buffy9x13
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        11     INT. THE WINCHESTER. NIGHT.                             11

               Andrew's suddenly somewhere else entirely - a pub in London,
               England, the bar behind him on flames and hordes of groaning
               ZOMBIES surrounding him. 

               He's still holding a shotgun, and he pulls the trigger before
               he registers the change of scene, but the gun just CLICKS,
               empty, and Andrew pales. 

               He's wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt and has a red tie
               fastened Rambo-style round his head - a scene straight out of
               'Shaun Of The Dead' - and Andrew backs up to the bar as the
               zombies close in.

                                   ANDREW
                             (yells)
                         Jean-Luc!!

               Andrew cowers as the first wave of zombies swarms towards
               him, but before they get to him, we cut to:

        12     INT. THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES. DAY.                     12

               Andrew is still cowering, but opens one eye as he realises
               he's sent himself to another part of his mind. 

               He slowly straightens - and sees he's holding a brightly
               shining katana! Pulling back further, Andrew is in the yellow
               and black striped 'Kill Bill' biker leathers outfit, and
               pulling back further we see we're in the scene of the
               climactic showdown of the film, the House Of Blue Leaves. 

               The Chinese guest house is filled with black-suited warriors,
               the Crazy 88 themselves, all holding fast in a circle around
               Andrew, waiting his next move. 

               Andrew GULPS, his grip on the katana wavering, and the
               warriors sense this and start to close in, a forest of razor
               sharp katana blades pointing straight at Andrew.

                                   PICARD (O.S.)
                         Ah, there you are! 

               Andrew glances up towards the balcony at the back of the
               large main room, and sees Picard walking casually down the
               stairs towards him, dressed in a black, Yakuza-style suit.

               Andrew keeps one eye on Picard and another on the warriors
               surrounding him.

                                   ANDREW
                         Jean-Luc! What's going on? Why do I
                         keep moving from place to place?
                         And why is everywhere I go filled
                         with people who want to kill me?!?

                                   PICARD
                         It's as I explained, Andrew, you're
                         losing control and it's getting
                         harder for me to find you when you
                         move around. You need to relax,
                         then we can proceed.

                                   ANDREW
                         Uh, I'd love to, only I'm kinda
                         surrounded by the Crazy 88 at the
                         moment...

               Picard chuckles as he reaches the bottom of the stairs and
               walks over. The crowd of warriors part as he passes through
               them, until Picard is standing before Andrew.

                                   PICARD
                         You see? It's just a matter of self
                         control. Now, come on, let's get
                         you out of here. 

               Andrew cautiously lowers his sword, but after a few bets his
               confidence (such as it is) comes back, and he tries to affect
               a cocky strut as he walks past the warriors.

                                   PICARD (cont'd)
                             (eyes him)
                         Don't push it, Andrew. 

               Andrew COUGHS once and walks normally, following Picard as
               they head back up the steps.

                                   ANDREW
                         I don't get it, if I'm just
                         reliving scenes from movies in my
                         head, why would I be in danger?
                         Wouldn't things just happen the way
                         they did in the movie?

                                   PICARD
                         In any normal person, yes. You,
                         however, have absorbed these scenes
                         to a deeper conscious level, and as
                         such they've become intermixed with
                         your existing memories.

                                   ANDREW
                         Oh. Is that why Anya was just a
                         zombie and tried to kill me?

                                   PICARD
                             (beat)
                         One can only presume so, yes. 

               They reach the balcony, and Picard slides back one of the
               doors to reveal a portal of pure white light beyond it.

                                   PICARD (cont'd)
                         This should get us back on the
                         right path. I can sense your
                         motivation waning somewhat, so I
                         think we need to visit one of your
                         prouder moments to get you back on
                         track.

               Picard steps in front of the light and holds a hand out.

                                   ANDREW
                         Um, do I have any prouder moments?

               Picard just smiles, and with a shrug, Andrew steps into the
               portal. 

               It FLARES brightly, and we cut from that to:

        13     INT. GILES' APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM. DAY.               13

               Giles is sitting on the chair in the modest apartment's front
               room, flicking through a large book. 

               After a few flicks, he mutters in annoyance and tosses the
               book to one side, settling back in his chair and looking like
               he wished it'd start raining, just to complete his foul mood. 

               He sits in stony silence for a few moments, before something
               catches his eye and he leans forward. 

               Scooping the discarded book back up from the floor, he
               adjusts his glasses as he peers closer at it. 

               Giles' eyes widen, and he starts to read a passage, his eyes
               flicking from side to side.

                                   GILES
                         Well, I'll be...

               He pauses, seeing something ominous. He re-reads the passage,
               then lowers the book, a dark look crossing his features.

                                   GILES (cont'd)
                         Oh, dear...

               He leaps out of his chair and over to the phone, rapidly
               dialling in a number.

        14     INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM. CONTINUOUS.       14

               Buffy is just unlocking the door and entering the house as
               the phone RINGS, and she dashes to answer it.

                                   BUFFY
                         Hello?

                                   GILES
                             (filtered; through phone)
                         Buffy? It's Giles, I've just found
                         something, it's caught me by
                         surprise, but I-

                                   BUFFY
                         Woah! Giles, slow down. Did Xander
                         switch your decaf with espresso
                         again?

                                   GILES
                         What? Oh, ah, no. 

               As Buffy shrugs off her coat, we cut back to:

        15     INT. GILES' APARTMENT. DAY.                             15

               Giles has retrieved the book, and holds it up to read from as
               he speaks to Buffy.

                                   GILES
                         I've just stumbled across a passage
                         in one of my books, almost by
                         accident, but I think it may lead
                         us to what we've been looking for.

                                   BUFFY
                             (filtered; through phone)
                         Which is?

                                   GILES
                         I'm afraid we haven't seen the last
                         of the Caretaker, Buffy. He's
                         almost certainly going to find his
                         way back to our world.

                                   BUFFY
                             (sighs)
                         Oh, great. Just what we need.

                                   GILES
                         But I think I may just have found
                         out how to stop him. 

               Giles manages a faint smile before we cut to:

        16     INT. HOSPITAL - WARD. DAY.                              16

               Xander and Willow enter the ward, making their way over to
               Andrew's bed where Jody is still sitting. 

               Xander has an overly elaborate bundle of fruits and candy,
               while Willow carries a small potted plant, almost like a
               bonsai tree.

                                   JODY
                         Oh, hey, guys!

                                   XANDER
                         Greetings, we come bearing gifts. 

               Xander dumps his food on the bedside cabinet, and Jody raises
               an eyebrow.

                                   JODY
                         Uh, Xander, not wanting to labour
                         the point or anything, but Andrew's
                         gonna find it a little tough to eat
                         this stuff while he's like this...

                                   XANDER
                         I know, all that's for you. You
                         don't look like leaving our fallen
                         hero's side any time soon, so i
                         figured you could use a little
                         extra sustenance. You know, for all
                         these long hours sitting very still
                         in one place.

                                   JODY
                         Har har.
                             (to Willow)
                         That's nice, Will, what is it?

                                   WILLOW
                             (off plant)
                         Oh, this is just a normal, average
                         little fern, but, ah...
                             (whispers)
                         I put a little incense and a few
                         herbs on it, just to, you know,
                         help. I picked the sorts of
                         ingredients we use in spells to
                         help people recover from stuff like
                         this. 

               Jody stands and hugs them both warmly before turning back to
               Andrew.

                                   JODY
                         He'd really appreciate this, guys,
                         thank you. Where's Buffy?

                                   WILLOW
                         Oh, she was working late, she's
                         gonna try and make it later.

                                   XANDER
                             (off Andrew)
                         So how is he?

                                   JODY
                         No change. Still stable, so that's
                         something. We're just playing a
                         waiting game now. He'll make his
                         comeback soon as he's ready, I
                         guess. 

               As the trio share a quiet moment to look down on Andrew, we
               cut away to:

        17     EXT. CLEVELAND - PARK. NIGHT.                           17

               Andrew is standing in the middle of a lush, green inner city
               park, already soaked with rain, looking around as he gets his
               bearings.

                                   ANDREW
                         Hey, I know this place! We're in- 

               He's cut off by a deafening ROAR from somewhere off screen,
               and Andrew freezes, looking slowly upwards... 

               And towering over the scene is a huge DRAGON, the very
               creature that briefly terrorised Cleveland last year, before
               Buffy and the gang took care of it. 

               The dragon moves its head left and right, sniffing the air
               before stopping and looking down on Andrew. 

               He's frozen to the spot as it starts to lean in for a closer
               look, its dark, scaly body glistening in the rain and its
               breath escaping into the air in hot clouds of steam.

               It blinks once, narrowing its eyes as it studies Andrew,
               before straightening up to ROAR into the night sky, and
               Andrew clamps his hands to his ears.

               Picard steps into frame, again with an umbrella, looking up
               at the beast.

                                   PICARD
                         Quite a sight, wasn't it?

                                   ANDREW
                             (shaking)
                         Wh-wh-why are w-we h-h-here?

                                   PICARD
                         Because, I needed you to remember
                         that despite your low opinion of
                         yourself, you've done a lot of good
                         this past year and a half, and this
                         was one of your highlights. Oh, and
                         duck.

                                   ANDREW
                             (blinks)
                         Huh?

               There's a loud TWANG from somewhere off screen, and Picard is
               already crouching down as Andrew remembers what happened on
               this night, throwing himself to the ground. 

               A high tension cable, cut loose from its supports, WHIPS past
               them both, arcing up towards the dragon and SLICING into its
               neck, neatly decapitating the hulking beast. 

               The dragon's head, and then its body, SMASH into the ground,
               sending up a spray of dirt and muddy water which soaks
               Andrew. 

               He picks himself up, breathing deeply, trying to stay calm as
               Picard stands, wiping some of the dirt away.

                                   PICARD
                         See that? That was all your idea.
                         Without you, I don't think Buffy
                         and the others would have been able
                         to defeat this creature.

                                   ANDREW
                             (dawning realisation)
                         Yeah... yeah, I did help out,
                         didn't I?

                                   PICARD
                         By Jove, I think he's got it! Well,
                         I think I've made my point here,
                         let's move on. 

               Picard starts to walk away, but Andrew is still looking at
               the fallen dragon, his face filed with pride.

                                   PICARD (O.S.)
                         Andrew?

                                   ANDREW
                             (snaps to attention)
                         Uh, yeah.

               He jogs off screen after Picard, and as he steps off frame
               there is a FLASH of white light, and we cut to:

        18     INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM. DAY.              18

               Buffy opens the front door to Giles, who hurries inside,
               heading straight for the kitchen.

                                   BUFFY
                         Uh, come in, why don't you... 

               She follows him in.

        19     INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - KITCHEN. DAY.                  19

               Giles has the book open on the counter and is flicking
               through the pages rapidly as Buffy walks in.

                                   BUFFY
                         Okay. So, you're gonna show me what
                         had you all worked up on the phone?
                             (checks watch)
                         If we hurry, we can still make it
                         to the hospital to grab Xander and
                         Willow.

                                   GILES
                             (flipping through book)
                         Just a moment... there. 

               He turns the book round, and Buffy studies the page.

                                   BUFFY
                             (reads)
                         Okay, so this says that the
                         Caretaker has the ability to cross
                         between dimensions at will... And
                         that includes wherever Willow sent
                         him, right?

                                   GILES
                         That's as best as I can make out,
                         yes. He's nothing if not
                         determined, I expect he's already
                         making his way back to us, although
                         his ultimate aim is still unknown.

                                   BUFFY
                         But you said you'd found a way to
                         stop him?

                                   GILES
                             (points)
                         Ah, yes, read this.

                                   BUFFY
                             (reads)
                         What's the Book of Garulah?

                                   GILES
                         It's an Italian text, a powerful
                         demon-hunting artefact used by the
                         Vatican as far back as the
                         fourteenth century.
                         It contains binding rituals for
                         literally thousands of entities,
                         but it focuses almost exclusively
                         on those of higher power levels.
                         According to legend, it was co
                         written with a demon who was privy
                         to such secrets.

                                   BUFFY
                             (sarcastic)
                         A demon snitch? Who knew?

                                   GILES
                         Yes, well, needless to say, it's
                         what we've been looking for. I'd
                         thought it lost decades ago, but
                         according to this, it's been in use
                         as recently as thirty years ago,
                         and it's still located in Italy.

                                   BUFFY
                         I'm sensing a road trip...

                                   GILES
                         Yes, I plan to leave for Italy in
                         the morning. I'll probably need
                         someone with me, however, just as a
                         precaution.

                                   BUFFY
                         Why don't you take Marie? 

               Giles falls quiet, and Buffy picks up on it straight away.

                                   BUFFY (cont'd)
                         Giles? What's wrong?

                                   GILES
                         Ah, nothing, nothing, I...

                                   BUFFY
                         Did something happen with Marie?

                                   GILES
                         No. Yes. Perhaps, I really don't
                         know, I haven't seen her all day.

                                   BUFFY
                         Where is she?

                                   GILES
                             (beat; sighs)
                         I expect she's still with Max, back
                         at her hotel. 

               Buffy gapes as the penny drops, and Giles looks away.

                                   BUFFY
                         No!

                                   GILES
                         It's not important. 

               Giles SNAPS the book shut, startling Buffy.

                                   GILES (cont'd)
                         We have more significant things to
                         consider now.

               Giles takes the book out of the kitchen, and as Buffy watches
               him go, concern all over her face, we:

                                                             BLACK OUT:



                                   END OF ACT TWO
                                      ACT THREE

                                                               FADE IN:

        20     INT. DELOREAN. NIGHT.                                   20

               Andrew and Picard are inside the DeLorean made famous by
               'Back To The Future,' Picard is driving but thankfully
               without the Doc Brown hairstyle. Andrew, however, is in Marty
               McFly's oh-so-fashionable 1985 clothes, all denim and body
               warmer.

                                   ANDREW
                             (looking round)
                         I never knew my attention to detail
                         would pay off so well...

                                   PICARD
                         I'll admit, it's making my life a
                         lot easier! We're almost at our
                         next stop, so you need to get out
                         here.

                                   ANDREW
                         Get out? But we're still- 

               Picard reaches across him, opens the passenger door, then
               SHOVES Andrew out of the car, Andrew falls out with a YELP,
               and Picard shuts the door after him.

        21     EXT. CITY ROOFTOP. DAWN.                                21

               Andrew falls into frame but grabs hold of a spire sticking
               out from the roof of a building he passes. 

               He clings on for dear life, a sprawling, futuristic cityscape
               beneath him, his fingers slipping on the wet concrete - a
               long fall looks certain, and Andrew is moments away from
               doom, when suddenly... 

               A HAND shoots into frame, and Andrew grabs it, letting it
               lift him up and to safety. 

               Andrew lands heavily on the roof, looking across to see who
               his saviour is - and it's JACKSON, but he's dressed as Roy
               Batty from the finale of the movie 'Blade Runner.'

                                   JACKSON
                         I've seen things you people
                         wouldn't believe. Attack ships on
                         fire off the shoulder of Orion. I
                         watched C-beams glitter in the dark
                         near Tannhäuser Gate. All those
                         moments will be lost in time like
                         tears in rain. 
                             (beat)
                         Time to die. 

               As the first rays of sunlight strike the scene, Jackson
               lowers his head and falls still. 

               Andrew slowly stands, the moment not lost on him as Picard
               steps into frame.

                                   PICARD
                         Wasn't what you were expecting, was
                         it?

                                   ANDREW
                         What do you mean?

                                   PICARD
                         Well, as I recall, in the film this
                         little moment is based on, the
                         formerly ruthless villain,
                         portrayed here by your friend
                         Jackson, turns out to be an
                         unlikely hero at the last moment. 

               Andrew narrows his eyes - what's Picard getting at?

                                   PICARD (cont'd)
                         Anyway! Just a thought to leave you
                         with. Let's keep on, shall we? Lots
                         still to do. 

               Andrew looks again at the still form of Jackson before
               following Picard, who walks on along the rooftop.

                                   ANDREW
                         Okay, okay, I think, um, I'm
                         starting to get what you're trying
                         to tell me. 

               Picard stops and turns round.

                                   PICARD
                         You do?

                                   ANDREW
                         Um, yes. I think, Captain, that
                         you're trying to tell me that you
                         can find help where you're not
                         always expecting it, so...

                                   PICARD
                             (expectant)
                         Yes?

                                   ANDREW
                         So... That means that you want me
                         to ask Jody to help us out again! 

               Picard SIGHS and starts walking again.

                                   ANDREW (cont'd)
                         Hey, hey! Wait! That wasn't right?

                                   PICARD
                         No, Andrew, I'm afraid not.
                             (checks watch)
                         We'd better get a move on, time is
                         against us, I'm afraid.

                                   ANDREW
                         Oh, okay.

               Andrew follows Picard as the duo walk off screen.

        22     INT. HOSPITAL - WARD. DAY.                              22

               We're back at Andrew's bedside, a still forlorn-looking Jody
               leaning his head on his hands as he stares at Andrew. Willow
               and Xander hang back, not knowing what to say.

                                   XANDER
                         So, uh, Jody, what have you been
                         saying to Andrew while he's been
                         here? Y'know, 'cause I heard that
                         people in comas can often still
                         hear whatever's being said to them.

                                   JODY
                         Oh, you know, just stuff. I've been
                         trying to act like everything's
                         normal, I'm thinking it'll make it
                         less weird for him when he finally
                         comes back. 

               Willow places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

                                   WILLOW
                         I'm sure he can hear you.

                                   JODY
                         Is Anya okay? I never got a chance
                         to ask.

                                   XANDER
                         Yeah, she's fine, the baby's fine,
                         all good.
                             (beat)
                         They both owe Andrew their lives,
                         you know. I mean, you'll probably
                         never get Anya to admit it, but...

                                   JODY
                             (smiles)
                         I know. We met for lunch the day
                         this happened, you know.

                                   WILLOW
                         You did? Hey, that's great! I know
                         you two hadn't spoken for a while,
                         so I was a little worried, you
                         know, in case things hadn't worked
                         out.

                                   JODY
                         They kinda hadn't.

                                   WILLOW
                         Oh.

                                   JODY
                         But it was really cool to see him
                         again, it meant a lot to me. 

               Jody suddenly starts to tear up, and Willow puts her arms
               round him, hugging him tightly.

                                   WILLOW
                         Hey, hey! It's okay, come on.
                         Wherever he is right now, he
                         wouldn't want to see you like this,
                         okay?

               Jody nods, trying to keep the emotions in. He lets out a
               breath, clearly exhausted.

                                   JODY
                         How did you get so good at this
                         comforting stuff.

                                   WILLOW
                             (glances at Xander)
                         I've had plenty of practice. 

               We stay with them for a beat before we cut to:

        23     EXT. OCEAN - CHASM. DAY.                                23

               Andrew is wearing a bulky deep sea diver's suit, a modern
               design in white with some kind of purple fluid inside the
               helmet and a dog-sized high-beam torch with a motor in one
               hand.

               He's standing on a small ledge sticking out of an ocean cliff
               wall that stretches off out of view both up and down, with
               nothing but the blackness of the ocean all around him. He
               looks around, disorientated, before a soft purple light
               starts to shine on him. 

               Andrew looks up, amazed, and as we push in on him, we see
               what looks like an angel floating towards him - a winged,
               glittering creature, illuminating the gloom around it.
               Andrew is spellbound - this is a scene from 'The Abyss' and
               he knows it well. 

               He reaches out a hand towards the creature, and as he does so
               the scene is filled with brilliant white light again, and we
               cut to:

        24     INT. COLONY - OPERATIONS ROOM. NIGHT.                   24

               Andrew is suddenly plunged into a warzone - he's in some kind
               of large room filled with containers and barrels, bathed in
               red light, and all around him are shouts and gunfire. 

               Andrew, now wearing a bodywarmer and denim again, ducks for
               cover as something EXPLODES to his side, and he starts
               looking round frantically for someone to help. 

               A dark shadow falls across him, and Andrew slowly looks round
               to be faced with an ALIEN - the black, humanoid kind from the
               movies of the same name. 

               The Alien HISSES at Andrew, hunching its spindly body over as
               it advances towards him. Andrew shuffles backwards,
               terrified, as the alien draws ever nearer, with nowhere for
               him to go... 

               And then into frame jumps Buffy, wielding a large assault
               rifle which she FIRES at the creature. 

               There is a SHRIEK and the shadow drops away, and Buffy pulls
               Andrew to his feet. She's dressed as one of the Colonial
               Marines from 'Aliens,' combat trousers, a vest top and plenty
               of ammo to go with the huge gun she's touting. 

               She shoves Andrew towards a short corridor leading towards a
               metal door, tossing him a small black object.

                                   BUFFY
                         Get that door open! We can't hold
                         them off for long out here! 

               Buffy turns and FIRES back into the room again - something
               else EXPLODES and there are more SHRIEKS from the aliens we
               can now see spreading out across the mayhem.

               Andrew looks at the object - it's a small welding torch, and
               after fumbling with it for a second, Buffy steps back into
               frame, snatches it away and activates it, handing it back to
               him and pointing at the door.

                                   BUFFY (cont'd)
                         The door, Andrew! 

               Andrew nods and starts cutting through the lock on the door
               with the torch, but it's slow going. 

               Buffy starts to back towards him, unable to hold off the tide
               of creatures in the room, until she's standing just a few
               feet away.

                                   BUFFY (cont'd)
                         Whatever you're gonna do, do it
                         fast!

                                   ANDREW
                         I'm trying, I'm trying! I'm-

                                   PICARD (V.O.)
                         Andrew?

               Andrew stops and looks around - but there's no sign of
               Picard.

                                   ANDREW
                         Where are you?

                                   PICARD (V.O.)
                         Andrew, I've lost you again, you
                         keep trapping yourself in your own
                         memories!

                                   BUFFY
                         Andrew, come on!

                                   PICARD (V.O.)
                         Andrew, try to concentrate. If I
                         lose you again, I may never be able
                         to find you. 

               Andrew looks from the door to Buffy and back, clearly out of
               options.

               With supreme effort, he switches the welder off and stands
               still, his eyes closed.

                                   BUFFY
                         Hey... Hey! What the hell are you
                         doing?

               Andrew doesn't answer, and as we push in close to his serene
               expression, the noises around him die away - the shouts, the
               alarms blaring, the fire, everything - and even the red light
               fades, allowing us to smoothly move to:
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