Sacrifice (Angel)

RECAP:

(V.O.) Previously on Angel:

1    INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Cordelia has just revealed her pregnancy to Angel, Fred, Wesley, and Gunn, who stare at her, stunned. Connor walks up to her side. Cordelia's rubbing her belly.

LORNE (walks in from outside, sees Cordy) A mystical pregnancy right under my beak?

Cut to:

2    INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT The gang is gathered in Cordelia's room where Cordelia is now laid out on her bed. Gunn and Fred are lighting candles. The group is arranged in a loose circle as they all stare at the woman, smiling.

GUNN You're a power that... was?

Cut to:

3    INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Fred and Lorne are in the lobby when Angel and Connor come back. Wesley and Gunn run into the lobby and join the others.

ANGEL We've all been saved. (kneels)

Cut to:

4    INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Jasmine addresses a lobby full of people who adore her.

JASMINE Hello. Bless you all for coming.

Cut to:

5    INT. ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT In a huge suite that's been decorated and prepared for the woman, Fred walks in carrying the woman's shirt.

FRED (walks into the room holding the shirt up and scrutinizing it) I scrubbed 'til my fingers bled, but I couldn't get out the— (looks up at the woman and sees a horrifying vision of maggot-infested decaying bloody flesh where the woman's face should be)

WOMAN Fred?

FRED Blood.

Cut to:

6    INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT The AI gang discusses Fred's behavior.

WESLEY I can't believe Fred's evil.

Cut to:

7    INT. MAGIC BULLET BOOKS - NIGHT Fred walks inside the bookstore, where the shopkeeper waits for her. Jasmine walks in followed by Angel and Connor.

FRED (staring straight ahead) I'm so sorry.

Fred raises a gun, points it at Jasmine, and shoots. The bullet goes through Jasmine, and, covered in her blood, pierces the shoulder of Angel, who's standing right behind her.

FRED (V.O.) Jasmine's blood. Somehow it breaks her spell when it mingles with ours.

Cut to:

8    INT. OFFICE AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Jasmine's staring at the wall, unhappily, as the others walk in.

JASMINE Fred infected Angel. He's gone.

Cut to:

9    INT. ALLEY - NIGHT Fred and Angel plan.

FRED We have to help the others. We need more of Jasmine's blood.

Cut to:

10    INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Cordelia is lying on her bed, still unconscious. Angel takes a knife out of his back pocket. Angel and Fred kneel down beside Cordelia. Angel holds out the knife to cut Cordelia.

FRED (V.O.) He figured since Cordy gave birth to Jasmine, they might share a blood link as well as a mystical one.

Fred holds a small bowl under Cordelia's hand to catch the blood as it drips from her. Lorne walks into the room. Angel and Fred quickly kneel at the bedside, facing away from the door.

LORNE (Angel turns around; Lorne sees him) What're you doing to the h— (Angel puts his hand over Lorne's mouth; Lorne mumbles) Unclean!

Cut to:

11    INT. LOBBY AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Lorne walks into the lobby, feigning happiness. He grabs a chair, revealing a band-aid on his wrist.

WESLEY Your wrist. You've cut it. What happened to you?

Cut to:

12    INT. ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Gunn and Wesley stare forlornly at the ground.

ANGEL We hoped Cordy's blood would have the same effect when we exposed you to it.

GUNN Thanks for nothing.

ANGEL What I do know is I'm not leaving this hotel without my son.

Cut to:

13    INT. ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Connor walks into the room, smiling.

CONNOR (sees Fred) Hey! (Angel grabs Connor's arms)

Wesley picks up Gunn's knife from the ground and holds it to Connor's throat. Wesley dips his fingers in the bowl of Cordelia's blood and slices Connor's chest shallowly. Wesley rubs Cordelia's blood into the cut.

CONNOR (winces) Aah!

GUNN You're back with us now, Connor.

Connor walks toward the door and opens it.

CONNOR (yells out the door) They're here! Come quick! They're here.

Fade to black.

The Start Of Episode

Prologue:

14    INT. ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Resume. Connor has just yelled for help while the rest of the AI gang is in the room.

ANGEL Connor, you have to listen to us.

CONNOR (angrily) Listen to you? You're the ones who lie. You're the ones who hate.

FRED No, Connor—

ANGEL Jasmine's controlling you, controlling your feelings.

CONNOR You're wrong, dad. About me, about her, everything. It doesn't matter anymore what you say. (looks down the hall at the approaching mob, then back at Angel) We're gonna tear you apart.

Angel lunges at the door, slamming it shut, locking Connor and the approaching mob outside. Angel leans against the door with all his force.

ANGEL Run! Get the car! Get out of here. I'll hold him off. Someone who knows the truth has to live through this. (the gang hesitates) Go!

WESLEY Come on.

Fred, Lorne, and Gunn follow Wesley out the window to the fire escape. Connor's beating the door from the hallway outside. Angel holds him off.

CONNOR I'm finally part of something! I belong! I won't let anyone ruin that! (Angel punches through the door and grabs Connor) Ow!

ANGEL I know, son.

Angel busts through the door into the hallway, punching Connor to the ground. Angel pummels Connor's face as the mob approaches them. Angel's beating Connor with a ferocity he's never used against Connor before. The mob grabs shards of the smashed wooden door.

Cut to:

15    EXT. STREET BEHIND THE HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Wesley pulls the car out back behind the fire escape and screeches to a halt. He's got Fred, Gunn, and Lorne in the car with him.

FRED This is all wrong. There has to be a way we could—

GUNN We could cut the power, create a diversion.

WESLEY No, she has hundreds of followers in there all acting with a single, focused will. We can't risk going against that. Not now. Someone—

Connor lands on the hood of the car, face down. Angel lands on the hood of the car on his feet. Angel jumps down and pulls Connor's body to the ground. Angel jumps in the car, in the front seat beside Fred.

ANGEL Drive.

GUNN Angel—

FRED We can't just leave him, he's your—

ANGEL I know what he is. Wes, drive.

The mob, followed by Jasmine, approaches the car. Wes puts it in reverse, screeching the tires as he pulls away. Jasmine watches them go.

Fade to black.

Opening credits.

ACT I:

16    INT. CAR - NIGHT The gang of five (Angel, Wesley, Fred, Lorne, Gunn) rides in the car down the highway at night in the car listening to the radio.

FEMALE RADIO ANNOUNCER And in an impromptu speech today, the mayor—I really love that guy, don't you?— The mayor declared Los Angeles the first "Citadel of Jasmine," a cradle of civilization which will usher in a new age for all of humanity. In related news, the L.A. Archdiocese has stated to the press that it will remove all false idols from its churches, replacing them with images of she who walks among us. Way to go, Catholic Church. Yes, it's a great day to be alive.

LORNE Well, talk about media bias. Well, not that I wanna talk about media bias. It seems rather moot right now. Speakin' of moot, what about us? Anyone else feel like the last feisty wife in Stepford?

FRED What are we gonna do? What can we do?

WESLEY There has to be an answer.

ANGEL There has to be a way. We just need time.

GUNN To hell with that. We need a damn break. But the universe don't seem to be handing breaks out to the underdog lately. No leads, no database, no weapons, no shelter.

WESLEY And very little gas.

FRED We should've taken Connor with us. He looked so— What if he doesn't wake up?

ANGEL What if we took him and he did?

Cut to:

17    INT. JASMINE'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Five people are undressing in Jasmine's room. A wounded and beaten Connor rests limply in a chair in her room.

JASMINE (O.S.) Thank you. Now, please come to me.

Jasmine glows green again, her green glow reaching out toward Connor. Connor wakens.

JASMINE (smiles) Connor, you're awake.

CONNOR You're... indescribable.

JASMINE I know. (reaches out to touch Connor and magically heals his wounds)

CONNOR (touches his face, sits up) They tried to turn me against you. They cut me... and rubbed blood into the wound.

JASMINE The hateful always have one or two wretched tricks to play. (Connor starts to stand, but Jasmine holds him back) You must rest now. We have nothing to fear from them. They are alone, we are many.

CONNOR But Gunn and—and Wesley and Lorne... They've all been turned. We have to stop whatever they're—

JASMINE We will. Connor...(smiles) there's nothing they can do. Every moment that passes I grow closer to my followers. I feel what they feel, I see what they see. We're fusing together like the cells of a single body. They're my eyes, my skin, my limbs, and, if need be, my fists.

Cut to:

18    EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT Wesley drives the car off the road near a gas station where the team checks out the people there.

LORNE Oh, I don't know, kids. That's a whole lot of pod people.

ANGEL Well, it's better than the last three places. We won't make it out of the city without any gas.

GUNN So that's our big plan? Just keep runnin'?

LORNE I hear good things about Belize. (shrugs)

WESLEY If we could get out of the sphere of Jasmine's influence, we might be able to warn people, prepare some form of resistance.

FRED Look at 'em. They're all so happy.

GUNN Yeah, they'll be happier when they're gouging out our eyes and stompin' us 'til their shoes get sticky.

ANGEL That's why we have to do this fast.

GUNN Fast works for me.

ANGEL Gunn, they're just under her spell. All right? But if it does come down to a choice between us or them—

GUNN Believe me, I'm there.

A man pre-pays for gasoline at the pump and turns to put the nozzle in his SUV, but Gunn punches him out and takes the nozzle from the man.

GUNN Sorry, bro. It's for your own good. (Wesley backs the car up to the pump; Gunn addresses the other people there) That's right. It's the big, bad free will gang, gassin' up!

ANGEL (steps out of the car) All right, stay back. We don't wanna hurt anybody.

YOUNG ASIAN MAN (steps away from his Corvette, speaking with Jasmine's voice) But you are hurting them, Angel, just by being.

ANGEL Ok. That's new.

YOUNG ASIAN MAN (speaking with Jasmine's voice) You're a disease in the body Jasmine, and you'll be purged.

The young Asian man lunges toward Angel, trying to punch him, but Angel easily knocks him down.

LORNE (pointing behind Wesley) Soccer mom, 12 o'clock!

A woman swings a huge wrench at Wesley, but he punches her down. A man dressed in camouflage breaks the bottom off of a bottle and stalks Fred.

CAMOFLAGUE MAN (speaking with Jasmine's voice) You can't outrun my love. It has wings made of radio— (jabs at Fred with the broken bottle, but Fred punches him down)

An SUV pulls up behind Gunn. A little girl in the back seat rolls down her window and addresses him.

SUV GIRL (speaking with Jasmine's voice) My love sings over the wires that bind this world.

GUNN Ok, gettin' a little creepy.

JASMINE (V.O.) The city is mine, vampire. All the tools are mine.

A man carrying a wrench walks purposefully toward Angel.

ANGEL Yeah, we're workin' on that. (Angel jumps in the car, followed by Fred) Ok. Pit stop's over. Let's go.

Wes, Lorne, and Gunn also get in the car.

LORNE No snacks? I thought snacks...

Wes puts the car in gear and drives off just as the man with the wrench reaches the car. The man rolls off of the hood of the car and falls to the ground as they drive off so fast the tires screech. Two police cars follow them with sirens blaring. The man with the wrench sits up and watches them go, laughing in Jasmine's voice. Jasmine's laughing back in her room at the hotel.

Cut to:

19    EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Wesley pulls the car off to the side of the road and stops the car.

GUNN Man, never seen so many cruisers.

WESLEY Technically, we're the only criminals left.

ANGEL There's no way we're drivin' out of this. It's time we disappeared.

Cut to:

20    EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT Angel's car is parked in an alley behind a building. The police helicopters shine their spotlights on the car, but it's empty. Pan over to show a sewer man-hole cover.

Cut to:

21    INT. SEWER - NIGHT Angel's leading the others through the sewers.

LORNE (panting, exhausted) Yeah, I'm movin', Angel cakes. Might not look like it, but inside, where it counts, I'm runnin'. Full speed ahead, believe me.

ANGEL It won't take them long to figure out— (looks around to see that Lorne, Wesley, Gunn, and Fred are all exhausted, barely keeping up with him, conceeds) One minute.

FRED I doubt anyone under her control knows these tunnels better than you.

ANGEL Yeah, it should buy us some time.

GUNN Time to do what? Get all stanky and starve to death? I mean, what are we doin'?

ANGEL You know what? I don't know what we're gonna do, Gunn. I don't have a plan. Now, I guess this whole Jasmine world order thing kind of took me by surprise.

GUNN Well, I ain't eatin' no rats.

ANGEL Good. Neither am I.

GUNN All right, then, plan's comin' together.

ANGEL Glad to see you're on board.

FRED Oh, god. All—all the chasing and the chaos—

WESLEY Cordelia.

FRED I can't believe I almost forgot about her.

ANGEL (grouchily) Do it. Forget about her. We all have to now. We don't have a choice. Minute's up. (walks on, the others follow)

As they walk away, pan down to a vent near the floor. Something behind the grate is making an eerie clicking noise.

Cut to:

22    INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Connor's sitting on Cordelia's bed, holding her hand tightly with both of his hands. Jasmine walks in.

JASMINE Connor.

CONNOR Look. (flips over Cordelia's hand to reveal her bandaged wrist)

JASMINE I know. I saw it through you.

CONNOR It was them, wasn't it?

JASMINE It horrifies me to see what they're capable of. How far they've let their hate take them. They cut into her while she lay sleeping. Her precious blood stolen for their black, deceitful, cowardly magic.

CONNOR They're always using magic.

JASMINE Leave me. I want to be alone with my mother.

Connor stands and walks to the door. Jasmine sits on the bed beside Cordelia.

Cut to:

23    INT. SEWER - NIGHT Angel is still leading the gang through the sewers. Lorne and Fred are lagging behind.

LORNE You look a little down, sugarplum. Is it Cordy?

FRED (depressed) I can't. I don't care what he says.

LORNE I know, kitten. It's strange, but under that blood-feeding creature of the night facade, he seems a bit heartless lately.

ANGEL Hearts get in the way.

LORNE Hearing as good as ever, though, boss!

ANGEL If we don't gut ourselves and burn out everything inside that gave her power over us, then we're lost.

LORNE I hate to say it, Dr. Pep, but I've been lost for, like, 2 hours.

WESLEY Still, I miss her. I miss the warmth and the knowing what's right and that you're doing it just by loving her.

GUNN Tough drug to kick cold turkey.

FRED I remember the first time she took me aside at that fight at the bowling alley. Me, pale, frail Winfred Burkle, sitting with a goddess, and she was asking me what her name should be.

WESLEY Seems strange now. A being of her immeasurable age. You think she'd already have a name.

LORNE Well, maybe it was embarrassing, like Hester or Peanut.

Angel and Wesley, who were walking out front of the gang, fall through the floor into a huge hole.

FRED Angel!

Wesley manages to hold on to the floor so he doesn't fall to the bottom of the hole. Gunn reaches out to grab Wesley's hand.

GUNN I got you.

Whatever Angel grabbed onto didn't hold, and Angel fell to the bottom of the hole. He looks up and sees Fred and Lorne turn around, surprised at something. Then a gang of teenagers comes up to the edge of the hole—the kids point sharp wooden poles at Angel.

Fade to black.

ACT II:

24    INT. SEWER - NIGHT Resume. A group of teens are pointing sharp wooden poles at Angel, who's fallen into a room below the sewer line.

ANGEL (calling up to Wes) Wes?

WESLEY I'm all right.

YOUNG MAN (threateningly to Wes) No. You're not all right till I say you're all right. Holly, you good?

HOLLY Yep.

YOUNG MAN Trip. (referring to Lorne) That ugly-ass beastie so much as breathes wrong, you stick him.

LORNE Ugly ass—hey!

ANGEL You know, I kind of have a thing about people pointing sharp wooden— gimme that.

In one swift movement, Angel leaps up out of the hole and lands on his feet in front of the young man. Angel, Gunn, Fred, and Wesley fight the group of kids. Angel stops them.

ANGEL Enough! Enough. (to a young boy he knocked down) You ok? (Angel reaches out a hand to the boy to help him to his feet)

YOUNG BOY Yeah. (stands)

ANGEL It's ok. They're not under her power.

YOUNG MAN Her who?

GUNN We'll ask the questions.

WESLEY Angel, are you sure?

ANGEL Well, they're not exactly fighting like a well-oiled, mind-controlled army of love, are they?

GUNN (still holding his opponent's back against the wall) Hell, no. More like a bunch of little punks.

YOUNG MAN (indignant) Punks?

ANGEL Gunn, let him go. (Gunn backs off)

YOUNG MAN Gunn? Charles Gunn.

GUNN I say you could use my name?

YOUNG MAN I say you could use my ride without payin' the piper?

GUNN What? Payin' the— Tommy Golden's little brother? Randall? (chuckles) Little ass Randall Golden, man. This punk stole my car when he was 12 years old.

YOUNG MAN / GOLDEN What are you doin' down here, man?

GUNN Like I said, son, we'll ask the questions. (hears an eerie distant noise) Startin' with what the hell was that?

YOUNG BOY It's back.

Cut to:

25    INT. CORDELIA'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Connor walks into Cordelia's room to see Jasmine, who's sitting on the edge of the bed.

CONNOR I'm sorry. I just couldn't be— (sees Cordelia's empty bed) Cordy.

JASMINE Connor, Cordelia's blood is a danger to us. If she falls into hateful hands, the hate can spread.

CONNOR But where is she?

JASMINE She's where I want her to be. (stands, touches Connor's face) And so are you. Now come. (walks toward the door, Connor doesn't follow) Connor...

Connor follows her out the door.

Cut to:

26    INT. SEWER - NIGHT Angel and gang follow the group of kids into a grated-off and fenced-off alcove in the sewers.

GUNN Wow. Really like what you've done with the place.

LORNE Yes, this is homey.

ANGEL (inspecting the grate) So, it's secure?

GOLDEN It's held so far.

ANGEL (doubtful) Uh-huh.

FRED Held against what?

GOLDEN Don't know exactly. Never have gotten a clean shot. But it's not like anything I've ever seen.

GUNN Golden's brother used to soldier in my crew back in the old days. (pats Golden on the back) Then he broke off, went solo.

GOLDEN Yeah, Tommy was running our unit when the sun went out. Stayed topside as long as we could, tried to hold some ground, but there were too many of 'em. We go out every day and check the traps, but I don't think we've caught anything today...

YOUNG BOY (to Angel who's inspecting the grates) They're your crew, aren't they? You're the leader. I'm Matthew.

GUNN (O.S.) (to Golden) You guys really know how to live.

YOUNG BOY / MATTHEW It's ok. All the other ways in are grated off. We checked.

ANGEL Well, now I'm checkin'.

FRED (looking at Matthew) He's so young.

GOLDEN We found him in a pile-up on La Brea. Vamps laid tire traps on the road, havin' themselves a car-wreck picnic. He watched them murder his parents. They were comin' after him when we showed up.

ANGEL (looks at his bloody knuckles) Matthew, you got any water in this place?

MATTHEW Yep. We tapped a clean water pipe right over here.

HOLLY (to Fred and Lorne) Anyway, I knew about this place. I used to crash up here nights when the missions were full.

GOLDEN So we hit a supermarket that hadn't burnt down yet and got some supplies and went under. Been down here ever since. About 2 weeks and some change.

LORNE No offense, but, uh, 2 weeks down here and I'd be ready to move back in with my mother.

GOLDEN Yeah, well, we were holdin' our own. Occasional baddie lookin' for a place to sleep, nothin' we couldn't handle. Till that thing out there moved into our territory. It's been pickin' us off ever since.

HOLLY Got Tommy almost a week ago. He was out resetting the traps.

After washing them, Angel wipes off his hands on a towel.

MATTHEW Whose blood is that?

ANGEL Somebody I knew. (flashes back to images of Angel punching Connor) Somebody who tried to do bad stuff to my friends.

FRED (to Holly and Golden) I can't believe you stayed down here.

HOLLY Worse up there, ain't it? The world is ending. What does it matter where we go?

GOLDEN Besides, whatever that evil son-of-a-bitch is, it killed our people, killed my brother. We're gonna kill him right back.

FRED It's weird, really, us running into you like this. I mean, we—we're professional monster killers. (looks around, then seems sad) Or we were.

ANGEL Are, Fred. We are. (picks up a sword)

GOLDEN Hey, that belonged to Tommy.

ANGEL Well, now it belongs to me. Let's go get professional on this evil son-of-a-bitch's ass. (walks out)

GUNN Heard that.

Everyone follows Angel.

Cut to:

27    INT. JASMINE'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - NIGHT Jasmine is talking on the phone at a desk in her room. Connor is standing nearby.

JASMINE (into phone) Yes. Of course. Drop by any time. And thank you for calling. (hangs up, chuckles)

CONNOR The police lost them hours ago. (Jasmine stands, walks away) Let me go out. I'll bring them down, I promise.

JASMINE (walks toward window) Soon. Soon you'll go out with all of my strength behind you... but first we have to celebrate. (smiles) That was the Governor on the phone. Very agreeable. He's dissolving his administration tonight. The time of the politician is over. This state now answers to me. (laughs) Ohh! It's happening. Don't you feel it? This world is about to kneel before me and shed all its avarice, all its woe. (turns to face Connor) I will free them from the loneliness, (walks to Connor) from the empty horror of their lives. (laughs softly) They won't know what hit them.

CONNOR I'm sure of that.

JASMINE And you'll be there, at my side. We will live in a palace built by the love of billions. It will make the pyramids of Giza look like the headstones in a pauper's graveyard. We'll be a family, Connor. Together, as one, forever. (touches Connor's face) It's going to be beautiful. (hugs Connor)

CONNOR Yes.

JASMINE Then why aren't you smiling? (pulls back from the hug)

CONNOR I don't know.

JASMINE I think I do. To belong, to truly be a part of something, you have to surrender to it—completely. Cordelia has done that, but you...

CONNOR I want to, really.

JASMINE There's a part of you that you've kept from me—your pain.

CONNOR I don't understand.

JASMINE Pain has been the only constant in your life, the one thing that has never abandoned you. (takes Connor's hand, palm up, in her hand) You think that pain is yours to keep and bear alone. But it's not. (digs her fingernails into Connor's palm) I want it. I want everything you are. Connor, father, let it go. (low, mean) Let me have it.

CONNOR (nearly crying, submits) Ok.

Jasmine pulls her hand off of Connor's palm revealing several semi-circular bloody marks where her nails pierced his skin.

JASMINE Ok.

Jasmine holds up her hand then, and the bloody marks are on her palm now, and they fade away.

Cut to:

28    INT. SEWER - NIGHT Angel's gang and Golden's gang walk down the sewer tunnels purposefully.

FRED They're just kids.

ANGEL Strength in numbers.

FRED Angel—

ANGEL They just wanna strike back, Fred, at something, anything. I know how they feel.

LORNE (holding a hockey stick as a weapon) I ever tell you I suck at sports?

The group rounds the corner, and they stop walking.

MATTHEW This is where Tommy got taken.

FRED What's that smell?

ANGEL It's ammonia.

Some creature makes a growling sound and snatches Golden up into a vertical pipe.

GOLDEN Aah!

HOLLY Golden!

Angel leaps up into the pipe after Golden. After some noises that sound like fighting can be heard, Golden drops down out of the pipe onto the floor. Holly goes to his side. Angel jumps down out of the pipe in vampire face, seen by Matthew, who runs away frightened.

ANGEL Matthew, it's ok!

BOY Matt!

ANGEL (runs after him) Matthew!

FRED (something grabs Fred) Aah! Aah!

Angel swings his sword at whatever grabbed Fred. The thing lets Fred go.

HOLLY Golden? Sweetie...

ANGEL (to Gunn) If Matthew reaches the surface...

GUNN We'll get him.

ANGEL Right.

GUNN (to Fred) Come on!

FRED Matthew!

ANGEL That thing is really pissin' me off. Lorne, Wes...

LORNE Jawohl.

ANGEL Where's Wes?

Cut to:

29    INT. DEMON LAIR - NIGHT The creature that snatched Wesley drops him on the floor and looks at him. The demon is gray and skinny and makes an insect-like clicking noise. It has pincers for hands, and four legs and two arms. It walks up to Wesley

DEMON We loved her first! (clicks angrily)

Fade to black.

ACT III:

30    INT. SEWER - NIGHT Angel is squatting, inspecting the floor around where the monster took Wesley. Lorne is standing beside him.

LORNE It got Wes?

ANGEL Yeah. It must've looped around behind us. It knows these tunnels better than me. And it's fast. Look, I'll track it down. Lorne, take the others back to the fort. Wait for Gunn and Fred.

LORNE Ohh! If you insist.

GOLDEN (holding weapons to Lorne and Angel) Uh-uh, Dracula. Not ok.

Cut to:

31    INT. DEMON LAIR - NIGHT The insect monster has brought Wesley to it's cave.

WESLEY All right, f-fine. You loved her first.

DEMON Before your kind was, my kind loved her. Stood stone on stone, built the temple. Always making ready. (squeals) Ohh... (cries, looks at the ceiling) But she came here.

WESLEY She? Jasmine?

DEMON (cocks head to the side) Eh?

WESLEY Jasmine. That's what we call her. The... (the demon clicks) superior being that—that you loved first.

DEMON (angrily) Pfah! You name her. Filthy little mice! She is the devourer... the song... the peace... the whole... (moans) and you try to name her. (a glob of bloody viscera falls to the ground in front of Wesley; the demon looks up and groans) Work to do. (walks away, then snaps his head back to Wesley) We loved her first!

Wesley watches the demon go back to work. It crawls up the wall and grabs a torch. Wesley stares at the bloody guts that splatted in front of him.

WESLEY And how does your kind define "love"?

DEMON Same as all bodies. Same as everywheres. Love is sacrifice.

Cut to:

32    INT. SEWER - DAY Fred and Gunn are following Matthew's trail trying to track him down.

GUNN Matthew? Matthew!

FRED Matthew! You sure he went this way?

GUNN Definitely heard splashin'. It's gotta be him.

FRED Unless it was another one of those skittering creatures.

GUNN Yeah, well, it better skitter its hindquarters outta my way, 'cause I ain't in the mood.

FRED Or it could just be rats.

GUNN (stops walking) Now what did you have to go and say that for? Damn!

FRED Sorry, I wasn't— I'm sure if it's not Matthew then it's probably some horrible monster, but definitely not—

GUNN Look at us. Where we are. I mean, yesterday we were happy. Happier than I ever thought possible. Now we're trudging through sewage, huntin' some 13-year-old kid to drag his ass back down here so he doesn't find out it's Shangri-la-la land up there.

FRED He's scared, Charles. Think how he feels.

GUNN You heard Angel. Feelings don't enter into it anymore.

FRED (irritated) That the world we're fighting for? The right to be heartless, an uncaring shell? To be dead inside?

GUNN We're gonna be dead, period, if Jasmine gets a hold of that kid. We're fightin' for our survival. (walks away)

FRED That's not enough, Charles, not for me. May-maybe you can turn off your feelings like Angel can, leave the people we care about behind.

GUNN Yeah, well, you had no trouble turnin' off your emotion chip when—

FRED (angrily) When what?

GUNN Nothin'.

FRED What were you gonna say?

GUNN Forget it.

FRED No, when did I ever—

GUNN (stops walking) When you and I killed a man. (backs off) I mean, when I did.

FRED (softly) We did.

GUNN Whatever. Point is, when the circumstances called for it, you did what you thought you had to. Didn't matter what anybody else thought.

FRED You're right about all of it except for one thing. What we did, I felt it. Every bit of it. And, you know, sometimes when I allow myself to think about it, it eats me up inside.

GUNN Yeah, me, too.

FRED Well, I don't know about you, but... I'd take that over being a shell any day.

GUNN (looks away) Come on. There's a scared kid out there we gotta find. (they walk on)

Cut to:

33    INT. SEWER - DAY Golden and crew are pointing sharp objects at Angel and Lorne, not letting them pass.

GOLDEN You think I didn't see that back there? You're one of 'em.

ANGEL Uh, Golden, it's not like that.

LORNE Yeah, he's telling the truth.

GOLDEN Excuse me. Not talkin' to horned demon, talkin' to vampire. Thank you.

ANGEL All right, what you saw, yes, I can't deny that, but—

LORNE (dismissive) But he only drinks pig's blood!

ANGEL Lorne...

LORNE Well, it's true! You gotta give an undead fella points for that, right, huh? I mean, unless you're into the whole kosher thing, but, I mean, you're not— well, you don't look— (Golden pushes the weapon closer to Lorne's neck) OK, horned demon shutting up.

ANGEL Look, I don't blame you for feelin' this way, but I'm not gonna justify my existence to you. I wouldn't be able to. But what I can do is take that spear away from you and snap it into kindling and break your neck in half the time it would take for you to give it a good push. Or you can step aside and let me go help my friend.

Cut to:

34    EXT. SEWER PIPE - DAY Gunn and Fred exit the sewer pipe and find themselves on the street in the city. They round a corner looking for Matthew. A boy on a skateboard passes by them, but they hide so he doesn't see them.

Cut to:

35    INT. DEMON LAIR - DAY The demon is fast at work, focused on his task of carving up bodies that are hung on his cave wall.

WESLEY (looks around the cave) That door is open.

DEMON Yes.

WESLEY Aren't you worried I'll just run away?

DEMON Hm. Not worried. Good at catching furries.

WESLEY Yes... clearly. So... not from around here, are you?

DEMON (stops working, turns around in a huff) No. Other world. Older world. (Wesley looks at a blue orb sitting in the corner) You go. Go on. Use my key. Visit. (laughs) What we breathing there burn out little mouse lungs before you can make a peep.

WESLEY (stands) Fair enough.

DEMON (imitating) Fair enough. Fair enough-enough. (goes back to work)

WESLEY Are you preparing a spell?

DEMON Mmm, this blood magic. Flesh magic. Older than words. More much power. This magic she will hear. She will hear and remember her true ones.

WESLEY So no incantations, then?

DEMON No words. (scoffs) She gives no care about words. Word magic.

WESLEY Really.

DEMON There is only one word she—

WESLEY One word?

DEMON Shh!

WESLEY What word... does she give care about?

DEMON You is talky meat. Don't make me come down there.

VICTIM Aah! My god! What is it with you, man? This is disgusting.

DEMON You!

VICTIM Just drop the cliche serial killer crap and stake me already! Please!

DEMON I tear your guts all inside out. I stitch your guts every all over. Why don't you go dead?

VICTIM Why don't you go f— (the demon attacks him) aah! Aah!

DEMON Pssh! More talky meat. (throws the victims's tongue over to Wesley)

WESLEY You can't kill him, not that way. He's already dead. He's a vampire.

DEMON Hmm, vampire. Like the one with the angry steel?

WESLEY Angry steel?

DEMON The one that hurt me in the tunnels back there.

WESLEY (nods) Angel.

DEMON Eh?

WESLEY That's his name, the one who attacked you.

DEMON (scoffs) You creatures! Throwing your names all over all the time! That's why you're so weak. Too many are knowing your names, takes your power away.

WESLEY It doesn't work that way here. With us— (beat) So that's the word, isn't it? The word she gives care about?

DEMON (stops working, turns to face Wesley) Shut.

WESLEY It's her name.

DEMON (shouts at Wesley) Shut! Shut! Shut! Shut! (pushes Wesley against the wall) Shut! Shut! Shut!

Cut to:

36    EXT. STREET IN LOS ANGELES - DAY A garbage truck rolls by with two men on it. Matthew was standing behind it. Fred and Gunn run up to him.

FRED Matthew! It's ok. We don't want to hurt you. We just want to talk, but it's not safe here.

MATTHEW (looking at the sky) You didn't tell me the sun came back out.

GUNN Oh, yeah, forgot to tell you. Sun came back out.

MATTHEW Angel, he's a vampire like the ones who—

FRED Matthew, we can't explain it all up here, but we're the good guys, I swear, and we need you to come with us.

MATTHEW No. No, I won't go!

GUNN Sorry, son, but we ain't asking.

MATTHEW (shouting out) Help! Help!

Gunn punches Matthew, knocking him out. Fred stares at him, stunned.

GUNN Fred...Fred!

FRED What?

GUNN Get his feet.

Cut to:

37    INT. DEMON LAIR - DAY Wesley's lying on the floor, backing away from the angry demon.

WESLEY She has a name, and it has power over her! That's why she keeps it a secret!

DEMON (turns away from Wesley) La-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la! I'm not listening!

WESLEY (stands) And somehow her true name prevents her from choosing a false one? So one of us had to do it.

DEMON (punches Wesley, then gets up in his face) What it matters, eh? Eh, talky meat? I don't keep the name. High priest keep the name! And you about to go dead, about to be a smear on my flesh spell. (grabs Wesley by the neck, choking him) I just messenger from the ones who love truly.

ANGEL Well, then... (the demon turns his head to see that Angel just walked into the cave) I guess it's time to shoot the messenger. Or, you know, chop the messenger into little bitty pieces. Whatever.

The demon drops Wesley and charges toward Angel. They fight, Angel using the sword.

Cut to:

38    INT. SEWER - DAY Lorne is talking to Golden's gang like they're little children.

LORNE And that's why when we use words like "ugly-ass" and "beastie," we can sometimes do more damage than we intend to. It ain't all about sticks and stones, my young friends. That's all. A little life lesson— One to grow on. (points) Knowing... knowing is half the—

GOLDEN Man, shut up!

Fred and Gunn bring in the unconscious Matthew.

HOLLY Matthew?

GOLDEN Gunn, what the hell happened, man?

GUNN He'll be ok.

FRED I'm sorry. We had no other—

GUNN Fred!

GOLDEN What is she talking about?

GUNN Nothing.

GOLDEN Gunn, I'm not liking what I'm not hearing. What did you do to my boy?

GUNN (stands) Son, there's a whole new world of bad going on upstairs, and your boy was walking into it blind. Now, we did what we had to, and frankly, I ain't interested in your opinion on the subject!

Matthew chuckles. He laughs out loud, but it sounds more like a woman's laugh.

HOLLY Matty? Honey?

FRED Oh, no.

MATTHEW (in Jasmine's voice) I see you! Holly, look what they did to Matthew. They hit him again and again until he lost all consciousness. He just wanted to see the sun.

GUNN Fred, Lorne, time to go.

MATTHEW (in Jasmine's voice) Golden, my love, don't you want to hit them? Don't you want to kill them?

GOLDEN You know... that just might make my whole damn day.

GUNN (to Fred and Lorne) Go!

They leave the room and run out into the sewer tunnels.

Cut to:

39    INT. SEWER - DAY Gunn, Lorne and Wesley are running away from Golden's gang, but they run into another mob in the process. Connor walks out to the front.

CONNOR (in Jasmine's voice) Hello again, children. I believe you've met my father.

Fade to black.

ACT IV:

40    INT. DEMON LAIR - DAY Angel and the demon are fighting. The demon throws Angel across the room. When Angel stands up again, the demon stabs him through the gut with his sharp pincers.

DEMON Little mice. They always soft inside. (Angel stabs the demon's arm with his sword, cutting off a part of his pincer) Wretched little— (the demon takes the sword away from Angel) Time to go dead, mouse. (Wesley charges the demon, but the demon knocks him away) Wait your turn, talky!

While the demon is screaming at Wesley, Angel picks up the pincer he cut off the demon and stabs the demon in the neck with it. The demon screams in agony and falls to the floor.

ANGEL Little soft yourself in there.

DEMON Devourer...this meat...I give...unto thee. (dies)

WESLEY Angel, that creature, it came from a world that's worshipped jasmine for millennia, a world that we can reach through this. (holds up the blue sphere)

ANGEL What?

WESLEY I think the universe just handed us our first break.

Cut to:

41    INT. SEWER - DAY Gunn, Fred, and Lorne are running through the sewers, fleeing Connor and his Jasmaniac mob.

LORNE (whining) I really hate today.

GUNN More worried about tomorrow myself. Come on!

Cut to:

42    INT. DEMON LAIR - DAY Wesley and Angel inspect the demon's sphere.

WESLEY No inscriptions, no markings of any kind, no moving parts, far as I can tell.

ANGEL So this high priest holds the true name?

WESLEY Exactly.

Cut to:

43    INT. SEWER - DAY The mob is close behind Fred, Lorne, and Gunn.

Cut to:

44    INT. DEMON LAIR - DAY Wesley and Angel are still inspecting the demon's blue sphere.

ANGEL What else do we know about him?

WESLEY I'm just guessing that he's bigger and meaner than our big, mean friend over there.

ANGEL Wouldn't surprise me. What about— (hears something in the distance) Wes, something's going down.

WESLEY Something?

ANGEL Something bad. (frowns) Connor.

Cut to:

45    INT. SEWER - DAY Running among the crowd, Connor stops and grins.

CONNOR Angel.

Cut to:

46    INT. JASMINE'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - DAY Jasmine stands alone in her room and smiles.

JASMINE Angel.

Cut to:

47    INT. SEWER - DAY Fred, Lorne, and Gunn are running through the sewers, trying to escape the mob that's after them.

FRED Angel!

LORNE Oh, god, are we dead yet?

Angel sees the others running down the sewer in front of him.

ANGEL (calls out to them) Guys!

They follow Angel.

Cut to:

48    INT. DEMON LAIR - DAY While Angel is fetching the others, Wesley paces in the demon's lair trying to figure out how to use the sphere.

WESLEY No words. No word magic.

FRED (running into the lair with Angel, Gunn, and Lorne) Angel, it's Connor. He's here.

ANGEL I know. (shuts the door behind them)

LORNE And, uh, the National Guard, I think.

Connor and the mob have followed them and are just outside the door, pushing on the door trying to get in.

FRED (holding the door shut with the others) Aah! No!

WESLEY (to himself) No word magic—powerless. Much more power in... blood magic?

Wesley touches a wound on his head, then touches the bloody fingers to the sphere. The sphere glows and sends out lightning bolts to open a portal nearby.

WESLEY Angel, I got it!

ANGEL (holding the door) Ok, I'll hold this. You guys get going!

WESLEY No. No! We can't go! Only you!

ANGEL What are you talking about?

WESLEY That thing's world, the atmosphere will kill us. (helps hold the door) We can't help there.

ANGEL But—

WESLEY Someone who knows the truth has to live through this. Angel, that's you.

ANGEL I can't.

FRED Hearts get in the way, right?

Angel runs toward the portal while the others hold the door shut.

WESLEY Angel, wait! (tosses Angel the sphere)

Angel walks into the portal.

WESLEY (holding the door) We can't hold it.

GUNN Time for the big fight scene.

Cut to:

49    INT. SEWER - DAY Connor addresses the mob as he approaches the door.

CONNOR Move aside.

Cut to:

50    INT. SEWER - DAY Gunn, Wes, Lorne, and Fred try to hold the door shut as Connor's forces continue pushing on it.

GUNN Count of 3— 1, 2—

Connor kicks down the door. He and his mob rush into the room. They engage Wesley, Lorne, Gunn and Fred in a huge fight using all manner of swords and such.

Cut to:

51    INT. JASMINE'S ROOM AT HOTEL / ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS - DAY As Jasmine's warriors fight, she's at home in her room receiving their wounds on her body and healing them instantaneously. She laughs out loud gleefully as this happens to her.

Cut to:

52    EXT. DEMON WORLD - NIGHT Angel looks around as the harsh landscape on the demon world is covered with hundreds of creatures like the demon that Angel killed. Angel looks around in astonished horror at the demons as they encircle him, clicking angrily.

ANGEL Oh, hell.

Cut to:

Closing credits.