"HIGHLANDER: THE LEGACY"
By Stephen Bryce
Based On The Character Created By
Gregory Widen
Volume I, Number I
"The Princes Of The Universe"
FADE IN
MONTAGE
A series of clips of "Highlander: The Series", and the first movie, showing Methos, The Kurgan,
Amanda, Connor, and Duncan MacLeod, all alternating between their native times, and
contemporary times.
VOICE
From the dawn of time, they came, moving silently, down through the centuries,
living many secret lives, and struggling to reach the time of The Gathering,
where the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known they were
among you... until now.*
1 - DENSE FOREST, NIGHT
The first thing we notice is that hardcore punk music is exploding from speakers, sitting in a
flatbed Ford pick-up. As the camera moves around, we see that there are many TEENAGERS roaming
around, partying or hanging out.
CAPTION
May 28, 1999
Felker, Ontario, Canada
Moving around more, we see an unassuming young man, sitting by a fire, half-listening to the
music. He appears to be a seventeen year-old Latino, and is alone. No one else seems to
recognize him.
Baffilingly, he is clearly seen wearing a large coat. He seems to be scanning the forest,
waiting for someone... or something.
Without any warning, figures appear out of nowhere. There are dozens of them, surrounding the
bush party. They all wear masks, and they all wear black shirts with grey pentagrams painted on
them. Many of the people at the hangout recognize the symbol, and who it belongs to - The
Hellraisers.
Many of the masked gangmen close in on the group, who try to flee in blind panic. Those teens
meet with vicious resistance at the hands of their unknown tormentors. Another group
of the gangmen goes after a particular boy, who doesn't seem to know what was going on. He is
savagely attacked, like he is no longer human - just a meal fit for dogs.
One GANGMAN becomes prominant, as if he is some sort of leader figure. Like many other
Hellraisers, he is armed with a very sharp machete. As he enters the heart of the party, he
senses a buzzing, which no one else notices... that is, except for The Latino.
The Leader runs for The Latino. The Latino reaches inside his coat, and grabs for his only
defense: a Spanish sword.
Instantly, the machete and sword lock together with their owners in mortal combat.
The fighters seem to be evenly matched, and it is not clear who has the advantage: The Leader,
with his machete, or The Latino, and his Spanish sword.
Around them, all hell breaks loose. Black blurs chase unidentifiable forms. Screams are
everywhere; some are of agony and some are of sheer pandemonium.
The teenage warriors are fighting heavily with their respective weapons. It is impossible to
tell which one will win.
As suddenly as the madness began, it ends with a screaming wail: a police siren. The
Hellraisers, with their swordsman, all run to some distant area of the forest, quickly
disappearing behind the brush. All around him, The Latino ses the many bodies of the gang's
victims, crying out in horrible misery.
2 - SUBURBAN STREET, A FEW DAYS LATER
The front door of a middle-class home opens, and a fifteen year-old boy walks out. His name is
ROSS KELLER. He is clearly tense, apparently aware of what has happened. He closes the door,
and walks out of frame, trying to hide his inner fears.
3 - CEDAR PARK, SHORT TIME LATER
Ross walks down a gravel path, with a forest to one side. He eyes it very cautiously, sticking
very strictly to the path.
4 - EXT. HIGH SCHOOL, LATER STILL
Nellie McClung High School; a large, fairly new building, with slightly fewer students than it
should have. Those who are present are clearly scared out of their minds. In the parking
lots, there is a fair amount of police presence. Ross walks through a side door, and into the
building proper.
TRANSITION
5 - HALLWAY, AFTERNOON
A BLACK BOY rushes around a corner, being pursued by some TEENAGERS. When they catch up with
him, they throw him against the locker, and punch him in the stomach. Ross walks into this
hallway, and is not amused.
ROSS
HEY!!! Leave him alone!
The Teenagers ignore him, completely. He gets right inbetween them and The Black Boy, shoving
a Teenager off of him.
ROSS
I said leave him the fuck alone!
The Teenagers are thrown back, but mainly by surprise.
TEENAGER
What the fuck are you doing, man?
ROSS
I'm stopping this bullshit of yours, that's what.
TEENAGER
Didn't you hear about these Hellraisers, Keller? They're all black! (points to boy)
HE'S black!
ROSS
Big fucking deal! It's this kind of bullshit that started that slavery crap, a hundred
years ago. Or, for that matter, The Holocaust! (beat) We can't get paranoid, and beat up
every coloured kid in sight, or we'll be no better than those psychos!
Apparently not motivated enough to commit, the swarm leaves. Ross helps the boy up.
BOY
Thanks, man.
ROSS
Anytime.
They go their seperate ways.
6 - MEDIA CLASSROOM, LATER
Ross piles into the room, with every other present student. They all sit down, and MR. CARTER
takes "the floor". He is a middle-aged man, who is very friendly, and genuinely concerned for
his students.
MR. CARTER
How is everyone? Are you holding up alright?
Mixed reactions from a crowd of about two dozen.
GUY #1
The cops don't know squat, sir.
MR. CARTER
What makes you say that?
GUY #1
These guys are supposed to be protecting us, but they can't even catch a cold!
GIRL #1
I know! (beat) These guys have locked the doors, and are supposed to be keeping strangers
out of the school, right?
ROSS
That's the idea, yes.
GIRL #1
Then why are they missing the jokers who are slipping right past them?!
Mr. Carter leans against a counter, in surprise over this allegation.
MR. CARTER
I can't answer that.
GIRL #2
And what about those rumours that The Hellraisers robbed a gun shop, downtown?
MR. CARTER (more tense)
Now that, is trash. I haven't heard anything that confirmed it.
GUY #2
For our sakes, sir, you'd better be right.
Mr. Carter glares at this young man, understanding completely.
Ross' attention focuses less on this discussion, as his eyes wander the room, toward a young
woman, sitting nearby. She is about Ross' age, a regular knock-out, and looks like she's
normally a far cheerier person. Her name is BETTY HOLMES.
Like most of the other people in the room, she's trying to keep her cool, but is visibly
troubled by the situation. Ross clearly feels some sort of responsibility - or guilt - over
her mood. It is obvious to anyone that he cares about her, a lot.
TRANSITION
7 - GEOGRAPHY CLASSROOM, PAST, DAY
A room that looks like a converted science lab. About thirty teens mingle around, in here,
including a younger Ross, who grabs a seat near the middle of the room. Soon after, Betty
approaches.
BETTY
Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?
ROSS
No, not at all.
Betty sits.
BETTY (offering her hand)
Betty Holmes.
ROSS
Ross Keller. (beat) It's nice to meet you.
Though Betty doesn't seem to notice, but Ross is definitely attracted to her.
Through a montage, we see them enjoying each other's company, over some happy conversations,
and over a considerable passage of time.
TRANSITION
8 - HALLWAY, SOMETIME LATER, LATE AFTERNOON
The crowds are getting restless in the hallway, but that is to be expected. Ross walks up to
his locker, turned the knob on the combination lock, and opened the locker door. Betty is
already at the locker next to his.
ROSS
Hi.
BETTY
Hey. Did you have a good day?
ROSS
Pretty good, yeah. (beat) I'm hoping it'll be a little better, too.
BETTY
Really? Why?
ROSS (shy)
Well, you know how I asked you about maybe seeing a movie, sometime...
BETTY (knowing where this is going)
Yeah.
ROSS
Have you thought about it?
Betty seems to stare into empty space for a moment, as if trying to think of something
to say. Eventually, she turns her head toward Ross and looked into his eyes.
BETTY
I already have a boyfriend.
At first, Ross goes through the natural pain of dissapointment. Then, he begins to consider
her feelings, while Betty gets back to packing up.
ROSS (hesitantly)
I understand. (beat) Have a good weekend.
BETTY
You too.
Ross exits.
TRANSITION
9 - MEDIA CLASSROOM, AS BEFORE
Ross mentally shakes himself awake, realizing that everyone is packing up, to go.
10 - HALLWAY, DAY
It looks pretty much the same as it was just described. Ross and Betty open their lockers.
Ross' face is one of deep concern, Betty's is one of uneasiness.
ROSS
Are you alright? (beat) You looked kind of upset, just now, in class.
BETTY (faking ease)
Oh, I'm fine.
A shot off of Ross shows that he doesn't buy it, but doesn't want to push it far, anyway, since
this is more of her boyfriend's territory.
He takes a sheet of paper and a pen from a clipboard that was magnetized to the locker door,
and writes down a phone number.
ROSS
Look... What's been going on over the last few days can take a toll on anyone.
So, if you want someone to talk to, here's my number. My door's always open.
Betty looks at the paper, and we see uncertainty in her eyes. Hesitantly, she accepts the small
sheet.
BETTY
Thanks, Ross. (beat) Bye.
ROSS
Later.
They exit, down opposite ends of the hallway.
FADE OUT
CAPTION
June 4, 1999
FADE IN
11 - EXT. SCHOOLYARD, DAY
Some more students are at school, this day. Ross is talking with a guy named RICK GARRISON,
who, in fact, is the same Latino who fought The Hellraiser in the beginning.
RICK
Why are you so tense, Ross? The cops arrested one of The Hellraisers.
ROSS
Yeah, but the guy came from here. Everyone's still a little paranoid, me included.
A beat as Rick looks deeper into him.
RICK
It's Betty, isn't it.
ROSS
Nobody's seen her, or her boyfriend. I'm worried about her... about them, you know?
RICK
Hey, no one can blame you for worrying about a friend. (beat) Who is her boyfriend,
anyway?
ROSS
Kyle Gury. He was in my gym class, last year. He's a little scruffy around the edges,
but he seems alright.
Ross hides something in this statement, which Rick picks up on.
RICK
Really?
ROSS
Well, there is something... No, you'd never believe me.
RICK
You'd be surprised.
ROSS
There's soemthing about this guy... I don't know what it is, but it really gives me the
creeps.
Rick gets very serious, here, surprisingly.
RICK
Stay out of it, Ross. You don't know what you're getting into. You aren't ready for
this yet.
Wordlessly, Rick leaves. Ross walks down another street, totally baffled.
12 - CEDAR PARK, SHORT TIME LATER
Ross walks down the gravel path, like he usually does. Though he doesn't notice, some shapes
are moving in the bushes behind him.
Just as Ross walks by the park's modest playground, he finally sees that there's no one else
around... likely because of the markers, with a gray pentagram painted on a black background -
the emblem of The Hellraisers.
Ross sees this, too, and gets tense. He starts making his way out of the park.
Suddenly, two masked forms rush out of the woods, and slam a baseball bat into Ross' skull.
He is knocked down, totally disoriented. The attackers grab his legs, and drag him into the
dense forest.
13 - BRUSH
Ross' attackers don't seem to take comfort into account, on this trip, and they ignore the
broken twigs, brahches, and exposed roots that roughen up Ross' "ride".
14 - FOREST, DAY
Finally, The Attackers come to a stop, in the forest, and put Ross on his feet. They let him
go, and it's easy to see why: about a dozen young men are in a ring around him, all older than
him, all black, all with grey pentagrams tatooed on their forearms. Ross is surrounded by
Hellraisers; He can't run, and he can't hide.
ROSS (sotto)
Oh shit.
VOICE
Welcome, Keller.
At first, Ross doesn't recognize the voice, but it soon comes to him with pain and jealousy.
ROSS
Gury. Kyle Gury.
To confirm Ross' statement, a tall young man of his age walks out from behind a tree. Gury is
white, and dressed in a long black trenchcoat, under which lie matching jeans, a grey T-shirt,
and probably a few melee weapons.
For some reason, Ross briefly feels really dizzy, even for what he just took. He acts like
he's had a small migrain, and we hear a low, humming sound. Gury stops moving, for a moment,
as if he feels something similar.
The sky suddenly flashes several times as lightning bolts randomly criss-crosses the heavens.
Or are they random? Did the sky *really* turn dark like that in the last couple of minutes?
ROSS (back to earth)
So what's up?
GURY
You've been meddling where you shouldn't have, Keller. It's gonna cost you... big time.
ROSS (impatient)
Maybe it's just the concussion, but I don't have a clue what you're talking about. Are
you sure you didn't mistake me for someone else like you did at the bush party?
GURY (confident)
Quite sure.
Gury gestures that Ross is to look off to the side, and moments later, we see another gangman
escorting someone into the staging area... Betty.
Ross is speechless at first, shocked at the new twist.
ROSS (strained)
I see. (to Gury) You're a Hellraiser, Betty's your girlfriend, Betty is troubled about
what you did last week, I try to help her, exposing you guys to the risk of arrest, and
getting a bull's-eye painted on my face!
GURY
Exactly.
Gury says this with an almost megalomaniacal tone. Ross, however, is far too angry to pay
attention to this. He turns toward Betty.
ROSS
How could you have done this to me? I trusted you, I tried to help you, and this is the
thanks I get?!
Betty painfully avoids his gaze. Ross goes berserk.
ROSS
Answer me, you fucking bitch!
He slams a punch right into her face, which is promptly punished by her bodyguard, and the guy
with the bat. They put him back on his feet, facing the all-powerful Gury.
GURY
Don't blame her, Keller; She only told me what you did, it was *your* actions that sent
you here.
ROSS
Fuck you! Both of you.
He gazes sharply at Betty, who is wiping a drop of blood from her lip, and looking at Ross like
he's a caged animal: under control, but very dangerous.
GURY (unfazed)
Time to pay.
The dozen or so Hellraisers instantly pounce on Ross, blinding him in a black flood and
deafefning him in a storm of curses aimed at him for interfering with one of their own. They
savagely beat him, punching Ross repeatedly and powerfully in the torso and face.
GURY
Enough!
The Hellraisers stop, and a broken Ross is dragged to his feet, once more. Gury walks
dreadfully slowly toward him. Now that the gangmen have backed off a bit, we can see and hear
Betty sobbing at his fate, and being restrained from helping him by her bodyguard's large arms.
ROSS (sotto, to Betty)
Too late for that, dear.
Gury walks up to Ross' face, and pulls out a pocket knife with a blade about eight inches
long. He has no expression on his face.
GURY (silently, to Ross)
There can be only one.
Suddenly, he plunges the very sharp blade deep into Ross' throat, the end of it sticking out of
the other side.
Betty screams hysterically, wanting to help her friend, but her bodyguard quickly uses one of
his arms to cover her mouth.
Ross just stands there, in shock, in eyes wide, as blood pours from the wound, staining his
coat and black shirt.
Realizing the danger of Betty's scream, Gury takes the bloody knife from Ross' neck, and
everyone pulls out.
Ross drops to the ground, and dies... his last sounds being those of Betty's heart-wrenching
screams.
FADE TO BLACK
SLOWLY FADE IN
15 - VFX - FREEFALL
Starting from the cloudy skies, the camera rapidly falls straight down, toward the ground.
As we get closer, we can just see the city, then a neighborhood, then a park... a forest...
16 - FOREST, LATER IN THE AFTERNOON
A bodybag surges with a very hard jolt. There is a panicked rustling, as if someone inside is
desperately trying to get out of there. Eventually, the hole by the zipper is found, and
opened. Somehow, Ross stands out of the bag, alive and well.
Looking around, Ross discovers (with us) that the forest has changed somewhat from when he
"died". No one else is in the immediate vicinty, but we hear a police radio operating nearby.
That explains the barrier of yellow tape suddenly surrounding where Ross is, which reads:
POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS.
Ross examines his body. The left shoulder on his shirt and jacket are still stained with blood
from when Gury stabbed him, but he moves around easily, so all of his beating wounds have
healed... as has the stab wound just below Ross' ear, which should have killed him.
Ross is, understandably, beginning to freak out.
ROSS (sotto)
What is going on?!
Ross quietly starts to leave the forest. Trying not to leave too many clues, in case
Hellraisers are still tracking him, Ross ducks under the police tape and walks on one of the
cleaner roads to avoid leaving footprints. He finds a perimeter bush, and sees...
17 - PARK, DUSK
A couple of police cruisers and a herse are parked right next to the playground where Ross was
initially ambushed. Three or four officers are around and the coroner is busy working out
some paperwork on the hood of his car.
OFFICER
Do me a favour, Ketch: If I ever understand these youth gangs, shoot me!
Cutting back to the bush, we see that Ross doesn't seem to find this joke very funny, but
listens anyway.
KETCH
I know what you mean. First that bush party, now this. (beat) This kid didn't do
anything, why did they kill him?
At this point, we focus on Ross alone, who is totally shocked and disturbed at Ketch's line.
He is in a silent, but full-tilted, pandamonium. At wit's end, Ross turns around and
stealthily walks out of the park. As always, he takes care not to be seen.
18 - FOREST OUTSKIRTS, DUSK
Suddenly, something happens that stops Ross dead in his tracks.
He feels that buzz again, but this time it is much stronger. 'Faint' is no longer adequate to
describe the sensation. At the same time, lightning from above strikes him repeatedy.
As the feeling dies down, Ross scans the neighborhood with his eyes, somehow aware of someone.
ROSS (whispering)
Rick.
Ross walks to his left, and down a short distance. He is drawn to a fairly tall, dark, house,
of an almost Victorian design. He walks right up to the porch, his reasons for being here
unknown, even to himself.
ROSS
I guess this is it.
Ross moves to ring the doorbell, but the door already opens, and Rick stands in the doorway.
He looks at Ross curiously, probably wondering why there's so much blood on his clothes. Aside
from that, he looks normal, as if he knew Ross was coming.
RICK
Come in, Ross.
Uneasily, Ross enters.
19 - INT. RICK'S HOUSE
Ross is very surprised by the differences between the exterior and interior of the house.
Whereas the exterior is dark brick and wood, the inside is a relaxing sky blue. The outside is
like a Victorian castle from a time long passed, but save for a few old crests, swords, and
other ancient family heirlooms, the inside is very modern.
RICK
Give me your coat and shirt, will you?
Wordlessly, Ross obliges. Rick's mother takes them downstairs. It is at this time, when we
see that Rick's mother doesn't look a whole lot like him, for some reason. From out of
nowhere, Rick gets infront of Ross, holding a new shirt.
RICK
Here.
Ross puts it on, as they go to the living room, and sit down in chairs.
RICK (absently)
What happened?
ROSS
I got ambushed by The Hellraisers. There were tons of them... and Gury was leading them.
RICK
I see.
ROSS
And the real pisser is that Betty was with them. She told that son of a bitch about my
offer to help her, and just stood there, watching me get the living shit beaten out of
me. But that's not even the half of it.
RICK
Go on.
ROSS
I don't know what to make of it. First, I feel this... buzz, for lack of a better
term, whenever I'm around you or Gury, then this thing somehow leads me right to your
front door.
Rick simply nods, as if only to show that he's listening.
ROSS (cntd)
But what's really strange, is that Gury stabbed me right here, below my ear. A cut like
that should have killed me within seconds. It not only didn't, but it seemed
to heal completely!
This time, Rick doesn't nod.
ROSS (suspiciously)
Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me something?
RICK
We all know something that we don't tell others, Ross.
ROSS (impatient)
Spare me this philosophical bullshit! You know exactly why this is happening, don't you?
Rick looks Ross squarely in the eyes.
RICK (hesitant, but plain)
You're immortal.
Naturally, Ross is totally stunned.
ROSS
Immortal...?
RICK (firm)
Immortal.
ROSS (sotto)
That's impossible.
RICK
No, it isn't. There are hundreds of them, if you want proof.
ROSS
Oh yeah? Name one.
RICK
Me.
This news doesn't do much to improve his already shattered nerves.
ROSS
Oh, man... What's going on?
RICK
You've always been immortal. The full effects just didn't become apparent
until now.
ROSS
What "effects"?
RICK
Well, obviously, you can't die. Specifically, you won't age at all from this point
onward, any injury you sustain will heal itself at a much faster rate than normal
humans, and you are totally immune to disease.
(beat)
Secondly, you can't have children. I'm not all that sure why. I guess it's just a price
to pay for immortality. (beat) Thirdly, you've already experienced a mild headache
whenever you've encountered Gury, or myself. It is a mainifestation of our life force,
which we call The Quickening. It allows Immortals to detect each other from as far away
as a hundred feet. The Quickening also allows an Immortal to gain another's knowledge and
power when he dies.
ROSS
What do you mean "when he dies"? I thought Immortals couldn't be killed.
RICK
That's not entirely true. The only way to truely kill an Immortal is to decapitate him.
Any other way, and the Immortal regenerates in minutes, or less.... much less.
(beat)
When an Immortal dies, the closest Immortal to him gains all of his essence. In a way,
the slain Immortal lives on inside the living Immortal.
ROSS
So, you and Gury, you're both Immortal as well?
RICK
I am, but what makes you think that Gury is?
ROSS
I felt the same buzz around him that I feel around you. Isn't that a hint?
RICK
Yes. Anyways, my real name is Ricardo Dimese. I was born in 1263 in what is now
Madrid, and I became immortal in 1280. I try to keep as low a profile as I can, but
sometimes, my secret is revealed to a mortal. The woman who you thought was my mother is
one of those mortals.
ROSS
That explains a few things. (beat) So, the reason that I've never seen you around school
is because you don't go...
RICK
Because the fact that I don't age would draw a lot of attention as I pass through the
system. I finished my education seven hundred and twenty years ago, so there's
no need for me to keep going to school for all eternity.
ROSS (hard)
What about Gury?
Rick is even more frightened of the answer than Ross is.
RICK
He was "killed" about a year ago, but that's about all that I know. He's unstable, Ross -
be careful. With his power and mentality, he is a very dangerous man. (beat) Be warned:
Before long, word will likely spread of a dissapearing body in the park, which means that
Gury will now know that you survived. He will come after you!
ROSS
So what happens to me now?
Rick removes a curved sword from a nearby wall. It's in a black-velvet scabbard, with an
attached shoulder strap. Rick sets the sword on the table between them, and removes a good-
looking Black Dragon Samurai from the sack. He then hands the Asian weapon to the new Immortal.
RICK
I will train you.
TRANSITION
20 - EXT. DOJO, DAY
A slightly run-down looking dojo, on the wrong side of the tracks.
CAPTION
May 13, 2000
21 - INT. DOJO, VARIOUS TIMES
A montage of clips, showing Rick's patient instruction in Ross' use of his sword. They start
out with Ross at a very novice skill, but he grdaually becomes more and more advanced.
Eventually, he seems to be at about the same level as Rick.
At one point, he lunges at Rick, only to be spun around, with Rick's blade ending up at his
throat.
RICK
Never lose your temper, and never over-extend your thrust. If your head comes away from
your neck, it's over.
Ross is released from Rick's "grip", and they relax their stances.
ROSS
Who taught you that one?
RICK
My own mentor: a man named Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez.
Ross glares at him, a little. Apparently, he was never told who this legendary Immortal was.
Rick suddenly remembers something.
RICK
Oh, I just remembered... (produces a newspaper) I figured you'd want a look a this.
Ricks throws the paper at Ross, which the trainee catches. Ross skims the page, until he finds
something of interest. Rick grabs a towel, and wipes himself off.
ROSS
"Yesterday, a 16 year-old girl was convicted of being an accessory to murder, in
the gang-beating death of Ross Keller, 15, of Felker. Under the Young Offender's Act,
her name cannot be published, but police say that she turned herself in to authorities
shortly after Keller's murder, confessing to her involvement, as well as identifing
several members of The Hellraiser gang. The young woman is to serve five years in a
juvenile detention centre."
(beat, then sourly)
I guess that was Betty, then?
RICK
That was my guess. (beat) How long are you going to hold this grudge against her, for?
ROSS
Until either she dies, or someone takes my head, whichever comes first.
Ross trades the paper for his own towel.
RICK
I'm serious, Ross.
ROSS
So am I. (beat) She was my friend, Rick... at least, I thought she was... and she
never even warned me, or anything. Hell, that ambush might have even been her idea,
for all I know!
RICK
I think you've got a more serious problem: did you notice that Gury wasn't mentioned?
ROSS
Yeah. So what?
RICK
You may be in more danger than you thought. (beat) Every few generations, Immortals feel
an irrepressible urge to travel to a distant land, and fight each other to the death.
This is The Gathering.
Ross is clearly irritated that he wasn't told about this, before now, but listens anyway.
RICK
A different set of Immortals is chosen for each Gathering, but when only one Immortal
from the set remains, he or she receives The Prize. No one knows entirely what The Prize
is, except that an Immortal with it has virtually unlimited power. He is so powerful
that, for all intents and purposes, he or she rules the world.
(beat)
This happens only to the sole survivor of each Gathering, and from there, to whoever
remains after that. In the end, there can be only one.
Ross reacts to these words with a chill and a gasp.
FLASH BACK
21 - FOREST, DAY
Gury and Ross are face-to-face, with The Hellraisers around them.
GURY
There can be only one.
Gury stabs Ross in the neck.
FLASH FORWARD
22 - DOJO, AS BEFORE
Ross mentally wakes up.
ROSS
I remember Gury saying that when he killed me the first time; there can be only one.
RICK
For Immortals, it is a saying in The Gathering. Gury knew you were "Pre-Immortal" when he
stabbed you, so he aimed at your neck and said it...
ROSS
Hoping that a nearly decapitating wound would kill me.
RICK
That's right. (beat) As I've said before, Gury is only slightly more experienced than
you, and had little instruction when you confronted him. He didn't entirely know what
kills an Immortal and what doesn't. Normally, a wound to the neck doesn't kill us, but it
doesn't heal, either. The only exception is the "first death". If the neck wound is small
enough, it will heal as the body transitions itself.
ROSS
You also said that Gury knows what I am... teaching me how to fight him is all good, but
what else can I do?
RICK
Hide on Holy Ground.
Ross gives him a look, indicating that he needs some clarification.
RICK
Tradition forbids us from fighting on any place deemed sacred by religion; churches,
cemetaries, cynagouges, you get the idea. We consider it disrespectful of people's
beliefs.
(beat)
Simply put, when Gury or any Immortal comes after you, they can't touch you on Holy
Ground, so use that to your advantage when you need to buy some time.
Ross is nervously understanding this. Obviously, the full ramifications of his immortality are
still sinking in.
RICK (patting Ross' shoulder)
Don't worry. (beat) With any luck at all, you may never see Gury again, in your lifetime.
ROSS
Personally, if I never see him for another two thousand years, it'll be too soon.
They both laugh, and walk off camera.
TRANSITION
23 - WIDE SHOT - FUTURISTIC CITY
An advanced metropolis, but surprisingly similar to some downtown centers of our present.
CAPTION
Felker, Ontario
49 Years Later
24 - DOWNTOWN STREET, DAY
We see Ross, walking down the street, carrying a box of supplies to his modest-looking car.
Like any Immortal, he hasn't aged at all, since the last time we saw him.
He is totally relaxed, until he suddenly feels The Buzz (that feeling that Immortals get when
they sense each other). He slows his pace, and glares around, instinctively. From his point
of view, we don't see anyone out of the ordinary; just mortal people, going about their lives.
ROSS (sotto)
Who are you?
Ross quickly puts the office supplies in the back seat of his corvette, and half-jogs down a
nearby alley, passing several hookers, bums, and drug pushers.
25 - EXT. CONVENIENCE STORE, DAY
Ross creeps around the corner, on the opposite side of the alley. He can barely hear an
argument, from inside.
VOICE
...Your grandma's dead! You hear me? *Dead!*
Ross recognizes the voice.
ROSS (sotto)
Gury...! But what's he up to?
Gury storms out the front door, not noticing Ross. Like Ross, he hasn't aged a day in the fifty
years since Ross last laid his eyes upon him. He gets in his own black sedan and drives
casually away, not caring at all about the threat that he'd made.
ROSS
He hasn't changed a bit.
He comes out of his hiding place and walks around the corner into the mini-mart.
26 - INT. CONVENIENCE STORE
The store is clean, but empty. It's just like any other convenience store in terms of
stock. There is candy on one wall, soda on another, etc.
In terms of people, there's only a young woman with brown hair standing infront of the cash
counter. She's wearing casual clothes, but seems to work in this charming place. We can't see
the woman's face, but we can hear some faint whimpering, like she's crying.
ROSS
Are you alright, miss?
The woman turns around, and Ross is shocked that she bears a rather striking resemblance to Betty!
ROSS (stunned)
Betty...?
This seems to distract the girl from her grief, as she stops crying instantly. A look of
confusion quickly replaces it.
GIRL
No. My name's Sarah Holmes. Betty Holmes is my grandmother.
Sarah casually offers Ross her hand, and he shakes it just as absently. He stares at her,
somewhat, unable to believe that Betty has had *grand* children. He stands there speechless
for so long, that he eventually notices the impatient look on Sarah's soft face and quickly
wakes up, again.
ROSS
Oh, I'm sorry. (beat) Ross Keller.
SARAH
Glad to meet you.
ROSS
Same here. (beat) I realize this probably isn't any of my business, but why was that guy
threatening your grandmother?
Sarah thinly hides her resentment toward being asked such a question by a total stranger.
SARAH
I'm not all that sure. He mentioned some kind of a double-cross that Granny had made to
his Grandfather fifty years ago. He didn't go into any real detail, but he said that he
planned on making Granny pay for... whatever it is she did.
ROSS (calculating)
I might be able to shed some light on that. (beat) I'm working for a PI who's been
keeping tabs on this guy for a while. That man's name was Kyle Gury. Your grandmother
knew a man of the same name a long time ago. That Gury was the grandfather of this one.
Sarah nods, to acknowledge what he's said.
ROSS (cntd)
During the 1990s, the older Gury was part of a gang called The Hellraisers. About the
same time, he was dating your grandmother.
Again, Sarah shows some considerable restrain, in her reaction. She clearly is quite appalled
by this allegation, but somehow trusts Ross, anyway.
SARAH
Are you sure about that?
ROSS
Positive. (beat) Anyway, The Hellraisers were involved in a couple of ambushes
around these parts in the year 1999. After the second one, your grandmother ID'd some of
the gang members, including Gury.
SARAH
This put them on the lam, so Gury's grandson wants to make Granny pay for ratting them
out, albeit some fifty years later.
ROSS
Yeah, that's it. (beat) You're quite a sharp one.
Sarah blushes, apparently growing to like him.
ROSS (pulling himself together)
What time do you close the store at? I may need to talk to your grandmother.
SARAH
About 8:30.
ROSS
Thanks. I'll be back here, then, if that's alright.
SARAH
Sure, it is.
Ross exits, with a look of great fear, and uncertainty on his face.
27 - EXT. ROSS' NEW HOUSE, NIGHT
A modern, suburban home.
28 - INT. HOUSE - LIVING ROOM, NIGHT
Ross is pacing, uncontrollably, around the living room. Watching nearby is a young woman named
KATE WILLIAMS, who knows full well what Ross is, but not entirely what he is planning.
KATE
I really hate it when you pace. It makes me nervous.
ROSS
Sorry, Kate. It's just really hard to stay calm at a time like this.
KATE
Why? What are you planning? Why are Helen and Rick coming over?
ROSS
So I can tell them the bad news.
At this point, the conversation ends, as he feels The Buzz. Needing no other doorbell, Ross
walks towards the front door, and opens it to two girls. One is a muscular blonde, HELEN
MACLEOD, and the other is a Latin girl, MARIA DEL FELES. They both appear to be about Ross'
age, though each carries many centuries of experience. They enter.
ROSS (to Helen)
Hey...
They kiss each other on the cheek. Ross sees Maria for the first time.
ROSS
And who would you be?
MARIA
Maria Del Feles. I'm a friend of Helen's.
HELEN
She's one of us, don't worry.
ROSS
Alright. Make yourselves at home. (to Maria) Can I take your coat?
MARIA
I'd rather hang onto it... no offense.
ROSS (truely sympathizing)
None taken.
Before the door could be closed, the three Immortals feel another Quickening, this time
belonging to Rick. The former Spanish citizen rushes in the door, greets the bunch, and shuts
the door behind him.
ROSS
Come in, everyone.
29 - LIVING ROOM, NIGHT
Helen and Maria take the couch, Rick sits in a recliner, and Ross just sits on an ottoman.
Kate watches, from just outside the kitchen.
ROSS
You all know why you're here, I trust?
MARIA
I don't, actually. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise.
ROSS
An Immortal named Kyle Gury, who had triggered my immortality, fifty years ago, is
threatening to kill the woman who turned him over to the cops in connection with gang
crimes. (beat) Obviously, we can protect her between the four of us, but knowing this
guy, it may not be enough.
RICK
We may need some help from Betty, herself.
ROSS
That's exactly what I was thinking. But the problem is that the only way to do that is
going to be risky at best... because I'll have to reveal myself to her.
The faces of everyone in the room go white, as if he'd proposed that they all commit suicide.
HELEN
You can't be serious! You want to tell Betty that you're immortal?
ROSS
Have you got a better idea?
RICK
Wait a second: Have you actually talked to Betty yet?
ROSS
Of course I haven't. If Betty had seen me, she'd already know who I am.
But I did speak to her grand-daughter. She seems trustworthy.
MARIA (confused)
Wait a minute. Why do we need to worry so much about trusting either of them?
RICK
Aside from the obvious? Because Betty had Ross "killed" after he tried to
help her through some problems.
HELEN
Namely, she was stressed out over Gury's involvement in an ambush. Betty was Gury's
girlfriend.
MARIA (to Ross)
In that case, how do you know that she won't try to take your head when you walk through
the front door? For all we know, she may have known about you all along, and this is some
kind of a trap that she and Gury have set up to kill you! It's one of the oldest tricks
in the book!
RICK
Or maybe she'll cause a relapse of the Salem Witch Hunts. I for one want to avoid that -
I didn't care much for it the first time around and I wasn't even a target!
Kate, trying up to this point to be quiet and patient, has had enough.
KATE
He's right. (beat) If Betty or Sarah can't be trusted to secrecy, one of them's bound to
go to the press about this. Assuming that they don't laugh in their faces, it could be
on every news broadcast and paper in the world in a matter of hours that secret Immortals
live among humans. It'll be one of the worst cases of panic in history!
ROSS
Kate, you're making us sound like we're an alien invasion!
KATE
Why not? The press sure won't hesitate to.
A hard silence.
ROSS
So, if I don't tell Betty who I am, we might be able to help her, but our chances of
suceeding are slim. But if I do tell her, we might be able to stop Gury, but we'd be
risking mass exposure and hysteria in the process.
Ross looks hard at each person around him. This isn't an easy desicion for anyone. When
his eyes reach Helen, her eyes are probing his, also.
HELEN
What choice do we have?
ROSS
For her sake, she has to know the truth.
30 - EXT. STORE, NIGHT
Ross' car pulls up, on the curb, infront of the store. He gets out, and glances around the
area, half expecting to sense Gury.
ROSS (sotto)
Thank God... He's not here.
As he walks to the door, he barely gets there in time to keep Sarah from locking him out.
SARAH
I was starting to think you wouldn't show up.
ROSS
Sorry. The traffic was a nightmare. (beat) Do you want me to give you a ride to your
grandmother's place?
SARAH (blushing)
Thanks, but it's not necessary. (pointing upward) We both live in the upstairs loft.
Come in.
31 - INT. STORE
All of the lights are off. Sarah locks the front door as Ross walks in, and leads him to a
door in the back of the mart labelled "NO CUSTOMERS BEYOND THIS POINT". Sarah takes another key
out, and opens the rustic looking door.
32 - STAIRWELL
Behind the door is a wooden staircase that leads only upward. Sarah leads Ross up the stairs.
Toward the top, Sarah looks a bit unsettled.
ROSS
Are you alright?
SARAH
I have a problem with heights. (smirks) Funny, isn't it? I've lived here all my life,
and I've never gotten used to the incline being so steep.
Ross briefly considers checking that incline, but quickly decides against it. From his
expression, it seems that he's uneasy about heights, too.
33 - INT. LOFT
Sarah opens the door, and they enter a small, but really cosy looking living room. It's very
trendy looking; the walls are painted a stucco color, the still-questionable modern art
adorns the walls, and the floors are mainly bare wood.
ROSS (trying to be polite)
It's a nice place you've got here.
SARAH
It oughta be. We worked really hard for it.
A pause, as Ross looks at her kind face.
ROSS
You're serious...?
SARAH
Yeah. My mom died just after I was born, so Granny has raised me all my life; my Dad
took off when he found out that Mom was pregnant, so she had no choice. When Granny got
laid off at this old law firm, she needed to find a way to support me, so she bought the
store and this loft with her life's savings. We've lived here ever since.
ROSS
Surely you don't run things here all by yourself?
SARAH (half-kidding)
No. Granny manages the place, but she has other people working here for most of the
year. I take over during the summer.
ROSS (getting down to business)
So, can I speak to your grandmother?
SARAH
Oh, right. Of course.
Sarah leads Ross to a closed door, on one side of the living room. Through the small cracks,
we can see a dim light shining through.
SARAH
Granny likes to read in her room at this time of night.
She gently raps on the door.
OLD WOMAN'S VOICE
What is it, dear?
SARAH
A man is here and would like to speak with you, Granny.
WOMAN
He can come in.
Sarah opened the door with its beautiful gold handle, and she goes with Ross into Betty's
room.
34 - BETTY'S ROOM, NIGHT
It isn't very heavily furnished; just a bed, a night-table, and a recliner. The dim light comes
from a lamp near the recliner, which is where Betty sits, facing Ross' general direction.
Betty isn't actually looking at Ross, as she's very immersed in the book that she's reading,
but her face is quite visible.
Off Ross' face, we see total astonishment at how much she's changed. Betty's face is wrinkled
and sagging, but enough remains the same that Ross eventually recognizes the girl he loved ages
ago. The only part of Betty that doesn't look at all the same is her hair; previously long and
golden blonde, it is now very short and almost white.
Ross is captivated at the sight of his old flame, and is afraid to disturb her peace.
However, he knows that her life depends on this meeting. He takes a deep breath, and slowly
exhales it.
ROSS
Hi, Betty.
Betty looks up sharply, startled at the voice of her long lost friend. Her face seems to turn
even whiter than her hair.
The tension from the surprise is more than obvious. Even an idiot can tell that this
woman is going under considerable strain from this sight. Sarah, naturally, is quite
concerned about this.
SARAH (walking to Betty)
Granny? What's wrong?
Ross and Betty's eyes are locked together, scanning each other for the order amidst this chaos.
Ross, at least for the moment, is putting aside his pain from their last meeting, and is
silently trying to calm her down.
BETTY (hesitantly)
This man...
Sarah clearly understands that Ross' presence has brought up some horrible memories, but is
unsure how. She glares at Ross, wondering what this young man could have possibly done to her
grandmother.
SARAH
This man is Ross -
BETTY (sotto)
...Keller!
Betty looks like she's seen a ghost - not very far from the truth. Sarah looks at Ross, again,
with even more confusion and suspicion.
SARAH (to Ross)
You two have met?
ROSS
Yeah... About fifty years, eight months ago.
The statement really takes Sarah off guard. Her expression is not unlike her grandmother's:
shock and confusion. Normally, Sarah would laugh at him, but her Granny's face clearly shows
that Ross is, somehow, telling the truth.
SARAH (darkly)
But how can that be?
BETTY (horrified)
You DIED fifty years ago! How can you be here?!?
SARAH (to both of them)
**Died?** What the hell is going on?
A pause, as Ross waits for the women to calm down.
ROSS (to Sarah)
Exactly fifty years ago, I was ambushed in one of the gang attacks I mentioned. I was
stabbed, in the throat, with a wound that normally would have killed me. Instead, I
became immortal.
Sarah and Betty sit, speechless, echoing the reactions that Ross had eariler.
BETTY
Immortal?
ROSS
Yeah. (beat) I was essentially a normal human being up until that point. After my "first
death", I stopped aging, and became immune to just about any injury. The only thing that
can really kill me is getting my head cut off.
A pause, as they try to absorb all of this.
BETTY
Alright... So what are you doing here?
ROSS (to Betty)
Gury's gone after you. He's threatening to kill you for selling him out, in '99.
(to Sarah)
He's the same Gury who confronted you in the store today. He's immortal, as well.
I'm not working for any detective. I knew Gury was there only because Immortals can
sense each other's presence from a short distance away. I homed in on him and wound up
overhearing what he said to you.
Sarah and Betty look at each other. A frightened nod from Betty confirms to her grand-daughter
what she could verify of Ross' words. They find it hard to believe him, but both of them know
that for Betty's sake, they have to.
ROSS (encouraging)
Don't worry. I have a plan.
35 - EXT. DANCE CLUB, NIGHT
A very post-modern club, called The Noise. Two cars pull into the parking lot. Sarah gets out
of one, and Ross gets out of the other, with Helen.
ROSS (v.o.)
Sarah, you can go to the Noise dance club, on Friday night. My girlfriend and I will go,
too. In all the time that you're there, we'll to stay as close to you as possible
without attracting attention. The idea is that Gury might try to kill you as well, to try
to break your grandmother. If that's true, then the plan was to put you in a place
where Gury would be likely to find you.
SARAH (v.o.)
The club.
ROSS (cntd)
Exactly. (beat) Obviously, Helen and I won't let that happen.
"Fade" to the dialogue in the parking lot. The three of them huddle, together.
SARAH
I think we've got some problems. This place looks like it's gonna be PACKED, so, if
you guys lose sight of me, it would be a bitch to try to find me again.
HELEN
I know... Also, Ross and I can sense Gury's presence, but we can't tell exactly where he
is, so we'll have to stay sharp.
ROSS
At least this would make it a level playing field; Gury's bound to be affected, too.
SARAH
We're taking a big chance, with this. (beat) Gury might not come after me at all, and
kill Granny while she's alone.
ROSS
That why she's not: a couple of friends of ours are keeping Betty company, in case Gury
shows up, there.
(pause, then to Helen)
Is your sword covered, alright?
HELEN
Yeah, but with this trenchcoat, I'll probably stick out like a sore thumb.
ROSS
Well, don't blame me for this one; I offered you a spare samurai, but you insisted on
taking your Claymore.
HELEN
So I'm a traditionalist, sue me.
Sarah does a bit of a wild take, at the slang.
SARAH
Sue you?
The Immortals just glance at each other, before they all walk to the club.
ROSS
The times, they are a-changing.
HELEN
You noticed?
36 - INT. NOISE
The inside of the club is so dark and crowded that nobody can see much more than a couple of
feet in front of them. On top of that, the techno music was being played so loudly by the DJ
that it completely envelops any background noise.
ROSS
I was afraid of this! I hate it when I'm right!
HELEN
Yeah, me too!
Sarah goes off to join some friends of hers from school, and once again, Helen and Ross
keep a close eye on her while pretending to enjoy themselves.
DISSOLVE
37 - INT. NOISE, SOME TIME LATER
There's still no sign of Gury. It bothers Ross, terribly. He's the type that really trusts
his instincts, and they aren't pointing at any good signs.
ROSS (to Helen)
This can't be right.
Helen subtley scans the room with her eyes.
HELEN
I know. (beat) Maybe you were wrong about this one.
Ross is still tense, and his eyes dart all over the place.
HELEN
Will you relax? People are going to think there's gonna be a shootout, or something!
ROSS
I doubt it... That's not his style.
Sarah walks over to the snack bar, which Helen sees.
HELEN
Look, let's take five. Sarah is, anyways.
ROSS
Alright... You go on ahead, I'll be there, in a minute.
38 - SNACK BAR
While Ross goes off, somewhere, Helen grabs a table, and sits down. Soon afterward, a couple
of guys help themselves to the other seats. They dress and act like the equivalent of today's
skateboarder-types.
GUY #1
Hey, good looking... You lonely, sitting here, by yourself?
HELEN
I won't be, for long. My boyfriend'll be back, in a minute.
GUY #2
Come on... that's the oldest line in the book.
HELEN
That's rich, coming from you.
GUY #1 (leaning closer)
Maybe I can be better company. Or maybe, we BOTH can... ever been in a threesome?
Helen's eyes glaze, like she's really had enough of this.
HELEN (sotto)
Oh, fuck it...
She darts up, punches the second guy in the jaw, and pulls out her sword, so that the blade
rests just beneath the first guy's crotch.
GUY #1
WHOA!!!
HELEN
Look, you little shit-for-brains, even if I *were* lonely, I wouldn't want to hang out
with a limp rag, like you. As for your friend, well... I've never dated pond slime,
so he's out, too. Now, why don't you just quit your day job, before I give you the
cheapest castration in history!
Both guys stumble off, without any other word. They pass Ross, who gazes after them.
ROSS (much calmer)
Those guys giving you trouble?
HELEN (hiding her sword, again)
Nothing I couldn't handle.
ROSS
So I noticed. (beat) It's a nice place, isn't it?
HELEN
Yeah. It's been a long time since we've spent a night out.
Ross nods, in full agreement.
ROSS
Our relationship has become a little routine, lately, hasn't it? What can we do, though?
As far as most people are concerned, we're teenagers and nothing more. We can't exactly
run off and get married.
HELEN
Well, why don't I move in with you?
Ross is a little surprised at the suggestion.
ROSS
Are you kidding me?
HELEN
Do I look like I'm kidding?
In all seriousness, Helen sports a slightly alluring grin, so it's a little hard to tell...
ROSS (thinking about it)
Actually, that just might work. I mean, we look enough alike that we should be able to
pass as brother and sister, or something. I'll have a hell of a time getting Kate to
allow this, but other than that, it might work. (beat) Why not?
The couple holds hands, tenderly, and they look into each other's eyes. The new romantic mood
becomes enforced by the playing of a slow song: "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed.
D.J.
And by very special request tonight, a classic from the turn of the century.
Helen recognizes the tune, and her face glows, enchantingly.
HELEN
The first song we danced to...
ROSS
I'm terrible, aren't I?
HELEN
You did this?
ROSS (pointing elsewhere)
What do you think I was doing, back there? (beat) You wanna dance?
HELEN
You really need to ask?
39 - DANCE FLOOR
Ross leads the five hundred year-old Highland lass to the dance floor. For four minutes the
seemingly young couple seem happier than they'd been in ages.
At one point during the song, Helen looks toward the snack bar, and sees Sarah leaning against
a wall by herself, with a soda in one hand. She's staring at them, almost painfully.
Helen wonders what is on Sarah's mind. She probably figures that she's just stressed out, over
Gury, but it may in fact be another issue, entirely...
Looking at Helen, Ross can tell that she's troubled, and offers his own way of support. Waiting
until Helen looks into his eyes again, he kisses her very fully on the lips. They stayed locked
like this for a couple of minutes.
Then, the song gradually ends, and many of the teenagers move for the exit. Most of them
definitely look like they've begun relationships of their own. But suddenly, the moment is
shattered by Helen and Ross both feeling an abrupt charge - The Buzz.
HELEN
Gury.
ROSS
Yeah.
It doesn't take long for Helen and Ross to find him, now that there are less people around.
Considering where this is likely to lead, they're likely to get out a lot faster very soon.
Instead of heading for Gury, Helen and Ross wait for Gury to find them, watching Sarah
all the while. Before long, they spot each other, and Gury comes toward them. He wears the
same black trenchcoat that he wore the last time Ross saw him. When Gury finally reaches them,
he dons a sinister grin.
GURY
Nice to see you again, Keller. (re: Helen) Who's the lady?
Helen instantly edges closer to him, drawing her Claymore.
HELEN (stern)
I am Helen MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod.
Gury draws his own broadsword.
GURY
I'm charmed.
Ross watches them uneasily. They stand in a battle stance, ready to fight to the death. Just
as they are about to begin, Gury breaks his concentration and looks at Ross.
GURY
Oh, I almost forgot...
He reaches for some kind of modified pager, which is on the waistline of his jeans. Gury
quickly presses a button, and a couple of dozen hoods burst in from the doors, wearing black
shirts with grey pentagrams on the backs. The Hellraisers have returned, and they're headed
right for Sarah.
Helen and Gury immediately start their fight.
HELEN (to Ross)
Get Sarah out of here! I'll take care of Gury.
Not waisting any more time, Ross takes the Samurai out of his jacket, and moves toward his
charge. Like the old Hellraisers, these hoods draw machetes, only theirs are of a sleaker
design.
ROSS
Man, I hate being right all the time.
He runs toward Sarah, and once he reaches her, stays in front of her, blocking any machetes
with his sword. Sarah already runs for the nearest door, with Ross staying as close as he
can.
One of the hoods gets very close to her, but Ross is fast enough to disarm him and land a hard
punch on the side of his face, knocking him out cold. He and Sarah scramble for the exit.
40 - EXT. CLUB, NIGHT
Their predicament gets only slightly easier once they're outside, and even then it's only
because there are more places to run to. The Hellraisers who Ross didn't K.O. are still
chasing them, slicing the thin air, and shouting profane taunts.
Ross and Sarah run to her car as fast as they can, staying a few steps ahead of their
pursuers. When they reach Sarah's modest silver coupe, Sarah scrambles like mad for the keys
while Ross continues to fight the swarming Hellraisers.
ROSS
I can't hold 'em off forever! Move it!
After a few tries, Sarah eventually finds the right key. She quickly gets in the car and locks
the door behind her, keeping her would-be assassins at bay, even if five of them are still
climbing on the car.
41 - INT. SARAH'S CAR
She starts the engine and floors it.
42 - PARKING LOT, AS BEFORE
Many of The Hellraisers fly off instantly. Not hesitating for a second, Sarah drives like mad
out of the parking lot.
43 - ELSEWHERE IN LOT
One of the remaining hoods hits Ross with a lead pipe while he watches the car. The hit
disorients him for a few moments. The Hood takes advantage of this and stabs him in the chest
with a pocket knife. Ross falls to the ground.
ROSS
I'll never get used to this.
Ross dies.
The Hood stands over his victim, wearing a very smug grin. He checks Ross' neck, and confirms
that there is no pulse. He turned his back on his slain prey and walks back to the club. A few
moments later, The Hood is startled by someone tapping him on the shoulder.
The Hood turns around nervously, and instantly receives a hard punch that knocks him out. Now
he's on the ground, and Ross is on top, newly regenerated by that unusual Immortal stamina.
ROSS
That's the oldest trick in *my* book!
44 - INT. CLUB, AS BEFORE
The duel is getting very fierce. Repeatedly, Gury swings hard at Helen, and she is only barely
able to parry the blows. Helen also takes the occasional jab or slash at him, but it is blocked
easily each time; Gury is definitely stronger than her.
She rapidly side-steps the young man, and the strategy does seem to have effect. Almost
every time she moves, Gury is thrown off enough that his back and neck are exposed, very
briefly. She desperately slashes for it each time, but Gury is always able to recover in time
to block.
Gury gets more agressive in his fighting by this time. Every spare moment he has, he swings
quickly, at Helen.
Ross runs quickly back onto the scene. He can't fight Gury while Helen is still at it, but if
something happens...
Suddenly, Gury swings aroung behind Helen, and drives his blade through her back. Helen
lets out a wrenching scream, but Ross can't do anything -- The Rules prohibit two-on-one
fighting.
Gury removes the sword, comes around again, and swings deep into her abdomen. The slash is so
deep that many of her internal organs are cut in half. Helen drops to the ground - with her sword.
ROSS
HELEN!!!!!
Gury looks up, for a moment. He is somewhat surprised, not having noticed Ross come in.
GURY
The battle is engaged, Keller. You cannot interfere!
Gury stands above Helen, almost laughing, not caring at all about the life in his hands. He
shows contempt for her, despite the trememdous battle she'd fought.
GURY
You fought well, MacLeod... But you've still failed.
Gury moves to Helen's side, Helen herself unable to move or even stand. Ross and Helen lock
eyes.
HELEN (sotto)
I love you...
Gury swings his large broadsword in the air.
GURY
There can be only one!!!
ROSS
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The sword flies down, and cuts off Helen's head.
Ross instantly falls silent, stunned at what he's just seen.
Gury looks up and smiles relentlessly at his foe, amused at what he's done to Ross.
By mystical and unseen forces, Helen's decapitated body glows on the ground. A bright green
aura seperates from her and mends permanently with Gury's mind. It's The Quickening.
Once the aura fades, a lightning bolt strikes Gury, from out of nowhere, then another, then two
at a time. Soon, lightning envelopes Gury rapidly.
At the same time, all of the strobes and spotlights explode around him, one by one, in a
rainfall of sparks. Then, the speakers shriek feedback, in a piercingly high-pitched wail,
which ends in their own destruction. The lightning strikes the large video screens behind Gury.
They instantly explode in an unbridled fury, spraying glass shards on him and breezing him in
flame. A gale-force wind engulfs him as The Quickening reaches its spelndour. Then, just as
rapdily as it began, the lightning and random destruction ceases. Gury collapses onto his
kness.
Moments later, Ross and Gury stare each other down. Ross is clearly planning one thing -
revenge. He wants to take Gury apart right there, but they don't have the time.
GURY
Another time, Keller.
Gury gets up, and leaves.
Ross slowly walks to his fallen lover. He sobs, missing Helen already. He also broods in hatred.
Taking Helen's Claymore, he makes a hasty exit himself.
45 - EXT. HOLMES' STORE, NIGHT
From outside, we see that the lights are on, in the loft.
46 - INT. LOFT, NIGHT
The night is passing by quietly, but slowly. Something is deeply bothering everyone.
BETTY
Something's wrong... Sarah should've called by now.
MARIA
Just try to stay calm, Betty.
BETTY (hard)
That's easy for you to say! You'll never have children! You'll never be a parent!
You can't possibly understand what I'm feeling right now!
RICK
I can. I taught Ross everything he knows. I took him in, after...
A pause, as Betty glares at him, sharply, with the kind of look that shaves off half of one's
life expectancy.
RICK (cntd)
He's been my best friend for half a century, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
(beat) Still, I shouldn't have let him take this one.
MARIA
Ross has fought, before. He can take care of himself.
Rick isn't so easily assured.
RICK
He's only sixty-six years old, and he's only taken two heads.
This revelation comes as some surprise to the Mexican girl.
MARIA
Just two?
RICK
Yes. Ross prefers not to fight any other Immortal unless it's the only option. The last
time he took a head was ten years ago, when he met Kate.
BETTY (quiety)
I hope he hasn't gotten rusty.
The conversation is suddenly interupted by The Buzz. Rick and Maria stand, dreading the
possibilities.
BETTY
What is it?
RICK
It's downstairs, whatever it is.
BETTY (confused)
What do you mean?
RICK
An Immortal.
MARIA
It's just one...
RICK
I know. Hide Betty in her room. I'll cover the door.
Maria spirits Betty into her bedroom and locks the door. Meanwhile, Rick draws his old
Spanish sword and stands beside the main doorway.
The doorknob turns, and the wooden door opens. Sarah looks around, and was very concerned that
the loft is totally empty. Ross, however, is more confused than concerned.
Ross draws Helen's Claymore, and slowly walks a couple of steps into the loft. Before he can
get through the door, another blade lashes at him from the side. He barely blocks it, but is
glad he did, as the opposing blade would have hacked into his neck, had he not.
He pushes the other sword away with a grind, and forces his way into he room, discovering Rick
to be the owner of the enemy sword.
RICK
Jesus...!
ROSS (flipped out)
Are you out of your fucking mind?!?
RICK (to Maria)
It's alright! It's just Ross and Sarah!
ROSS
What the hell is wrong with you?
RICK (impatient)
I only sensed one Immortal. I thought that Gury might have taken out you and Helen and
made his way here.
Sarah runs across the room to hug her grandmother. Maria and Betty both breath a sigh of
relief that Sarah is okay, but then Maria senses that something's wrong.
MARIA
Where's Helen?
All eyes are on Ross. He doesn't know how to explain this, and doesn't want to believe that
it's real. He stares long and hard at the Scottish sword that he 'inherited' from his
girlfriend.
ROSS (reluctantly)
She's dead.
Betty and Sarah are saddened, but Maria is shattered. She's even worse off than Ross,
because she knew Helen for a lot longer than he did. Rick is about the same as him.
ROSS (cntd)
Gury took her head, in the club, just after Sarah escaped.
BETTY (concerned)
Gury showed up?
ROSS
Yeah, with a whole goon squad. Helen fought him while I got Sarah out of there, and when
I came back, he killed her.
MARIA (stunned)
Oh my God.
Tears begin to run down Maria's dark cheeks. Ross walks to her, and holds her snug in his
arms.
ROSS
I'm so sorry.
BETTY
Me too, Ross.
Ross looks back at her, but doesn't say anything. His mood suddenly changes back to the
previous anger phase.
ROSS (restrained)
Can I have a word with you?
Betty looks into her old friend's eyes, as she used to, so long ago. She knows what's coming,
but decides to take the chance.
BETTY
Of course.
Rick and Maria have a good idea what's going to happen, and move for the door. They are
subtle enough to not seem impolite, but are also quick enough to try to avoid the blaze.
SARAH (sotto, to Betty)
Will you be alright?
BETTY
Yes. Go on ahead.
Despite her instincts, Sarah leaves the old 'friends' alone in the living room. Ross waits
for Sarah to shut her bedroom door before beginning.
ROSS
Just who the hell do you think you're kidding?
Despite the preperations, Betty is stunned.
BETTY
What on Earth are you talking about?
ROSS
All of that "sympathetic" bullshit of yours! Not a bad effort, I'll grant you, but the
show wasn't convincing.
Betty's mood switches from amazement to outrage, at Ross' allegations.
BETTY
How dare you! My sympathy for Helen isn't fake at all!
ROSS
How could it be real? You'd never even met Helen, and I only briefly mentioned that she
was my girlfriend. As far as you're concerned she could just be some goon that I picked
up off the street!
BETTY
Oh, this is just rich! I try to give you some sympathy, and you rip into me like this?
That's just so fucking rich!
Suddenly, Ross does something that no one can expect under the circumstances - he
laughs. He actually **laughs**. It's a quiet little snigger, the kind that automatically
irritates people, because it's a dead giveaway of an amusing thought that someone is trying to
hide.
BETTY (annoyed)
What is so funny?!?
ROSS
Think about it. (beat) Where have we been down this road before?
Betty thinks to herself, and the memory comes up in her mind:
FLASH TO:
47 - FOREST, DAY
Fifty years earlier, Ross is surrounded by The Hellraisers. Gury points to the side, and we
see another gangman escorting someone into Cedar Park... the younger Betty.
Ross is speechless at first, shocked at the new twist.
ROSS (strained)
I see. (to Gury) You're a Hellraiser, Betty's your girlfriend, Betty is troubled about
what you did last week, I try to help her, exposing you guys to the risk of arrest, and
getting a bull's-eye painted on my face!
GURY
Exactly.
Gury says this with an almost megalomaniacal tone. Ross, however, is far too angry to pay
attention to this. He turns toward Betty.
ROSS
How could you have done this to me? I trusted you, I tried to help you, and this is the
thanks I get?!
FLASH FORWARD
48 - LOFT, AS BEFORE
BETTY
Your death. That's what this is all about, isn't it? Your murder?
ROSS
You're damn right. Let's get something straight here, Betty: I've never forgiven you for
what happened fifty years ago. Frankly, the only reason that I'm protecting you from Gury
is because I want him to pay for what he's done.
BETTY
Well, THAT'S real mature, for a guy who would normally be my age!
ROSS
Don't you get started with me...
BETTY
Too late for that, dear. Remember how you said that?
ROSS (turning away)
Oh, fuck you!
BETTY
I would have thought that you, of all people, would know that lifetimes are too short, to
hold grudges.
ROSS
That depends on the grudge. (beat) Think about it, from my perspective: I cared about you
a lot, back then. That's no secret. Because of that, I tried to help you, when you were
in trouble. But what do you do? You waltz to your boyfriend, leader of the worst gang
the town had ever seen, and tell him about how I stuck my neck out, trying to be your
friend, and he jabs a fucking bowie knife through me!!!
VOICE
STOP!!!
Betty and Ross turn to find Sarah standing in her doorway, apparently having heard the whole
altercation.
SARAH
Why do you hate her so much? Why can't you just trust her that she's trying to help you?
ROSS
You heard everything pretty well, you tell me.
SARAH
I can't believe that. Granny would never do such a thing!
ROSS (snapping)
Try telling that to my folks! They grew old, and died, thinking that I was wasted
in a fucking ambush! I was their ONLY child, you understand that? They may as well
have died with me!
BETTY
*You* survived, didn't you?
ROSS
I survived only because I'm immortal! And, to be totally frank, I'm not particularly fond
of it. Just because guns and knives can't kill me doesn't mean I hate being shot or
stabbed any less! (beat) In some ways, you're actually better off than me! I can't grow
old, I can't have a family... Between that, and trying to keep people from beheading me,
I haven't had a normal life in fifty damn years!
BETTY
Well, you may not be able die on the outside, but you're certainly dead on the inside!
(beat) Maybe you didn't read the papers after your murder, but I turned myself in to
the cops after what happened in the park. Why do you think I did that?
ROSS
I figured you were just being a fucking coward. I figured, maybe, if you gave
yourself up and ID'd some Hellraisers, you'd get some time shaved off your sentence.
Even now, Betty is stunned that he actually has the gall to make such a conclusion.
BETTY
You son of a bitch. You really thought that was why I came forward?
(beat, getting more and more tense)
I'll tell you why I came forward: I was so guilty about causing your death that I
couldn't live with myself! Knowing every day that I sent Gury to kill you was often
enough to make want to kill myself because I became such a monster! I wanted to do
something to make your family - make you - believe that justice was being done. I
SURRENDERED BECAUSE I LOVED YOU!!
Unable to control herself anymore, Betty slaps Ross very hard in the face. Betty's
strength had clearly not mellowed with age, as her palm left a deep bruise on the one side of
Ross' visage.
BETTY
Get out of my home!!! NOW!!!
Ross storms out, anyway, only too glad to leave.
49 - CEMETARY, DAY
Ross and Rick walk into Felker's Garden Cemetary. The cemetary iss on the outskirts of town,
just behind a small church; a quiet resting place, completely out of the way.
They soon find Helen's tombstone: a three-foot high marble slab engraved with the words "Helen
MacLeod 2033 - 2049". (the birthdate is, of course, fake - Helen was really born in 1520)
ROSS
It's funny. When Helen and I first fell in love, we thought that our love would truly
last forever, because we couldn't die - in theory, anyway.
RICK
It's at times like this that I wonder what point there is in being immortal, if
you would still die, albeit centuries - or even millennia - after your original friends
would.
Those are particulary sobering words for Ross.
ROSS
"Original friends." (beat) Amazing. There are so many people I knew from both elementary
and high school who'd be very old by now, if not dead. So many people who I'd thought of
as extended family...
A thought passes by Rick's mind, but he doesn't say it, for obvious reasons; he looks like
he was going to suggest Betty.
Both Immortals kneel by the tombstone. Ross places a boquet of assorted flowers on the dirt.
ROSS (sotto)
Farewell, Highlander. I'll never forget you.
RICK (looking at the sky)
Goodbye, Helen. Take care of yourself up there.
As it had so frequently in the past, The Buzz suddenly alerts them to an Immortal presence.
Ross doesn't turn to face the new arrival.
Rick, however, does see the new arrival, and his face turns to rage; it's Gury.
GURY
Nice to see you again, Keller.
Ross' face tightens, as he tries to contain his anger, on the one place he can never lose it.
ROSS
Gury...
GURY
Holy Ground, Keller; We can't fight here.
RICK (seeing through him)
Lucky for you. (beat) I thought you'd be out of the country by now. I don't know if
you've noticed, but you're wanted for murder.
GURY
It wouldn't be the first time, Dimese.
Gury looks very hard at Ross. Ross doesn't return the glance, but he can feel the eyes of his
enemy. He can feel them every bit as much as he feels the rage in his soul that he tries
inhumanly hard to keep locked down.
ROSS
Take those eyes off of me, before I carve them out!
Rick is stunned that his former student would make such a threat in a cemetary.
RICK
Holy Ground, Ross!
ROSS
I don't plan on killing him. Just making his life a living hell.
For the first time, Ross finally looks at his enemy. Gury shows no sign of remorse, or
morality.
ROSS
What do you want, Gury?
GURY
To make that double crossing bitch, Betty, pay for squealing on me. Maybe that little
girl of hers, too.
RICK
Wait a minute. I can understand why you'd be pissed off at Betty, by why Sarah?
She didn't do anything.
GURY
True, but it would be nice to break one, by killing the other, first.
ROSS
Don't blame her, Gury. Betty only told the cops what you did, it was your actions that
sent you here.
Rick is impressed with his student's wit, but Gury is not. He walks right up to his
foe's face.
GURY
Even for Holy Ground, you're **really** pushing it.
ROSS
Then let's step off Holy Ground, and get this over with.
Ross draws his samurai, and practially forces Gury out of the cemetary. Once outside, Gury
draws his broadsword.
GURY
Tell me Keller, what are you REALLY fighting for? To avenge your lover, or to protect
the female Judas?
ROSS
For Helen! You murdered her in cold blood. I really don't care that much about Betty. I
don't owe her any more than you do. If you want her, then you can HAVE her!
Gury's eyes go wide, as if surprised by the apathy Ross has shown toward a woman who he used to
love. Gury simply puts his sword back in its pocket and walks away. Ross watches him get in his
car and drives away into the suburbs, and then heads towards the car that he and Rick came in.
50 - ROAD, DAY
Ross and Rick walk side-by-side. Ross doesn't look like he's in a particularly communicative
mood.
RICK
What you said back there, about Betty... You didn't mean that, did you? (beat) Is this
one of your "methods to your madness"? Do you have some kind of plan?
Ross never answers. He simply gets in the car, and they drive back to town.
51 - ROSS' ROOM, LATER
Ross sits on his bed, cleaning his ancient samurai, and brooding about the events of the last
couple of weeks. He soon hear Betty's voice.
BETTY (v.o.)
I'll tell you why I came forward...
FLASH TO
52 - BETTY'S LOFT, NIGHT
Betty is screaming at Ross, as we saw before.
BETTY
I was so guilty about causing your death that I couldn't live with myself! Knowing every
day that I sent Gury to kill you was often enough to make want to kill myself because I
became such a monster! I wanted to do something to make your family - make you - believe
that justice was being done. I SURRENDERED BECAUSE I LOVED YOU!!
FLASH FORWARD
53 - ROSS' ROOM, AS BEFORE
Ross is clearly affected by these words.
ROSS (to himself)
Was she serious? Did she really mean that, or was that something that slipped out?
Ross stares out at the wall, as if trying to somehow talk to Betty.
ROSS
If you had loved me, so long ago, then why did you turn me down, when I reached out to
you?
FLASH TO
54 - SCHOOL HALLWAY, END OF DAY
Ross, and the younger Betty, are at their lockers, packing up for the day.
BETTY
Did you have a good day?
ROSS
Pretty good, yeah. (beat) I'm hoping it'll be a little better, too.
BETTY
Really? Why?
ROSS (shy)
Well, you know how I asked you about maybe seeing a movie, sometime...
BETTY (knowing where this is going)
Yeah.
ROSS
Have you thought about it?
Betty seems to stare into empty space for a moment, as if trying to think of something
to say. Eventually, she turns her head toward Ross and looked into his eyes.
BETTY
I already have a boyfriend.
FLASH FORWARD
55 - ROSS' ROOM, AS BEFORE
Ross looks as if he's finally beginning to sympathize with Betty... maybe even forgive her.
But then, The Buzz interrupts Ross' train of thought.
ROSS (irritated)
Figures.
Ross exits into...
56 - HALLWAY, DAY
Ross grumbles toward the door.
ROSS
Why can't Immortals visit when I'm NOT in the middle of something?
The doorbell rings.
57 - DOWNSTAIRS HALL, DAY
Kate goes to the door.
KATE (shouting upstairs)
I've got it, Ross!
Kate looks through the peephole in the door, but doesn't recognize the fish-eye view that she
gets. All she can see is that the caller is white skinned, and has red hair. Opening the door,
Kate gets knocked into the wall by the intruding caller.
58 - HALLWAY, AS BEFORE
Ross hears the struggle, and runs a mad dash to the door, samurai in hand.
59 - DOWNSTAIRS, AS BEFORE
Bolting into the downstairs hall, Ross becomes relieved to find that the Immortal whom he
sensed was not Gury, but Maria. Kate was knocked to the ground because Sarah, who accompanied
Maria, had jumped through the front door as soon as a small crack had appeared. As soon as
Sarah sees Ross, she runs down the hall.
SARAH
You fucking bastard!!!!
Sarah punches him very hard in the face, breaking his nose. Kate jumps Sarah, and tries to
force her out of the house.
ROSS
Wait!!!
Ross gets to his feet, as the bones in his nose mend themselves quickly, once he sets them
back into place.
ROSS (to Sarah)
Nice to see you, too.
MARIA (out of breath)
I'm sorry, Ross. She jumped me about fifteen minutes ago and made me drive down here!
ROSS
Why? What's wrong?
SARAH
Gury's taken my grandmother!
Ross is totally shocked.
ROSS
Gury's *taken* her?!? How?
Sarah's eyes never leave Ross in the whole time that she's there. She clearly blames him
for what happened.
SARAH
Granny and I were working in the store, when all of a sudden, Gury just shot into the
place, held a knife to Granny's throat, and threatened to kill her right there if
I made any move to stop him! He said to me that I should thank you for letting him go
after her, and drove off with her.
Kate and Maria look hard at Ross, and for good reason. Ross sincerely feels horrible; he's done
exactly what he'd blamed Betty for: betrayed a friend.
ROSS (holding his sword at Maria)
Maria, will you do me a favour, and put me out of my misery?
KATE
That's not funny, Ross.
ROSS
Who's joking?
Taking back the sword, Ross realizes that he has to follow Betty's example even further - by
trying to atone for his grave and potentially fatal error.
ROSS
Which way did Gury go?
Sarah is momentarily confused by the question, before the reason occurrs to her. It makes her
calm down considerably.
SARAH
I don't really know... He drove east down Mapleberry - one of the main streets in town -
ROSS (stern)
I know that. I have lived here for sixty-five years, thank you.
MARIA
I don't get it. There isn't much on the east side of town. Just the highway, the old
high school...
KATE (light bulb on...)
And Cedar Park!
ROSS (proverbially kicking himself)
Of course!
SARAH
Now I don't get it. What's the big deal about Cedar Park?
ROSS
It's where Gury ambushed me! It makes complete sense! If Gury wants to kill Betty
because of telling the cops about my murder, then why not do it in the place where
it all started?
MARIA (catching on)
Especially when the park has been abandoned for decades? (beat) Hardly anybody's lived
around that place since the big earthquake in '21 shattered the gas lines and blew the
neighborhood, so there'd be no one around to be witnesses!
ROSS
It's perfect!
Ross takes his jacket from the front closet and stows his samurai inside the hidden pouch.
SARAH
What are you doing?
Ross grabs his car keys.
ROSS
What does it look like? I'm going to save your grandmother, and take that bastard's
head.
SARAH
What if he kills my grandmother first?
ROSS (headed out the door)
Then I'll do it a lot more slowly!
60 - OLD NEIGHBORHOOD, NIGHT
Driving his way through what remains of the old neighborhood, Ross is definitely shocked at how
ravaged the place looks, even twenty-eight years after the 'quake. The blast damage took out
over seventy percent of the old neighborhood, killing somewhere around two thousand people.
Ross finds his old house, very dilapidated after nearly three decades of neglect. The once
bright yellow paint has faded to a pale Mother of Pearl after years of weathering, and moss
hangs out of the eavesdroves in a sick green display. It is a depressing sight, to see his old
livelihood in such poor condition. He parks the car in his old driveway, as it's a short walk
to the park.
61 - CEDAR PARK, NIGHT
The decent condition of the old playground is a bit ironic, in this setting. Gury's car sits
nearby. Grabbing Betty by the scruff of her sixty-five year-old neck, he drags her endlessly on
a tour of the place.
GURY (sadisically)
Welcome to Cedar Park. I'm Kyle Gury, and I'll be your tour guide tonight.
(re: playground) Wasn't it nice when we were kids and we used to play on here? When I
have my way with your little girl, I think I'll do it here.
BETTY (sotto)
Oh God, no...
62 - FOREST, NIGHT
Sadistically having the time of his life, Gury drags the old woman through the sharp bushes
that The Hellraisers had dragged Ross through so long ago.
GURY
Now you know how Ross felt when my guys did this to him!
This comment makes Betty truely afraid... not just of Gury, but of what Ross has become. She
seems to remember how Helen's death affected him.
63 - DENSE FOREST, NIGHT
After what seems like forever, the twosome finally cleared the bushes. Betty is pulled up by
her immortal ex-boyfriend, and finds herself in the clearing where Ross was killed for the
first time (where he became immortal).
GURY (drawing a knife)
And now... It's time to pay.
Gury moves closer and closer to his helpless victim.
GURY (cntd)
I've been looking forward to this for a long time...
Gury brings the knife arm into the air, and is about to bring it down when he suddenly feels
that familiar charge in his mind - The Buzz. Gury's smile fades, because he knows exactly what
this means.
GURY (re: Ross)
Impossible! How did he know I was here?
BETTY
Because you're really bad at waxing poetic?
Gury shoots a deadly look at her, which doesn't seem to faze her.
BETTY (cntd)
It's just a theory.
ROSS (o.s.)
Actually, that's about right.
GURY
Keller!!!
Gury throws the knife away and draws the sword from his coat.
GURY
We finish this now!!!
Ross steps out, behind him. His samurai is drawn.
ROSS
I couldn't agree more.
As soon as Gury discovers his foe, he attacks ruthlessly, hacking and slashing at Ross without
any pause or letup. Ross is able to block the blows, but only just. As Helen had discovered the
hard way, Gury is definitely stronger than Ross.
ROSS
Betty! Get out of here, NOW!!!
Betty is surprised, but appreciative, that Ross is suddenly concerned for her safety. She runs
for cover, but doesn't stray far from the battle.
Gury lunges at his foe, and Ross is shoved against a tree with brute force. The two warriors
are right in each other's faces, each one looking into the other's soul. Only Ross' sword is
able to prevent Gury's blade from slicing through his torso. He brings his foot into Gury's
stomach and pushes as hard as he can. Gury is thrown from his enemy, and disorented for an
instant as he tries to regain his balance.
Ross takes adavntage of Gury's brief weakness, and charges toward him, hacking at him. For the
first few moments, Ross has the upper hand, but then Gury gets his bearings again, and blocks
his opponent's slashes effortlessly.
ROSS (sotto)
I **really** have to do this more often.
Unexpectedly, Gury hooks his blade under Ross' and swings his arm away from him. Ross' samurai
is pulled from his grasp, landing some fifty feet away in the middle of the brush. Still, a
light of inspiration lights up in Ross' mind.
ROSS
When all else fails...
In a mad rush of adrenaline, Ross jumps into Gury's abdomen, knocking him to the ground like a
sack of potatoes. While Gury is on the ground, Ross whisks his opponent's sword away, putting
both combatants on equal ground.
Learning a thing or two from Ross, Gury shoves his enemy away with both of his feet, sending
him flying onto his back. Quickly getting to his feet, Ross punches Gury hard in the face three
times, following with a quick and powerful roundhouse kick which smashes into the side of his
opponent's head.
Recovering, Gury counters with his own combo. While on the ground, he sweeps his leg across the
grass, tripping Ross head over heels. Getting up ahead of his enemy, he kicks Ross very
viciously in the face, sending him onto his back. The attack leaves Ross breathless, and
unable to fight.
Gury finds his sword and holds it in his hands. He moves right on top of Ross, and swings the
broadsword high in the air. Just as he's about to bring it down, something hard smashes into
the back of Gury's head with tremendous force.
Disoriented and angered, Gury swings around to see who attacked him: it's Betty, looking very
determined to bring him down. She's holding a small log in her hands.
GURY (taunting)
Trying to save Keller's life, eh?
Without warning, he brings the sword down on Betty, swatting the log out of Betty's hands like
a fly. Her expression turns from stern determination to outright fear, knowing what's going to
happen next.
Gury lunges deep his sword into Betty's torso, ripping through muscles, bones, and organs.
Betty screams from the excrutiating damage to her body. She bleeds heavily all over her shirt.
Her pain is intensified as Gury twists the blade, sideways, opening her chest. She finally
falls to the ground as Gury roughly removes the viscera-drenched sword from his former lover.
GURY
Payback's hell.
Suddenly, another blade runs straight through Gury. The blade pierces his chest, and the end of
the razor-sharp sword gets exposed for a good two feet through Gury's body. The sword is Ross
Keller's samurai. Ross leans into his ear.
ROSS
Now it's *your* turn to pay!
Ross shoves Gury's badly injured form off of his weapon.
ROSS
That was for Betty!
Gury is weakened, and badly wounded, but very pissed off. Holding onto his broadsword tightly,
Gury swings his trusty weapon at his enemy, which Ross blocks with the greatest of ease. He
pushes Gury away his with samurai, and swings backhand at Gury's neck, slashing it from ear to
ear. He screams with a metallic-sounding rasp.
ROSS (enraged)
That was for Helen!!
Using whatever strength he has left, Gury attacks Ross one last time. Ross parries and pushes
again, this time bringing his blade down on Gury swordhand. Gury's swordhand gets cut off, and
he screams, in total defeat. Ross holds the blade to his Gury's neck, ready to finish this.
ROSS
There can be only one.
Ross swings his arm back, and brings his sword across Gury's throat, slicing through it
completely. Kyle Gury's head falls to the ground, and his body soon follows.
ROSS (sotto)
And that was for me.
A bright green aura appears from Gury's headless corpse, and swirls through the air
majestically, before bonding with Ross. Ross suddenly has a huge flash of memories, while
lightning from Gury's body strikes him repeatedly. The lightning then reflects off Ross and
into the trees, destroying them all instantly in a shower of light and fire. As The Quickening
dies down, Ross falls to the ground. Looking up he finds himself in a tremendous firestorm. All
around him, the trees and bushes that made up Cedar Park are in a blazing inferno.
ROSS (suddenly remembering)
Betty...
Sheathing his samurai, Ross searches for his friend. He finds Betty just near the edge of the
fire, limp and soaked in blood. Without even thinking, he picks up his former love in both
of his arms.
64 - LIGHTER FOREST, NIGHT
Ross runs out of the park as fast as possible, even as the park incinerates behind
him.
65 - OUTSKIRTS, NIGHT
Ross takes Betty to the edge of the forest and, as he sits on the gravel walkway, cradles
her gently in his arms. Checking Betty's pulse, he discovers that it's weak, as Betty has lost
a lot of blood.
ROSS (mournfully)
Betty...
BETTY (barely audible)
Ross...?
Betty is on the edge of consciousness, and fading fast.
ROSS
Try not to move; It's really bad.
BETTY
I didn't think you'd come for me...
ROSS (apologetically)
I love you. What else could I do? (jokingly) Besides, I got you in this mess in the
first place, I figured that I owe you.
To emphasize these words, Ross ends them with a good-hearted chuckle, which Betty returns as
best she can.
BETTY
Thank you...
Ross does one last thing to make Betty's final moments easier - he kisses her. To him, Betty
is the same teenaged girl he'd known a long time ago, even if she doesn't look it.
ROSS
Take care, old friend.
Betty dies in his arms, with Cedar Park burning to cinders behind him.
66 - CEMETARY, DAY
(Note: this isn't the same cemetary that Helen is buried in)
Young Sarah enters Greenhill Memorial Cemetary. Betty's death seems to have hit her harder
than anyone else. Afterall, Betty was the only parent that Sarah ever knew, and she is gone
forever.
She walks up to the fresh grave, ever so slowly. She still can't believe that Betty's really
gone. Crouching by the granite tombstone, she takes a bouquet of roses from her coat and places
them on the dirt infront of the slab.
Sarah is about to pray silently when someone walks along the gravel road behind her. She turns
around to see Ross, in a long black coat, clearly paying his own respects.
ROSS
Hi, Sarah.
Sarah doesn't say anything at first, only nods absently. Kneeling on the opposite side of the
grave, Ross removes his own rose bouquet from his coat and placed it next to Sarah's.
SARAH (softly)
Thank you.
Ross glares at the engraving on Betty's tombstone. It reads "Betty Holmes-McAllister:
1983-2049". It is a troubling sight for him.
ROSS
I'll never get used to this.
SARAH (misunderstands)
I didn't think you were supposed to.
Ross looks at her in confusion at first, but then realizes what she thinks he means.
ROSS
I mean the dates. (beat) Betty was born on November 24, 1983 - three months after I was
born. It just bothers me a little that people who I grew up with are growing old and
dying while I look and feel exactly the same way now as I did when I knew them; when I
was really fifteen.
SARAH
When you live forever, I guess you just have to live with it. Let's face it, Ross -
you're going to see this an awful lot in your lifetime. The only way you can avoid it is
if you go hiding in the mountains forever. Do you really want that?
ROSS
Not entirely.
He gets up and walks to a wooden deck that has a wonderful view of the city. Sarah follows the
Immortal and stands beside him.
SARAH
What do you mean?
Ross takes a deep breath before answering. He isn't entirely sure how to say this.
ROSS
I'll be going away for a while. With all that's been happening lately, I need to clear my
head.
SARAH
Will you be gone long?
ROSS
Not if I can help it. I don't plan on being gone more than a few months.
SARAH
Where will you go?
ROSS
I'm not sure. I'll probably start with Glenfinnan, where Helen grew up. After that, I'll
go wherever I have to, just as long as I find my peace.
Sarah isn't sure what to say. She'd only met this "young" man a couple of weeks eariler, but
she's already thinking of him as a friend. Looking into Ross' eyes, she can tell that he is
thinking the same thing.
Ross turns to face Sarah one last time. He caresses the side of her beautiful face with his
hand, still amazed at how much she resembles Betty.
ROSS
Take care of yourself, Sarah.
Taking hold of Ross' arm, Sarah moves closer to the Immortal and kisses him softly on the
lips. He isn't terribly surprised about this, but it saddens him because of the memories of
Helen that it must bring up. He just hugs Sarah firmly, clearly feeling for her.
SARAH (whispering)
Don't lose your head.
Ross watches Sarah leave, wondering what can happen between them. After she is gone, he watches
the wonderous sun set in Felker.
ROSS (sighing)
I'm gonna miss this place.
FADE TO BLACK
THE END
(c) 1999/2000 By Stephen Bryce as a derivative work
www.geocities.com/sibryce
* taken from "Highlander", screenplay by Gregory Widen, Larry Ferguson & Peter Bellwood.
By Stephen Bryce
Based On The Character Created By
Gregory Widen
Volume I, Number I
"The Princes Of The Universe"
FADE IN
MONTAGE
A series of clips of "Highlander: The Series", and the first movie, showing Methos, The Kurgan,
Amanda, Connor, and Duncan MacLeod, all alternating between their native times, and
contemporary times.
VOICE
From the dawn of time, they came, moving silently, down through the centuries,
living many secret lives, and struggling to reach the time of The Gathering,
where the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known they were
among you... until now.*
1 - DENSE FOREST, NIGHT
The first thing we notice is that hardcore punk music is exploding from speakers, sitting in a
flatbed Ford pick-up. As the camera moves around, we see that there are many TEENAGERS roaming
around, partying or hanging out.
CAPTION
May 28, 1999
Felker, Ontario, Canada
Moving around more, we see an unassuming young man, sitting by a fire, half-listening to the
music. He appears to be a seventeen year-old Latino, and is alone. No one else seems to
recognize him.
Baffilingly, he is clearly seen wearing a large coat. He seems to be scanning the forest,
waiting for someone... or something.
Without any warning, figures appear out of nowhere. There are dozens of them, surrounding the
bush party. They all wear masks, and they all wear black shirts with grey pentagrams painted on
them. Many of the people at the hangout recognize the symbol, and who it belongs to - The
Hellraisers.
Many of the masked gangmen close in on the group, who try to flee in blind panic. Those teens
meet with vicious resistance at the hands of their unknown tormentors. Another group
of the gangmen goes after a particular boy, who doesn't seem to know what was going on. He is
savagely attacked, like he is no longer human - just a meal fit for dogs.
One GANGMAN becomes prominant, as if he is some sort of leader figure. Like many other
Hellraisers, he is armed with a very sharp machete. As he enters the heart of the party, he
senses a buzzing, which no one else notices... that is, except for The Latino.
The Leader runs for The Latino. The Latino reaches inside his coat, and grabs for his only
defense: a Spanish sword.
Instantly, the machete and sword lock together with their owners in mortal combat.
The fighters seem to be evenly matched, and it is not clear who has the advantage: The Leader,
with his machete, or The Latino, and his Spanish sword.
Around them, all hell breaks loose. Black blurs chase unidentifiable forms. Screams are
everywhere; some are of agony and some are of sheer pandemonium.
The teenage warriors are fighting heavily with their respective weapons. It is impossible to
tell which one will win.
As suddenly as the madness began, it ends with a screaming wail: a police siren. The
Hellraisers, with their swordsman, all run to some distant area of the forest, quickly
disappearing behind the brush. All around him, The Latino ses the many bodies of the gang's
victims, crying out in horrible misery.
2 - SUBURBAN STREET, A FEW DAYS LATER
The front door of a middle-class home opens, and a fifteen year-old boy walks out. His name is
ROSS KELLER. He is clearly tense, apparently aware of what has happened. He closes the door,
and walks out of frame, trying to hide his inner fears.
3 - CEDAR PARK, SHORT TIME LATER
Ross walks down a gravel path, with a forest to one side. He eyes it very cautiously, sticking
very strictly to the path.
4 - EXT. HIGH SCHOOL, LATER STILL
Nellie McClung High School; a large, fairly new building, with slightly fewer students than it
should have. Those who are present are clearly scared out of their minds. In the parking
lots, there is a fair amount of police presence. Ross walks through a side door, and into the
building proper.
TRANSITION
5 - HALLWAY, AFTERNOON
A BLACK BOY rushes around a corner, being pursued by some TEENAGERS. When they catch up with
him, they throw him against the locker, and punch him in the stomach. Ross walks into this
hallway, and is not amused.
ROSS
HEY!!! Leave him alone!
The Teenagers ignore him, completely. He gets right inbetween them and The Black Boy, shoving
a Teenager off of him.
ROSS
I said leave him the fuck alone!
The Teenagers are thrown back, but mainly by surprise.
TEENAGER
What the fuck are you doing, man?
ROSS
I'm stopping this bullshit of yours, that's what.
TEENAGER
Didn't you hear about these Hellraisers, Keller? They're all black! (points to boy)
HE'S black!
ROSS
Big fucking deal! It's this kind of bullshit that started that slavery crap, a hundred
years ago. Or, for that matter, The Holocaust! (beat) We can't get paranoid, and beat up
every coloured kid in sight, or we'll be no better than those psychos!
Apparently not motivated enough to commit, the swarm leaves. Ross helps the boy up.
BOY
Thanks, man.
ROSS
Anytime.
They go their seperate ways.
6 - MEDIA CLASSROOM, LATER
Ross piles into the room, with every other present student. They all sit down, and MR. CARTER
takes "the floor". He is a middle-aged man, who is very friendly, and genuinely concerned for
his students.
MR. CARTER
How is everyone? Are you holding up alright?
Mixed reactions from a crowd of about two dozen.
GUY #1
The cops don't know squat, sir.
MR. CARTER
What makes you say that?
GUY #1
These guys are supposed to be protecting us, but they can't even catch a cold!
GIRL #1
I know! (beat) These guys have locked the doors, and are supposed to be keeping strangers
out of the school, right?
ROSS
That's the idea, yes.
GIRL #1
Then why are they missing the jokers who are slipping right past them?!
Mr. Carter leans against a counter, in surprise over this allegation.
MR. CARTER
I can't answer that.
GIRL #2
And what about those rumours that The Hellraisers robbed a gun shop, downtown?
MR. CARTER (more tense)
Now that, is trash. I haven't heard anything that confirmed it.
GUY #2
For our sakes, sir, you'd better be right.
Mr. Carter glares at this young man, understanding completely.
Ross' attention focuses less on this discussion, as his eyes wander the room, toward a young
woman, sitting nearby. She is about Ross' age, a regular knock-out, and looks like she's
normally a far cheerier person. Her name is BETTY HOLMES.
Like most of the other people in the room, she's trying to keep her cool, but is visibly
troubled by the situation. Ross clearly feels some sort of responsibility - or guilt - over
her mood. It is obvious to anyone that he cares about her, a lot.
TRANSITION
7 - GEOGRAPHY CLASSROOM, PAST, DAY
A room that looks like a converted science lab. About thirty teens mingle around, in here,
including a younger Ross, who grabs a seat near the middle of the room. Soon after, Betty
approaches.
BETTY
Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?
ROSS
No, not at all.
Betty sits.
BETTY (offering her hand)
Betty Holmes.
ROSS
Ross Keller. (beat) It's nice to meet you.
Though Betty doesn't seem to notice, but Ross is definitely attracted to her.
Through a montage, we see them enjoying each other's company, over some happy conversations,
and over a considerable passage of time.
TRANSITION
8 - HALLWAY, SOMETIME LATER, LATE AFTERNOON
The crowds are getting restless in the hallway, but that is to be expected. Ross walks up to
his locker, turned the knob on the combination lock, and opened the locker door. Betty is
already at the locker next to his.
ROSS
Hi.
BETTY
Hey. Did you have a good day?
ROSS
Pretty good, yeah. (beat) I'm hoping it'll be a little better, too.
BETTY
Really? Why?
ROSS (shy)
Well, you know how I asked you about maybe seeing a movie, sometime...
BETTY (knowing where this is going)
Yeah.
ROSS
Have you thought about it?
Betty seems to stare into empty space for a moment, as if trying to think of something
to say. Eventually, she turns her head toward Ross and looked into his eyes.
BETTY
I already have a boyfriend.
At first, Ross goes through the natural pain of dissapointment. Then, he begins to consider
her feelings, while Betty gets back to packing up.
ROSS (hesitantly)
I understand. (beat) Have a good weekend.
BETTY
You too.
Ross exits.
TRANSITION
9 - MEDIA CLASSROOM, AS BEFORE
Ross mentally shakes himself awake, realizing that everyone is packing up, to go.
10 - HALLWAY, DAY
It looks pretty much the same as it was just described. Ross and Betty open their lockers.
Ross' face is one of deep concern, Betty's is one of uneasiness.
ROSS
Are you alright? (beat) You looked kind of upset, just now, in class.
BETTY (faking ease)
Oh, I'm fine.
A shot off of Ross shows that he doesn't buy it, but doesn't want to push it far, anyway, since
this is more of her boyfriend's territory.
He takes a sheet of paper and a pen from a clipboard that was magnetized to the locker door,
and writes down a phone number.
ROSS
Look... What's been going on over the last few days can take a toll on anyone.
So, if you want someone to talk to, here's my number. My door's always open.
Betty looks at the paper, and we see uncertainty in her eyes. Hesitantly, she accepts the small
sheet.
BETTY
Thanks, Ross. (beat) Bye.
ROSS
Later.
They exit, down opposite ends of the hallway.
FADE OUT
CAPTION
June 4, 1999
FADE IN
11 - EXT. SCHOOLYARD, DAY
Some more students are at school, this day. Ross is talking with a guy named RICK GARRISON,
who, in fact, is the same Latino who fought The Hellraiser in the beginning.
RICK
Why are you so tense, Ross? The cops arrested one of The Hellraisers.
ROSS
Yeah, but the guy came from here. Everyone's still a little paranoid, me included.
A beat as Rick looks deeper into him.
RICK
It's Betty, isn't it.
ROSS
Nobody's seen her, or her boyfriend. I'm worried about her... about them, you know?
RICK
Hey, no one can blame you for worrying about a friend. (beat) Who is her boyfriend,
anyway?
ROSS
Kyle Gury. He was in my gym class, last year. He's a little scruffy around the edges,
but he seems alright.
Ross hides something in this statement, which Rick picks up on.
RICK
Really?
ROSS
Well, there is something... No, you'd never believe me.
RICK
You'd be surprised.
ROSS
There's soemthing about this guy... I don't know what it is, but it really gives me the
creeps.
Rick gets very serious, here, surprisingly.
RICK
Stay out of it, Ross. You don't know what you're getting into. You aren't ready for
this yet.
Wordlessly, Rick leaves. Ross walks down another street, totally baffled.
12 - CEDAR PARK, SHORT TIME LATER
Ross walks down the gravel path, like he usually does. Though he doesn't notice, some shapes
are moving in the bushes behind him.
Just as Ross walks by the park's modest playground, he finally sees that there's no one else
around... likely because of the markers, with a gray pentagram painted on a black background -
the emblem of The Hellraisers.
Ross sees this, too, and gets tense. He starts making his way out of the park.
Suddenly, two masked forms rush out of the woods, and slam a baseball bat into Ross' skull.
He is knocked down, totally disoriented. The attackers grab his legs, and drag him into the
dense forest.
13 - BRUSH
Ross' attackers don't seem to take comfort into account, on this trip, and they ignore the
broken twigs, brahches, and exposed roots that roughen up Ross' "ride".
14 - FOREST, DAY
Finally, The Attackers come to a stop, in the forest, and put Ross on his feet. They let him
go, and it's easy to see why: about a dozen young men are in a ring around him, all older than
him, all black, all with grey pentagrams tatooed on their forearms. Ross is surrounded by
Hellraisers; He can't run, and he can't hide.
ROSS (sotto)
Oh shit.
VOICE
Welcome, Keller.
At first, Ross doesn't recognize the voice, but it soon comes to him with pain and jealousy.
ROSS
Gury. Kyle Gury.
To confirm Ross' statement, a tall young man of his age walks out from behind a tree. Gury is
white, and dressed in a long black trenchcoat, under which lie matching jeans, a grey T-shirt,
and probably a few melee weapons.
For some reason, Ross briefly feels really dizzy, even for what he just took. He acts like
he's had a small migrain, and we hear a low, humming sound. Gury stops moving, for a moment,
as if he feels something similar.
The sky suddenly flashes several times as lightning bolts randomly criss-crosses the heavens.
Or are they random? Did the sky *really* turn dark like that in the last couple of minutes?
ROSS (back to earth)
So what's up?
GURY
You've been meddling where you shouldn't have, Keller. It's gonna cost you... big time.
ROSS (impatient)
Maybe it's just the concussion, but I don't have a clue what you're talking about. Are
you sure you didn't mistake me for someone else like you did at the bush party?
GURY (confident)
Quite sure.
Gury gestures that Ross is to look off to the side, and moments later, we see another gangman
escorting someone into the staging area... Betty.
Ross is speechless at first, shocked at the new twist.
ROSS (strained)
I see. (to Gury) You're a Hellraiser, Betty's your girlfriend, Betty is troubled about
what you did last week, I try to help her, exposing you guys to the risk of arrest, and
getting a bull's-eye painted on my face!
GURY
Exactly.
Gury says this with an almost megalomaniacal tone. Ross, however, is far too angry to pay
attention to this. He turns toward Betty.
ROSS
How could you have done this to me? I trusted you, I tried to help you, and this is the
thanks I get?!
Betty painfully avoids his gaze. Ross goes berserk.
ROSS
Answer me, you fucking bitch!
He slams a punch right into her face, which is promptly punished by her bodyguard, and the guy
with the bat. They put him back on his feet, facing the all-powerful Gury.
GURY
Don't blame her, Keller; She only told me what you did, it was *your* actions that sent
you here.
ROSS
Fuck you! Both of you.
He gazes sharply at Betty, who is wiping a drop of blood from her lip, and looking at Ross like
he's a caged animal: under control, but very dangerous.
GURY (unfazed)
Time to pay.
The dozen or so Hellraisers instantly pounce on Ross, blinding him in a black flood and
deafefning him in a storm of curses aimed at him for interfering with one of their own. They
savagely beat him, punching Ross repeatedly and powerfully in the torso and face.
GURY
Enough!
The Hellraisers stop, and a broken Ross is dragged to his feet, once more. Gury walks
dreadfully slowly toward him. Now that the gangmen have backed off a bit, we can see and hear
Betty sobbing at his fate, and being restrained from helping him by her bodyguard's large arms.
ROSS (sotto, to Betty)
Too late for that, dear.
Gury walks up to Ross' face, and pulls out a pocket knife with a blade about eight inches
long. He has no expression on his face.
GURY (silently, to Ross)
There can be only one.
Suddenly, he plunges the very sharp blade deep into Ross' throat, the end of it sticking out of
the other side.
Betty screams hysterically, wanting to help her friend, but her bodyguard quickly uses one of
his arms to cover her mouth.
Ross just stands there, in shock, in eyes wide, as blood pours from the wound, staining his
coat and black shirt.
Realizing the danger of Betty's scream, Gury takes the bloody knife from Ross' neck, and
everyone pulls out.
Ross drops to the ground, and dies... his last sounds being those of Betty's heart-wrenching
screams.
FADE TO BLACK
SLOWLY FADE IN
15 - VFX - FREEFALL
Starting from the cloudy skies, the camera rapidly falls straight down, toward the ground.
As we get closer, we can just see the city, then a neighborhood, then a park... a forest...
16 - FOREST, LATER IN THE AFTERNOON
A bodybag surges with a very hard jolt. There is a panicked rustling, as if someone inside is
desperately trying to get out of there. Eventually, the hole by the zipper is found, and
opened. Somehow, Ross stands out of the bag, alive and well.
Looking around, Ross discovers (with us) that the forest has changed somewhat from when he
"died". No one else is in the immediate vicinty, but we hear a police radio operating nearby.
That explains the barrier of yellow tape suddenly surrounding where Ross is, which reads:
POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS.
Ross examines his body. The left shoulder on his shirt and jacket are still stained with blood
from when Gury stabbed him, but he moves around easily, so all of his beating wounds have
healed... as has the stab wound just below Ross' ear, which should have killed him.
Ross is, understandably, beginning to freak out.
ROSS (sotto)
What is going on?!
Ross quietly starts to leave the forest. Trying not to leave too many clues, in case
Hellraisers are still tracking him, Ross ducks under the police tape and walks on one of the
cleaner roads to avoid leaving footprints. He finds a perimeter bush, and sees...
17 - PARK, DUSK
A couple of police cruisers and a herse are parked right next to the playground where Ross was
initially ambushed. Three or four officers are around and the coroner is busy working out
some paperwork on the hood of his car.
OFFICER
Do me a favour, Ketch: If I ever understand these youth gangs, shoot me!
Cutting back to the bush, we see that Ross doesn't seem to find this joke very funny, but
listens anyway.
KETCH
I know what you mean. First that bush party, now this. (beat) This kid didn't do
anything, why did they kill him?
At this point, we focus on Ross alone, who is totally shocked and disturbed at Ketch's line.
He is in a silent, but full-tilted, pandamonium. At wit's end, Ross turns around and
stealthily walks out of the park. As always, he takes care not to be seen.
18 - FOREST OUTSKIRTS, DUSK
Suddenly, something happens that stops Ross dead in his tracks.
He feels that buzz again, but this time it is much stronger. 'Faint' is no longer adequate to
describe the sensation. At the same time, lightning from above strikes him repeatedy.
As the feeling dies down, Ross scans the neighborhood with his eyes, somehow aware of someone.
ROSS (whispering)
Rick.
Ross walks to his left, and down a short distance. He is drawn to a fairly tall, dark, house,
of an almost Victorian design. He walks right up to the porch, his reasons for being here
unknown, even to himself.
ROSS
I guess this is it.
Ross moves to ring the doorbell, but the door already opens, and Rick stands in the doorway.
He looks at Ross curiously, probably wondering why there's so much blood on his clothes. Aside
from that, he looks normal, as if he knew Ross was coming.
RICK
Come in, Ross.
Uneasily, Ross enters.
19 - INT. RICK'S HOUSE
Ross is very surprised by the differences between the exterior and interior of the house.
Whereas the exterior is dark brick and wood, the inside is a relaxing sky blue. The outside is
like a Victorian castle from a time long passed, but save for a few old crests, swords, and
other ancient family heirlooms, the inside is very modern.
RICK
Give me your coat and shirt, will you?
Wordlessly, Ross obliges. Rick's mother takes them downstairs. It is at this time, when we
see that Rick's mother doesn't look a whole lot like him, for some reason. From out of
nowhere, Rick gets infront of Ross, holding a new shirt.
RICK
Here.
Ross puts it on, as they go to the living room, and sit down in chairs.
RICK (absently)
What happened?
ROSS
I got ambushed by The Hellraisers. There were tons of them... and Gury was leading them.
RICK
I see.
ROSS
And the real pisser is that Betty was with them. She told that son of a bitch about my
offer to help her, and just stood there, watching me get the living shit beaten out of
me. But that's not even the half of it.
RICK
Go on.
ROSS
I don't know what to make of it. First, I feel this... buzz, for lack of a better
term, whenever I'm around you or Gury, then this thing somehow leads me right to your
front door.
Rick simply nods, as if only to show that he's listening.
ROSS (cntd)
But what's really strange, is that Gury stabbed me right here, below my ear. A cut like
that should have killed me within seconds. It not only didn't, but it seemed
to heal completely!
This time, Rick doesn't nod.
ROSS (suspiciously)
Why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me something?
RICK
We all know something that we don't tell others, Ross.
ROSS (impatient)
Spare me this philosophical bullshit! You know exactly why this is happening, don't you?
Rick looks Ross squarely in the eyes.
RICK (hesitant, but plain)
You're immortal.
Naturally, Ross is totally stunned.
ROSS
Immortal...?
RICK (firm)
Immortal.
ROSS (sotto)
That's impossible.
RICK
No, it isn't. There are hundreds of them, if you want proof.
ROSS
Oh yeah? Name one.
RICK
Me.
This news doesn't do much to improve his already shattered nerves.
ROSS
Oh, man... What's going on?
RICK
You've always been immortal. The full effects just didn't become apparent
until now.
ROSS
What "effects"?
RICK
Well, obviously, you can't die. Specifically, you won't age at all from this point
onward, any injury you sustain will heal itself at a much faster rate than normal
humans, and you are totally immune to disease.
(beat)
Secondly, you can't have children. I'm not all that sure why. I guess it's just a price
to pay for immortality. (beat) Thirdly, you've already experienced a mild headache
whenever you've encountered Gury, or myself. It is a mainifestation of our life force,
which we call The Quickening. It allows Immortals to detect each other from as far away
as a hundred feet. The Quickening also allows an Immortal to gain another's knowledge and
power when he dies.
ROSS
What do you mean "when he dies"? I thought Immortals couldn't be killed.
RICK
That's not entirely true. The only way to truely kill an Immortal is to decapitate him.
Any other way, and the Immortal regenerates in minutes, or less.... much less.
(beat)
When an Immortal dies, the closest Immortal to him gains all of his essence. In a way,
the slain Immortal lives on inside the living Immortal.
ROSS
So, you and Gury, you're both Immortal as well?
RICK
I am, but what makes you think that Gury is?
ROSS
I felt the same buzz around him that I feel around you. Isn't that a hint?
RICK
Yes. Anyways, my real name is Ricardo Dimese. I was born in 1263 in what is now
Madrid, and I became immortal in 1280. I try to keep as low a profile as I can, but
sometimes, my secret is revealed to a mortal. The woman who you thought was my mother is
one of those mortals.
ROSS
That explains a few things. (beat) So, the reason that I've never seen you around school
is because you don't go...
RICK
Because the fact that I don't age would draw a lot of attention as I pass through the
system. I finished my education seven hundred and twenty years ago, so there's
no need for me to keep going to school for all eternity.
ROSS (hard)
What about Gury?
Rick is even more frightened of the answer than Ross is.
RICK
He was "killed" about a year ago, but that's about all that I know. He's unstable, Ross -
be careful. With his power and mentality, he is a very dangerous man. (beat) Be warned:
Before long, word will likely spread of a dissapearing body in the park, which means that
Gury will now know that you survived. He will come after you!
ROSS
So what happens to me now?
Rick removes a curved sword from a nearby wall. It's in a black-velvet scabbard, with an
attached shoulder strap. Rick sets the sword on the table between them, and removes a good-
looking Black Dragon Samurai from the sack. He then hands the Asian weapon to the new Immortal.
RICK
I will train you.
TRANSITION
20 - EXT. DOJO, DAY
A slightly run-down looking dojo, on the wrong side of the tracks.
CAPTION
May 13, 2000
21 - INT. DOJO, VARIOUS TIMES
A montage of clips, showing Rick's patient instruction in Ross' use of his sword. They start
out with Ross at a very novice skill, but he grdaually becomes more and more advanced.
Eventually, he seems to be at about the same level as Rick.
At one point, he lunges at Rick, only to be spun around, with Rick's blade ending up at his
throat.
RICK
Never lose your temper, and never over-extend your thrust. If your head comes away from
your neck, it's over.
Ross is released from Rick's "grip", and they relax their stances.
ROSS
Who taught you that one?
RICK
My own mentor: a man named Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez.
Ross glares at him, a little. Apparently, he was never told who this legendary Immortal was.
Rick suddenly remembers something.
RICK
Oh, I just remembered... (produces a newspaper) I figured you'd want a look a this.
Ricks throws the paper at Ross, which the trainee catches. Ross skims the page, until he finds
something of interest. Rick grabs a towel, and wipes himself off.
ROSS
"Yesterday, a 16 year-old girl was convicted of being an accessory to murder, in
the gang-beating death of Ross Keller, 15, of Felker. Under the Young Offender's Act,
her name cannot be published, but police say that she turned herself in to authorities
shortly after Keller's murder, confessing to her involvement, as well as identifing
several members of The Hellraiser gang. The young woman is to serve five years in a
juvenile detention centre."
(beat, then sourly)
I guess that was Betty, then?
RICK
That was my guess. (beat) How long are you going to hold this grudge against her, for?
ROSS
Until either she dies, or someone takes my head, whichever comes first.
Ross trades the paper for his own towel.
RICK
I'm serious, Ross.
ROSS
So am I. (beat) She was my friend, Rick... at least, I thought she was... and she
never even warned me, or anything. Hell, that ambush might have even been her idea,
for all I know!
RICK
I think you've got a more serious problem: did you notice that Gury wasn't mentioned?
ROSS
Yeah. So what?
RICK
You may be in more danger than you thought. (beat) Every few generations, Immortals feel
an irrepressible urge to travel to a distant land, and fight each other to the death.
This is The Gathering.
Ross is clearly irritated that he wasn't told about this, before now, but listens anyway.
RICK
A different set of Immortals is chosen for each Gathering, but when only one Immortal
from the set remains, he or she receives The Prize. No one knows entirely what The Prize
is, except that an Immortal with it has virtually unlimited power. He is so powerful
that, for all intents and purposes, he or she rules the world.
(beat)
This happens only to the sole survivor of each Gathering, and from there, to whoever
remains after that. In the end, there can be only one.
Ross reacts to these words with a chill and a gasp.
FLASH BACK
21 - FOREST, DAY
Gury and Ross are face-to-face, with The Hellraisers around them.
GURY
There can be only one.
Gury stabs Ross in the neck.
FLASH FORWARD
22 - DOJO, AS BEFORE
Ross mentally wakes up.
ROSS
I remember Gury saying that when he killed me the first time; there can be only one.
RICK
For Immortals, it is a saying in The Gathering. Gury knew you were "Pre-Immortal" when he
stabbed you, so he aimed at your neck and said it...
ROSS
Hoping that a nearly decapitating wound would kill me.
RICK
That's right. (beat) As I've said before, Gury is only slightly more experienced than
you, and had little instruction when you confronted him. He didn't entirely know what
kills an Immortal and what doesn't. Normally, a wound to the neck doesn't kill us, but it
doesn't heal, either. The only exception is the "first death". If the neck wound is small
enough, it will heal as the body transitions itself.
ROSS
You also said that Gury knows what I am... teaching me how to fight him is all good, but
what else can I do?
RICK
Hide on Holy Ground.
Ross gives him a look, indicating that he needs some clarification.
RICK
Tradition forbids us from fighting on any place deemed sacred by religion; churches,
cemetaries, cynagouges, you get the idea. We consider it disrespectful of people's
beliefs.
(beat)
Simply put, when Gury or any Immortal comes after you, they can't touch you on Holy
Ground, so use that to your advantage when you need to buy some time.
Ross is nervously understanding this. Obviously, the full ramifications of his immortality are
still sinking in.
RICK (patting Ross' shoulder)
Don't worry. (beat) With any luck at all, you may never see Gury again, in your lifetime.
ROSS
Personally, if I never see him for another two thousand years, it'll be too soon.
They both laugh, and walk off camera.
TRANSITION
23 - WIDE SHOT - FUTURISTIC CITY
An advanced metropolis, but surprisingly similar to some downtown centers of our present.
CAPTION
Felker, Ontario
49 Years Later
24 - DOWNTOWN STREET, DAY
We see Ross, walking down the street, carrying a box of supplies to his modest-looking car.
Like any Immortal, he hasn't aged at all, since the last time we saw him.
He is totally relaxed, until he suddenly feels The Buzz (that feeling that Immortals get when
they sense each other). He slows his pace, and glares around, instinctively. From his point
of view, we don't see anyone out of the ordinary; just mortal people, going about their lives.
ROSS (sotto)
Who are you?
Ross quickly puts the office supplies in the back seat of his corvette, and half-jogs down a
nearby alley, passing several hookers, bums, and drug pushers.
25 - EXT. CONVENIENCE STORE, DAY
Ross creeps around the corner, on the opposite side of the alley. He can barely hear an
argument, from inside.
VOICE
...Your grandma's dead! You hear me? *Dead!*
Ross recognizes the voice.
ROSS (sotto)
Gury...! But what's he up to?
Gury storms out the front door, not noticing Ross. Like Ross, he hasn't aged a day in the fifty
years since Ross last laid his eyes upon him. He gets in his own black sedan and drives
casually away, not caring at all about the threat that he'd made.
ROSS
He hasn't changed a bit.
He comes out of his hiding place and walks around the corner into the mini-mart.
26 - INT. CONVENIENCE STORE
The store is clean, but empty. It's just like any other convenience store in terms of
stock. There is candy on one wall, soda on another, etc.
In terms of people, there's only a young woman with brown hair standing infront of the cash
counter. She's wearing casual clothes, but seems to work in this charming place. We can't see
the woman's face, but we can hear some faint whimpering, like she's crying.
ROSS
Are you alright, miss?
The woman turns around, and Ross is shocked that she bears a rather striking resemblance to Betty!
ROSS (stunned)
Betty...?
This seems to distract the girl from her grief, as she stops crying instantly. A look of
confusion quickly replaces it.
GIRL
No. My name's Sarah Holmes. Betty Holmes is my grandmother.
Sarah casually offers Ross her hand, and he shakes it just as absently. He stares at her,
somewhat, unable to believe that Betty has had *grand* children. He stands there speechless
for so long, that he eventually notices the impatient look on Sarah's soft face and quickly
wakes up, again.
ROSS
Oh, I'm sorry. (beat) Ross Keller.
SARAH
Glad to meet you.
ROSS
Same here. (beat) I realize this probably isn't any of my business, but why was that guy
threatening your grandmother?
Sarah thinly hides her resentment toward being asked such a question by a total stranger.
SARAH
I'm not all that sure. He mentioned some kind of a double-cross that Granny had made to
his Grandfather fifty years ago. He didn't go into any real detail, but he said that he
planned on making Granny pay for... whatever it is she did.
ROSS (calculating)
I might be able to shed some light on that. (beat) I'm working for a PI who's been
keeping tabs on this guy for a while. That man's name was Kyle Gury. Your grandmother
knew a man of the same name a long time ago. That Gury was the grandfather of this one.
Sarah nods, to acknowledge what he's said.
ROSS (cntd)
During the 1990s, the older Gury was part of a gang called The Hellraisers. About the
same time, he was dating your grandmother.
Again, Sarah shows some considerable restrain, in her reaction. She clearly is quite appalled
by this allegation, but somehow trusts Ross, anyway.
SARAH
Are you sure about that?
ROSS
Positive. (beat) Anyway, The Hellraisers were involved in a couple of ambushes
around these parts in the year 1999. After the second one, your grandmother ID'd some of
the gang members, including Gury.
SARAH
This put them on the lam, so Gury's grandson wants to make Granny pay for ratting them
out, albeit some fifty years later.
ROSS
Yeah, that's it. (beat) You're quite a sharp one.
Sarah blushes, apparently growing to like him.
ROSS (pulling himself together)
What time do you close the store at? I may need to talk to your grandmother.
SARAH
About 8:30.
ROSS
Thanks. I'll be back here, then, if that's alright.
SARAH
Sure, it is.
Ross exits, with a look of great fear, and uncertainty on his face.
27 - EXT. ROSS' NEW HOUSE, NIGHT
A modern, suburban home.
28 - INT. HOUSE - LIVING ROOM, NIGHT
Ross is pacing, uncontrollably, around the living room. Watching nearby is a young woman named
KATE WILLIAMS, who knows full well what Ross is, but not entirely what he is planning.
KATE
I really hate it when you pace. It makes me nervous.
ROSS
Sorry, Kate. It's just really hard to stay calm at a time like this.
KATE
Why? What are you planning? Why are Helen and Rick coming over?
ROSS
So I can tell them the bad news.
At this point, the conversation ends, as he feels The Buzz. Needing no other doorbell, Ross
walks towards the front door, and opens it to two girls. One is a muscular blonde, HELEN
MACLEOD, and the other is a Latin girl, MARIA DEL FELES. They both appear to be about Ross'
age, though each carries many centuries of experience. They enter.
ROSS (to Helen)
Hey...
They kiss each other on the cheek. Ross sees Maria for the first time.
ROSS
And who would you be?
MARIA
Maria Del Feles. I'm a friend of Helen's.
HELEN
She's one of us, don't worry.
ROSS
Alright. Make yourselves at home. (to Maria) Can I take your coat?
MARIA
I'd rather hang onto it... no offense.
ROSS (truely sympathizing)
None taken.
Before the door could be closed, the three Immortals feel another Quickening, this time
belonging to Rick. The former Spanish citizen rushes in the door, greets the bunch, and shuts
the door behind him.
ROSS
Come in, everyone.
29 - LIVING ROOM, NIGHT
Helen and Maria take the couch, Rick sits in a recliner, and Ross just sits on an ottoman.
Kate watches, from just outside the kitchen.
ROSS
You all know why you're here, I trust?
MARIA
I don't, actually. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise.
ROSS
An Immortal named Kyle Gury, who had triggered my immortality, fifty years ago, is
threatening to kill the woman who turned him over to the cops in connection with gang
crimes. (beat) Obviously, we can protect her between the four of us, but knowing this
guy, it may not be enough.
RICK
We may need some help from Betty, herself.
ROSS
That's exactly what I was thinking. But the problem is that the only way to do that is
going to be risky at best... because I'll have to reveal myself to her.
The faces of everyone in the room go white, as if he'd proposed that they all commit suicide.
HELEN
You can't be serious! You want to tell Betty that you're immortal?
ROSS
Have you got a better idea?
RICK
Wait a second: Have you actually talked to Betty yet?
ROSS
Of course I haven't. If Betty had seen me, she'd already know who I am.
But I did speak to her grand-daughter. She seems trustworthy.
MARIA (confused)
Wait a minute. Why do we need to worry so much about trusting either of them?
RICK
Aside from the obvious? Because Betty had Ross "killed" after he tried to
help her through some problems.
HELEN
Namely, she was stressed out over Gury's involvement in an ambush. Betty was Gury's
girlfriend.
MARIA (to Ross)
In that case, how do you know that she won't try to take your head when you walk through
the front door? For all we know, she may have known about you all along, and this is some
kind of a trap that she and Gury have set up to kill you! It's one of the oldest tricks
in the book!
RICK
Or maybe she'll cause a relapse of the Salem Witch Hunts. I for one want to avoid that -
I didn't care much for it the first time around and I wasn't even a target!
Kate, trying up to this point to be quiet and patient, has had enough.
KATE
He's right. (beat) If Betty or Sarah can't be trusted to secrecy, one of them's bound to
go to the press about this. Assuming that they don't laugh in their faces, it could be
on every news broadcast and paper in the world in a matter of hours that secret Immortals
live among humans. It'll be one of the worst cases of panic in history!
ROSS
Kate, you're making us sound like we're an alien invasion!
KATE
Why not? The press sure won't hesitate to.
A hard silence.
ROSS
So, if I don't tell Betty who I am, we might be able to help her, but our chances of
suceeding are slim. But if I do tell her, we might be able to stop Gury, but we'd be
risking mass exposure and hysteria in the process.
Ross looks hard at each person around him. This isn't an easy desicion for anyone. When
his eyes reach Helen, her eyes are probing his, also.
HELEN
What choice do we have?
ROSS
For her sake, she has to know the truth.
30 - EXT. STORE, NIGHT
Ross' car pulls up, on the curb, infront of the store. He gets out, and glances around the
area, half expecting to sense Gury.
ROSS (sotto)
Thank God... He's not here.
As he walks to the door, he barely gets there in time to keep Sarah from locking him out.
SARAH
I was starting to think you wouldn't show up.
ROSS
Sorry. The traffic was a nightmare. (beat) Do you want me to give you a ride to your
grandmother's place?
SARAH (blushing)
Thanks, but it's not necessary. (pointing upward) We both live in the upstairs loft.
Come in.
31 - INT. STORE
All of the lights are off. Sarah locks the front door as Ross walks in, and leads him to a
door in the back of the mart labelled "NO CUSTOMERS BEYOND THIS POINT". Sarah takes another key
out, and opens the rustic looking door.
32 - STAIRWELL
Behind the door is a wooden staircase that leads only upward. Sarah leads Ross up the stairs.
Toward the top, Sarah looks a bit unsettled.
ROSS
Are you alright?
SARAH
I have a problem with heights. (smirks) Funny, isn't it? I've lived here all my life,
and I've never gotten used to the incline being so steep.
Ross briefly considers checking that incline, but quickly decides against it. From his
expression, it seems that he's uneasy about heights, too.
33 - INT. LOFT
Sarah opens the door, and they enter a small, but really cosy looking living room. It's very
trendy looking; the walls are painted a stucco color, the still-questionable modern art
adorns the walls, and the floors are mainly bare wood.
ROSS (trying to be polite)
It's a nice place you've got here.
SARAH
It oughta be. We worked really hard for it.
A pause, as Ross looks at her kind face.
ROSS
You're serious...?
SARAH
Yeah. My mom died just after I was born, so Granny has raised me all my life; my Dad
took off when he found out that Mom was pregnant, so she had no choice. When Granny got
laid off at this old law firm, she needed to find a way to support me, so she bought the
store and this loft with her life's savings. We've lived here ever since.
ROSS
Surely you don't run things here all by yourself?
SARAH (half-kidding)
No. Granny manages the place, but she has other people working here for most of the
year. I take over during the summer.
ROSS (getting down to business)
So, can I speak to your grandmother?
SARAH
Oh, right. Of course.
Sarah leads Ross to a closed door, on one side of the living room. Through the small cracks,
we can see a dim light shining through.
SARAH
Granny likes to read in her room at this time of night.
She gently raps on the door.
OLD WOMAN'S VOICE
What is it, dear?
SARAH
A man is here and would like to speak with you, Granny.
WOMAN
He can come in.
Sarah opened the door with its beautiful gold handle, and she goes with Ross into Betty's
room.
34 - BETTY'S ROOM, NIGHT
It isn't very heavily furnished; just a bed, a night-table, and a recliner. The dim light comes
from a lamp near the recliner, which is where Betty sits, facing Ross' general direction.
Betty isn't actually looking at Ross, as she's very immersed in the book that she's reading,
but her face is quite visible.
Off Ross' face, we see total astonishment at how much she's changed. Betty's face is wrinkled
and sagging, but enough remains the same that Ross eventually recognizes the girl he loved ages
ago. The only part of Betty that doesn't look at all the same is her hair; previously long and
golden blonde, it is now very short and almost white.
Ross is captivated at the sight of his old flame, and is afraid to disturb her peace.
However, he knows that her life depends on this meeting. He takes a deep breath, and slowly
exhales it.
ROSS
Hi, Betty.
Betty looks up sharply, startled at the voice of her long lost friend. Her face seems to turn
even whiter than her hair.
The tension from the surprise is more than obvious. Even an idiot can tell that this
woman is going under considerable strain from this sight. Sarah, naturally, is quite
concerned about this.
SARAH (walking to Betty)
Granny? What's wrong?
Ross and Betty's eyes are locked together, scanning each other for the order amidst this chaos.
Ross, at least for the moment, is putting aside his pain from their last meeting, and is
silently trying to calm her down.
BETTY (hesitantly)
This man...
Sarah clearly understands that Ross' presence has brought up some horrible memories, but is
unsure how. She glares at Ross, wondering what this young man could have possibly done to her
grandmother.
SARAH
This man is Ross -
BETTY (sotto)
...Keller!
Betty looks like she's seen a ghost - not very far from the truth. Sarah looks at Ross, again,
with even more confusion and suspicion.
SARAH (to Ross)
You two have met?
ROSS
Yeah... About fifty years, eight months ago.
The statement really takes Sarah off guard. Her expression is not unlike her grandmother's:
shock and confusion. Normally, Sarah would laugh at him, but her Granny's face clearly shows
that Ross is, somehow, telling the truth.
SARAH (darkly)
But how can that be?
BETTY (horrified)
You DIED fifty years ago! How can you be here?!?
SARAH (to both of them)
**Died?** What the hell is going on?
A pause, as Ross waits for the women to calm down.
ROSS (to Sarah)
Exactly fifty years ago, I was ambushed in one of the gang attacks I mentioned. I was
stabbed, in the throat, with a wound that normally would have killed me. Instead, I
became immortal.
Sarah and Betty sit, speechless, echoing the reactions that Ross had eariler.
BETTY
Immortal?
ROSS
Yeah. (beat) I was essentially a normal human being up until that point. After my "first
death", I stopped aging, and became immune to just about any injury. The only thing that
can really kill me is getting my head cut off.
A pause, as they try to absorb all of this.
BETTY
Alright... So what are you doing here?
ROSS (to Betty)
Gury's gone after you. He's threatening to kill you for selling him out, in '99.
(to Sarah)
He's the same Gury who confronted you in the store today. He's immortal, as well.
I'm not working for any detective. I knew Gury was there only because Immortals can
sense each other's presence from a short distance away. I homed in on him and wound up
overhearing what he said to you.
Sarah and Betty look at each other. A frightened nod from Betty confirms to her grand-daughter
what she could verify of Ross' words. They find it hard to believe him, but both of them know
that for Betty's sake, they have to.
ROSS (encouraging)
Don't worry. I have a plan.
35 - EXT. DANCE CLUB, NIGHT
A very post-modern club, called The Noise. Two cars pull into the parking lot. Sarah gets out
of one, and Ross gets out of the other, with Helen.
ROSS (v.o.)
Sarah, you can go to the Noise dance club, on Friday night. My girlfriend and I will go,
too. In all the time that you're there, we'll to stay as close to you as possible
without attracting attention. The idea is that Gury might try to kill you as well, to try
to break your grandmother. If that's true, then the plan was to put you in a place
where Gury would be likely to find you.
SARAH (v.o.)
The club.
ROSS (cntd)
Exactly. (beat) Obviously, Helen and I won't let that happen.
"Fade" to the dialogue in the parking lot. The three of them huddle, together.
SARAH
I think we've got some problems. This place looks like it's gonna be PACKED, so, if
you guys lose sight of me, it would be a bitch to try to find me again.
HELEN
I know... Also, Ross and I can sense Gury's presence, but we can't tell exactly where he
is, so we'll have to stay sharp.
ROSS
At least this would make it a level playing field; Gury's bound to be affected, too.
SARAH
We're taking a big chance, with this. (beat) Gury might not come after me at all, and
kill Granny while she's alone.
ROSS
That why she's not: a couple of friends of ours are keeping Betty company, in case Gury
shows up, there.
(pause, then to Helen)
Is your sword covered, alright?
HELEN
Yeah, but with this trenchcoat, I'll probably stick out like a sore thumb.
ROSS
Well, don't blame me for this one; I offered you a spare samurai, but you insisted on
taking your Claymore.
HELEN
So I'm a traditionalist, sue me.
Sarah does a bit of a wild take, at the slang.
SARAH
Sue you?
The Immortals just glance at each other, before they all walk to the club.
ROSS
The times, they are a-changing.
HELEN
You noticed?
36 - INT. NOISE
The inside of the club is so dark and crowded that nobody can see much more than a couple of
feet in front of them. On top of that, the techno music was being played so loudly by the DJ
that it completely envelops any background noise.
ROSS
I was afraid of this! I hate it when I'm right!
HELEN
Yeah, me too!
Sarah goes off to join some friends of hers from school, and once again, Helen and Ross
keep a close eye on her while pretending to enjoy themselves.
DISSOLVE
37 - INT. NOISE, SOME TIME LATER
There's still no sign of Gury. It bothers Ross, terribly. He's the type that really trusts
his instincts, and they aren't pointing at any good signs.
ROSS (to Helen)
This can't be right.
Helen subtley scans the room with her eyes.
HELEN
I know. (beat) Maybe you were wrong about this one.
Ross is still tense, and his eyes dart all over the place.
HELEN
Will you relax? People are going to think there's gonna be a shootout, or something!
ROSS
I doubt it... That's not his style.
Sarah walks over to the snack bar, which Helen sees.
HELEN
Look, let's take five. Sarah is, anyways.
ROSS
Alright... You go on ahead, I'll be there, in a minute.
38 - SNACK BAR
While Ross goes off, somewhere, Helen grabs a table, and sits down. Soon afterward, a couple
of guys help themselves to the other seats. They dress and act like the equivalent of today's
skateboarder-types.
GUY #1
Hey, good looking... You lonely, sitting here, by yourself?
HELEN
I won't be, for long. My boyfriend'll be back, in a minute.
GUY #2
Come on... that's the oldest line in the book.
HELEN
That's rich, coming from you.
GUY #1 (leaning closer)
Maybe I can be better company. Or maybe, we BOTH can... ever been in a threesome?
Helen's eyes glaze, like she's really had enough of this.
HELEN (sotto)
Oh, fuck it...
She darts up, punches the second guy in the jaw, and pulls out her sword, so that the blade
rests just beneath the first guy's crotch.
GUY #1
WHOA!!!
HELEN
Look, you little shit-for-brains, even if I *were* lonely, I wouldn't want to hang out
with a limp rag, like you. As for your friend, well... I've never dated pond slime,
so he's out, too. Now, why don't you just quit your day job, before I give you the
cheapest castration in history!
Both guys stumble off, without any other word. They pass Ross, who gazes after them.
ROSS (much calmer)
Those guys giving you trouble?
HELEN (hiding her sword, again)
Nothing I couldn't handle.
ROSS
So I noticed. (beat) It's a nice place, isn't it?
HELEN
Yeah. It's been a long time since we've spent a night out.
Ross nods, in full agreement.
ROSS
Our relationship has become a little routine, lately, hasn't it? What can we do, though?
As far as most people are concerned, we're teenagers and nothing more. We can't exactly
run off and get married.
HELEN
Well, why don't I move in with you?
Ross is a little surprised at the suggestion.
ROSS
Are you kidding me?
HELEN
Do I look like I'm kidding?
In all seriousness, Helen sports a slightly alluring grin, so it's a little hard to tell...
ROSS (thinking about it)
Actually, that just might work. I mean, we look enough alike that we should be able to
pass as brother and sister, or something. I'll have a hell of a time getting Kate to
allow this, but other than that, it might work. (beat) Why not?
The couple holds hands, tenderly, and they look into each other's eyes. The new romantic mood
becomes enforced by the playing of a slow song: "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed.
D.J.
And by very special request tonight, a classic from the turn of the century.
Helen recognizes the tune, and her face glows, enchantingly.
HELEN
The first song we danced to...
ROSS
I'm terrible, aren't I?
HELEN
You did this?
ROSS (pointing elsewhere)
What do you think I was doing, back there? (beat) You wanna dance?
HELEN
You really need to ask?
39 - DANCE FLOOR
Ross leads the five hundred year-old Highland lass to the dance floor. For four minutes the
seemingly young couple seem happier than they'd been in ages.
At one point during the song, Helen looks toward the snack bar, and sees Sarah leaning against
a wall by herself, with a soda in one hand. She's staring at them, almost painfully.
Helen wonders what is on Sarah's mind. She probably figures that she's just stressed out, over
Gury, but it may in fact be another issue, entirely...
Looking at Helen, Ross can tell that she's troubled, and offers his own way of support. Waiting
until Helen looks into his eyes again, he kisses her very fully on the lips. They stayed locked
like this for a couple of minutes.
Then, the song gradually ends, and many of the teenagers move for the exit. Most of them
definitely look like they've begun relationships of their own. But suddenly, the moment is
shattered by Helen and Ross both feeling an abrupt charge - The Buzz.
HELEN
Gury.
ROSS
Yeah.
It doesn't take long for Helen and Ross to find him, now that there are less people around.
Considering where this is likely to lead, they're likely to get out a lot faster very soon.
Instead of heading for Gury, Helen and Ross wait for Gury to find them, watching Sarah
all the while. Before long, they spot each other, and Gury comes toward them. He wears the
same black trenchcoat that he wore the last time Ross saw him. When Gury finally reaches them,
he dons a sinister grin.
GURY
Nice to see you again, Keller. (re: Helen) Who's the lady?
Helen instantly edges closer to him, drawing her Claymore.
HELEN (stern)
I am Helen MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod.
Gury draws his own broadsword.
GURY
I'm charmed.
Ross watches them uneasily. They stand in a battle stance, ready to fight to the death. Just
as they are about to begin, Gury breaks his concentration and looks at Ross.
GURY
Oh, I almost forgot...
He reaches for some kind of modified pager, which is on the waistline of his jeans. Gury
quickly presses a button, and a couple of dozen hoods burst in from the doors, wearing black
shirts with grey pentagrams on the backs. The Hellraisers have returned, and they're headed
right for Sarah.
Helen and Gury immediately start their fight.
HELEN (to Ross)
Get Sarah out of here! I'll take care of Gury.
Not waisting any more time, Ross takes the Samurai out of his jacket, and moves toward his
charge. Like the old Hellraisers, these hoods draw machetes, only theirs are of a sleaker
design.
ROSS
Man, I hate being right all the time.
He runs toward Sarah, and once he reaches her, stays in front of her, blocking any machetes
with his sword. Sarah already runs for the nearest door, with Ross staying as close as he
can.
One of the hoods gets very close to her, but Ross is fast enough to disarm him and land a hard
punch on the side of his face, knocking him out cold. He and Sarah scramble for the exit.
40 - EXT. CLUB, NIGHT
Their predicament gets only slightly easier once they're outside, and even then it's only
because there are more places to run to. The Hellraisers who Ross didn't K.O. are still
chasing them, slicing the thin air, and shouting profane taunts.
Ross and Sarah run to her car as fast as they can, staying a few steps ahead of their
pursuers. When they reach Sarah's modest silver coupe, Sarah scrambles like mad for the keys
while Ross continues to fight the swarming Hellraisers.
ROSS
I can't hold 'em off forever! Move it!
After a few tries, Sarah eventually finds the right key. She quickly gets in the car and locks
the door behind her, keeping her would-be assassins at bay, even if five of them are still
climbing on the car.
41 - INT. SARAH'S CAR
She starts the engine and floors it.
42 - PARKING LOT, AS BEFORE
Many of The Hellraisers fly off instantly. Not hesitating for a second, Sarah drives like mad
out of the parking lot.
43 - ELSEWHERE IN LOT
One of the remaining hoods hits Ross with a lead pipe while he watches the car. The hit
disorients him for a few moments. The Hood takes advantage of this and stabs him in the chest
with a pocket knife. Ross falls to the ground.
ROSS
I'll never get used to this.
Ross dies.
The Hood stands over his victim, wearing a very smug grin. He checks Ross' neck, and confirms
that there is no pulse. He turned his back on his slain prey and walks back to the club. A few
moments later, The Hood is startled by someone tapping him on the shoulder.
The Hood turns around nervously, and instantly receives a hard punch that knocks him out. Now
he's on the ground, and Ross is on top, newly regenerated by that unusual Immortal stamina.
ROSS
That's the oldest trick in *my* book!
44 - INT. CLUB, AS BEFORE
The duel is getting very fierce. Repeatedly, Gury swings hard at Helen, and she is only barely
able to parry the blows. Helen also takes the occasional jab or slash at him, but it is blocked
easily each time; Gury is definitely stronger than her.
She rapidly side-steps the young man, and the strategy does seem to have effect. Almost
every time she moves, Gury is thrown off enough that his back and neck are exposed, very
briefly. She desperately slashes for it each time, but Gury is always able to recover in time
to block.
Gury gets more agressive in his fighting by this time. Every spare moment he has, he swings
quickly, at Helen.
Ross runs quickly back onto the scene. He can't fight Gury while Helen is still at it, but if
something happens...
Suddenly, Gury swings aroung behind Helen, and drives his blade through her back. Helen
lets out a wrenching scream, but Ross can't do anything -- The Rules prohibit two-on-one
fighting.
Gury removes the sword, comes around again, and swings deep into her abdomen. The slash is so
deep that many of her internal organs are cut in half. Helen drops to the ground - with her sword.
ROSS
HELEN!!!!!
Gury looks up, for a moment. He is somewhat surprised, not having noticed Ross come in.
GURY
The battle is engaged, Keller. You cannot interfere!
Gury stands above Helen, almost laughing, not caring at all about the life in his hands. He
shows contempt for her, despite the trememdous battle she'd fought.
GURY
You fought well, MacLeod... But you've still failed.
Gury moves to Helen's side, Helen herself unable to move or even stand. Ross and Helen lock
eyes.
HELEN (sotto)
I love you...
Gury swings his large broadsword in the air.
GURY
There can be only one!!!
ROSS
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The sword flies down, and cuts off Helen's head.
Ross instantly falls silent, stunned at what he's just seen.
Gury looks up and smiles relentlessly at his foe, amused at what he's done to Ross.
By mystical and unseen forces, Helen's decapitated body glows on the ground. A bright green
aura seperates from her and mends permanently with Gury's mind. It's The Quickening.
Once the aura fades, a lightning bolt strikes Gury, from out of nowhere, then another, then two
at a time. Soon, lightning envelopes Gury rapidly.
At the same time, all of the strobes and spotlights explode around him, one by one, in a
rainfall of sparks. Then, the speakers shriek feedback, in a piercingly high-pitched wail,
which ends in their own destruction. The lightning strikes the large video screens behind Gury.
They instantly explode in an unbridled fury, spraying glass shards on him and breezing him in
flame. A gale-force wind engulfs him as The Quickening reaches its spelndour. Then, just as
rapdily as it began, the lightning and random destruction ceases. Gury collapses onto his
kness.
Moments later, Ross and Gury stare each other down. Ross is clearly planning one thing -
revenge. He wants to take Gury apart right there, but they don't have the time.
GURY
Another time, Keller.
Gury gets up, and leaves.
Ross slowly walks to his fallen lover. He sobs, missing Helen already. He also broods in hatred.
Taking Helen's Claymore, he makes a hasty exit himself.
45 - EXT. HOLMES' STORE, NIGHT
From outside, we see that the lights are on, in the loft.
46 - INT. LOFT, NIGHT
The night is passing by quietly, but slowly. Something is deeply bothering everyone.
BETTY
Something's wrong... Sarah should've called by now.
MARIA
Just try to stay calm, Betty.
BETTY (hard)
That's easy for you to say! You'll never have children! You'll never be a parent!
You can't possibly understand what I'm feeling right now!
RICK
I can. I taught Ross everything he knows. I took him in, after...
A pause, as Betty glares at him, sharply, with the kind of look that shaves off half of one's
life expectancy.
RICK (cntd)
He's been my best friend for half a century, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
(beat) Still, I shouldn't have let him take this one.
MARIA
Ross has fought, before. He can take care of himself.
Rick isn't so easily assured.
RICK
He's only sixty-six years old, and he's only taken two heads.
This revelation comes as some surprise to the Mexican girl.
MARIA
Just two?
RICK
Yes. Ross prefers not to fight any other Immortal unless it's the only option. The last
time he took a head was ten years ago, when he met Kate.
BETTY (quiety)
I hope he hasn't gotten rusty.
The conversation is suddenly interupted by The Buzz. Rick and Maria stand, dreading the
possibilities.
BETTY
What is it?
RICK
It's downstairs, whatever it is.
BETTY (confused)
What do you mean?
RICK
An Immortal.
MARIA
It's just one...
RICK
I know. Hide Betty in her room. I'll cover the door.
Maria spirits Betty into her bedroom and locks the door. Meanwhile, Rick draws his old
Spanish sword and stands beside the main doorway.
The doorknob turns, and the wooden door opens. Sarah looks around, and was very concerned that
the loft is totally empty. Ross, however, is more confused than concerned.
Ross draws Helen's Claymore, and slowly walks a couple of steps into the loft. Before he can
get through the door, another blade lashes at him from the side. He barely blocks it, but is
glad he did, as the opposing blade would have hacked into his neck, had he not.
He pushes the other sword away with a grind, and forces his way into he room, discovering Rick
to be the owner of the enemy sword.
RICK
Jesus...!
ROSS (flipped out)
Are you out of your fucking mind?!?
RICK (to Maria)
It's alright! It's just Ross and Sarah!
ROSS
What the hell is wrong with you?
RICK (impatient)
I only sensed one Immortal. I thought that Gury might have taken out you and Helen and
made his way here.
Sarah runs across the room to hug her grandmother. Maria and Betty both breath a sigh of
relief that Sarah is okay, but then Maria senses that something's wrong.
MARIA
Where's Helen?
All eyes are on Ross. He doesn't know how to explain this, and doesn't want to believe that
it's real. He stares long and hard at the Scottish sword that he 'inherited' from his
girlfriend.
ROSS (reluctantly)
She's dead.
Betty and Sarah are saddened, but Maria is shattered. She's even worse off than Ross,
because she knew Helen for a lot longer than he did. Rick is about the same as him.
ROSS (cntd)
Gury took her head, in the club, just after Sarah escaped.
BETTY (concerned)
Gury showed up?
ROSS
Yeah, with a whole goon squad. Helen fought him while I got Sarah out of there, and when
I came back, he killed her.
MARIA (stunned)
Oh my God.
Tears begin to run down Maria's dark cheeks. Ross walks to her, and holds her snug in his
arms.
ROSS
I'm so sorry.
BETTY
Me too, Ross.
Ross looks back at her, but doesn't say anything. His mood suddenly changes back to the
previous anger phase.
ROSS (restrained)
Can I have a word with you?
Betty looks into her old friend's eyes, as she used to, so long ago. She knows what's coming,
but decides to take the chance.
BETTY
Of course.
Rick and Maria have a good idea what's going to happen, and move for the door. They are
subtle enough to not seem impolite, but are also quick enough to try to avoid the blaze.
SARAH (sotto, to Betty)
Will you be alright?
BETTY
Yes. Go on ahead.
Despite her instincts, Sarah leaves the old 'friends' alone in the living room. Ross waits
for Sarah to shut her bedroom door before beginning.
ROSS
Just who the hell do you think you're kidding?
Despite the preperations, Betty is stunned.
BETTY
What on Earth are you talking about?
ROSS
All of that "sympathetic" bullshit of yours! Not a bad effort, I'll grant you, but the
show wasn't convincing.
Betty's mood switches from amazement to outrage, at Ross' allegations.
BETTY
How dare you! My sympathy for Helen isn't fake at all!
ROSS
How could it be real? You'd never even met Helen, and I only briefly mentioned that she
was my girlfriend. As far as you're concerned she could just be some goon that I picked
up off the street!
BETTY
Oh, this is just rich! I try to give you some sympathy, and you rip into me like this?
That's just so fucking rich!
Suddenly, Ross does something that no one can expect under the circumstances - he
laughs. He actually **laughs**. It's a quiet little snigger, the kind that automatically
irritates people, because it's a dead giveaway of an amusing thought that someone is trying to
hide.
BETTY (annoyed)
What is so funny?!?
ROSS
Think about it. (beat) Where have we been down this road before?
Betty thinks to herself, and the memory comes up in her mind:
FLASH TO:
47 - FOREST, DAY
Fifty years earlier, Ross is surrounded by The Hellraisers. Gury points to the side, and we
see another gangman escorting someone into Cedar Park... the younger Betty.
Ross is speechless at first, shocked at the new twist.
ROSS (strained)
I see. (to Gury) You're a Hellraiser, Betty's your girlfriend, Betty is troubled about
what you did last week, I try to help her, exposing you guys to the risk of arrest, and
getting a bull's-eye painted on my face!
GURY
Exactly.
Gury says this with an almost megalomaniacal tone. Ross, however, is far too angry to pay
attention to this. He turns toward Betty.
ROSS
How could you have done this to me? I trusted you, I tried to help you, and this is the
thanks I get?!
FLASH FORWARD
48 - LOFT, AS BEFORE
BETTY
Your death. That's what this is all about, isn't it? Your murder?
ROSS
You're damn right. Let's get something straight here, Betty: I've never forgiven you for
what happened fifty years ago. Frankly, the only reason that I'm protecting you from Gury
is because I want him to pay for what he's done.
BETTY
Well, THAT'S real mature, for a guy who would normally be my age!
ROSS
Don't you get started with me...
BETTY
Too late for that, dear. Remember how you said that?
ROSS (turning away)
Oh, fuck you!
BETTY
I would have thought that you, of all people, would know that lifetimes are too short, to
hold grudges.
ROSS
That depends on the grudge. (beat) Think about it, from my perspective: I cared about you
a lot, back then. That's no secret. Because of that, I tried to help you, when you were
in trouble. But what do you do? You waltz to your boyfriend, leader of the worst gang
the town had ever seen, and tell him about how I stuck my neck out, trying to be your
friend, and he jabs a fucking bowie knife through me!!!
VOICE
STOP!!!
Betty and Ross turn to find Sarah standing in her doorway, apparently having heard the whole
altercation.
SARAH
Why do you hate her so much? Why can't you just trust her that she's trying to help you?
ROSS
You heard everything pretty well, you tell me.
SARAH
I can't believe that. Granny would never do such a thing!
ROSS (snapping)
Try telling that to my folks! They grew old, and died, thinking that I was wasted
in a fucking ambush! I was their ONLY child, you understand that? They may as well
have died with me!
BETTY
*You* survived, didn't you?
ROSS
I survived only because I'm immortal! And, to be totally frank, I'm not particularly fond
of it. Just because guns and knives can't kill me doesn't mean I hate being shot or
stabbed any less! (beat) In some ways, you're actually better off than me! I can't grow
old, I can't have a family... Between that, and trying to keep people from beheading me,
I haven't had a normal life in fifty damn years!
BETTY
Well, you may not be able die on the outside, but you're certainly dead on the inside!
(beat) Maybe you didn't read the papers after your murder, but I turned myself in to
the cops after what happened in the park. Why do you think I did that?
ROSS
I figured you were just being a fucking coward. I figured, maybe, if you gave
yourself up and ID'd some Hellraisers, you'd get some time shaved off your sentence.
Even now, Betty is stunned that he actually has the gall to make such a conclusion.
BETTY
You son of a bitch. You really thought that was why I came forward?
(beat, getting more and more tense)
I'll tell you why I came forward: I was so guilty about causing your death that I
couldn't live with myself! Knowing every day that I sent Gury to kill you was often
enough to make want to kill myself because I became such a monster! I wanted to do
something to make your family - make you - believe that justice was being done. I
SURRENDERED BECAUSE I LOVED YOU!!
Unable to control herself anymore, Betty slaps Ross very hard in the face. Betty's
strength had clearly not mellowed with age, as her palm left a deep bruise on the one side of
Ross' visage.
BETTY
Get out of my home!!! NOW!!!
Ross storms out, anyway, only too glad to leave.
49 - CEMETARY, DAY
Ross and Rick walk into Felker's Garden Cemetary. The cemetary iss on the outskirts of town,
just behind a small church; a quiet resting place, completely out of the way.
They soon find Helen's tombstone: a three-foot high marble slab engraved with the words "Helen
MacLeod 2033 - 2049". (the birthdate is, of course, fake - Helen was really born in 1520)
ROSS
It's funny. When Helen and I first fell in love, we thought that our love would truly
last forever, because we couldn't die - in theory, anyway.
RICK
It's at times like this that I wonder what point there is in being immortal, if
you would still die, albeit centuries - or even millennia - after your original friends
would.
Those are particulary sobering words for Ross.
ROSS
"Original friends." (beat) Amazing. There are so many people I knew from both elementary
and high school who'd be very old by now, if not dead. So many people who I'd thought of
as extended family...
A thought passes by Rick's mind, but he doesn't say it, for obvious reasons; he looks like
he was going to suggest Betty.
Both Immortals kneel by the tombstone. Ross places a boquet of assorted flowers on the dirt.
ROSS (sotto)
Farewell, Highlander. I'll never forget you.
RICK (looking at the sky)
Goodbye, Helen. Take care of yourself up there.
As it had so frequently in the past, The Buzz suddenly alerts them to an Immortal presence.
Ross doesn't turn to face the new arrival.
Rick, however, does see the new arrival, and his face turns to rage; it's Gury.
GURY
Nice to see you again, Keller.
Ross' face tightens, as he tries to contain his anger, on the one place he can never lose it.
ROSS
Gury...
GURY
Holy Ground, Keller; We can't fight here.
RICK (seeing through him)
Lucky for you. (beat) I thought you'd be out of the country by now. I don't know if
you've noticed, but you're wanted for murder.
GURY
It wouldn't be the first time, Dimese.
Gury looks very hard at Ross. Ross doesn't return the glance, but he can feel the eyes of his
enemy. He can feel them every bit as much as he feels the rage in his soul that he tries
inhumanly hard to keep locked down.
ROSS
Take those eyes off of me, before I carve them out!
Rick is stunned that his former student would make such a threat in a cemetary.
RICK
Holy Ground, Ross!
ROSS
I don't plan on killing him. Just making his life a living hell.
For the first time, Ross finally looks at his enemy. Gury shows no sign of remorse, or
morality.
ROSS
What do you want, Gury?
GURY
To make that double crossing bitch, Betty, pay for squealing on me. Maybe that little
girl of hers, too.
RICK
Wait a minute. I can understand why you'd be pissed off at Betty, by why Sarah?
She didn't do anything.
GURY
True, but it would be nice to break one, by killing the other, first.
ROSS
Don't blame her, Gury. Betty only told the cops what you did, it was your actions that
sent you here.
Rick is impressed with his student's wit, but Gury is not. He walks right up to his
foe's face.
GURY
Even for Holy Ground, you're **really** pushing it.
ROSS
Then let's step off Holy Ground, and get this over with.
Ross draws his samurai, and practially forces Gury out of the cemetary. Once outside, Gury
draws his broadsword.
GURY
Tell me Keller, what are you REALLY fighting for? To avenge your lover, or to protect
the female Judas?
ROSS
For Helen! You murdered her in cold blood. I really don't care that much about Betty. I
don't owe her any more than you do. If you want her, then you can HAVE her!
Gury's eyes go wide, as if surprised by the apathy Ross has shown toward a woman who he used to
love. Gury simply puts his sword back in its pocket and walks away. Ross watches him get in his
car and drives away into the suburbs, and then heads towards the car that he and Rick came in.
50 - ROAD, DAY
Ross and Rick walk side-by-side. Ross doesn't look like he's in a particularly communicative
mood.
RICK
What you said back there, about Betty... You didn't mean that, did you? (beat) Is this
one of your "methods to your madness"? Do you have some kind of plan?
Ross never answers. He simply gets in the car, and they drive back to town.
51 - ROSS' ROOM, LATER
Ross sits on his bed, cleaning his ancient samurai, and brooding about the events of the last
couple of weeks. He soon hear Betty's voice.
BETTY (v.o.)
I'll tell you why I came forward...
FLASH TO
52 - BETTY'S LOFT, NIGHT
Betty is screaming at Ross, as we saw before.
BETTY
I was so guilty about causing your death that I couldn't live with myself! Knowing every
day that I sent Gury to kill you was often enough to make want to kill myself because I
became such a monster! I wanted to do something to make your family - make you - believe
that justice was being done. I SURRENDERED BECAUSE I LOVED YOU!!
FLASH FORWARD
53 - ROSS' ROOM, AS BEFORE
Ross is clearly affected by these words.
ROSS (to himself)
Was she serious? Did she really mean that, or was that something that slipped out?
Ross stares out at the wall, as if trying to somehow talk to Betty.
ROSS
If you had loved me, so long ago, then why did you turn me down, when I reached out to
you?
FLASH TO
54 - SCHOOL HALLWAY, END OF DAY
Ross, and the younger Betty, are at their lockers, packing up for the day.
BETTY
Did you have a good day?
ROSS
Pretty good, yeah. (beat) I'm hoping it'll be a little better, too.
BETTY
Really? Why?
ROSS (shy)
Well, you know how I asked you about maybe seeing a movie, sometime...
BETTY (knowing where this is going)
Yeah.
ROSS
Have you thought about it?
Betty seems to stare into empty space for a moment, as if trying to think of something
to say. Eventually, she turns her head toward Ross and looked into his eyes.
BETTY
I already have a boyfriend.
FLASH FORWARD
55 - ROSS' ROOM, AS BEFORE
Ross looks as if he's finally beginning to sympathize with Betty... maybe even forgive her.
But then, The Buzz interrupts Ross' train of thought.
ROSS (irritated)
Figures.
Ross exits into...
56 - HALLWAY, DAY
Ross grumbles toward the door.
ROSS
Why can't Immortals visit when I'm NOT in the middle of something?
The doorbell rings.
57 - DOWNSTAIRS HALL, DAY
Kate goes to the door.
KATE (shouting upstairs)
I've got it, Ross!
Kate looks through the peephole in the door, but doesn't recognize the fish-eye view that she
gets. All she can see is that the caller is white skinned, and has red hair. Opening the door,
Kate gets knocked into the wall by the intruding caller.
58 - HALLWAY, AS BEFORE
Ross hears the struggle, and runs a mad dash to the door, samurai in hand.
59 - DOWNSTAIRS, AS BEFORE
Bolting into the downstairs hall, Ross becomes relieved to find that the Immortal whom he
sensed was not Gury, but Maria. Kate was knocked to the ground because Sarah, who accompanied
Maria, had jumped through the front door as soon as a small crack had appeared. As soon as
Sarah sees Ross, she runs down the hall.
SARAH
You fucking bastard!!!!
Sarah punches him very hard in the face, breaking his nose. Kate jumps Sarah, and tries to
force her out of the house.
ROSS
Wait!!!
Ross gets to his feet, as the bones in his nose mend themselves quickly, once he sets them
back into place.
ROSS (to Sarah)
Nice to see you, too.
MARIA (out of breath)
I'm sorry, Ross. She jumped me about fifteen minutes ago and made me drive down here!
ROSS
Why? What's wrong?
SARAH
Gury's taken my grandmother!
Ross is totally shocked.
ROSS
Gury's *taken* her?!? How?
Sarah's eyes never leave Ross in the whole time that she's there. She clearly blames him
for what happened.
SARAH
Granny and I were working in the store, when all of a sudden, Gury just shot into the
place, held a knife to Granny's throat, and threatened to kill her right there if
I made any move to stop him! He said to me that I should thank you for letting him go
after her, and drove off with her.
Kate and Maria look hard at Ross, and for good reason. Ross sincerely feels horrible; he's done
exactly what he'd blamed Betty for: betrayed a friend.
ROSS (holding his sword at Maria)
Maria, will you do me a favour, and put me out of my misery?
KATE
That's not funny, Ross.
ROSS
Who's joking?
Taking back the sword, Ross realizes that he has to follow Betty's example even further - by
trying to atone for his grave and potentially fatal error.
ROSS
Which way did Gury go?
Sarah is momentarily confused by the question, before the reason occurrs to her. It makes her
calm down considerably.
SARAH
I don't really know... He drove east down Mapleberry - one of the main streets in town -
ROSS (stern)
I know that. I have lived here for sixty-five years, thank you.
MARIA
I don't get it. There isn't much on the east side of town. Just the highway, the old
high school...
KATE (light bulb on...)
And Cedar Park!
ROSS (proverbially kicking himself)
Of course!
SARAH
Now I don't get it. What's the big deal about Cedar Park?
ROSS
It's where Gury ambushed me! It makes complete sense! If Gury wants to kill Betty
because of telling the cops about my murder, then why not do it in the place where
it all started?
MARIA (catching on)
Especially when the park has been abandoned for decades? (beat) Hardly anybody's lived
around that place since the big earthquake in '21 shattered the gas lines and blew the
neighborhood, so there'd be no one around to be witnesses!
ROSS
It's perfect!
Ross takes his jacket from the front closet and stows his samurai inside the hidden pouch.
SARAH
What are you doing?
Ross grabs his car keys.
ROSS
What does it look like? I'm going to save your grandmother, and take that bastard's
head.
SARAH
What if he kills my grandmother first?
ROSS (headed out the door)
Then I'll do it a lot more slowly!
60 - OLD NEIGHBORHOOD, NIGHT
Driving his way through what remains of the old neighborhood, Ross is definitely shocked at how
ravaged the place looks, even twenty-eight years after the 'quake. The blast damage took out
over seventy percent of the old neighborhood, killing somewhere around two thousand people.
Ross finds his old house, very dilapidated after nearly three decades of neglect. The once
bright yellow paint has faded to a pale Mother of Pearl after years of weathering, and moss
hangs out of the eavesdroves in a sick green display. It is a depressing sight, to see his old
livelihood in such poor condition. He parks the car in his old driveway, as it's a short walk
to the park.
61 - CEDAR PARK, NIGHT
The decent condition of the old playground is a bit ironic, in this setting. Gury's car sits
nearby. Grabbing Betty by the scruff of her sixty-five year-old neck, he drags her endlessly on
a tour of the place.
GURY (sadisically)
Welcome to Cedar Park. I'm Kyle Gury, and I'll be your tour guide tonight.
(re: playground) Wasn't it nice when we were kids and we used to play on here? When I
have my way with your little girl, I think I'll do it here.
BETTY (sotto)
Oh God, no...
62 - FOREST, NIGHT
Sadistically having the time of his life, Gury drags the old woman through the sharp bushes
that The Hellraisers had dragged Ross through so long ago.
GURY
Now you know how Ross felt when my guys did this to him!
This comment makes Betty truely afraid... not just of Gury, but of what Ross has become. She
seems to remember how Helen's death affected him.
63 - DENSE FOREST, NIGHT
After what seems like forever, the twosome finally cleared the bushes. Betty is pulled up by
her immortal ex-boyfriend, and finds herself in the clearing where Ross was killed for the
first time (where he became immortal).
GURY (drawing a knife)
And now... It's time to pay.
Gury moves closer and closer to his helpless victim.
GURY (cntd)
I've been looking forward to this for a long time...
Gury brings the knife arm into the air, and is about to bring it down when he suddenly feels
that familiar charge in his mind - The Buzz. Gury's smile fades, because he knows exactly what
this means.
GURY (re: Ross)
Impossible! How did he know I was here?
BETTY
Because you're really bad at waxing poetic?
Gury shoots a deadly look at her, which doesn't seem to faze her.
BETTY (cntd)
It's just a theory.
ROSS (o.s.)
Actually, that's about right.
GURY
Keller!!!
Gury throws the knife away and draws the sword from his coat.
GURY
We finish this now!!!
Ross steps out, behind him. His samurai is drawn.
ROSS
I couldn't agree more.
As soon as Gury discovers his foe, he attacks ruthlessly, hacking and slashing at Ross without
any pause or letup. Ross is able to block the blows, but only just. As Helen had discovered the
hard way, Gury is definitely stronger than Ross.
ROSS
Betty! Get out of here, NOW!!!
Betty is surprised, but appreciative, that Ross is suddenly concerned for her safety. She runs
for cover, but doesn't stray far from the battle.
Gury lunges at his foe, and Ross is shoved against a tree with brute force. The two warriors
are right in each other's faces, each one looking into the other's soul. Only Ross' sword is
able to prevent Gury's blade from slicing through his torso. He brings his foot into Gury's
stomach and pushes as hard as he can. Gury is thrown from his enemy, and disorented for an
instant as he tries to regain his balance.
Ross takes adavntage of Gury's brief weakness, and charges toward him, hacking at him. For the
first few moments, Ross has the upper hand, but then Gury gets his bearings again, and blocks
his opponent's slashes effortlessly.
ROSS (sotto)
I **really** have to do this more often.
Unexpectedly, Gury hooks his blade under Ross' and swings his arm away from him. Ross' samurai
is pulled from his grasp, landing some fifty feet away in the middle of the brush. Still, a
light of inspiration lights up in Ross' mind.
ROSS
When all else fails...
In a mad rush of adrenaline, Ross jumps into Gury's abdomen, knocking him to the ground like a
sack of potatoes. While Gury is on the ground, Ross whisks his opponent's sword away, putting
both combatants on equal ground.
Learning a thing or two from Ross, Gury shoves his enemy away with both of his feet, sending
him flying onto his back. Quickly getting to his feet, Ross punches Gury hard in the face three
times, following with a quick and powerful roundhouse kick which smashes into the side of his
opponent's head.
Recovering, Gury counters with his own combo. While on the ground, he sweeps his leg across the
grass, tripping Ross head over heels. Getting up ahead of his enemy, he kicks Ross very
viciously in the face, sending him onto his back. The attack leaves Ross breathless, and
unable to fight.
Gury finds his sword and holds it in his hands. He moves right on top of Ross, and swings the
broadsword high in the air. Just as he's about to bring it down, something hard smashes into
the back of Gury's head with tremendous force.
Disoriented and angered, Gury swings around to see who attacked him: it's Betty, looking very
determined to bring him down. She's holding a small log in her hands.
GURY (taunting)
Trying to save Keller's life, eh?
Without warning, he brings the sword down on Betty, swatting the log out of Betty's hands like
a fly. Her expression turns from stern determination to outright fear, knowing what's going to
happen next.
Gury lunges deep his sword into Betty's torso, ripping through muscles, bones, and organs.
Betty screams from the excrutiating damage to her body. She bleeds heavily all over her shirt.
Her pain is intensified as Gury twists the blade, sideways, opening her chest. She finally
falls to the ground as Gury roughly removes the viscera-drenched sword from his former lover.
GURY
Payback's hell.
Suddenly, another blade runs straight through Gury. The blade pierces his chest, and the end of
the razor-sharp sword gets exposed for a good two feet through Gury's body. The sword is Ross
Keller's samurai. Ross leans into his ear.
ROSS
Now it's *your* turn to pay!
Ross shoves Gury's badly injured form off of his weapon.
ROSS
That was for Betty!
Gury is weakened, and badly wounded, but very pissed off. Holding onto his broadsword tightly,
Gury swings his trusty weapon at his enemy, which Ross blocks with the greatest of ease. He
pushes Gury away his with samurai, and swings backhand at Gury's neck, slashing it from ear to
ear. He screams with a metallic-sounding rasp.
ROSS (enraged)
That was for Helen!!
Using whatever strength he has left, Gury attacks Ross one last time. Ross parries and pushes
again, this time bringing his blade down on Gury swordhand. Gury's swordhand gets cut off, and
he screams, in total defeat. Ross holds the blade to his Gury's neck, ready to finish this.
ROSS
There can be only one.
Ross swings his arm back, and brings his sword across Gury's throat, slicing through it
completely. Kyle Gury's head falls to the ground, and his body soon follows.
ROSS (sotto)
And that was for me.
A bright green aura appears from Gury's headless corpse, and swirls through the air
majestically, before bonding with Ross. Ross suddenly has a huge flash of memories, while
lightning from Gury's body strikes him repeatedly. The lightning then reflects off Ross and
into the trees, destroying them all instantly in a shower of light and fire. As The Quickening
dies down, Ross falls to the ground. Looking up he finds himself in a tremendous firestorm. All
around him, the trees and bushes that made up Cedar Park are in a blazing inferno.
ROSS (suddenly remembering)
Betty...
Sheathing his samurai, Ross searches for his friend. He finds Betty just near the edge of the
fire, limp and soaked in blood. Without even thinking, he picks up his former love in both
of his arms.
64 - LIGHTER FOREST, NIGHT
Ross runs out of the park as fast as possible, even as the park incinerates behind
him.
65 - OUTSKIRTS, NIGHT
Ross takes Betty to the edge of the forest and, as he sits on the gravel walkway, cradles
her gently in his arms. Checking Betty's pulse, he discovers that it's weak, as Betty has lost
a lot of blood.
ROSS (mournfully)
Betty...
BETTY (barely audible)
Ross...?
Betty is on the edge of consciousness, and fading fast.
ROSS
Try not to move; It's really bad.
BETTY
I didn't think you'd come for me...
ROSS (apologetically)
I love you. What else could I do? (jokingly) Besides, I got you in this mess in the
first place, I figured that I owe you.
To emphasize these words, Ross ends them with a good-hearted chuckle, which Betty returns as
best she can.
BETTY
Thank you...
Ross does one last thing to make Betty's final moments easier - he kisses her. To him, Betty
is the same teenaged girl he'd known a long time ago, even if she doesn't look it.
ROSS
Take care, old friend.
Betty dies in his arms, with Cedar Park burning to cinders behind him.
66 - CEMETARY, DAY
(Note: this isn't the same cemetary that Helen is buried in)
Young Sarah enters Greenhill Memorial Cemetary. Betty's death seems to have hit her harder
than anyone else. Afterall, Betty was the only parent that Sarah ever knew, and she is gone
forever.
She walks up to the fresh grave, ever so slowly. She still can't believe that Betty's really
gone. Crouching by the granite tombstone, she takes a bouquet of roses from her coat and places
them on the dirt infront of the slab.
Sarah is about to pray silently when someone walks along the gravel road behind her. She turns
around to see Ross, in a long black coat, clearly paying his own respects.
ROSS
Hi, Sarah.
Sarah doesn't say anything at first, only nods absently. Kneeling on the opposite side of the
grave, Ross removes his own rose bouquet from his coat and placed it next to Sarah's.
SARAH (softly)
Thank you.
Ross glares at the engraving on Betty's tombstone. It reads "Betty Holmes-McAllister:
1983-2049". It is a troubling sight for him.
ROSS
I'll never get used to this.
SARAH (misunderstands)
I didn't think you were supposed to.
Ross looks at her in confusion at first, but then realizes what she thinks he means.
ROSS
I mean the dates. (beat) Betty was born on November 24, 1983 - three months after I was
born. It just bothers me a little that people who I grew up with are growing old and
dying while I look and feel exactly the same way now as I did when I knew them; when I
was really fifteen.
SARAH
When you live forever, I guess you just have to live with it. Let's face it, Ross -
you're going to see this an awful lot in your lifetime. The only way you can avoid it is
if you go hiding in the mountains forever. Do you really want that?
ROSS
Not entirely.
He gets up and walks to a wooden deck that has a wonderful view of the city. Sarah follows the
Immortal and stands beside him.
SARAH
What do you mean?
Ross takes a deep breath before answering. He isn't entirely sure how to say this.
ROSS
I'll be going away for a while. With all that's been happening lately, I need to clear my
head.
SARAH
Will you be gone long?
ROSS
Not if I can help it. I don't plan on being gone more than a few months.
SARAH
Where will you go?
ROSS
I'm not sure. I'll probably start with Glenfinnan, where Helen grew up. After that, I'll
go wherever I have to, just as long as I find my peace.
Sarah isn't sure what to say. She'd only met this "young" man a couple of weeks eariler, but
she's already thinking of him as a friend. Looking into Ross' eyes, she can tell that he is
thinking the same thing.
Ross turns to face Sarah one last time. He caresses the side of her beautiful face with his
hand, still amazed at how much she resembles Betty.
ROSS
Take care of yourself, Sarah.
Taking hold of Ross' arm, Sarah moves closer to the Immortal and kisses him softly on the
lips. He isn't terribly surprised about this, but it saddens him because of the memories of
Helen that it must bring up. He just hugs Sarah firmly, clearly feeling for her.
SARAH (whispering)
Don't lose your head.
Ross watches Sarah leave, wondering what can happen between them. After she is gone, he watches
the wonderous sun set in Felker.
ROSS (sighing)
I'm gonna miss this place.
FADE TO BLACK
THE END
(c) 1999/2000 By Stephen Bryce as a derivative work
www.geocities.com/sibryce
* taken from "Highlander", screenplay by Gregory Widen, Larry Ferguson & Peter Bellwood.