Announcement

**Heather** · 29-07-07, 11:27 PM

ACT I

FADE IN

INT. SLAYER CENTRAL ? OFFICE ? NIGHT

The door opens and ANDY and FAITH enter the room. NATALIE is sitting behind the desk, working on the computer, while BRETT and SPIKE are scanning the newspapers from the past few days.

NATALIE: Can I just emphasize how all this work is so very grueling? And by "Grueling" I mean: I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

ANDY: Do you want to find those girls?

NATALIE: Of course I do but that's beside the point.

ANDY: Then how do you propose we find the fifteen or so Slayers that were kidnapped from right beneath our little noses?

BRETT: How do we know if they were kidnapped?

ANDY and FAITH glance over at him.

FAITH: What are you thinking?

SPIKE: He's thinking like I am. We'd know if it was a kidnapping the moment it happened. There'd be a hell of a mess out in the warehouse and something else would be missing.

BRETT: Right now it's just the girls that are gone.

ANDY: At least we've still got quite a few.

FAITH: Should we keep takin' them in, though? I mean, I'm all for teachin' these girls what I know but I'd rather keep them safe than risk their lives.

ANDY takes a deep breath and plops down on the desk. She buries her face in her hands.

ANDY: We need to keep training these girls but I don't think that this place is safe enough either.

NATALIE: Where else can we go? I think your bank account's pretty shot after we bought this place.

BRETT: And we don't own the apartment anymore.

SPIKE: I doubt the Watcher's Council will want anything to do with us now, anyway.

ANDY: This just can't be ending so prematurely! We had everything under control until now.

FAITH: It had to have been an inside job, then.

Everybody looks to her.

FAITH (Cont'd): We ruled out the theory that this was a big round up of Slayers so that only leaves one idea?

SPIKE: Somebody from within the warehouse took them.

ANDY: Or convinced them.

The people in the room exchange glances with each other. NATALIE shakes her head and stands up.

NATALIE: Do we really have to get so paranoid about this? It's obvious that none of us would do it. I say we just ditch that theory and move along to another one.

SPIKE: Why? It's the only bloody idea we've got.

ANDY holds up her hands to stop a fight from ensuing.

ANDY: I might still have some contacts at the station who might be willing to help out.

FAITH: What do you plan on telling them? "Can you find me fifteen girls without asking any questions?" Don't think so.

ANDY: It's a better idea than sitting around here and relying on a newspaper that has no idea about the real big events in this city.

SPIKE: This leads us back to the other topic: safety. This bloody warehouse isn't safe and we all figure that it was an inside job and we can't take the situation outside of this place for the sake of secrecy.

BRETT: And that takes us back to "What comes next?"

NATALIE: This is just becoming one great big mess of annoying repetition. I'm gonna go get some coffee or?something.

NATALIE stands and heads for the door. BRETT motions his head towards the door and leaves with SPIKE behind him. FAITH looks to ANDY.

FAITH: Looks like it's just you and me.

ANDY: Looks like it.

They look down at the ground, in silence.

CUT TO:

INT. NEWARK AIRPORT ? BAGGAGE CLAIM ? DAY

It's the next day. The airport is as clustered with human traffic as usual. The camera locks onto BUFFY SUMMERS, dressed in a long black coat that covers a black shirt and pair of pants. She has dark sunglasses over her eyes and her dark hair pulled back in a long braid. Beside her is WILLOW, wearing khaki pants and a blue blouse. They don't pay each other much attention, rather they cross the airport ? bags in hand ? and leave through the front doors.

CUT TO:

EXT. NEWARK AIRPORT ? DAY

BUFFY and WILLOW step out onto the sidewalk and stop moving. They look up and down the row of cars parked along the curb, searching for something.

WILLOW: Do you think Giles didn't call the other Watchers yet?

BUFFY doesn't say a word and shakes her head. WILLOW turns and faces BUFFY ? who keeps her eyes locked in the opposite direction.

WILLOW (Cont'd): I really don't like this silent game you're playing. Silent games are very sucky.

BUFFY slowly removes her sunglasses and looks over her shoulder at WILLOW.

BUFFY: Retirement is sucky.

WILLOW looks at her, puzzled.

WILLOW: Retirement is what you're so caught up on? I thought that we went over all of this the last time you became immune to anti-depressants?

BUFFY spins around quickly.

BUFFY: It just isn't what I thought it would be like.

WILLOW: I get that. I've been in your place before and I hated it. But, Buffy, you just need to move on. It's hard but you have to.

BUFFY nods as a long, black limo pulls up in front of them. The backdoor opens and SEAN CAINSBRIDGE steps out. He holds the door and motions for the two women to enter. WILLOW gets into the car but BUFFY is hesitant.

BUFFY: Watchers Council?

SEAN: Watchers Council.

BUFFY starts to get into the vehicle.

BUFFY: They just keep getting younger and younger.

SEAN slides into the limo and shuts the door behind him.

CUT TO:

INT. O'BRIEN'S PUB AND GRILL ? BAR ? EVENING

ANDY, SPIKE, and FAITH sit in a row down the bar. ANDY is supporting her head with her hands, SPIKE is swirling his drink aimlessly, and FAITH blows her hair up and down from her face.

ANDY: Life sucks.

SPIKE: I should be dead.

FAITH: I should be in jail.

ANDY: I should be putting you in jail.

FAITH glares at her.

FAITH: Life sucks.

The BARTENDER, a good looking, blonde man with a muscular build that shows through his tight back shirt, comes up to ANDY.

BARTENDER: You drink anymore and you won't get off that stool.

He tries to pull the drink away from ANDY. She grabs his wrist and he winces in pain.

ANDY: Let go of the drink and your hand will stay whole.

He nods and she releases him. The BARTENDER turns and heads to the other end of the bar.

SPIKE: That was impolite.

FAITH: When have you ever been polite?

SPIKE: Sod off, Miss Stabs-a-lot.

ANDY: Now, now, children?

Her eyes widen as she tries to focus on the two of them.

ANDY (Cont'd): What big heads you have?

FAITH: I think the guy was right. Too many drinks for you.

ANDY: Nuh-uh! I can handle my alcohol.

SPIKE: Not very well.

ANDY: Shut up Bleachy.

FAITH: Why are we even here?

SPIKE: ?Cause life sucks, remember?

FAITH nods, solemnly.

FAITH: Life sucks.

ANDY: Do you think they have peanuts?

CUT TO:

INT. WAX MUSEUM ? EXHIBIT ? NIGHT

The ASSASSIN runs a man through with a long sword and he falls to the ground in a bloody mess. A flashlight shines on her and she spins around, still masked and dressed in black. ELIZABETH, GREG, and a small group of SWAT officers stand behind her. The officers have guns raised and GREG has the flashlight pinned on her.

ELIZABETH: You're very careless with killing people, now aren't you?

ASSASSIN: I suggest that you leave.

GREG: Why did you kill that man?

ASSASSIN: I was hired to do so.

ELIZABETH: So you don't know why you were hired?

ASSASSIN: You are not of authority to inquire that from me.

The ASSASSIN starts to leave. The SWAT team aim their guns and get ready to fire.

ELIZABETH: Those guns have more authority than I do, don't they?

The ASSASSIN turns slowly and stalks towards the group. She pushes ELIZABETH out of the way and throws two of the officers across the museum. They smash through walls and take out displays. Another two gunmen are hurled through glass display cases and breakdown a brick wall. The ASSASSIN squats down and grabs a gun off the floor.

GREG: Much good this is.

ELIZABETH glares at him.

ELIZABETH: You have no right to judge my plans. You shouldn't even be speaking to me.

GREG: Can we not argue now?

ELIZABETH shifts her heated stare onto the ASSASSIN, who has the point of the gun locked onto ELIZABETH's chest.

ASSASSIN: If you let me leave then you will remain alive.

ELIZABETH looks towards the door and motions her head towards it. The ASSASSIN keeps the gun aimed on them and leaves through the doorway. GREG shakes his head.

GREG: We just let her go! Dianna will be very angry.

ELIZABETH glances back at the crippled SWAT team.

ELIZABETH: Get them out of here. I'll try and find her.

GREG: What do you plan on doing if you do find her? She'll kill you on the spot.

ELIZABETH: I bargain well.

GREG: Are you willing to bargain your life?

ELIZABETH glares at him once more.

ELIZABETH: Get the SWAT team out of here. That's an order.

GREG: You can't give me orders.

ELIZABETH: I am now.

She storms off through the door that the ASSASSIN went through. GREG sighs.

CUT TO:

INT. WAX MUSEUM ? STAIRWELL ? NIGHT

ELIZABETH hurries down the stairwell, chasing after the ASSASSIN. There's a bright glow at the bottom of the steps and ELIZABETH comes closer to it. The light fades out and ELIZABETH finds a small black cat on the ground. She picks it up and strokes its head. She quickly glances to the top of the stairs and then towards the chained door at the bottom of the stairwell. She turns, holding the cat, and walks up the stairs.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF ACT I

**Heather** · 29-07-07, 11:28 PM

ACT II

FADE IN

INT. WATCHER'S COUNCIL ? LIBRARY ? MORNING

BUFFY sits opposite SEAN at an endless brown table.

BUFFY: I thought Watchers were old and British.

SEAN: I thought you were blonde and perky.

They both stare at tabletop, silent, as WILLOW nears the table with a young woman, ISOBEL GAINES, at her side. ISOBEL is blonde, early 20's, and has thing glasses over her eyes. Both girls are carrying folders.

BUFFY: Things change.

SEAN: That they do.

WILLOW's gaze shifts from SEAN to BUFFY and back. ISOBEL shrugs and slams the folders on the table before sliding them down to BUFFY.

ISOBEL: These are our records on Andrea Sullivan. I still don't get why you had us pull them.

BUFFY ignores the last comment and opens up a manila folder. She scans the documents.

BUFFY: An ex-cop who got the Slayer powers five years ago. (Beat) That doesn't work.

WILLOW: It doesn't? You don't remember the being dead part of your story?

BUFFY concentrates on the thoughts in her head as SEAN continues on WILLOW's statement.

SEAN: ?Into each generation a slayer is born.' The age old prophecy's bit about ?She alone' is a load of crap. Andy was activated after you sacrificed yourself and when you were resurrected, there were three Slayers. At least until Miss Rosenberg gave all Potentials the Slayer Essence.

BUFFY: I figured that much. But I thought that Faith controlled the Slayer Line after I died?

ISOBEL: Our research facility has been working on that since the moment Andrea Sullivan appeared on our radar. We honestly don't have an answer.

BUFFY: That's comforting. (Beat) How do I find her?

WILLOW: Wait, you want to go have a talk with her? What happened to ?I just want to learn what I can about her and leave?'

BUFFY: I'm gonna find out what I can about her and leave. Things are still the same, Will.

BUFFY stands up and starts to leave with SEAN close behind. WILLOW rolls her eyes.

WILLOW: You'd think being out of a job she hated would make her lose that stubbornness.

ISOBEL: Some things never change.

WILLOW stalks out of the library, leaving ISOBEL to pick up the folders.

CUT TO:

INT. SLAYER CENTRAL ? MAIN ROOM ? DAY

ANDY stands on top of a metal desk. Before her is a small crowd of the girls ? the only Slayers left. SPIKE is right behind her and so is FAITH.

SPIKE (Whispering to Faith): Am I the only one who doesn't get the point of this exercise?

FAITH leans over towards SPIKE.

FAITH: Hell no.

ANDY spins around and shoots them both a dirty look. She then turns back to face the crowd.

ANDY: The point of this exercise is to show all of the Slayers before me what a fight is like. To explain the techniques I've shown them all for the past month. (To Spike) You're the test dummy.

SPIKE raises an eyebrow at her.

SPIKE: You've got to be kidding me.

FAITH looks at the stern expression on ANDY's face and holds up both her hands.

FAITH: I don't think she's kidding.

SPIKE: For the love of god? (Beat) And when exactly does this little fight happen, huh?

ANDY: Whenever you're done rambling?

SPIKE turns around, shaking his head. He jerks his hand towards FAITH.

SPIKE: Why can't she be the dummy?

ANDY: Because you're not a Slayer. You're a vampire. Slayers slay vampires. Hence they got the name "Vampire Slayers" and not "Slayer Slayers." (Beat) Get it now?

SPIKE shakes his head again as a phone rings. He reaches for his pocket and retrieves a small black cell phone. He answers it but doesn't say a word. A moment later, he snaps it shut.

SPIKE: Damn, shame I've got to go pick up a few more Slayers for this party.

ANDY looks at him, confused, and then turns toward the group of girls.

ANDY: We'll have to finish this lesson later, then.

The girls move towards the stairs or towards the rooms along the walls. ANDY spins around and faces FAITH and SPIKE.

FAITH: The Council is actually sending more girls here?

ANDY: Did they not find out about the little incident that just happened here?

SPIKE: Don't ask me the questions. I'm just the bloody messenger.

SPIKE heads towards the main doors and grabs his jacket from a small shelf. He throws it over his head, opens the door, and runs out. FAITH looks to ANDY.

ANDY: I'm gonna go talk to the wonderful Council then.

FAITH: Sounds like fun.

ANDY: Wanna come?

FAITH: I've had some bad experiences with them.

ANDY throws her hands down at her sides like a child.

ANDY: C'mon! The past is the past. Put the vengeance behind you, sistah!

FAITH laughs at ANDY and shakes her head.

FAITH: You did not just say that.

ANDY pushes FAITH with both hands.

ANDY: Oh I did, but whatcha gonna do about it, fool?

FAITH keeps shaking her head.

FAITH: I'm not going. End of story.

ANDY slams her hands down at her side.

ANDY: Fine, go off and be stubborn while I go deal with the wannabe-British folk.

She glares at FAITH mockingly and heads towards the office.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET CORNER ? NATALIE'S CAR ? DAY

BRETT is sitting in the passenger's seat with NATALIE behind the wheel. He has binoculars to his eyes and is looking across the street. NATALIE is biting her nails while staring into the rearview mirror.

NATALIE: Does that look crooked to you? I swear, if I find one thing wrong with this new car I'll shoot the guy who sold it to us. ?Cause, you know, Andy's teaching me how to shoot people. (Beat) I think it's dangerous.

BRETT: The car's perfect, now shut up.

NATALIE glares at him.

NATALIE: Excuse me?

BRETT pulls the binoculars away from his face and looks at NATALIE.

BRETT: I am trying to concentrate on this right now, sorry.

NATALIE: Yes because an inactive street corner deserves your fullest attention instead of a newly bought car that we're going to be sharing. What kind of man are you?

BRETT hangs his head but something out the front window catches his eye.

BRETT: He's moving. Let's go.

BRETT opens the car door and climbs out. NATALIE is slightly panicked.

NATALIE: Wait!

NATALIE pushes the door open and slides out of the red SUV. She shuts the door and checks to make sure she didn't scratch the handle before chasing after BRETT.

NATALIE (Cont'd): You could really slow down, you know? A person can only run so fast.

NATALIE follows BRETT's gaze towards a tall man, shaved head, light skin, muscular body, and dark sunglasses. He is WAYLON GALE. WAYLON climbs into the front of a yellow Ferrari and turns on the car.

BRETT: We're following him.

BRETT starts to run towards the car. NATALIE huffs.

NATALIE: But we just got out of the car!

She speeds off after him.

CUT TO:

INT. WATCHER'S COUNCIL ? LOBBY ? DAY

ANDY enters the lobby of the Watcher's Council. She starts to cross the room when SEAN passes in front of her. They bump into each other and he drops the folders he's carrying. ANDY quickly goes to pick them up for him when she recognizes his face.

ANDY: Sean, right?

SEAN smiles.

SEAN: Andrea Sullivan.

He shakes her hand.

SEAN (Cont'd): Nice to see you again. I was actually just in a meeting concerning you.

ANDY looks at him, confused.

ANDY: Was this about the stolen staplers? I swear I'll give them back.

She laughs with him.

SEAN: No, actually. We've got an oversupply of staplers. It's those damn paperclips we can't get enough of.

They laugh again and he leads her towards the front desk.

SEAN (Cont'd): Actually, we were just talking about you and the warehouse you're running for the Slayers.

ANDY takes a deep breath.

ANDY: Ironically enough, that's exactly why I'm here. Do you know who the new higher-up is in this place nowadays?

SEAN shakes his head.

SEAN: No, honestly. They change them so quietly and we rarely ever see the guy unless it's a special occasion. But I'm sure I could make any good choices or have a good conversation like he would. What do you need to talk about?

ANDY sits down in the chairs against the wall that form a makeshift waiting room.

ANDY: Why are you still sending us more Slayers even after what happened the other day? It just doesn't make sense.

SEAN: This is a tough one.

He rubs his chin.

SEAN (Cont'd): We trust your judgment and especially now that you have a vampire and another trained Slayer to help you protect the girls. Plus, like my dad told you, your dedication and potential is something we respect and appreciate. So we're giving you more Slayers.

ANDY grins.

ANDY: Clearly you don't know me all that well.

SEAN: I think we do. We've been following your life ever since you became a Slayer.

ANDY: Now that's just creepy.

SEAN: What's creepy is the fact that the big bosses know every last detail about the Watchers and the employees in this building. Every. Last. Detail.

They laugh. ANDY's smile slowly fades away.

ANDY: So who were you having a meeting with about me?

SEAN: Buffy Summers. She came back from Rome when she heard out about what you're doing. I believe she should be on her way to your warehouse now. The limo left a few minutes before you came in.

ANDY: Wait, Buffy Summers? Why would she come here just because of Slayer Central?

SEAN: That's what you're calling the place? We've been calling it the Slayer Workshop. Slayer Central is wittier.

He grins. ANDY stands up, ignoring his comment.

ANDY: I should really get back to the warehouse then. Thank you so much for the little confidence booster.

She shakes his hand and heads for the door.

CUT TO:

INT. SLAYER CENTRAL ? OFFICE ? DAY

FAITH sits in the office chair behind ANDY's desk, staring at the computer screen. ANDY enters the office.

FAITH: You know, you have some really freaky spam in your email. I didn't even know people could bend like that.

ANDY looks at her, confused.

ANDY: Is Buffy here yet?

FAITH raises an eyebrow.

FAITH: Did you say "Buffy?" Why would she come here? Rome's a big enough city for her.

ANDY: Apparently she's come here to check out the warehouse. I have no idea why, though.

FAITH: Robin probably told her that I'm staying here and helping you train the girls. She then freaked the hell out and came runnin'. The typical Buffy situation.

FAITH quickly gets to her feet and pushes the chair in. The door to the office opens to reveal BUFFY standing in the doorway, jaw clenched.

BUFFY: Typical Buffy situation, huh?

ANDY's gaze shifts from BUFFY to FAITH while FAITH looks towards the floor, regretting the fact that she said was she just did.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF ACT II

**Heather** · 29-07-07, 11:29 PM

ACT III

FADE IN

INT. SLAYER CENTRAL ? OFFICE ? DAY

BUFFY enters the office and both ANDY and FAITH turn to face her. Arms folded, BUFFY crosses the room to the other two Slayers. FAITH waves a hand through the air for minute and BUFFY just stares at her.

FAITH: How ya doin', B?

BUFFY shakes her head and laughs, jaw clenched.

BUFFY: I just?I can't believe you, Faith. After all that you've done to do the right thing you're still running around breaking the rules. I don't know why I bothered with you.

ANDY (To Faith): Not one for small talk, now is she?

FAITH: B, wait?

BUFFY holds up a hand.

BUFFY: No, I won't. You can't explain running from the cops when you're all gung-ho for redemption. It doesn't work like that. You're either in for it or you're not.

ANDY steps inbetween the two.

ANDY: Okay, I really don't think now's the best time for this.

BUFFY glares at ANDY.

BUFFY: And you. You took so much responsibility on yourself and you don't even know what to do with it all! These girls need someone to teach them, not just to watch over them like it's one giant slumber party. Especially after the kidnappings a few weeks ago.

ANDY raises an eyebrow as BUFFY snaps at her.

ANDY: Hey, hey! I don't need to be a part of this either! Just let it die.

FAITH: Leave her out of this.

BUFFY: I just can't deal with all of this. First I find out that the Slayers I was supposed to be training were getting sent somewhere so they can be picked off one by one? (To Faith) and now I get told that the Hellmouth in Cleveland wasn't closed before you and Robin went running.

FAITH: You know what, B; it's not that easy to close a gateway to hell. It's not an everyday thing to slap some shiny bling on a souled vampire and let him torch the place down. You got lucky, yeah, but some of us have to do a hell of a lot more work to get where you are today.

BUFFY turns around.

BUFFY: Right now that's the least of my problems.

ANDY looks at her, figuring out what's really bothering BUFFY. FAITH catches on.

FAITH: Are you jealous? Can you not stand the fact that there's another Slayer out there who's stealing your fire?

BUFFY: No, I'm not jealous. Don't be ridiculous.

FAITH: Am I?

ANDY: I haven't known you for too long and I can already see how easily you envy people. Who's to say it's not possible that you're pissed off at me for taking care of these Slayers?

BUFFY (Angry): You are not taking care of them! Both of you are just sitting on the sidelines, waiting for whatever's coming to strike and I'm the only one left doing the heavy work around here.

ANDY: You're doing the heavy work? When was the last time you were attacked by a coven of witches or stopped a serial killer and a hunter demon at the same time?

FAITH: Or how about the last time you were almost beaten to death by demon cops? How about that, B? What big danger have you been put in since you took out Sunnydale?

BUFFY stops, defeated.

BUFFY: You clearly don't understand what I'm going through right now.

ANDY: No, I do. You're feeling like you're being relied upon by too many people and that you can't even breathe. Trust me, Buffy, I know. But unlike me, you're just letting it slide and only venting when something goes wrong. You need to fight it and get back to yourself again.

BUFFY: I've lost almost all of the people I love. I have no one to lean on for myself and no way to feel needed without putting myself through this.

FAITH: What about the kid? Dawn needs you. She loves you.

ANDY: You can't possible be alone, Buffy. You have an entire band of British People backing you up and even a handful of non-British ones and maybe even some Swahili ones?

BUFFY: I just lost the man that I loved. I've lost every man that I've ever loved and ironically all because of who I am.

FAITH: That's not why B. You and I both know that.

SPIKE (OS): She's right.

BUFFY turns around and sees SPIKE in the doorway.

SPIKE: You're not alone.

BUFFY looks at him, shocked. ANDY examines both SPIKE's and BUFFY's expressions.

ANDY: Talk about a major icebreaker of a conversation.

CUT TO:

EXT. GALE ENTERPRISES ? PARKING GARAGE ? DAY

BRETT and NATALIE follow WAYLON towards the elevators but stop behind a corner so he doesn't see them. As the doors open, WAYLON steps inside

NATALIE: Can you hold the door?

BRETT and NATALIE casually enter the elevator behind him. The doors close.

CUT TO:

INT. GALE ENTERPRISES ? ELEVATOR ? DAY

The elevator music plays softly through the awkward silence. NATALIE chooses to break it.

NATALIE: Nice weather we're having.

WAYLON and BRETT both look to her and NATALIE quickly backs off.

NATALIE: And conversation starting clearly isn't my best hobby.

BRETT looks at WAYLON and sizes him up.

BRETT: You remind an awful lot like a woman I once knew. Her name was Elizabeth.

WAYLON is hesitant to reply.

WAYLON: I have a stepsister named Elizabeth.

NATALIE: A stepsister.

She nods at BRETT.

BRETT: Haven't I seen you around before? You look so familiar.

WAYLON: I own this company.

BRETT: So you've probably been in the newspaper a few times. I read somewhere that you donated some money to local libraries. That was nice of you.

WAYLON nods, looking at him strangely.

WAYLON: Thank you. Who are you?

BRETT: But weren't you in need of money just a few days before? How could you gather up thousands of dollars when you're bankrupt if you didn't go to a supplier?

WAYLON's eyes widen and he pushes BRETT against the wall. NATALIE screams.

NATALIE: Oh my god!

WAYLON: What are you implying?

The lights in the elevator flicker and the device comes to an abrupt stop. NATALIE nearly falls over while WAYLON keeps BRETT pinned to the wall.

BRETT: For someone who's playing dumb, you're certainly very defensive.

WAYLON pulls BRETT away from the wall and slams him even harder into the wall. BRETT moans.

NATALIE: Let's be reasonable, fellas.

The elevator jerks upwards and continues it's original journey. A moment later, the doors open and NATALIE, WAYLON, and BRETT turn to face?

BRETT: What the hell?

The camera spins around to reveal another WAYLON JONES standing the doorway, eyes wide.

NATALIE: Oh dear lord?

The two WAYLONS look at each other, jaw dropped.

CUT TO:

INT. SLAYER CENTRAL ? OFFICE ? DAY

BUFFY and SPIKE remain facing each other, speechless. ANDY looks to FAITH.

ANDY: I'm clearly missing something, right? Normally when you see someone you thought was dead, you'll start rambling on end. (Beat) Or is that just me.

BUFFY: Andrew said that you were alive.

SPIKE: You didn't believe him?

BUFFY: I didn't. Especially with all of his sci-fi stories.

SPIKE nods, understanding what she means. FAITH changes the topic.

FAITH: What about those girls you went to get?

SPIKE looks to ANDY and FAITH.

SPIKE: There out there talking with the remaining ones.

BUFFY snaps back from staring at SPIKE in amazement.

BUFFY: Back on that topic, do you know how those girls were taken from here?

ANDY: How do you know about that?

BUFFY: I still have connections with the Watcher's Council. Giles took over the European branch two years ago.

FAITH: Can we get back to the original issue?

ANDY: Right, we think that the girls were taken by someone inside the building. There were no signs of a break in or anything that shows that there was trouble.

BUFFY: Who would've wanted to take the girls from here?

ANDY: Some crazy lady who goes by "The Queen."

SPIKE: We still don't know what she's the Queen of, though.

ANDY: And the fact that she offered me a job before some big battle started.

BUFFY: Has any big battles started yet?

FAITH: No. It's all been peace and quiet.

ANDY: Well, not completely quiet.

FAITH nods, agreeing with ANDY.

BUFFY: So she hasn't attacked yet?

ANDY: Unless she's behind the Slayers being taken from this warehouse, then no. Our biggest problem has been Celestial Center.

BUFFY: What-y what?

ANDY: It's an underground agency, beneath the government's radar, that operates maniacally. They've been a pain in my ass for over six weeks now.

FAITH: And now there's that assassin chick.

BUFFY: What assassin chick?

We see BUFFY's concerned look.

CUT TO:

INT. GALE ENTERPRISES ? JONATHAN GALE'S OFFICE ? DAY

JONATHAN GALE flies across the room and smashes into the wall and we see the ASSASSIN cross the room to stand over his limp body. She pulls a dagger from belt and impales him with it. Blood pours onto the floor and she steps away and walks towards the door when someone knocks on it.

CUT TO:

INT. GALE ENTERPRISES ? OUTSIDE GALE'S OFFICE ? DAY

A SECURITY GUARD is knocking on the door. It flies open to reveal WAYLON JONES standing in the doorway. WAYLON steps past the GUARD and casually breezes past him. The GUARD looks inside and, presumably, sees the dead body on the floor. He yells after WAYLON who keeps walking. We see WAYLON put the bloody dagger into his back pocket before entering an elevator.

CUT TO:

INT. GALE ENTERPRISES ? MEN'S BATHROOM ? DAY

WAYLON is staring at the duplicate WAYLON in awe.

BRETT: I don't think he can talk. He hasn't said a word yet and you'd think he would.

NATALIE is leaning against the bathroom door to keep it closed.

NATALIE: I don't think I should be in here.

BRETT: Maybe he's a golem of some sort?

REAL WAYLON: A what?

BRETT: A golem.

NATALIE: Even I know what that is. A creature controlled by someone else and doesn't have a mind of its own. But aren't they usually rocks?

BRETT: I've seen them made of some weird crap. There was one made of wasps that came into Celestial Center while I was working there. It stung Elizabeth.

NATALIE laughs.

NATALIE: Karma sucks.

REAL WAYLON: How do you know Elizabeth?

BRETT: How do you know Gina Krone?

REAL WAYLON: She's my ex-wife.

NATALIE: Ex-wife? You said that Elizabeth told you she was his wife-wife.

REAL WAYLON: Again, how do you know my stepsister?

BRETT: I used to date her and now she's my worst enemy.

REAL WAYLON: Glad I'm not alone in having her as an enemy.

BRETT: What are you talking about? She made it sound like you two were tightly knit.

REAL WAYLON: Yeah right. Lynn married my father for the money and eventually the company when he died. But she won't get it since my father has me as the recipient for Gale Enterprises when he dies.

NATALIE pushes up the door on a crack at the sound of footsteps and sees a security team rushing past. She slams the door shut instantly.

NATALIE: Why is there a rushing crowd of cops? Lots and lots of cops?

REAL WAYLON: That's odd. Nothing usually goes down here.

NATALIE: Well something obviously is. I think we need to get going. Now.

REAL WAYLON: What about this ?

He points towards where the other WAYLON was standing but there is nothing there. The camera pans down to reveal a black cat sitting in its place.

REAL WAYLON: -Thing? Where did it go?

BRETT: The golem was a cat? That's weird.

NATALIE: I don't think it was ever a golem then. They're usually made up a lot of things. Like you said one was a swarm of bees and others are lots of pebbles.

BRETT: Well at least we don't have to worry about it now.

NATALIE: We should still look into it back at the warehouse.

BRETT nods and NATALIE sneaks out of the bathroom. BRETT leads WAYLON out of the restroom, too.

CUT TO:

INT. GALE ENTERPRISES ? LOBBY ? DAY

NATALIE is waiting for BRETT and WAYLON just outside the door. They hurry towards the front doors but are stopped by an OFFICER.

OFFICER: Waylon Jones?

WAYLON: Yes. What is this about?

OFFICER: You are under arrest for the murder of Jonathan Gale.

The OFFICER steps behind WAYLON and puts handcuffs on him. WAYLON's eyes widen and he looks at BRETT and NATALIE.

NATALIE: But he was with us all along. He couldn't have killed anyone.

The OFFICER ignores NATALIE.

OFFICER: You have the right to remain silent.

He leads WAYLON out the front door.

OFFICER (Cont'd): Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

CUT TO:

EXT. GALE ENTERPRISES ? STREET ? DAY

The OFFICER opens the door to his police car and WAYLON slides inside. The OFFICER walks around the car, opens his door, and gets into the vehicle. The camera still has an external shot of car. There's a flash of light, the weak sound of a gun with a silencer on it, and the OFFICER gets out of the car. He casually walks away from the vehicle and down a dark, empty alley. He disappears behind the corner.

CUT TO:

EXT. GALE ENTERPRISES ? ALLEY ? DAY

We see that the OFFICER is no longer in the alley; rather the ASSASSIN is bounding up a fire escape attached to the neighboring apartment building.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF ACT III

**Heather** · 29-07-07, 11:29 PM

ACT IV

FADE IN

INT. SLAYER CENTRAL ? OFFICE ? AFTERNOON

ANDY: What are we in some kind of weird moon cycle? What's up with all the deaths?

We see ANDY standing around a TV with BRETT, NATALIE, and FAITH. We see the screen and hear the reporter.

NEWSCASTER: Stock Market entrepreneur Jonathan Gale was murdered in his office on the fiftieth floor of Gale Enterprises. Only an hour later, Waylon Gale, son and heir of Jonathan Gale, was found shot and dead in the back of a police car. The police have no leads.

BRETT turns the TV off.

BRETT: There's something up with this.

NATALIE: What's so weird is that we were right with him before he was killed! Not that his being arrested wasn't weird or him being blamed for the murder of his own dad, but that's a different story.

FAITH: I should go get B. She might wanna hear about this.

ANDY nods and FAITH heads out the door. ANDY, BRETT, and NATALIE exchange looks.

ANDY: Any ideas?

BRETT: No, not really.

NATALIE: Though there was that golem-type thing in the bathroom that looked exactly like Waylon but we turned around and found a black cat in its place.

ANDY: That's not a golem.

NATALIE: That's why I said "golem-type thing."

NATALIE sticks out her tongue, playfully.

BRETT: It could've been a distraction or something.

ANDY: Or maybe it was enchanted by a witch?

NATALIE and BRETT look at ANDY.

NATALIE: Who says "enchanted" anymore?

BRETT: Yeah, you just sounded stupid.

ANDY huffs.

ANDY: Sorry, I'm not up to date with the hip lingo of the day.

BRETT: In any case, I think you're on to something.

NATALIE: You think it's a witch behind this?

BRETT: Maybe. I do think that it was done by a pro. The timing just seems like one.

ANDY: But there's the whole case of seeing double, too. It must be a magical assassin then.

NATALIE sits down in one of the chairs.

NATALIE: This is so confusing. Why can't killers be so upfront?

ANDY: Because then they'd get arrested.

ANDY sticks her tongue out at NATALIE.

NATALIE: Okay, fine.

ANDY: The main problem isn't finding out who's behind it. We need to find out who they're going to kill next.

BRETT: Which could be impossible to do.

ANDY: Usually a serial killer has some kind of reason for killing these people. They generally share something in common ? nationality, status in society, hair color, you get my point. Even more times are those connections between the victims can be linked back to the killer in some way.

NATALIE: So if we find the connection we could find the killer?

ANDY: Maybe.

BRETT: Well, Waylon and Jonathan were brother and son. Waylon is the stepsister to Elizabeth.

NATALIE holds up her hands.

NATALIE: Wait! What if it was her?

BRETT: Who?

ANDY: Elizabeth. She means Elizabeth.

BRETT: She wouldn't gain anything from killing Waylon, though. Elizabeth is smarter than that and wouldn't kill for just any reason.

ANDY: So we can safely eliminate her from the list, then?

BRETT: Yeah.

NATALIE: But didn't Waylon say something about Elizabeth's mom only marrying Jonathan for his money? And she planned on controlling the company when he died but then Jonathan willed it down to Waylon?

ANDY: Huh?

BRETT: So Lynn would have the perfect reasoning for killing the two of them. With both Jonathan and Waylon out of the way, she'd be the only person up for inheriting Gale Enterprises.

NATALIE: It's her then.

ANDY: I really need to get out with you two more. Your conversations sound like complete ramblings.

NATALIE ignores ANDY.

NATALIE: But who would Lynn kill next if she were to strike again?

BRETT sits down in the chair opposite NATALIE and rubs his chin.

BRETT: Lynn always had a problem with Elizabeth lacking a social life. Though she liked me, she hated the fact that Elizabeth worked so much. Plus, she hates to see her daughter unhappy.

ANDY: I think I see where you're going with this. She'd kill the person that's making her daughter pissed off. Who would that be?

BRETT: I think I know who. (Beat) And I think I know how to find him.

NATALIE and ANDY listen eagerly.

CUT TO:

INT. SLAYER CENTRAL ? BEDROOM ? AFTERNOON

BUFFY is lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. On the floor next to her is SPIKE.

BUFFY: I missed you.

SPIKE: I know.

BUFFY rolls onto her side and looks over the edge of the bed.

BUFFY: I thought you were dead for so long when you really weren't.

SPIKE: At least you know I'm here now, right?

BUFFY: Yeah, I know now.

She rolls onto her back again and stares blankly at the ceiling.

BUFFY (Cont'd): The Immortal's dead.

SPIKE sits up straight.

SPIKE: What happened to him never dying?

BUFFY: A group of the girls that we were training in Rome turned on us. I got out of the building but he didn't.

SPIKE: I'm sorry.

BUFFY: Now that I know you're alive, part of me isn't that sad anymore. Is that wrong?

SPIKE: Of course not.

SPIKE leans up slightly and kisses BUFFY. The door opens and FAITH stands in the doorway.

FAITH: Guess I should've knocked.

BUFFY pulls away quickly.

BUFFY: Yeah, you should have. What is it?

FAITH: Killer on the loose.

BUFFY: But you're right here.

FAITH laughs slightly but her grin falls into a solemn expression.

FAITH: Very funny. C'mon. (To Spike) Gotta take your mistress for a bit now.

SPIKE looks down at the floor as BUFFY leaves with FAITH.

CUT TO:

INT. SLAYER CENTRAL ? MAIN ROOM ? EVENING

ANDY, FAITH, BUFFY, BRETT, and NATALIE stand in a circle in the middle of the room. Except for them, it is empty.

ANDY: Everybody know what they're doing?

BUFFY, FAITH, and BRETT nod.

NATALIE: Yay! I get to stay around with the little Slayers yet again.

BRETT: At least this time you won't be alone if a group of evil demons attack again. You have a vampire and a witch.

NATALIE makes a face at him and turns away.

NATALIE: I'll be in your office.

She disappears into the office.

BUFFY: The witch is at a hotel.

BRETT: She doesn't need to know that.

FAITH: Are you sure your tracker thing is going to work?

BRETT: Pretty positive. Unless they secretly deleted me from the Celestial Center database, I can still access the server and locate each employee.

BUFFY: But how?

BRETT: Each person is bugged with a chip that links them to one big satellite in the sky. This way, the Big Boss can find them whenever he needs to.

ANDY: Doesn't that mean that they'll be able to find you whenever they want, too?

BRETT shrugs.

BRETT: If they wanted to, then they would've already. I'm not much of a threat to them.

FAITH: But we are.

ANDY: Okay, we should probably get going before we miss the opportunity to save the life of someone evil. Get your enthusiastic game faces on girls. (Beat) And Brett.

CUT TO:

INT. PARKING GARAGE ? LEVEL 12 ? NIGHT

We hear the dripping of a broken drain pipe as water pools by a tall, cement column. A pair of business shoed feet walks through the scene and we pan up to reveal GREG breezing through the parking garage. GREG turns the corner and stops dead in his tracks. Before him is BRETT.

BRETT: Howdy do, Greg!

GREG: What do you want?

BRETT: Surprisingly enough, to save your ass.

GREG: Get out of my way.

BRETT steps in front of him again when GREG tries to move.

BRETT: That can't happen.

GREG: Contrary to your beliefs, I am not in any mortal danger. You standing in my way, however, puts you at risk more than myself.

BRETT: Is that a threat?

GREG: It depends on how you interpret it.

BRETT: I think it was a threat.

BRETT punches GREG across the jaw and he falls to the floor. The elevator doors open and FAITH rushes out.

BRETT (Cont'd): Good time.

FAITH: I'm cool like that.

She grabs GREG by the hands and drags him across the pavement towards the row of cars.

ANDY (Out of Scene): Faith! Get out of the way!

FAITH looks towards the stairwell and then back towards the parking garage. She lets go of GREG and dives out of the way as a gun fires. The bullet whizzes through the air and hits the concrete wall. FAITH clutches her arm.

FAITH: Damn.

She pulls her hand away to reveal a bloody wound on her arm. BRETT runs over to her side and helps her up.

BRETT: We need to get him out of here.

The two lift GREG off the ground and carry him behind a set of cars as the ASSASSIN leaps down from the ceiling and lands on her feet where the two were standing. She is holding a sniper which is slung over her shoulder. She spins it around so it hangs across her back instead and pulls out her dagger.

BUFFY (OS): I don't think so.

BUFFY's foot knocks the dagger out of the ASSASSIN's hands and it lands on the ground. ANDY leaps off the stairwell and slides across the wet pavement to grab the knife from the ground.

ASSASSIN: You should not have done that.

The ASSASSIN punches BUFFY in the gut, grabs her by the wrists, and throws her across the parking garage. BUFFY smashes through a concrete column and lands on a car ? which has an alarm that blares loudly on impact. ANDY attacks the ASSASSIN and kicks her in the stomach. The ASSASSIN doubles over before making her foot connect with ANDY's knees. ANDY yelps in pain while FAITH runs out from behind the cars. She leaps into the air and kicks the ASSASSIN across the face. ANDY throws the dagger over to FAITH, who catches it and holds it tightly, as they get to their feet. BUFFY struggles to stand but walks over to them. They form a triangle around the ASSASSIN.

BUFFY: You shouldn't have done that.

The three Slayers kick the ASSASSIN in different points and she falls to her knees. FAITH quickly moves forward and holds the knife to her neck ANDY steps closer and squats in front of the ASSASSIN.

ANDY: Let's have a drum roll for the big reveal, shall we?

She looks to BUFFY and grins. ANDY reaches forward to pull the mask off the ASSASSIN. We see BRETT step away from the cars and he comes closer to see who the killer is. ANDY yanks the black mask from the ASSASSIN's head and stumbles backwards. We see over her shoulder that it is ELIZABETH.

ELIZABETH: I guess the truth is out there, huh?

ANDY: It's been you all along, hasn't it? You've been killing all those people and now you killed two of your family members?

ELIZABETH: They're not family. They never will be. Especially since they're dead.

BRETT: What are you?

ELIZABETH: Oh baby, you don't wanna know.

ELIZABETH jerks her head backwards and knocks FAITH in the nose. FAITH falls to the ground and ELIZABETH gets to her feet. She raises her foot quickly and kicks ANDY in the jaw. BUFFY moves to attack but ELIZABETH smashes her foot into her stomach. BRETT dashes towards her but ELIZABETH grabs him by the shirt, spins around, and hurls him through the air and into the stone wall on the opposite side of the parking garage.

ELIZABETH (Cont'd): G'night folks.

She takes a running start and leaps over the edge of the parking garage and disappears from sight. ANDY sits up slowly, as does FAITH and BUFFY.

FAITH: Was that really her?

ANDY: If it wasn't she'd have turned into something else already. That was the real her.

BUFFY: And we let her get away.

ANDY: I don't care. I need to find out as much as I can about her and fast.

FAITH: The game is on, huh?

ANDY: The game is on.

The three Slayers look at each other, expressionless.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF EPISODE

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CHOSEN Episode 1.07 "Locus Desperatus"

CHOSEN Episode 1.07 "Locus Desperatus"

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