7x14
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
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TEASER
FADE IN:
1 EXT. ABANDONED LOT - LATE EVENING 1
An AERIAL VIEW of the scene, the same abandoned lot that we
left TEAM ANGEL in last we saw them. A cloudy, dreadful
evening.
GWEN (V.O.)
You ever have one of those days?
One of those weeks? One of those
lives?
We PUSH IN to slowly begin to notice people there.
GWEN (V.O.) (cont'd)
You know, when you can't help but
notice this ominous cloud of
foreboding all around you that
seems more cement, less puffy
ether? And with it, this dread
that no matter what you do, how
hard you work to avoid or overcome
it, that this thing -- whatever it
may be -- is going to swallow you
whole? Welcome to my world.
PUSH IN further until we find GWEN RAIDEN alone, leaning
against a stunted and leafless tree. She's staring across
the lot at --
Team Angel. ANGEL himself is standing at the front of the
group, either delegating or bitching. It's hard to tell.
KATE is standing at his side, looks as though she's taking
mental notes of every detail. WESLEY is accompanied on
either side by SONIA and KIRSTEN, each paying just as much
attention.
GWEN (V.O.) (cont'd)
The whole existential argument of
theology has always been a bit of a
bore as far as I'm concerned. As
long as something works, I don't
need to know how. 'Why are we
here? Does what we do matter?'
Who cares?
BACK WITH Gwen as she leans back up against the tree and
glances toward the sky.
GWEN (V.O.) (cont'd)
Turns out that I do. If you get
mixed up with the wrong people in
this life, or worse yet, the right
people...
She sighs and glances back across the lot to Team Angel.
GWEN (V.O) (cont'd)
... questions like these have more
significance. As in 'do I really
want to die for this' and 'am I
going to be rewarded for it'? And
even worse than the questions is
the fear. And worse yet is what
the fear makes you do.
From our Team Angel view, we WIDEN TO REVEAL SPIKE, standing
there, sword in hand, cigarette in lip. Not paying nearly as
much attention to Angel as the others. Not bored, but --
nervous? He glances over to Gwen with a smile.
2 INT. HYPERION - SPIKE'S ROOM 2
Spike falls back upon the bed with a smile and a moment
later, Gwen comes into view and straddles him. They start
kissing. And getting heavier, very quickly as sparks
sporadically pop between them.
3 INT. HYPERION - ANGEL'S ROOM 3
Angel is sitting in his chair, his drawing pad in lap, pencil
on paper. We watch him for a moment. There's that calm to
him that he seems to have when he's drawing or reading. It's
almost relaxing.
GWEN (V.O.)
The regrets that it brings to the
surface.
Until we PUSH IN to see the drawing of --
An EPIC BATTLE. People are dead everywhere. His own take of
the FOUR HORSEMEN are riding through the middle of the
slaughter. He drops the pencil, sighs and rubs his temples
for a beat before he looks down and turns the page back and
we see --
A COLLAGE of faces drawn with his typical precision all
across the page. CORDELIA. DOYLE. FRED. CONNOR. DARLA.
GUNN.
FADE TO:
4 INT. HYPERION - ANGEL'S OFFICE 4
Wes is sitting behind Angel's desk, papers and books strewn
across the surface. A bottle of whiskey that he isn't even
trying to hide anymore. He pours himself a generous glass
and takes a drink. A moment for the burn to fade and he goes
back to work reading. Or ostensibly so, anyway.
There, in the book, we see that he's taken a page out of
Angel's book, so to speak, and has a picture of FRED staring
back at him. He finishes the paragraph and turns the page,
taking the picture and putting it on the other side of the
page as he does.
GWEN (V.O.)
The places that it takes you that
you swore you'd never re-visit.
5 INT. UTF HQ - CORRIDOR 5
Sonia is walking through the remains of the operation. There
are no bodies here, but there's dried blood everywhere. On
the walls, the floor, the ceiling. A tear runs down her
cheek as she glances into what used to be --
HER BUNK
We PUSH IN across the room until we see a small picture of
Connor taped to the cement wall. Just below it, a picture of
she and TAYLOR, taken above a demon carcass. Her first kill.
She walks across the room to the cot, lies down. She stares
at the pictures and finally bursts into sobbing tears.
6 EXT. WOLFRAM AND HART 6
Kirsten is standing outside of Wolfram and Hart, staring up
at the building. A look of cold vengeance upon her face as
she loads bullets into her pistol.
7 INT. KATE'S DAD'S OLD APT. - LIVING ROOM 7
We're staring at the front door as the doorknob jingles. A
beat and it opens to REVEAL Kate knelt down and putting her
lock picking tools back in their case.
She stands up and enters the room. Looks around at how much
it's changed with the present owners. She stares at the spot
in the floor where she found her dad's body.
GWEN (V.O.)
Fear does something different to
each of us. And while our minds
are busy clinging to the past, the
future is creeping up on us all --
slowly at first, but then faster
and with more velocity until the
now is no longer what it was, but
what it is.
As Kate kneels down to run her hand over the carpet, a light
FLICKS ON and a MAN is standing there with a baseball bat.
Kate has broken into his home and he's not happy.
GWEN (V.O.) (cont'd)
And therein lies the predicament.
While we can recite our past with
an inept certainty, it's the
uncertainty that the future holds
for us all that we fear.
Kate pulls out her BADGE and the man calms a bit.
GWEN (cont'd)
Because while there's a chance that
we might possess the strength to
overcome what lies over the not-so
distant horizon...
8 EXT. ABANDONED LOT - LATE EVENING 8
Gwen sighs again and walks over to join the others. Angel's
in the middle of some words of encouragement, but no one
looks that enthused about what's to come.
GWEN (V.O.)
... there's just as high a
probability that we'll fail not
only ourselves, but those around
us.
Angel is speaking directly to Gwen now. After he's done, she
nods a quick agreement with a confident expression. As soon
as everyone turns back to Angel, her confident expression is
gone and she takes a deep, calming breath. She looks to the
others.
GWEN (V.O.) (cont'd)
But at times like these, it's just
good to have someone around you.
And maybe the need to have someone
around is enough to keep you
fighting even when your body tells
you that you can't. That's what
I'm hoping, anyway.
She looks to the sky one more time, but her gaze is brought
back to earth with Spike offering a comforting 'everything's
going to be alright' nod.
GWEN (V.O.) (cont'd)
Because in the absence of hope,
there's only darkness. And I don't
know about you...
She forces a smile back that quickly fades and from that,
we...
BLACK OUT:
GWEN (V.O.) (cont'd)
... but I've always been a little
bit afraid of the dark.
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
9 EXT. ABANDONED LOT - DUSK 9
Team Angel is still gathered in the lot. No one's dishing
out orders this time. No one's giving rousing speeches.
They're all standing in a rough circle, back to back, weapons
ready.
SPIKE
So... Anyone think we're actually
going to make it out of this alive?
Or at the very least, still undead?
A beat as everyone exchanges glances, except for Angel who
looks more annoyed.
Sonia stares knowingly at Spike. Almost certain that she's
not going to make it and guilty that she hasn't told him.
Finally:
GWEN
Someone please say yes.
(beat)
Anyone?
KIRSTEN
Well I, uh... No, not really.
ANGEL
(pointedly)
We survived their first attack and
we'll survive this one.
SPIKE
Hate to burst your bubble of
pretend bravery, but we didn't all
live to tell the tale, did we?
WESLEY
(forces a chuckle)
I've still got the scar and
embarrassing memories of
soullessness to prove it.
KATE
Plus, they didn't have any calvary
that time, did they?
ANGEL
Alright, you guys want me to say
it? You want to hear so bad that
we're not all going to make it
through this? Fine. We're not.
Every one of us may die today.
GWEN
So not what I needed to hear.
ANGEL
So if anyone wants to leave, now
would be the time. Because in a
few minutes, hell is literally
going to break loose on Earth. But
with or without you, I'm facing
this thing. And that doesn't mean
that I'm not scared.
He looks to each of the others in turn.
ANGEL (cont'd)
I'll be honest with you: I'm
terrified.
LILAH (O.S.)
I thought the general was supposed
to inspire.
Everyone turns to find LILAH coming up from their rear,
carrying a trash bag in one hand and a gun in the other.
LILAH (cont'd)
Not piss himself in fear.
WESLEY
Lilah...
She smiles her deviously enchanting smile to Wes, but before
she has time to answer him.
ANGEL
What are you doing here?
LILAH
Well, the plan was to get as far
away from Los Angeles as possible.
But there were...
She puts the gun in her jacket pocket and reaches into the
bag and pulls out a HUMAN HEAD and looks at it for a beat.
LILAH (cont'd)
... complications.
As soon as she pulls out the head, Sonia and Kirsten both
have GUNS TRAINED ON HER.
SONIA
You had to go on a killing spree
first?
Lilah laughs and looks back to the head.
LILAH
What? Him?
She tosses it on the ground and it rolls until Angel stops it
with his foot. PAN UP Angel's body to see an unimpressed
expression.
LILAH (O.S.) (cont'd)
He was an assassin, anyway. You
wouldn't have liked him.
ANGEL
You expect us to believe that?
LILAH
Don't really care if you do or not,
but the truth is that Wolfram and
Hart weren't feeling overly content
in letting their employees off for
the holiday.
WESLEY
What are you saying?
LILAH
All employees were executed and
taken to Paradyse to await the
invasion.
KATE
Paradyse?
Spike rolls his eyes and drops his sword to the ground. More
annoyed than frightened.
SPIKE
Oh, God. Please tell me that those
black, wall crawling monsters
aren't going to come through.
He takes his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and quickly
lights one.
KIRSTEN
Black... Wall crawling monsters?
SPIKE
Don't go running for the
razorblades and pill bottles yet,
luv. I haven't even gotten to the
part about the razor sharp teeth.
Gwen looks over to him.
GWEN
There are razor sharp teeth?
SPIKE
Not to mention --
ANGEL
Alright, Spike! That's enough with
the description. They're scary.
Everyone gets it.
He looks back to Lilah with a pointed expression and
question.
ANGEL (cont'd)
How did you get away?
LILAH
I was out of the office when the
orders were given so everyone that
wasn't accounted for got a
housecall.
10 EXT. LINDSEY'S APT. - SAME 10
LINDSEY and GUNN are fighting back to back. Dozens of W&H
Operations Officers and demons are swarming them. Despite
how outnumbered they are, both men are holding their own
exceptionally well.
Lindsey is slicing through enemies left and right. Gunn is
tearing them down with an axe. A LARGE DEMON rushes toward
him and his axe SLICES RIGHT THROUGH ITS HEAD.
The neck doesn't seem to slow down the stroke at all and as
Gunn finishes his swing, a sword stops it. Right before it
connects with Lindsey's head.
Gunn shrugs.
GUNN
Accident.
He goes back into battle as Lindsey eyes him for a moment.
LINDSEY
Sure it was.
He stares on for a moment before he ducks at the last second
to avoid a MACE SWINGING THROUGH THE AIR.
11 INT. ABANDONED LOT - SAME 11
The others are still staring back at Lilah. She hasn't
explained how she got out of her predicament until:
LILAH
(off look)
Let's just say that after spending
years with you people kicking down
my doors, my house isn't lacking in
security or weapons.
KATE
(to Angel)
Any reason we should trust her?
ANGEL
I've got about a million for why we
shouldn't, but -- At this point,
nothing seems that far fetched,
does it?
LILAH
So do I need to go ahead and learn
the secret handshake now, or does
that come later?
Sonia walks up from the rear of the group to stand beside
Angel and look on at Lilah, gun still aimed at her.
SONIA
You think we're actually going to
let you fight with us? We know who
you are.
LILAH
Oh, like it or not, honey, I'm
going to be here. Wolfram and Hart
wants me dead almost as much as
you. And seeing as there's no one
who doesn't want you guys to die as
much as you do... I'm staying.
SPIKE
Hang the bloody hell on for a
second. We still don't know if
we're being yanked about by our
short hairs here, do we? In case
no one has noticed, it's dusk.
SONIA
And is it just me or wasn't there
supposed to be something big
happening at right about now?
As she finishes her question, a FLASH OF LIGHT all but parts
the sky and ushers in a LOUD BANG.
LILAH (O.S.)
(yelling)
You mean like that?!
Everyone watches, half covering their eyes from the intense
light. But as the seconds go by, it starts to fade to a
point well across town until it's vanished.
12 EXT. HILL - SAME 12
The trail of light from the sky is all but gone now. And its
remnants is only a small glow that leads down into a sizable
crater in the ground, just outside of the city.
The scene lies dormant for a moment. Nothing moves, no
sounds. Until finally, the NEIGHING OF A HORSE is heard.
And moments later, the beginnings of an ARMORED HELMET comes
into view.
The first of the horsemen marches out of the crater upon his
white horse. He's followed very slowly by his brethren as
they each gaze out about their surroundings.
They come to rest side by side, standing in a military like
row.
REVERSE ANGLE: The city lights shimmer in the background as
they gaze out at the scene before them. We watch for several
moments before we FADE TO:
13 EXT. ABANDONED LOT - SAME 13
Angel and the others are glaring at Lilah. Things obviously
didn't go according to plan.
ANGEL
What the hell just happened?!
LILAH
I -- I don't know! It was
supposed to be right here. This is
where they said it was going to
happen. I heard them!
ANGEL
Either they played you or you were
playing us.
Lilah doesn't the part of player. She's confused and when
Sonia raises her gun at Lilah again, she goes pale. This
woman has never been okay with dying.
But before anything can unfold, Wes steps in and lightly
lowers Sonia's arms.
WESLEY
She wasn't involved in the
manipulation. We can trust her.
(beat; eyeing Lilah)
For the time being, anyhow.
Sonia mulls it over for a beat as she looks back to Angel.
Angel nods.
She holsters the pistol with one last wary look in Lilah's
direction, and then back to Wes.
SONIA
I hope you're right.
Wes never takes his eyes off of Lilah.
WESLEY
So do I.
There's a moment of understanding between them before:
KATE
Angel, if what we think happened
just happened --
ANGEL
I know.
(addressing everyone)
You heard the woman. We don't have
any time to waste. Let's move out.
Everyone splits up and heads to two separate black suburbans.
14 INT. 2ND SUBURBAN - MOMENTS EARLIER 14
Spike, Gwen, Kirsten, and Sonia loaded up in this car as
Spike jumps behind the wheel.
SPIKE
You might want to buckle up,
kiddies. Because I got the feeling
that this might be one helluva
ride.
He punches the gas and they speed off. From their windshield
view, we PUSH IN at an amazing rate --
15 EXT. STREETS - SAME 15
We blaze through the city streets, buildings whizzing by
until we're back at --
16 EXT. HILL - SAME 16
The horsemen are standing in their same position as earlier,
looking out over the city. All others look back at the
horsemen upon the sole white horse.
He nods his understanding, and leans his head back. He
concentrates. And after a beat or two, he begins to glow.
Faintly at first, but the intensity grows until it's
blinding.
A ball of light begins to amass around him, growing larger by
the second until we --
SMASH CUT TO:
17 INT. 1ST SUBURBAN - SAME 17
Angel, Kate, Wes and Lilah watch as Spike pulls off in front
of them and are quick to follow suit, dodging the various
debris and toppled cars that are still littering the streets
after the hurricane.
KATE
Do we have anything in the way of a
plan?
ANGEL
Fight. That's pretty much all I've
got so far.
WESLEY
Any element of surprise that we may
have anticipated has been lost.
KATE
Nothing we aren't used to. Guns
blazing, then?
She looks over to Angel with a small smile before:
LILAH (O.S.)
Look out!
Kate looks up just in time to see a GIANT WAVE OF HEAT AND
FIRE, almost like a mushroom cloud, rushing toward them at an
unbelievable rate. Before she can even react to this,
Spike's car slams on the brakes in front of them.
Unable to come to a peaceful halt, however, the Suburban
skids sideways and goes into A SERIES OF FLIPS.
18 EXT. STREETS - SAME 18
With Spike's team flipping across the pavement, Kate is
unable to stop in time and their suburban PLOWS INTO THE
OTHER. Spike's suburban skids even further across the road
with this extra push and Kate's comes to a dead halt just as
the --
WAVE OF FIRE pushes through the area and ENGULFS EVERYTHING
in a white blur and we --
BLEED TO WHITE:
19 EXT. STREETS - MINUTES LATER 19
FADE IN ON: the white of SPIKE'S HAIR and --
WIDEN TO REVEAL: Spike lying bloody and unconscious on the
pavement as the girls work to put out the fire on his
clothes.
They're all banged up badly and bleeding, but they've
survived the crash. A beat before Angel and Wes hurry over,
helping a limping Kate along with them.
Lilah follows behind them with a small limp of her own,
watching with apathy as they help Kate.
LILAH
Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking.
Kirsten glances up as Gwen and Sonia check on Spike.
KIRSTEN
Angel, what the hell happened?
ANGEL
I don't know. It had to be some
kind of fallout from the
dimensional void, or some sort of
weapon. I have no idea.
LILAH
It's probably just a distraction.
(off look)
How are people going to fight when
they're underground, waiting for
the next ball of fire? Besides, if
it was a weapon, don't you think
we'd be dead?
Angel accepts the answer for the time being before they turn
back to Spike.
WESLEY
Is he --?
Sonia looks up.
SONIA
He's alive. But barely.
ANGEL
What happened?
SONIA
He wasn't wearing his seat belt.
They look back to the suburban to see the windshield
shattered.
Finally Gwen looks up to Angel.
GWEN
We've got to get him somewhere.
He's in bad shape.
She's just as concerned as Sonia. Wes looks over to Angel.
WESLEY
What's our next move?
Angel glances at Spike, and then down the road toward the
blast zone.
ANGEL
Nothing's changed. They're still
out there, Wes.
WESLEY
Yes, but we're already a man down
and Kate's --
KATE
I'm fine.
She tries to stand on her own, but winces in pain before
Angel grabs her again for support.
WESLEY
Regardless. If we carry on right
now, however small the odds we may
have had on our side will surely be
depleted.
Angel still isn't convinced.
LILAH
I'm with Wes on this one.
Angel only glares.
LILAH (cont'd)
Not because I know for a fact that
he can pick up a dollar bill with
his ass cheeks, but I just really
don't want to die.
Wes pulls her aside and continues to plead to Angel's better
senses.
WESLEY
Angel, besides you, Spike is our
strongest fighter. Carrying on
without him before we're at least
able to formulate anything remotely
resembling a plan is lunacy.
VOICE (O.S.)
You know, I never was a big fan of
the British, but when they're
right...
Everyone turns around to see WHISTLER standing behind them in
the foreground of a scene of chaos.
WHISTLER
...they're right.
ANGEL
You.
WHISTLER
That's right, sweetheart. I'm
back.
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.