Act 6

Fade In:

Int.

Watchers Council – War Room – Continuous

Rowena broke away from Wagner’s grip and backed up, but Wagner moved closer, still at a casual pace.

“We must be close if you’re here in person, huh?” Rowena prodded. “Maybe the useless Council has some use after all.”

Wagner ignored the remark. “First, I’m gonna kill you and enjoy every moment of it. Then I’m gonna go kill your little witch, like that demon that gutted your slayer friend.”

Rowena looked angry for a split second, but pushed it aside. 

“You mean no mystical ball of energy?” Rowena asked. “You’re gonna kill me with your bare hands? And here I thought you were powerful.”

Rowena continued to back away from Wagner, almost as if in a game of cat and mouse.

“I am powerful,” Wagner answered.

“You throw a mean desk, I’ll give you that, but powerful? No, you don’t scare me – not like your boss does.”

“Him? Oh please…I guess you just don’t know how powerful I can be,” Wagner answered. “How ’bout I show you?”

She took another step closer to Rowena, but suddenly a bright flash of light appeared behind Wagner, and an image of Giles stood there. He grabbed Wagner by the throat, pulling her close to him, locking his arm around her.

Now Wagner appeared to be the one frightened.

“In all these years, I’ve asked you for one thing and one thing only,” he said calmly.

“It-it was just talk. I-I was just trying to scare her,” Wagner stuttered.

“Sorry, but you know the rules,” he answered. Without waiting a moment longer, he snapped Wagner’s neck, and she fell lifeless to the ground. Immediately two demon angels shot in from both walls and collected the body, disappearing with it before Rowena could even blink. “No one in my domain is more powerful than me.” The Giles figure turned and smiled at Rowena. “You’re good,” he said in admiration. “Damn good.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Rowena said. Her eyes continued to shift around the room, as if looking for an escape route.

“Like hell you don’t. You played with her ego. You made her violate the one rule, unwavering loyalty to me, so that you could eliminate her. Threat or not, she knew she was never to challenge my authority, never to say she was more powerful…but you knew it. And you played her like a violin,” he added in awe. Rowena began to physically shake, and he held up his hand. “Relax. There is one rule I can’t violate. I can’t lay a hand on you. My agents can, but I cannot. Not you, not any human.” He walked over to the coffee pot and grabbed a mug. “May I?” he asked politely.

At first Rowena looked unsure of what to say. “Uh, yeah, go ahead.”

He poured the hot liquid into the mug and took a drink. “Ah, that’s good,” he replied. “Anyway,” he said casually, turning back to Rowena. “I’d like to make a deal.”

“A deal?” she asked.

He nodded to her and then thrust his chin toward the television sets that were playing images of the worldwide destruction.

“I can snap my fingers, and this can all end. The earth will be saved. I might lose a large portion of my army, but you’d be worth the price. All I ask is that you fill a…recently vacated position. So, what do you say? Join me and save humanity? One soul for millions, perhaps billions, of people? It’s a small price to pay, wouldn’t you say?”

Rowena didn’t answer, as she continued to look at the television screens. 

Cut To:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Lakefront Near Council HQ – Same Time

Willow was no longer saying anything, though her lips were moving. The energy beam shooting skyward increased in brilliance. Her neck arched back, and her eye-lids were scrunched closed. Each silent syllable seemed to take great effort. Behind the witch, the sun was setting pink on the horizon.

“Is she okay?” Andrew asked, worry evident in his tone.

“I don’t know,” Jeff said. “Kennedy, maybe we should let go of her hands.”

“I already tried it,” the slayer said. “I can’t.”

“Can’t?” Andrew sounded panicked.

“I don’t know,” Kennedy struggled to explain. “It’s like there’s this force between us…I think it’s like she’s relying on me, my energy, and if I let go, I don’t know what will happen.”

They all looked up to see a horde of flying demons beginning to descend upon them from the air. 

“Don’t let go,” Willow ordered in a strained voice. “Have faith.”

Just as the demons began to bear down on the group, a brilliant light flashed outside the circle and a ring of angels surrounded them, preventing any demons from passing. As the demons and angels began to engage each other, one angel in particular caught Willow’s attention.

“Marsha,” the witch gasped with a strained grin.

The deceased slayer-turned-archangel winked at Willow before turning back around to her opponent and striking him down, along with several of his evil cohorts. 

“I need to help them,” Kennedy said, motioning her head toward the archangels. 

“You must have a heckuva lot of power. If Willow’s drawing from you, breaking loose could kill her,” Jeff supplied. “Hold still.”

Kennedy looked over in disbelief a few seconds later to see the land littered with demons and the angels taking to the sky as quickly as they had arrived. Only one angel remained. It was Marsha. She lagged behind until she heard someone yell her name from above. With a small salute to the Coven, she too took to the air and disappeared from sight.

At that moment, the beam of light shooting into the sky vanished abruptly. Willow turned to Kennedy, a wisp of a smile on her face.

“I underestimated you,” she said, perfectly calm, and then she collapsed onto her back. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn’t moving.

“Willow?” Kennedy asked, an edge of hysteria in her voice. “Willow?! ”

“Oh God,” said Jeff, leaning over the fallen witch. “I don’t think she’s breathing.”

Spread across the sparse grass near the beach, Willow’s hair faded from white back to its normal red.

Cut To:

Ext.

Cleveland – Euclid Avenue – Moments Later

Heli waved her arms above her head, trying to get the attention of several people who were hiding behind a nearby SUV that was parked in the center of the road lengthwise. Marly glanced nervously up the road as several large, lumbering demons gained on the group. Stan poked a handgun over the roof of the vehicle at the pair.

“Don’t shoot!” Heli shouted.

“Are you one of them?” the man asked.

“Are you getting us shot again?” Marly asked.

“When did I get us shot before?”

“ARE YOU SLAYERS?!” the increasingly desperate Stan yelled, his eyes shifting to the approaching monsters.

“YES!” Heli answered. “We both are.”

“Then get the hell over here,” he said, slipping back behind the car.

Heli and Marly sprinted to the SUV and found Stan and three other men from the bar sitting behind the van, brandishing small arms.

“What the hell are those things?” one of the men asked.

“Morgalus Demons,” Heli supplied. “The only way to kill them is with a golden stake to the heart.”

“Are you serious?” Stan asked. “Then I guess these aren’t worth much, huh?” He motioned with his gun.

Heli just nodded.

“We’re all gonna die, aren’t we?” one of the guys asked.

No one said anything. The thumping of the demon’s footsteps grew closer.

“You’re smart,” Marly told Heli softly, “but I wish you were more comforting.”

“I know,” Heli said, her voice without emotion, as usual.

“It’s weird,” Marly said. “I’ve spent the last several months of my life hating you, and now –”

“And now?” Heli asked.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Marly finished. “When things start to suck like an airplane toilet, you’re handy to have around.”

Heli cracked the smallest of smiles. “Yes, I am.”

“They’re almost here,” Stan said as the footsteps grew louder. He poked his gun over the roof of the car.

“That won’t kill them,” Marly told him.

“Will it hurt them, at least?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Heli said, considering. “Like a bee-sting.”

“Good enough for me,” Stan said, and he fired his gun until the rounds were spent.

Heli and Marly looked at each other. “Let’s do it,” Marly said, and Heli nodded. The two girls jumped out from behind the car, their swords drawn. Then they came up short.

The demons lay across Euclid Avenue. There might have been ten of them. All of them were dead.

“What the hell?” Marly’s brow furrowed in confusion.

One of the men peeked his head out from behind the SUV. “I thought you said bullets didn’t work?”

“Looks like things have changed,” Heli said.

Cut To:

Ext.

Sydney, Australia – Skies Above City – Same Time

As several winged creatures flew above the Sydney Harbour Bridge, they suddenly burst into flames in the early morning sky. Screaming, they spiraled toward the water below, completely out of control.

Cut To:

Ext.

Cologne, Germany – Same Time

A female vampire grinned at a panicked middle-aged policeman as she backed him into a corner amidst the night-time chaos of a shopping district that had been overrun by demons. The policeman brandished his gun defensively.

“That won’t –” the vampire began in German, but then the policeman fired, and the startled vampire turned to dust.

Cut To:

Ext.

New York City – Same Time

Bruises and cuts covered the arms of a young African-American man as he rolled again to avoid a blow from a massive Kraven demon. A nearby car was not so lucky and crumpled under the creature’s fist. The Kraven tossed the car away, sprinkling gasoline from a broken tank across the road. Seeing his chance, the young man pulled out his lighter and threw it into the gasoline. The demon smiled as a line of flames grew closer, but its grin faded when the fire reached the Kraven and shot up all over its body.

“WHAT IS THIS?!” it bellowed. “FIRE CANNOT TOUCH ME!”

“That’s what happens when you screw with humanity, dumbass!” shouted the youth.

Cut To:

Ext.

Cape Town, South Africa – Same Time

A young woman ran past a construction site, listening to a small handheld radio.

“We’re getting torn apart over here,” a voice shouted over the radio. “We didn’t bring enough stakes, and the vamps are out in force. They already got –”

The rest of the message was muffled when a vampire jumped out in front of the running girl and growled loudly. Without thinking, the girl picked up a rebar from a nearby pile and threw it at her attacker like a spear. It flew through the vampire’s abdomen. With a confused look on its face, it turned to dust. The rebar clattered to the ground.

The girl froze for a moment, working over in her brain what had just happened.

Finally, she activated her radio. “Hey, everybody, looks like the rules have changed.”

Cut To:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Waterfront Near Council HQ – Same Time

“Do something!” Tracey yelled, staring at Willow’s unconscious form.

“I took CPR in watcher training,” Jeff offered, cradling her head, “but this is magic, I don’t know if it will –”

“Move it,” Kennedy ordered him. She nudged Jeff out of the way but not too far. “You do compression, because I might break her ribs.” He nodded in agreement.

Kennedy leaned Willow’s head back and covered her mouth with her own, breathing into her lungs. Then she rose and Jeff pumped her chest with his hands several times, counting each pump under his breath. Then, working as the perfect team, they repeated the process.

“Come on,” Andrew whimpered. “We lost Faith. Not you, too…Fight, Willow. Fight.”

Cut To:

Ext.

Cleveland Street – Same Time

Xander continued to sit on the pavement, rocking Vi in his arms, oblivious to the fighting going on in the nearby streets. 

“Oh God,” Xander said quietly, as he continued to hold the body in his arms.

“Angie?” He heard a voice behind him and turned.

“Angie?” Xander muttered and then said, in a louder voice, “Vi?”

“Oh God,” Vi exclaimed as she ran over to fall next to Xander. She gathered her sister in her arms. “Is she…?”

“I thought it was you. I thought she was inside. I saw it happen, but I was too late,” he explained in a rush.

“We got separated,” Vi replied. She glanced down at her dead sister, her face blank. She turned slightly and saw several demons now approaching. 

“We’ve gotta get out of here,” Xander told her. 

“Let ’em come,” she said flatly.

“What?” Xander asked. “No, Vi, we have to get back –”

But she wasn’t listening to him. Vi rose to her feet, laying Angie on the pavement, and reached inside her jacket. She pulled out two perfect stakes, silver V’s inlaid into the grip. Then she ran up the street towards the demons.

“Vi!” Xander yelled. “These aren’t vampires, those won’t –”

Vi reached the first creature and jammed the stake into its side before moving on. Bellowing, the demon pawed at its seemingly small wound, then collapsed to the pavement, where it instantly dissolved into a grayish, gooey substance.

“…work?” Xander finished, unsure of what he was seeing. 

Vi reached the next two demons and held the two stakes out at her sides. With a great leap, she avoided their flailing claws and stabbed each of their necks with a stake. The demons then met the same fate as the previous one. With a sweeping kick to its face, Vi landed on top of the next demon and drove a stake down into its brain. She let out a great, wordless scream.

Nearby, a television reporter hiding in the shadows turned to his cameraman. “Peabody worthy, huh?” The cameraman nodded.

Cut To:
Ext.

Watchers Council – Back Fields – Moments Later

Kennedy stabbed a demon with her dagger, and as she turned her face looked bloody and battered. She took off into a run again, but her sprint was brought up short by the battle going on outside Council headquarters. Demons surrounded the cracked and sagging building, trying frantically to get inside. Their efforts were in vain. Around the demons was a perimeter of what looked like a military force, firing into the crowd. Each bullet felled a demon in its tracks.

Kennedy saw someone she recognized and approached him. “General Boeing?” she asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Protecting this place is now a matter of national security,” he said. “We’re here to help. You’re in charge here?”

A sad expression crossed Kennedy face. “I am now,” she said.

“Then I have a message for you,” he replied, “from Rowena Allister.” He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and read its contents aloud. “The demons are panicking, and so are trying to get back through the…” He hesitated. “Hellmouth?” Kennedy nodded. “However, Willow’s spell has blocked the way. They’re trapped here, but we’re trapped in the building.” He folded the note back up and placed it neatly back in his pocket.

“I have to get in there,” Kennedy said. “My friend is dying, and I need supplies…”

“I wish I could help you,” General Boeing said. “But there’s just too many of them. We’re trying, but it’ll be a while.”

“I don’t have time for that,” Kennedy insisted. She looked around at the demons falling under the hail of bullets, then back at the General. “Can I borrow a couple of guns, General? I need to get inside now.”

Cut To:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Lakefront Near Council HQ – Same Time

Andrew, who had taken over for Kennedy, was about to return to Willow’s mouth when she opened her eyes with a great gasp, taking in as much air as her lungs could hold.

“You did it!” Tracey cried happily.

“We did.” Jeff smiled. “Welcome back.”

Willow looked up at him from her back. “Did we –?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t try to talk,” Andrew said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t try to sit up,” Tracey said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t move,” Jeff said.

“Did we do it?” Willow finished. “Did it work?”

“Yeah,” Jeff told her, “it worked.”

“You scared the sleestaks out of me!” Andrew said.

Willow just grinned, looking up at the gray Cleveland sky.

“Where’s Kennedy?” Willow asked. 

“Trying to get you extra help,” Andrew answered.

Cut To:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Back Fields – Same Time

Kennedy waded into the mass of demons on the Council’s doorstep. A few turned to look at her, and she smiled. She saw various members of the Black Ops squad pinned down by the firepower of a few armed demons. In what seemed like slow motion, she brought her arms up in front of her body, and in each hand she was carrying a machine gun. She pulled the triggers and death spat from the barrels of the twin weapons, taking out the demons from behind. 

Fade to Black

Fade to:

Int.

TV Screen – Day

The Next Day

A logo flashed across the screen, and an announcer’s deep voice could be heard. “You are watching CNN’s continuing coverage of the World in Crisis. From CNN’s World Headquarters in Atlanta, here’s Rock Cartwright.”

The screen showed a handsome middle-aged man with graying hair seated behind an anchor’s desk. “The past few days have changed the world forever,” he said, “but now it appears that mankind is ready to declare victory.” Video played in a box over his right shoulder, showing the damaged Sydney Opera House, the ruined front of Notre Dame Cathedral, the broken face of Big Ben and a destroyed Hollywood sign. Another series of shots showed other cities of the world, from China, Africa and India.

“Thanks to a sudden increase in their vulnerability, the invaders have been driven back towards their origin points, known as ‘Hellmouths,’ and slaughtered.” He paused, taking a sip of water. The lines around his eyes and the wrinkles in his shirt implied he had been on the air for a very long time.

“For now, the world appears to be safe. Partly, this victory must be attributed to the tireless work of armed forces around the world. Never before has the world community come together in a common cause. Credit also must go to the regular people around the world who took to the streets, refusing to go quietly.”

The box over Cartwright’s shoulder shifted to show a picture of Faith. “However, in the end, perhaps the heaviest blow, and certainly the most unexpected, was delivered by an organization known simply as the Watchers Council. With thousands of supernaturally powerful young women, along with the reported, but at this point unconfirmed, ability to perform actual magic at its disposal, the Council took the lead throughout the Crisis.”

“The world continues to spin,” he concluded, “because of the Watchers Council. Later, the President will address the nation from an undisclosed location. However, first we are going to take you to the Watchers Council headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, where some of the hardest fighting took place. Rowena Allister, the Council official who first informed the world of the Crisis a few days ago, is ready to speak.” He put a finger to his ear, listening. “Are we – Are we going? Sorry, folks, we’re having –”

The screen shifted abruptly to show Rowena, seated behind a desk somewhere in the Council headquarters. Behind her, someone had hung the Watchers Council logo, making the setup look somewhat official.

“People of the world, my name is Rowena Allister, and I represent an organization called the Watchers Council. Over the last few days, mankind has faced a test. It was not the first test we have faced, and it will certainly not be the last. But it was a test that mankind has passed and the first that, as a whole, humanity has known about.”

Cut To:

Int.

Watchers Council – Infirmary – Same Time

V.O., Rowena: “Over the last few days, the world has come together in a way that is unprecedented in all of human history.”

Willow lay on a bed in the Council infirmary, looking a little bored. She brightened a little when Andrew entered the room, bearing her lunch on a tray.

Cut To:

Int.

Georgia – Hidden Cavern – Same Time

V.O., Rowena: “It is my fondest hope that these bonds will strengthen into friendship. I have seen few stronger forces than that which exist between friends, and trust me, for me, that’s saying something.”

Dawn and Shannon sat on a stray boulder, playing rock/paper/scissors. They were distracted from their game by a shift in the rock wall trapping them in the cave. One by one, the large rocks fell away. Through a newly created hole in the wall scrambled Norman and his dad. Shannon and Norman embraced.

Cut To:

Ext.

California – Sunnydale Crater – Same Time

V.O., Rowena: “I would like to thank the governments of the world for their cooperation over the last few days, and to give a special thanks to all of our other allies in this time of great need.”

A small band of US government troops stood on the edge of the Sunnydale crater, looking like they were about to be overwhelmed by a much larger force of demons scrambling to return to the hellmouth. Before the demons reached the group, however, a light dropped from the sky, directly into the center of the demon army. When the light struck the ground, bands of white energy created what looked like a series of electric shocks, and the demons crumbled to nothingness.

The soldiers shielded their eyes, trying to figure out what had happened. Out of the sun strode the shining figure of a young man, directing troops holding strange-looking weapons in various directions.. It was Riley Finn.

Cut To:

Int.

Watchers Council – Vi’s Room – Same Time

V.O. Rowena: “This was a battle in which everyone in the

world experienced losses. Many lost souls they held near and dear to their hearts. Many of us feel that we have lost pieces of ourselves.”

Xander and Vi’s naked forms moved in unison over her bed’s rumpled sheets. Vi’s eyes were empty, but she was unable to contain a gasp, and then Xander collapsed on top of her. He saw a single tear form in the corner of her eye and roll slowly down her cheek. Smiling a warm, gentle smile, Xander wiped the tear from Vi’s cheek. She looked gratefully back up into his eyes and pulled him down to her, then started to cry into his shoulder. 

Cut To:

Int.

Watchers Council – Parking Garage – Same Time

Rowena, V.O.: “We can never replace those that we have lost. All that we can do is keep going and hope that we can make them proud.”

Kennedy thanked the driver of a tow truck, then walked over to inspect what it had delivered. Faith’s motorcycle was crushed into an unsalvageable wreck, but Kennedy smiled anyway. She looked up and saw Kadin standing behind her. The pair hugged, then pulled back. Kennedy looked into Kadin’s eyes for a moment, and then the pair shared a long kiss.

Cut To:

Int.

University Hospital – Maternity Ward – Same Time

Rowena, V.O.: “And yet, because of their sacrifice, there is hope for the future. It will fall to the next generation to make sure that their heroism was not in vain.”

Giles gazed through the side of a plastic intensive care unit to see his son. The tiny, fragile baby flailed its fingers for a moment, and Giles smiled broadly. A hand grasped Giles’s, and he looked up to see Becca standing next to him, a loving smile on her face and Elizabeth held on her hip. The pair held hands a little longer, watching their little son.

Cut To:

Int.

Watchers Council – Makeshift TV Studio – Same Time

“And so,” Rowena said, looking into a teleprompter running beneath the camera, “the world lives to see another day. I understand that the revelations of the last few days have come as a shock to many. Things may seem uncertain and frightening. I can only tell you this: the Watchers Council will always protect you, just as we always have done. If the last few days have taught us anything, it is that, with courage in our hearts and knowledge on our side, we will prevail. Thank you, and good evening.”

The red light on the television camera clicked off. “We’re clear,” the operator said after a moment.

Rowena sighed and removed the small microphone that had been clipped inside the collar of her blouse. “I’m going to get some air, Ernie,” she said. The camera operator nodded, and Rowena got up and walked out of the room.

“I liked your little speech,” a voice said, as Rowena closed the door behind her and stepped out into the hallway.

The blonde watcher stopped dead and looked over her shoulder to see her mother leaning against the wall outside the room.

“Did you write it yourself?” Mrs. Allister asked.

“You’re not her,” Rowena said flatly.

“Of course I’m not her,” came the reply. “Do you think she cares about you?”

“To answer your question,” Rowena continued, ignoring the last statement, “Buffy wrote a lot of it. I think she was afraid that she’d cry if she tried to deliver it.”

“But not you, huh? Are you enjoying your temporary victory?” Mrs. Allister asked. “All good things come with a price, you know?”

Rowena pursed her lips, but said nothing.

Cut To:

Int.

Watchers Council – Morgue – Evening

Gabrielle entered the morgue and walked over to where Faith’s body lay. With a wave of her hand, the sheet covering the body flew off. She smiled down at the slayer and gently placed her hand over Faith’s wound. The angel’s hand glowed, causing light to enter the still form. Suddenly, Faith drew in a breath and her eyes shot open. At first the slayer appeared confused. She felt her stomach, but found no wound.

Gabrielle leaned over and said, in a soft voice, “You still might.”

“Huh?” Faith asked.

“Your last question… would you make a good archangel,” Gabrielle told her. “Faith, my answer is, you still might…someday. Just not yet.”

Leaving Faith at a loss for words, Gabrielle turned and walked away, gradually fading to nothing as she walked away.

Faith sat up and began feeling her entire body, moving her arms and wiggling her toes. She rolled her neck from side to side and pulled up her shirt to find no injury.

Rowena shot into the room and saw Faith sitting there.

“I-I don’t believe it. The woman, the redhead, told me to come here and…but…I don’t believe it,” the watcher muttered, as she continued to look at Faith.

“Guess this proves the theory,” Faith answered.

“Wh-What theory?” Rowena asked, barely able to speak.

“Heaven doesn’t want me, and hell’s afraid I’ll take over,” Faith teased.

Rowena closed the distance between them and pulled Faith into a silent embrace. 

Fade to Black

 

Guest Starring:
Michelle Rodriguez as Kadin Van Helsing, Amanda Tapping as Dr. Regina Wagner, Gillian Anderson as Gabrielle, Claudia Black as Ms. Lynette Doran, Richard Belzer as Mr. Lewis Mitchell, James Callis as Michael, Christopher Eccleston as Uriel, Viggo Mortensen as Rafael, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Robert Devlin, Reba McEntire as Joelle Hansen, Hugh Mitchell as Norman Hansen, Jennifer Connelly as Althenea Dimmons, Rob Nagle as Robson, Felicia Day as Angie, Stephen Austin as Reteesk, Evangeline Lilly as Marissa, Sam Waterston as Ira Rosenberg, Jordan Baker as Sheila Rosenberg, Pierce Brosnan as Reginald Giles, Norika Fujiwara as Mia, Carly Schroeder as Marsha Parsons, Kristy Wu as Chao-Ahn, William Sadler as Stan and Marc Blucas as Riley Finn

 

Special Guest Starring:
Kate Mulgrew

 

End of Megiddo and Season Three

 

Check out the finale video for Megiddo and season three below…