buffy9x06 Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
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14 INT. CLEVELAND PD - JACKSON'S OFFICE. NIGHT. 14
Jackson is on the phone, scribbling details down in a
notepad. DAN enters his office, and hangs back while Jackson
finishes his call.
JACKSON
Okay… right, yes, I've got that.
2214 East Field Avenue. Thanks. He
hangs up, and Dan takes the seat
opposite him.
DAN
So how'd it go?
JACKSON
How did what go?
DAN
You know, your first counselling
session? Am I gonna get the old
Jackson back, or are you still
doing your best to gradually
transform into Agent Mulder?
JACKSON
It went fine.
DAN
Just 'fine'?
JACKSON
Dan, I can't really talk too much
about it, you know? Let's change
the subject.
DAN
Okay, your call. Glad to hear
you're taking my advice for once.
Who was on the phone?
JACKSON
Dispatch. Apparently some tramps
found a few bodies down by an
abandoned part of the Cleveland
mainline, I said I'd go check it
out. Want to fly wingman?
DAN
Lead on.
The two cops stand and head for the door, but Jackson pauses,
thinks of something and jogs back to his desk. The drawer
slides open to reveal Jackson's stash of crosses, stakes and
holy water.
He scoops up a stake and slips it deftly up his jacket
sleeve. Jackson leaves the office. Dan raises an eyebrow at
him.
DAN (cont'd)
Forget something?
JACKSON
My wallet. Let's go.
With a suspicious look after his colleague, Dan follows
Jackson out.
15 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - KITCHEN. NIGHT. 15
Buffy, XANDER and ANDREW are on one side of the kitchen
table, Giles and MARIE on the other. Several books are spread
out across the surface, with a sketch from Willow on top of
them. Xander hands Buffy a glass of water.
XANDER
So, beyond the whole being big and
strong, what else did you find out
about this guy?
BUFFY
Really not that much. Tammazel
didn't seem to know anything, but
knowing her, she's probably either
lying or too scared by it to tell
me the truth.
MARIE
From your description and what
Willow left us with, we've managed
to narrow this down to three
possibilities.
BUFFY
Larry, Moe and Curly?
GILES
Ah, no, it's either an ancient
demon known as Locasha, said to
have the power to 'bend entire
realities to its will,' and who is
also said to 'bring about an
Apocalypse by causing the sky to
fall upon the Earth.'
XANDER
Oh. Good. Because, you know, we
just don't get enough of those
round here.
BUFFY
And behind door number two?
MARIE
Um, we have Krym'teac, another
ancient demon, and another who
wants to bring about an Apocalypse,
this one with the ability to
influence the motions of the seas,
and who may have been behind the
Biblical Deluge.
Buffy cranes over to look at the less-than-appealing images
of horrific demons on the books.
BUFFY
Cleveland does get kind of dry this
time of year… who else?
ANDREW
And the last choice, is, um, a
demon of unknown origins who's gone
by several names over the years,
but last time he was seen in our
dimension, he was known as the
Caretaker, but it, uh, doesn't
really say why.
XANDER
We're fighting a demonic janitor? I
mean, I know old man Compton at
Cleveland High has that creepy lazy
eye, but…
Xander realises everyone is staring at him. He coughs once
and holds up a hand to show he'll be quiet.
BUFFY
The thing I faced off to looked
more like an Undertaker than a
Caretaker. Do we have any kinds of
physical descriptions? The main
thing I couldn't help but notice
about it was that its eyes and lips
were sewn up.
MARIE
We'll keep at this, perhaps we can
cross reference with something else
and narrow the search down further.
In the meantime, it may be an idea
for you to run some patrols, see if
you can find anything out from
other parts of the local demonic
community.
BUFFY
Great. Another night spent bar
hopping, only without the advantage
of alcohol to take all those demons
out of focus…
ANDREW
Um, maybe Jackson can help? I mean,
he is a detective after all, maybe
he's heard something?
BUFFY
I'm not sure I-
GILES
(interrupts)
It's still a little too soon to get
Jackson involved with our
activities again, Andrew. Besides,
his position is a lot more
complicated now he's back in
gainful employment. We must be
careful not to jeopardise that.
BUFFY
(sarcastic)
Yeah, I'd hate for anyone's social
life to go down the pan because of
slaying…
Giles starts to reply, but with a smirk to Xander, Buffy
stands and leaves, walking into the camera.
16 EXT. ABANDONED STATION - PLATFORM. NIGHT. 16
Dan and Jackson duck under a line of police tape as they head
onto the platform, which now has several uniform cops and a
forensics officer, busy marking out chalk outlines around
three bodies lying on the platform.
Jackson approaches the nearest cop, OFFICER GRIFFIN, as the
forensics guy, McALPINE, starts taking some photos.
JACKSON
What've we got, Griffin?
GRIFFIN
Three bodies, looks like they were
brought here and then killed. No
money's been taken, may have been
some kind of ritual thing.
DAN
Oh, great, Jackson's speciality.
Jackson shoots a glare at Dan, who chuckles.
DAN (cont'd)
Sorry, man. Couldn't resist.
MCALPINE
Boy, is this ever a peach!
JACKSON
Excuse me?
McAlpine turns over one of the bodies to show Jackson and Dan
the wounds on its stomach. Dan recoils, one hand over his
mouth as the nausea hits him, Jackson just looks on coolly -
he's seen worse by now.
MCALPINE
As you can see from the toothlike
serrations along this wound, it's
as though the attacker ate their
way through this poor guy. Heh,
must have quite a jaw!
JACKSON
Yeah, bet he brushes twice a day,
too. Look, McAlpine, can we start
looking at facts? What do we know
about who or what killed these
guys?
MCALPINE
I can tell you one thing - they
won't wait long until they attack
again. See the way the flesh has
torn from the force of the blows
here and here? These guys were in a
hurry. I'd keep a few extra cars on
the streets if I were you.
JACKSON
Check. Dan?
Dan waves a hand to say 'not now,' still hunched over a few
feet away as he fights off his queasiness. Jackson chuckles
and turns back to McAlpine.
JACKSON (cont'd)
Okay, good work. I'm going to go
take a look around, see what I can
find. You got an extra pair of
gloves?
McAlpine hands Jackson a pair of latex gloves, which he pulls
on as he heads down into the terminal building.
17 INT. STATION - BASEMENT. NIGHT. 17
Torch on to cut through the gloom, Jackson walks down into
the basement, scanning the darkened floorspace until he stops
on one section of the floor.
Looking up from the floor as Jackson walks closer and kneels
down, we can also see what appears to be a lizard scale lying
on the ground. Jackson lifts it up to examine it, nodding as
his suspicions are confirmed.
Jackson sweeps round the inside of the basement a few more
times with the torch before walking back up the stairs and
out.
We stay on the basement for a few beats, before a low GROWL
is heard, and a pair of green eyes glint out at us from
within the shadows. Three more sets of eyes join the first,
then we cut to:
18 INT. NO MAN'S LAND. NIGHT. 18
To the tune of "Starcrossed" by Ash, Andrew and Xander step
into the club, packed as always, and make their way towards
the bar. Andrew looks distinctly uncomfortable, but Xander
orders up two beers, rubbing his hands together in
anticipation.
ANDREW
Um, Xander, I know the fake ID I
used got me in here and everything,
but, um, I'm really not very
comfortable being here, with all
these…
Three hot girls wander past, and as Xander's eyes stray to
check them out, Andrew sighs and rolls his eyes.
XANDER
Relax, young Skywalker. This is as
much for me as it is for you. This
little soiree just happens to be
the first time Anya's let me out of
her sight for a minute since she
told me she was pregnant, so I
thought I'd kill two demons with
one crossbow and get you out of the
house too.
ANDREW
Why? I mean, I'm not really into,
you know, drinking, so what-
Andrew pauses as two bottles of beer are plonked down on the
bar in front of him. Xander takes a gulp from his, while
Andrew just picks his up and tries not to look any more
guilty than he already does.
XANDER
Andrew, it doesn't take a
Cosmopolitan subscription to tell
you're missing Jody. And that's
understandable, you know, we all
liked the guy, and we've noticed he
hasn't been around all that much
lately, so I came up with this
ingenious plan to get to the bottom
of the story.
ANDREW
Get me drunk?
XANDER
Well, start by appealing to your
sense of masculine brotherhood, and
if that failed, yes, get you good
and drunk and then ask you. So
what's the story? Did you guys
break up?
ANDREW
I'm… I'm really not sure. It's kind
of awkward.
XANDER
That just makes you part of the
team. Difficult love lives come
with the territory, I'm afraid!
Andrew manages a hopeful smile.
19 INT. CIRCLE - LIBRARY. DAY. 19
Willow walks along one of the many floors of the Circle's
immense library, swerving around floating books drifting
between the shelves, one hand passing across the books as she
searches for something. She pauses, frowning.
WILLOW
(closes eyes)
Ricerca libri il demone.
Willow blinks out of view, reappearing on a different level
of the library. With a satisfied smile, she spots the book
she was after straight away, and with a flourish of her hand
it floats away from the shelf, opening out and hovering in
the air before her.
Willow retrieves the drawing she made of the Caretaker,
holding it out in the air before the book.
The book SNAPS shut, taking the paper from her hand, and then
its pages start to turn as it searches for something matching
Willow's picture.
It stops on one section and opens out again, and Willow leans
in for a closer look. Her expression darkens as she reads.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Oh, boy…
We can see the illustration in the book - a tall, well built
demon with thick, black body armour, and it matches Willow's
rough sketch.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Well, that's our bad guy...
As Willow takes another look down at the book, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
20 EXT. CLEVELAND – STREET. NIGHT. 20
Buffy walks down one of the city streets, eyes alert for any
signs of trouble as she patrols. She passes a sign pointing
towards the old railway station, and she turns down and heads
towards it.
21 EXT. STATION – APPROACH. NIGHT. 21
Buffy walks up towards the front of the station, freezing as
she spots something up ahead. A trio of DEMONS, short and
scaly, are gathered round a makeshift fire burning inside a
waste bin.
Their hands are raised in the air, and they appear to be
chanting. Buffy paces stealthily forward, trying to listen
in.
DEMON #1
O great one, hear our pleas.
DEMON #2
We have offered you the sacrifices
you command, entreat us with your
divine and unholy presence.
DEMON #3
(beat)
Is he here yet?
DEMON #1
Marko!
DEMON #3
What? I'm cold out here, man, I
wanna get inside already!
DEMON #2
You don't just summon up an ancient
demon warrior by snapping your
fingers, Marko. You have to follow
the rituals, otherwise-
BUFFY (O.S.)
Otherwise, you could get in all
sorts of trouble.
The demons turn and see Buffy, the first groaning loudly.
DEMON #1
Oh, great, the Slayer! How's that
gonna look when he shows up?
Buffy walks casually up to them, the demons backing away but
still trying to look tough. It's not really working.
BUFFY
So! What you guys up to? Killing
any more homeless guys?
DEMON #2
You can't comprehend the power of
what you're up against, Slayer.
He'll peel the flesh from your
bones and make a monument out of
what's left of you!
BUFFY
Not really all that big on modern
art. Why don't you guys start by
telling me who or what you're
working for, then we can skip
straight to the part where I kick
your asses and I can get out of
here.
DEMON #3
The Caretaker will finish you once
and for all, Slayer! He…
Demon #3 looks at his colleagues, who are glaring at him –
he's just given the game away.
DEMON #3 (cont'd)
Oops…
BUFFY
'Caretaker,' huh? We have a winner!
Thanks.
DEMON #1
(to Demon #3)
You are so dead…
DEMON #2
Enough already! Let's just kill
her!
The demons jump to the attack. Buffy's ready for the first,
grabbing his arm and spinning him round, sending him crashing
headfirst into the flaming bin.
Demons #2 and #3 attack from either side, but Buffy ducks and
dodges their clumsy punches, kicking one to the ground and
punching the other twice.
He stumbles backwards, collapsing to the floor.
DEMON #1
(clutching wounded head)
No… no! You're ruining everything!
We were supposed to have it all
ready for when he returned…
BUFFY
Guess you'd better call the
restaurant and tell them they can
open up that booking, huh?
SMACK! She knocks him out cold with one roundhouse punch.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Oh, come on! That was funny…
THWACK! Demon #2 clonks Buffy across the shoulders with a
stray two by four, and she hits the deck. Demon #3 grabs her
and drags her to her feet, but before the other demon can hit
her again, Buffy flips up and over, leaving Demon #3 to take
the hit from the plank.
He drops to the ground, and Buffy punches forward, her fist
shattering through the two by four and straight into the face
of the last demon.
He sinks to the ground, and Buffy takes a moment to catch her
breath.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Thanks, boys, I'm glad we had this
little talk. Now, let's see which
one of you feels like talking
first. Maybe it's-
She pauses as a GROWL rumbles out from behind her. Buffy
slowly turns round.
Several more demons like the ones currently out cold on the
floor around her are advancing slowly out of the shadows,
grinning mouths full of fangs. Buffy groans.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Silly me, I forgot. It's never that
easy.
22 INT. NO MAN'S LAND. NIGHT. 22
Andrew and Xander are at a table just off the dance floor, a
heap of empty beer bottles in front of them. Andrew seems
much more drunk than Xander.
ANDREW
And then, and then he says, he says
to me, he goes, 'Andrew,' he says,
'Andrew… Andrew, I think you need
to decide what it is you want.'
XANDER
He said that?
ANDREW
He said that. He said, 'Andrew,
you're obviously not sure about a
lot of things, so… so you need to
work out what it is you want.'
XANDER
Wow. That's pretty deep.
ANDREW
(swigs beer)
I know.
XANDER
So what is it?
ANDREW
Huh?
XANDER
What is it you want? 'Cause, you
know, that is kind of why we're
having this conversation.
ANDREW
Oh. Yeah, right. Um… I don't know.
XANDER
Not helping.
ANDREW
I know, I know, it's just… I'm
pretty sure I want to be with Jody,
and that's that, but there's just
this little part of me that… that
feels maybe it's not meant to be,
you know?
XANDER
The scars I still have from my
aborted first wedding agree with
you.
ANDREW
Maybe it's…
Andrew drifts off, lost in thought. Xander can feel a
revelation on the way, so he motions for Andrew to continue.
XANDER
It's…
ANDREW
Maybe I'm not meant to be happy.
You know, because of what I did.
XANDER
What, you mean Jonathan?
ANDREW
Yeah, precisely. Maybe, maybe it's
that helping save the world was a
start, but, I haven't done enough
yet.
XANDER
If that theory is true, then Buffy
must have been Hitler, Stalin and
Mussolini in a past life, given her
happiness to defeated Apocalypse
ratio. Andrew, that kind of
thinking isn't going to do you any
good. Any believe me, I know all
about not thinking.
(beat)
Wait, that wasn't right, what I
meant was-
GIRL (O.S.)
Uh, pardon me-
The boys look up – a stunningly beautiful red-haired GIRL is
standing by them, flashing a dazzling smile.
Andrew squints as he tries to focus his drunken eyes, while
Xander just stares, struck dumb by her looks.
GIRL (cont'd)
Sorry to disturb you both, but, uh…
(chuckles)
This is kind of embarrassing, but
I'm wondering if I could ask a
favour.
XANDER
(loudly)
Anything!
(beat)
Um, I mean, yeah, sure.
GIRL
Well, see, my ex boyfriend is over
there, and I kinda want to make him
a bit jealous. It's a long story.
So, um… do you guys mind if I sit
with you for a minute?
XANDER
(smiling)
That sounds gr-
ANDREW
Sorry, I'm gay and he's engaged.
The girls' smile drops and she
stands.
GIRL
Oh, right. Sorry. Uh, my mistake.
Thanks anyway.
She walks away – Xander watches her go then turns on Andrew.
XANDER
Okay. Now. While hat was
undoubtedly the right thing to do,
and for the I thank you, on behalf
of my testosterone I also have to
ask what the hell did you do that
for?
ANDREW
Hey! I thought we were still
talking about me…
XANDER
(sighs)
You're right. I'm sorry. You were
saying?
ANDREW
I was saying that- Andrew locks up
– he's spotted someone off camera.
Xander follows his gaze.
Walking into the club is JODY, with his new guy friend in
tow. He waves a few hellos as the pair make their way to the
bar. Andrew seethes quietly as Xander shakes his head and
pats him on the back.
XANDER
It does get easier, trust me. It
can often take several years, but
it will get easier.
ANDREW
You'd better be right.
Andrew, eyes still locked on Jody, finishes his beer, slams
the empty down on the table and belches loudly.
XANDER
Want another hit?
ANDREW
(still glaring)
That would be lovely, thank you.
Xander gets up and heads for the bar.
23 EXT. STATION. NIGHT. 23
With the THWACK of a punch landing, a battered-looking Buffy
staggers back into frame, trying to get her guard up but
failing against the onslaught of the half-dozen demons
attacking her.
She KICKS one to the ground, but takes a few more hits
herself, stumbling over a pile of empty boxes and clattering
to the ground.
She yelps as one of the demons lands on her, pinning her to
the ground, hissing as it snaps its jaws at her. She
struggles, trying to push him off, when with a soft THUD and
a howl of pain from the demon, it jumps off her.
Buffy quickly scrabbles to her feet. Wrenching his axe out of
the back of the demon just bothering Buffy is Jackson. He
takes up a fighting stance as the five remaining creatures
circle him.
BUFFY
Jackson!
JACKSON
(salutes)
Ma'am.
BUFFY
What are you doing here?
JACKSON
My job!
Jackson swings the axe at the demons who jump back, staying
out of range.
BUFFY
Hey! Is that my axe?
JACKSON
You left it round my place a while
back, I figured I could borrow it!
BUFFY
Well, that's just ru-
SLAM! She doesn't finish her sentence as one of the demons
jumps her. She's pushed back against a wall, her hands trying
to hold its powerful jaws from closing round her neck.
BUFFY (cont'd)
(pissed)
Alright, that's it!
She brings her knee up into its groin, and the demon lets out
a high pitched WHINE of pain as it drops to the floor.
Snatching up a broken halogen light from a bin next to her,
she smashes part of it away against the wall to form a
makeshift sword.
JACKSON
Okay, this is about as far as my
plan got…
BUFFY
Relax, I got it.
With a shout, Buffy charges forward and KICKS one demon down,
slicing her weapon across the chest of another and using its
flat side to knock another one down.
Jackson stands back and watches, amazed as always.
JACKSON
(smiles; quietly)
That's my girl…
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.