buffy9x21
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11 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - FRONT ROOM. NIGHT. 11
Buffy follows Giles down the stairs.
BUFFY
So what's this good news you had to
tell me, is it about Will-
Buffy pauses - there's someone new sitting on the sofa,
facing away from her.
As Buffy gets to the bottom of the stairs and into the front
room itself, the new arrival stands and turns round - and
it's AMY MADISON!
The brunette wicca hasn't changed much - her hair is longer,
but she still has the same slightly nervous smile as she
grins across at Buffy.
AMY
Uh, hi.
XANDER
Sorry I didn't say anything, Buff,
Giles wanted it to be a surprise.
SOFIA
And I think it's fair to say you
could use a pick-me-up at the
moment!
BUFFY
Hi, Amy - what are you doing here?
Amy starts to speak, but Giles talks over her.
GILES
Well, the Council decided that the
best way to find Willow was to use
somebody with a strong magical
connection to her, someone who'd
spent a lot of time using magic
around her, to have the best chance
of being able to locate and track
Willow's unique magical energy
signature.
BUFFY
So, in other words...
AMY
(brightly)
You need a witch!
As she smiles hopefully back at Buffy, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
12 INT. MARIE'S CAR. NIGHT. 12
The car is parked on top of a hill overlooking the city, Max
biting his nails as he stares across the glittering patchwork
lights of Cleveland's city centre.
Marie watches him from the passenger seat, patiently waiting
for him to start explaining what's going on.
MAX
It all started with a phone call a
few weeks ago.
MARIE
A phone call from who?
MAX
Dennis Trent. He's the-
MARIE
He's the Head of the Council's
Special Research Division, yes, I
know. What on Earth was Dennis
doing calling you?
Max looks across at her, and Marie grimaces as she realises
how negative she made that sound.
MARIE (cont'd)
I'm sorry, I didn't mean-
MAX
(smirks)
It's alright, I know what you
meant. Dennis told me that the
Council was preparing the case for
my hearing, to determine what to do
with me about Sierra's death.
Max pauses, thoughtful, before running a hand back through
his hair and continuing.
MAX (cont'd)
He said that all the signs were
pointing towards me being placed in
custody for it. You know that the
Council doesn't exactly send people
to prison for breaking its rules,
but...
MARIE
You mean they'd have sent you to
Laneshead.
MAX
(nods)
I hear the sentence for letting
your Slayer die through gross
neglect is anything up to ten
years. You can bet that in a place
like Laneshead, that'd feel more
like twenty-five to life.
MARIE
Privately-owned prisons aren't
exactly going to be what one would
call 'cushy,' Max! So what did he
say after that?
MAX
Dennis told me that I could help
the Council with a highly
classified mission, something that
affects what's going on in
Cleveland, and that if I succeeded
then my sentence would be reduced
accordingly, possibly even allowing
me to serve my time in a lower
security facility.
Marie frowns, studying Max, trying to follow him.
MARIE
A classified mission? Why weren't
Rupert or I informed?
MAX
(shrugs)
I've no idea. You'll have to ask
Dennis yourself. He basically told
me that his contacts had learned of
a plan to open and activate the
Cleveland Hellmouth, and that if I
could gather enough information to
either prevent that, or at least
help lead Buffy to the ringleaders
of the operation, then I'd receive
the benefits with regards to my
sentence.
MARIE
I still don't understand why you
weren't able to tell anybody about
this. Surely Buffy needs to know
who she's got to stop?
MAX
There's more to it than that, he
said...
Max trails off, and Marie reaches out to lay a hand on one of
his. He looks across at her, and she smiles warmly.
MARIE
You can tell me, Max.
As Max stares back at her, turning things over in his mind,
we cut back to:
13 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - FRONT ROOM. NIGHT. 13
Everyone is downstairs now, Amy nodding a thank you to Sofia
as she hands her a drink.
AMY
So after the Council tracked me
down again, they offered me the
chance to go through the same sort
of rehabilitation that Willow went
through, back in England.
BUFFY
(to Giles)
And you didn't know about this?
GILES
I did, but I left it in the hands
of others. I'm sure you can
appreciate how easy it is to lose
track of everything that's going on
with the Council!
XANDER
Hey, I have difficulty remembering
which end of Hope I'm supposed to
give the bottle to sometimes!
Everyone pauses to throw a look at Xander, who shrinks.
XANDER (cont'd)
Sounded funnier in my head...
AMY
I mean, after Willow and I had
that, uh... 'incident' with her
getting hooked on Rack's magic a
few years ago, I... well, let's
just say I developed a couple of
addictions of my own. Long, long
story.
BUFFY
No need to go into details.
AMY
(relieved)
Whoo, thanks!
BUFFY
So, you think you can find Willow?
AMY
(nods)
Uh-huh, I think so.
GILES
Amy believes she can track Willow's
energy trail from her starting
point, which would be this front
room, all the way to the Circle.
SOFIA
I'm presuming nobody knows where
this 'Circle' place is?
BUFFY
I went up there once, but Willow
was the tour guide, I was just a
passenger.
AMY
As long as I can physically stand
on the last place she did, I can
follow it from there.
ANDREW
Like, um, a dog following a scent?
Amy narrows her eyes at Andrew, not appreciating his choice
of metaphor.
AMY
Something like that, yeah...
Buffy nods and stands.
BUFFY
Great. I think I'm gonna go out and
patrol, I need to get some air.
GILES
Has there been any word from
Jackson?
BUFFY
I got a message off Shanna, she's
checking in regularly and letting
me know how he's doing.
He hasn't gotten any better, but he
hasn't gotten any worse, so that's
something.
SOFIA
Shall I come too?
BUFFY
Sure thing. Seeing how you fought
up against the Keeper, I'm pretty
sure you can handle yourself!
Excited, Sofia hops to her feet and bounds into the kitchen.
XANDER
She's pretty eager, huh?
BUFFY
Was I ever like that?
XANDER
Not so much with the happy bouncing
at the thought of going on patrol,
no. She's what Young Buffy would
have been like on happy pills.
AMY
So, that Sofia girl, is she, like,
new? I heard about Willow's big
spell and everything.
BUFFY
Yeah, Xander rescued Sofia from a
dungeon in Italy, so I guess to her
every day from then on has been a
bonus for her.
Sofia steps back into frame, wrapping her arms round Xander's
neck and planting a kiss on the top of his head.
SOFIA
Because he's my hero!
XANDER
(grins)
Well, shucks.
Buffy and Sofia head for the door, but Andrew raises his
hand, and Buffy pauses to nod to him.
BUFFY
What is it? This isn't a classroom,
Andrew, if you've got something to
say, just go ahead and yell.
ANDREW
Um, well, I was keeping this to
myself, because after everything
that happened...
(glances at Xander)
... it didn't really seem like, uh,
a good time to talk about it.
BUFFY
Uh oh, this doesn't sound good...
ANDREW
I told you guys about that dream I
had, right? The one when I was in
the coma?
BUFFY
You mentioned something, yeah, but
you never said anything else about
it.
ANDREW
Well, I think it might help, you
know, with Amy's plan.
AMY
Really? What is it?
ANDREW
It's about the Caretaker.
AMY
(thinks)
The demon that Willow banished,
right?
(to Buffy)
I got the Clift Notes on the past
few months on the flight over.
ANDREW
Um, yeah, him. Well... I don't
think he was evil.
A moment as everyone exchanges glances.
BUFFY
What?
GILES
What makes you so sure?
ANDREW
It's a long story, I could probably
tell you all about what happened in
my dream but I don't think you'd
want to hear it, so, um...
Short version is just that I'm
pretty certain he wasn't a bad guy
after all.
XANDER
And when were you planning on
sharing this little gem of
information with the rest of us,
exactly?
ANDREW
(protests)
Hey, I tried! But whenever I tried
to tell anyone, you were all busy,
everyone was being too 'oh, it's
only Andrew, we don't need to
listen to him,' and then Anya died,
and then Willow ascended, and I
never got chance to say-
GILES
(raises hand)
Alright, thank you, Andrew. If we
made you feel like you couldn't
tell us, then we apologise.
XANDER
Yeah, but next time, try harder!
BUFFY
(thinks)
Hold on, that makes sense - Willow
said he was trying to kill the
Circle, but when she saw him in the
Library up there, he just walked
away from her.
ANDREW
Um, yeah, and, didn't she say he
only hit her back when she tried to
stop him?
Buffy looks at Giles, starting to put it all together.
BUFFY
He wasn't there for her...
GILES
He was there to stop the Circle!
BUFFY
Wait... that's it! That was in my
dream too!
XANDER
What was?
BUFFY
The Caretaker, he showed up, he
handed me this golden circle
thingy, but it turned into a snake,
and then...
(penny drops)
It's the Circle! They're the bad
guys!
SOFIA
(confused)
Willow's gone over to the Dark Side
again?
BUFFY
No. I think she's been tricked.
Buffy turns to Amy, her expression deadly serious.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Amy, you have to get her out of
there, right now. Wherever she's
gone, I want you to find her and
bring her home.
AMY
(nods)
I'll do everything I can.
BUFFY
Giles, get her anything she needs.
Buffy grabs her jacket, marching back towards the door.
SOFIA
Wait, are we still going on patrol?
Shouldn't we stay and help?
BUFFY
We're not going after vampires
tonight. We're going for the only
other player in all this.
(beat)
Kane.
As Buffy opens the door, a steely look in her eyes, we cut
across to:
14 INT. OFFICE SUITE - CONFERENCE ROOM. NIGHT. 14
We're back inside the board room where we saw Kane addressing
the various businessmen who make up the higher echelons of
his private army.
The seats are filled by the many SUITS as before, some old,
some young but all looking distinctly unhappy at being
dragged out of bed so late at night.
They look up as Kane walks into the room, with mutters of
surprise as two of his Demons enter after him, waiting by the
entrance.
KANE
Gentlemen. My sincere apologies for
calling a meeting so late, but
matters have reached an impasse,
and I need your approval to
proceed.
SUIT #1
What's going on, Irwin? Since that
witch got rid of the Caretaker,
things have been quiet around here.
What's happened?
Kane stands at the head of the table, studying the assembled
faces for a beat.
KANE
It's the Hellmouth.
There are murmurs from the Suits, not positive ones.
KANE (cont'd)
I've unearthed it and attempted to
break the magical barrier placed
over its entrance when it was last
sealed away, but my plans have hit
a snag.
SUIT #2
What kind of 'snag' exactly?
Kane looks off screen and nods, and we hear a heavy THUD. The
suits look round to see that Jerekov's dead body has been
deposited at one end of the board room table, his blank eyes
staring out at us.
SUIT #1
What's the meaning of this?
KANE
As some of you may know, I'd made a
deal with this now sadly deceased
warlock to break the seal, going so
far as to retrieve him from the
Hellmouth itself when the witch put
him down there.
Kane paces round the table, walking over to Jerekov's body.
KANE (cont'd)
I know enough magic to get the seal
down for a few seconds, but no
longer than that. What I need you
all to do is find me another
powerful magic user, somebody who
can do Jerekov's job and open the
barrier.
The Suits fall silent for a few beats, until one of them
clears his throat to get the room's attention.
SUIT #3
I may be able to help.
Kane grins, straightens up and motions for the suit to speak.
SUIT #3 (cont'd)
I keep a few men in my employ to
track anybody of interest coming in
or out of Cleveland. Got the idea
from a friend who works for the
nearest Wolfram & Hart branch.
KANE
Are you about to make me a very
happy man?
SUIT #3
Yesterday, he told me that another
powerful wicca flew into Cleveland,
a young lady by the name of Amy
Madison. Why she's here is
anybody's guess, but with a few
records checks I found out that she
attended the same high school as
both Buffy Summers and Willow
Rosenberg.
SUIT #1
Maybe she's here because of the
witch's disappearance?
KANE
That sounds pretty likely to me,
gentlemen.
Kane nods to his demons, who drag Jerekov's body away
unceremoniously.
SUIT #3
Shall I organise an extraction team
for this Madison girl? My sources
indicated she could have the kind
of magical power levels we're
looking for.
KANE
By all means.
Kane strides back round to the head of the table, looking
particularly pleased with himself.
KANE (cont'd)
I think this evening may turn out
to be a successful one after all!
SUIT #1
What's the situation with the
Hellmouth now?
KANE
It's safe. The device I used to
incapacitate the staff of the
police station will have worn off
by now, but I made sure I secured
the room where the Hellmouth is.
Nobody's getting to it without one
of these.
Kane reaches into his blazer pocket and produces a small key -
but a key that GLOWS with a faint yellow light.
KANE (cont'd)
The lock's magically sealed, so
there's no danger of the Hellmouth
being uncovered.
Kane puts the key away again and leans forward, his hands on
the boardroom table.
KANE (cont'd)
I think it's time to begin
preparations for phase three,
gentlemen. I'll get in touch with
our employer, let him know
everything's going according to
plan.
(beat; grins)
In a few days, we'll all get what
we were promised.
There's a round of APPLAUSE from the assembled Suits, and
from that, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
15 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - FRONT ROOM. NIGHT. 15
Amy has started to set everything up for her rescue mission -
kneeling down on the living room carpet, she has two
spellbooks open before her, and an array of spell ingredients
gathered in neat piles as she starts to mark out a large
magic circle, using fine white powder.
Andrew and Xander look on, entranced as always by the careful
preparation that goes into a big piece of magic like this, as
Giles paces up and down at the back of the room, the house
phone pressed to his ear.
16 INT. MARIE'S CAR. NIGHT. 16
Marie's coat is on the back seat of the car, and as we look
we can see her cell phone sticking out of one pocket - it's
set to silent, so its urgent vibrating and flashing 'incoming
call' light can't be seen or heard by Marie, still in the
front seat.
Max replaces the car's lighter as he starts on a cigarette,
rolling the window down to blow smoke out into the air.
MARIE
I didn't know you smoked!
MAX
It's a filthy habit, but there are
others.
MARIE
So go on, you were about to tell me
some more details about what was
going on.
Max pauses for thought before replying.
MAX
My brief now, with the identity of
the people behind the plot to open
the Hellmouth clear to me, is to
observe them, and try to nudge
Buffy and the others in the right
direction, without revealing too
much to them.
MARIE
But what about Giles? Shouldn't we-
MAX
No, I can't tell Giles. He doesn't
trust me, he'd have me shipped off
back to England clapped in irons if
he had his way.
MARIE
So why tell me?
MAX
(beat)
Because I trust you. I really feel
like I can connect with you, Marie.
I know that sounds like a real
cliche, but... it's how I feel.
MARIE
(eyes him)
So what were all those games with
Giles about? You drove him round
the bend when you paraded the fact
that we're sleeping together in
front of him - you still do, in
fact! And I have to say, I don't
appreciate being used as a weapon
in whatever quest you have to
embarrass him. Why don't you
explain that side of things to me?
MAX
(beat)
Macho pride. I never really thought
Giles should have made Head
Watcher, they should have given the
post to someone who's actually in
the bloody country for more than
two weeks of the year!
(sighs)
And besides, as you've said,
flirting with you wound him up, and
in a petty, childish way, that's
exactly why I made such a big deal
out of the whole thing.
MARIE
I see...
Max stubs out his cigarette, but is surprised as Marie
snatches one from his packet as he goes for a second.
He grins at her as she lights it, before continuing.
MAX
For what it's worth, I'm sorry. It
wasn't exactly a smart move on my
part, getting on the wrong side of
one of the key people at my
hearing, but I'm afraid I got the
red mist and couldn't stop myself.
(smiles)
What can I say? You got me.
Marie smiles at him, rolling her eyes.
MARIE
You've made a right bloody mess of
things, haven't you?
MAX
So far, yes, I have. But I need you
to keep everything I've told you to
yourself.
MARIE
Why?
Max pauses for a long beat, closing his eyes. He's obviously
not meant to tell her what he's about to say.
MAX
There's a spy in the group.
And from Marie's shocked look, we cut back to:
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.