sib2x14
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                                       TEASER

               FADE IN:

         1     EXT. HILLTOP - MORNING                                   1

               As God Lives Underwater's 'Happy' plays over the scene, fade
               up on a grassy knoll overlooking a city just waking up for
               the day far below.

               It's overcast and misty, good vampire weather - and there's
               TWIST, wrapped up in a thick, long jacket as she sits on the
               hillside, staring out across the horizon.

               She's been crying, her eyes red and her cheeks still wet, but
               she doesn't seem to have noticed.

               DANYAEL steps into frame to join her, settling in to sit
               beside her. Twist doesn't look at him, but he doesn't seem to
               mind.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Not a bad day, huh?

               A long beat. Danyael glances at her.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         We've been talking about what to do
                         next, and Chris reckons he's got a
                         plan if you're interested.

               No response. Danyael realises he's just going to have to
               carry on without waiting for her to answer.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         Now that Diego's skin's stopped
                         peeling off - which was a pretty
                         gross thing to have to wake up to
                         every morning, by the way - Chris
                         says we need to go back to Parker's
                         lab for some answers. He's sure the
                         doc knows more about what happened
                         to you than he's letting on, and-

                                   TWIST
                         Why are you here?

               She turns to him, and Danyael is stuck for a long moment
               before he answers.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Uh, I just wanted to tell you what
                         was going on.

                                   TWIST
                         No, you weren't. You wanted to see
                         if I was okay.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Is that a bad thing?

                                   TWIST
                             (looks away)
                         Right now, yeah. 
                             (long beat)
                         You should've let me use that
                         stake, Dan.

                                   DANYAEL
                             (shakes head)
                         Couldn't let you do that.

                                   TWIST
                             (sighs)
                         Look, it's sweet that you're still
                         trying to see the good in me, or
                         whatever, but-

                                   DANYAEL
                             (interrupts)
                         If this goes into self-pity, I
                         swear to God I'm gonna roll you
                         down this hill.

               She looks at him, and Danyael manages a small smile.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         I don't know about you, but I've
                         started to learn that hanging onto
                         the past is a sure way to stop
                         yourself moving forward.

                                   TWIST
                         That's easy for you to say, you've
                         never killed anyone. Not even for
                         food.

                                   DANYAEL
                         True, but that doesn't mean I don't
                         understand what you're going
                         through.

                                   TWIST
                         Do you?

                                   DANYAEL
                         I'd like to think so.

               There's a beat as she looks away from him again.

                                   TWIST
                         There's a lot you don't know about
                         me, Danyael.

                                   DANYAEL
                         As I'm finding out.

                                   TWIST
                         I just... I don't know what I'm
                         supposed to do now.

                                   DANYAEL
                             (shrugs)
                         Me neither. I've been walking round
                         this world for years now, trying to
                         find a reason for it all, and do
                         you know what I found?

                                   TWIST
                         What?

                                   DANYAEL
                         Walking sucks.

               That finally gets a smile out of her, but the light moment
               soon passes.

                                   TWIST
                         It's never going to be the same
                         again, you know. None of it is.

                                   DANYAEL
                         I know.

                                   TWIST
                         And... Danyael, about that kiss, we
                         can't...

                                   DANYAEL
                             (nods)
                         I know. I get it. And I don't think
                         my fragile male pride could handle
                         having it explained to me all over
                         again, if that's okay.

                                   TWIST
                             (lowers head)
                         I'm sorry.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Don't be. Can't help who you fall
                         in love with.

               Her heart breaks to hear him speak, and she can't take her
               eyes off him as he looks down towards the city below.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         We should get back to the van,
                         Chris wants to move out soon,
                         and...

               He trails off as he looks to Twist, meeting her stare. For a
               long moment, neither one of them speaks...

               ... until Danyael starts to lean in to her, and she doesn't
               move away. Her lips part as he gets closer...

               ... and then with a sudden SCREAM of pain, Twist throws
               herself backwards, clutching her head!

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                             (alarmed)
                         Twist? What is it? Twist!

               She writhes on the ground, still shouting in pain and
               pressing her hands to her head as he tries to restrain her.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         Twist, come on! What's wrong?
                         Twist!

               Twist's eyes fly open, her expression one of total fear, as
               we WHITE OUT into:

         2     TWIST'S VISION - MONTAGE                                 2

               A) Looking through Twist's eyes, we're inside an underground
               cavern, looking towards the light as the walls CAVE IN around
               us, showering the scene with dirt.

               B) A grey-skinned HAND places a ring carefully on top of a
               freshly dug grave, inside a moonlit graveyard.

               C) A huge PORTAL opens up in a blaze of light, surrounded by
               thick forest on all sides.

               D) Twist is looking at a young girl, who faces away from us,
               as the girl thrusts her hand towards two uniformed security
               guards - and the guards are HURLED backwards through the air.

               E) Looking down on an unmarked grave - as two HANDS burst
               from beneath the surface with a spray of soil!

               F) And a VAMPIRE, fangs bared, LUNGES for Julie's neck!

         3     INT. BLACK VAN - NEXT                                    3

               Twist JOLTS upwards with a final shout, blinking in confusion
               as she gathers her wits - she's in the back of the van now,
               with Danyael joined by an equally concerned CHRIS and JULIE.

                                   CHRIS
                         It's alright, you're safe. You're
                         with us, Twist. Everything's
                         alright.

               Gasping for breath, she leans forward and buries her face in
               her hands.

                                   DANYAEL
                         What happened?

                                   TWIST
                         I... I don't know, I think I just
                         wigged out or something... probably
                         a side effect from, you know, what
                         happened, and... how did I get in
                         here?

                                   JULIE
                         Danyael carried you.

                                   CHRIS
                         He came running back up the hill
                         with you in his arms, screaming
                         blue murder - I'm surprised no-one
                         called the police on us with the
                         racket you two were making!

               Twist sits back up, shuffling back to lean against the inside
               of the van.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Are you okay now?

                                   TWIST
                             (nods)
                         It'll pass. I'm just... well, I
                         don't know what I am. Except
                         possibly a few Pokemon short of a
                         full set.

                                   DANYAEL
                             (to Chris)
                         I'll stay with her. Let's go pick
                         up Diego and go to Parker's lab.

               With a last look towards Twist, Chris waits as Danyael climbs
               into the van before he slides the side door shut.

               Twist watches as first Chris and then Julie get into the
               front of the van, and a shaken Twist can't take her eyes off
               Julie as Chris starts the van, and we:

                                                             BLACK OUT:



                                    END OF TEASER
                                       ACT ONE

               FADE IN:

         4     INT. BLACK VAN - MORNING                                 4

               TITLE OVER - Pittsburgh.

               Chris and Julie are chatting as they weave through the city
               streets, their mood casual.

                                   JULIE
                         I think I'm just going to have to
                         accept that on that occasion, you
                         were way more rock and roll than I
                         was ever going to be.

                                   CHRIS
                         I wouldn't class getting plastered
                         on white wine at eleven on a Sunday 
                         morning in the Cuban bar in Camden
                         Market as 'rock and roll,' Julie -
                         I think the actual definition is
                         'brainless.'

                                   JULIE
                             (smiles)
                         Yeah, but you did such a good job
                         persuading those cops not to book
                         us when they showed up!

                                   CHRIS
                         Unfortunately, that comes from
                         years of practice.

               She chuckles, then cautiously glances over her shoulder into
               the back of the van.

               Twist is fast asleep, curled up inside her sleeping bag with
               Danyael sitting protectively next to her. Sitting at the rear
               of the van is DIEGO, his Hispanic features still showing a
               few signs of battle damage from his high voltage exploits of
               a few days ago.

               Julie leans across to whisper to Chris, taking advantage of
               the noise of the traffic outside to mask her conversation.

                                   JULIE
                         Just so I know, what's the general
                         plan when we get to Parker's?

                                   CHRIS
                         I'm trying to focus on this one
                         step at a time.

                                   JULIE
                         Which means?

                                   CHRIS
                         Which means I have no idea.

                                   JULIE
                         Not even a witty opening remark?

               Chris frowns at her, and she sighs as she settles back in her
               seat.

                                   CHRIS
                         What was that sigh for?

                                   JULIE
                         Nothing.

                                   CHRIS
                         Julie, don't-

                                   JULIE
                             (sharp)
                         No. I'm not going to spoil the
                         relatively good morning we're
                         having by getting into another
                         argument with you.

                                   CHRIS
                             (beat)
                         We're not arguing.

                                   JULIE
                         We would be, if I let myself get
                         pissy with you for once again
                         leading us into the lion's den
                         without any kind of plan.

                                   CHRIS
                         We'll have a plan by the time we
                         get there.

                                   JULIE
                         Oh, right, your typical 'blaze in,
                         fists flying' kind of plan?

               Chris is silent for a beat, the casual mood destroyed all too
               quickly.

                                   CHRIS
                         Just trust me.

               Julie doesn't answer, and Chris turns to look at her.

                                   CHRIS (cont'd)
                         Julie?

                                   JULIE
                         What?

                                   CHRIS
                             (beat)
                         Never mind.

               He looks away, and the tense atmosphere between the two leads
               into:

         5     INT. PARKER'S LAB - GARAGE - DAY                         5

               Chris' van bounces down the access ramp and speeds across the
               underground parking lot of the lab, passing rows of smart,
               clean executive cars on its way to a doorway set into a
               pillar in the middle of the floor.

               Chris parks the van up and hops out, sliding back the door to
               reveal Twist, Danyael and Diego all ready to go.

                                   CHRIS
                         Everybody ready?

                                   DANYAEL
                         We don't know what for, but yeah.

                                   DIEGO
                         Just point me at the bad guys.

                                   CHRIS
                         Twist?

                                   TWIST
                         Hmm?

               She looks up, her thoughts obviously in a galaxy far away.

                                   CHRIS
                         I asked if you were ready?

                                   TWIST
                         Do I have to come with you?

                                   CHRIS
                         You're the reason we're here, so
                         yes, I'm afraid you do.

                                   DIEGO
                         Do not be afraid. Nobody will hurt
                         you again while we are here to
                         protect you.

                                   TWIST
                             (darkly)
                         It's not me who needs protecting.
                         It's everybody else.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Hey, don't talk like that.

               Twist shoves past the two boys and gets out of the van. Diego
               and Danyael swap a glance before hopping out, and Diego
               slides the door shut behind him as Julie joins them.

                                   CHRIS
                         We're just going to go inside and
                         ask Dr. Parker some pertinent
                         questions, that's all. No violence
                         unless they force it on us.

                                   DIEGO
                         Are we expecting that to happen?

               Chris draws his katana in reply.

                                   CHRIS
                         I believe in being prepared.

               Chris leads the team over to the doorway, and as he braces
               himself to KICK it open, we cut to:

         6     INT. LAB - PARKER'S OFFICE - NEXT                        6

               PARKER sits behind his desk, going over some reports, when
               his intercom BUZZES to introduce ANNIE, his PA.

                                   PARKER
                             (into intercom)
                         Yes?

                                   ANNIE
                             (filtered)
                         Er, sir, I think there's something
                         you should- hey! You can't come
                         through here! Stop!

                                   PARKER
                         Annie? What's going on? Is
                         everything-

               WHAM! Diego KICKS Parker's door open, then steps aside to let
               Chris inside.

                                   CHRIS
                         I'm sorry, we don't have an
                         appointment.

               Parker's face is a mask of cool as he leans back in his
               chair, watching the whole team file in. A frantic Annie is
               right behind them.

                                   ANNIE
                             (to Parker)
                         I'm sorry, sir, I tried to stop
                         them but they all just-

                                   PARKER
                         It's alright, Annie. I'll take care
                         of this.

                                   ANNIE
                         Should I call security, or-

                                   CHRIS
                         That would lead to a particularly
                         black mark on your CV, miss.

               Annie steps back, frightened by Chris' tone, and hustles back
               out of the office.

                                   PARKER
                         I'd ask what I can do for you all,
                         but your entrance suggests that me
                         sitting and listening to whatever's
                         on your mind first might be a
                         better option.

                                   CHRIS
                         We're here to talk about what you
                         did to Twist.

                                   PARKER
                         What are you talking about? I
                         didn't 'do' anything to Twist!

               Parker notices Twist at last, as she's half-hiding behind
               Danyael, her head down.

                                   PARKER (cont'd)
                         I take it she's recovered from
                         whatever was ailing her, so maybe I
                         can help to-

               SHINK! Chris' katana SLICES down through the air - and
               straight through the middle of Parker's desk!

               Parker reels back as the two bisected halves of the desk
               collapse in on themselves, and Chris glares down at him.

                                   CHRIS
                         I think if I don't hearing
                         something resembling honestly
                         coming from you in the next thirty
                         seconds, you're going to find out
                         how your desk feels.

                                   PARKER
                         Violence won't solve anything here,
                         Chris! I've told you I had nothing
                         to do with whatever afflicted young
                         Twist, and I stand by that!
                         Barging into my office and
                         threatening me isn't exactly making
                         me want to give a damn about
                         helping you! Maybe if you-

               Parker stops with a GULP as a steely-eyed Chris presses the
               point of his katana against Parker's throat.

               Julie steps to Chris' side, concern in her eyes as she tries
               to pull Chris' arm back.

                                   JULIE
                         Chris...

                                   CHRIS
                             (ignoring her)
                         All I need to do is lean forward...

                                   JULIE
                             (snaps)
                         Chris, stop it!

                                   CHRIS
                         Not until I get some answers.

               Julie angrily SHOVES him back, and Chris blinks, his
               composure momentarily shaken before he turns his gaze onto
               her.

                                   CHRIS (cont'd)
                         Julie, get out of the way.

                                   JULIE
                         Or what? You'll kill him? What the
                         hell good will that do?

               Diego raises an eyebrow to Danyael, who is watching the
               heated exchange and not knowing what to do.

                                   DIEGO
                         Should we...

                                   DANYAEL
                         Uh...

               Chris points his katana threateningly at Parker again.

                                   CHRIS
                         He knows something, and I'm bloody
                         well going to find out what it is!

                                   PARKER
                         Then you'll be wasting your time!

                                   CHRIS
                         Why don't you let me be the judge
                         of that.

               Chris starts towards him again, but Julie gets in front of
               him and stops him.

                                   JULIE
                             (taking no prisoners)
                         All right, that's it! Back off!

               Chris keeps his stony gaze on Parker for a beat - but then
               steps back. Julie spins to face the doctor.

                                   PARKER
                         Well, thank you for-

                                   JULIE
                             (stabs a finger at him)
                         You shut up.

               She turns back to Chris, keeping her fierce stare on him
               until he's backed right off, and then she finally turns back
               to Parker.

                                   JULIE (cont'd)
                         Here's how this is going to work.
                         You say you had nothing to do with
                         what happened to Twist, and as you
                         can see we're all having a little
                         trouble believing that. But, if you
                         help us find out exactly what the
                         hell turned her into a cold-blooded
                         killer, then maybe we can start to
                         trust you again, and I won't have
                         to worry about stopping Chris from
                         turning you into a shish kebab. Is
                         that clear?

               Parker can't resist a smirk at the plucky Julie's speech.

                                   PARKER
                             (nods)
                         Aye. We're clear.

               Parker reaches down to his broken desk and retrieves his
               intercom.

                                   PARKER (cont'd)
                             (into intercom)
                         Annie?

               After a beat, Annie pops her head through the still-open
               doorway.

                                   ANNIE
                         Yes, sir?

                                   PARKER
                         Call Wilkes and tell him to get the
                         lab warmed up, I'm bringing some
                         guests down to run a few tests.

                                   ANNIE
                         Right away.

               She disappears again, and Parker stands, stepping round the
               remains of his desk.

                                   PARKER
                             (to Chris)
                         Will my full co-operation go any
                         way towards convincing you of my
                         innocence?

                                   CHRIS
                             (darkly)
                         We'll see.

                                   PARKER
                         I'll have to take that as a
                         definite 'maybe,' then. If you'd
                         all like to follow me?

               Parker weaves through the team and leaves the office, and the
               others start to follow. Julie holds Chris back, a mean look
               in her eyes.

                                   JULIE
                         Chris, wait. We need to talk.

                                   CHRIS
                         You're the one who just got things
                         moving, don't you want to-

                                   JULIE
                         What I want is for you to promise
                         that's the last crazy stunt you're
                         going to pull.

                                   CHRIS
                         'Stunt'?

                                   JULIE
                         Look, I'm prepared to admit that
                         your moral compass doesn't point to
                         the same North as the rest of us,
                         and I know there isn't much I can
                         do about that. But while I'm still
                         around, I expect to see you
                         behaving more like a human being
                         than the monster inside of you. Is
                         that too much to ask?

                                   CHRIS
                             (incredulous)
                         I'm trying to find out some answers
                         for why Twist felt the need to try
                         to kill herself, and you're marking
                         me down for my bedside manner?

                                   JULIE
                         Let me make it real simple for you.
                         Either you get your head out of
                         whatever dark cloud it's been stuck
                         in the past few months, or I walk.

               She marches away from him, and a confused Chris calls out:

                                   CHRIS
                             (hesitant)
                         You'll... you'd leave?

                                   JULIE
                         I'd leave. I can't be around you if
                         this is what I'm going to have to
                         put up with every day, Chris. You
                         just think about that. If you want
                         me to stay... act like it.

               With that, she turns and leaves the office, and we cut from
               Chris' moody expression to:

         7     INT. LAB - CORRIDOR - NEXT                               7

               Parker leads the team down one part of the Lab, following one
               of the several coloured lines painted onto the floor.

                                   PARKER
                         I thought it best to start at the
                         scene of the crime, see if there's
                         any way we can link up the bornium
                         exposure she suffered to her later,
                         more... aggressive symptoms.

               Twist has stopped at one junction, looking down the corridor
               beyond, and Danyael steps back over to her.

                                   DANYAEL
                         What is it?

                                   TWIST
                         I just need to go check on
                         something. I'll catch up, alright?

                                   DANYAEL
                         Check on what?

               She's already on her way, and a confused Danyael watches as
               we cut to:

         8     INT. LAB - ROOM - NEXT                                   8

               Twist opens the door to what used to be Lizzie's room - the
               young psychic who was helping Twist interpret her visions -
               but all signs of life have been removed.

               The room is stripped back to its bare furniture - bed,
               wardrobe, desk - and it's clear that Lizzie doesn't live here
               any more.

               Confused, Twist checks the room number on the door to make
               sure she has the right one, then with a frown she steps back
               outside and closes the door.

         9     INT. LAB - CHEMICALS LAB - NEXT                          9

               Parker and the team are standing with WILKES, the head of the
               department, as they look over the blackened, sealed chamber
               that was the scene of the accident that Twist helped avert.

                                   PARKER
                         Where would you like to start?

                                   CHRIS
                         I want to know exactly what
                         chemical compounds make up this
                         'bornium' element, and then I want
                         to run a sample of Twist's blood
                         through every single machine you
                         have here to start identifying
                         anything that shouldn't be there.

                                   WILKES
                         Are you sure there's going to be a
                         link between the two?

                                   CHRIS
                         Until proven otherwise, yes.

                                   PARKER
                         Wilkes, you'd better get right onto
                         that.

               The doctor leaves, and Parker turns back to the team. Chris
               is looking towards Twist, who has her hands pressed against
               the sealed chamber, reliving the accident.

                                   PARKER (cont'd)
                         I have something else that will be
                         of interest to you, however.

                                   CHRIS
                         Do you now?

                                   PARKER
                         Consider it a peace offering.

                                   CHRIS
                         Let me hear what it is before we
                         start giving it any significance.

                                   PARKER
                         I've managed to locate another part
                         of the healing device.

               That gets Chris' attention.

                                   PARKER (cont'd)
                         I understand your recent trip to
                         Shadow Haven sadly let a component
                         fall into enemy hands...

                                   CHRIS
                         Bad news travels as fast as ever, I
                         see!

                                   PARKER
                         ... maybe this can make up for it.

                                   CHRIS
                             (beat)
                         Alright, I'm listening.

                                   PARKER
                         There's a network of tunnels buried
                         beneath a graveyard about thirty
                         miles east of here. As far as I've
                         been able to gather, they were used
                         to keep important magical artefacts
                         out of the hands of evil, dating
                         right back to the Middle Ages.

                                   CHRIS
                         And there's a component buried down
                         there too?

                                   PARKER
                         So it would seem, aye. I was going
                         to send a team out to recover it,
                         but seeing as we're on somewhat
                         frosty ground at the moment I
                         thought it'd make for a good show
                         of faith on my part if I let you
                         lead your team out to get it.

                                   CHRIS
                         Who gets it afterwards?

                                   PARKER
                         You do. I'd still like us to pool
                         our resources one day when we have
                         all the parts, but-

                                   DANYAEL
                         Sounds good to me.

               They look round as Danyael steps over. He glances towards
               Twist, frowning as Diego moves in to talk to her.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         All I want to know is how can we
                         trust that this isn't a trap?

                                   PARKER
                         Honestly? That's up to you. Trust
                         is a two-way street, after all. All
                         I'll say is that if you find the
                         device piece, it's yours. You have
                         my word on that.

               Chris rubs his chin as he considers this, and Twist heads
               over to join them.

                                   TWIST
                         This looks serious... what's up?

                                   DANYAEL
                         New job. We're going caving to find
                         more bits of the healing machine.

                                   TWIST
                         Shiny.

                                   PARKER
                         I assume you'll want Twist to stay
                         here while we run those tests on
                         her?

               Chris looks to Twist, who nods.

                                   TWIST
                         I'll stay. I'm not ready to go back
                         into action yet.

                                   CHRIS
                         You're sure?

                                   TWIST
                         Positive.

                                   CHRIS
                         Alright then, it's settled. 
                             (to Parker)
                         Point us to where we need to go,
                         and we'll see what we turn up. I
                         just hope for your sake this isn't
                         a trick.

                                   PARKER
                         Nothing could be further from my
                         mind.

               Chris waves Julie and Diego over, and with a last glance from
               Danyael to Twist, Parker leads them all away.

               Twist solemnly watches the team go - she knows they're still
               not sure if they can trust her in the field again yet... and
               she's not even sure she trusts herself.

               With a heavy sigh, she turns and looks back into the soot
               blackened sealed chamber, and we:

                                                             BLACK OUT:



                                   END OF ACT ONE
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