TEASER
INT. ART GALLERY
We open with no visual, but we hear a beautiful song being played on the piano (The Heart Asks Pleasure First). Fade in, pan through the gallery and see that there is almost nothing in the room except paintings on the walls, and a piano in the exact middle of the room. A GIRL sits at the piano, playing said song. As we close in on her as she plays, a shadow appears behind her. She stops playing abruptly and turns with a frightened expression on her face.
There's nothing. Sunlight streams through the windows.
She looks nervously back at the piano and then behind her again, grabs her handbag off the top, and walks out of the gallery, locking the door behind her as she leaves. She works at the gallery, it would seem. She walks into the daylight, gets into her car, and pulls out of her parking space.
We see her driving down a country road, maple trees lining the streets. It's a very pretty scene, especially since it's fall. Everything is very quiet. She seems to be constantly glancing into the rear view mirror, as though she expects something to be there in the backseat. Each time she glances, there's nothing there, until—
A person is in the backseat with their eyes closed. Suddenly they snap open and we see that the pupils are white; in fact, the entire eye is white aside from the outline of the iris. Their face seems to melt into an expression of disdain. They are quite clearly dead. Our lady screams and pulls over immediately, scrambling to get out of the car. She takes a quick glance in the backseat, but there's no one there. This only frightens her more, however, and she runs off down the road.
She starts to turn a corner but stops dead as another of the same people comes staggering toward her. She turns to be greeted by two more. It's apparent that they don't move in the same time frame; they walk too quickly in some instants and barely inch along in others. She searches frantically around, trying to find some route of escape. She catches sight of a line of three crosses by the side of the road. As she runs wildly toward them for no apparent reason, the dead beings come closer and closer in their bizarre staggering manner. By the time she gets to the row of crosses, she chances a look behind her. The terrible featureless face stares back and is the last thing we see as we dissolve into the credits.
END OF TEASER
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ACT ONE
INT. WOLFRAM AND HART CELLAR
The LIASON, as Anya, is sitting on the cot in the barren concrete cell, staring at the floor and smirking annoyingly. She looks up at the sound of the dungeon door being opened and stands as ANGEL walks slowly in. He holds a plate of food in hand as he approaches the cage.LIASON
Oh goodie. Food's here.
Angel slides the plate through a gap between the bars and the floor and stands back, looking stern.
LIASON (cont'd)
You really don't have to stand there and watch me eat, you know.
Yes I do.
LIASON
Oh, that's right. You probably lined the food with something again
today. Well, yesterday it was eucalypsis powder, so I shouldn't expect
that again. Though the question becomes: did I taste the powder and
fake a reaction, or am I really possessing her?
ANGEL
Eucalypsis is tasteless.
LIASON
Come on, Angel. I'm the liason. Do you really think I can't sense eucalpsis powder?
ANGEL
I really think you should take a bite to test your own theory.
LIASON
Give it up, Angel. Even if I wanted to leave the girl, I couldn't. It's
not in my control. It's all about what the Senior Partners want. They
didn't make you Junior Partner because you deserve the promotion.
ANGEL
Junior Partner is a pretty useless promotion. I'm not a lawyer. It's meaningless to me.
LIASON
Angel, Angel. I am baffled with each passing moment how clueless you
truly are. There's a difference between Junior Partner and Junior
Partner. Lilah Morgan, with whom I believe you were acquainted, was a
Junior Partner in the lawyer sense of the word. She had no power. She
didn't even have enough rank yet to be a tool. She was just there,
working laboriously away at something she could never achieve because
it was all meant for Lindsey McDonald. You are a Junior Partner. Do you
honestly think the Senior Partners are lawyers? Well, I've got news,
Angel babe; they're not.
ANGEL
So what are they?
LIASON
Reincarnates.
ANGEL
Of?
LIASON
Aw, come on now. I can't tell you everything. But I will tell you that
if you're Junior Partner in the non-lawyer sense of the word, it's for
a very specific reason. They must have very high hopes for you. Maybe
they know more than the prophecy is saying.
ANGEL
Is that this Unulat Prophecy again?
LIASON
No. I believe you've read this prophecy. The one that says you'll be a key player in The Apocalypse.
ANGEL
Which is when exactly?
LIASON
I don't make the rules. I don't even know the rules. I just play by them.
Angel stares at the liason for a while, who stares back with a smirk on her face. The door opens behind Angel and MELODY walks down the stairs.
MELODY
Hey boss, I don't mean to interrupt but we seem to have a case.
ANGEL
I'll be right up. And don't call me boss.
MELODY
Sorry. Habit.
She backs out of the room and the door closes. Angel approaches the cage and stares into it.
ANGEL
I will not rest until I find a way to get you out of Anya. You can help
yourself and provide a painless way for me to do it, or you can let me
handle it.
They continue to stare at each other for a few moments. When the Liason doesn't budge, Angel turns and walks towards the door until laughter from behind him stops him dead in his tracks.
LIASON
I'm not something you can just exorcise and be done with. I am a part
of who she is now. I've taken over everything about her. Hollowed her
out. She's more of me than she is of her anymore.
(smiling)
Sound familiar?
Comprehension dawns on Angel's face. Cut to
INT. WOLFRAM AND HART LOBBY
Angel walks from the elevator toward his office, barking orders at Melody as he passes.ANGEL
Grab Wes, get him to bring up the volumes on Old Ones.
MELODY
He's with the client.
ANGEL
Client. Right. Okay, get Gunn to do it.
MELODY
Gunn doesn't have authorization to bring up the volumes.
ANGEL
What?
MELODY
There was a clause in Wesley's contract that no one else had. He's the
only one who can access anything in the Volumes, except those under his
employ and those he signs in blood for.
ANGEL
Was that along with the clause that stated we'd be shipped to a new dimension after we died?
MELODY
No actually, the one about the books was plainly stated.
Angel scowls and storms off down the hall.
INT. WESLEY'S OFFICE
WESLEY sits at his desk looking pensive as a twenty-something man rambles on nervously. Angel stands patiently outside when Wesley holds up a finger to stop him from coming in.WESLEY
I understand that you're shaken up, Mr. Talbot, but there is really
nothing I can do until she can tell us what happened herself. You say
she woke up only momentarily?
MR. TALBOT
Just long enough to start blabberin' about dead guys. Then she screamed
like she was seein' another one, flailed about for a bit, and conked
out again. I did the only thing I thought to.
WESLEY
What brought you to Wolfram and Hart?
MR. TALBOT
My sister got freaky a while back. Got all wolfy-like, started killin'.
This law firm stepped up and killed 'er before she killed the rest of
our family. Silver bullet through the heart and all that.
Wesley's expression was most startled. Angel, who could hear the entire thing through the glass walls, frowned at Mr. Talbot's statement.
MR. TALBOT (cont'd)
I mean, I don't want you to kill Miss Lily. She's a good girl who'd
never hurt nobody. I just thought you were good with the supernatural
and whatnot, so maybe you could take care of her dead man problem.
(nodding and beckoning Angel inside)
We'll certainly do what we can. This is Angel, the head of our operation. He'll come down with you and talk to… Miss Lily, was it?
MR. TALBOT
(shaking Angel's hand)
Well, Lily's her first name, but she's far too pretty not to have a Miss in front of her name. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Angel.
ANGEL
It's just Angel.
MR. TALBOT
Well! To you I'm none other than Michael, in that case.
ANGEL
All right, Michael. If you'll just walk down that hall and speak to my
secretary, she'll take you down to the medical floor. I just need a
word with my associate and then I'll meet you there.
Michael nods and leaves the room, walking right down the hall and turning around to go in the correct direction a second later.
WESLEY
Killing a werewolf? I would have thought Wolfram and Hart would have tried to defend it.
ANGEL
It's all about the money. I'll bet they were being paid a pretty penny
to take out that girl. Listen, I was talking to the liason and she was
dropping hints about what she is and… I know this is going to be hard
for you, but I need you to do some research on the Old Ones. See if you
can find anything about Wolfram and Hart in any of their histories.
WESLEY
You think the liason has done something similar as Illyria did…?
ANGEL
That's what I gathered from what she said. It's possible that she's
intentionally leading us in the wrong direction, but I don't think so.
Her sole purpose at the moment is to kill me, and she can't do that
from where she is. She's probably leading us toward a correct solution,
but one that she can fool us into thinking worked. That's why I need
your expertise in this. Can you do it?
WESLEY
Yes.
ANGEL
Good. Get Gunn and Alexa on it as well, but be ready in case I need you with the case.
Wesley nods and turns toward the volumes as Angel turns to leave the room. Cut to
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM
The girl from the teaser, Lily, lies in bed with a vacant expression on her face. She isn't moving whatsoever. As we zoom out of the room, we see Angel, Melody and Michael listening to a NURSE.
NURSE
The moment she woke up, she began screaming about dead people being all
over the building. It took a lot of sedative, a dangerous amount, to
get the screaming to stop. She isn't sleeping, I just don't think she
has any energy to react. You can go in, but speak softly and be careful
about what you say.
ANGEL
All right. Thank you.
The nurse walks off to carry off her nurse duties, and Michael treads lightly into Lily's room. Angel and Melody exchange glances, mentally arguing over who should go in next. Finally Angel steps forward and Melody follows hesitantly with a notepad and a pen.
MICHAEL
Hey, Miss Lily. It's me, Michael. I saws you all passed out by the road and I picked you up, do you remember?
LILY
Why did you bring me here?
Her voice is barely a whisper. She barely notices Melody and ignores Angel altogether.
MICHAEL
'Cause you were all passed out, Miss Lily, I had to take you someplace.
LILY
No… why did you bring me here. This isn't… home.
MICHAEL
No, Miss Lily. You woke up and started babblin' about dead folk. I
hated to see you like that, I had to bring you somewhere that they
could deal with something like that.
LILY
This isn't a hospital, Michael.
ANGEL
No. It's a lawfirm. My name is Angel, I…
LILY
Is this a lawfirm?
Michael and Angel exchange strange looks. She doesn't seem to hear Angel at all, but there would be no other way she'd know that it was a lawfirm. From the inside it looked just like a hospital.
MICHAEL
Yeah, Miss. That's what he just said.
LILY
(shaking her head feebly)
He's not real. He's different from the others but he's not real.
MICHAEL
Sure he is.
LILY
No. He flickers. I can see his face and then I can see the truth. He flickers.
MICHAEL
Now now, you're not making any sense.
MELODY
Yes, she is. Just not to us.
Angel and Michael snap their heads around to Melody. Lily slowly but surely also gazes at the secretary. Her eyes seem vacant. Melody forces herself to look at Angel.
MELODY (cont'd)
If she can see the dead and she sees it in you…
ANGEL
Then she's not just hallucinating. She's really seeing the dead.
MICHAEL
Whoa, whoa. Hold up a minute here. You're dead?
ANGEL
…Sort of.
MICHAEL
I didn't see no sign nowhere that said you were dead.
ANGEL
I'm a vampire.
MICHAEL
Whoa! Whoa! Not so cool, Mister Angel.
ANGEL
Relax, I'm not dangerous. And it's just Angel.
MELODY
Listen, Lily. We believe you, and we're going to do everything we can
to help you. In the meantime, you should learn to adjust to your
condition.
One tear rolls slowly down Lily's face. She shows no indication that she realizes she's crying. Melody sighs in worry and resists the temptation to walk over and give her a hug. Michael wipes the tear off her face gently.
MELODY (cont'd)
We'll fix this. Just sit tight, okay?
MICHAEL
I'd like to sit with her, if that's all right.
ANGEL
Of course. We'll let you know if we come up with anything.
MELODY
(glancing pointedly at Angel)
When we come up with something.
Melody shoots Angel a glance that seemed to inquire what the matter with him was, but he's already turned to leave the room. She gives Lily one more sad smile and follows Angel, but Lily's hoarse whisper stops them both.
LILY
They have a secret.
MELODY
What secret?
LILY
They're not… here. They're there and here, but not here.
MICHAEL
You not making any sense, Miss.
LILY
They whisper the same thing. It's jumpy, like they walk, but they always whisper.
ANGEL
What are they whispering?
LILY
That she's coming.
ANGEL
Who's coming?
The girl looks sadly at Angel, who suddenly seems very interested.
LILY
(shrugging)
She.
Angel watches her for a moment as she closes her eyes, then nods as though suddenly understanding something and walks away. Melody walks after him and seems to be having an argument in her head.
INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY
ANGEL
Say what you want to say.
MELODY
Don't get mad.
ANGEL
I won't get mad.
MELODY
…I don't wanna say.
ANGEL
Okay, fine. Don't say.
MELODY
You know, for someone whose cousin is part empath demon, you might try
showing some genuine emotion for something other than information.
ANGEL
I have genuine emotion. What I don't have is a cousin who's part empath.
MELODY
Aren't you and Seamus cousins?
ANGEL
Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?
MELODY
He's part empath demon.
ANGEL
(chuckling and pressing button for elevator)
Don't believe everything Seamus tells you. He specializes in
dimensional magic and has somehow found a way to become immortal,
probably with the help of the Powers That Be. That's all.
MELODY
He has the power to make people unload their problems in one big never-ending paragraph.
ANGEL
(walking into elevator)
What are you doing talking to Seamus, anyway?
MELODY
We… spent some time together during my days off. Look, Angel.
(holding doors open)
You came down here willingly, for a case. Now that you've got what you need, you're leaving without even wondering how he's doing.
ANGEL
How who's doing?
MELODY
Angel, come on! You know exactly whom I'm talking about. Your son has
been asking to see you for days, and you keep making excuses not to see
him. Do you even care about him?
ANGEL
Yes, I do, and that's why I'm staying away from him.
MELODY
You can't avoid him forever! He's stuck in this dimension, just like you!
ANGEL
Okay, you can stop speaking your mind any time now.
He gently moves her away from the doors and presses the close button. She sighs heavily and continues to speak even as the doors close.
MELODY
I'm not the only one who feels this way, Angel, I'm just the only one with the courage to say anything.
Angel waves goodbye as the doors close. Melody fumes and shouts at the steel doors.
MELODY (cont'd)
Everyone else is too afraid that you'll break their necks, you big stupid!
She breathes heavily and stares at the doors for a couple seconds before frowning and pressing the up button on the elevator. As she waits, she notices a figure out of the corner of her eye. She jumps.
MELODY (cont'd)
Connor! Hi! How… hi!
CONNOR
(smiling grimly)
Hi.
He looks fine, aside from the neck brace and the bed hair. He's dressed in crisp new clothes and seems to have retained his slightly sarcastic and jovial demeanor, despite the recent turn of events.
CONNOR
So… was that my dad you were just yelling at?
MELODY
Yeah. I did everything I could to get him to come see you.
CONNOR
He just wouldn't do it, huh?
MELODY
Nope. He's pretty stub—
Connor grabs Melody by the throat from behind. She struggles against his grip but mostly just flails around. A frantic pan of the hallway shows that there doesn't seem to be anyone else around.
CONNOR
Maybe now he'll find the incentive.
He drags her down the hallway and through the nearest doorway. Her eyes are wide with fear, and they are the last thing we see before we cut to the
END OF ACT ONE
