f1x04 Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
[bottom] TEASER
FADE IN:
1 INT. THE RAYGUN - NIGHT 1
ANGLE ON a shot glass, filled to the brim with something
dark, something potent.
FAITH brings the glass to her lips in one deliberate
mechanical motion.
And then a pause. The drink remains suspended; hovering
before her lips.
As we HOLD on her we begin a slow pan out to see the assorted
masses gathered at the bar this night; typical art-house
college crowd all broken up into their own "unique" clicks,
sipping their watered down, imported drinks at their wire
frame, plastic tables.
In the center of the room, which is built like a stadium with
all the tables scattered around circling the performance
area, sits OLIVER. His tall thin frame is offset by the
large, dumpy clothing he wears - all black, matching his
spiked-with-blue-highlights-raven-black hair.
As he strums his ripened old Gibson acoustic and barks out
his angsty and estranged lyrics with a scruffy whine, the
audience can't help but be enthralled by the passion of his
performance.
We close on Faith's weary eyes as they round the corners of
their sockets to view the song-smith. Her head remains face
forward, unmoving; refusing to betray her feign of interest.
Oliver notices Faith's presence, quickly averting his eyes to
keep this fact unknown to her, but allows himself the
subtlest of smiles.
Faith lowers her glass back to the table (its contents
intact) and slowly rises from her seat. She sluggishly works
her way through the long & winding open corridor around the
performance area toward the rear exit. Oliver is visible from
her POV, so are the legions of art school girls (and boys)
drooling over him.
2 EXT. THE RAYGUN - BACK ALLEY - CONTINUOUS 2
Faith exits the bar. At, or around, five paces from the door
she stops.
Her face is blank; emotionless... and as a consequence:
unreadable.
We pan from her head to her shoulder, to her arm, stopping on
a clenched fist.
Crimson slowly runs from the cracks of the fist as her
fingernails penetrate skin.
We slowly pan out and away from Faith until we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
TITLE OVER: 24 Hours Earlier
3 EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT 3
The black screen explodes into dust as another vampire is
obliterated, courtesy of Faith, who just as quickly spins
herself around to parry another vamps attack, before
sidelining it with a swift and powerful kick to the groin.
Faith is now standing on guard as two vamps circle her,
contemplating their next move, or to be more honest, if they
even have a "next move" to make.
VAMP #1 very cautious and carefully lowers his defenses to
gesture his hands in a downward "calm down" motion.
VAMP #1
(Nervously)
Okay, Okay, Okay. Hold on just a
sec, Slayer. I think that maybe the
three of us can come to a bit of
an.. I dunno... "arrangement"?
FAITH
Honestly, guy, I'm really tired
tonight so the only thing I'd like
to arrange is a quick death for you
two so I can get some sleep.
(put out)
I mean, come on. I bust my chops
fighting the good fight every
night, and still have to hold down
a 9 to 5 so I can have a roof over
my head and a cup of ramen?
(then)
And you want to play "Let's Make a
Deal"? I'm TIRED. I need sleep.
And, great, now I'm all cranky and
awake.
(angry)
So, in response to your request,
"no" I don't want to make an
"arrangement", I just want you to
fight me so I can kill you, go
home, sleep for a few hours, get up
and go to work where I will more
than likely have to fight something
else.
Faith eyes the vamps warily.
FAITH (cont'd)
(giving up;sigh)
Okay, what kind of arrangement?
4 EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS 4
OLIVER is dodging in and out of traffic. His motions are
frantic. In each of his hands he carries a guitar case. As
wild as his movements, his grip remains steady. Or at least
until:
SLAM! Oliver is knocked over the hood of a car. The car
screeches and stops. The driver just sits in a state of
shock.
Oliver's fingers tighten on the handles to one of his cases
as his eyes search the stars dangling above him in the night
sky.
5 EXT. ALLEY - CONTINUOUS 5
Vamp #1 flashes through the air and into a hard brick wall,
landing into several garbage cans.
FAITH (O.C.)
You have got to be kidding me.
We see Vamp #2 - his face is all squished up and looks
constipated.
FAITH (O.C.) (cont'd)
I've been offered immortality and
all the power beyond my wildest
dreams...
Pan out to see that Faith has Vamp #2 in a headlock.
FAITH (cont'd)
And you offer me money? I mean,
come on!
Faith tightens her grip.
VAMP #2
It's a lot of money!
Faith tightens her grip even more.
6 EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS 6
The driver finally snaps out of his daze, ejects himself from
his vehicle and rushes over to see if the young man has been
seriously hurt.
DRIVER
Hey! You all right? Hey, Kid!
(to himself)
Aw, crap... please don't be dead,
please don't sue, please don't be
dead, please don't sue...
Oliver suddenly sits up, perfectly erect, if but a bit dazed.
OLIVER
Ow.
The driver stands over Oliver, offering reassurances of a
perfect bill of health and something about how absolutely
unnecessary it is to bring the authorities and especially the
insurance companies into this.
His dialogue sounds muffled and distant, the way you'd expect
it'd sound after a blow to the head like that!
A black, hard shadow engulfs their, by comparison, relatively
tiny frames.
7 EXT. ALLEY - CONTINUOUS 7
POOF! Vamp #2? Dusted.
Vamp #1 is now cornered up against a wall, trying to figure a
way out of this impossible mess when
GABRIEL (O.C.)
Honestly, you might as well just
help yourself.
Faith turns to see GABRIEL stepping out of the shadows.
GABRIEL (cont'd)
The money gets dusted along with
the clothes and any other
possessions they may have on their
person.
FAITH
Jesus, Gabriel!
(then)
Here's a trade secret a lot of you
up-and-comers don't know: that
whole sneaking up on someone out of
the shadows? Annoying.
(then)
So, unless you're evil...
(off his look)
Don't.
Gabe just grins as Faith lays Vamp #1 out with a mean right
hook, before she marches up to Gabriel, not looking happy.
FAITH (cont'd)
And the money thing? You think I
haven't considered it? I mean, have
you seen what Pryor pays me? I'm
living off cheap ramen. Seriously,
think about that for a second and
let that really sink in: cheap
ramen.
(then)
I don't know, call me crazy, but
taking someone's money before I
kill them feels a bit like mugging,
even if they are a vampire.
GABRIEL
But the killing doesn't feel like
murder? The stealing is actually
worse?
FAITH
Okay, something else you have to
learn about me real quick, chief,
is not to try and mess with my
head. I got enough voices in their
to last me a lifetime.
GABRIEL
Just trying to understand you
better, is all.
FAITH
Only thing you need to "understand"
is that unless you have some
cryptic message to give and
disappear into the shadows -again:
annoying by the way, you should
probably leave. Now.
(twirling her stake in
hand)
I have some work to do.
Faith turns toward Vamp #1 to finish him off. Takes two
steps. Stops. Rolls her eyes.
FAITH (cont'd)
You're still here, aren't you?
GABRIEL
Yeah. Sorry.
FAITH
But not evil, right?
(sternly)
Don't lie.
GABRIEL
(trying not to laugh)
No. Really not evil.
FAITH
Good, cause I could seriously mess
up that pretty face of yours if you
were.
GABRIEL
(amused)
You think my face is pretty?
FAITH
(covering)
No, just being nice.
(beat)
Look, if you're just looking for a
bone, I gotta tell you, you're just
not my type. I like my meat a
little less tender, a little more
worn. You're all... I dunno...
pretty.
GABRIEL
That word again.
(then)
And no, not really looking to
"bone".
FAITH
Okay, enough. Message. Now. Then
leave.
GABRIEL
Actually, I've got two.
FAITH
Lucky me. Spill.
GABRIEL
First, "no wiggle room".
(off her look)
Serious.
FAITH
You've got to be kidding. I don't
have time for this.
GABRIEL
And second, your perp is on the
move.
Faith jumps around to see Vamp #1 back on his feet, running
for his very un-life.
FAITH
(to herself)
Oh, Great.
(back on Gabe)
If he gets away...
(then)
Wiggle room?
Faith leaves Gabe with a nasty look as she begins pursuit of
the fleeing creature.
8 EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS 8
Oliver unfastens the clasps on one of his guitar cases as the
sound of a few garbled crunches can be heard in the not so
far off distance.
OLIVER
C'mon, c'mon...
A miserable loud bellow fills the air. Whatever is down
below, it's finished its meal. Time for seconds.
Oliver throws open the case to find - a Gibson electro
acoustic. He seems surprised to see it.
OLIVER (cont'd)
Aw, crap!
9 EXT. SIDE STREET - CONTINUOUS 9
Vamp #1 is tossing trash cans, boxes, papers, just anything
he can find to hopefully slow his pursuer down, even going so
far as to run out into oncoming traffic.
No such luck.
Faith sprints down the sidewalk, and through the hail of
vehicles with relative ease.
The street is littered with vehicles as there is some sort of
mass commotion underway, up ahead. Vamp #1 slows his pace
down as he realizes he has less and less space to move
through.
He comes to a full stop, looks around only to find no Slayer
in sight. His head jerks back and forth for someplace to
move, someplace where he can be sure he's safe. Someplace
that-
Faith comes from behind, grabbing the collar to his jacket,
her stake thrusts into the creature fast and hard, exploding
it into dust.
An awkward moment as several bystanders, resting inside their
motor vehicles gawk at Faith, stake still in hand.
Before she can offer a snappy remark or clever explanation,
Oliver (still holding the remaining guitar case in hand)
SLAMS into the windshield of a car behind her.
Car doors tear open as the occupants flee for their lives.
Faith turns and tries to squint through the darkness to see
what is up ahead.
It comes in to focus. Her squint becomes a bulge.
A giant CREATURE, humanoid in form, horns, teeth, scaly and
leathery skin - the works, stands before her. As it opens
it's mouth to scream, a solid beam of blood erupts from it,
splattering onto the road.
FAITH
That's absolutely, positively,
unnecessarily gross. Just damn!
(then)
Hey, fugly! Let's go.
The creature BELLOWS. Faith grips her stake tight.
FAITH (cont'd)
(off stake)
Yeah, I'm thinking something about
needing a bigger boat...
THWAK! A crossbow bolt explodes into one of the creature's
eye sockets. It ROARS in pain.
Faith spins around to see Oliver, on his feet but a little
cut up, armed with a giant crossbow. At his feet is the
second guitar case, now vacant.
FAITH (cont'd)
Great. He's got a freaking yacht
and all I've got is a little...
(off stake)
... dingy?
OLIVER
Excuse me, if you are quite
finished making the overdone and
tiresome Jaws references, you might
want to move!
Too late.
Faith gets nailed by the monster's fierce charge landing into
a car door, SMASHING the window and falling down onto the
cold ground.
She hoists herself up, using the car as a crutch.
FAITH
Maybe you should be a bit less
wordy with your warnings, chief!
Something snappy, like a -
The creature refocuses on Ollie and fires off a thunderous
punch to his chest.
FAITH (cont'd)
- look out!
Oliver tumbles and smears across the pavement. Faith rushes
to his aid, flipping him face up to see if he's even
breathing.
A moment. He is! Faith tries to help him up, her eyes darting
about to find where the creature will attack from next, but-
Pan out to show the street is now deserted save for her and
Oliver.
FAITH (cont'd)
Great.
(to Oliver)
Okay, we're getting you to a
hospital.
OLIVER
(coughing)
No. No hospital.
FAITH
(Wiping blood from his
face)
Dude, you've probably broken, like,
every bone in your...
His face now un-obscured by blood and mussed hair. Faith
notices how attractive he is; how perfectly her type he is.
She looks his fine form up and down.
FAITH (cont'd)
... body...
OLIVER
(weakly)
No... hospital. No... cops...
FAITH
Don't worry, definitely no cops,
but you really need...
Faith takes it in. She understands. She's been there.
FAITH (cont'd)
Okay. No hospitals. No cops.
She starts to help him up, doesn't work to well, but she
manages.
FAITH (cont'd)
C'mon, there's some place else I
can get you some help.
As Faith hefts the guy up, we cut over to:
10 INT. POLICE HQ - NIGHT 10
The elevator doors open to reveal QUINN biting into a bright,
shiny, red apple.
We follow Quinn out of the elevator as he strolls past the
legions of desks with their piled up reports, balding
detectives and immoral suspects being questioned until he
comes upon LEHTO, who is scrambling through a stack of
papers, desperately looking for something.
QUINN
Good evening, Lehto.
LEHTO
(still searching)
Hey, Jon, how're things?
QUINN
Good, you?
(off scrambling)
You, uh, having a problem there?
Lehto falls back into his chair, reclining with hands behind
his head.
LEHTO
No, not really. Just lost an
important number.
(smiles)
Again.
Quinn chomps another bite into his apple.
QUINN
Here, let me help.
(gestures to computer)
Aside from multiple gigs of space
to hold all of the most bizarre,
torrid, and taboo porn you can find
via the world wide web, it can also
hold dates, files, and important
numbers. Try these fine programs:
"datebook", "phonebook", and
"filer".
Lehto just smirks back.
LEHTO
Yeah, that's going to happen.
QUINN
Hey, I've seen stranger things.
Lehto once again scans over his desk.
LEHTO
Not me, and I've seen a lot.
He snatches a "post it" note into the air and hands it over
to Quinn.
LEHTO (cont'd)
Your wife called earlier by the
way. Sounds pretty hot. Nothing
like her picture.
QUINN
Har har.
(eyes the note)
How long ago?
LEHTO
Maybe twenty minutes. I dunno.
Don't have a watch - part of my
whole unorganized thing.
QUINN
There's a clock on the wall.
(then)
And on your computer.
LEHTO
Oh yeah...
(off his look)
Seriously though, only about twenty
minutes, tops.
Quinn tosses his apple into a trashcan next to their desks,
plops down in his seat and immediately starts dialing on his
phone.
LEHTO (cont'd)
I'm assuming this is something
important?
QUINN
Nah, not really, just-
(on phone; coldly)
What is it?
Lehto is a bit taken aback by Quinn's seemingly rude, and
blunt directness with his wife.
QUINN (cont'd)
Right. Not a problem. I'll do it.
No leftovers? Right.
Quinn hangs up the phone, his somber expression still in
place. Lehto just stares at him for a moment, taking in the
odd behavior as Quinn just starts scribbling some notes on a
paper.
LEHTO
(to himself)
I've had more intimate
conversations with myself in the
men's room.
Lehto eyes a LIME GREEN POST IT NOTE.
LEHTO (cont'd)
(picks it up)
There you are!
He tilts his monitor toward him a bit, keeping his eyes on
the post-it, and begins typing a series of numbers on his
keyboard.
11 INT. LAB - PRYOR'S OFFICE- LATER 11
PRYOR sits back in his big, comfy chair as Elvis Costello
booms out of the speakers in his office. He is cool, calm and
perfectly relaxed. Maybe a bit too relaxed.
Around him are several large widescreen monitors with a view
of almost the entire building. The walls are lined large
prints by Erte - his favorite artist. The room is a safe
haven for him.
12 INT. LAB - "THE SLAB" - CONTINUOUS 12
NOA is sorting through some medical tools on the counter:
syringes, razors, picks, etc., etc.
In the center of the room sits the "The Slab", a large
imposing iron block where the bodies of otherworldly entities
are laid out for examinations and dissections.
This particular night, a Krohk-Han demon rests upon the giant
block. It's head holds 3 large horns, one coming from INSIDE
it's humongous mouth.
Noa returns over to the slab, with a long sharp x-acto
looking tool. She smacks her lips, chewing gum, as she
meticulously drags the blade lightly across the creatures
eyelid, to get a skin sample when-
THUNK! A crash causes Noa to drop the gum out of her mouth
and into the creature's open teeth bared orifice.
NOA
Oh sh-
FAITH (O.C.)
(interrupting)
Little help!
Noa panics for a moment. Should she try and fish the gum out,
or go help Faith?
FAITH (O.C.) (cont'd)
HEY!
Faith. Definitely Faith. She bolts out of the room.
13 INT. LAB - LOBBY - CONTINUOUS 13
Faith is helping Oliver over to a sofa, in her off hand she
is carrying one of the guitar cases. The other is resting on
the floor where it had been dropped moments before.
Noa pops in from the slab, rushing over to take the case from
faith's hand.
NOA
Faith! What's going on? Who is he?
Is he okay?
(notices his looks)
Is he single?
Faith finishes propping Oliver up on the hallway sofa.
FAITH
You're dating someone.
NOA
Not anymore. He got all weird.
FAITH
Define "weird". Fangs and horns
weird or, like-
NOA
(interrupting)
He wanted me to spank him.
(off her look)
While wearing his mom's slippers
and humming the theme from 'The
Benny Hill Show'.
FAITH
Whoa.
NOA
(sighing)
Yeah.
OLIVER
(not quite conscious)
Ohhh... ow ow ow...
NOA
Anyway, back to the question at
hand.
FAITH
"Who is this guy?" Yeah, I know.
He's been too woozy to talk
straight.
NOA
I meant the single thing, but a
name is probably good too.
FAITH
Pryor?
NOA
Office. I'll get him.
FAITH
And hurry, I think our boy here
needs some medical help.
NOA
(sarcastic)
Ya think?
FAITH
Just go.
Faith notices Oliver's blood on the couch cushions.
FAITH (cont'd)
Crap! Not the couch!
She grabs some tissues from a nearby table and tries to blot
it up some.
14 INT. LAB - PRYOR'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 14
Elvis Costello booms loudly, the scene is black - we're
looking through Pryor's eyes, which are closed.
Light cracks in the center, briefly. Then again, as Pryor
opens his eyes bringing us into his dreamlike, relaxed P.O.V.
to see Noa shouting at him, but as the music blares all he
hears is low mumblings.
We HOLD on Noa as she tries to snap Pryor to attention. Her
face twists and distorts into a variety of amusing
expressions.
Pryor finds the imagery quite comical. Little snickers become
bursting giggles before we cut back to:
15 INT. LAB - HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER 15
Pryor, more sober now, follows Noa through the corridor.
NOA
What are you, like, high?
PRYOR
No! Of course not. I was just
relaxing.
NOA
You looked high. Still do.
PRYOR
I just really like my music, Noa.
It soothes me, makes me feel...
relaxed.
(then)
Lord knows I need it, way things
have been lately.
Noa stops dead in her tracks, Pryor bumps into her.
NOA
Uh, hello? Few weeks ago, my own
mother tried to have me sacrificed!
PRYOR
Noa, I didn't mean...
NOA
Hey, I'm just saying if anyone's
going to get high around here, it'd
better be me.
(then; innocently)
Not that I would.
The two, once again, resume their journey through the
corridor. After a beat, Pryor speaks:
PRYOR
I'm not high.
NOA
I want to see those pupils.
PRYOR
(protesting)
I was just listening to my music.
In my chair. My big, comfy chair.
NOA
Whatever.
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.