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 starring David Boreanaz J. August Richards Amy Acker and James Marsters |
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Mutant Existential Scoobies presents
Angel: the Series Season 6 Episode 2 Exodus Part 1 (November 05, 2004) Written by Arethusa |
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For Jacky, Liam, Davie, and Donovan |
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PREVIOUSLY, ON "ANGEL" - - THE DEMON HORDES approach in the alleyway north of the Hyperion, - a DRAGON swoops down. Angel plunges his sword into the creature's side, - a PORTAL sucks Angel, Gunn, Spike, and Illyria into FASACH, - Angel and Illyria walk stranded through the DESERT, - Angel sits at a checker-board-cloth-covered table in the middle of the Fasach desert watching in a daze as Mad Hatter Spike, Dormouse Gunn and Alice Fred sip tea and talk animatedly. Strangers... have come to my world. I had to see for myself... if they present a danger to my people. - a shot of THE WA!JANI people, tribal demons with turquoise skin, - Spike carries an unconscious Gunn into the Wa!Jani camp, - a SPIDER spins its web into Gunn's wound, - Gunn and Angel converse in the Wa!Jani Leader's tent: I told him we're not from this realm. That we're just trying to get home. If I understand him right, that's what they're trying to do, too. ANGEL If we could find the dragon, we could use it somehow to get back. - a shot of the RAIDERS, approaching the Wa!Jani camp. EXT. THE WA!JANI CAMP - NIGHT SLOW MOTION - ILLYRIA holds her sword loosely at her side, seemingly undisturbed by the shouting and movement around her. Suddenly she lifts the sword and swings, in one swift, fluid motion. THE HEAD OF HER VICTIM SOARS THROUGH THE AIR BEFORE HER, carried by its momentum, eyes wide and its slit of a mouth gaping in surprise. A fraction of a second later the corpse of her raider victim falls into view. Before it reaches the ground, Illyria swings around to stab one of the raiders' beasts in the throat. It pitches to the ground, its rider pinned under the weight of the beast, blood flowing down its chest. Illyria beheads the trapped rider in one motion. She stalks out of frame to reach her next soon-to-be victim. WIDE SHOT - THE WA!JANI CAMP. Two dozen raiders are THUNDERING STRAIGHT THROUGH THE CAMP TOWARDS THE WA!JANI, hacking and slicing at anyone within sword range. The Wa!Jani fight back, swinging swords and throwing spears. They take down several beasts and raiders. Six more raiders fan out to the right and left, three on each side of the camp. ANGEL deflects a thrown spear and races towards the raider who threw it. The raider pulls a WICKED-LOOKING LONG KNIFE from inside his boot and makes a stab at Angel as his mount races by the vampire. Angel grabs the tail of the beast as it flies past, the muscles of his shoulders knotting as he uses the tail to swing the beast to the ground. The rider is thrown clear, and Angel grabs the spear and sends it straight through the raider's chest. He turns around to scan the encampment, quickly taking in the mayhem. He sees the raiders trying to surround the camp. SPIKE is literally throwing himself into the battle, leaping up and dragging a raider down to the ground. Spike breaks the neck of the raider and grabs the SWORD he has dropped, chopping at the next rider he reaches. A WA!JANI WARRIOR'S spear hits another raider, who falls from his steed. GUNN quickly decapitates him, wincing from the strain on his wound. CUT to Angel's POV as his eyes PAN OVER the battle. He sees Spike. Spike! Spike whirls around to face Angel, who points, swinging his arm around to indicate the raiders spreading out to encircle the camp. Spike grins, then runs off to the right. Angel runs off to the left. CLOSE-UP on Gunn as he watches them race off, his face filled with frustration. WIDE SHOT - Several raiders are now on foot, battling WA!JANI WARRIORS. One warrior parries the sword of an attacking raider, while another warrior stabs a raider in the stomach. Two raiders attack an atypically large Wa!Jani warrior, fists landing on his face and midsection. The Wa!Jani falls, and one of the raiders stabs him in the neck. A TEENAGE WA!JANI GIRL scoops up smooth stones from a pouch at her belt and fires them from a SLINGSHOT with deadly accuracy, hitting a beast directly between its eyes. Another stone hits the rider's temple, with killing force. The rider recoils and falls off his beast. A WA!JANI MAN AND WOMAN, both in middle age, pull over a tent to block the path of an oncoming raider. The raider's beast swerves to avoid the tent, and the raider throws his SPEAR. The spear hits the man, who falls to the ground. The woman gathers him in her arms, sobbing. Illyria observes the weeping woman, eyes expressionless. She turns and drags a raider riding past her off his beast and throws him with great force off screen. Angel pulls his sword from the chest of a raider. Another lies dead at his feet. Spike circles a mounted raider, who is making futile attempts to slash at the vampire with his sword. A Wa!Jani warrior stabs another raider, then is stabbed from behind himself. Illyria backhands a raider, sending him flying through the air. His shrill, echoing cry rips through the noise of battle. BLACK OUT. |
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starring David Boreanaz J. August Richards Amy Acker and James Marsters |
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EXT. WAJANI CAMP - NIGHT THE SHAMAN kneels before one of the cookfires, chanting. As the action unfolds around him, we hear HIS SOFT, AGED VOICE, faint at first but growing steadily stronger. The chanting finally echoes over the ENTIRE CAMP, like an eerie whisper greatly amplified by some artificial source. He quickly unrolls a LEATHER BUNDLE OF HERBS AND POWDERS, sprinkles some on the fire, and chants a spell. Three warriors with drawn swords are at his back, facing the mayhem and ready to protect the Shaman from interruption as he works. THE SMOKE OF THE CAMPFIRE thickens and grows darker, until it overflows from the fire in a billowing fog. GROUND-LEVEL TRACKING SHOT - A GRAY CLOUD OF SMOKE spreads out from the campfire. It smoothly flows over the ground, its smoky tendrils in search of its quarry, probing every obstacle, racing over prone bodies, dead beasts, and the wreckage of the tents. The SMOKE ignores the Wa!Jani and the Fang Gang as it races to find its victims. Nevertheless, we see Angel, then Spike, then Illyria stare at it warily and step away as the smoke BILLOWS UP FROM THE GROUND IN A CLOUD and surrounds the raiders. The smoke thickens and tightens until it resembles a BLACK SILK ROPE, then laces its way up the raiders' robes and twines up the legs of their beasts. The beasts rear up as the smoke finds its way up nostrils and down throats, and the unlucky beasts bellow in panic. The smoke continues to flow around the raiders, obscuring their vision and sliding down their throats, choking them. The head of one raider snaps back as his mouth is filled with the flowing smoke, and he begins to gag. Puffs of smoke are expelled into the air, and the raider falls over dead, his mouth snapping shut as he lands. The smoke oozes out of his nostrils and crawls away. WIDE SHOT - The battle winds down as the last raiders are stabbed and speared by the Wa!Jani. Several other raiders are riding away. At least eight dead Wa!Jani lie still on the ground, and at least five injured people also are in sight. From all corners of the camp, the smoke ripples and flows back to the Shaman's campfire, seeming to pour back into the flames. CUT TO - Angel, watching the smoke recede with a look of grim appreciation for the Shaman's power. EXT. THE WA!JANI CAMP - DAYBREAK TRACKING SHOT - The camera follows ANGEL as he walks back to the center of the camp. The camp is littered with fallen tents and strewn with the cooking pots, skins, boxes, bags, clothing, and other possessions of the Wa!Jani. CUT ONE BY ONE to the sights around him - Several people are righting tents and building campfires. Others gather the detritus and heap it up near the fires for the people to reclaim. Several women are escorting children back to their tents. Each fallen body is being tended by one or two Wa!Jani. Two Wa!Jani drag two of their people off towards the desert, presumably for burial. A woman with a torch, lit despite the bright day, follows them. A fallen beast is deftly butchered by another Wa!Jani, who tosses the hacked-off chunks of meat into a clay bowl. He hands the bowl to a waiting young boy. The boy runs to one of the smaller cookfires. A metal plate on legs sits over the fire. The boy hands the bowl to a woman standing before the fire. She places the meat on the plate, which sizzles on contact. THE WA!JANI HEALER kneels next to a prone Wa!Jani woman. THREE ASSISTANTS stand next to her. The Healer speaks to them in Wa!Jani. One runs off towards a tent that still stands. The other moves on to an injured man nearby. The Healer slits the bloody robe of the injured woman and unrolls a leather wallet much like the Shaman's. The Assistant returns from the tent with a clay pitcher and bowl and a lumpy sack. She pours water into the bowl and pulls out a towel and tiny bottle from the sack, adding a few drops to the bowl of water. The Healer washes her hands, dries them on the towel, and takes out the now-familiar clay jar that holds THE HEALING SPIDER. The Healer's Assistant sets a broken bone on the injured Wa!Jani warrior, who flinches but does not cry out. CUT TO - Angel walks up to THE SHAMAN, who stands before his tent, surveying the scene and talking quietly with Gunn and three Wa!Jani warriors. Illyria and Spike also approach the group. (to Shaman) We still need to talk. If I haven't earned some of your trust by now I never will. Either way, we're going after that dragon. We can argue over how to use the stone when we get back. GUNN Angel, he can't understand you outside the vision quest, remember? The Shaman gazes at Angel, unblinking. Then he turns and ducks into his tent, beckoning the others to follow him inside. I think he understood me well enough. INT. SHAMAN'S TENT - DAY Inside the tent are the items we're now accustomed to seeing in Wa!Jani tents--bags, rugs, panniers, jars, clothing--as well as a small fire. But painted around the ENTIRE INTERIOR OF THE TENT is a VIVIDLY COLORED PARADISAICAL SCENE. A grove of willowy trees bend over a sparkling blue stream. Pale mossy-green grass softens the rocky bank of the stream. Clever use of perspective hints at stubbly fields behind the trees, where tiny alien livestock bend their heads down to graze on the grass. On the ceiling of the tent, blue skies with scattered clouds complete the scene, restful to eyes accustomed to desert and rock. The Fang Gang takes in the painted tent walls. THE WARRIORS sit on rugs laid on the ground. Angel, Spike and Gunn also sit, Gunn between the Shaman and Angel. CLOSE UP - Illyria walks around the tent, looking closely at the scene. Then she looks at the Shaman, indicating the walls with a tilt of her head. This is your promised land? "Verlaat"? The Shaman rises and joins her. He points to the PALE TWIN MOONS, visible despite the sunny day, and then to the ring of mountains surrounding the idyllic scene. He raises his hand high, to demonstrate the great height of the mountains surrounding the beautiful valley. His face is suffused with longing and hope. He turns to face Illyria and speaks in Wa!Jani to her. Gunn turns to translate. He says that hundreds of years ago the gods spoke to the tribe's shaman in a dream. They told him that if the Wa!Jani prove themselves worthy, the gods will reveal the location of Verlaat and the Wa!Jani will spend eternity there in peace and, uh, prosperity. I think. ILLYRIA Why? GUNN Why what? ILLYRIA Why would a god care about their brief and miserable lives? We do not bargain with lower creatures. They worship and obey, or they are ground into the dirt from which they crawled. Gunn translates for the Shaman, who looks at Illyria with a slight hint of pride on his weathered face. He speaks to Gunn. They are favored by their gods for their faithfulness and service. That's why they won the battle with the raiders. ILLYRIA The Shaman's spell and our assistance ensured their victory. I did not detect any gods at the battle. Gunn and the Shaman exchange words. (translating) According to him, we were sent here by his gods to help them. We're proof that the gods are rewarding the Wa!Jani tribe by defeating their enemies and finding the way home. Once they get there they'll be safely hidden from their enemies by the surrounding mountains. ILLYRIA I neither know nor obey his "gods". He is a fool to think he knows the will of the gods, who did nothing while his people were killed. Gunn translates cautiously, and the Shaman replies vigorously. He says those who sacrificed their lives to defend their people are blessed by the gods, and the prophecy will be fulfilled. ANGEL (o.s.) It's not going to be fulfilled unless we get that dragon's stone. ANGLE ON Spike. (to the Shaman) He's only interested in prophecies if they're about him. Dead selfish, if you ask me. CLOSE UP - Angel. (irritated) Didn't ask you. Can we get back to reality here? We need to find that dragon and get home. Gunn, Illyria and the Shaman return to the group. You seem to think your prophecy is really real. I don't see you forgetting about it any time soon. ANGEL (muttering almost inaudibly) I gave it up. GUNN (incredulously) What?! You...? ANGEL (distinctly, though through gritted teeth) I... gave... it... up. (he pauses, glancing from one to another) I signed it away, in blood, for all eternity. CLOSE UP - Several emotions pass over Spike's face--disbelief, understanding, reluctant sympathy, respect. (But this is Spike.) Does this mean I get it now? Angel scowls. (realizing) The Circle of the Black Thorn. They wanted proof that you were on their side, didn't they? So you gave up your chance to become human. ANGEL Yeah. ILLYRIA You wanted to lose your immortality? To debase yourself even further by being mortal, one of the vile masses of mewling humanity clawing their way out of .... GUNN Hey. Human here. ILLYRIA (generously) You are less vile than most. GUNN Angel, maybe the contract can be invalidated. We'll find a loophole.... The Shaman interrupts Gunn, growing fervently animated. Gunn translates. He says that the gods sent you to help them fulfill the prophecy, because... (pause) because his own people can't get the stone themselves. They've been hunting in the deserts and mountains for hundreds of years... but no one can get close enough to a dragon to kill it. They've lost many people over the years trying. The dragons hide deep in caves in the mountains, which for some reason the Wa!Jani can't enter. (he looks at Angel) But you're not like them, so you might be able to help fulfill their prophecy, and the centuries of enemy attacks and searching the deserts for their home will end.... Their children will grow up without fear or hunger, and they will live in harmony with their gods. ANGEL (to the Shaman) Prophecies have a way of turning on you. We'll get the stone so you can locate your home, but then we need it to get to our home. GUNN (solemnly) Angel, that stone's a talisman. And from what I'm getting, it requires a powerful sorcerer to use it. Their shaman wants to use it to find ways of protecting his people against the raiders. If we just take the stone, they might never reach Verlaat, even if they know where it is. ANGEL (with frustration) They've survived for a long time without it. But if we use it to get home and we can't close the portal behind us, both our dimensions are going to have a nice open gash in their sides. Are you planning on staying here forever? GUNN No. ANGEL Even if they give us the stone they'll be better off, because they'll finally know where Verlaat is. SPIKE If they can get there. ANGEL (with a hint of anger) They'll just have to compromise. SPIKE What if they don't agree to give up the stone? Are you planning on forcing him to open the portal and give you the stone thingy? ANGEL I'll do what I have to, Spike. The Shaman plucks Gunn's sleeve. Gunn quietly translates the conversation. The Shaman speaks, and Gunn looks at him, a little surprised. He says if he goes through with us, and then uses the stone to return to his world, the portal will close up on both sides. We get home, he gets the stone, everybody's happy. Angel blinks as he has a Well, duh moment. Then he gets a determined look on his face. Great. It's a deal. Now how do we find that dragon? Gunn translates the question, and the Shaman confers with the Wa!Jani warriors. A WARRIOR ("WARRIOR ONE") animatedly describes the journey, gesturing for the Fang Gang's benefit. He motions walking, a rising and setting sun, and finally swimming. It'll take about a day to reach the caves, and once we get there we'll have to find a way to reach the dragon's chamber. We have to swim to where it is, but they don't know anything further because no one's ever made it back from the underground lake. SHAMAN (Speaks briefly in Wa!Jani and points to the warriors.) GUNN These guys want to go with us to help kill the dragon and get this stone. I guess it's a big honor to go on a dragon hunt, and they don't want to miss out on the action. ANGEL I can do this faster by myself. GUNN Can you find it by yourself? Angel scowls. They've been trying to find their way home for hundreds of years. There's no way they're gonna sit and wait while strangers fulfill their destiny. ANGEL All right, let's go. The sooner we get the rock, the sooner we can get home too. SHAMAN (More Wa!Jani) GUNN He says bring back the dragon's head. He needs it to get the stone. Gunn rises, wincing, holding his wound as if he is in pain. (to Gunn) You are too weak to do more fighting. ANGEL She's right. Stay here and find out how we can use this thing to get back to LA. GUNN You'll need me to translate. ANGEL Not if you're going to drop dead on the way. SPIKE And we can always play a rousing game of charades to get our message across. Gunn nods reluctantly. The Wa!Jani Elder speaks to the Shaman, who nods, and then speaks to the warriors. They answer eagerly, then rise and exit the tent. They said they'll find us beds for the night and we'll leave first thing in the morning. Everyone exits the tent except for the Shaman. EXT. THE WA!JANI CAMP - NIGHT Angel, Gunn, Spike and Illyria pause outside the tent. The full twin moons shine bright in the sky, seemingly close enough to touch. They're beautiful. I never thought I'd live to see another moon, let alone this. (Beat.) If we do get back home I'll still be wanted for the murder of that demon senator. The videotape is probably all over the internet by now. SPIKE Cheer up, Charley. You could still die from your injury. Second knife wound this year, innit? Illyria looks at the moons. She appears blue from head to toe in their light. Home. First you creatures are obsessed with leaving your homes, then you become obsessed with finding them again. Winifred Burkle's memories of home were prominent in her mind, yet she left home eagerly. ANGEL People never forget where they grew up. No matter how hard they try. The twin moons become brighter and brighter and appear to merge, until they morph into a shot of the desert sun. BLACK OUT. |
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EXT. THE WA!JANI CAMP - DAWN ESTABLISHING SHOT - The Wa!Jani camp, bustling with activity in the dawning light. Campfires are being fed with fuel, children run around from tent to tent, Wa!Jani tend the livestock. Several WA!JANI WARRIORS stand with the Shaman on the outskirts of the camp. One warrior wraps string around bundles of herbs topped with blue-green buds and places them in a knapsack. Another sharpens swords and knives with a flat black stone. A third fills canteens with water from a large shiny white clay jar. He passes the canteens out to the others. Angel, Spike, and Illyria join them. The Shaman hands a small metal box wrapped with a cloth to Warrior One. EXT. THE FASACH DESERT - DAY The group walks through desert, which gradually gets increasingly hilly and rocky, dotted with stunted bushes and plants. While they travel we see, but do not hear, the warriors talking among themselves, constantly scanning the horizon. Finally - One of the warriors suddenly shouts, pointing to a LOW CLOUD OF DUST. The warriors draw their swords. Raiders at four o'clock. ANGEL Illyria, do you think you could distract them? You can catch up with us later. ILLYRIA I will remove their bones while they are still alive, grind them to make bread, and force them to eat it. SPIKE That'll distract them, all right. Illyria runs towards the raiders. Warrior One holds back the two others as they start to follow her. He speaks to them briefly and they respond, LOOKING BACK AT SPIKE AND ANGEL; reluctantly they replace their swords. What do you think they're saying? ANGEL He probably told them Illyria could handle it on her own, that-- Angel and Spike notice that all three warriors are watching them like hawks. ... and they need to keep an eye on us so we don't screw them over. SPIKE Practical. I like that. 'Course, if we wanted to screw them over, not so much they could do about it. Good thing they've got nothing to worry about, right? LONG PAUSE. Angel's taking a little too long to answer for Spike's taste. Right. SPIKE (uneasy) Right. The hunting party continues on its way. As they approach the LOW FOOTHILLS that border the end of the desert, they see several very shallow dry gullies. At the base of the foothills Angel, Spike, and the Wa!Jani pick their way over the rocky ground. EXT. A HILLSIDE IN THE FASACH DESERT - DAY The Wa!Jani closely examine the exterior of THE CAVES they pass. Finally, they arrive at a CAVE OPENING in a hillside. It is about fifteen feet high, large enough for a dragon to fly into without landing. The plants and bushes surrounding the cave entrance are stubbly and show evidence of being REPEATEDLY SCORCHED. The Wa!Jani yank up several bushes and wrap the thin branches with a vine, creating torches. Warrior One takes out a small metal box and opens it, revealing a coal burning with a mystical glow. He lights the torches with the coal, and they all enter the cave. INT. CAVE IN THE FASACH DESERT - DAY THE CAVE is wide at the entrance and about thirty feet deep. The rocky cave floor slopes downhill slightly. The Wa!Jani hold the torches high, showing the Fang Gang that near the rear wall of the cave, the floor slopes downward sharply, into a pool that fills the entire rear of the cave. The only way to continue forward is under water. Warrior One points to the water, making flying motions with his hands, then swoops his hand down towards the water, and points straight down. I reckon this is why these fellows never got close enough to kill the dragon. It must be in an inner cave. Now what? ANGEL We go after it. We don't need to breathe. Angel points to the the Wa!Jani and to the cave entrance, then points to himself and Spike and the pool of water. The Wa!Jani protest, and Angel mimes heavy breathing, pointing to Wa!Jani. He then mimes breathing and points to himself, shaking his head "no." Despite the bad miming, two of the Wa!Jani nod in understanding. Angel and Spike remove their coats and fasten their swords to their belts to leave their hands free. Wa!Jani Warrior One points to himself and the water. He then removes his robe to reveal a tunic and trousers and follows Angel and Spike into the water while the other two Wa!Jani watch. They all sink under the water and disappear. The two remaining warriors emerge from the cave. One gathers fuel and starts to build a fire. The other takes out a black whetstone and starts to sharpen his sword. EXT. DRAGON'S CAVE - DAY TIME CUT to - The fire is now burning steadily. Wa!Jani Warrior Two makes a couple more strokes on his sword and puts it away. The sound of splashing and coughing interrupts the quiet scene. Warrior One emerges from the cave, soaking wet and breathing hard. He collapses onto the ground near the fire. His fellow Wa!Jani warriors chuckle as he grabs a towel from his knapsack. INT. OUTER CHAMBER OF THE DRAGON'S CAVE - DAY Angel and Spike, also soaking wet, wade back into the water. Anticipation lightens Angel's face. We can try to sneak up to the dragon from the lake and finish it off. We'd better go for the underbelly. SPIKE You're enjoying this all far too much. How long have you wanted to hunt a dragon? Got any diagrams? ANGEL If it lives near water a mirror won't help us. And we don't have Saint George. Spike (lost) Huh? (he shakes his head) You know far too much about this stuff. Why not just jump on its head? ANGEL Why would I do that? SPIKE That's how they always kill them in the movies. They stab it in the head. You can kill 'most anything that way. ANGEL You should know. I could shove a sword down its throat. And there was a knight in armor who killed a dragon by kicking him in the-- SPIKE (interrupting) Enough. Let's get on with it. ANGEL (ignoring the gibes) I get the head when the Shaman's done with it. SPIKE You can sleep with it for all I care. The two are up to their chests in water. They slip under the water to swim the rest of the way. INT. UNDERWATER IN THE CAVE LAKE Angel and Spike swim rapidly into much deeper water, their bodies dim shadows. The water is murky with a glowing green algae-like vegetation. CUT TO - The two figures swim down to a roughly circular opening in the inner wall of the cave. They disappear into the large black hole. CUT TO - Angel and Spike emerge through the corridor's end into a VAST DEEP POOL that glows with a faint blue light from above. The boundaries and source of the water in this underwater cavern are lost in the shadows just beyond the surface light. CLOSE-UP - Angel points upward. Spike nods. INT. INNER CHAMBER OF THE DRAGON'S CAVE - DAY THE CAVE is enormous, its craggy domed ceiling easily three stories high. The dim light emanates from PHOSPHORESCENT MOSS that covers the walls. The cavern walls are riddled with openings, some of them leaking a trickle of water onto the ground. The ground is strewn with boulders and stalagmites, creating NATURAL COLUMNS--convenient places for the vampires to hide. Water erosion has carved out RECESSES and passageways in the rock walls, creating a maze-like chamber with dark corners and half-walls. Spike and Angel surface and look around the dragon's lair. They very quietly swim to the left side of the cave, climb out of the water and duck behind one of the many boulders in the low stone wall. In the middle of the chamber, about twenty feet to the right of them, is THE DRAGON, lying on its side to prevent the rocks from scraping its cut belly. A RUMBLING NOISE accompanies each exhaled breath, and smoke trickles out of its nostrils. It appears to be asleep, but it is the shallow, restless sleep of a creature trying to sleep away its pain. Clotted blood surrounds the sword wound on its belly, and the injured foot is tucked protectively under a partially spread wing. The cave extends far beyond the Dragon--more chamber openings lost in the shadows. Angel and Spike inch forward very carefully, staying out of sight behind the low wall. The cavern wall curves to the right, and as they inch forward, never taking their eyes off the Dragon, Angel stumbles over an OBJECT on the ground protruding from around the corner in front of them. It is about four inches thick and tapered like a tail, covered in dark, rough scales. The rest of the creature is not visible. (whispering) Gaaah! He and Angel quickly RAISE THEIR SWORDS, ready to fend off the trod-upon Dragon, but the tail doesn't so much as twitch. They peer cautiously around the corner. A TWO-FOOT HIGH PILE OF BUNCHED-UP DRAGON SKIN, hanging in pieces, lies in between the cavern wall and the rocky partial wall about two feet away. Angel looks at the rough ground and narrow passageway created by the rock walls, which are streaked with flakes of dragon scales. (Whispering) So that's why I could cut through the armor on its stomach. It just shed! A hissing sound like steam escaping a radiator fills the large chamber, and Angel and Spike turn quickly towards the noise. The Dragon has spotted them and is looking their way. It SLOWLY RAISES ITS HEAD, wings spreading in an impressive display. Its eyes have a reddish glow and glitter with venom and pain, and its chest swells as it prepares to blast Angel and Spike with fire. The two vampires dive low, falling back into the water, and the blast passes harmlessly overhead. WIDE SHOT - They resurface on the right side of the cavern, behind the back of the Dragon. Angel and Spike creep towards the Dragon, which weaves its head from side to side and flicks a FORKED TONGUE in search of their scent. They ease their SWORDS out of their belts and try to get close enough to slit its stomach, but the Dragon whips around to face them. It squeals in pain, a HIGH-PITCHED NEAR-SCREAM that ECHOES IN THE CAVE EERILY. As it raises its head, exposing the vulnerable belly, Angel and Spike charge forward. The Dragon backhands them with a swipe of its wing, sending both SOARING ACROSS THE CAVE, smashing stalactites and stalagmites and finally crashing against a cave wall on the far right. They fall to the ground behind another boulder. Angel places his hand on the top of the boulder to rise. The Dragon shoots a PLUME OF FLAME at the fallen vampires. The fire ignites Angel's hand. He quickly smothers it with his other arm, but it leaves an ugly red splotch. Angel grimaces in pain. Spike and Angel pick themselves off the ground. Spike charges the Dragon, which again bats him across the cavern, this time to the left. More stalactites die. While Spike is sailing through the air, Angel rushes under the upswept wing, nicking the belly before the Dragon smashes its wing down on him. The Dragon rears its head while Angel rises. It FIRES ON HIM AGAIN, but Angel manages to leap to a shallow recess high in the left cavern wall before the blast of white-hot fire can reach him. Spike rises, battered but unbowed. The dragon skin lies crumpled by his feet. The Dragon again sucks oxygen into its lungs, raising itself awkwardly but fully on its haunches, its belly swelling and distending. This blast is going to be a big one. Angel leaps down from his exposed recess. CUT TO - He DROPS INTO THE FRAME next to Spike and looks back up at the Dragon. CLOSE UP - Angel and Spike, with an "oh, shit" look on their faces. The Dragon opens its mouth wide. The sound of air rushing into its lungs stops. The Dragon's wings are spread wide. All is ominously quiet for an endless second. BLACK OUT. |