buffy8x21 Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
[previous | bottom]
11 SUMMERS RESIDENCE – DAWN'S ROOM. NIGHT. 11
Similarly cleaned and bandaged, Dawn lies in her bed, many
small cuts and lacerations on her face and upper body. She's
awake but looks woozy as Giles, Willow and MARIE look over
her.
DAWN
It was some.. some thing, I'm not
sure what it was. I was in an
alleyway, making my way back from
the storm, when it just jumped out
and.. and..
WILLOW
Ssh, it's okay.
GILES
Dawn, what on earth were you doing
out there in this weather?
DAWN
Uh, research?
MARIE
Research? Planning on becoming a
meteorologist now, are we?
DAWN
A what? Oh, no, I was trying to
follow a lead on Ulithios again. A
local vampire who said he knew
something.
GILES
By yourself? Dawn, that was very
foolish of you.
DAWN
(raises a bandaged arm)
Yeah, benefit of hindsight, thanks,
Giles.
BUFFY (O.S.)
Oh, soon as those come off, you are
so in for a beating..
Everyone turns to the doorway to see Buffy, looking pale but
upright and conscious as she steps into the room.
GILES
(smiles)
Ah, good, up and about again.
Excellent.
BUFFY
And still in an awful lot of pain,
but thanks, yeah.
She sits on the bed next to Dawn and tenderly strokes the
side of her face.
BUFFY (cont'd)
So what, you think you're tough
enough to go out sharking for
information alone now, do you?
DAWN
(snaps)
I was fine!
BUFFY
(patiently)
No, you weren't. Or is all that
bandage just a new fashion? Off to
see the Blue Man Group or
something?
DAWN
(trying to think of an
excuse)
I..
BUFFY
We'll talk about this later. Right
now, we have a bigger problem. A
much bigger problem. Giles, get
everyone in the front room. Team
meeting.
(to Dawn)
You, you stay right here. You're
too old to be grounded so consider
yourself under house arrest
instead.
Buffy stands and leaves, the others follow. We stay with Dawn
as she smirks once the door is closed.
DAWN
Humans.. so easy to fool.
12 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE – FRONT ROOM. NIGHT. 12
The gang's all here once again as Buffy stands before them,
ready to outline her plan.
BUFFY
Right. In a few minutes, I'm
heading back out there.
Murmurs of disapproval, but she raises a hand to silence
them.
BUFFY (cont'd)
And before anybody says anything, I
know I almost just ended up as
pizza topping after my last
encounter, which is why I want to
approach this thing with a better
plan this time. Willow, that's
where you come in.
WILLOW
Uh oh.. is this gonna involve black
hair, and veins, and stuff like
that?
BUFFY
Giles, Marie, do I even need to say
'research' to you?
Look for weaknesses of dragons like
the one out there, I can draw you a
sketch if you like, that'll help
identify it. Xander, Faith, Anya,
you're my backup, you stay here
till I call for you.
ANYA
Call? Won't it be a little
difficult to call for backup if
you're being eaten by a huge
dragon?
(off Xander's cross look)
Well, it will! The reception round
here is awful as it is..
BUFFY
And also, keep an eye on Dawn, make
sure she doesn't sneak off again.
I'm sure she's only trying to help,
but right now I want everyone just
where I can find them. Andrew, I'm
probably going to regret this,
but.. I need your help.
ANDREW
(brightens)
You do?
BUFFY
You watch a lot of movies with
dragons in, right?
ANDREW
(warily)
I have been known to indulge
myself..
BUFFY
Now's your chance to do something
useful with your wasted youth. Dig
deep into your nerd files and see
what you can find out. Think
possible battle plans to bring it
down to size, but more along the
lines of 'Return Of The King' than
'Road Runner.'
ANDREW
I'll try, but I'd say without
Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and King
Theoden's army, we're lookin' at
the End Of All Things here..
BUFFY
Whatever you just said, forget it.
Jackson, stay here with Dawn.
Everyone else, get to work.
Everyone stands. Buffy takes Willow and leads her off for a
quiet word in the kitchen, but nobody notices that Jackson
seems to have dozed off, and seems to be having a rather
interesting dream.
Peering down into the living room from the top of the stairs,
she frowns and eyes Jackson coolly, wondering what he could
be thinking of.
13 EXT. CLEVELAND – STREET. NIGHT. 13
Buffy walks down the street, another part of the city centre,
the streetlights all active despite the howling wind and
rain. She pulls her coat tight against her, the scythe
glinting in her gloved hand as she looks this way and that.
We follow her for a moment until the street lamps start
blinking out behind her, one by one, out of her vision.
A cloud of dark fog seems to be building up behind her, and
as she walks we see one yellow eye glare balefully out of it,
down on the back of the unknowing Slayer.
She suddenly breaks into a sprint, and the awesome head of
the dragon lunges out of the clouds and snaps its jaws
towards us, as good as swallowing the camera.
Buffy runs for her life, the now one-eyed dragon accelerating
after her and outrunning its cloud cover in its efforts to
catch Buffy. Its wings are tucked tightly against itself, and
it drops to all fours to gain speed, looming impossibly huge
behind her.
Buffy doesn't look back, she just keeps running, turning a
corner and disappearing off screen to the right. The dragon
barrels round the corner after her.
We come upon Willow, standing in the middle of the street,
energy crackling round her hands, her hair standing on end
and her eyes jet black as she harnesses some mighty spell.
The dragon roars and continues to race towards her, but
Willow just raises her hands towards it as it bears down on
her.
WILLOW
(dramatic)
Locum numque ex domicilus!
A huge green cloud rapidly forms in the air before Willow,
and as the dragon starts to leap towards the lone wicca, it
lands right in the green swirls before it.
The cloud acts as some kind of portal, and the dragon
disappears bodily into it as though leaping down a hole. Once
its long tail is fully inside, the clouds snap out
of existence, and an exhausted Willow crumples to the floor.
Buffy is there in a flash to lift her up again.
BUFFY
You did it! Willow, you did it!
WILLOW
(breathless)
Yeah.. was kinda.. bigger then.. I
expected..
BUFFY
(beams)
I knew you could do it. So..
where'd you send it?
WILLOW
(thinks)
Uh.. really not that sure.
BUFFY
(beat)
Well, it'll cool it off for a
while, whatever happens. Give us
time to find out how to kill it.
Come on, let's get back.
14 EXT. ANTARCTICA. DAY. 14
We're looking down onto a peaceful arctic landscape – snow
covered ground, the glittering blue sea around us, and a
small clutch of penguins honking to one another, before the
serenity is shattered by Willow's green cloud blossoming out
into the air, depositing one very angry dragon head first
into the snow.
The momentum the dragon jumped through the portal with
carries over and it burrows into the ground as though fired
from a cannon.
The distressed penguins dive for the safety of the sea as the
dazed looking beast shakes its head, claws itself upright out
of the snow, then with a stretch of its mighty wings and
another deafening ROAR it takes to the skies, flying up
towards the sun.
WHITE OUT:
FADE UP:
15 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE – KITCHEN. NIGHT. 15
We fade up onto an old book showing a sketch illustration of
our dragon, next to a pencil drawing of Buffy's detailing
what she fought.
We pull back to reveal Giles, nodding as he shows the page to
Marie, who smiles and nods. They turn the book round and show
it to Buffy.
BUFFY
That's him. I was thinking of
calling him 'Bob.' Might make him a
bit less terrifying.
GILES
As I thought. We've seen this kind
of creature before - it's one of
several, commanded by Ulithios back
in the dark ages.
MARIE
And by that, we mean the very
darkest of dark ages.
BUFFY
That's what people said about
grunge.
(off Giles' confused look)
Sorry, carry on.
GILES
Well, ah, Ulithios, like all the
Old Ones, kept an army of powerful
creatures to enforce its bidding,
and while they were normally seen
in the command of the relevant Old
One in huge numbers, there have
been many reported incidences of
one or maybe two of these creatures
appearing in the service of earthly
followers of the Old Ones. Almost
loaned out, if you will.
BUFFY
I'd hate to see the library fine
for that thing! So, it's like an
advance party for more of them?
GILES
Sadly, yes. Whether it was Ulithios
itself, still lacking enough power
to summon them all at once, or one
of its followers doing the dirty
work, the fact remains we have a
very dangerous adversary on our
hands here.
BUFFY
You said there were other
instances. When was the last time
one of these things showed up?
GILES
(puts on glasses; reads)
Ah, it appeared off the coast of
Tokyo, the Boso Peninsula to be
precise, in 1954, and it seems it
took quite a lot of effort to drive
it off..
BUFFY
(suspiciously)
How much?
16 EXT. BOSO PENINSULA – NIGHT. 16
CAPTION: Boso Peninsula, Japan - 1954
We're in black and white for this scene, as we look down on a
long road leading up to a dockyard and port, filled both with
hordes of screaming citizens, fleeing in terror, and long
lines of tanks and trucks filled with soldiers, trying to
barge through the crowds to face whatever is off screen.
We see a GENERAL, riding in the back of one of the jeeps
leading the military convoy, looking at whatever the crowds
are running from through binoculars.
He lowers them, then turns to the tanks behind him and raises
his arm to order them to fire.
With a roar, we see another version of the dragon Buffy has
been fighting, its head back as it roars, spotlights from the
land highlighting it as it stomps through warehouses and
other buildings in the port.
Dozens of explosions from the tanks, artillery fire and gun
shots arc through the air towards the creature as the
combined might of the Japanese army tries to take the dragon
down. It wades unaffected through the mighty fusillade.
17 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE – KITCHEN. NIGHT. 17
Back with Buffy, who looks somewhat surprised.
BUFFY
(quietly)
Oh..
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
18 EXT. SKIES ABOVE CLEVELAND. NIGHT. 18
We fade up to see the dragon, flapping its way back towards
Cleveland and Buffy, the city lights glittering up from
several hundred feet below us as the creature arcs to the
left, starting its descent.
The thick cloud cover is still in place, occasional lightning
flashes flaring inside the clouds.
19 INT> SUMMERS RESIDENCE - KITCHEN. NIGHT. 19
As before, with Buffy talking to Giles and Marie.
GILES
What we already know is that the
dragons were bred to target the
most powerful of their commander's
enemies, wiping out army generals
and champions first to allow the
rest of the troops to be wiped out
more easily.
BUFFY
And again with the confidence
building.
MARIE
(irritated)
Buffy, Giles is doing his best
here, the least you could do is
listen instead of just making
flippant comments!
Giles and Buffy share a look at Marie's outburst. Giles grins
and Buffy nods, a little sheepishly.
BUFFY
You're right, sorry. Just trying to
keep my flags flying, you know..
Marie nods and sighs, looking tired.
MARIE
I shouldn't have snapped, it's been
a long few days for all of us so
far.
GILES
I'm afraid that's all we've
uncovered for now, and wherever
Willow managed to send the creature
to, it's doubtless on its way back
by now.
BUFFY
(grins)
Relax. I have a plan. A plan so
cunning, I could stick a tail on it
and call it a fox.
Giles removes his glasses and rubs his eyes.
GILES
(wearily)
Against my better judgement..
alright then, let's hear it.
20 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - FRONT ROOM. NIGHT. 20
Buffy stands, speechifying mode activated as everyone else
sits and waits for her to speak.
Dawn is in the front room too, one eye on Jackson, dozing
lightly again but without anyone noticing. Dawn looks away
just as Jackson stirs at last.
Jackson's eyes are a pure milk white for a moment, before he
blinks once and they return to normal.
He stands and heads over to stand near Buffy.
BUFFY
That's going to be the plan, then.
You're all an important piece of
this puzzle, so I'm trusting you
all to do your part. Willow knows
the details, she'll be leading you
out on this one.
Willow doesn't look too thrilled at this.
WILLOW
Wait a minute, me?
BUFFY
(beat)
I can't go with you this time.
ANDREW
Huh?
BUFFY
There's something else I've got to
do, something important. And I
can't be in two places at once,
despite feeling like I've been
trying for the past few years..
XANDER
Why not? You know, you managed to
take one eye out of that thing last
time, who's to say you won't get
the other one this round?
BUFFY
Xander, trust me. All of you, in
fact, I know you're going to take
this thing out. Is everybody clear
on what they're doing?
A beat as the Scoobies exchange looks, then gradually they
start to nod as their trust of Buffy kicks in.
FAITH
B, I was born ready.
XANDER
Yeah, what she said.
ANDREW
Um..
BUFFY
I'll take that as a yes.
DAWN
(to get attention)
What about me?
BUFFY
(pretends to think)
Nope, still under house arrest.
Let's get moving, I don't think
that thing's too far away, and I
want-
Buffy notices that Willow suddenly looks pale, breathing
faster as though stood inside an icebox.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Willow?
WILLOW
It's.. it's coming back. It's
almost here.
BUFFY
(smiles)
Perfect.
Xander turns and hugs Anya, who smiles bravely as he picks up
an axe and heads for the front door, pausing to hug Buffy
before disappearing outside.
Faith follows, heavy sword tied across her back and getting a
hug off Buffy before she exits. Giles and Marie walk past,
pulling on thick raincoats.
Giles smiles in his fatherly way down at Buffy before they
step outside, leaving Andrew, Dawn and Jackson.
ANDREW
So, um..
BUFFY
Andrew, it's okay. Did you speak to
Jody like I asked?
ANDREW
Yeah. We, um, we've been having a
few problems lately, so, I had to
promise a few things to get him to,
ah, help.
Buffy raises an eyebrow, but Andrew just huffs.
ANDREW (cont'd)
I promised I'd go round after all
this is done and.. talk. I haven't
been doing much of that lately.
BUFFY
Really? Hadn't noticed.
(beat)
I'm kidding, Andrew. You all set?
Andrew nods, and walks out the front door as Jackson leans
over and whispers something in Buffy's ear.
ANYA
So! I'm just going to wait here
then, right?
BUFFY
Uh, no, Anya, remember what you
have to do?
ANYA
(pouts)
Yes, I remember. I was just hoping
for a moment that you'd forgotten.
She walks out, pausing to hug Buffy awkwardly.
ANYA (cont'd)
(brightly)
Don't get eaten!
BUFFY
(beat)
Thanks. I think.
Dawn looks across at Buffy, then Jackson, then folds her arms
and sits down on the sofa, looking like she doesn't plan on
leaving Buffy and Jackson alone. The two exchange a look.
DISSOLVE TO:
21 EXT. CHARLESTON & SMYTHE - ROOFTOP. NIGHT. 21
Giles and Marie stand, battered by the winds and rain,
scanning the skies. Marie is rummaging around inside a
satchel bag as Giles keeps the lookout.
GILES
(shouting over wind)
Are you sure this will work?
MARIE
Oh, yes, definitely. Certain.
Absolutely.
(beat)
Well, not really. But it's almost
sure to work!
GILES
I think the general atmosphere of
uncertainty that seems to surround
Buffy is rubbing off on you at
last..
MARIE
Oh, hush. Ah, here we are!
Marie lifts out a palm-sized crystal ball from the satchel,
and holds it up into the air. It immediately starts glowing a
deep red colour, and a low humming noise can be heard.
GILES
(beat)
Is it working?
MARIE
Give it a moment..
From somewhere off screen, we hear a loud ROAR from the
dragon. It's close by, still cloaked by the thick fog
covering the city.
Giles and Marie exchange a look, then Marie places the ball
down on the rooftop and the two quickly hurry off screen.
Still glowing the vibrant red, we stay on the ball for a
moment before a shadow falls across it, and we hear the heavy
breathing of the dragon as it comes closer.
Its huge snout pokes into view, sniffing the air around the
crystal as though it was investigating a piece of meat.
XANDER (O.S.)
Hey!!
Wrapped up in a bright yellow kagoule, axe in one hand,
megaphone in the other, he stares back across at the dragon
from the other side of the long, thin rooftop.
XANDER (cont'd)
(through megaphone)
Yeah, that's right, fresh meat!
Right this way!
The dragon, perched against the end of the rooftop, gripping
on with its powerful forearms, lifts its head and cocks it to
one side as it peers down on the defiant Xander, who suddenly
seems very, very small by comparison.
XANDER (cont'd)
(quietly)
That's right, chase after me and
remind me how this is, without
doubt, the stupidest thing I have
ever done in my long, stupid,
life..
The dragon suddenly throws its head forward and bellows out a
mighty roar, almost knocking Xander off his feet.
The dragon lifts itself up and gets one leg up onto the roof,
clearly making its way towards Xander, who starts to slowly
edge backwards.
XANDER (cont'd)
Alright, come on.. come to Captain
Harris..
Still burning away, the ball is suddenly shattered as one of
the dragon's feet lands squarely on it.
Xander suddenly breaks into a run, sprinting away as fast as
he can from the dragon, which roars again and starts to power
after him, smashing away air vents and aerials as it barrels
across the rooftop.
Xander races along a walkway linking the Charleston & Smythe
building to the one next door, throwing a frantic look over
his shoulder at the advancing beast.
From his point of view, we see several hundred tons of angry
dragon meat, closing fast.
Xander yells in fear and tries to run faster.
XANDER (cont'd)
Must go faster.. must go faster!
We can see that Xander is rapidly approaching the end of the
roof, but he doesn't seem to be stopping.
With one last stolen look over his shoulder, he drops right
off the lip of the rooftop and out of sight..
.. and down into the waiting safety cradle of the window
cleaner's basket waiting below. He lands awkwardly,
scrabbling back to his feet and heaving for breath. A hand
reaches into frame to lift him up.
Beaming happily, similarly dressed in a yellow raincoat, Anya
helps her man up.
ANYA
You did it! And you're not dead!
XANDER
(sarcastic)
Yeah, hi honey, and yes, I'm fine..
Xander looks past Anya and speaks to someone to his right.
XANDER (cont'd)
He's all yours!
We pan slowly to the right to see Faith, staring downwards,
sword still across her back, her hair plastered to her face
from the rain. We stay on her as a shadow falls on us from
overhead.
The dragon, unable to slow its momentum down, skids clean off
the edge of the building in pursuit of Xander, but after
falling past the cleaner's basket unfurls and flaps its wings
once, stabilising its fall and hovering in midair between the
tall inner city buildings. It cranes its head left and right,
looking for Xander.
She steps up onto the lip of the basket, looking down at the
dragon hovering below.
XANDER (cont'd)
Any last words?
FAITH
(not looking round)
Ask me later.
With that, she jumps off the basket. We snap round to follow
her descent as she freefalls down towards the dragon, aiming
for the back of its neck as she drops.
With a thud, she lands right where she needed, grabbing hold
of a thick scale as a handhold to stop herself sliding right
off its rain-soaked hide.
The dragon roars and takes off, swooping left and right
sharply between the taller towers of the city, trying to
shake Faith off.
[top | previous | next]
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.