TEASER
FADE IN:
1 EXT. DESERTED ALLEYWAY - NIGHT 1
A bright set of HEADLIGHTS punch their way through the thick
layer of fog filling the alleyway, as a sleek black sedan
rolls towards us.
The car rolls to a stop, and the driver's door opens to allow
the driver to step out, his features still hidden by fog.
A SHADOW crosses in front of the car as a second person
enters the scene, also wrapped in thick fog.
VOICE #1
It's about time, man! I didn't
think you were going to show. Do
you have any idea what could happen
to me if the wrong people found out
that I had this kind information?
VOICE #2
You'd be subjected to the most
horrific torture, and eventually
death, that a human being can't
possibly imagine... but as someone
who's already been there and done
that, I've gotta tell ya, it's not
as bad as it sounds.
The latter shadow throws his arm around the former.
VOICE #2 (cont'd)
Walk with me.
The two shadows begin approaching, and after a few moments
break through the thick fog to reveal LINDSEY leading along a
scroungy looking man, ROBERT, nervously looking round.
LINDSEY
You see, Robert, the thing is that
you're never going to find out
anyway.
(beat)
Go ahead. Ask me why.
ROBERT
Why?
LINDSEY
Because if you've got what I think
you've got in that warped brain of
yours, then you've just passed up
my old law school buddies and
became my new best friend.
And I'm not real big on letting my
friends suffer eternal torment, if
you know what I mean.
Robert forces a nervous smile for Lindsey's benefit.
LINDSEY (cont'd)
So give me some good news. Are we
friends or what?
ROBERT
I got what you were looking for.
LINDSEY
(grins)
And they say there's no good help
in Los Angeles.
ROBERT
The information you were looking
for wasn't easy to find.
LINDSEY
It never is. Now, let's cut to the
chase because I have no problem
with suffering to those who waste
my time.
ROBERT
(uneasily)
The place you're looking for, it
isn't in LA.
LINDSEY
That's impossible. My sources...
ROBERT
... were wrong.
Lindsey eyes him for a moment as the guy squirms.
ROBERT (cont'd)
From what I was able to gather,
it's in... Asia. And we're not
talking a short taxi ride from the
airport, either - I mean deep in
Asia.
LINDSEY
Look, I know that the concept of a
hard day's work falls a little
under the radar to you 'street
wise,' and you might be tempted to
try to milk a situation like this
for all it's worth...
(angrily)
... but I'm not paying you by the
hour!
The guy cowers a bit as Lindsey yells. Lindsey reaches into
his jacket and retrieves a DAGGER, and as Rovert tries to
jump back, Lindsey GRABS him by the shirt.
LINDSEY (cont'd)
What did I tell you about wasting
my time?
ROBERT
(quickly)
It was a tectonic shift!
Lindsey stops and laughs, shaking his head.
LINDSEY
A shift of land masses doesn't move
a piece of earth five thousand
miles in a few millennia!
ROBERT
Your sources were wrong... again.
It's been a lot longer than you
think it has since anything has
entered this dimensional void.
(beat)
Try before the partners were even
tearing flesh from bone.
A long beat.
LINDSEY
You're sure?
ROBERT
I've used every source that I have,
and made a ton of new ones on this
deal, and everything I can find
says the same thing.
LINDSEY
And you didn't tell anyone who you
were asking for?
ROBERT
What, are you kidding? I'm having
trouble controlling my bowel
movements right now. You think I
want to run around the streets
knowing that I double dealed you?
LINDSEY
You're a man of wisdom, Bobby.
Don't let anyone tell you
different.
The guy smiles as he pulls out a piece of paper and hands it
to Lindsey.
ROBERT
Can I ask you something?
Lindsey smiles as he reads over the paper.
LINDSEY
You can ask me anything, friend.
ROBERT
Why did you even need me to do
legwork for you on this? You've got
entire teams that do exactly this
for a living.
LINDSEY
Well, to tell the truth, this is a
bit of a covert op - a little
'under the radar' work of my own,
if you get me. So you understand
the need for secrecy.
ROBERT
Oh yeah, of course I do, Mr.
McDonald.
Lindsey smiles and pats him on the shoulder.
LINDSEY
Good. Then you'll also understand
this.
With that, Lindsey BURIES the dagger in the man's stomach!
He tries to scream, but can't get anything out as he stares
at Lindsey in horror.
LINDSEY (cont'd)
Because if there's one thing that
the senior partners hate...
(smiling)
... it's a paper trail. And you, my
friend, are two trees worth of
paper with a half mile wide trail
in every direction.
He YANKS the dagger from his stomach as Robert falls to the
ground.
LINDSEY (cont'd)
And what can I say? I'm a company
man. I love to keep the partners
happy.
He pauses to take out a handkerchief and wipe the bloody
dagger clean, before slipping back into his pocket.
LINDSEY (cont'd)
... even if that means losing a
friend or two along the way.
Lindsey casually adjusts his tie, then turns and heads back
for his car, disappearing into the fog as we close in on
Robert's lifeless body.
Lindsey's car door SLAMS shut, and as the engine starts, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
2 INT. HYPERION - ANGEL'S ROOM - DAY 2
ANGEL is sitting alone in his room, leaned comfortably back
in his chair, soaking up the silence with an exhausted look
on his face.
The silence is short lived, however, when a few moments
later, a quick KNOCK, which is actually a single THUD,
precedes SPIKE entering the room.
SPIKE
You rang?
Angel groans as Spike PLOPS down on the bed opposite Angel.
ANGEL
Do you hear that, Spike?
SPIKE
(beat; confused)
Hear what?
ANGEL
All that blissful silence.
SPIKE
Oh, yeah, right. It has been a bit
of a rarity around here as of late,
hasn't it?
Angel leans back, closing his eyes.
ANGEL
It's God. Finally punishing us for
everything we've done. All the
torture, the murder, the
blaspheming - t's finally caught up
with us.
SPIKE
I guess the old man does work in
mysterious ways, eh? When we were
partaking in said blaspheming, who
would have thought that our
punishment would be half a dozen
mystically charged brat kids living
under our roof? I thought you said
hell was all fire and brimstone.
ANGEL
Trust me, compared to this, hell
ain't a bad place to be.
SPIKE
(beat)
Well, I hate to interrupt your time
honored tradition of brooding, but
we've got an assortment of 'hows' a
few 'whys' and even a 'what the
hell' to go address. So, if you'll
stop sulking for a moment?
ANGEL
(nods)
We need to start working out what
we're going to do with the kids.
SPIKE
Amongst other things. I think they
fall under the 'what the hell'
category. My question goes a lot
like this: what the hell are we
doing baby sitting a team of brats
in the first place?
ANGEL
Do I really have to answer that?
SPIKE
They're refugees, I get it, but
what we're doing now isn't doing
anything but dividing our bloody
forces, Angel. Those little buggers
are going to take up more of our
time than any apocalypse. Hell, for
all we know, Wolfram and Hart
planted them with us just for the
very purpose of keeping us
occupied. And if so, I would say
mission damn well accomplished.
ANGEL
What do you want to do with them?
Group homes? We saw how well that
went with Joe.
SPIKE
Hey! That little thing has been
through enough without you having
to use him as a barometer for my
screw-ups!
ANGEL
I thought it was Skye that-
SPIKE
(quickly)
Our screw-ups! You know bloody well
what I meant!
ANGEL
I know you don't want to see Joe in
another group home any more than I
want to put him there.
SPIKE
Then what the hell are we going to
do? Play Dr. Xavier to a bunch of X
Kids? Are you going to tell me that
Sonia's any less important? The
poor girl's fighting for her life
and we're here, arguing about
problems that are not our own!
ANGEL
I know how hard this is right now,
for each of us, but it doesn't
change anything.
Spike lowers his head, obviously worried about Sonia.
ANGEL (cont'd)
Sonia's family now, Spike, and
believe me when I say that we're
going to figure this out, but those
kids need our help too, and I'll be
damned if I'm going to let them
fall into the belly of the beast
because we were... 'preoccupied.'
We're a team. It's time we started
acting like one again.
(sly smile)
Remember the Circle of the Black
Thorn?
SPIKE
(smirks)
Vaguely. Bunch of poofs, as I
recall.
ANGEL
Classic battle strategy paid off,
didn't it?
SPIKE
Divide and conquer?
(shrugs)
Worked for the Romans. All we've
got to do is figure out who's
dividing who.
ANGEL
You mean is it going to be me or
Wesley dishing out the orders?
SPIKE
Can't slip anything past you, El
Capitain.
ANGEL
Well, Wes did-
SPIKE
Go into the aforementioned belly of
the beast by trying to sneakily
resurrect Fred without Illyria
knowing about it? You know I'm
always the first to jump on the
mutiny bandwagon, but I honestly
don't think the bloke was trying to
go behind our backs in a diabolical
kind of way.
ANGEL
He's done it before.
SPIKE
You mean Connor? Again, trying to
help. In his own little way.
(eyes him)
You're worried he's going to try
something daft again, aren't you?
ANGEL
(sighs)
Wes always tries to do what's best
for the good of the group - but
sometimes, that good ends up
backfiring and nearly getting us
all killed.
SPIKE
So what's that say for our Wes,
then?
ANGEL
That he's either a bigger man than
me or he's on the 'needs to be
conquered' list. The question is
which one.
SPIKE
And the answer?
ANGEL
Guess we'll just have to wait and
see.
Spike nods, and as Angel stares towards the window, deep in
contemplation, we cut to:
3 INT. WOLFRAM & HART - MEETING ROOM 3
LILAH is alone in the meeting room, sitting impatiently atop
the table and whimsically clicking her heels together.
The door to the room swings open, and in rushes a young
attorney, MILLER, smiling nervously as he rushes to sit down.
MILLER
Sorry to keep you waiting, ma'am. I
was in a meeting with the elders
from The Order of Hadd'way, and you
know how they tend to keep their
conversations looming for hours.
LILAH
Interesting. My assistants tend to
end up dead when they make me wait.
MILLER
(twitches)
I'm sorry for-
LILAH
Do you have any idea how
constrained my time is right now?
I'm hopping back and forth between
planes jumping through hoops to
appease the partners, and do you
know how much time I would lose on
my schedule if I had to pencil in
'kill assistant'?
MILLER
(stutters)
I-
LILAH
None, actually. I would just tell
someone to kill you very painfully
and be on my way, but I've got to
say that it would put quite the
damper on my day tomorrow when I
had to interview for a replacement.
Do I make myself clear?
MILLER
Crystal.
LILAH
Good. Now, about Lindsey...
MILLER
My team has him landing in Tokyo
in...
(looking at watch)
... fifteen minutes.
LILAH
(frowns)
Tokyo? What's Lindsey doing in
Asia? Did you check his schedule?
MILLER
Yes, ma'am. He's got an appointment
to meet with the head of Tunaki
Enterprises, looking to do business
in LA.
LILAH
Tell me, Miller, in your
professional opinion, does that
seem... fishy to you?
MILLER
It was penciled in at the last
minute...
LILAH
I mean, Angel miraculously comes
out of his coma, Lindsey makes a
house call to his hotel, and then
hops on a plane across the Pacific.
He's definitely up to something
more than I originally gave him
credit for.
MILLER
Excuse me for saying so, but don't
you have enough to go to the
partners already? This would
solidify your end of the deal for
the partners bringing you back, and
possibly put you in Mr. McDonald's
office.
LILAH
That's the thing, Miller. I don't
want to have just enough to go the
partners. I want more than enough.
The partners like initiative. They
see me with enough to bury Lindsey
twelve feet below the ground, and I
get a plush office with Lindsey's
spine hanging from the wall as a
token of appreciation. Bare minimum
gets me back in a holding dimension
until I'm needed again. You get my
drift?
MILLER
So what do you want done?
LILAH
I want you on a plane to Tokyo.
MILLER
Yes, ma'am. I'll get the first
flight out tomorrow morning.
LILAH
You'll have a ticket waiting on you
by the time you get to LAX.
MILLER
But I've got a meeting with...
Lilah gives him a ghastly look.
MILLER (cont'd)
Yes, ma'am. I can be there in an
hour.
LILAH
Make it half an hour. You don't
need to pack. Just buy new clothes
when you get there.
MILLER
(reluctantly)
Yes, ma'am.
He turns to walk out of the room, but stops short when:
LILAH
And, Miller...
MILLER
Yes?
LILAH
Don't let me down.
Miller nods nervously, then hurries out of the room as we cut
all the way over to:
4 EXT. FOREST - EVENING 4
Lindsey walks through an idyllic forest, deep in the heart of
the Orient. He's sweating heavily, and it looks like this has
been a long journey.
He pauses to reach for a water bottle by his belt, taking a
deep swig before starting on his way again.
The willow trees all around him are shrouded in mist, making
his path ahead hazy and unclear. Lindsey is following a
winding dirt path through the trees, a pack slung over his
shoulder.
He reaches the edge of the forest canopy and pauses - the
mist forms a near solid wall before him, obscuring his path
from view.
LINDSEY
(chuckles)
Guess I should take this as a sign,
huh?
Lindsey walks forward, disappearing into the mist as we cut
back to:
5 INT. HYPERION - FOYER - EVENING 5
Angel watches three of the rescued kids race down the stairs
as he heads towards his office. He shakes his head and
mutters to himself before stepping into:
6 INT. HYPERION - ANGEL'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 6
WESLEY and KIRSTEN are waiting for Angel, along with Spike
and ILLYRIA.
ANGEL
Isn't there something we can do to
stop them running around like that?
SPIKE
Ritalin.
WESLEY
(eyes Spike)
They're kids, Angel. They don't
come with an 'off' switch or a
'mute' button.
Angel flops into his chair with a sigh.
ANGEL
There'd have been a caning by now
if they'd been Irish born in the
18th Century.
SPIKE
This is what I'm talking about!
We can't keep them here. Angel
wants to sodomize them, I'll die a
horribly migrained death, and it'll
be Percy and Blue playing the role
of Walton elders, wouldn't it?
KIRSTEN
Not to mention that we're as good
as inviting Wolfram and Hart to
raid us. I know we knew that was
part of the deal, but still...
WESLEY
With the Hyperion's reinforced
defences, it's highly unlikely
they'd actually get in, Angel.
ANGEL
Even so, we need to start thinking
of ways to get them somewhere else.
If things get bad, which tends to
happen around here, we'll need a
quick exit strategy.
WESLEY
Kirsten's been trying to get any
kinds of contact details she can
out of them to see if we can send
them back home, but the majority of
them either aren't talking or
haven't seen their parents in some
time.
KIRSTEN
Years, in some cases.
ANGEL
So what does that mean? They've got
nowhere else to go?
Wes and Kirsten swap a look, and Angel GROANS.
ILLYRIA
Why does the presence of the
wormlings offend you so?
ANGEL
It doesn't offend me. It's just
that-
SPIKE
It's just that Uncle Rogers here
doesn't know how to handle nippers.
He's all up for saving a life, but
when it comes to bottles and dirty
diapers, well, he didn't have to go
through much of that with his own
spawn, did he?
ANGEL
(stern)
Don't bring Connor into this.
A beat as Angel stares Spike down. He breaks the gaze,
standing.
SPIKE
Right! Well, looks like that's my
attempt at a useful contribution
out the window then.
He heads for the door.
KIRSTEN
Spike, come on, don't...
Spike EXITS the office and Wes takes up his vacated seat.
WESLEY
I'd suggest providing them with
alternate identities and moving
them into foster homes, but again
that's not without certain degrees
of risk in itself.
KIRSTEN
And besides, didn't Spike say one
of the kids we saw there was in a
foster home anyway? Joe, was it?
ANGEL
(nods)
So that's out too. What else?
WESLEY
I hesitate to suggest it, Angel,
but the best course of action is to
keep them here. As for an exit
strategy, the sewers are probably
our best bet to get them out of the
hotel, but after that-
ANGEL
(closes eyes)
I knew it...
KIRSTEN
Think about it, it makes sense.
They're all in one place so we can
keep an eye on them, there's no way
in or out without one of those
keycards so they're not going to
get lost, and like Spike pointed
out, we're not exactly bad at being
child minders.
ANGEL
We can't just change the name on
the cards to Angel Day Care!
They'll break things, catch cold,
and God only knows what else!
WESLEY
Don't think me deaf to your
concerns, Angel, far from it, but
you have to admit that, for the
time being, their current place of
residence is strategically well
suited.
A beat as Angel looks round the room.
ANGEL
Only until we figure out what
Wolfram and Hart was planning for
them.
KIRSTEN
I'll put my detective hat back on,
see what I can find out.
WESLEY
And I'll continue my research into
the Academy's background.
They EXIT, and Illyria pauses. Angel notices she stayed
behind.
ANGEL
Something on your mind?
She looks at him - then turns and leaves without another
word. Angel frowns, then shrugs and picks up a file to get
back to work.
WESLEY (O.S.)
Look out!
There's a CRASH from somewhere outside the office, and Angel
looks up in alarm.
KIRSTEN (O.S.)
It's alright! It's okay, just a
vase... this one wasn't expensive,
right?
Angel SIGHS again and puts his head in his hands, and we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
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