f1x10 Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
[bottom] TEASER
FADE IN:
1 INT. UNKNOWN DARK ROOM - NIGHT. 1
In the center of the darkness before us rests a large
curtained square. Cables and wires leak out from beneath the
curtains, running into clusters of large, bulky medical
equipment on both sides.
A heart monitor BEEPS steadily, accompanied by the sound of
shallow breathing, as we cut to:
2 EXT. STREET. NIGHT. 2
Your good old New York city street. Evening traffic rolls
past as the moon starts to make its presence known in the
dark skies overhead.
Strolling along the sidewalk, lost in her thoughts, is FAITH.
Her hands are in her jacket pockets, and the frown and
faraway look on her face tell us she's in Faith World and
they're all out of guest passes.
This isn't deterring NOA, walking alongside Faith and
nattering away as she sips from a takeaway coffee, not really
noticing or registering that Faith isn't listening.
NOA
So anyway, then, I heard that
Debbie Kinsey is going to take over
as manageress of that new
Bloomingdale's they just opened up!
I mean, can you believe it?
Noa takes Faith's silence as a 'yes.'
NOA (cont'd)
I mean, back when I knew her, she
was nothing but a little brown
noser anyway, wouldn't surprise me
if she'd slept with half the
management staff to get her hands
on that little job! She's the kind
of girl who takes the word 'new
position' a bit too literally, if
you know what I mean...
Noa glances at Faith, finally noticing that she's a million
miles away.
NOA (cont'd)
Uh, Faith?
Faith blinks and turns to Noa at last, almost looking
surprised to see her there.
FAITH
What?
NOA
(grins)
Oh, so you are in there! I was
starting to wonder! Have you heard
a word I've said in the last ten
minutes?
FAITH
(covering)
Sure, you were talking about...
(beat; grins)
Alright, busted. You got me.
NOA
Where were you? Anywhere nice?
FAITH
Thinking about some stuff, that's
all.
NOA
(mischievous)
Stuff that involves a guy? For
example, a certain tall, dark and
handsome bringer of information,
shares his name with one of the
angels?
Faith glares at Noa, but the look bounces straight off her.
Faith rolls her eyes, grinning again despite herself.
FAITH
Maybe. We had a pretty intense talk
the other day, made me think about
a few things.
NOA
Like what?
FAITH
(shrugs)
You know, this and that.
NOA
Don't try to pull a voidy on me,
missy! I can tell when you're-
WHAM! Noa is knocked backwards, spilling coffee over herself,
as a MAN races past the two girls, barging into Noa and
disappearing down a side street.
Noa, open mouthed in shock, tries to shake away some of the
coffee splashed over her, but as a second FIGURE rushes past
them, little more than a black blur, Faith looks up sharply.
Frowning, she looks all round but there's no sign of either
person by now. As she goes back to helping Noa dry off, we
cut into:
3 EXT. SIDE STREET - CONTINUOUS. 3
BRILL RAND races through an uncharacteristically abandoned
New York side street. His expression reads of a paranoid
junkie, but he is neither of those things. He's clean, sober
and someone (or something) really is after him.
He turns a corner, finding himself in a:
4 EXT. BACK ALLEY - CONTINUOUS. 4
Brill tumbles past a HOMELESS WOMAN. She yelps, but it falls
on deaf ears. He just continues on.
HOMELESS WOMAN
Damn punk, watch where ya's going!
Got civilized peoples walking here!
The Homeless Woman starts to settle herself back down,
muttering to herself - when the BLACK BLUR whips a nasty
slash with a STRAIGHT RAZOR, opening her jugular.
Crimson spills out.
She stumbles backward, falling into the wall. Gravity pulls
her to the earth.
She is dead within seconds.
Brill throws a glance over his shoulder, his eyes bulging as
he sees the dead woman sliding to the floor, and he increases
the speed of his stride.
He launches himself into the air, latching onto a fire escape
with both hands.
He scales it like a spider would its web; climbing higher and
higher, muscles pulling tight, toward heaven, finally
reaching:
5 EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - CONTINUOUS. 5
Brill pushes himself up and over the ledge, crawling then
falling onto the concrete. It only takes a moment before he
is on his feet.
His breathing becomes steady; the panting depreciates.
It is a tranquil moment, but one that doesn't last. The sound
of faint CHATTERING stirs the air.
Brill slings his head back over his shoulder, eyeing the edge
of the rooftop. The cold wave running up his spine brings
about a pale complexion upon his face.
He takes a cautious step, followed by another. The pattern
repeats itself as he moves closer to the edge.
The CHATTERING fades to nothing as a guarded Brill peers over
the edge.
His mouth starts to drop as a FLASH OF BLACK pulls Brill Rand
over the edge.
The sound of CHATTERING resumes.
And intensifies.
We hear Brill let out a brief, strangled SCREAM, before we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
6 EXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY 6
POLICE TAPE lines the entrances to the alley. The scene is
crowded with officers, both uniformed and not.
At the eye of the storm, stands an authoritative DETECTIVE
SING. His long black coat swirls around him as he turns,
explaining to officer after officer exactly how to do their
jobs.
SING
(to random cop)
You! What the hell are you doing?
The RANDOM stops in mid-stride, his eyes go doughy and he
points a finger to his chest.
SING (cont'd)
(exhaling)
Yeah, you. Where the hell do you
think you're going?
RANDOM
Uh, I was taking this coffee over
to Johnson...
Sing rolls his eyes, shakes his head then looks the young
Random in the eye.
SING
Johnson can't get his own damn
coffee?
RANDOM
N-no sir, I mean yes, I mean-
SING
(gestures behind him)
Go help secure the line back there
and keep the shutters out. Last
thing we need is the...
A NEWS CREW infiltrate the crime scene, tearing past a weakly
supported line.
SING (cont'd)
...press.
(to himself)
Damn it.
(to Random)
Get over there.
The Random starts to move but realizes he still has Johnson's
coffee.
SING (cont'd)
(sighs)
Just give me the damn coffee.
The Random complies before shuffling off.
SING (cont'd)
And next time, tell Johnson to
organise his refreshments himself!
Sing takes a sip; his face goes sour and he pours it to the
ground, dropping the cup mid-pour.
SING (cont'd)
(mutters)
Jesus Christ. Guy can't even get a
rookie to bring him a decent
drink...
He sucks it up. Regains his composure; straightening his tie,
checking his hair before finally taking the first step toward
the influx of reporters and cameramen.
Only a few steps in, he catches a glimpse of someone coming
up behind him:
JON QUINN, who is hastily dressed and looks about as thrilled
as Sing to be there.
SING (cont'd)
Well, well, well, look what the cat
finally dragged in. Welcome back to
active duty, Detective.
QUINN
(sarcastic)
Yeah, thanks.
(then)
Why am I here, Sing?
SING
(sarcastic)
Isn't it obvious? Some detective.
There was a crime here, Jon. You
know, those things we solve. You
have had a glance at the job
description, right?
QUINN
Have you?
SING
Save it.
Quinn looks at all the commotion about them.
QUINN
Alright, what the sitch?
Sing leads him over to the nexus of traffic where the
pavement is splattered red with a dark lumpy thing in the
center; the corpse of Brill Rand.
QUINN(cont'd)
Jumper?
SING
No, not a jumper. Not suicide.
Homicide.
Quinn scrunches up his face as he gets a better look at the
twisted corpse before them.
QUINN
You sure?
SING
Absolutely.
QUINN
We got any witnesses saw the perp?
Any evidence? Any anything?
A smile breaks on Sing's face.
SING
That's the interesting bit. They
didn't leave anything, but...
QUINN
But?
As Sing puts on some plastic gloves, he kneels next to the
corpse. Take's the head and twists it back for Quinn to see -
Quinn grimaces.
Its lower jaw is missing and there is virtually nothing left
of the mouth.
Quinn looks away.
QUINN (cont'd)
Aw, damn, man! I don't need to see
this kind of stuff first thing in
the morning.
SING
No teeth. Nor anything left of the
gums for that matter.
Lower jaw has been removed with
almost surgical precision. Like
they just tore it out of his head
then used a knife to scoop out the
upper portions.
QUINN
Ugh. Possible motive?
SING
Hell if I know. Could be an
incredibly pissed off dentist.
(off his look)
You tell me, Detective. It's your
case.
QUINN
And how exactly did I luck into
such good fortune?
SING
In a minute. First...
Sing gestures Quinn to once again follow him. They travel to
the most secluded area they can find and continue.
SING (cont'd)
You and I don't need to have
another talk, do we?
Quinn folds his arms, looking away.
SING (cont'd)
Listen Jon, you've got a job to do.
Don't let the small stuff keep you
from doing.
(off his look)
No matter how distasteful it may be
at times.
QUINN
I would hardly consider the murder
of Mike Lehto "small stuff".
(then)
And I consider this whole job
'distasteful.'
He gets right up in Sing's face.
SING
Hey, I didn't do it. Until twelve
hours ago, I wasn't even myself.
(then)
Hell, for all I know, I could have
done it.
QUINN
Not really winning me over here.
SING
I'll deal. Don't forget why you're
here. We need that murdering Slayer
brought down.
(then)
Do your job, Jon.
QUINN
My job is about stopping evil. My
assignment is the Slayer. The
latter doesn't seem important now
that I have to consider that I'm
working for the former.
SING
Jon... Omelets. Eggs.
(then)
We're doing good work. Dangerous
work. Work that requires extreme
measures to insure the good of the
whole.
QUINN
(sarcastic)
Oh, it's all better now.
SING
Hey, Lehto was killed to protect
your mission. If you stop now, his
death will have been in vain.
QUINN
Seeing as how I can't get a beat on
the Slayer here in New York, I'm
leaning toward the idea that his
death was in vain as well as
unnecessary.
There is a long pause between the two.
QUINN (cont'd)
Forget it.
(then)
What the hell am I, specifically,
doing here?
SING
Pryor Webb.
Quinn snaps his head back in the direction of the corpse.
QUINN
That's not...
SING
No. That is one Brill Rand who was
recently "misplaced" from an asylum
downtown. His legal guardian,
however, is Mr. Webb.
QUINN
Okay. And?
SING
You have a relationship with Mr.
Webb, I believe?
QUINN
Not really, no.
SING
You used our server to research Mr.
Webb over the last 48 hours. Don't
bother to deny it. It's all been
logged and well documented.
QUINN
(sighs)
Of course it has.
SING
Relax, man. We don't care. You have
some familiarity with the subject
and we would like you to simply
gain his confidence.
QUINN
I thought it was imperative for me
to get back on the Slayer's trail.
Why Pryor?
SING
You are, don't forget it, and as to
the 'why,' that's classified.
QUINN
That's not going to fly.
SING
It had better grow wings, cause it
has too.
(off his look)
It's all you're getting.
Quinn looks back to the body, almost sickened, coming to a
realization.
QUINN
I get it. So that's what this is
all about? A means to an end?
A way to properly introduce me into
Webb's life?
SING
No. This was just a happy
coincidence for the cause. We have
no idea what the hell happened here
more than you do.
(pause)
You should probably get to work.
Press are waiting for a statement
and seeing as you're now the
officer in charge, you get the
honors.
Quinn starts to leave.
SING (cont'd)
Talk to Webb, close this case and
find the Slayer.
(then)
Get it done, Quinn. Get it done.
Quinn keeps walking without looking back.
QUINN
I'll do my job. You can forget
about the Slayer, trail's cold.
The PRESS spot Quinn flashing his badge and instantly swarm
all over him.
7 INT. WEBB RESEARCHING - LABORATORY. DAY. 7
PRYOR WEBB is wearing huge bug-like goggles while prodding a
long black instrument against a small SILVER SPHERE making a
sharp CLACKING sound.
Pryor's large black electrical glove grasps the silver
sphere, giving it a sharp squeeze - it folds like a sponge.
PRYOR
(grins)
Brilliant...
Noa and Faith enter, munching on bagels.
NOA
Heya, boss!
(holds up bag)
We've brought bagels!
Noa foolishly tosses the bag of bready goodness through the
air toward Pryor.
One by one, the bagels spill out as the bag circles through
the air.
Pryor leaps forward to stop the mess from spreading, dropping
the Silver Sphere onto the ground causing an eruption of
linoleum, but still managing to catch the nearly emptied bag.
Stunned silence by all. Faith and Noa exchange a look,
glancing back at the huge crater the silver sphere has left
in the lab's floor.
Pryor reaches into the bag, pulling out a bagel, taking a
huge bite, eyes on Noa.
NOA (cont'd)
(re: bagels)
Uh, I'll just pick these up.
(re: linoleum rubble)
Probably need a dustpan for that.
PRYOR
(seething)
Probably.
Pryor picks the sphere up off the floor. Faith joins him.
FAITH
Whatcha got?
(re: ball)
I'm guessing it's not made by nerf.
Pryor gives it a squeeze.
FAITH (cont'd)
Or maybe it is...
PRYOR
I've been here all night, running
every test I know, and I haven't
learned a thing.
FAITH
Well, I'm sure-
PRYOR
It's awesome.
FAITH
Oh. Okay, cool. I'm guessing that's
a good thing.
PRYOR
Not only is it a challenge to
deconstruct its properties, but it
can be harnessed into some
formidable weaponry for our cause.
FAITH
Still, if you've been at it all
night, and by the smell of things,
you have, you might want to head to
your office and take a nap, or
vicodin, or something.
Pryor snaps the bug-eyed goggles from off his head.
PRYOR
You're probably right.
FAITH
Probably? Don't you mean "always"?
Playfully thinks on it.
PRYOR
No.
Pryor leaves the room. Faith stoops down next to Noa, helping
her to clean up the rubble.
8 INT. PRYOR'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS 8
Pryor enters.
Drops back in his big chair and stretches. He reclines,
spinning his chair in a perfect circle.
He arches forward. Taps his hands on the armrests. Too
fidgety to relax. Something catches his eye - the FLASHING
RED LIGHT on his answering machine. He leans clicks
"Playback".
9 INT. THE LOBBY - CONTINUOUS 9
Faith and Noa carry chunks of linoleum and bagels to the
trash.
NOA
Sorry about this, Faith. Sure this
isn't how you wanted to start your
day.
FAITH
And here I was, all ready to peel
scales off whatever Pryor's got
stored in the freezer today.
NOA
Sorry.
FAITH
Read the sarcasm, kid.
NOA
Sorry.
Faith turns to face Noa and places her hands on her
shoulders.
FAITH
Okay, what's up?
NOA
What?
FAITH
You're a big sappy spaz this
morning.
NOA
I thought the bag was sealed.
FAITH
I'm serious, you didn't act like
this last night.
(then)
Spill.
Noa flops on the hall sofa.
NOA
Okay. You remember the guy I told
you about?
FAITH
Several actually.
NOA
The latest. Jon.
FAITH
(no idea)
Right.
NOA
I called his work this morning.
Noa balls up.
NOA (cont'd)
They asked if I was his wife.
FAITH
Ouch.
NOA
Yeah, "ouch".
FAITH
Sorry, but c'mon, its not like you
have problems finding guys.
NOA
Just good ones.
FAITH
(shakes head)
No such creature.
Noa grabs the remote from the seat next to her and clicks on
the hall television. It's a news report about a homicide.
Pryor comes barreling down the hall.
PRYOR
Noa, did you take any calls or see
anyone come here looking for me
last night?
NOA
Nope.
FAITH
Something wrong?
PRYOR
I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not.
Pryor sees the news report on the television. The scene is of
the earlier crime scene. Quinn is visible off to the side,
but Noa doesn't notice.
Pryor zeroes in on the covered body being wheeled off. An arm
slips down from underneath the blanket, revealing a tattoo
similar to the one Pryor has on the back of his wrist. He
looks at his own upon the recognition.
PRYOR (cont'd)
(to himself)
Then again, maybe...
A slim figure catches his eye on the screen, MR. ROBIN of the
SECOND CIRCLE looms within the crowd of bystanders before
easing himself away from the camera's prying eye.
FAITH
(to get his attention)
Pryor? As in earth to?
He's lost in thought and doesn't hear her. Faith shrugs it
off.
Noa's cell ROARS to life with some tragic eighties pop ring
tone. She takes the call.
10 INT. WEBB RESEARCHING/CRIME SCENE - INTERCUT 10
NOA
Hello?
QUINN
Hey doll, how's your day?
NOA
(cold)
Married.
QUINN
Excuse me?
NOA
What the hell, Jon?
QUINN
(beat)
I assure you, I really, really
don't know.
NOA
I called your office to wish you
luck on your first day back. They
asked if I was your wife.
QUINN
What?
(then)
Oh, wow. I forgot.
NOA
You forgot?
Quinn looks down to his ring finger, and is nearly knocked
out by the platinum band that adorns it.
QUINN
(quickly)
Forgot to mention the fact that I
was recently separated.
NOA
(suddenly beaming)
Oh!
Quinn wiggles the ring off his finger and tosses it through
the air.
NOA (cont'd)
But you guys are over and done now,
right? No hope of reconciliation?
QUINN
That is not likely to happen.
NOA
How long?
QUINN
Well, uh, I'm not going to lie,
it's fairly recent, but it's pretty
much over. That relationship....
Quinn spies Sing lingering about.
QUINN(cont'd)
... is dead and done.
NOA
So you're single?
QUINN
(smirks)
You tell me.
NOA
(bubbly)
So, we still going out tonight,
then?
QUINN
Afraid not. Work stuff.
NOA
Oh.
(catches up)
You were calling to cancel.
QUINN
Well, yeah, but not just that.
NOA
Then what?
QUINN
Is your boss in today?
Noa watches as Pryor enters his office from the end of the
hall.
NOA
Pryor? Yeah... why?
An officer comes up with some papers for Quinn to sign.
QUINN
I'm sorry, babe, I've gotta go.
I'll get a hold of you later.
NOA
That sounds like a plan.
They both clasp their phones shut.
BACK TO SCENE:
Noa looks around and notices she's been deserted. She changes
the channel to some music videos and, we cut to:
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.