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| EXT. DESERT - LATE AFTERNOON ESTABLISHING - the red sun is about to set. Angel and Illyria have reached rockier ground. They come up a rise, and see THE BODIES OF THE ALLEYWAY DEMONS scattered around on the ground. Angel walks forward quickly over the next rise, and looks around. PAN AROUND to an empty desert, rolling dunes, shrubs. They're not here. ANGEL No, but they were. He points to a STAIN on the ground. This is Gunn's blood. Illyria walks over to where he's standing, then kneels down. CLOSE-UP - Illyria reaches out towards the blood, her face struggling to hold in very human pain. Suddenly, a SPEAR SHOOTS DOWN AND HITS THE GROUND HARD BETWEEN THEM. Angel and Illyria separate, then both look up behind them, startled. A DEMON WARRIOR is coming towards them, babbling in his demonic tongue. I think we're about to meet the natives. Angel grabs the spear with his free hand and pulls it out of the ground. He holds it, ready, as the warrior approaches. Do you know what he's saying? ILLRYIA No, the language is unfamiliar. The warrior stops, then pulls a long knife out of the holster that is tied around his waist. Angel and Illyria step forward, both armed. Suddenly, ANOTHER WARRIOR comes over the rise holding a SPEAR, then another. Soon, Angel and Illyria are circled by WEAPON-WIELDING DEMONS. OK, I think we know what happened to Spike and Gunn. EXT. DEMONS' CAMP - LATE AFTERNOON Angel and Illyria, hands bound, walk into the center of THE DEMON CAMP, their captors ahead of them and behind them, holding Angel and Illyria's weapons, as well as their own. Angel looks chagrined. Illyria has an expression of disdain on her face. The demon inhabitants gather around curiously. Out of the throng comes a DEMON IN MORE ORNATE COLORED ROBES, A LEADER. He speaks harshly in the demonic tongue. The people part for him. He approaches Angel and Illyria. INT. HEALER'S TENT - LATE AFTERNOON TWO SHOT - Spike, sitting by Gunn's bedside. ....so, you know, you get in with Angel and the whole mission thing--battling demons, saving the world every other Thursday--it kinda takes over your life. You're not just hanging out in alleys, killing vamps--it's something bigger than that. SPIKE "The big picture." One of his favorite phrases. GUNN Wasn't always "Mr. Big Picture," though. A couple of years ago, he had this epiphany-- SPIKE "Epiphany"? GUNN That's what he called it. He was chasing down Wolfram and Hart, wanted to wipe them off the face of the Earth--just like now--and suddenly, it's like he gets religion-- he comes back and tells us that he's dropping the obsessions and the big picture, and all he wants to do is help the helpless. One soul at a time. Maybe that was the right idea. Maybe we shoulda stuck with it. SPIKE What, no more fighting big ugly demons with sharp, pointy teeth? GUNN No, man, you're not gettin' it. Gunn looks up at Spike, stares at him with a huge grin on his face, to the point where Spike starts to feel uncomfortable. What? GUNN You remember this girl back in Sunnydale... kind of flaky, worshipped vampires.... She was going by this weird name.... (thinks hard; eureka) Chantarelle? SPIKE Doesn't ring a bell. GUNN She sure remembers you. Says you held her hostage for hours. Threatened to eat her and all of her friends. SPIKE Doesn't exactly narrow it down. GUNN Guess not. What matters is-- she moved to L.A. Opened this shelter for homeless kids. She's down there in the trenches every day, helping people, making a difference. SPIKE We're not exactly the bed and breakfast types, Charley. Would be a waste of our talents. GUNN I'm not saying that we should....there's got to be a way to-- Gunn is cut off by a loud commotion from outside the tent. Now what? A trio of demon warriors enter the tent and grab Spike, pushing him toward the tent flap at spear-point. I'm movin', I'm movin'. Take it easy. EXT. DEMON CAMP - LATE AFTERNOON The Leader says something to the warriors, gesturing back in the direction he came from. Moments later, the inhabitants part as a commotion behind them draws their attention. There are yet more warriors, pushing someone forward - Spike. SPIKE Angel. Blue. Fancy meeting you here. ANGEL Any ideas about getting us out? SPIKE (shuffling forward) Of this camp? Not at the moment. Can't leave without Charley, anyway. CLOSE-UP on Illyria, as she raises her eyes from the ground and looks at Spike with interest. He's alive? The Demon Leader shouts at them harshly. The warriors start to push them forward to the other side of the camp. They walk along, stumbling, trying to avoid the spears and knives of their captors. Suddenly, behind them, a voice shouts out in the demonic language. The Leader stops and looks back. His warriors come to a halt. PAN TO the Healer's tent. The flap has been flipped up. Gunn emerges from the tent, limping a little and wincing at the sudden sunlight. Gunn's POV - The warriors and the Gang, about fifteen meters away. With a determined look on his face, Gunn addresses the Leader in his native tongue. The Leader and one of his warriors, spear at the ready, walk up to Gunn. They exchange a few words; the warrior lowers his weapon, but keeps it handy. (walking slowly over to Angel and Illyria) I explained to them that we're friends, that we're not here to hurt them. These people are the Wa!Jani. I think they call this dimension 'Fasach'. ANGEL (smiling at Gunn) Good to see you alive. And looking better. GUNN Their healer was able to close the wounds. So we should play nice. We owe them one. (turns to Spike) I owe this guy, too. SPIKE (mildly sarcastic, but also honestly touched) Aw, shucks. ANGEL (holds up his restrained hands) Can you get us out of this? Gunn turns to the Leader and speaks to him in Wa!Jani. The Leader shakes his head. Angel steps forward, as if to intervene and explain. The warrior guards pull him back. (to Angel) He wants to know why we're here. What we want, if it's not to raid their camp. SPIKE Tell him we just want to get the hell out of ...hell. Gunn turns to the Leader and begins speaking Wa!Jani. The Leader shakes his head, arguing, pointing. Gunn replies, speaking in earnest. CLOSE-UP on the Wa!Jani Leader as he listens. Slowly, his stern expression begins to melt into a look of cautious understanding. He says something. Gunn nods, replies. Gunn, what is going on? Gunn finishes speaking to the Wa!Jani Leader. He walks closer to Angel and the others. I told him we're not from this realm. That we're just trying to get home. (Gunn glances at the Leader; to Angel) If I understand him right, that's what they're trying to do, too. Find a home for themselves somewhere else on this dustball. TIME CUT TO - A few minutes later. DUSK. Twin moons have risen in the sky above Fasach. Angel, Spike, Illyria and Gunn are led to a large tent, their hands unbound, but still surrounded by guards. They enter the tent together. INT. WA!JANI LEADER'S TENT - DUSK There are pillows and rugs on the ground. The Wa!Jani Leader gestures to them. Gunn sits down. The rest of the gang follows suit. The Wa!Jani Leader sits down as well, then speaks to Gunn sternly. Gunn speaks back. Then he turns to his friends. I'm trying to explain our situation to him, but I'm not sure what to say. Angel, what happened? How'd we get here? ANGEL It was the dragon. Just tell him we want a dragon. Suddenly, the tent flap opens and a group of older Wa!Jani, both male and female, enter. They sit down by the Leader, who converses with them. PAN TO Gunn, who is listening, then Angel and Spike, who are frowning, out-of-the-loopy, and finally Illyria, who looks bored, anywhere-but-here. (leaning over to Gunn) Who are these people? GUNN It's the Council of Elders. I guess that dragon thing got them going. ANGEL Yes, but what are they saying? GUNN They're not sure of the situation. They're waiting for their holy man to check in and give them a better idea of what's going on. ANGEL Why isn't he here? GUNN Not sure I understood, but I think he's on some kind of vision quest. The tent flap opens again, and the Shaman we met earlier enters. The conversation among the Elders stops, and a space is made next to the Wa!Jani Leader. Although blind, the Shaman walks directly to the empty spot, and takes his place in the council circle. The Leader and the Shaman exchange greetings in Wa!Jani. Angel and Illyria exchange a "we should have seen this coming" look. (to the Shaman; angry) I want an explanation. Now. GUNN (to Angel) Wait a minute. You know this guy? ANGEL (points to himself and Illyria) The vision quest? I think we were it. There is a moment of dead silence. The Shaman doesn't respond to Angel's not-so-veiled threat. (to Angel) Old man doesn't seem to speak English. Sure you got the right witch doctor? ANGEL (to Gunn) Ask him what's going on here. Gunn turns to the Shaman, and--very respectfully--rephrases Angel's question in Wa!Jani. The Shaman responds, in Wa!Jani, in the same dry whisper Angel heard telepathically in the desert. Finally, Gunn sighs. He turns to Angel. I guess what he's saying is, whatever goes on in the vision quest stays in the vision quest. I don't think he can understand you. ILLYRIA (staring lasers at the Shaman) How convenient. The Wa!Jani Leader turns to speak to the Shaman. They converse while the Fang Gang looks on. The Wa!Jani Elders listen intently to the discussion. At one point, the Leader and some of the Elders turn and stare at Angel with apprehension and a bit of "wow, that's impressive"; a few moments later, they stare at Illyria with apprehension and fear. They're talking about-- ANGEL I know what they're talking about. The Shaman then turns to address Gunn. Whoa, slow down. Gunn then speaks in Wa!Jani, presumably saying the same thing. The Shaman continues; Gunn's brow wrinkles in concentration. (feeling a little helpless) Gunn--? GUNN (head bouncing back and forth between Angel and the Shaman) He's telling me about the dragon. If I get him right, the dragons that live in this dimension have some sort of... organ? stone?-- I'm not sure of the translation--in their brains. It's the source of their mystical power. It helps the dragon to... do feats of magic, like opening portals. They think that's how we got here. ANGEL That tracks. So if we could find the dragon, we could use it, somehow, to get back. Gunn turns to the Shaman, and speaks to him in Wa!Jani. The group of Elders begin to speak at once, looking at each other, and then at Angel. (to ANGEL) I told them what you said, about wounding the dragon. They're pretty impressed by that. I guess those things are hard to get near, much less hurt. And they've been trying. ANGEL What for? GUNN From what I picked up? The 'stone' thing can be used as a talisman, if you can get your hands on it. I'm... vague on the details of what it does, but long story short? All their warriors have gone after the dragon, and they haven't been able to capture one, much less kill it. Gunn turns to the Wa!Jani Shaman again and addresses him. The Shaman looks at his Leader warily. The Wa!Jani Leader's eyes roam the tent. Finally, he speaks to Gunn. (to Gunn) So they know where to find one of these things? GUNN (turning to Angel) They know, but they're not telling. They want to use the stone to locate this place they're looking for, their 'promised land.' Some place north of here, I think, called 'Verlaat.' SPIKE (cutting in) Sounds like they're only going to get that stone if someone can catch the dragon that's wrapped around it. And we're the ones who hurt the dragon. GUNN The problem is, if we somehow manage to get the stone, and use it to get back, we'll be taking it away from them. ANGEL Why? We use the stone to open a portal, give it back to them, and we're on our way home. GUNN It doesn't work that way. The only way to close the portal once it's been opened with the dragon's stone is to take the stone through the portal to the other side. That's how the portal closed behind us. The dragon came through the portal, and the stone was inside it. We can use the stone and give it back, but we can't just leave the portal open behind us. ANGEL (with a determined, impatient look on his face) Then we work it the other way. Tell their leader that if they let us go and help us find the dragon, we'll help them kill it. Then they can use the stone to find this place they're looking for. After that, we're using it to get back to L.A. That's the deal. GUNN (as if suddenly realizing) Angel, even if the Wa!Jani accept those terms, what are we going to do when we get back to L.A.? Chances are, this thing will spit us right back out into that alley, and even if it's not twelve noon on a sunny day like it was here, the Senior Partners will have someone waiting for us. ANGEL (looking grimly determined) We'll worry about that later. Suddenly, the Wa!Jani start talking amongst themselves. Several of the Elders address themselves earnestly to their Leader. The Shaman appears to object, but the combined voices shout him down. What are they saying? GUNN (looking at the demons) They're trying to convince him to send out warriors to look for the wounded dragon. Gunn turns to look at Angel with a grave expression. Sounds like they're going to try to get it without our help. Angel begins to rise from the floor. Instantly, a guard steps in and holds a spear to his throat. Angel looks at the metal weapon with amusement and raises his arm to push it away. Angel, what are you doing? Before Angel, Gunn, or the guard can do anything, voices erupt outside, shouting in Wa!Jani. The Wa!Jani Leader rises from his seat. The tent flap rises again, and another guard steps in. He speaks in rapid Wa!Jani. In the distance, there are sounds of shouts, then screaming. (to Gunn) What? What is it? The Wa!Jani Leader, Shaman and Elders stand. The guard standing by Angel crosses the tent, and begins to usher them out. I'm not sure. I think we're under attack. ANGEL By who? GUNN All I heard was 'raiders.' Angel steps around Spike and Illyria and looks out of the tent. THE CAMP IS IN CHAOS as men, women and children run for cover, and warriors race by, weapons in hand. (to Gunn and Spike) Any idea where they put our weapons? GUNN My ax is here? ANGEL And my sword. SPIKE (to Gunn) Are you sure you're up for another fight? GUNN I'm more up for this one than the one in that alley. EXT. WA!JANI LEADER'S TENT - NIGHT No one is paying attention to the gang as they leave it and creep along the row of tents. They emerge on the edge of the camp, and see Wa!Jani warriors battling TROUSER-WEARING MOUNTED RAIDERS. CLOSE-UP ON A MOUNTED RAIDER - the face inside the hood is almost featureless, like the Wa!Jani's. But instead of smooth turquoise, the raider's head is like the desert cast into a human mold - the color of sand, grainy in texture--a living totem. Suddenly, a Wa!Jani warrior falls dead near them, a large steel blade sticking out of his chest. Angel bolts over and falls into a roll. He comes up with the blade in his hand and parries the arc of the sword of a mounted raider. Angel races off-camera into the fray. Come on! Spike sighs deeply, and grabs a sword from a fallen Wa!Jani warrior. Gunn does the same. (indignant) This conflict is none of our business. GUNN Maybe. But I'm not gonna stand around and watch women and children get killed. SPIKE (to Illyria) Do what you like, Blue. Gunn and Spike charge into the foreground, and then off-camera, onto the field of battle. Illyria stands alone at the edge of the camp, watching them go, her face a picture of indecision. Reluctantly, she picks up a sword and strides off-camera to join them. We see a brief moment of the big battle, a WIDE ANGLE SHOT (like the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), with all four members of the Fang Gang in sword-wielding action against the raiders. FREEZE FRAME. BLACK OUT. |
Comments?
| Written by | CJL and Masquerade |
| Executive Producer | Masquerade |
| Angel | David Boreanaz |
| Gunn | J. August Richards |
| Illyria | Amy Acker |
| Spike | James Marsters |
"Angel the Series" is the property of
Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
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