sib4x01
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
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TEASER
FADE IN:
1 INT. GLOVER'S LIBRARY - NIGHT 1
SLAM! A door bursts open as CHRIS barges through, racing at
full pelt down a long, long corridor of BOOKSHELVES.
Right behind him are DANYAEL and SYREN, all three of them
still showing the marks of their recent battle with the
Trinity.
They can't keep pace with Chris as he hurries on, taking
turns and BOUNCING off bookcases rather than slowing.
DANYAEL
Chris, wait! Come on! Slow down!
SYREN
Chris!
He either doesn't hear or doesn't care - and speeds up,
leaving them both behind.
He turns again and approaches a thick IRON DOOR, a rotating
wheel linked to thick bolts locking it shut. Nobody's opening
this in a hurry.
2 INT. GLOVER'S LIBRARY - STUDY - NEXT 2
BOOM! In a blaze of GREEN LIGHT, SMOKE and FLAMES, the entire
door is BLASTED off its hinges, falling to the floor with a
reverberating THUMP.
Chris vaults through the smoking hole before the door has
even landed, on his feet and scanning for:
GLOVER
Who sits in a leather armchair, cup of tea in one hand and
paperback novel in the other. Looking scared out of his mind,
of course.
GLOVER
Wh - what in the -
(blinks)
Christopher?!?
Chris marches forward, HAULING Glover out of his seat with
one hand.
CHRIS
No time to explain, Glover. I need
you to listen and do exactly what I
say.
GLOVER
But -
CHRIS
Glover! Twist's life is at stake
here!
GLOVER
The vampire girl? But isn't she -
DANYAEL (O.S.)
Alright...
Chris turns - Danyael and Syren have made it into the study,
both gasping for breath.
DANYAEL (cont'd)
You need to tell us what the hell
you're doing, right now.
Chris looks from Danyael to Glover and back, finally
releasing his grip on the spindly man.
CHRIS
Danyael, Syren, meet Johan Glover.
Occult librarian first class, after
having inherited one of the most
extensive collections of mystical
texts in the known world from the
late Charles Bannister.
Glover adjusts his glasses and smooths down his clothes.
Offers Danyael his hand.
GLOVER
I, ah... I suppose I'm pleased to
meet you.
Danyael hesitates, then shakes, looking to Chris.
DANYAEL
I repeat - what are we doing here?
CHRIS
If there's anybody who can help us
get Twist back, it's this man.
He clamps a hand down on Glover's shoulder. He GULPS.
GLOVER
Back from where?
CHRIS
From Hell.
Glover's jaw drops as we CUT TO:
3 INT. GLOVER'S LIBRARY - LATER 3
In a large reading area in the centre of the circular library
stand several tables and chairs.
BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS, SCROLLS, PARCHMENTS and everything in
between are spread across the tables, the team surrounding
the wealth of arcana.
Chris emerges from one aisle, adding more books to the pile.
GLOVER
I'm still not quite sure I follow
you...
CHRIS
I don't see what's so difficult to
understand. My friend has been
staked and sent back to Hell, so we
need to rescue her.
GLOVER
Well, yes, but -
SYREN
Haven't you done this before?
GLOVER
No! Nobody has, ever! That's what I
can't get my head around! Never
mind barging in here, detonating
one of my most expensive doors -
CHRIS
I'll pay for the damages.
GLOVER
There's also the small matter of
this particular rescue mission
being, oh, how do I say it...
impossible!
CHRIS
I've done it once before.
GLOVER
(boggles)
You... you went to Hell... and came
back? How?
Chris THUMPS one last book down.
CHRIS
I have absolutely no idea.
DANYAEL
Wait - what?!?
CHRIS
It was an accident. I was trying to
cast a locator spell of my own
devising, but I mis-cast something
catastrophically badly, and the
next thing I knew, pop. There was
twist. Plucked from the very jaws
of the underworld itself.
SYREN
So you think there's something here
you can use to re-cast that spell?
CHRIS
That's the idea.
He flips through one book, quickly doing the same to three
more. He looks up - and finds the others staring at him.
CHRIS (cont'd)
Don't just stand there gawking -
help me!
DANYAEL
Chris...
SYREN
Where would we even start?
GLOVER
Not to mention the time it would
take to fully -
CRASH! Chris POUNDS his fist against the table. The sound
shuts them all up.
CHRIS
This isn't some half-baked theory
I've dreamt up. I'm not looking for
a backup plan, or even another
option in case my original plan
fails. This is my original plan.
He looks up, the others reacting to his stern expression.
CHRIS (cont'd)
I am going to find a way to get
down to Hell, find Twist and come
back, because I owe her my life.
And so do the two of you, and
hundreds of other people who
wouldn't be drawing breath today if
not for her.
(beat)
And she's in Hell. She already
escaped once. Do you really think
they'll just let her slip away
again? None of us have ever found
out what she went through down
there. Twist could be suffering the
most unimaginable torments even as
we speak - suffering the likes of
which no human should ever have to
suffer, and every second we waste
standing around here, bickering
about whether this is even feasible
or not could be another subjective
eternity she spends in that place!
So we either get to work, or
condemn her to a never-ending cycle
of unimaginable pain!
SMASH CUT TO:
4 INT. HELL - WAITING ROOM 4
And here's TWIST. Sitting in what looks awfully like a
doctor's waiting room - bland wallpaper, dog-eared magazines,
even a tinny radio playing MUZAK.
Sharing the room with her are a pale, shivering young JUNKIE,
a morbidly OBESE MAN, and a richly dressed WOMAN holding onto
the blackened skeleton of a small dog.
Twist SIGHS, looking for all the world like someone waiting
in line at Disneyland.
The door opens and a daemon steps inside, holding a
clipboard. The room's occupants perk up, trying to catch his
eye.
DAEMON
Mrs Van Adder?
The richly dressed woman stands, smirks at the others, and
then follows the daemon out of the room. The door shuts with
a decisive SLAM.
Twist looks up to a display on the wall: it reads 'Now
Serving #47.'
She looks at a YELLOW TICKET in her hands. It's for #299.
Twist SIGHS once more.
BLACK OUT:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
5 INT. GLOVER'S LIBRARY - READING AREA - NIGHT 5
Chris stands at the edge of another reading area, this one
cleared of tables.
In its centre is drawn a huge MAGIC CIRCLE, one of the most
complex designs we've ever seen. CANDLES mark each of its
twelve points.
Chris has his head down and hands clasped, concentrating. His
breathing is slow and regular.
He finally looks up, stepping forward into the centre of the
circle. Chris raises his palms out before him.
CHRIS
Van de laag hierboven aan de
hieronder diepten...
FWOOSH! His hands are suddenly ENGULFED IN FLAMES, Chris'
brow creasing as he fights to keep his focus.
CHRIS (cont'd)
... ik streef naar de verloren
opgesloten... ziel waar het niet
behoort...
The lines within and around the circle start to GLOW a deep,
pulsating YELLOW. FLAMES lick at the corners.
It's taking more and more effort to speak each word, Chris
starting to buckle under the incredible pressure.
The flames running up and down Chris' arms intensify - and
through them, his own flesh starts to BLISTER.
CHRIS (cont'd)
... open een gateway... zodat ik
naar de wereld... onder me kan
reizen...
BOLTS OF ENERGY starts to snap up from the circle, leaving
SCORCH MARKS on the wall.
Several strike Chris, and he wavers with each burst but
manages to stay upright.
The skin on his hands is BLACK now, starting to crack under
the intense heat.
CHRIS (cont'd)
... en neem me... aan zij... die
wordt... verloren!
BOOM! A sudden BLAST of energy knocks Chris off his feet and
sends him FLYING backwards!
He CRASHES into the wall, leaving a sizeable dent before
tumbling back to earth - still ABLAZE!
The power coursing through the circle disconnects in an
instant, the light fading from the room.
Danyael and Glover race round a corner, spot the burning
Chris and rush to his side.
DANYAEL
Chris! Chris, are you alright?
Tearing off his jacket and using it to stamp out the flames,
Danyael manages to extinguish the fires.
Chris sits up, his whole body tensed tight with pain. BLOOD
drips from an open wound on his head.
CHRIS
Get me... some water...
Glover nods, hurrying off, but Danyael stays.
Chris opens one eye, sees that Danyael is still there and
lets out a GASP of pain. He hunches up, burning waves of pain
flooding his body.
DANYAEL
Oh, so you think you're all tough
now because you didn't let Glover
see you do that?
Chris sits back up, drained, and carefully removes his hands
from the safety of Danyael's jacket.
Danyael recoils - the skin on Chris' hands is covered with
third degree BURNS, the skin blackened and cracked.
DANYAEL (cont'd)
(shakes head)
Chris, man... you need to take a
minute here.
CHRIS
Not yet... I'm not done.
He tries to stand but his legs fail, and Chris STUMBLES back
to the floor.
DANYAEL
Would you look at yourself? You've
been doing this for hours!
CHRIS
Clearly, not long enough.
DANYAEL
(snaps)
What good is finding the spell to
save Twist if you're dead?
CHRIS
And what good is any of this if I
don't find the spell?
Danyael stands, throwing his hands up in anger.
DANYAEL
What the hell do you want me to say
here? 'Yeah, Chris, keep turning
yourself inside out with every new
spell. Everything's fine and god
damn dandy'?!?
CHRIS
I want you to say...
Chris carefully rises, keeping his burned hands closed.
CHRIS (cont'd)
... that you've found another spell
I can try.
Danyael holds his gaze, but Chris isn't backing down. With a
GRUNT, he turns and marches off.
Glover rounds another corner, a large jug of WATER in his
hands.
GLOVER
I brought as much as I could -
He freezes. Sees Chris' hands.
GLOVER (cont'd)
My God! What have you done?
Chris walks up to him, hands outstretched.
CHRIS
Just hold that right there.
Glover starts to reply - and Chris DIPS his hands into the
water!
Glover boggles as STEAM rises from Chris' scorched hands, the
cold water cooling the burns - and shredding the skin
beneath!
Chris lifts his hands up, and Glover looks ready to faint as
Chris studies the barbeque he's made of himself.
CHRIS (cont'd)
(beat)
Thanks.
He PEELS AWAY a huge chunk of charcoal - revealing perfectly
healthy, pale white skin beneath.
CHRIS (cont'd)
Vampires heal fast, Glover. Even
part-time ones like myself.
Glover now looks set to vomit as Chris continues to CRACK
away hunks of black flesh.
CHRIS (cont'd)
Are the others back in the main
area?
Glover can only NOD, one hand over his mouth.
CHRIS (cont'd)
Than I'll see you back there.
He strides off, leaving a stunned Glover behind.
6 INT. GLOVER'S LIBRARY - READING AREA - NEXT 6
Syren is asleep, head on her arms as she snoozes within the
pages of one thick text.
Chris COUGHS, jolting her back to alertness. She SNORTS as
she wakes up, bleary-eyed to see Danyael and Chris.
SYREN
What... was I asleep?
DANYAEL
(quirks eyebrow)
You didn't hear the whole...
He mimes an explosion, with sound effect. Syren looks blank,
so Danyael pats her hand and sits down.
DANYAEL (cont'd)
Never mind.
Chris joins them, pulling up a chair and gently pushing
Syren's bed-head hair back into place.
CHRIS
Sorry.
She YAWNS, stretching out in the chair.
SYREN
Have we gotten anywhere?
Chris looks down, shaking his head sadly.
CHRIS
Still nothing. Glover's running a
search through the catalogues of
the really old books in here,
seeing if there's anything in the
archives he can bring up.
DANYAEL
I thought this was the archive?
CHRIS
Not even close. There are three pan
dimensional sub-levels to this, but
they can only be accessed
magically. And we have to know what
we're looking for in them.
DANYAEL
Ah. So... SNAFU, huh?
CHRIS
If that means 'going bloody nowhere
fast,' then yes, SNAFU indeed.
Danyael grimaces, running his hands through his hair.
DANYAEL
Alright, let's go over what we do
have.
He picks up one book, placing it before the trio.
DANYAEL (cont'd)
After recent... attempts at portal
and summoning rituals, I tried a
new search. Teleportation spells.
Some of the most top-level stuff
out there - I'm not even sure you
have the magical stones to cast
these things, Chris.
CHRIS
Syren can help.
SYREN
I can?
CHRIS
You can.
He places a hand on hers and she smiles. She covers his hand
with her own - and frowns as she senses the last traces of
burn marks there.
DANYAEL
And up next...
He drags two more thick books over - their covers look
suspiciously like HUMAN SKIN.
DANYAEL (cont'd)
A Who's Who of big shots in the
underworld. Names and biog of every
major daemon known to exist in the
lower levels of reality.
CHRIS
Good work.
DANYAEL
You know, it's weird - here was me
thinking the concept of Hell was a
purely religious thing, even back
when I tried to ask Twist about it
two years ago. She stonewalled me
then, but I'm starting to see why.
This is some heavy duty stuff we're
up against here.
CHRIS
Perhaps. But we have to believe we
can do this. Twist herself proves
that it can be done.
GLOVER (O.S.)
I've ah, completed my initial
search...
He enters the reading area, a long sheet of printed paper in
one hand.
GLOVER (cont'd)
... and I may have found something
that can help us.
CHRIS
(grins)
Excellent. Let's hear it.
GLOVER
Ah, well, you see... there is,
however... one small problem...
Chris closes his eyes, bracing for the bad news as we CUT TO:
7 INT. HELL - WAITING ROOM 7
Twist is still sitting with the Junkie and the Obese Man. The
MUZAK still plays, and Twist frowns as she listens to it.
TWIST
(to Obese Man)
Is that Iron Maiden?
He just GRUNTS, looking away. Twist pulls a face and settles
back.
The Junkie COUGHS, leaning half across her to do so, and once
he straightens she rounds on him:
TWIST (cont'd)
(to Junkie)
Look, dude, I know you're obviously
stuck in some sort of permanent
state of cold turkey, but... can
you just try to not sweat on me?
JUNKIE
S-sorry...
He shuffles away from her a little. Twist wrinkles her nose
as she wipes some of his sweat from her mud-stained clothes.
There's a soft CHIME overhead, and Twist looks up to see the
display number has changed.
The door opens, and the trio look up again. It's the same
daemon, peering at his clipboard.
DAEMON
Arnold Perry?
The Obese Man rises - eventually, waddling one thunderous
step at a time over to the door.
TWIST
Hey! Daemon guy!
The daemon pauses, turning to stare at her.
TWIST (cont'd)
Any idea when the rest of us are
gonna get seen to?
The daemon holds her gaze - then just SNICKERS, exiting along
with the Obese Man.
Twist slumps back into her seat. She looks at the Junkie as
he COUGHS again, rolls her eyes and shuffles a little further
away as we CUT TO:
8 INT. GLOVER'S LIBRARY - STUDY - NIGHT 8
The team have reassembled inside the study - the iron door
leans against the back wall.
CHRIS
I'm sorry - we need a what?
GLOVER
We need a daemon. Or, at the very
least, its blood.
CHRIS
Which we're to get how, exactly?
The only place you can even find
daemons is in Hell, which is where
we're trying to get to in the first
place!
GLOVER
That's not strictly true.
DANYAEL
Huh?
GLOVER
Daemons escape from Hell all the
time. Sometimes as spirits or other
lost souls, others as things a lot
more... solid.
CHRIS
So if we can track down one of
these escaped daemons...
DANYAEL
... then we can juice up the spell
we need to get Twist back!
CHRIS
One question. Where do we even
begin looking to find one of these
'escaped daemons'?
GLOVER
Ah. That part, I'm afraid, will
have to be up to you.
Chris muses this, head down.
DANYAEL
Chris, man - this could be our only
shot.
SYREN
No.
DANYAEL
What? Why not?
CHRIS
Syren?
SYREN
No, Chris. I mean it. How much
damage have you done to yourself
already with all these spells
you've been trying?
CHRIS
That's hardly the issue here.
SYREN
Isn't it? What happens if we go
back into the real world, find one
of these things, but it gets away?
Innocent people could get hurt
while we're trying to take it down!
Is that what you want? Is that what
Twist would want?
CHRIS
What Twist would want is for us to
get her out of that place, any way
we could!
SYREN
Not if it meant innocent lives were
put in danger.
He starts to reply, but hesitates - she's absolutely right.
SYREN (cont'd)
(to Glover)
Is there any way we can get a
daemon here instead?
GLOVER
(disbelief)
Lure it into the library? Are you
insane? The damage it could do here
alone would be... irreversible!
CHRIS
(light bulb)
Not if we make sure it can't
leave...
GLOVER
I'm sorry?
CHRIS
Danyael, hit the shelves again, but
this time fine me anything you can
on summoning daemons. We'll need a
strong binding spell, too.
DANYAEL
Got it.
Glover splutters as Danyael rushes past him.
GLOVER
Now wait just a minute! You're not
seriously considering dredging some
inhuman monstrosity up from the
depths to end up right here in my
library, are you?
Chris steps forward, right into his face:
CHRIS
I'm always serious about my work.
Chris looks past him to the desk, grabbing a piece of paper
and a pen. He scribbles something down and presses it into
Glover's hand.
CHRIS (cont'd)
I'm going to need that. I know you
have it here, so make sure it's
waiting for me by the time we're
ready.
With that, he walks past, Syren following. Glover's mouth
flaps as he struggles to process this, and we CUT TO:
9 INT. HELL - WAITING ROOM 9
Twist now waits alone. She paces up and down, glancing
towards the shuttered windows at any faint sound.
She heads for one window and tries to prise the shutters
apart, but can't get a look at anything - when the display
CHIMES again.
She hops back into the middle of the room - and the door
opens. It's the Clipboard daemon again, this time with two
burly GUARDS - the same two who brought her in.
CLIPBOARD
Twist McFadden?
TWIST
It's about god damn time!
(beat)
Can I say that down here?
CLIPBOARD
Sorry to keep you waiting. Yours
is, how can I put this... a special
case.
TWIST
My mother always told me I was
special.
(blinks)
No, wait...
CLIPBOARD
Put simply, you're not meant to be
here.
TWIST
Damn straight, I'm not.
CLIPBOARD
You should've been shipped straight
back to the Private Hell Chambers
as soon as you arrived.
Twist GULPS. What little colour she has drains from her.
CLIPBOARD (cont'd)
However, thanks to some, shall we
say, administrative issues...
Clipboard casts a meaningful look at the two Guards, who
shift awkwardly.
CLIPBOARD (cont'd)
... we're able to offer you
something.
TWIST
Is it a one-way ticket back home?
CLIPBOARD
Not quite.
He steps forward, handing her a SCROLL. She unfurls it,
scanning down the contents.
CLIPBOARD (cont'd)
You get an appeal.
Twist's eyes bulge, and as she looks down the elegantly
written scroll, scarcely believing it, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
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