rises in all its fiery glory. Dragonetti's head catch fire, skullflesh sizzling away -- burning down the body in successively building intensity until he EXPLODES in a conflagration of BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. CUT TO: INT. HOUSE OF EREBUS - MEETING ROOM - DAY The elders of the House are there, sitting with growing agitation and worry. Suddenly, the door SLAMS open and in comes Frost and his company, making their way to the table. PALLINTINE What have you done with Dragonetti? Frost slides the chair back that once belonged to Dragonetti for the Female Elder Vampire to sit in it. She revels in her new status, smiling at those before her. PALLINTINE What is the meaning of this? What's going on here? FEMALE ELDER VAMPIRE Get a clue, Pallintine. It's the start of a new beginning. Frost tosses two small items on the table towards Pallintine. He catches them and looks with the rest of the House, horrified. They're fangs. Dragonetti's fangs. FROST Let's get down to business, shall we? I need twelve volunteers. INT. WHISTLER'S WORHSHOP - KAREN'S LAB - DAY Karen stands at a lab table with Buffy, preparing a number of blood sample vials. They are surrounded by host of medical equipment - from centrifuges to genetic sequencers and beyond. Whistler is unloading boxes and equipment from the trailer of a large truck nearby. KAREN Could you grab that? Karen points to a metallic container. Buffy quickly gets to her feet and walks over to pick it up. Jehonas emerges from his room, looks to Buffy. As if by silent agreement, last night's words and teachings go unacknowledged. He goes up to Whistler and hands him one of the two fragments. WHISTLER What is this? JEHONAS A fragment from the Book of Erebus. Whistler takes a whiff at the fragment and makes a face. WHISTLER Smells like some vampire wiped his ass with it. Karen motions Buffy to retrieve another item. She scoots by Jehonas and Whistler and grabs a plastic box. Jehonas watches her, then turns back to Whistler. JEHONAS I think it's what Frost has been working on. Whistler is going through the fragment with his fingers. Reading the faint symbols. WHISTLER It says something about a Blood God. Spirits of the Twelve. JEHONAS I'd figured that much. WHISTLER I don't know. I can't make out the rest of it. JEHONAS Neither could I. Here -- Jehonas pulls out the golden disc from his long coat and hands it to Whistler. JEHONAS This will help. WHISTLER Isn't this up your alley? JEHONAS I'll consider a trip. Jehonas turns to head for the driveway. WHISTLER Going somewhere? JEHONAS China Town. I need more serum. (looks at the new equipment) What's all of this? KAREN Early in the morning, we made a trip to the hospital where Buffy's father works at forensics. We used his access card, and borrowed some more equipment. Jehonas nods, very impressed. JEHONAS I guess you were right about her, Whistler. She is handy after all. BUFFY Uh, thanks. WHISTLER She's been making real progress, Jehonas. Stay, the serum can wait. (to Karen) Show him. Karen looks to Jehonas, who shrugs. She opens a refrigerator, removing a syringe filled with blue fluid. KAREN This is sodium citrate. It's an anti-coagulant. Normally, we use it to treat blood-clots sometimes. Vampire blood is thinner than humans, though. However, watch what happens when I introduce some into a sample -- Karen injects the contents of the syringe onto the slide of cells. KAREN Take a step back. The reaction is energetic. Jehonas looks at Karen and then takes a peek into the microscope. JEHONAS' POV: Vampire blood cells swirling about. Then a wave of blue swirls around the blood cells, then begins violently bubbling. Jehonas lifts his head away from the microscope just in time -- the blood on the slide atomizes, exploding outward in a fine mist which bursts apart the glass lens of the scope. Whistler laughs, thrilled with the results. JEHONAS Impressive. Figure out a way to sew me up after everytime I use it and we're good. KAREN I didn't say sodium citrate was a cure. BUFFY Thought maybe we could use it to explode some vampire heads. Whistler claps his hand on Karen's shoulder in approval, then limps away, quickly busying himself with another project. Jehonas moves to leave, but Karen stops him. KAREN Before you go, I need another sample of your blood. Jehonas grudgingly agrees. Karen hooks her arm around his and moves him to a stool nearby. Buffy following with a packet of syringes and vials. He sits and rolls up his sleeve. As Karen takes her sample, Jehonas looks to Whistler. The old man brings a handkerchief to his lips, coughing into it. BUFFY Is he sick? KAREN Cancer. Karen watches as Jehonas' blood flows into the vacutainer. She fills the first, then inserts another. Whistler coughs again in the b.g. Buffy catches a change of expression on Jehonas. BUFFY You have a lot of love for him, don't you? JEHONAS We've got a good arrangement, that's all. Whistler makes the weapons, I use them, the vampires die -- end of story. Karen finishes. Jehonas rolls up his sleeve. BUFFY (pointedly) You know, my mother used to say that a cold heart is a dead heart. JEHONAS Your mother sounds like a Hallmark greeting card. Jehonas slips his MAC into a hip holster, then shrugs into his leather long coat, donning his sunglasses. JEHONAS Good luck, ladies. He heads towards the elevator as we -- CUT TO: INT. WORKSHOP - BATHROOM - DAY Buffy enters a dingy bathroom, turning on the overhead bulb. She studies her reflection in the mirror above the sink, then grimaces as she peels the dressing from her wound - the wound is clearly infected, gangrenous. WHISTLER (O.S.) You don't look so good. Buffy spins, startled. Whistler stands behind her. BUFFY I'm just tired, that's all. We've been up all day -- He grips her jaw, turning her head so he can better view the wound. WHISTLER It's started. You've got another day or two at most. Looks like we didn't catch it in time. Buffy nods, shaken. Whistler turns and leaves. WHISTLER For what it's worth, I'm sorry. BUFFY You make it sound like I'm already dead. Buffy just stares as Whistler disappears into his workshop. EXT. WHISTLER'S WORKSHOP - LATER CLOSE ON BUFFY as she moves outside the warehouse, watching the city view in daylight, an unmistakable look of dread creeping over her. CUT TO: INT. HERBALIST SHOP - DAY Jehonas pulls out the parchment, shows it to Kam. JEHONAS I found this in their archives. I need to find someone who can read the Erebus' language. Kam studies the parchment. KAM I've heard about a woman named Miracia. Some say she's a mayombero, a Santeria witch. Supposedly she lives in that tent community down by the city dump. I'm told she only sees people at night. Jehonas nods his thanks and heads back through the doors. EXT. CHINATOWN STREET - DAY It's cloudy today in New York City. Jehonas is walking down a busy and crowded street, then hears his name WHISPERED in the wind. VOICE (O.S.) Jehonas -- Jehonas spins, scanning his surroundings -- did he really hear his name, or was it just the wind? VOICE (O.S.) Jehonas. Again, the taunting voice calls him. Jehonas' gaze finally settles on -- A MAN sitting on a bench in the deep shade, his face obscured by the Chinese newspaper he's reading. There's a LITTLE GIRL sitting stiffly beside the man -- a look of pure terror written on her face. The man lowers his newspaper. It's Deacon Frost. He's wearing sunglasses, but otherwise, he's seemingly unprotected by the sun. Jehonas watches him in silence, as does Frost in return. We CUT BACK AND FORTH between Jehonas and Frost, cars streaming by them in the street -- meeting face to face for the first time in broad daylight. Suddenly a LARGE BUS zooms by and -- CUT TO: we're in the park. Frost is with the little girl. Jehonas is standing some distance in front of them. FROST How you doing, chief? Jehonas reaches for his MAC -- FROST Easy. Frost's hand rests on the back of the girl's neck. We see his claws extend, caressing the flesh beneath her chin. FROST Wouldn't want our little friend here to wind up on the back of a milk carton, would we? Jehonas reluctantly lowers his hand. Frost smiles. He takes in a deep breath of air, savoring it. FROST Beautiful day, isn't it? (off Jehonas' silence) It's nice to finally meet you in person, man. I've had my eyes on you for years. I know everything about you. Your mother, your serum, Whistler -- JEHONAS Sun block. Octyl salicylate based. On closer examination we see that Frost is wearing a translucent lotion on his face. He touches a finger to his cheek, rubs some of the lotion between his fingers. FROST Your talents never ceases to amaze me, Jehonas. You're right. It's not very effective in direct sunlight, but it's a start. The goal, of course, is to be like you, "the Day-walker". JEHONAS I don't buy it. FROST Why not? The future of our race runs through your bloodstream. You've got the best of both worlds, Jehonas. All of our strengths and none of our weaknesses. JEHONAS Maybe I don't see it that way. FROST Oh, so it's back to pretending we're human again? Come on. Spare me the Uncle Tom routine. You can't keep denying what you are, man. You're one of us, Jehonas. You always have been. JEHONAS I work both ways. FROST For what? You think the humans will ever thank you, or even accept a half-breed like you? They can't. They're afraid of you. You're an animal, a fucking maniac. (pointedly) And they should be. The humans fear us because we're superior. They fear us because in their hearts they know their race has become obsolete. Frost watches the marketers stream past, sneering in contempt. FROST Look at them, just an endless stream of cattle in a mad race to the slaughterhouse. Pieces of meat. FROST'S POV: We see the CROWD of people walking along the park. A young couple with a newborn in a baby chair. Another couple just dating. An elderly couple. Single men. Single women. FROST (O.S.) What difference does it make how their world ends. Plague. War. Famine. Morality doesn't even enter into it. We're just a function of natural selection. The new race. JEHONAS You mean your selection. FROST You can't keep walking the razor's edge, Jehonas. The day will come and soon, when you'll have to choose between our kind and their's. If I were you, I'd take care not to wind up on the wrong end of the fang. JEHONAS Looks like your mascara's running. A bead of sweat runs down Frost's neck, washing away a minute amount of the sun-blocking cream. The patch of exposed skin instantly blackens. Frost gazes upwards at the sun and sees he doesn't have too much time. FROST I'm offering you a truce. I want you with us. JEHONAS You need to get out in the sun more. (subtitled, vampire tongue) LaMagra is coming. The Spirits of the Twelve will awaken the Sleeper. FROST You're familiar with the Blood God. JEHONAS I'm familiar with all things. Listen to me, child. I don't care what voodoo magic you're trying to perform or what kind of God you're trying to summon. (beat) Frost, you're nothing to me but another dead vampire. FROST You're an idiot, you know that? I came down here offering you the easy road of retirement and you spit it back in my fucking face. It takes every ounce of Jehonas' self-control to keep from attacking Frost -- and Frost senses this, lifting the little girl up as if she were no more than a weightless doll, and pressing his sharp thumbnail against the child's jugular. FROST Careful -- Jehonas eyes him coldly. A game of who flinches first. JEHONAS Do you really want to test me, Deacon Frost? FROST If you want to take the hard road, then be my guest. But I assure you, when this is all over you'll wish you were never cut off from your mother's -- IN SLO-MO NOW as Jehonas whips out his MAC and fires three consecutive shots. We see Frost using inhuman speed as he moves aside allowing the three bullets to pass harmlessly by. His eyes flicker towards the street -- a CITY BUS is rumbling by. In a heartbeat, Frost hurls the little girl forward -- BACK TO SPEED as the girl crashes into a vender and falls -- out into the path of the oncoming bus! Jehonas has a split-second to act. It's Frost or the girl -- and for a moment we actually think he's going to go for Frost -- -- but then he DIVES forward, scooping the girl into his arms, throwing themselves out of the bus' path. The bus misses them by a hair. By the time Jehonas looks up again -- -- Frost is gone. Jehonas rises, cursing, scanning the street as market-goers gather around him. The LITTLE GIRL looks down at Jehonas' coat and smiles impishly, attaches what appears to be some small device to it. It's a tracking device. Jehonas looks down on the little girl. JEHONAS Go home. The child, shaking with fear now, nods and runs off. WHIP PAN TO: SOMEONE sitting astride a motorcycle, watching Jehonas from the roof of an elevated parking garage. The rider is clad from head to toe in a helmet and black leather -- Mercury. CUT TO: EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - DAY Jehonas' Olds cruises into the gated grounds. It zips up the ramp way and out into the dirt-covered road. BACK BY THE TRAIN TRACKS Mercury's cycle rolls into frame. She's carrying a hand held tracking device. She picks up a radio handset and keys it. MERCURY (into radio) This is Mercury. Tell Deacon I've found their hiding place. EXT. LANDFILL GHETTO - DUSK Windy. Urban desolation. Jehonas stands on the perimeter of a sprawling cardboard and plywood squatter's ghetto which has sprung up around the city dump. CHILDREN and DOGS forage for salvageable items, while in the distance, dumptrucks grind over the dunes of refuse. moments later, Jehonas is winding his way through the maze of makeshift homes and ashcan fires. A CROWD quickly closes in around him, suspicious. A BRUTISH MAN steps forward, challenging him -- MAN Extranjero. ¿Quien es? JEHONAS I'm here to see Miracia. Kam sent me. The man turns to his fellow squatters, WHISPERING. After a heated debate, a GAUNT WOMAN steps forward, motioning -- WOMAN This way. CUT TO: INT. WHISTLER'S WORKSHOP - NIGHT Whistler, Karen and Buffy sit at a worktable. Karen is looking at a blood smear slide through a microscope. KAREN All right, let's start back to the beginning -- why do vampires need to drink blood? WHISTLER Their own blood can't sustain hemoglobin. KAREN Then we can consider vampirism a genetic defect -- (pauses) -- just like Hemolytic anemia? Whistler nods. Karen thinks to herself, going over old notes. KAREN So what about gene therapy? Whistler looks intrigued. KAREN (CONT'D) Basically you'd have to re-write the victim's DNA, alter it so that the DNA will produce proteins capable of generating hemoglobin. BUFFY How do we do all that? KAREN With a retrovirus. It's injected into the bone marrow cells, it causes the host's DNA to mutate. They've been using them to treat Sickle-cell anemia. Whistler and Buffy can hardly believe what they're hearing. Karen takes a syringe and measures the fluid. WHISTLER You're serious? You actually think this could work? Karen pauses -- we can see in her expression that there's something she's been holding back. KAREN On Buffy, yes. On Jehonas, I'm not so sure. Karen trails off. BUFFY Why not? Karen takes hold of Buffy's arm and injects her in the shoulder with the medication. Whistler looks away from the two, he knows too. KAREN The problem is, Jehonas didn't contract the vampire virus from a bite like you did. He was born with it. The irony is, I could probably cure every vampire but him. There is a small chance it will work on Jehonas, I won't rule that out.
