JEHONAS
 Thanks, Kam.

 KAM
 Anytime.

They both grasp each others' hand in mutual respect. A 
brotherly-like exchange. They hug and Jehonas moves off to the 
exit.

ON KAM as he looks over a checklist of medicine, herbs and such. 
Then he remembers something.

 KAM
 Jehonas --

Jehonas walks back into the backroom.

 KAM
 Thought you'd be interested to know, there
 are some rumors here and around Chinatown 
 that the gurn-sei is here --

CLOSE ON JEHONAS, as he stares at his friend. His ever-longing 
adamant expression of calm faltering a bit upon hearing that 
word. He knows it.

 KAM
 -- and he's looking for you.

Jehonas removes his shades as he carefully considers the 
ramifications of that.

 JEHONAS
 Rumors? From where?

 KAM
 You know the old people around here. 
 They've got that special knack of knowing 
 what's what. Even if the young and naïve 
 like myself don't understand. You pick up 
 gossip like that around here.

He shifts his eyes away.

 JEHONAS
 Stay cool, Kam.

 KAM
 You know me.

INT. WHISTLER'S WORKSHOP - JEHONAS' CELL - DAY

ON BUFFY as she comes to. Her wounds have been bandaged. She 
rises, a little shaky, takes in her surroundings--She's in a 
spartan room, like a monk's cell. Shelves of books line a small 
portion of one wall. On the far wall is a collection of knives 
and daggers. Some of them wooden, their hilts inscribed with 
bizarre-looking runes. In the center of these weapons rests --

JEHONAS' BLADE,

resting in a display, dominating all else. Buffy touches it. 
Feels the grip. Then her eyes drop to a silver heart-shaped 
pendant which dangles from the cross-shaped pommel by a tarnished 
chain. She reaches for it, feels it.

The pendant features a small golden cross on its front side. Tiny 
symbols run along the heart shaped length, etched in gold. A work 
of beauty.

Suddenly, the hilt starts to rotate slowly. Buffy looks closer in 
curiosity at this sudden movement. There are symbols and runes 
engraved in the hilt and they seem to be matching then,

SHINK! Several sharp blades spring from their holds within the 
hilt. Buffy jumps back, startled. The blades look menacing, then 
quickly as they sprung, -SHINK- return back to the hilt. She 
shakes her head,

Buffy moves away and notices a peculiar setting on the corner of 
the room. A large white cushion in front of an OAK WOODEN DISPLAY 
case with a large vase and red rose inside. On top is a LARGE 
PORTRAIT of a blonde woman sitting, young and beautiful and 
standing behind her with his hands to her shoulders, a handsome 
dark-haired man with a sharp black goatee.

Buffy moves towards the door, cautious --

INT. WHISTLER'S WORKSHOP - KAREN'S LAB - DAY

We hear VOICES now, coming from somewhere below, out the door. 
She moves towards the exit cautiously as we,

 CUT TO:

We see KAREN working on something on a lab table. We can also 
hear Whistler talking in the b.g.

 WHISTLER (O.S.)
 You bringing home a stray like that, it's 
 a bad habit. But I think you may have 
 lucked out again --

ON BUFFY now as she reaches the bottom of the stairs. She hides 
behind some of the equipment and SEES --

JEHONAS strapped into some kind of Inquisition-esque restraint 
chair. His shirt is off, his body slick with sweat. Whistler 
finishes strapping Jehonas in, then stands back, preparing a gas-
powered pistol injector --

 WHISTLER
 I did some inside checking on that young 
 lady. She's more than she appears to be, 
 Jehonas.

 JEHONAS
 She's not from around here.

 WHISTLER
 Besides that. Her father works in 
 forensics at that hospital you found her 
 in. Might be something.

 JEHONAS
 Might be nothing. She's a Slayer. That's 
 all.

Karen fills a tube with some form of reddish liquid and the serum 
that was picked up in Chinatown. She picks up into the light and 
jiggles to mix --

 WHISTLER
 You have a way with women, don't you?

He looks up at Whistler and gives his best light-hearted facial 
expression without a smile. Whistler laughs and holds up the 
INJECTOR. 

 WHISTLER
 So what is this you're telling me about 
 this new friend of yours.

 JEHONAS
 He's in New York somewhere. Probably going
 his ways to locate my whereabouts. 

 WHISTLER
 Sounds like a lost love.

Karen finishes her work and goes over with the tube. Whistler 
takes it and connects it to the injector --

 KAREN
 I had to increase the dose this time. 
 Compensate for your growing resistance to 
 the serum. It's over fifty milligrams now.

 WHISTLER
 (hesitant)
 That's getting dangerous.

 JEHONAS
 Just do it -- old man.

Whistler nods, fitting Jehonas with a bite guard. Then he presses 
the pistol-injector against Jehonas' carotid artery.

Jehonas shakes violently, grinding his teeth through the bite 
guard, veins cording in his neck. He clutches Whistler's hand, 
holding it tightly as he fights his way through the hellish 
seizure. To his credit, Whistler never lets go.

Comrade-in-arms stare at one another as the mysterious serum runs 
its violent course. We understand that these shared moments, 
oddly private in their horror, are the glue which binds the two 
vampire hunters together. Finally, Jehonas slumps forward in his 
restraints, exhausted.

TIGHT ON BUFFY, drawing back, instinctively knowing that she's 
just witnessed something she shouldn't have.

ON JEHONAS,

Karen comes over and massages the shoulder muscles of Jehonas -- 
trying to soothe his ordeal. His body is still physically 
exhausted from accepting the serum. However, this doesn't prevent 
him from feeling a presence nearby aside from Whistler and Karen. 
Jehonas looks up and catches --

JEHONAS' POV: BUFFY

Startled, she looks for an exit, SEES another doorway. She makes 
for it --

ON WHISTLER instinctively, he jumps after Buffy showing 
remarkable agility for one his condition. Jehonas looks on in 
silence at the ensuing chase.

INT. WHISTLER'S LAB - DAY

Buffy darts through an open gate, taking a brief moment to slam 
it shut behind her. Whistler appears on the other side of a shelf 
and sees where she is heading. He takes off and,

A CLOSED GATE blocks Buffy's path. A dead-end. Buffy groans in 
dismay, turning and running right into --

WHISTLER, who now blocks the path. Buffy retreats a step, wary 
and in combat stance. 

 WHISTLER
 Wandered off the beaten path, little lady?

Buffy tries to run past him but he is quick and side-steps to 
block off her route.

 WHISTLER
 Whoa, whoa. We're not going to hurt you.

 BUFFY
 Where am I? Who are you people?

She's really tensed. So much so she doesn't even notice a figure 
land right behind her. Buffy can't be blamed, though. The landing 
was as quiet as a feather on a pillow.

 WHISTLER
 My name is Abraham Whistler.
 (the man from behind)
 And you've met Jehonas.

ANGLE ON BUFFY as she turns and sees Jehonas right behind her 
with a large glimmering knife in hand. He stands attentively and 
watches her.

 WHISTLER
 You were attacked by a vampire last night.
 Jehonas rescued you and brought you here 
 for precautionary reasons. You'll be 
 safe for now.

Buffy brings a hand to her bandaged neck, recalling the events of 
the previous night. 

 BUFFY
 I was with a guy also last night. What 
 about --

 JEHONAS
 I only had time to save one of you. Pray 
 he didn't turn.

Jehonas eyes Buffy, sees she's about to burst into tears, then 
looks to Whistler. As far as he's concerned, there's no more 
conversation.

 JEHONAS
 We've got work to do, Whistler.

Jehonas turns and EXITS.

INT. WHISTLER'S WORKSHOP - DAY

Beyond the grimy outer windows, we can see that the day is 
closing -- long shadows, amber light. Buffy lingers in the 
doorway, reeling from information overload.

Whistler is busy with the '69 Olds. He yanks out the nose of the 
fuel tank roughly and inserts it into the car; not at all minding 
that fuel is being spilled here and there. A quick flick of the 
wrist and he LIGHTS up a smoke.

Jehonas begins suiting up for his nightly hunt -- strapping on 
body armor, loading ammunition. He strings the tarnished locket 
around his neck as if it were an amulet that could ward off evil, 
then pauses to inspect a modified pistol, sighting down the 
length of it. 

Buffy leaves the doorway and approaches the group. She looks 
nervous, watching them go about their business as if this were 
any normal day.

 BUFFY
 So the guy who attacked me at the 
 hospital, he's some kind of vampire, 
 right?

 WHISTLER
 He is a vampire. The homines nocturna. As 
 you can figure, we hunt them, moving from 
 one city to the next, tracking their 
 migrations. They're hard to kill though. 
 They tend to regenerate quickly.

 BUFFY
 He doesn't look anything like the ones --

 JEHONAS
 Like humans, vampires come in many 
 different flavors. They have their own 
 sub-races, their own cultures, their own 
 blends. 

 BUFFY
 Oh.

 KAREN
 However, they all share the same genetic 
 heritage. Their DNA are all alike to each
 other.

 BUFFY
 Oh. I guess the usual stake is still the 
 boss, huh?

 WHISTLER
 (nodding)
 Some of the old wives' tales are true -- 
 they're severely allergic to various types
 of wood. Ones we hunt here, the Erebus 
 clan, they have a special vulnerability to
 silver --

We SEE Jehonas slapping in a fresh clip of the special silver 
bullets, chambers a round. Music to his ears.

 WHISTLER (CONT'D)
 Feed them garlic and they'll go into 
 anaphylactic shock --

Whistler goes under one of the cabinets and picks up a black 
heavy duty flashlight. He hefts it, and flicks on the beam.

 WHISTLER (CONT'D)
 -- and of course there's always sunlight, 
 ultra-violet rays.

He waves it playfully at Jehonas, shining on his youthful face, 
soliciting a chuckle from Karen. Jehonas gives Whistler a brief 
look and returns to his weapons.

 BUFFY
 I know the deal.

 WHISTLER
 I'm sure you do. You're a Slayer, correct? 

 BUFFY
 Yeah. Yeah, I am.

 JEHONAS (O.S.)
 There was a Slayer here a couple of years 
 back.

Buffy turns to regard Jehonas. He is busy looking over a map of 
the city now.

 BUFFY
 Well, where is she now?

 JEHONAS
 Dead. A vampire seduced her into 
 submission. Apparently, youth got the 
 better of her senses.

We see Buffy becoming distraught. She shifts her eyes away to 
nowhere in particular on the floor --

Karen gives Jehonas a minor scolding look.

 JEHONAS
 Slayers were meant to patrol the 
 countryside. Not run around in cities 
 dominated by real Clans thinking the same 
 life applies there also.

 WHISTLER
 You know.

 JEHONAS
 (pointedly)
 I know.

Jehonas folds up his map and hops off on to the floor.

 BUFFY
 Well if it'll make you feel any better, I 
 didn't come here with slaying on my mind.

 WHISTLER
 Don't mind him. He gets a little moody
 before work. We just want you to be 
 cautious. We both know you're a Slayer. 
 However, you've been exposed to them now. 

 JEHONAS
 You've seen one of them. You won't be 
 allowed to live after that.

Jehonas takes the flashlight from Whistler and feels the weight.

 JEHONAS
 (shaking head)
 It's still too heavy.

 WHISTLER
 Well, you're so big.

INT. WHISTLER'S LAB - THE DRIVEWAY - DAY

Jehonas shoves open the chain-linked gate, leads Buffy out --

 JEHONAS
 If you want to live to see another day, 
 you'll be out of town by nightfall.

 BUFFY
 So where's a 17-year old without a 
 driver's license suppose to go?

 JEHONAS
 Better start using that brain then. They 
 know you're here. Worse yet, you're a 
 Slayer, making you a hot commodity.

 BUFFY
 Oh, that's great. I'm in town for a few 
 hours and I'm already Miss Popular.

 JEHONAS
 Price to pay for what you do.

ANGLE ON THE OLDS

Jehonas moves up near the back and tosses a bag in along with the 
heavy flashlight. He unbuckles his blade and with an expert twist 
of the shaft, throws it into the backseat.

ON DOORWAY

Whistler emerges behind Buffy --

 WHISTLER
 There's a war going on out there in the 
 city. Jehonas, Karen, myself, a few others 
 -- we've tried to keep it from spilling 
 over onto the streets.
 (beat)
 Sometimes people, even like yourself, get 
 caught in the cross-fire. Like you said, 
 you know the deal.

Whistler shrugs. As far as he's concerned, there's nothing else 
to say. Buffy is still protesting, though.

 BUFFY
 That's it? You're just gonna patch me up 
 and send me on my way? 
 (off Whistler's shrug)
 Wait. You know I'm a Slayer. I can --

Whistler raises his hand, then turns to Jehonas for an answer.

 JEHONAS
 We'd better get going.

An uneasy grunt. Whistler reaches into his pocket and pulls out a 
small metallic canister and hands it to Buffy.

 WHISTLER
 Here, take this. Vampire mace -- silver 
 nitrate, essence of garlic. If you're ever
 in a skinny.

Buffy looks down at the item.

 WHISTLER
 One more thing. Something you should pay 
 careful attention to. If you start 
 becoming sensitive to the daylight, if you
 start becoming thirsty regardless of how 
 much you've had to drink -- then I suggest 
 you do yourself in. Any way. Better that, 
 than the alternative.

Buffy stares at Whistler, distressed, before looking back to 
Jehonas. He stands there, patient, poised, waiting, and ready, as 
we --

 CUT TO:

EXT. CITY FREEWAY - DAY

The Olds roars along the quiet highway, heading back towards the 
city.

INT. JEHONAS' OLDS - DAY

Buffy watches in silence as the morning sun creeps past the 
skyscrapers of old New York. The light washes over her and the 
car, causing her to turn her head away.

 CUT TO:

INT. THE VAMPIRE ARCHIVES - DAY

We are deep in the narrow stacks of a sepulchral archive. Exactly 
what and where this place is will become more clearer later on.

But for now, the CAMERA DRIFTS through the warren of aisles. 
Along the way, we catch a glimpse of a HULKING SILHOUETTE 
cowering behind a series of Japanese shoji screens. Later on, we 
find --

FROST tucked away in a carrel, surrounded by books and 
scriptures, with only the SICKLY GLOW of his laptop to provide 
light. In his ears, he has head phones plugged in to a nearby 
portable CD player.

Dragonetti emerges from the shadows --

 DRAGONETTI
 You have been warned before. These 
 archives are restricted to the elders of 
 the House of Erebus.

Frost doesn't reply. Dragonetti approaches and looks at the 
screen of the laptop, and SEES what he is working on -- a myriad 
of symbols and words flashing quickly.

 DRAGONETTI
 You're wasting your time, Frost. Far 
 greater scholars than you have tried to 
 decipher these words. Whatever secrets 
 they hold have been lost.

Still no answer.

 DRAGONETTI
 Dammit, Frost! I'm talking to you!

Frost looks up at Dragonetti with a slight smirk and unplugs his 
earphones.

 FROST
 Sshh. Keep your voice down --

Frost turns off the CD player, rising, approaching casually to 
Dragonetti.

 FROST
 We're in a library. There's no need to 
 shout.

Dragonetti's had it. SMACK! He slaps Frost hard across the face.

 DRAGONETTI
 What are you up to, Frost? Tell me!

Frost feels the stinging sensation from his cheek. Then turns 
back to Dragonetti, taking a moment to readjust his shirt.

 FROST
 What are you gonna do? Hmm?

Frost studies Dragonetti, a self-satisfied grin on his face. If 
the act was intended to unnerve Dragonetti, it succeeded, though 
the ancient vampire would never admit it.

 FROST
 What are you gonna do?

A beat as the young turk stares his elder down. Dragonetti is the 
first to lose his nerve.

 DRAGONETTI
 You bore me.

He turns and exits, making sure to look back once.

CAMERA DRIFTS back to the hulking silhouette, which has been 
eavesdropping on the conversation. It quivers in fear.

INT. JEHONAS' OLDS (ON THE HOSPITAL STREET CORNER) - DAY

Jehonas brings the car to a stop. Buffy looks at him. His eyes 
are hidden behind his glasses, his expression calm.

EXT. STREET CORNER - DAY

As Buffy climbs out, Jehonas swings the door shut behind her.

 JEHONAS
 Remember what we told you. You're in a new
 world. Keep your eyes open. They're 
 everywhere.

The Olds ROARS off down the empty alleyway.

 BUFFY
 But it's day time!

To no avail. The Olds speed off, leaving a small whirlwind of 
litter and paper. Then suddenly, Buffy gets real cautious and 
looks around. Does day and night not matter in New York City?

INT. HOSPITAL - LOBBY - DAY

Buffy enters the hospital through the SLIDING DOORS and 
approaches a counter. The area is bustling with activity as 
paramedics, nurses, janitors, etc. move to and from places.

A nurse/receptionist in casual clothes sits there fingering away 
at the computer in front. She notices Buffy and gives a bright, 
warm receptionist's smile.

 BUFFY
 Hi. I'm looking for my dad. He works here.

 NURSE
 And the name, please?

 BUFFY
 Summers, Hank.