f1x08 Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
[bottom] TEASER
FADE IN:
1 INT. CRAWFORD'S SHOPPING MALL. EVENING. 1
Inside a fairly low-budget mall as the sun sets outside,
visible through the dirty glass ceiling of the wide, two
tiered floor we're in.
A last few stragglers are winding through the mall, past shop
fronts as the bored-looking assistants pull down the shutters
and start to lock up for the night.
Walking quickly through the scene is NOA, a point of light in
this otherwise dark setting, her long blonde hair bouncing as
she makes her way out.
She casts an eye round at the closing shops, then down at her
own shopping bags with a satisfied smile - whatever she
needed to do tonight, she's done it.
Noa turns a corner and disappears from view, leaving us in
the deserted mall's main square for a moment.
A last few outlets remain open, but none of them are any
interest to FULBER, a portly, middle-aged man, two heavy
looking bags of goods in either hand as he huffs and puffs
her way along.
He glances up as soft chimes sound from the PA system,
marking an announcement.
PA
(filtered)
The mall is now closing, would all
customers please make their way to
the nearest exit. Thank you, and
good evening.
Fulber tries to double his efforts, spotting a ramp that
leads into the multi-storey car park next door and making a
beeline for it.
2 INT. CRAWFORD'S MALL - CAR PARK. EVENING. 2
Fulber heads into one floor of the nearly empty car park,
bathed in a sickly yellow glow from the cheap neon lights
dotted around.
As another car sweeps down towards the exit ramp and out of
view, Fulber pauses to rest his bags on the floor, patting
his coat pocket and retrieving a crumpled packet of
cigarettes.
He lights one and takes a deep, grateful drag from it,
closing his eyes and psyching herself up for the walk to his
car.
He leaves the cigarette hanging from his lips as he reaches
and picks up his bags again, starting to walk towards us.
He's soon over by his car, a bog standard stationwagon, its
colour halfway between beige and dull brown.
Fulber lays the bags down again and tries to find his keys,
eventually producing them from his pocket with a rattle, but
then fumbling and dropping them as he tries to open the
driver's side door.
FULBER
(mutters)
Damn it!
He reaches down for the keys, with a little difficulty, and
sees that they're perched on top of a drain, balancing
precariously.
Fulber reaches out a cautious hand, but as soon as his
fingers brush the keys, they drop down the drain, out of
sight.
Fulber closes his eyes and sighs, then shuffles forward,
almost on all fours as he peers down into the drain.
Looking through the slits of the drain, we can see that there
is a basement level just below us, and the keys have landed
out in the open, easy to find again.
Fulber stands, looks from side to side and then starts
towards a staircase leading down.
3 INT. CRAWFORD'S MALL - BASEMENT. EVENING. 3
Fulber pushes open a bright yellow exit door with a CREAK,
glancing round as he steps into the basement level of the car
park.
A flickering light BUZZES nearby, showing us that this part
of the car park is home only to empty boxes and trolleys from
the shops above us, as well as a few employee's cars.
Fulber walks onward, trying to work out where his keys
landed.
He doesn't see whoever's watching him from the shadows, well
hidden in the dimly lit basement. Someone, breathing gruffly,
is watching the hapless shopper intently.
As Fulber rounds a pillar, out of sight, his observer HUFFS
impatiently, and ducks to the side, back into the darkness.
Back with Fulber, his only company in the basement being the
rattling sounds of a distant generator and the flickering of
the lights.
Fulber spots something glinting and hustles towards it.
Success - it's his car keys. He quickly scoops them up,
tucking them back into his pocket with a triumphant grin.
Suddenly, he hears something GRUNT from somewhere behind him,
and he whips round, suddenly tense.
Fulber scans the basement - nothing in sight, or at least
nothing living.
FULBER
(calls out)
Hello? Is someone there?
Silence. Fulber waits a beat, then starts to head back to the
exit - but a little quicker this time.
He gets to the yellow door and opens it, throwing one last
glance round his shoulder as something RATTLES in the
distance. With a suitably freaked look, he's gone.
4 INT. CRAWFORD'S MALL - CAR PARK. EVENING. 4
Fulber dashes back over to his car, red-cheeked from the run,
and brings the keys back out to finally get into his car.
And, of course, he drops them - again.
Muttering a curse under his breath, Fulber leans down to pick
them up.
Looking out at him from beneath his car, Fulber concentrates
on stretching out to rescue his keys - and doesn't spot the
large pair of FEET that step calmly into frame behind him.
Whoever these feet belong to, they either don't believe in
washing much or have dark, almost scaly skin - and long, jet
black toenails as well.
Fulber finally stands, and whoever's stood behind him is
silhouetted before one of the car park's lights. We can't
make out a face, just that whoever it is is big.
Fulber opens the car door - then double takes as he notices
the reflection of whoever's behind him in the driver's side
door mirror.
Trembling, he slowly turns to face us - and as his new
neighbour GROWLS, Fulber throws his hands up and SCREAMS in
fear, trying to protect himself, and from that we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
5 INT. FAITH'S APARTMENT. MORNING. 5
The sun rises on another day in New York, its ray filtering
across the city's busy skyline and into the apartment of
FAITH - who, as a contrast, sits huddled up on the sofa, her
jacket wrapped round her.
From the looks of her straggly hair and darkly-rimmed eyes,
she's been here a while. She stares at the TV set, which is
on but with the sound muted, some mass-produced reality show
busy doing its bit to rot her brain.
Goliath, Faith's cat, MEOWS as he pads into frame, looking up
at his mistress and wondering when the heck breakfast is
going to be served.
Faith reaches out a hand absently, which Goliath sniffs and
then rubs his head against in greeting.
FAITH
Sorry, cat. Mom doesn't feel like
getting up just yet.
Faith winces and presses a hand to her forehead - and
suddenly we realise that she's nursing a nasty hangover.
As a ray of sunlight falls on her, she squints against it and
finally gets up, marching over to the window and pulling the
blinds down with a decisive FWIP.
Faith SIGHS, finally free to nurse her aching head in peace
and quiet - when there is a KNOCK at her apartment door.
With a dark look, she wanders over and flips open the
deadbolts, opening it up.
Standing in the doorway, beaming back at Faith, is Noa, who
holds up a brown paper bag.
NOA
Bagels!
FAITH
(blinks)
Huh?
Noa steps past Faith and into the apartment, and Faith pushes
the door shut, the look on her face telling us she'd rather
be very much alone to suffer right now.
NOA
I was trying to think of what to
have for breakfast this morning,
and I thought 'well, what haven't
we had for ages? ' and then I was
going 'french toast? No, had that
two weeks ago. Oo, coffee! Naah,
too cliched.' But then, thought-
FAITH
Noa, look, I don't want to sound
rude or anything, but-
NOA
Oh, it's cool, I figured you might
not like bagels, so I got us some
plain old toasted bread too.
There's this great little guy makes
the stuff, sits basically on your
doorstep - how come you never went
to him before?
FAITH
(lost)
What guy?
NOA
The little guy, you know! German.
Bad teeth. Looks like he could use
a haircut.
Faith shrugs, not any clearer, and Noa sighs.
NOA (cont'd)
Always calls every girl who walks
past 'schlampe' or something.
FAITH
(snaps fingers)
Yeah, got him.
(beat)
Wait, he makes bagels? I thought he
just yelled stuff at people.
Noa shrugs and heads for the kitchen, busily fetching down
two plates and filling up the kettle as Faith returns to the
sanctuary of the sofa.
NOA
So anyway, where've you been
getting to the past few nights,
Little Miss Night Prowler? Pryor
keeps calling round here to see if
you were okay after... you know,
all that happened.
Faith thinks - and then remembers all to well. After losing
Vi to the kidnappers, and then her disastrous encounters with
Gabe and Quinn, she's had a lot of reasons to go missing for
a few nights herself.
FAITH
(evasive)
Nothing much, you know. Went out,
got wasted, came back. Pryor
probably just missed me.
Noa glances over from the kitchen area, a knowing grin on her
lips. She knows how Faith speaks in code by now.
NOA
'Just missed me'? Now if that
doesn't say 'I was out all night,'
then my name isn't Noa!
Faith shuffles further down on the sofa, pulling the jacket
over her head as Noa heads back into the front room, a plate
of fresh bagels in each hand.
NOA (cont'd)
Hey! Come on, don't bail out on me
now. We've got a lot to do today,
remember?
FAITH
(still under her jacket)
We do?
NOA
Yeah, that thing Pryor wanted us to
go help him work on? Collecting
samples for those new anti-demon
stun grenade thingies?
Faith drags the jacket away and throws Noa a disgruntled
look.
FAITH
Oh, yeah. That.
NOA
So! Here. Eat.
Noa hands Faith one plate of bagels, but Faith doesn't look
like her stomach's too hot on the whole eating thing,
especially this close to a bad hangover.
FAITH
(pushes it away)
I'm not-
NOA
(pushes it back)
Yes, you are.
Noa's determined look finally makes Faith give in, so she
scoops up one of the bagels and starts eating.
After a few bites, she realises that it's actually pretty
good, and looks over to Noa, who is flicking through the TV
channels.
FAITH
Hey, these aren't bad.
NOA
I know. Someone's gotta make sure
you eat properly, right?
Faith rolls her eyes and manages to sit up, holding a chunk
of bagel out for Goliath to sniff.
FAITH
(sarcastic)
Yeah, thanks, mom.
NOA
(chuckles)
I'm sure your real mom wouldn't
want to see you looking like death
on what is otherwise a bright,
sunshiney day!
FAITH
(shrugs)
Wouldn't know. She's dead.
Noa blinks, but Faith just carries on eating. It's not like
that's a new thought to her.
NOA
Oh, I-I'm... I'm sorry, I-
FAITH
Don't be. We didn't get on. Long
story.
Faith puts her plate down and heads over to the kitchen as we
hear the kettle boiling off screen.
Noa watches her go, at a sudden loss for words.
FAITH (O.S.) (cont'd)
D'ya bring any coffee at least?
NOA
(snaps out of it)
Uh, yeah, there's a jar in the bag
I brought over.
FAITH (O.S.)
Cool.
We hear coffee-making sounds from the kitchen as Noa blinks
again, trying to process that new fact about Faith.
We cut from her to:
6 EXT. NY CITY STREET. MORNING. 6
Noa and a now more-presentable looking Faith stroll through
the morning crowds, heading towards the part of town that
houses Pryor's lab.
Noa keeps glancing at Faith as though she wants to say
something, and eventually Faith just stares back at her.
FAITH
What?
NOA
How did it happen?
FAITH
How did what happen?
NOA
Your mom, I mean. How did she die?
FAITH
Long time ago. Before I became a
Slayer, back when we were still
living in a trailer in the part of
Boston that even the bad part of
town didn't go down.
Noa watches intently as Faith continues her story.
FAITH (cont'd)
We were always fighting, mainly
over my dad - he bailed on us when
I was little, and I guess I did the
classic thing and blamed my mom for
it every day. Never occurred to me
that he might have got a bit
freaked out by his six-year-old
daughter being tough enough to
bench press eighty pounds.
NOA
(impressed)
Wow! You could do that?
FAITH
Part of being a Slayer. Before you
get called or whatever, you're
still tougher than most, you just
don't get the shiny badge and
uniform 'till the girl before you
bites it.
They turn into an alley, almost at the lab.
7 EXT. ALLEYWAY/WEBB RESEARCHING. MORNING. 7
The girls approach the front door of the lab, tucked away
down the alley wall.
NOA
I had no idea it was all so...
FAITH
All so what?
NOA
Complicated.
FAITH
(grins)
You get used to it.
She opens the door and steps inside.
8 INT. LAB - EXAM ROOM. MORNING. 8
The girls head into the main part of the lab, seeing PRYOR
sat behind his desk, flicking through a paper and staring
intently at the pages.
FAITH
Jeez, Pryor, I know we're late, but
no need to go checking the
obituaries for us!
Pryor glances up and nods when he sees them. Faith shrugs off
her jacket and sits near him, eyeing him for a beat.
FAITH (cont'd)
What's up, Pryor? No 'good morning,
girls?' No 'did anybody remember to
feed Morty'?
In answer, Pryor lays the paper on the desktop and turns it
round for Faith and Noa to read, tapping his finger on one
article in particular.
PRYOR
Looks like a job for us.
FAITH
(reads)
'Man found dead in shopping mall
car park'?
Faith studies the article - the accompanying picture shows
Fulber, sprawled out by the side of his car, but he looks a
lot older than the last time we saw him - his hair greyed and
his skin shrivelled and wrinkled.
NOA
(reads)
'Martin Fulber, from Queens, was
found dead by his parked car in the
parking area of Crawford's Shopping
Mall last night. The police has
stated that despite Mr. Fulber's
driver's license listing his age as
forty-three, his body looked to be
almost in its early seventies. They
are looking into a possible case of
license fraud.'
Faith sits back, looking at Pryor with a shrug.
FAITH
Some old guy drops dead on his way
back from the local K-Mart? What's
that got to do with us?
PRYOR
Did you miss the part about the age
discrepancy?
FAITH
So he never renewed his license for
about thirty years. Big deal.
Pryor frowns and leans across to his computer, turning the
screen to face Faith and Noa.
On it is a diagram of a tall, muscular demon, its figure
athletic and toned, its skin dark and scaled in places.
PRYOR
What you're looking at is an insiro
demon. They live for hundreds of
years, somehow keeping their bodies
in peak physical condition
throughout that time.
NOA
Demons that don't get old?
PRYOR
Exactly. Demonologists such as
myself have been speculating on how
they get this ability for years,
but recent discoveries from live
specimens have given us an
interesting insight.
NOA
(grimaces)
Oh God, this is going to be
something nasty, isn't it...
PRYOR
The insiro injects its victim with
a potent cocktail of accelerants
and other substances, drawn
directly from its own bloodstream,
before withdrawing the chemicals
again and absorbing them back into
its system. This appears to pass
over nutrients and other
regenerative cells directly into
their bodies, in effect replacing
dead cells and keeping their bodies
from suffering any kind of entropy.
FAITH
(beat)
Can we get that insight in non-geek
speak?
PRYOR
They suck the life out of their
victims.
FAITH
Oh. So, bad, huh?
PRYOR
Very bad indeed.
Pryor taps the newspaper article again.
PRYOR (cont'd)
This attack not only has all the
classic signs of being an attack by
an insiro demon, it also
corroborates with similar sightings
in the area.
FAITH
(nods)
We've got a nest.
PRYOR
I'd like you and Noa to head out to
the mall where the attack happened,
look around for clues. Their nest
may be in the mall, beneath it, or
in the nearby area. I'd appreciate
it if you could bring me back some
skin or scale samples, too.
FAITH
What for? We know these things are
the bad guys, why don't we just
kill 'em?
Pryor grins, stands and heads for the row of filing cabinets
by his desk. He opens the middle drawer, removes a thick file
and drops it on the desk, leafing through it as he speaks.
PRYOR
It's been an assumption... well,
more of a theory of mine, really,
for some time now, that insiro
demon DNA holds the key to curing
many of mankind's most
indefatigable illnesses.
FAITH
(losing track)
A little clearer?
PRYOR
Think about it - their blood takes
human cells and DNA and converts
them into substances its own body
can use to repair itself. What if
there was some way to reverse this
process?
NOA
Use their blood on humans?
FAITH
(catching up)
You think there's a way to make
them heal us, not the other way
round.
PRYOR
Well, as I said, it's just a
theory, but...
(grins)
... yes. I'll give you a little
gadget that should be able to
detect their unique signatures,
it'll help you find any samples
they may have, er... deposited.
NOA
Say no more, Pryor, we'll bring you
all the skin samples we can get our
hands on!
FAITH
(stands)
Yeah, you'll be doing that part.
NOA
That's right, I-
(blinks)
Huh?
Noa looks to Faith as she heads back over for her jacket.
NOA (cont'd)
What are you going to be doing
while I'm knee deep in demon
shavings, then?
FAITH
What I do best.
(grins)
Killing the bad guys.
And from Faith's grin, we dissolve to:
9 EXT. STREET/SIP & SURF INTERNET CAFE. MORNING. 9
Blackened and abandoned, the burned out shell of the internet
cafe is still cordoned off by yellow police tape, strips of
loose tape flapping in the wind to mark the final resting
place of detective Lehto, Quinn's partner.
And standing across the street, staring at the burned out
building as if it'll give him some answers is Detective JON
QUINN, hands in his pockets and an intense look on his
features.
After a few beats he crosses the street and walks up to the
outside of the cafe, circling it slowly, looking it up and
down.
Nothing but brickwork, broken glass and an array of scorched
tables inside, the neon signs behind the main desk shattered
and blackened.
QUINN
(quietly)
Why were you here?
Quinn glances over his shoulder to make sure nobody's paying
attention, before discretely lifting up the closest line of
tape and ducking into the building.
10 INT. SIP & SURF INTERNET CAFE. MORNING. 10
Quinn paces through the mess inside the cafe, trying not to
disturb anything.
He pauses as he comes to a chalk outline that highlights
Lehto's last exit.
Crouching, he stares down at the outline for a few beats.
QUINN
I'll find out who did this to you,
man. I owe you that much.
Quinn looks around, trying to spot something that'll give him
a clue, something he can work with.
He hasn't been looking long when his phone RINGS, and he digs
it out of his jacket pocket.
QUINN (cont'd)
(answering)
Jon Quinn.
DETECTIVE SING
(filtered; through phone)
Quinn, where are you? Thought you
and I were gonna take advantage of
us both being off at the same time
and go catch a few beers before the
Knicks game?
QUINN
I'm afraid I can't today, Sing.
I've got a few things to take care
of.
Quinn looks down at he outline again.
QUINN (cont'd)
Gotta put a few things to bed. You
know how it is.
DETECTIVE SING
Okay, Jonny boy, whatever keeps you
happy. Don't forget, the Captain
just said take a few days off,
don't you go disappearing on me
too, alright?
QUINN
(grins)
Wouldn't dream of it. See you
around.
Quinn hangs up, stands, and with a final glance round the
cafe, starts to head back out.
11 EXT. STREET/CRAWFORD'S MALL. MORNING. 11
We follow Quinn as he walks along a busy part of the city
centre, head down and hands in his pockets.
He pauses and looks to his right - he's right outside of
Crawford's Mall, where he sees two uniformed cops chatting at
the front door.
Sensing that there's a crime scene here he can use to take
his mind off things for a while, he turns and heads towards
the mall entrance.
We pan up towards the roof as Quinn walks on - just in time
to catch a shadowy figure dart across the rooftop!
Before we have chance to take in what we've seen, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.