f1x07
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.

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                                       TEASER

                                                               FADE IN:

         1     EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT                                       1

               A light mist curls out of an underground vent, stretching out
               across the uneven tarred ground. BOOTS rudely push aside the
               white haze as they step quickly down the alley. 

               A GIRL, face hidden by a hoodie, rushes along. She's
               skittish, turning her head from side to side, looking around
               the alley. She hugs herself as though the cool is bone-deep.

                                   BUM (O.S.)
                         New York ain't got what it used to,
                         man. 

               The Girl looks down on the Bum as she passes him - he lies
               beside a dumspter, wrapped in a tattered blanket, talking to
               a mongrel dog in his lap. He doesn't even notice her. Doesn't
               notice anything at all. She ignores him in the same way and
               keeps going. 

               A TINKLE of glass sounds behind her. She stops abruptly. Her
               shoulders are hunched as her head turns slowly to look behind
               her, her face still hidden by shadow.

               She turns back -

               WHACK!

               - and sails across the alley. She lands in a heap on the
               floor.

                                   MALE (O.S.)
                         You stay right there, darling! 

               The male is a VAMPIRE, in full vamp face. A couple of fanged
               friends are with him, smirking as he turns toward them.

                                   VAMPIRE #1
                         Just the way I like 'em. 

               All three toothy grins abruptly fade as they see Hoodie girl
               stand up in front of them. She flexes both fists.

               The vampires aren't dim, not completely. They took a look at
               each other then CHARGE as one toward the girl. 

               She neatly side-steps all blows. Her torso bobs around like a
               jack in a box, ducking, twisting and spinning out of their
               way. Her attackers make reckless swipes as their frustration
               grows. 

               Then she starts to hit back. 

               She thwaps one with a punch to the head, rolls under the
               next's arm, comes up from behind, brings an elbow against its
               head, and kicks out at the third. All in one fluid motion. 

               One grabs her from behind while another rushes her from the
               front. She pushes her feet against the oncoming vamp and uses
               that to push back. 

               Both vampires recoil at the force. The one holding her falls
               behind into a brick wall, still holding her. She uses her
               elbows and feet to break free. 

               Lightning quick, she pulls something from within the folds of
               her clothes. The vampire behind her looks up in terror, then
               TURNS TO DUST.

                                   VAMPIRE
                             (disgusted)
                         It's a slayer!

               He looks crazy mad. The other appears terrified, his eyes
               darting around between his companion, the slayer and the nice
               open path out of the alley. 

               Crazy throws himself at the slayer. Scaredy makes a decision
               and breaks away from the fight and races away, keeping his
               eyes on the fight behind him.

               Crazy DUSTS. Scaredy runs straight into a barrier. He looks
               down. It is another GIRL.

                                   VAMPIRE #2
                         Get out of my way! 

               He tries to push the person away, but the barrier is
               extremely solid. He hears FOOTSTEPS behind him. 

               Turning, he sees the Slayer approach. He tries to move past
               the girl in front again, but she won't let him.

               His eyes widen in fear. He sees-

               A STAKE - but not in the hand of the slayer, but of the one
               in front. She shrugs and plunges the stake into his chest. As
               his skin turns to dust, he looks back at the hoodie slayer,
               complete confusion still on his face. 

               Hoodie slayer removes the hoodie. This is RONA. The other,
               VI, nods at her. Despite their victory, they do not appear
               relaxed. 

               Both girls look intensely around the alley, before heading in
               two separate directions. Vi passes the Bum. He is still
               oblivious, but the dog yips at her.

                                   BUM
                         Look at it all gone. Taken. Crazy.

                                                         FADE TO BLACK:

                                   BUM (cont'd)
                         Nobody know what they got till it's
                         gone.



                                    END OF TEASER
                                       ACT ONE

                                                               FADE IN:

         2     INT. LAB - DAY                                           2

               FAITH and NOA sit side by side. Both girls have wide-open
               eyes and are staring ahead of them in equal parts horror and
               bemused disbelief.

                                   FAITH
                             (just checking)
                         Tonsils?

               PRYOR is on the opposite side of them. MORTY, the tiny
               magicial pee demon sits on his shoulder. His face is
               completely straight and serious.

                                   PRYOR
                         Yes.

               Noa's mouth is agape, her brow furrowed.

                                   NOA
                         What do they do with them?
                             (mouth curls into a
                              grimace)
                         Wait, I don't think I want to know.

               Morty has climbed up the side Pryor's face. His little paw
               holds onto the corner of Pryor's mouth.

                                   PRYOR
                         Look, their habits are, admittedly,
                         odd. But they are a very reasonable
                         demonic people-

                                   FAITH
                         With tonsils.

               Pryor is losing his composure as Morty yanks on his ear, hair
               and anything else he can wrap his paws on.

                                   PRYOR
                         Yes, the tonsil-stealing demons.
                         Just find this local one and speak
                         to him. Once he is made aware of-

                                   NOA
                             (deep reflection)
                         What would you say to someone like
                         that?
                             (faux brightness)
                         'Hi, mister icky tonsil-stealing
                         demon. Could you please stop taking
                         things that people don't want?'
                             (shrugs)
                         You know, I had my tonsils removed
                         when I was thirteen. It really hurt
                         and I didn't want the ice-cream,
                         because Molly Enklestein was the
                         biggest girl in my class and she
                         said it was because she became
                         addicted to chunky monkey choca
                         chip cookie dough flavor when she
                         had hers removed when she was
                         seven.
                             (sagely)
                         But you know, if these demons can
                         take tonsils out without there
                         being any pain, I think they would
                         make a serious dent in the ice-
                         cream market.

               As she speaks, there are strange sounds of movement, almost
               as if there is a mini-battle going on.

                                   FAITH
                         So what's the big deal, then? No
                         one's gonna miss something they
                         don't notice anyway. Just let 'em
                         take the tonsils.

               Faith raises an eyebrow at Pyror. He's trying to use his
               pinkies to dislodge Morty's painful hold from his head. 

               He blinks at Faith when he sees her looking at him. The
               sounds of the tiny battle stop.

                                   PRYOR
                         What?
                             (catches up)
                         The tonsils aren't the problem.
                         It's the manner in which they are
                         taken. The demon irradiates them
                         with a safe, natural process which
                         places the subject in a euphoric
                         sleep state. Quite pleasant, but it
                         takes some hours to wear off.
                         That's where the problem comes
                         from. The demon enters a person's
                         domicile at night and his presence
                         is always undetected.
                         Unfortunately, someone is using
                         this as an opportunity to rob the
                         victims blind.

                                   FAITH
                         Easy pickings.

                                   PRYOR
                         Indeed. I have a source in the
                         insurance business who brought this
                         to my attention, but I'm more
                         worried that someone else realizes
                         the benefits of this ploy.

                                   FAITH
                         Say, someone who wants hearts or
                         livers or other needful things?

                                   NOA
                         Ew.

                                   PRYOR
                         Yes. But as I said, once the demon
                         knows this, he can ensure against
                         it. They are very reasonable. And
                         I've told you before, if you don't
                         stop doing that, I'm going to spank
                         you!

               Noa and Faith double-take, but Pryor is looking sideways,
               straining to see Morty, who has both paws stuck in Pryor's
               ears.

                                   FAITH
                         Pryor, my friend. You really need
                         to meet new people. New people are
                         good.

               Faith manages a chuckle at Morty's onslaught on Pryor, before
               we cut to:

         3     INT. PRECINCT - DAY                                      3

               The energy of the place is tangible. DETECTIVES are on phones
               talking animatedly, some are having heated debates around
               pinup boards. UNIFORMED POLICE are chaperoning fashion
               parades of UNSAVORY LOOKING PRISONERS to and from rooms. 

               QUINN sits at his desk, scribbling notes into a folder.

                                   DETECTIVE SING (O.S.)
                         Yo, Quinn, you coming up for air
                         any time soon?

               Quinn looks up and smiles.

                                   QUINN
                         Only when I've found some pearls.

               He looks across as DETECTIVE SING, a middle-aged officer,
               sits opposite him.

                                   DETECTIVE SING
                         Why you keep getting those missing
                         person's cases? Thought for sure
                         you were a perfect shoe-size for
                         homicide.

                                   QUINN
                         As much as I try, can't help the
                         dead. Besides, I don't like
                         unfinished business.

                                   DETECTIVE SING
                         Yeah, I get what you're say-
                         woah... 

               The volume and energy of the room dims considerable. Most of
               the cops turn toward a new distraction. 

               CAPTAIN KAWALKSKI, in his fifties and still a man to respect,
               shows LASHAAN WILLIAMS around the precinct. She is the one
               causing the reaction. Some cops seem wary, others curious. 

               Early thirties, she's in a red power suit, the kind that
               shows she means business. And she's not bad to look at
               either. She's all smiles. They reach Quinn and Sing. Both men
               can't help but appreciate her at such close quarters.

                                   KAWALKSKI
                         And these miscreants are Detectives
                         Jon Quinn and Victor Sing.

                                   LASHAAN
                         Partners?

                                   QUINN
                         Not this week.

               They smile at each other.

                                   LASHAAN
                             (to the Captain)
                         I see what you mean.

                                   QUINN
                         Talking about me already, cap? I
                         assure you, ma'am, none of it's
                         true.

                                   LASHAAN
                         We were talking about how well
                         oiled this place appears.

                                   KAWALKSKI
                         Like I say, take care of the team,
                         you take care of the play. 

               She smiles at nods at him warmly, before turning back to
               regard the men.

                                   LASHAAN
                         I'm detective Lashaan Williams.
                         Internal Affairs. 

               Sing and Quinn both visibly cool down their appraisal of her.
               Quinn takes the hand she offers and shakes it.

                                   QUINN
                         Ooh.

                                   KAWALKSKI
                             (unworried)
                         But it's just a friendly audit. The
                         top brass want to make sure
                         everything is swimming along as
                         well as I know it does.
                             (winks)
                         So tell everyone not to make a liar
                         out of me in the interviews. Yours
                         is up today, Quinn. 

               He nods in acceptance. Lashaan gently pulls her hand away
               from his.

                                   LASHAAN
                         I look forward to seeing what you
                         have to offer.
                             (a small pause)
                         For this precinct. 

               She and Kawalkski walk away. The men tilt their head and
               watch her move. Her skirt must be shifting in interesting
               ways.

                                   DETECTIVE SING
                             (petulant)
                         When am I going to have a meeting? 

               Quinn shakes his head and smiles back into his work.

         4     EXT. STREET - DAY                                        4

               Faith and Noa walk along the streets. It's an unsavory area
               with people who would rather rob you than hold a
               conversation, but neither girl seems all that perturbed. 

               Noa is sipping coffee from a take-out cup. Faith is shaking
               an electronic gizmo. It looks like a detector of some sort.

                                   FAITH
                             (frustrated)
                         I can't get this to do anything.
                         Why couldn't Pryor come work this
                         thing?

               Noa patiently hands Faith her coffee and takes the gizmo and
               starts fidgeting.

                                   NOA
                         Because he couldn't find a
                         babysitter for Morty, and doesn't
                         want to put him back in his cage.

                                   FAITH
                         See! I knew he was going to make it
                         a pet. Boy needs to get happy-
                         bumped in the hardest way.

                                   NOA
                             (quietly)
                         He isn't the only one. 

               Faith quirks an eyebrow.

                                   NOA (cont'd)
                         Well, it's just... you get the
                         faraway look sometimes, like you're
                         thinking of someone, but ... I'm
                         pretty sure you're not actually,
                         you know?

               Faith shakes her head.

                                   FAITH
                         I'm the last person on the planet
                         you should worry about ever owning
                         a dozen cats. I want. I have.

                                   NOA
                         Yeah. But not lately.

                                   FAITH
                         How would you know?

                                   NOA
                             (get real)
                         Please. Am I not a woman too?

                                   FAITH
                         Look, it's just... complicated.

                                   NOA
                             (holds up detector)
                         This complicated?

               It blinks into life. Faith frowns at it. Noa recovers her
               coffee, looks at the tracker and steers them down an alley.

         5     EXT. ALLEY - DAY                                         5

               It's much quieter here, but there is still a general display
               of decay. Broken windows, trash along the road, bottles of
               booze in the way.

                                   NOA
                         Or the kind of complicated where
                         you have muscles in places guys can
                         only dream of benefiting from?

                                   FAITH
                         Girl. I'm a bad influence. Look at
                         that shiny new gutter mind.

                                   NOA
                         Don't change the topic! But thank
                         you. So, if you're all about the
                         wanting and having, why aren't you
                         having with the mystery guy I know
                         you are daydreaming about?

                                   FAITH
                             (sighs, knows she's not
                              getting out of it)
                         I learned a while back that the
                         guys I see often aren't the kind
                         you can play with and put back in
                         the cupboard. Most want more. And
                         when they do... their mortality
                         substantially drops. It's my life.
                         The life of a slayer. The kind of
                         life where I can get slain. And so
                         can the people standing close to
                         me.

                                   NOA
                             (taken aback)
                         That's... comforting. 

               Faith doesn't notice the moment of realization Noa is having.

                                   FAITH
                         Kinda makes you see why dating a
                         dead guy has benefits.

                                   VI (O.S.)
                         As hot as some dead guys can be, I
                         still don't think it's a good idea
                         to fraternise with the enemy. 

               Faith turns quickly and looks down the side alley they were
               approaching.

               Vi stands beneath an open window, She grins, but it seems
               false. Faith manages a grin back as Vi wanders over.

                                   FAITH
                         Man. What are you doing here? Why
                         didn't you hook me up? Slayer
                         conventions are fun.
                             (looks past Vi)
                         Especially when we're breaking and
                         entering.

               Rona is climbing out of a window. She lands on the ground and
               looks up. Sees Faith and Noa, shoves something in a pocket.
               Faith notices.

                                   FAITH (cont'd)
                         Chit-chat's usually fun. But what's
                         going on?

               The two younger slayers glance at each other. Their eyes
               briefly skirt to Noa.

                                   RONA
                         We're exploring the finer aspects
                         of New York.

               Faith notices them sizing up Noa, and motions to her.

                                   FAITH
                         This is Noa. She works with me. 

               The slayers shrug. Faith prompts them.

                                   FAITH (cont'd)
                         We do strange and unusual things
                         together.

               Eyebrows rise.

                                   FAITH (cont'd)
                         With demons.

               Still nothing.

                                   FAITH (cont'd)
                         Like hunting... killing...

                                   NOA
                             (interrupts)
                         I'm not so much with the killing. I
                         get possessed a lot though.

                                   FAITH
                         Point is. She knows about slayers.
                         She's cool. Whatever you're afraid
                         to say in front of her, spit it
                         out.

                                   RONA
                             (a little too testy)
                         We ain't afraid of nothing.

                                   FAITH
                         Right. That explains why you've
                         scanned the area about ten times
                         since we started speaking. I'm
                         paranoid, but not that much. 

               Vi looks like she's about to say something. Rona cuts her
               off, stepping forward.

                                   RONA
                         There's nothing going on. We take
                         care of our own.

               A hint of realization sparks in Faith's eyes. Noa watches the
               exchange. Rona quickly adds.

                                   RONA (cont'd)
                         Problems. We take care of our own
                         problems.

                                   NOA
                             (to Faith)
                         Look, um. I think I can take care
                         of our current uh... hunting
                         expedition.

               She holds up the detector, but Faith pushes her hand back
               down with a shake of her head.

                                   FAITH
                         No. It's dangerous.

                                   NOA
                             (mimicking Pryor)
                         A most reasonable species of demon.
                         Look, it's still daylight, I have
                         mace... and well, I can do things
                         by myself, you know.

               Faith isn't sure. Rona and Vi discreetly look elsewhere.

                                   NOA (cont'd)
                         I promise, I'll look for an hour.
                         Tops. 

               Faith bites her lip, and glances between Noa and the two
               slayers. She leans closer to Noa.

                                   FAITH
                         Okay. An hour. But then get to the
                         lab and tell Pryor to get ready for
                         an all-nighter.
                             (looks back at Rona and
                              Vi)
                         I have a feeling we'll need it. 

               Noa nods and grabs her coffee from Faith, who has forgotten
               she was holding it. Noa leaves and Faith turns back to the
               other girls.

         6     INT. PRECINCT, INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY                      6

               Quinn and Lashaan sit opposite each other. There is a pile of
               folders in front of her. She seems completely relaxed,
               smiling a little. He grins back at her, not too worried
               either.

                                   LASHAAN
                         You're a very resourceful man,
                         Detective Quinn. Or can I just call
                         you Jon?

                                   QUINN
                             (goes along with it)
                         Jon's fine.

               He gives her a little smile, and she returns it. The meeting
               seems to be going a way Quinn likes.

                                   LASHAAN
                         Dedicated too. You first came here
                         as a homicide detective.
                             (flips through the file)
                         Most people would call this case
                         hopeless, but... here you are.

                                   QUINN
                         I don't like giving up.

                                   LASHAAN
                             (smiles like a black
                              widow)
                         Really?
                             (here's the bite)
                         I honestly couldn't tell.

               Her smile drops and in its place is a cold hard seriousness
               that instantly sobers Quinn.

                                   LASHAAN (cont'd)
                         I like it when people play to their
                         strengths.

               She tosses some files across the desk. They slide to a stop
               in front of them. She stands up while he opens the files and
               looks at the contents.

                                   LASHAAN (cont'd)
                         You don't play to any. You say you
                         don't like giving up. Show me the
                         proof.

               She circles him and taps a long finger on a photo in the
               file. It is of Detective Lehto, Quinn's former partner.

                                   LASHAAN (cont'd)
                         You gave up on him pretty easily. 

               Quinn stares at the picture; he doesn't understand.

                                   QUINN
                         I don't-

                                   LASHAAN
                         John Doe's aren't that uncommon for
                         a city this size. But you'd think a
                         cop's own partner would care a
                         little about his up and
                         disappearing. 

               Quinn blinks in surprise.

                                   QUINN
                             (on the defensive)
                         What are you talking about? Lehto
                         is in Maine. Captain Kawalkski got
                         his resignation papers a few weeks
                         ago. We even called up his landlord
                         and got the same story. Lehto's mom
                         has cancer. He's taken extended
                         personal leave.

                                   LASHAAN
                         Oh. Really?

               She flips to another page in the folder.

                                   LASHAAN (cont'd)
                             (tosses a photo of him)
                         It took a while till we were able
                         to piece together enough of the
                         corpse to get a positive ID from
                         the dental records. 

               Quinn stares down at the photo in his hands - he looks like
               he's about to throw up.

                                   LASHAAN (cont'd)
                         Not pretty is it? It must have
                         hurt. Must have been scared all by
                         himself. Where were you then? His
                         partner. Did you even entertain for
                         one moment confirming the story?
                         Didn't you for one second find it
                         odd that no one had spoken to him
                         directly?

               Quinn is encased in his shock.

                                   LASHAAN (cont'd)
                         Or maybe there's another reason no
                         one here gave a damn. 

               Quinn whips his head in her direction at the unspoken
               accusation. She smiles a little.

                                   LASHAAN (cont'd)
                         Don't worry. I'm sure you boys in
                         blue are all clean as a whistle. I
                         just like to be thorough. You see,
                         I don't like giving up. 

               With a snap to her walk, she leaves him alone in the room. He
               stares down at the photo; pale as any ghost.

         7     INT. APARTMENT - DAY                                     7

               Faith looks around the apartment. Vi and Rona stand in front
               of the open window that leads back into the street where they
               all reunited. 

               It's a really crappy apartment. Dripping taps, water damage
               along the walls, faded furniture and wallpaper.

                                   VI
                             (overly bright)
                         Really, we weren't casing the
                         place. We would never take anything
                         from-

                                   FAITH
                         From another slayer. Never said you
                         did.

                                   VI
                         Hey, how'd you know?

                                   FAITH
                             (mocks Rona)
                         There's nothing going on. We take
                         care of our own.
                             (serious)
                         Little tip, newbie, you wanna keep
                         something a secret, then you
                         actually need to make your lies,
                         well... lies.

                                   RONA
                         You'd be the one to know all about
                         that.

                                   FAITH
                             (impressed)
                         Check out the new 'tude. It's an
                         improvement.

                                   VI
                             (worried)
                         Not helping.

                                   FAITH
                         Right. So I'm guessing this girl's
                         gone missing otherwise you wouldn't
                         be climbing through windows.
                             (afterthought)
                         And by the way, it woulda been nice
                         for someone to let me know another
                         slayer was in my backyard. I coulda
                         looked out for her. Maybe stopped
                         this from happening.

                                   RONA
                             (still with the attitude)
                         You really think you could have
                         done something? That'd be a first.

                                   VI
                             (like a watchful big
                              sister)
                         Rona! Again, not helping.
                             (to Faith)
                         Maeve didn't want anyone to know.
                         She retired. Her mom was sick and
                         she wanted to take care of her. 

               Vi flicks her hand around the dingy apartment.

                                   VI (cont'd)
                         You can see why right? Last we
                         heard, her mother had been checked
                         into hospital, but Maeve's missed
                         all her scheduled check-ins since
                         then.

                                   FAITH
                         So you came to see if she'd been
                         killed by a big bad or...

                                   VI
                             (nodding)
                         Taken.

               Faith nods around the apartment.

                                   FAITH
                         No evidence of a struggle. Least
                         not here.

                                   RONA
                         She wouldn't go looking for a
                         fight. She's gone. We ain't gonna
                         find her. Best we can do is look
                         after ourselves.

                                   FAITH
                             (a bit surprised)
                         Wow. Where's the care?

                                   RONA
                         It's in the same place yours will
                         be when your card gets called. 

               Appearing more uncomfortable than she should, Rona quickly
               darts out the window. 

               Faith is confused and looks to Vi, who holds her look with a
               knowing that Faith doesn't share.

                                                             BLACK OUT:



                                   END OF ACT ONE
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.