8

Jack looks around. Expensive digs. The trappings of a monied life. It's a cantilevered house. A deck off the front room. Spectacular view of the L.A. basin. Jack puts on the sunglasses again, headache and all and looks around for surveillance devices.

He finds a cat sunning itself in a window. He checks the kitchen. Bathroom. Bedroom. Then returns to the front room.

Takes off his sunglasses. Sits in a chair. Exhausted.

"Look. I don't know what you want." Ianto finally says.

"Quiet." Jack groans as he leans back in his chair to slowly rub his temples. Hands to forehead.

He seems to ignore Ianto.

Silence.

Ianto goes over to a chair and sits.

Finally Jack looks at him. He holds up sunglasses weakly "Like a drug .. . Wearing them makes you high .. . but then you come down hard ..."

He's tired, rambling, unsure how to explain it all "Look… things turned a little sour on me today ..."

Ianto replies softly "You're not the only one."

"I'm sorry ... I needed you to get away"

No. You have two guns. You're not sorry." Ianto snaps, then after a beat adds "You are in charge."

Jack looks at him for a beat ... Ianto is very scared right now . After all Jack is sitting across the room. Sunglasses and guns. Psycho-city.

"We're in trouble. The whole world's in trouble. They're all around us and we never knew" Jack holds up the sunglasses "You can only see them with these special glasses."

Now Ianto's sure he has a very, very serious crazy on his hands and he mutters low, to himself "Jesus Christ ..."

Jack tries again "I swear to you ... We're being controlled - by these things ... Don't know what they are - but we gotta stop 'em"

"I'll do whatever you want. Whenever you want. Just don't hurt me. Please ."

Listen to what I'm saying" Jack demands.

Ianto carefully says "Okay . (beat) You're fighting ... the forces of evil? (beat) That none of us can see. (beat) Without sunglasses."

Jack offers him the glasses "Take a look."

"All I'm trying to do is make it through this fucking day alive. That's all I want. If you want me to look through your sunglasses - I'll look through your sunglasses. If I don't see what you see - I'll see it anyway. Whatever you want ..."

Jack withdraws the sunglasses "Have it your way"

"No - that's just the point. It's not my way ... it's your way. (beat) Can't you just get out of here leave me alone?"

Jack's starting to pass out now. His eyelids flicker "... Need this place to hide ... Let things calm down ... I'll move on ..."

"When?" Ianto asks.

"Little while ..." Jack slurs.

Ianto sinks back in his chair. Situation: very grim. Jack's eyes close ... Ianto sits. Watches him. Jack appears to have fallen asleep.

Ianto waits a long beat. Jack seems to be asleep. Now Ianto slowly starts to get up out of his chair.

Jack mumbles with his eyes closed "Don't fuck with me."

Ianto sits back down and saysa calmly "I'm thirsty."

"Go ahead" Jack sighs. He opens his eyes, watches his get up, walk into the kitchen ... Then he leans back in his chair again.

Tired.

Blasted.

Now Jack looks back over, as Ianto comes out of the kitchen pouring himself a glass of wine from a bottle. He goes over to a large picture window.

"Like I was saying before I'm sorry to have to be here ..." Jack says but there is no response. Wearily , Jack gets up out of the chair, comes over to him "Your name's Ianto?"

"Ianto Jones."

Jack's still fighting off the vestiges of that headache "What do you do?"

"Assistant program director. Cable 54."

Now this gets his attention "The TV station?"

"Yes."

"There's some kinda signal coming out of TV sets" Jack spots the remote control for the TV set by the picture window. He leans over to grab it "Let me show you."

With all his might Ianto swings the wine bottle and SLAMS it over Jack's head! It connects with a loud THWACK! The sunglasses go flying out of Jack's hand, across the room ... And one of his guns hits the floor ... Before Jack can even react ... Ianto shoves him!

Right out through the picture window!

CA-CRASH!

Jack falls downward! Some 40 feet. .. To the shrubs and trees on the hillside below! His fall broken by leaves and branches ... Glass shard rain down all around him.

Ianto picks up the telephone.

Jack rolls on the ground ... Glass all around ... He's been cut ... He finally manages to get up on his knees.

Inside the house Ianto is speaking into the telephone "Ianto Jones. 1329 Circleview Drive .. ."

Jack gets to his feet slowly ... Looks up at Ianto's house, 40 feet above him ... Now he reaches down for his other gun ... Gone! Must have lost it during the fall.

He starts frantically looking around the hillside for the gun .. . And slips . . . Tumbles down the hillside! Sliding. Falling. Trying to grab on to something while trying stop himself ... and falls down the rest of the hillside to the bottom onto a nice, quiet, deserted Street.

Ianto is still speaking into telephone "Above Sunset. No, no … I'm okay ... (beat) Yes, I'll hold ..."

Ianto looks over ... Jack's sunglasses on the floor.

Jack staggers across the street and can hear the distant sound of police sirens.

He clambers down some steps beside another fancy, cantilevered house then down another hillside.

Ianto bends down, picks up those sunglasses off the floor, and stares at them curiously.

Jack is under the cantilevered house in the secluded, wooded area… the part you never see. Junk piled around. Pipes. Boards. Trash. Jack moves over to a spot by some bushes. Collapses. He looks out at the street below, as several police cruisers wind their way up into the hills ... Their SIRENS get Jack to move ... He crawls away through the bushes.

THUMPING.

Dark shape of a police helicopter moving across the sky.

Jack moves along the dark, lonely street. He staggers. Glances around for cops . Moves on past swings. Concrete buildings: restrooms. Huge concrete structure: tunnels, bridges, ramps … a place for children to play ... Jack comes up, finds a spot to hide inside a concrete tunnel.

The distant sound of police sirens doesn't stop him from finally passing out.