buffy9x12 Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
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9 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - KITCHEN. NIGHT. 9
Buffy and Jackson are in the kitchen.
BUFFY
Your sister?
JACKSON
She just showed up, right after we
got back here. I don't know where
she's been the last two years, but
she's here now.
BUFFY
You told me she was, and I quote, a
'self-harming drug addict'! Why
would she just turn up here?
JACKSON
I don't know, she won't tell me.
She's just sitting on your sofa,
baiting Anya by fighting over the
remote control with her.
BUFFY
Boy, she's got a lot to learn, huh?
Jackson nods as the two peer back out through the kitchen
door and into the living room.
Anya makes a grab for the remote, but Shanna cackles as she
holds it just out of Anya's reach.
BUFFY (cont'd)
I guess you'd better take her back
to yours, we all need some rest
after tonight.
JACKSON
Yeah, I guess so... Are you okay?
BUFFY
I'll be better once people stop
asking me that! How's your arm?
JACKSON
Sore.
Buffy thinks for a moment, choosing her words.
BUFFY
Jackson, when you got shot, did you
feel anything... Weird?
JACKSON
Apart from a moment of searing
pain, then a numb feeling and near
unconsciousness?
BUFFY
You know what I mean.
JACKSON
Uh, actually, no. What are you
trying to say?
BUFFY
(pauses)
When you got hit, I felt, or at
least, I think I felt-
She's interrupted as MARIE pops her head into the kitchen.
MARIE
Sorry to interrupt, you two, but I
think you'd better get your sister
out of here, Jackson. She's pushing
Anya up to Def Con One in there,
and I'm starting to fear for my
safety!
JACKSON
(nods)
We're on our way.
Marie exits, and Jackson turns back to Buffy.
JACKSON
Guess I'd better go. What were you
trying to say to me?
Buffy looks back at him - then shakes her head, leaving the
thought for another day.
BUFFY
Never mind, it can wait. Call me,
okay?
JACKSON
You bet.
Jackson heads back into the living room, leaving Buffy with
her thoughts for a moment.
10 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM. NIGHT. 10
Jackson marches into the living room and snatches the TV
remote away from Shanna.
SHANNA
Hey!
JACKSON
Get up. We're going back to my
place before you cause an
international incident.
SHANNA
(shrugs)
Suits me, this place feels weird
anyway. Did someone die in here?
Jackson glares sternly at her, and she gets the message,
standing and heading back over to the door. Jackson nods once
to Buffy as he ushers Shanna out of the house, and Anya
breaks the silence after a beat.
ANYA
Well! I'm glad she's gone. She
smelt like that dead dog Xander
found outside our house last week.
MARIE
That was Jackson's sister, was it?
BUFFY
In the flesh.
MARIE
I see.
(beat)
I'm with Anya, she was a little...
odorous.
BUFFY
(sighs; tired)
Go grab some air freshener or
something, I'm too tired to think
about anything else tonight. I'm
going to bed.
Buffy turns and trudges up the stairs, leaving a concerned
looking Marie watching after her.
11 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - OFFICES. DAY. 11
Buffy walks into frame - it's the next morning and she's back
at work, dressed smartly.
She spots Kane on the other side of her floor, talking to
some other counsellors, and for a second their eyes meet,
before Buffy breaks the stare and walks on, heading into her
office.
12 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - BASEMENT ARCHIVE. DAY. 12
We're down in the basement where Ellen was attacked the
previous evening, and with a scrape and some tuneless
WHISTLING, the building's caretaker, an elderly man called
GLEN, walks into frame, pushing a mop and bucket along.
He mops the floor for a few beats before he spots something
over by the piles of old boxes, and he hobbles over for a
closer look.
His eyes bulge as he sees something on the floor, out of
view, and he quickly turns and dashes towards an emergency
phone mounted on the wall, grabbing the receiver and dialling
an extension number.
GLEN
Hello? Hello! It's Glen, down in
the basement, send somebody down
here right away! There's been some
kind of accident!
As Glen speak, we look slowly down towards the floor - and
there's the lower half of the unfortunate Ellen's body
sticking out from behind some of the boxes, her upper body
obscured from view. She isn't moving.
13 INT. CLEVELAND PD - JACKSON'S OFFICE. DAY. 13
Jackson sits behind his desk, rubbing his sore arm, before
DAN throws open the door to his office and steps inside.
JACKSON
Hey, Dan.
DAN
We've got a call, come on.
Jackson stands, wincing as he shrugs on his jacket.
DAN (cont'd)
You alright?
JACKSON
Yeah, just hurt my arm last night.
Nothing major.
Jackson brushes past Dan on his way out.
14 INT. CLEVELAND PD - CORRIDOR. DAY. 14
We follow the two detectives as they walk along.
JACKSON
So what's the case?
DAN
Death in the workplace. Figured
you'd want to be in on this one.
JACKSON
Why?
DAN
It's at your ex's place again. Some
temp was found dead in the basement
of Charleston and Smithe this
morning by the caretaker, and
reports from the scene say they
can't tell what killed her.
(shrugs)
Figured that was your kind of case,
you know?
JACKSON
(sarcastic)
How thoughtful of you.
They turn a corner and walk off screen.
15 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - BASEMENT ARCHIVE. DAY. 15
Jackson and Dan walk down the steps and into the basement,
Glen following after them.
DAN
So you were just doing your morning
rounds when you found the deceased,
right?
GLEN
That's right, I was just mopping
up, and there she was. Damndest
thing I ever saw!
They pass two uniform cops and duck beneath some lines of
yellow crime scene tape as they meet the forensics guy,
BERMAN.
He takes a photo of Ellen's body as Dan leans over to take a
look. Jackson hangs back to speak to Glen.
JACKSON
You haven't disturbed the body at
all, have you?
GLEN
No, no, I called for help right
away, I never touched her.
JACKSON
Okay, thanks, Glen. Just stay where
we can find you in case we need to
ask you anything else, alright?
Glen nods and walks away. Dan grimaces as he examines the
body, while Jackson makes a few notes.
DAN
What the hell happened to her head?
BERMAN
I can't identify the cause of
death, or what caused the wounds,
so until I get her back on a slab
to take a closer look, I'm gonna go
with 'Beats me.'
DAN
No, I mean, where is her head?
Jackson frowns and steps over - and there's a brief shot of
the rest of Ellen's body. Her head is indeed missing.
Jackson steps back, and Dan joins him.
DAN (cont'd)
What is it with this place? First
we find a serial killer hiding out
here who almost takes out your
girlfriend, then this chick does a
'Sleepy Hollow' and loses her head!
JACKSON
One, she's not my girlfriend any
more, two, I wish I knew. Come on,
let's go talk to the boss, see if
we can find out when she was down
here and why.
The two detectives walk off screen as we cut to:
16 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - OFFICES. DAY. 16
Buffy pokes her head out of her office door, looking around
as people hurry past her. Something's obviously going on, and
as she steps out into the main office floor, she spots Dan
talking to Kane.
Jackson spots her and heads over.
BUFFY
What's going on?
JACKSON
Dead girl in the basement.
BUFFY
Huh?
JACKSON
One of your temps, seems like
something jumped her last night,
the caretaker found her body this
morning.
BUFFY
Something?
JACKSON
(nods)
Looks like a non-human kind of
thing to me, but, you know, I have
to keep those kinds of theories to
myself.
BUFFY
Uh-huh.
(nods towards Kane)
What about Kane?
JACKSON
Dan's asking him the usual
questions, we're probably gonna
need to take a lot of statements.
BUFFY
Well, it sure wouldn't be the first
time something crazy happened here,
I'm beginning to think this place
has its own...
Buffy trails off as a thought hits her.
BUFFY (cont'd)
We found this town's Hellmouth in
the police station, right?
JACKSON
Yeah, but I thought that was still
sealed?
BUFFY
But what if...
JACKSON
(catches on)
What if it's not the only Hellmouth
in Cleveland?
BUFFY
Exactly. We could have-
VOICE (O.S.)
Ladies and gentlemen, can I have
your attention please!
Buffy and Jackson look round.
Office workers are backing away in alarm as a team of
biohazard-suited men have appeared at the entrance to the
office floor, one in a blue hazmat suit stepping forward to
address the startled workers.
MAN IN HAZMAT SUIT
I'm afraid this building has fallen
victim to an infestation, it could
be highly contagious so until we
can isolate and eradicate the
problem, we're going to have to
quarantine these offices! Nobody
leaves, nobody gets in.
There's a murmur of alarm from the office workers.
MAN IN HAZMAT SUIT (cont'd)
I'm sorry for any inconvenience,
but it's for your own safety.
Please return to your desks, we'll
update you as we make progress.
Buffy throws a shocked look at Jackson as we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
17 INT. HOSPITAL - WARD. DAY. 17
We're inside a quiet wing of the hospital, various patients
filling the rows of beds as JODY steps into frame, glancing
around the floor until he spots a nurse on duty.
JODY
Uh, excuse me, I'm looking for
Andrew Wells, I was told he was up
here?
She checks her chart and nods, then leads Jody over to one of
the beds. Giles is already there, reading a paperback which
he puts down as Jody arrives.
GILES
Ah, Jody! Hello, glad you could
make it.
Jody's eyes are fixed on Andrew - he's sleeping, an IV drip
in one arm and the cut on his head cleaned and bandaged.
JODY
How... How is he?
GILES
Stable, but still comatose, as I'm
sure you know. It's just a matter
of time now as his body recovers.
Jody sits down on the chair next to the bed and takes
Andrew's hand, squeezing it tightly.
JODY
Can he hear us?
GILES
Possibly. It can't hurt to try
talking to him. I'm just going to
get a drink, would you like
anything?
JODY
No, no, I'm fine, thanks.
Giles nods and walks away, leaving a crestfallen Jody.
JODY (cont'd)
Oh, Andrew... Looks like you were
really listening when I said all
that stuff about being a hero the
other day, weren't you?
I guess I missed the part where I
should've said 'and heroes always
try not to get knocked into comas
when they save the day...'
Jody tries to smile but looks closer to tears instead.
JODY (cont'd)
I don't know if you can hear me,
but if you can, I want you to know
I'm not moving until you wake up. I
just wanna know that you're okay,
so when you do wake up, I'm gonna
be right here.
We pull back from Jody as he stares at Andrew's sleeping
form, before we cut to:
18 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - OFFICES. DAY. 18
Buffy tries to speak to the various biohazard men as they
march around the floor, waving clicking radiation detectors
across surfaces and any workers who stray too close, but she
isn't having any luck.
BUFFY
Hello? Hey! Can you hear me in
there? What's going on? What's
'infesting' this place? Hello!
Kane steps into frame and gently pulls Buffy to one side, out
of the way. She angrily shrugs his hand away.
KANE
Now isn't the time for a
confrontation, Buffy, I'd recommend
you lay low while these people do
what they're here for.
BUFFY
Sorry, I'm not the laying low type.
I want to know what's going on
here, Kane!
Kane glances round, making sure there are no biohazard suits
nearby.
KANE
I'm as surprised by all this as you
are, Buffy, but I'm working on it.
BUFFY
(sarcastic)
Oh, good, because I'd hate to think
that you weren't.
(snaps)
Don't blow me off by being all
cryptic, Kane, give me an answer!
KANE
Well, it's not a leap of logic to
assume that the death in the
basement is connected to all this.
And I think we both know that there
are plenty of things in this world
that could be classed as a
'biological hazard.'
BUFFY
You think we have a demon in the
building?
KANE
As I said, I'm working on it. I
suggest you sit tight in your
office until we get to the bottom
of this.
Kane starts to walk away, but Buffy grabs hold of him.
BUFFY
Hey! Did you miss the part where I
said I don't do laying low?
There's a beat - then Kane SMILES and nods.
KANE
Alright, why don't you use your
detective friend over there and get
back down into the basement, see if
you can find some kind of trail. My
guess is whatever killed that girl
is still in the building, so as
long as you can stay out of the way
of the environmental agents, you
may be able to find it.
Kane heads off, and Buffy allows herself a satisfied nod
before she spots Jackson and beckons him over.
JACKSON
What?
BUFFY
I've got a plan, but I'm going to
need your help for it. Are you in?
JACKSON
You know I am.
BUFFY
We've got to head down into the
basement, but it's going to be
tricky getting past those guys in
the biohazard suits unless we have
a good reason.
JACKSON
What did you have in mind?
Buffy grins, and we cut to:
19 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - CORRIDOR. DAY. 19
Jackson and Buffy walk out of the office floor entrance,
running almost immediately into a man in a hazmat suit, who
raises his hand to stop them.
HAZMAT SUIT
Sorry, folks, you're gonna have to
stay on this floor, we haven't
secured the rest of the building
yet.
JACKSON
Don't worry, we're not going
anywhere, but I need to get down to
the foyer to make a call, the phone
lines aren't working up here.
HAZMAT SUIT
What for?
Buffy raises her hands - and she's HANDCUFFED. She winks
flirtatiously at Hazmat Suit.
BUFFY
I've been a naughty little girl, so
this nice police officer here's
going to go and call my daddy.
Hazmat Suit glances at Jackson, who flashes his police ID at
him. A beat, then Hazmat Suit nods and steps from in front of
the lift.
HAZMAT SUIT
Alright, but be quick about it, and
do not try to leave the building
under any circumstances, is that
clear?
JACKSON
Crystal.
Jackson takes Buffy's arm and leads her into the elevator.
She manages a quick wave at Hazmat Suit as the doors close.
20 INT. ELEVATOR. DAY. 20
Jackson unlocks the cuffs as Buffy looks round the inside of
the elevator.
JACKSON
Alright, now what?
BUFFY
Now, we wait for this thing to hit
the ground floor, and then...
As the numbered buttons blink to show their descent, and the
elevator is halfway between the first floor and the lobby,
Buffy hits the 'Stop' button, and the lift clunks to a halt.
Buffy smiles at Jackson and points to the ceiling.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Now we just climb out of here and
use the lift shaft access ladder to
get into the basement!
JACKSON
(grins)
Outstanding.
As Jackson reaches up to pop open the hatch in the lift's
ceiling, we cut to:
21 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - BASEMENT ARCHIVE. DAY. 21
We're looking down one of the plain basement corridors, and
the sound of feet clanging their way down a metal ladder
reverberates around us, before a small panel in the wall POPS
open, and first Buffy, then Jackson step out.
BUFFY
Come on, we won't have long before
that guy upstairs gets suspicious.
She hurries off, and Jackson closes the panel and follows.
They round a corner and arrive at Ellen's final resting
place, the duo ducking under the crime scene tape.
Buffy crouches by Ellen's body, grimacing at the sight.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Yikes. Not a good way to go.
Jackson breaks out his torch, picking out the green goo Ellen
discovered earlier in the gloom.
He follows it, seeing that it trails off and up towards the
pipes in the ceiling.
JACKSON
Whatever did this, looks like it
left us some pretty clear markers
as to where it went.
Buffy follows Jackson's torch beam as it stops at an air vent
- the trail of goo leads inside, and Buffy sighs.
BUFFY
Great. More air vents. I'm starting
to know how Bruce Willis felt in
'Die Hard.'
JACKSON
Come on, I'll give you a boost.
BUFFY
(grins)
First time for everything.
She smirks at Jackson as he helps lift her up towards the
vent, where she yanks the front panel away. He passes the
torch up to her and steps back.
JACKSON
I'm too big to fit in there, but
I'll follow you best I can, okay?
BUFFY
Got it. See you on the other side,
I guess!
Buffy starts to shuffle along the air vent as Jackson rounds
a corner, trying to stay close to the ventilation pipes.
22 INT. AIR VENTS. DAY. 22
Buffy pushes on through the dark ventilation shafts, shining
the torch out as she follows the trail of slime.
Buffy takes a few turns before she pauses - and that familiar
CHITTERING sound we heard earlier echoes down the air vent
towards her.
BUFFY
Oh, great...
She shuffles on, the noises getting louder and now seeming to
come from several sides as the air vent branches off four
ways in front of her.
The trail goes left, so she follows, before coming to another
grille that opens into a storeroom.
23 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - STOREROOM. DAY. 23
Buffy KICKS the vent panel open and slides down into the
storeroom, sweeping the torch round and finding her target at
last.
In one corner of the room is a small nest, on top of which is
a cluster of EGGS, each one the size of a football and coated
with the green goo that led Buffy here.
Buffy moves in for a closer look, seeing that several of the
eggs have hatched already, and she frowns as she lifts up
chunks of their shells.
A noise behind her makes her spin round, and she catches some
movement behind a set of shelves, filled with cleaning
equipment.
Narrowing her eyes, Buffy edges forward carefully, swinging
the torch round.
She stops, not seeing anything - and then, with a CRASH, the
top most shelf comes away from the wall, and with a YELP,
Buffy is hit by an assortment of cans and containers which
batter her to the floor.
She shoves them off and tries to get up, just in time to
catch the storeroom door closing.
BUFFY
Oh, no, you don't!
She leaps up and flings the door open.
24 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - CORRIDOR. DAY. 24
The corridor is brighter than the storeroom, so Buffy clicks
the torch off, glancing at the floor and noticing something.
She crouches down for a closer look.
A set of tiny FOOTPRINTS start at the door and disappear
round a corner, and with renewed determination, Buffy follows
them off screen.
We stay on the corridor for a beat before Jackson jogs into
frame, seeing the open storeroom door and stepping inside.
JACKSON
Buffy? Buffy!
He re-emerges, looking up and down the corridor.
JACKSON (cont'd)
Damn it!
He starts off again - but takes a different turn at the end
of the corridor, running in the opposite direction.
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.