do you want with me?
                         Leaving dead Slayers and calling
                         cards all round this city, just to
                         get me out here?

                                   KEEPER
                         That is unimportant to you, little
                         girl.

                                   SKYE
                             (indicates other girl)
                         She dead? You kill her too?

                                   KEEPER
                         Not yet. Perhaps I will finish her
                         off once I have subdued you.

                                   SKYE
                         'Subdued' me? Confident, ain'tcha?

               The Keeper doesn't bother with a retort, and Skye looks a
               little worried - this guy means business.

               As the Keeper closes to striking distance, Skye readies
               herself for her first attack.

                                   SKYE (cont'd)
                         Okay, Goldie, time to see what
                         you've got!

               She throws the first punch - but the Keeper dodges it,
               grabbing Skye and shoving him past her, SLAMMING his other
               forearm into her gut and cartwheeling her through the air.

               Skye hits the deck with a THUD, and the Keeper steps back,
               waiting for her to stand.

               Skye struggles to her feet, woozy, and shakes her head to
               clear her senses.

                                   SKYE (cont'd)
                         Alright, I'll give you that one.
                         Got any more tricks you wanna pull
                         on me?

               The Keeper still doesn't reply - he merely beckons Skye with
               one hand.

                                   KEEPER
                         Slayer... Come to me.

               Skye takes a beat to prepare herself, VAMPS OUT, and then
               with a YELL charges back into the fight.

        25     EXT. LA - STREET. NIGHT.                                25

               Spike and Angel dash into frame as the rain starts to fall,
               Spike spotting Rourke's stall and pointing towards it.

                                   SPIKE
                         There! She found this place just
                         after she arrived, swears by it!
                         She always comes here first before
                         she heads anywhere.

                                   ANGEL
                         You think he'll know where she
                         went?

                                   SPIKE
                         I hope so...

               They jog over.

        26     EXT. SIMMONS PARK - CLEARING. NIGHT.                    26

               Skye is fighting back against the Keeper as best she can, but
               he's blocking or dodging most of her strikes, and the punches
               and kicks that do hit him aren't having much effect.

               He SLAMS his hand into her chest and knocks her off her feet,
               but Skye manages a neat flip in the air to land on her feet,
               launching a powerful roundhouse kick at the Keeper that
               connects with his head, sending him staggering.

                                   SKYE
                         Ha! Not so tough when you get down
                         to it, are you? Come on, Darth! Hit
                         me!

               Skye hops up to him, Muhammad Ali style, and gets a few more
               punches in before the Keeper SWATS her away with a sweep of
               his hand.

               Skye hits the muddy ground, slipping as she tries to stand,
               the rain falling heavily across the scene.

               The Keeper patiently watches her, and she looks unsteady on
               her feet now, two open cuts on her face bleeding, the blood
               smeared across her face by the rain.

                                   SKYE (cont'd)
                             (groggy)
                         C'mon... What you waiting for?

               She takes another step forward as the Keeper marches towards
               her.

        27     EXT. BASKTBALL PARK. NIGHT.                             27

               Soaked now with rain, Spike and Angel have reached the
               basketball park, looking around for her.

                                   SPIKE
                             (calling out)
                         Skye! Skye!! He said she went this
                         way, look for her!

               Angel spots the discarded chilli dog and picks it up, then
               both vampires catch the scent from inside the court.

               Dashing inside, Angel sees the body and Spike the note. Angel
               goes to fetch the dead Slayer down from her undignified final
               resting place, while Spike uncrumples the note. He shouts
               across to Angel.

                                   SPIKE (cont'd)
                         Simmons Park! Let's go!

               Spike starts running as Angel is still laying the body on the
               ground.

                                   ANGEL
                         Spike, wait!!

               But he's already gone. Angel curses, lays the body flat on
               the ground and rushes after Spike.

        28     EXT. SIMMONS PARK - CLEARING. NIGHT.                    28

               WHAM! Skye hits the dirt again, now covered with mud as well
               as blood, coughing weakly.

               The Keeper stands over her, looking down on her as she tries
               and fails to push herself to her feet.

                                   KEEPER
                         You fight well, Skye. The others
                         were no match for me, but you have
                         proven your worth.

                                   SKYE
                             (almost unconscious)
                         Bite... me...

               The Keeper cocks his head to one side, then crouches down,
               and with one quick PUNCH, knocks Skye out cold at last. She
               morphs back to her human face.

               He stands, picking her up and hefting her over his shoulder,
               and starts to leave the park when he hears Spike's distant
               voice, calling out for Skye.

                                   SPIKE (O.S.)
                         Skye! Skye! Where are you?

               The Keeper pauses, then lays Skye back on the ground and
               turns round, waiting for Spike to arrive.

               Seconds later, Spike bursts onto the scene, looking from Skye
               to the Keeper, and with a ROAR he VAMPS OUT, charging to the
               attack.

               The Keeper doesn't move, letting Spike come to him, and just
               as Spike is close enough, the Keeper lashes out with three
               rapid attacks - a PUNCH, a KICK and a BACKHAND, stunning
               Spike and knocking him on his ass.

               The Keeper waits for Spike to get up, and Spike stands,
               looking the Keeper up and down.

                                   SPIKE (cont'd)
                         That's it, golden boy, nobody
                         touches my girl!

               Spike leaps in to attack again, having more luck then Skye
               and managing to land a few hits, but the Keeper fights back,
               a fierce UPPERCUT knocking Spike off his feet.

               Spike hits the deck, his head swimming, and as he tries to
               sit up, the Keeper calmly lifts up Skye again, turns, and
               walks away.

               Spike reaches out for him, too dazed to stand.

                                   SPIKE (cont'd)
                         Skye...

               It's no use. The Keeper disappears into the trees just as
               Angel races into the park. He sees the fallen Spike and
               dashes over.

                                   ANGEL
                         What happened? Was she here?

                                   SPIKE
                             (points)
                         Angel... that way... hurry!

               Angel nods and races into the trees as Spike finally pushes
               himself to his feet.

               He de-vamps as he staggers over to the other girl, rolling
               her over to check her pulse.

               Angel walks back into the clearing, shaking his head.

                                   ANGEL
                         Nobody's there.

               Spike POUNDS the dirt in frustration.

                                   SPIKE
                         Bollocks!!

               Angel looks down at the other girl.

                                   ANGEL
                         Who's she?

                                   SPIKE
                         I dunno, but she may be the only
                         one who can tell us what happened.

                                   ANGEL
                         What did you see? By the time I got
                         here, somebody'd already beaten you
                         to the ground!

                                   SPIKE
                             (beat)
                         I think I just met the Keeper.
                             (serious)
                         And I think we may be in a lot of
                         trouble.

               From Spike's worried look, we:

                                                             BLACK OUT;



                                  END OF ACT THREE
                                      ACT FOUR

                                                               FADE IN:

        29     INT. HYPERION - LOBBY. NIGHT.                           29

               Angel boots the doors open with one foot as he carries the
               unconscious girl from the park over one shoulder, the
               battered Spike following him.

               Nina, Connor, SONIA and TAYLOR are all waiting in the lobby,
               standing as they see the state Spike is in.

                                   NINA
                         What happened? Who's the girl?

                                   CONNOR
                         Did you find Skye?

                                   SPIKE
                             (shakes head)
                         The Keeper took her.

                                   TAYLOR
                         You saw him?

               Spike nods, gingerly touching his split lip.

                                   SPIKE
                         Oh, yeah, mate, up close and bloody
                         personal. Packs a pretty hefty
                         wallop, too.

                                   CONNOR
                         Where did he take Skye?

                                   SPIKE
                         Three guesses. The first two don't
                         count.

                                   TAYLOR
                         Wolfram and Hart.

                                   NINA
                         Well, we've got to get her! We
                         can't let them take her away,
                         remember what they were going to do
                         to me?

                                   ANGEL
                         We're heading back out, we just
                         needed to get this girl back here
                         first.

                                   SONIA
                         Who is she?

                                   ANGEL
                         My guess, she's the bait that lured
                         Skye out there. As far as we can
                         make out, the Keeper had been
                         finding and killing active Slayers
                         inside LA, trying to draw Skye out.

               Angel holds up the note that Skye was left, handing it to
               Taylor to read.

                                   TAYLOR
                         How come she didn't tell any of us?
                         She just went out by herself to
                         face this guy?

                                   ANGEL
                         She probably saw what was gong on
                         with Wes, and-

                                   SPIKE
                             (angrily)
                         And we were too bloody wrapped up n
                         our own problems to pay her any
                         attention! Thanks to us, that
                         bugger's got hold of her...

               Spike stands again, wincing as he presses a hand to his side.
               Angel steps in front of him.

                                   ANGEL
                         Spike, we need to wait before we
                         rush back out there, we've got to
                         get ready for-

                                   SPIKE
                             (shoves past)
                         Stuff that! That golden masked
                         nutter's got my girl, and I'm not
                         wasting another second! Now are you
                         with me, or not?

               A beat - then Angel nods. He turns to Nina.

                                   ANGEL
                         Taylor, Connor, you're with us.
                         Nina, you've got medical training,
                         right?

               Nina stares at Angel for a beat, not sure if she should still
               be upset or angry with him - but she nods.

                                   NINA
                         Yeah, a little.

                                   ANGEL
                         Stay here with the girl, see what
                         she can tell us when she wakes up.

                                   SONIA
                         What about me?

                                   ANGEL
                         I want you to find Illyria and wait
                         by Wolfram and Hart, you're our
                         backup.

               Sonia nods and heads for the stairs.

                                   ANGEL (cont'd)
                         Alright, let's get her back.

               Angel turns and marches towards the door, the rest of the
               team falling in behind him.

        30     INT. WOLFRAM & HART - SCIENCE DIVISION. NIGHT.          30

               Skye is dropped unceremoniously into a reclined, dentist-like
               chair in the science lab by the Keeper, as two nervous
               looking LAB ASSISTANTS watch on.

                                   KEEPER
                         Prepare her. We move soon.

               The first Assistant nods, strapping Skye into he chair as the
               second drags a tray covered with syringes over, readying the
               first one.
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.