f1x05
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                                       ACT TWO

                                                               FADE IN:

        18     INT. PHONE BOOTH. DAY.                                  18

               Faith is jammed into a tiny phone booth and is tapping her
               foot as she waits for the other line to pick up.

                                   NOA
                             (filtered; through phone)
                         Good morning, Webb Researching, Noa
                         speaking.

                                   FAITH
                         Noa, it's me.

                                   NOA
                         Faith! Glad you called back, I was
                         thinking about last night and I
                         just remembered that-

                                   FAITH
                         Noa, shut up a second, alright?
                         This is important!

                                   NOA
                         So is my love life!

                                   FAITH
                         I need you to tell Pryor to watch
                         the news, the report about the dead
                         kid in Manhattan. I'm coming in,
                         and I want to know what he thinks.

                                   NOA
                         News, kid, Manhattan. Got it. How
                         long are you going to be?

                                   FAITH
                         Twenty minutes, tops.

                                   NOA
                         Okay, I'll tell him to get right on
                         it, and when you get here I can
                         tell you what I remembered about
                         last night!

                                   FAITH
                             (rolls eyes)
                         Great, lookin' forward to it!

               She hangs up and shakes her head slightly before turning
               around and leaving the booth.

        19     INT. LAB - EXAM ROOM. DAY.                              19

               NOA is leaning in to peer through a microscope, one of four
               lined up on a counter top. She stands up straight, looking
               very unimpressed, and makes a note on the clipboard she's
               holding before moving onto the next one. 

               As she is looking over the next sample Faith walks in, Noa
               doesn't look up to greet her.

                                   NOA
                         Hey, Faith.

                                   FAITH
                         Where's Pryor?

                                   NOA
                         In his office, doing God knows
                         what. Did I tell you how I thought
                         I caught him getting high the other
                         week?

                                   FAITH
                             (holds up a hand)
                         Several times.

               She straightens up and makes another note on the board before
               turning to Faith.

                                   NOA
                         He's probably dreaming up more mind
                         numbing experiments for me to do. I
                         know this is all for the 'greater
                         good' and everything, but a little
                         bit of excitement wouldn't go
                         amiss!

                                   FAITH
                         Did he see the news?

                                   NOA
                         No idea, sorry.

                                   FAITH
                         Alright, cool, I'll go talk to him.
                         You get back to your... whatever it
                         is you're doing.

               Faith walks off in the direction of Pryor's office, and Noa
               turns her attention back to the microscopes with a heavy
               sigh.

        20     INT. LAB - PRYOR'S OFFICE. DAY.                         20

               PRYOR is sitting at his desk, a small and old television set
               is on and he is making lots of notes, writing furiously with
               his head down and muttering, as though he's trying to keep up
               with the news reader. 

               Faith walks in and takes the chair on the other side of the
               desk. It takes a few minutes for Pryor to stop writing.

                                   FAITH
                         Hey, sorry, don't stop on my
                         account.

                                   PRYOR
                         I was just making some notes on the
                         case. I have to say that I don't
                         recall hearing anything like it, so
                         I'm just formulating a rough plan
                         of action. Checking the scene would
                         be a good idea to start with.

                                   FAITH
                         Already been.

                                   PRYOR
                         Did you find anything?

                                   FAITH
                         Nada. The place was clean and
                         crawling with cops, I don't think
                         they bought my story about being a
                         reporter. There was this one
                         detective, seemed alright, but you
                         know me. I get allergic if I spend
                         too much time round cops.

               Pryor makes another note, nodding.

                                   PRYOR
                         So there was nothing there that you
                         didn't already know?

                                   FAITH
                         Nope. Dead kid, no sign of forced
                         entry.

                                   PRYOR
                         What about the first attack?

                                   FAITH
                         A week earlier just a few blocks 
                         away, same M.O.

                                   PRYOR
                         I see. I've got a few theories but
                         they'll all need looking into in
                         more depth. 

                                   FAITH
                         Want me to check out a few
                         contacts?

                                   PRYOR
                             (shakes his head)
                         I get the feeling this isn't your
                         everyday demon. Whatever it is, it
                         isn't going to be hanging around
                         with the rest of them. We should
                         start with looking up rituals that
                         require the innocence of a child.

                                   FAITH
                         Me and Noa could do the research
                         thing - or, I could try, you know,
                         me and books-

               Pryor gets the hint and pushes some of his notes across the
               table towards her.

                                   PRYOR
                         Don't mix, yes I know. This
                         creature, if that's what it is, 
                         doesn't sound local, you should
                         check some of the older files
                         stored on the computer and I'll see
                         what I can come up with in regards
                         to how this thing steals the youth.
                         It could be any number of things
                         really, I mean does it preform its
                         own ritual to do it, or maybe it
                         just feeds directly from the...

                                   FAITH
                             (sensing him rambling)
                         Pryor!

               Pryor blinks and looks up - and realises he was dangerously
               close to a full strength ramble. He nods, standing.

                                   PRYOR
                         Right, sorry. You go and try and
                         narrow down a list of potential
                         victims.

                                   FAITH
                         How? Just grab together the names
                         of all the kids in the city and
                         start ticking off any that look
                         suspicious?

               Pryor just stares at her - its all they can do.

                                   PRYOR
                         You do that, and I'll...

               He doesn't finish his sentence, instead he absently gets up
               from his chair and wanders over to the filing cabinet on the
               other side of the room. Faith takes it as her cue to leave,
               taking the notes she was given.

        21     INT. LAB. NIGHT.                                        21

               It's A few hours later. The microscopes are all cleared away,
               and it's just Noa and Faith. Noa is sitting at a desk in
               front of a computer screen, chewing on a pen, while Faith
               sits at her own desk with a huge printed out list in front of
               her. She scans it, not looking too thrilled.

                                   NOA (O.S.)
                         Anything?

                                   FAITH
                         No, anyone over the age of ten is
                         pretty much out but that's all I've
                         got. There's like three million
                         kids in this city! What about you?

                                   NOA
                         Well there are plenty of youth
                         stealing demons in the database,
                         but most of them leave marks or
                         symbols, some sign that they where
                         there, and that doesn't fit in with
                         what you said. Maybe Pryor's found
                         something? He's been locked away
                         for hours now.

                                   FAITH
                         If he had, don't you think he would
                         have come out and told us already?

               Noa shrugs and goes back to scroll through pages of
               information on the computer, while Faith crosses out more
               names. 

               After a beat, she sighs and lays the papers down.

                                   FAITH (cont'd)
                         This really isn't what I expected
                         when I came to New York. I'm a
                         Slayer, the all action type. I
                         didn't want to be sitting around
                         reading books and checking
                         printouts!

                                   NOA
                         The more people we have working on
                         this, the quicker we'll find it and
                         you can kill it. 

                                   FAITH
                         We've been at this for hours
                         already, Noa!

                                   NOA
                         What? Don't you think that we can
                         find it?

                                   FAITH
                             (sighs)
                         No, I'm sure we will. Mantra me and
                         my buddy Vi used to have, 'no
                         matter how Big the Bad is, we're
                         always better.' I don't know how we
                         do it, but we always manage to
                         track it down and kill it just in
                         the nick of time.

                                   NOA
                         'We'?

                                   FAITH
                         You know, we, the team.

               Noa blinks, and Faith realises she's talking about old times
               that Noa knows little about.

                                   FAITH (cont'd)
                         Never mind. Series of long stories
                         that I can save for another night.

               Noa tilts the PC screen towards Faith to show her something.

                                   NOA
                         Have you ever seen anything like
                         this before?

                                   FAITH
                         Nope, and I've seen a lot of stuff.

               Noa tilts the screen back and leans back in her chair,
               yawning and stretching.

                                   NOA
                         I can see this being an all
                         nighter. Pryor is going to owe me
                         some serious over time once all
                         this is through! I was only
                         supposed to be working a six hour
                         shift, but then again...
                         Maybe I'll be able to afford those
                         new leather boots I had my eye on?

                                   FAITH
                         Are you even aware that you're
                         still talking?

                                   NOA
                         What? They're really great boots,
                         they have zips up the side and-

                                   FAITH
                             (interrupts)
                         Noa! Why don't you go check on
                         Pryor or something?

                                   NOA
                         But you just said-

                                   FAITH
                         Forget what I just said, because if
                         I have to listen to you babble on
                         for one more minute...

                                   NOA
                             (pouts)
                         Fine, I get it!

               She walks off, leaving Faith alone with her list of names for
               company. She looks through a few more pages and gives a heavy
               sigh. She hasn't found anything yet.

                                   FAITH
                         Great.

               Faith picks up a coffee mug next to her - but the drink
               inside is cold, and with  grimace she slides the mug away.

               She leans back against her chair and closes her eyes, just
               for a second - and we SMASH CUT to:

        22     INT. LAB. MORNING.                                      22

               A very tired and worn out looking Faith is sitting, asleep,
               at the computer, while Noa is slumped over the desk behind
               her, also asleep. 

               Suddenly there is a CRASH off screen as the door to Pryor's
               office slams open, and they both jump, awake at last.

                                   NOA
                         I'm awake!

               Noa begins reading, trying to look like she never stopped,
               but when Pryor walks in he isn't interested in what they're
               doing - he's holding a sheet of paper high above his head.

                                   PRYOR
                         I found something! It took me all
                         night, but I'd been looking in the
                         wrong places, and when a thought
                         struck me, then it finally hit
                         me...

               He stops himself short, realising he's getting over-excited,
               and clears his throat before looking down at the paper.

                                   PRYOR (cont'd)
                         The demon that we're looking for is
                         of the genus virtus carnifex.
                             (beat)
                         Also known as... the Tooth Fairy!

               A beat - then Noa and Faith burst out laughing.

                                   FAITH
                         You've got to be kidding me!

               He shakes his head, and Faith's laughter tapers to a chuckle
               as she stands and stretches her aching muscles.

                                   FAITH (cont'd)
                         The tooth fairy? The little woman
                         with wings who takes your teeth and
                         leaves quarters under your pillow?
                         That tooth fairy?

                                   PRYOR
                         Sort of. The real tooth fairy was
                         allegedly an actual mortal woman,
                         way back in the seventeenth
                         century. She worked as a maid, but
                         she was never paid and never
                         appreciated. The children of the
                         house used to tease her, as time
                         passed and the treatment continued,
                         she became more and more angry at
                         the family, until one day, when she
                         was an old woman, her rage conjured
                         a vengeance demon who turned her
                         into a demon herself. 

               Faith leans over and takes the paper off Pryor, reading it
               for herself, Pryor continues to talk

                                   PRYOR (cont'd)
                         She could get revenge on the
                         families, but the only condition
                         was she would continue to age, so
                         she needed to take the youth of
                         their children so she could live
                         and carry on doing what she did.

               Faith frowns, starting to see details in Pryor's report that
               tie in with what she knows about the attacks, but Noa is
               still sceptical.

                                   NOA
                         It took you all night to come up
                         with that? I'm so unimpressed right
                         now...

                                   PRYOR
                         Many people thought this thing died
                         out, that's why it took so long to
                         find it. Like I said, it's
                         something of an urban legend, it's
                         never been conclusively linked to
                         actual demonic activity.

                                   FAITH
                         Until now.

                                   PRYOR
                         Yes, until now.

                                   FAITH
                         Alright, so how do I kill it?

                                   PRYOR
                         With something sharp, I'd imagine.
                         That's not our main problem, our
                         first concern is how do we find it?
                         With all the kids in this city,
                         it's like trying to find a needle
                         in a haystack! Did your search
                         through the records find anything?

                                   FAITH
                             (shakes head)
                         Like you said, needle in a
                         haystack. There's gotta be
                         something else connecting these
                         kids, the attacks can't just be
                         random.

                                   NOA
                             (stands)
                         Well, while all this exciting
                         developments are going on, I'm
                         going to make some coffee and grab
                         the paper. Anyone want anything?

               Faith and Pryor both shake their heads and she leaves the
               room.

                                   PRYOR
                         Maybe there's a spell or something
                         we could perform that would help
                         you find it?

                                   FAITH
                         That's still gonna take up a lot of
                         time. Maybe I can try and find
                         Gabriel, see if he knows-

                                   NOA (O.S.)
                         Erm... guys?

               They turn to Noa, who is standing in the doorway with the
               news paper.

                                   NOA (cont'd)
                         You should probably take a look at
                         this...

               She turns the front page around. The headline reads 'THIRD
               CHILD FOUND DEAD.' Off Faith's dark look, we:

                                                             BLACK OUT:



                                   END OF ACT TWO
                                      ACT THREE

                                                               FADE IN:

        23     INT. NYPD - 4TH FLOOR. DAY.                             23

               Quinn is sitting at his desk, the morning newspaper laid out
               on the desk in front of him. There's a case file in his hand
               and he's flipping through it, details from the death of the
               latest victim. 

               He sits at his desk, and looks across at the empty desk where
               his partner Lehto should be. With a frown, Quinn calls out to
               the rest of the office.

                                   QUINN
                         Hey, has anybody heard from Lehto?

                                   DETECTIVE
                         Uh, no, not for a few days. Isn't
                         he sick or something?

               Quinn thinks for a moment, the frown not going away, before
               he pats his shirt pocket as if checking something.

               He double takes and pats it again, and then starts going
               through all his pockets as another detective drops some case
               files onto Quinn's desk. He pauses, watching Quinn
               frantically searching for whatever he's mislaid.

                                   DETECTIVE #2
                         Lose something?

               Quinn stands up and puts his hands into his pockets, and then
               he begins looking around the desk.

                                   QUINN
                         My badge, I know I had it here, now
                         I can't seem to find it...

                                   DETECTIVE #2
                             (smirks)
                         How can you lose your badge? I know
                         you're new round here, but that's
                         kind of a rookie mistake!

                                   QUINN
                         Maybe someone took it.

                                   DETECTIVE #2
                             (laughs)
                         Oh yeah, like who?

               As Quinn tries to think, we cut to:

        24     INT. LAB - PRYOR'S OFFICE. DAY.                         24

               Faith is pacing the office, reading the news story about the
               latest victim.

                                   FAITH
                         Two victims in two nights. Damn,
                         this thing is getting frisky!

                                   PRYOR
                         And really hungry. It's feeding
                         pattern can be extremely erratic,
                         that's probably why it disappeared
                         off the radar, as it were.

                                   NOA
                         At least we know what sort of kids
                         its targeting. We've narrowed it
                         down to three, all the right age
                         range, right neighbourhood, pretty
                         much identical to the other
                         victims.

               She holds up a piece of paper with the three names written
               on, which Faith swaps with the news paper.

                                   FAITH
                         Alright, lets go, we can split up,
                         take a name each.

                                   NOA
                         As much as that sounds like a plan,
                         can I just get something cleared up
                         first? I want to know why it's just
                         going for the rich kids.

               Noa looks at Faith, who simply shrugs, and then at Pryor.

                                   PRYOR
                         Well, think of it like this. If
                         you're a child growing up in a
                         wealthy family, then there isn't a
                         whole lot you have to worry about.
                         You can go about your everyday
                         business without ever knowing what
                         the real world is like. 
                             (beat)
                         You can stay innocent for longer,
                         retain your youth - and thus make
                         you the perfect target for
                         something like this.

               Pryor realises Noa and Faith are looking at him skeptically,
               and he coughs once and shrugs. 

                                   PRYOR (cont'd)
                         Or maybe not. It was just a theory.

                                   FAITH
                         Okay, whatever, let's get some
                         stuff together and move now. We
                         want to be able to get a good feel
                         of the area before night fall, so
                         that if this thing shows up, we can
                         nail it before it kills another
                         kid.

               They all begin to move, getting ready for the night's
               mission. As they leave the room, the newspaper gets knocked
               onto the floor. 

        25     EXT. NY STREET. DAY.                                    25

               Faith, Noa and Pryor are walking along the street together,
               pushing through crowds of people.

                                   NOA
                         Not that I don't get why we're
                         splitting up or anything, but what
                         if one of us gets into trouble and
                         needs a little assistance? And by
                         'one of us,' I do, of course, mean
                         me.

                                   PRYOR
                         The apartment blocks aren't that
                         far apart, just use your cell if
                         you get into a tight spot!

                                   NOA
                         What if there isn't time for that?

                                   FAITH
                         Hows about we worry about that
                         later? For now, let's just
                         concentrate on doing our thing and
                         bringing this nasty down. We all
                         know where we're going, right?

               They nod, and Faith nods back.

                                   FAITH (cont'd)
                         Good. Remember, try and blend in,
                         and keep in contact. With want this
                         over with as quickly as possible or
                         it's going to get messy. Normally,
                         messy is fine, but I don't want any
                         of those kids getting hurt because
                         of us. Got it?

               She throws a determined look at Noa and Pryor, who nod before
               heading off in their separate directions. 

               Faith turns and digs something out of her pocket - it's
               Quinn's badge. With another smile she puts it back in her
               pocket and walks on. 

        26     INT. APARTMENT BLOCK - HALLWAY. DAY.                    26

               Faith is standing in front of a door, checking the address on
               a scrap of paper before knocking on the door. 

               She taps her foot impatiently as she waits, before the door
               is opened by a woman in her late twenties with red hair,
               wearing what looks like a maid's uniform.

                                   FAITH
                         Mrs. McKenna?

                                   MAID
                         No, I'm the house keeper. Who are
                         you?

                                   FAITH
                             (quickly flashes badge)
                         I'm Detective Quinn with the NYPD,
                         I need to talk to Mrs. McKenna, is
                         she home?

                                   MAID
                         Well, I'm afraid you're out of
                         luck, she's in the middle of a
                         manicure and facial, and she
                         doesn't like them to be
                         interrupted.

                                   FAITH
                         Ma'am, this is an important police
                         matter, and if you're refusing to
                         let me speak to her, then I may
                         have to arrest you for wasting
                         police time.

               Faith waits to see if the maid will buy it - and when she
               SLAMS the door shut, she rolls her eyes.

                                   FAITH (cont'd)
                         Great, now I'll just have to do
                         this the hard way...

               She raises up her foot as if she's getting ready to kick the
               door in, but before she can the door opens again, and
               standing in front of her with a green face mask on is MRS.
               McKENNA, with the maid standing behind her.

                                   MRS. MCKENNA
                         Detective Quinn? I'm Laurel
                         McKenna, and if this is about my
                         husband and his business then
                         you'll have to go to his office, we
                         don't deal with those sorts of
                         affairs here.

               She's about to shut the door again, but Faith jams her foot
               in the way. Mrs. McKenna glares at her, but Faith puts on her
               best forced smile.

                                   FAITH
                         This isn't about your husband,
                         ma'am. It's about your son.

               Mrs. McKenna raises her eyebrows and stands in silence for a
               few seconds..

                                   MRS. MCKENNA
                             (shouts)
                         Jordy! Get over here, now!
                             (beat; to the Maid)
                         Will you go get him?

               The maid nods and disappears.

                                   MRS. MCKENNA (cont'd)
                         Okay, so tell me, what has he done
                         this time? I mean, Jordy is
                         normally a really good child, so
                         whatever he's done, I promise that
                         its the first and last time he'll
                         get himself into trouble over it.

                                   FAITH
                         He hasn't done anything, its
                         just...

               The maid reappears with JORDY McKENNA standing next to her.
               He's about seven and dressed up in a Spider-Man costume, sans
               mask.

                                   MRS. MCKENNA
                         Jordy, will you please tell me what
                         this lady is doing here?

               Jordy shrugs and hides behind the maid.

                                   FAITH
                         Like I was saying, he hasn't done
                         anything, it's just... look, can I
                         come in?

               Mrs. McKenna looks over her shoulder and then back at Faith,
               unsure if she wants to let her in. Reluctantly, she stands
               aside and waves Faith inside.
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