TEASER
FADE IN:
1 INT. ST. VINCENT'S - RECEPTION - NIGHT 1
WHAM! The main doors fly open as FAITH barges in, the broken
and bloody body of NOA in her arms.
FAITH
Help! Anybody! I need help!
Following her are JERRY and DAWN, the latter still a little
woozy from her recent adventures.
The sliding doors leading into the main emergency room open
as a DOCTOR races out, flanked by a NURSE.
DOCTOR
(to Nurse)
Get me a gurney!
(to Faith)
What happened to her?
FAITH
She got hit by a car, we found her
in the street, she didn't...
A GURNEY is quickly wheeled over, the Doctor helping Faith
carefully lay Noa down.
He checks her eyes with a pen light before he scans her body,
taking in the various injuries.
DOCTOR
(incredulous)
What kind of car?
JERRY
A big car.
NURSE
Faint breath sounds, weak pulse.
DOCTOR
Get OR One ready and call down Dr.
Keating, stat!
FAITH
Is she gonna be alright?
NURSE
We can't say.
DOCTOR
She needs to be in surgery now.
The Nurse waits with Faith as the Doctor hurriedly rolls Noa
back through the sliding doors.
FAITH
But what about -
NURSE
Ma'am, you need to stay here.
FAITH
I can't just leave her!
NURSE
She's in good hands. The best thing
you can do is tell me everything
you can about what happened to her.
Faith glances back, meeting Jerry's eyes.
NURSE (cont'd)
Miss? Is there a problem.
FAITH
No, uh, just that -
DAWN
(steps in)
We only saw it happen, like, fast.
We ran over but the car was already
gone.
NURSE
Alright, what kind of vehicle was
it?
DAWN
Something big. A Hummer, maybe? It
had those bull bar things. Must've
been doing sixty, easy.
The Nurse nods, scribbling all this down on a notepad. Jerry
takes the opportunity to lead Faith to one side.
NURSE
How did she fall? On her side? On
her neck?
DAWN
On her left side, I think, but she
bounced pretty hard.
ON FAITH as she sinks into a chair, clothes spattered with
Noa's blood.
Jerry sits beside her, glancing round the reception - the
dramatic arrival has attracted plenty of attention.
JERRY
(quiet)
Faith, I know you don't want to
hear me say this, but -
FAITH
No. We can't leave her. I won't.
JERRY
We're public enemies. Wanted
fugitives. Wilkins' Task Force just
trashed the Asylum trying to get to
us. You really think waiting
quietly in a brightly lit, public
area is the best thing we could be
doing right now?
(beat)
Noa's getting the best care she
can. Becca and Lucy said they
couldn't do anything for her.
Fighting the troopers used up
pretty much all their juice.
Dawn approaches, rotating her neck.
JERRY (cont'd)
Smooth talking.
DAWN
I watch a lot of TV, on case you
hadn't noticed. Including plenty of
medical dramas.
(looks around)
We can't stay here.
Jerry looks to Faith, hoping she'll agree. Faith just leans
forward and puts her head in her hands, trying to process
everything, before she hears:
SCOTT (O.S.)
She's right.
Faith looks up - and SCOTT is approaching them. Jerry rises,
getting in Scott's way.
JERRY
What the hell are you doing here?
SCOTT
Heard about the raid on the Asylum,
saw your Jeep leaving the scene, so
I followed you here.
JERRY
Maybe you ought to just turn around
and head right on back?
FAITH
Jerry...
(looks up; exhales)
Leave it. I ain't got the energy to
deal with anything else right now.
SCOTT
So I'm guessing you guys haven't
seen the news?
The trio exchange looks. Scott SIGHS as we CUT TO:
2 INT. ST. VINCENT'S - CORRIDOR - NIGHT 2
MAYOR WILKINS is on screen, a news report showing him at a
live press conference.
WILKINS
(filtered; on screen)
... and so, as we pick up the
pieces of tonight's terrorist
attacks, I just want to re-iterate
how saddened and appalled I am that
the... enemies of my campaign, and
indeed enemies of the people of New
York, would stoop to such...
catastrophic lows in their attempts
to derail what we're trying to
accomplish.
PULL BACK to find Faith is watching this with Scott.
WILKINS (cont'd)
I want to say, right now, that
tomorrow's voting goes ahead as
planned. These reckless, chaotic
vigilantes have had their day. This
city belongs to us now.
FAITH
What am I supposed to be missing
here? I've heard him churn out this
crap for years now.
SCOTT
Keep watching.
WILKINS
And I know this won't come as any
comfort to those of you bereaved by
tonight's terrible events, but I
can tell you this - we have, in
custody, one of the perpetrators of
tonight's atrocities.
The camera changes to show footage of a dazed Vi being hauled
along by two Task Force troopers!
FAITH
No...
WILKINS
The terrorist and self-appointed
'vampire Slayer' Violet Bowen will
stand trial tomorrow for her crimes
against humankind. She was
apprehended during the attacks, and
it was only after she fought and
killed several of my men that she
was finally taken down.
The screen CUTS BACK to Wilkins.
WILKINS (cont'd)
My only hope is that the justice we
serve tomorrow goes some way to
easing the burden suffered by us
all over the last few hours.
(beat)
Thank you.
He steps away from the podium, a barrage of QUESTIONS shouted
his way.
ON SCENE as Faith steps back, running a hand through her
hair. She's at a loss as she tries to process this.
FAITH
The hell is she even doing here?
SCOTT
I don't know. All I know is that
they've blamed whatever those...
things that got loose in the city
were square on you guys, and that
tomorrow morning Vi's going to
stand trial for it before Wilkins
opens the voting booths for the
mayoral election.
FAITH
We've got to get her back.
SCOTT
(grins)
Kinda hoping you'd say that.
BLACK OUT:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
3 INT. CITY HALL - MAYOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT 3
WILKINS steps into view, a semi-circle of smartly dressed,
seated figures before him - the DEPUTY MAYORS.
WILKINS
Ladies and gentlemen, we stand on
the brink of a new era. Voting
opens in the morning for the
mayoral seat, and opinion polls...
(chuckles)
I was hoping to use a less obvious
word than 'landslide,' so maybe
something like... 'avalanche.'
The Deputy Mayors return his satisfied laughter.
WILKINS (cont'd)
However... I'm afraid this night
also brings some sad news.
He exhales, walking round behind his desk.
WILKINS (cont'd)
Our associate Ereshkigal is no
longer with us.
The Deputies exchange surprised looks.
WILKINS (cont'd)
Our planned raid on the Constantine
Asylum took place as planned, with
Miss DeRubria leading the Task
Force as always. As we expected,
inside they met... resistance.
DEPUTY MAYOR PATRICIA HARRIS pipes up:
HARRIS
What about the asset?
Wilkins pauses again, his silence telling them all they
needed to know.
WILKINS
It seems the Gateway has been
destroyed, or at the very least
rendered unusable. According to the
energy spikes and readings our
Science division took at the
scene...
DEPUTY EDWARD SKYLER sits up.
SKYLER
And the Darklings? Everybody saw a
cluster of those things make it out
into the city - it was on every
news channel we've got!
DEPUTY DENNIS WALCOTT is the next to speak:
WALCOTT
We also saw those beams of energy
hooking the Darklings and dragging
them back the way they came.
WILKINS
I know what you're all about to
ask, so I'll lay it out for you -
the Darklings are gone.
The Deputies start to MUTTER amongst themselves.
WILKINS (cont'd)
Pretty sure I still mentioned
something about an 'avalanche' a
few seconds ago...
HARRIS
With all due respect, Mr. Mayor,
without access to the Darkling
army, our plans just got a lot more
difficult.
WILKINS
One step at a time, Patricia. Let's
not forget the bonus prize we have
waiting downstairs.
Wilkins GRINS at last as we CUT TO:
4 INT. CITY HALL - BASEMENT - NEXT 4
PAN ALONG a grimy, dark basement corridor, sounds of FISTS
hitting FLESH ring out.
WILKINS (V.O.)
Even without the Darklings, our
primary objective has always been
to have the proud, chutzpah-loving
citizens cheering on our every
move.
Arrive at a DOOR which looks into a small storage room -
where VI is tied to a chair, taking a hell of a beating from
a pair of GOONS.
WILKINS (V.O.) (cont'd)
And what better way to make sure
they love us right the way to the
front steps of the apocalypse than
a little on-air trial?
Vi tries to lift her head, BLOOD dripping from a cut over her
eye, but she just gets another PUNCH and we CUT TO:
5 INT. ST. VINCENT'S - RECEPTION - NIGHT 5
Back with Dawn and Jerry, as Jerry gives Dawn a makeshift
exam to check her for any injuries.
DAWN
So how am I doing?
JERRY
For a girl who's spent the last few
years as an incorporeal being...
pretty good, I'd say.
Dawn grins as Jerry gives her hair a quick, affectionate
ruffle.
DAWN
I know this is going to sound
wrong, but I can't stop touching
things!
She runs her hands across every available surface, savouring
the sensation.
DAWN (cont'd)
You forget how good it feels to be
able to feel, you know?
She realises Jerry is looking back towards the sliding doors
leading into the ER.
DAWN (cont'd)
She'll be okay. I mean, yeah, there
was that whole plan where getting
the Darkling out of her almost
killed her, but the operative word
here is 'almost.'
(beat)
You heard back from Alice yet?
Jerry nods, fishing out his Blackberry.
JERRY
She e-mailed me a minute ago. Says
the Task Force are all dead or
gone, and it doesn't look like
they're bringing reinforcements.
City emergency services are busy
clearing up the mess from those
escaped Darklings. The others are
working on getting the Asylum's
defence systems back online.
DAWN
What about the others? They good?
JERRY
All in one piece, far as we can
tell. Carter's still complaining
about his hand.
DAWN
(realising)
Oh, God, the other others! The
people we left off world!
Jerry's eyes widen as he catches up:
JERRY
Without the Gateway...
DAWN
... we've got no way to get them
back! Any of them!
JERRY
(beat)
Is that so bad?
Dawn shoots him a look. He shrugs.
JERRY (cont'd)
We left them all on Shanti. Out of
the places they could have gone...
DAWN
(concedes)
Man's got a point.
She looks up and down the waiting room.
DAWN (cont'd)
Where's Faith?
JERRY
She just needs a minute. She's had
a lot to process.
DAWN
She's had a lot to process? Hello?
Former ghost over here! Almost went
insane? Just got spat back into her
body by a mystical transport device
mid-detonation?
JERRY
Difference is, you're joking about
it.
Point taken. Dawn bites her lip, before spotting Faith and
Scott heading back their way.
DAWN
Hey! Where have you -
FAITH
He's got her.
JERRY
Who?
FAITH
Vi! Wilkins has got Vi!
JERRY
How? She wasn't even in New York!
FAITH
(grim)
Looks like she came back...
DAWN
Wait up - you mean 'got' as in
arrested?
SCOTT
As in he's gonna put her on trial
live tomorrow as part of his
election campaign.
DAWN
Oh, my God...
FAITH
He's not getting her. Not after
everything else.
(to Jerry)
What's the sitch back at the
Asylum?
JERRY
Recovering, but still in one piece.
Faith nods, pacing up and down as her mind races.
JERRY (cont'd)
Faith, if your brain's going where
I think it is, then I can tell you
right now that it's a really,
really bad idea...
FAITH
We have to get Noa out of here.
DAWN
Did you see the mess she was in?
Faith whips round. Fixes Dawn with a steely glare.
DAWN (cont'd)
(gulps)
I - I mean, I just...
Jerry slides between the two of them.
JERRY
Wilkins won't come after her here.
He probably doesn't even know what
happened to Noa at the Asylum.
FAITH
Doesn't mean he won't find out.
SCOTT
Maybe I can help you with that.
FAITH
Bit late to throw down with us, boy
scout.
SCOTT
Not here for that.
DAWN
Hey, at least he didn't actually
help get us attacked this time.
(off looks)
Devil's advocate, shutting up.
SCOTT
I can watch Noa. I may be a desk
cop now, but I'm still a cop. I can
get close to her and stay there.
JERRY
Why should we still trust you?
SCOTT
What possible reason could I have
for wanting to hurt her?
They exchange looks. He's got a point.
SCOTT (cont'd)
Also...
He reaches into his jacket. Faith tenses - but Scott takes
out a FLASH DRIVE.
SCOTT (cont'd)
Your friend Pryor gave me this.
Just a sample of enough evidence to
put Wilkins and his cronies at City
Hall away for good.
FAITH
It say anything in there about
Rachel?
SCOTT
(firm)
Enough.
DAWN
What else does it say?
SCOTT
Did you guys know Wilkins replaced
all the deputy mayors with
shapeshifters?
(off looks)
Guess not.
JERRY
All the evidence in the world won't
do us much good without a way to
get people to hear it.
SCOTT
That's where you guys come in.
He tucks the flash drive away again.
SCOTT (cont'd)
We all know now what Wilkins is
planning to do to Vi tomorrow. I
figured you'd have something to say
about that.
FAITH
You figured right.
SCOTT
So I'll take care of my side of
things while you guys go in and get
her back. When it's the right
moment...
DAWN
Do you even have a cartoon outline
of a plan for any of this, or are
you just trying to sound like you
know what you're doing?
SCOTT
I've got plenty of files, dossiers,
photos and all the rest waiting
back at my office. Give me the
right moment and I can bust
Wilkins' operation wide open.
FAITH
Dawn. Help him.
(off Dawn's look)
You're the nerd here. If anyone can
figure out how to get what's on
that drive out to the public long
enough for them to see and hear it,
it's you.
DAWN
(sighs)
Right, sure. Play on my pride.
FAITH
Can you do it or not?
DAWN
I'll do it, I'll do it.
(scowls at Scott)
Just don't expect me to like it.
Scott bows his head, accepting the parting shot. Faith
glances back towards the main doors as they slide open.
FAITH
(to Jerry)
We need to get back to the Asylum.
Get the guys together, come up with
a plan.
JERRY
(nods)
Scott and Dawn can handle things
here. Right?
DAWN
Absolutely.
Jerry starts to lead Faith away. She hesitates, almost
stumbling as Jerry puts a little more force into it.
FAITH
(to Scott)
Anything happens to her...
SCOTT
It won't.
FAITH
Anything.
DAWN
Faith... we've got this.
With a last look towards the ER itself, Faith finally relents
and lets Jerry usher her outside.
ON SCOTT AND DAWN as they stand awkwardly in silence for a
beat, before:
DAWN (cont'd)
Anyway, hi. I don't think we ever
met. I used to be a ghost.
She sticks out her hand. Scott looks at it, then her, raising
an eyebrow before we CUT TO:
6 INT. CITY HALL - BASEMENT - NIGHT 6
The door to the room holding Vi and the goons opens as
Wilkins steps in, fresh from the press conference on the TV.
The goons look round, fists bloody, and Wilkins gives them a
cheery, yet dismissive wave.
WILKINS
I've got it from here, boys.
The goons obediently step away, exiting the room. Wilkins
waits for the door to close before he approaches Vi.
WILKINS (cont'd)
Well, Violet, I hope you -
PTUI! She SPITS a fat gob of BLOOD onto his expensive shoes.
Wilkins glances down at them and CHUCKLES.
WILKINS (cont'd)
I was going to say 'learned to co
operate,' but I suppose the stain
that's going to leave on my loafers
answers that question.
VI
(woozy)
You son of a bitch...
WILKINS
I think you'll find my mother was a
school teacher. Educated. Classy.
VI
(screams)
You killed her!
WILKINS
I didn't kill anybody.
(beat)
Maybe one or two here and there.
Collateral damage. You know how it
is.
Vi lets out a guttural ROAR, thrashing wildly in her bonds,
trying to get free. This just amuses Wilkins further.
WILKINS (cont'd)
What did you think was going to
happen? That you'd be able to just
waltz back into my city like
nothing had happened?
Vi is sagging in the chair now, what little strength she had
left all used up. Wilkins leans closer to her.
WILKINS (cont'd)
If the boys I sent after you had
done their job, you wouldn't even
be here to finish this
conversation. All you've done by
coming back is make things a
hundred times worse for yourself.
Vi's head lolls - TEARS are running down her cheeks.
VI
(weak)
I'll kill you...
Wilkins straightens, exhaling.
WILKINS
You know, in a way I'm almost sorry
things ended up this way. A
different roll of the dice and you
could've been on my team. I could
really have used a firecracker like
you. Ah, well.
He turns and heads for the door.
WILKINS (cont'd)
Get some rest if you can. It's a
big day tomorrow.
VI
Faith...
Wilkins stops. Slowly turns back to face her. Vi is actually
GRINNING despite her injuries.
VI (cont'd)
She'll do it. Even if I can't.
She'll stop you.
WILKINS
Oh, I'm counting on Faith turning
up, don't you worry about that.
Nothing sells a campaign better
than a little on-air justice
twofer.
Vi's grin drops at that statement. Wilkins opens the door,
turning to smile back at her:
WILKINS (cont'd)
And when today is over and done
with, I get to be the Mayor again,
and you'll have helped me.
He steps out, and the goons re-enter, ready to get back to
work on Vi as we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
[top | next]
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.