sib3x05
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        28     INT. MOTEL ROOM - NEXT                                  28

               Julie lies in the bed, curled up into a tight little ball and
               with the pillow wrapped around her head, pressing it as tight
               as she can.

               All around her, dozens of WHISPERING VOICES can be heard,
               echoing through the silence of the room.

                                   VOICES
                         No-one trusts you... never be as
                         good... just going to get them all
                         killed... he'll never come back...
                         they think you're weak... he'll
                         never love you...

                                   JULIE
                             (yells)
                         Shut up!!

               She squeezes her eyes shut, but when there's a KNOCK at her
               door, the voices instantly stop.

                                   DANYAEL (O.S.)
                             (through door)
                         Julie? Are you okay?

               Julie blinks, looking round, then turns on the bedside lamp
               and quickly wipes her eyes dry.

        29     EXT. MOTEL - FIRST FLOOR - NEXT                         29

               Julie opens the door to Danyael, still rubbing her eyes.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Man, you look rough.

                                   JULIE
                         Thanks.

                                   DANYAEL
                         You okay in there? Sounded like you
                         were having a bad dream or
                         something.

                                   JULIE
                         I was. Now I'm not, thank God.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Want me to sit in with you for a
                         minute? Help chase the bad vibes
                         away?

               He holds up his bag and gives it a little shake.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         My buddy Jack can come along too,
                         if you like...

               She grins, but shakes her head.

                                   JULIE
                         Thanks, but no. I just want to get
                         some rest.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Okay, cool.

               He turns to go, but she reaches out and lays a hand on his
               arm to stop him.

                                   JULIE
                         Danyael...

                                   DANYAEL
                         Yeah?

               A beat. Julie looks ready to say something - but then waves
               her hand dismissively.

                                   JULIE
                         Never mind. I'll see you in the
                         morning.

               He nods and heads off, and Julie pushes the door closed:

        30     INT. MOTEL ROOM - NEXT                                  30

               Julie turns and leans against the door, sliding down to sit
               on the floor, her hands pushing through her hair.

               She sighs heavily, not looking like she's going to be getting
               any sleep tonight as we return to:

        31     INT. SUENO'S HOME - LABORATORY - NIGHT                  31

               Syren is dozing peacefully, Sueno watching the readouts as he
               flips through a large, bulky SPELLBOOK open before him.

               He turns to Syren, adjusting some of the electrode pads, then
               pauses to gently stroke her hair.

                                   SUENO
                         You are tough, little on, so I hope
                         you are tough enough for this.

               We PUSH IN on Syren as Sueno returns to his machines, and:

                                                             WHITE OUT:

        32     INT. LARGE BALLROOM - DAY                               32

               We're looking down at a PIANO, a grand old thing indeed, as
               our hands flow over the keys with practised ease. We're
               playing a classical piece with flawless accuracy - until a
               wrong note rings out like somebody just dropped an anvil.

               We look up - and into the disapproving face of a MUSIC
               TEACHER, a haughty-looking man with greying hair and small
               pince nez glasses.

                                   TEACHER
                             (shaking head)
                         No, no, no. That is not how the
                         fifth movement is supposed to end
                         at all! Here. Let me show you.

               He motions for us to move up the seat, and we shift a little,
               looking up and around the room - we're in an obviously
               affluent house, the trappings of wealth evident in the
               furniture and decor all around.

               The music teacher starts to play the piece again, hardly
               glancing at the sheet music as his fingers dance nimbly over
               the keys, before we hear:

                                   WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.)
                         Lyra?

               We whip round, following the sound of the voice, but just as
               a woman starts to come into view, we cut to:

        33     INT. SUENO'S HOME - LABORATORY - NIGHT                  33

               Sueno looks up - several of his machines are BEEPING
               urgently, and he peers over his glasses at their displays. He
               frowns, surprised by what he's seeing.

                                   SUENO
                         That shouldn't be happening...
                             (shakes head)
                         Not so soon.

               He turns to look at Syren, who is starting to shift a little
               in her seat, still sedated, as we:

                                                             WHITE OUT:

        34     EXT. CITY STREET - DAY                                  34

               Back with the mob of people, bodies pushing in on us from all
               sides as we join in with the crowd as they CHANT something,
               over and over again.

               What they're saying can't be made out, but now we can see
               home-made flags, banners and placards raised into the air -
               this is some kind of protest.

               There's a series of WHISTLES, followed by SHOUTS of alarm as
               the riot police surge forward again, scything through the
               crowd of protestors with ease, but before they reach us, we:

                                                             WHITE OUT:

        35     INT. LAB - DAY                                          35

               Suddenly, we're inside some kind of lab, hiding round a
               corner as a lab-coated orderly walks by. The sounds of
               various ANIMALS in distress can be heard - a cacophony of
               BARKS, WAILS, SQUEAKS and other noises.

               We turn to our left - and there stands three more PEOPLE,
               each one dressed all in black and looking for all the world
               like an amateur commando squad. Minus the weapons.

                                   MAN IN BLACK
                             (whispers)
                         Come on, Lyra! Are we gonna do
                         this, or what? We've got about
                         thirty seconds before security
                         finds that hole we cut in the
                         perimeter fence!

               We turn back round, peeking out carefully round the corner,
               and row upon row of CAGES start to come into view - this is
               where all the noise is coming from.

               Within the cages are dozens of ANIMALS, large and small,
               every species you can think of, and all of them making a
               tremendous racket in protest against their captivity.

               We dart forward, ducking behind metal operating tables and
               pasts vats of bubbling chemicals, our eyes lingering on a
               tray of polished SURGICAL TOOLS as we pass.

               As our hands reach out we see they're holding a LOCK PICK,
               and with a few deft twists of our wrist we've popped open the
               first cage, letting the door swing open as we move on to the
               next.

               Glancing over our shoulder, the rest of the team are doing
               the same, freeing the animals and letting them find their own
               way out of the cages.

               Our attention is drawn to a stack of cages standing away from
               the others, covered in thick DRAPES.

               With another glance back at the others, nobody is paying us
               any heed as we head for the next set of cages.

               The locks are exposed, and so we get to work again, this time
               finding the lock will need a little more than some bent
               pieces of metal to open it.

               We look round and see a FIRE EXTINGUISHER against the wall,
               so we grab it, raise it up and SMASH IT against the lock!

               The lock pops free, and we reach forward and swing the door
               open, reaching for the drapes to pull them back.

               At first, nothing can be seen within the cage...

               ... until something makes an inhuman SHRIEK, and a blur of
               movement darts straight for us!

               We hear ourselves SCREAM as we fall back to the floor, and as
               whatever just attacked us SHRIEKS again, we hear:

                                   MAN IN BLACK (cont'd)
                         Lyra? Lyra! Where are you? Yvette!
                         Can you see Lyra?

                                   WOMAN IN BLACK
                         Lyra!

               Two of the team come dashing into frame, but something FLIES
               in front of us - some kind of huge, jet black INSECT, its
               wings BUZZING at terrific volume!

               Our hands lash out, trying to beat it away, but the insect
               shrugs off the blows, its long, needle-like head ZAPPING
               forward, and as we SCREAM again the creature lets out a
               SHRIEK to match us, and we SMASH CUT to:

        36     INT. SUENO'S HOME - LABORATORY - NIGHT                  36

               Sueno's monitoring equipment is going bonkers, with error
               messages and warning alarms ringing out all round the room.
               Sueno desperately rushes from one to the next, trying to keep
               up with the escalating chaos.

               He looks to Syren - who is the only thing not infected by the
               panic, still only turning restlessly from side to side -
               before grabbing the nearest printout, his eyes bulging at
               what he reads.

                                   SUENO
                         No... it can't be...

               He lets the paper fall from his hands - and suddenly, several
               machines close by EXPLODE!

               He shields his face, ducking back as a shower of SPARKS flies
               into the air - and then more machines DETONATE, thousands of
               dollars of equipment self-destructing in an inferno of chunks
               of plastic, raining sparks and small spurts of FLAME.

               Sueno dashes over to Syren, checking her pulse, then reaching
               for another air hypo, fumbling with a clear liquid as he
               tries to load it in...

               ... and Syren's HAND lashes into frame, GRABBING him by the
               throat!

               He drops the air hypo, which CLATTERS to the floor, and as
               Sueno's bulging eyes follow the hand back to its owner, Syren
               slowly rises from the chair.

               Things are still blowing up all around her, blazing flashes
               of light filling the room as Syren seems to stare right at
               Sueno, her face expressionless...

               ... and then she starts to SQUEEZE! Sueno struggles, choking
               in her grip, but there isn't a flicker of emotion on Syren's
               face as we:

                                                             BLACK OUT:



                                  END OF ACT THREE
                                      ACT FOUR

               FADE IN:

        37     INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT                                 37

               Julie lies in bed, her back to us, the lights out. She shifts
               and turns round - and she's still wide awake.

               Her cell phone starts to BUZZ, and she reaches up to switch
               her lamp on, glad of the distraction.

                                   JULIE
                             (into phone)
                         Hello?

                                   SUENO
                             (filtered; weak)
                         Miss... Miss Kingston, I'm... I'm
                         afraid there's been... a terrible
                         accident...

               CLICK. The line goes dead. An alarmed Julie hesitates for a
               beat, before we cut to:

        38     EXT. MOTEL - PARKING LOT - NEXT                         38

               The van is ready to go, engine running as Danyael clatters
               down the steps, still pulling on his jacket.

               The van's side door is open, and the others are all waiting
               inside for him. He stumbles and almost falls flat, but
               manages to clamber into the van which promptly SCREECHES
               away.

        39     INT. VAN - NEXT                                         39

               Danyael looks like he's had a little too much to drink,
               shaking his head to clear the cobwebs as Julie drives up
               front, flooring the accelerator.

                                   DANYAEL
                         So, what went wrong?

                                   JULIE
                         We don't know yet.

                                   TWIST
                         Point is, something did, hence the
                         all hands on deck.

               Danyael exhales, still trying to sort his head out.

        40     EXT. DIRT ROAD - NEXT                                   40

               The van bounces up the dirt track that leads to Sueno's,
               headlights bobbing up and down in the gloom.

        41     INT. VAN - NEXT                                         41

               Julie squints into the darkness, trying to see her way along
               the bumpy road.

                                   TWIST
                         Can you remember where you're
                         going?

                                   JULIE
                         Just about. Hang on.

               She CRUNCHES the van into a lower gear, and the vehicle BUCKS
               as it hits another pothole.

                                   JULIE (cont'd)
                         If I'm right, it should be right
                         around this...

               She trails off, her jaw hanging in shock:

        42     EXT. SUENO'S HOME - NEXT                                42

               The van has rounded a corner and is on the final approach to
               Sueno's home - which has been DESTROYED!

               Looking like something exploded out from the inside, there's
               a huge smoking HOLE bored out through the front of the
               building, with SMOKE and FIRES all around, along with piles
               of stray DEBRIS.

               The van swerves round several of these hazards before
               SKIDDING to a halt as close to the mansion as it can get.

               The side door slides open as the team hurriedly disembark,
               weapons ready but stopping to gaze in awe at the destruction
               before them.

               Danyael, however, wastes no time in staring and is already
               running into the mansion as the others stop and stare.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Come on! We can stand and watch
                         later!

               He jumps through the jagged opening in the house's face and
               heads inside, and the others follow as we cut to:

        43     INT. SUENO'S LABORATORY - NEXT                          43

               The interior of the laboratory is just as wrecked, looking
               like a tornado struck dead centre. Machinery is thrown to the
               four walls, cables ripped from the ceiling and dozens of
               small FIRES burning all around.

               There are several CLANGS from the steel door at the entrance,
               before it's RAMMED open by Danyael and Diego, carrying a
               heavy (and now broken) statue between them.

               They toss the makeshift battering ram aside as Julie clatters
               down the steps and into the lab, searching the wreckage for
               any sign of Sueno.

                                   JULIE
                         Senor Sueno? Senor! Can you hear
                         me?

                                   TWIST
                         Over here!

               With a GRUNT, she hefts up a chunk of fallen equipment to
               reveal Sueno, his battered body BLOODY and BRUISED.

               Julie rushes to his side, checking his pulse and breathing
               before quickly examining his body. Sueno GROANS and tries to
               rise, but Julie keeps him still.

                                   JULIE
                         You have several broken bones,
                         Senor. Maybe some internal
                         bleeding. You need to lie still.

                                   SUENO
                         She... I couldn't stop her...

                                   TWIST
                         Stop who? Where's Syren?
                             (beat; awful realisation)
                         Did... did she do this?

               Sueno COUGHS, blood bubbling on his lips, and Julie looks
               around for anything she can use to help.

                                   SUENO
                         When the spells... did their work,
                         she... she remembered more than she
                         could comprehend, and... she
                         just...
                             (coughs)
                         You have to find her!

               Diego steps into frame, laying a hand on Sueno's arm.

                                   DIEGO
                         We will, senor. Rest easy now.
                             (to Julie)
                         Can you help him?

                                   JULIE
                         I'll do what I can. Why? Are you
                         three-

                                   DIEGO
                         We are going to find Syren.

               Diego stands, motioning for Danyael and Twist to follow.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Wait, shouldn't we just-

                                   JULIE
                         Go, Danny. I'm alright.

               With a last look around, Danyael follows Twist and Diego as
               they race back up the stairs, leaving Julie to try and make
               Sueno comfortable, supporting his neck.

                                   JULIE (cont'd)
                         Can you remember anything else?

                                   SUENO
                         She woke up... something was
                         different, she... she attacked me,
                         and before I knew it, she was
                         gone...

               Sueno grabs Julie's arm urgently.

                                   SUENO (cont'd)
                         Don't let them hurt her! She
                         doesn't know what she's doing!

                                   JULIE
                         They won't.
                             (grim)
                         Not unless they have to.

               Sueno coughs again, and as Julie casts a worried look back
               towards the door, we cut to:

        44     EXT. WOODLAND - NIGHT                                   44

               Out in the woods, all is quiet. The nearest town is some way
               off, and with the Rockies rising high in the background, all
               we can hear are faint sounds from the local animal life.

               An OWL lets out a HOOT into the night, its head swivelling to
               survey its domain below...

               ... until with an almighty CRACK, the tree next to it is
               BLOWN IN TWO!

               The owl takes flight, quickly swooping up and away as the two
               severed halves of the tree come CRASHING to the ground.

               The woods are suddenly filled with noise, as panicked animals
               run for cover, but there's a loud, deep RUMBLING sound that
               stops everything in its tracks.

               More trees suddenly start to WARP, bending unnaturally out of
               shape as though something were pushing through them...

               ... and Syren strides into frame, her entire body coursing
               with trails of RED ENERGY, her hair billowing out behind her
               like one of the Furies themselves!

               She raises her hands - and more trees are BLASTED out of her
               path, to a chorus of SCREECHES from the animals nearby.

               As she walks on, the flora around her starts to writhe and
               distort, her very presence seeming to bend the rules of
               physics as she forges a path through the woodland.

               A small flock of BIRDS take flight in fear from one of the
               trees in her path, and Syren's head snaps round to follow
               them - and they burst into FLAMES!

               The scorched birds crash back to the ground, but Syren's face
               still shows no sign of emotion as she marches remorselessly
               on, and we cut to:

        45     EXT. WOODLAND - NEXT                                    45

               Twist and Danyael are running as fast as they can, but the
               more agile Diego is ducking and leaping through the
               undergrowth much quicker than they are.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Diego, wait!

                                   TWIST
                         Yeah, we didn't all go to Ninja
                         School, you know?

               Diego's focus is only on the path ahead, the evidence of
               Syren's warpath all around in the bulldozed trees and twisted
               plantlife.

                                   TWIST (cont'd)
                             (off devastation)
                         How the hell is she doing this?

                                   DANYAEL
                         It's like her powers have
                         overloaded or something. Chris told
                         me once that she can bend and shape
                         things around her, but this...

               He grimaces as he passes a cluster of animals, grotesquely
               turned INSIDE OUT.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         ... this is just wrong.

               Diego suddenly comes to a halt, raising his hand to stop the
               two vamps in their tracks.

                                   TWIST
                             (whispers)
                         What is it? Is she here?

               Diego points to the left and to the right, sending Twist and
               Danyael circling round as he slowly draws his sword, stepping
               forward into:

        46     EXT. WOODLAND - CLEARING - NEXT                         46

               He steps through the trees and Syren comes into view, facing
               away from us as she stands at the lip of a hillside
               overlooking the town below.

               Diego paces forward very carefully, not making a sound. He
               glances to either side and sees Twist and Danyael moving up
               as well.

               Syren's hair still flows out behind her and smoky wisps of
               light still drift from her skin, but she hasn't registered
               Diego's presence yet.

               He takes a chance, stepping fully out into the open and
               glancing down at the city lights below.

                                   DIEGO
                         Syren?

               No response. He creeps a few paces closer.

                                   DIEGO (cont'd)
                         Syren, it's me. Diego.

                                   SYREN
                         Lyra.

                                   DIEGO
                         Que?

               Syren slowly turns to face him, and Diego reacts to the BLOOD
               dripping from her nose and ears.

                                   SYREN
                         My name... is Lyra.

               She quickly raises her hand, and before Diego can react she
               SCREAMS, blasting him with a concussive wave that hurls him
               off his feet!

               He SMACKS back into the trees, crashing painfully to the
               ground as his sword flies from his hand.

               Syren turns back to the view before her, as Twist and Danyael
               step out of cover with alarmed glances at each other.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Syren? We don't-

               She whips round and SCREAMS again, and Danyael CARTWHEELS
               backwards, landing face down in the dirt.

               Dropping her voice to an inhumanly low DRONE, Danyael is
               pushed back along the ground by an unseen force, BUMPING off
               rocks and tree stumps on the way.

               Once he's out of range, Syren turns away again, leaving a now
               very tense Twist to stand alone.

               Her mind races as she tries to think of something, her eyes
               flicking round for anything she can use to help.

                                   SYREN
                         Why... why do they try?

                                   TWIST
                         Why do who try?

                                   SYREN
                         The people.

               She waves her hand to indicate the town below.

                                   SYREN (cont'd)
                         They can't see it. Can't imagine
                         the darkness all around them. The
                         evil. The monsters.
                             (beat)
                         Like me.

                                   TWIST
                         You're not a monster, Sy-
                             (catches herself)
                         Lyra. You're just a girl. A girl
                         who appears to have swallowed half
                         the X-Men, but still...

               Syren slowly turns, and Twist reacts to the sight of her
               blood-streaked face.

                                   SYREN
                         What happened to me?

                                   TWIST
                         Wish I could tell ya. I wasn't
                         there. You were.

                                   SYREN
                         I-I... I was in the animal testing
                         lab, and this... this thing
                         attacked me, and then...

               She buries her face in her hands, and Twist is surprised to
               hear her start to SOB. She edges a step closer.

                                   TWIST
                         We can help you. You just need to
                         drop the Carrie act and let us-

                                   SYREN
                         No!

               She SCREAMS her defiance, and Twist is THROWN backwards.

                                   SYREN (cont'd)
                         That's what they said! That's what
                         they told me! They said they could
                         'help'!

               Syren starts to advance on Twist, the energy trailing from
               her body becoming more intense, the RUMBLING DRONE returning
               as Twist writhes on the floor - she's struggling as though
               something heavy is pressing down on her!

                                   SYREN (cont'd)
                         And this is their 'help'? Turning
                         me into this, this... monster?

                                   TWIST
                             (gritted teeth)
                         You're... not...

                                   SYREN
                         I don't even know who you are! Or
                         where I am! Or any of this! What am
                         I supposed to do? One minute I'm
                         Lyra Morley, next thing I'm some
                         kind of... 

               She struggles to find the word, but all the while she
               advances on twist, who looks like she's losing her battle
               against the pressure crushing down on her.

                                   SYREN (cont'd)
                         So don't tell me you can 'help' me,
                         nobody can! Nobody even knows wha-

                                   DANYAEL
                         Chris knew...

               Syren stops, turning to see Danyael limping towards her,
               clutching his chest.

                                   SYREN
                         What did you say?

                                   DANYAEL
                         I said Chris knew what you were.
                         You remember Chris, don't you?

                                   SYREN
                         I... I don't...

               Syren's focus drops, and Twist GASPS as the pressure on her
               disappears. She rolls onto her belly, doubling up in pain.

                                   DANYAEL
                         He's the guy who saved you. He
                         found you on that desert island
                         when you woke up, and he helped you
                         escape.

               Danyael closes in, managing to keep Syren's attention.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         He didn't think you were evil. He
                         wouldn't have helped you if he
                         didn't think you were worth it.

               Syren backs up a few steps, frowning as Danyael's words start
               to join up the dots in her frazzled mind.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         You remember how you felt about
                         him? How he made you feel whenever
                         you looked at him?

               Syren shakes her head firmly, clamping her hands to the side
               of her head and dropping to her knees.

               Danyael collapses before her, braving the pain to place his
               hands on hers.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         That's who you are. You're that
                         girl, the one Chris wanted to save.
                         The one who fell in love with him.
                             (beat; softer)
                         Remember...

               Syren clamps her eyes shut, letting out little GASPS as she
               shakes her head...

               ... and then she slowly looks up, recognition starting to
               cross her features before she reaches forward with one hand,
               gently touching Danyael's face.

                                   SYREN
                         D... Danyael?

               He smiles - and then WHAP! Diego surges into frame, clamping
               one hand on Syren's neck and PINCHING a nerve with the other.

                                   DANYAEL
                             (jumps up)
                         Diego, no! What are you-

               But as he watches, Syren crumples peacefully to the floor,
               and Diego catches her so he can gently lay he down.

                                   DIEGO
                         She is unhurt. I have just put her
                         to sleep for a few hours.

               Danyael cocks his head, dusting himself down as Diego goes
               over to Twist and helps her to her feet.

                                   TWIST
                             (wincing)
                         Thanks.

                                   DANYAEL
                         What do we do with her now?

                                   DIEGO
                         Restrain her and take her back to
                         Senor Sueno's home. Perhaps there
                         is something he can do for her.

                                   TWIST
                         Yeah, if he's still alive.

               Diego and Danyael shoot her a look - not helping. She rolls
               her eyes as we return to:

        47     INT. SUENO'S HOME - LABORATORY - NEXT                   47

               Julie has Sueno in one of his chairs - he's heavily bandaged
               but is still alive and kicking, letting out a SIGH as Julie
               injects him with a sedative.

                                   SUENO
                             (woozy)
                         You know, there's a reason I
                         stopped using needles...

               She grins as she carefully disposes of the syringe.

                                   JULIE
                         I stick to the classics.

                                   DANYAEL (O.S.)
                         Julie?

                                   JULIE
                             (calls out)
                         Down here!

               She looks up as Twist appears in the doorway, followed by
               Danyael and Diego - who carry the securely gagged and bound
               Syren between them.

               Julie hurries to clear a space for her, and they set her down
               into one of the scorched chairs.

                                   JULIE (cont'd)
                         What happened? How did you stop
                         her?

                                   TWIST
                         Diego here used the old Vulcan
                         nerve pinch on her. Who'd have
                         thought he was a closet Trekkie?

               Julie checks Syren's pulse, checking her all over.

                                   DANYAEL
                         I think I got through to her, just
                         before Diego put her down, but I'm
                         not sure if it'll stick when she
                         wakes up.

                                   SUENO
                         There's one way to be sure...

               They turn to Sueno, and we cut to:
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