Act 4
Fade In:
Ext.
New Mexico – Desert – Day
Without her digital camera, Dawn was using her cell phone to take pictures of the not-currently-flying saucer. Andrew walked around the structure quietly, running one hand over the dusty surface. Skye sat nearby on a rock, absent-mindedly tapping her foot on the ground.
Shannon walked up to Dawn and motioned to one of the symbol-covered panels. “Do you recognize that writing?”
Dawn shook her head. “No. Parts of it look Mayan, Egyptian, Ancient Cambodian, but it’s all different…it doesn’t make sense.”
Using both hands, Andrew tugged on one of the outer panels of the saucer, and it came free with a loud clang.
“What are you doing?” Dawn asked, surprised. “That could have made it blow up, or melt our eyeballs, or…”
“I’m just taking a look at the guts,” Andrew told her. He leaned over the open space he’d made and reached one arm in. He immediately pulled back out. His arm was covered in dark red goo. “Apparently literally.”
Dawn crinkled her nose. “Okay, eww.”
Shannon held a hand over her mouth. “What…is that?” she managed.
Andrew peered at his hand, then took another peek in the open panel. “I think parts of this thing are alive…or organic, anyway. It looks a little like a Cylon Raider in there.”
“Is anyone else’s brain exploding?” Shannon asked weakly.
Andrew turned back to look at her. “It’s okay…the designs really aren’t that similar.”
“No, I mean…flying saucers, secret government agencies,” Shannon explained, her voice rising as she did so. “It’s all coming together, you know? What if – what if there’s an alien invasion going on, right under our noses?”
“There are no aliens.” Dawn, Shannon and Andrew looked over to see Skye getting to her feet. “I’m sorry, but there just aren’t.”
“But…” Dawn pointed to the saucer.
“Maybe it’s an advanced military aircraft, or some kind of demonic…hell contraption, or…whatever it is, it’s not aliens.”
“Great discoveries have always had their doubters,” Andrew told her. Skye just rolled her eyes.
Shannon was shaking her head. “They’re here. I mean…they’re already here, aren’t they? We can’t just – We have to do something. I have to do something. I’m a slayer.”
Skye raised an eyebrow. “An alien slayer?”
Nearby, Andrew was trying to shake his arm dry. “Do we have any paper towels?”
Skye looked at him covered with the dripping red goo, then back at Shannon. “Is anyone else thirsty?”
Cut To:
Ext.
New Mexico – Road Near Artesia – Day
Andrew drove the rental car back down the empty desert road toward town. Small green and brown bushes dominated the landscape from horizon to horizon.
“Do you think they could have replaced our leaders?” Shannon asked. “I mean, what if, like, Autumn O’Mara was an alien, and we didn’t even know it?”
“I doubt it,” Dawn told her. “It’s more likely she’s a ro – what’s going on?”
The road ahead had been blocked with orange and white barriers. Several black sedans were parked just beyond. Andrew sighed, and the car began to slow down.
“Keep going!” Shannon told him. “If we take off early enough, we can jump ’em!”
“Shannon, this is a Kia, not a tank,” Andrew said, exasperated.
“Oh come on,” Skye said from the backseat with a grin. “It’ll be fun.”
“For all the immortals in the car, sure,” Andrew replied as he came to a stop.
A man in sunglasses and a freshly-pressed suit tapped on the driver’s side window. Andrew rolled it down and flashed a nervous smile.
“Is there a problem, officer?”
“Step out of the car please, sir.” The man in the suit said, without changing his expression.
“Were we speeding?” Andrew asked. “Because this is a new car, and I always take a little time to get used to –”
“Step out of the car please, sir.”
There was silence for a moment.
“Okay,” Andrew said. He opened the door and exited the vehicle. All of a sudden, he was surrounded by four of the men in suits.
“You’re going to have to come with us,” said the one who had tapped on the window.
“Hey!” Shannon cried out. She was out of the car and trying to run toward Andrew, but Dawn held her back. “You can’t do that!”
“Shannon, it’s okay,” Dawn soothed.
“No, no, it’s not okay,” Shannon yelled.
“You know, guys,” Skye said, poking her head out of the car, “we have rights. Well, not me, because I’m living-impaired, but the rest of them have rights.”
“This way please, sir.” The men in suits began to lead Andrew away toward a waiting sedan.
“You’ll never get away with this,” Andrew told them. “You can’t silence the truth!” The men began to physically pull him.
“C’mon,” Shannon pleaded with Dawn. “Can’t we make an exception to the don’t-punch-humans rule? Just this once?”
“Power to the people!” Andrew yelled as he was being pushed into one of the sedans. “E pluribus unum! I am Spartacus!”
Then one of the men in suits put a black hood over his head, and everything went dark.
Cut To:
Ext.
Poolside – Day
His hood suddenly removed, Andrew blinked his eyes, surprised by the bright sunlight. It was a moment before he could focus. In front of him, the afternoon sun glittered off the bright blue water of a swimming pool. Lounging at the pool’s edge on a deck chair was a woman in a bikini with cucumber slices over her eyes. She held a reflective device in order to work on her tan.
Andrew blinked again, this time in confusion. “Miss Sanger?”
In response, she put down her mirror and removed the cucumber slices, carefully placing them on the pool deck next to her. “That will be all Thomas, thank you.”
The man in the suit and sunglasses untied Andrew’s hands, nodded, and then left the two of them alone.
“The Oversight Committee,” Andrew realized. “It makes perfect sense. You’re behind the Men in Black, the cover-up…we were getting close to your secret headquarters, weren’t we?” Sanger laughed at this, and Andrew’s brow furrowed. “Hey, it’s not time for the evil laugh of victory yet…”
She composed herself, a small smile remaining on her face. “No, Mr. Wells. We would never place our headquarters in such a populated area…”
“You’re calling this town populated?” Andrew asked incredulously.
“This is our company retreat,” Sanger continued. “Very exclusive, committee members only.”
Andrew took this in, perhaps stealing a peek at Sanger’s bikini-clad body. Then he shook his head. “But…what about the aliens? The flying saucer? In this scenario, I’m still Richard Dreyfuss, and you’re the guys who hired the French guy.”
Sanger’s look grew more amused once again. “Mr. Wells, there are no aliens.”
“But –”
“What you found, despite our agents’ best and perhaps overzealous efforts, was a kind of graveyard. It’s where we keep the various devices we’ve discovered that were left on this plane by the Presidium. We have over fifteen as large as the one you saw.” Andrew was quiet for a moment. “You didn’t think we weren’t aware of a threat as large as that of the Presidium?” Sanger added. “We had contingency plans. Fortunately, none of them were ever enacted…”
“I don’t get it,” Andrew said finally. “Why would you go through all the trouble of trying to stop us, not to mention kidnapping me, just to tell me…oh Goddess, you’re going to kill me, aren’t you? Then you’ll erase all records that show I ever existed…” His voice rose in panic.
“Mr. Wells,” Sanger interrupted with a grin. “We’re not going to kill you. We’re in the habit of saving people, not killing them. I’m able to explain this now for a few reasons. First of all, you already found it, so there’s not much point in hiding things now. Secondly, you showed considerable resourcefulness and determination in discovering our storage facility, not unlike Richard Dreyfuss.”
Andrew crossed him arms. “Damn straight.”
“We are now prepared to offer you our highest level of security clearance.”
“Great,” Andrew sighed. “I’m the last one, right?”
“No, actually, you’re the first,” Sanger corrected. “Some of our members have had reservations about a few of your superiors, but you…you’ve proven yourself quite resourceful and dedicated.”
A small, confident smile appeared on Andrew’s face. He nodded. Then he asked, “Can I get a ride back to the motel?”
Cut To:
Ext.
London – City Street – Same Time
The city was still light at dusk. Kennedy and Willow walked along with their group of slayers, checking out their surroundings.
“The sun goes down any minute ladies. Anything special to report yet?” Kadin asked over Kennedy’s radio.
“Not a thing,” Kennedy replied, after picking up the walkie-talkie. “I think we’re on a wild goose chase here, Kad.”
“Keep searching,” Kadin told her.
“Aye, aye,” Kennedy replied. She looked over to see Willow yawning. “You didn’t have to come out tonight, Will. With me, Pat and Kadin each heading a group we might make more headway tonight.”
“Turns out I can’t get any sleep no matter where I go. I figured, being away from the twins, I might catch a little more shuteye, but no luck.”
“You could have stayed at Althenea’s.”
“No, Mary Grace is there, and I don’t want to cramp Althenea’s style. And as for the slayer dorms, the ones off duty get a bit rowdy. Either way, I’m not sleeping, so I might as well be here.”
After a brief silence, Kennedy said, “I gotta ask…don’t you think it’s odd that Al’s with a woman who’s a dead ringer for Ro?”
“What do you mean?” Willow asked.
“You can’t see the resemblance?”
“No, well, yeah I do see it, but I’m not sure why that matters,” Willow replied.
Kennedy stopped walking, the slayer Michelle continuing off ahead of the pair.
“I’m going to check out this alley,” Michelle said.
Kennedy nodded her approval and then turned to Willow.
“Well, let’s say that Faith had a carbon copy sister. I mean, someone who looks even more like her than Hope does,” Kennedy said. “I just think it would be…I don’t know…weird to date someone that looked like my best friend, since I don’t have the hots for Faith. Every time I’d kiss her, it would feel like I’m kissing Faith, y’know?”
“So you’re saying that Al has a thing for Ro, and since she can’t have her, she’s dating her sister?” Willow asked.
Kennedy shrugged. “Have you ever asked Al why she’s with Mary Grace? I know one of the first things I’d ask is, ‘Why are you dating someone who’s identical to my wife’?”
“You’re crazy,” Willow chuckled.
“Okay, then why is she dating her?” Kennedy asked. She put her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer. “Al’s a beautiful woman. She could have any lesbian in London, so why pick bi-curious Mary Grace all the way from Canada?”
Willow opened her mouth, then closed it. Finally, she replied, “I don’t know,” as if she were thinking about it. “She didn’t really say, actually.”
Cut To:
Ext.
London – Alley – Same Time
Michelle led the team down the alley. She looked around like she was sensing something.
“Awww,” she heard a slayer say behind her. “Hey, little guy. Are you lost?”
Michelle turned around to see one of the slayers picking up a stray rag-doll kitten. Abruptly, her eyes went wide. “Put that thing down!” she yelled.
“Why?” asked the slayer holding the baby cat in her hands.
Suddenly, it began to grow quickly in size and change shape grotesquely, and the slayer hurriedly dropped it on the ground.
“Backup,” Michelle said into her walkie-talkie. “We need backup!”
Cut To:
Ext.
London – City Street – Same Time
“Plus,” Kennedy continued, “you said Al’s never really had a steady girl. So why is she still single after all these years?”
Again, Willow considered it. “I don’t know,” she repeated.
“I do,” Kennedy replied. “She’s got a thing for your wife.” Kennedy began to walk quickly again when she heard Michelle call over the radio. She and Willow raced toward the growing commotion in the alleyway.
Cut To:
Ext.
London – Alley – Same Time
The slayers began to form a circle around the creature. It now resembled a were-wolf, but in a much smaller form, like the size of a large dog.
“Where did that come from?” Kennedy asked, just arriving.
The slayer who had picked it up shook her head. “Bloody hell if I know. It was a kitten, and then, bam – we got a wolf.”
Kennedy raised her gun and tried to take aim, but she hesitated to fire at the creature for fear of hitting the slayers behind it.
“Move!” she called, motioning them away so she could take the shot.
As the slayers moved away, Kennedy took aim again. She squeezed the trigger just as another figure leapt down from the building above them.
“Owwwww,” Kadin yelled as she fell forward on top of the wolf. She pulled out her silver-tipped stake and drove it into the wolf’s heart, killing it instantly.
“Kadin!” Kennedy yelled. “Someone get the medic!” she ordered. She and several of the others raced over to Kadin, who was now lying on her stomach in the alley. Kennedy fell to her knees. “Kadin, can you hear me? Stay with me, okay?”
“Son of a bitch!” Kadin yelled. “You shot me in the ass!”
“Where?” Kennedy asked, beginning to feel Kadin’s upper leg.
“Owww! Stop it!” Kadin said, batting her hand away. “I can’t believe you shot me in the ass.”
“What the hell!” Kennedy yelled back. “Who do you think you are? Spiderman? You just fall out of the air in front of me when I’ve got a gun. What in the world did you expect?”
“I expected to kill the were-kitten, that’s what,” Kadin replied, looking over her shoulder.
“Here,” Kennedy said, reaching for her shoulders. “Let’s get you up.”
“I’m perfectly uncomfortable right here, thanks,” Kadin told her. “If I roll, I’ll be on my butt and in more serious pain. Damn, this is going to be a long plane ride home with a sore ass.” Kennedy began to chuckle and tried to hide it with her hand. “Yeah, keep laughing, Ken. Let me use your butt for target practice and see how you like it. Son of a bitch.”
“A were-kitten, huh?” Michelle said. “I thought they only came in human form.”
“No,” Kadin said through gritted teeth. “Like a vampire, any creature can be turned into a demon of the ‘were’ variety. Kittens too, but they usually don’t survive the attack.” She turned to Kennedy. “And, although you’re kinda trigger-happy, it’s good you looked down this alley.”
“Michelle came here,” Kennedy said. “I had nothing to do with it.”
Kadin turned her head back to Michelle. “Then good work, kid,” she told her.
“Thanks!” Michelle said proudly.
The medics arrived, and one of them asked, “What happened?”
“My girlfriend’s causing me a pain in the butt, literally,” Kadin told them.
“I kinda shot her…a little,” Kennedy admitted.
“A little?” Kadin replied. “How do you shoot someone a little?”
“It was an accident,” Kennedy replied. She turned to the medic. “Think you’ll be able to save her butt?”
“Oh, funny, Ken,” Kadin said with a groan.
The medic smiled. “We’ll do our best.”
Cut To:
Int.
London Watchers Council – Hallway Outside Infirmary – Night
Willow and Kennedy sat next to each other as the doctor came out of the infirmary. Both women got to their feet.
“She’s going to be fine,” he said. Kennedy sighed in relief, and Willow grinned. “If the bullet had gone elsewhere, well…let’s just be thankful it didn’t. She’ll be sore for a while, but with antibiotics to ward off infections, she’ll be all right.”
“Can I see her?” Kennedy asked.
“Certainly,” he replied. “She said she’s not done teasing you yet.”
Kennedy grinned and held out her hand, “Thanks, doctor.” She then turned to Willow. “I’m going to…”
“Go on,” Willow told her. “Give Kadin my best. I’m going to try to find a place to sleep…finally.”
As Kennedy walked into the room, Willow saw Althenea rushing toward her down the hall, with Mary Grace following behind her.
“Oh, thank God,” Althenea said. “Robson told me someone got shot on your patrol, but he didn’t have any more details.”
“It’s okay. Kadin took a silver bullet in the keister thanks to Ken, but she’ll be fine,” Willow said with a smile.
“Oh, good,” Althenea said, short of breath.
“Have a seat?” Willow motioned to a nearby sofa.
“Everyone’s okay?” Mary Grace asked as she arrived, taking a spot next to Althenea.
“Yep, just a little sore,” Willow told her. “Nothing too serious.”
Willow then stared at Mary Grace for a long moment.
“What?” the woman finally asked, nervous under the witch’s stare.
Willow grinned and waved her hand. “Nothing. I was just noticing how much you look like your sister.” She turned to Althenea. “Speaking of which, we’re all heading out tomorrow.”
“Then come stay with us tonight,” Althenea told her.
“You guys are busy,” Willow waved her off again.
“Willow,” Althenea began. “You took time out of your busy life to see me. You left your wife and kids to see me.”
“Again, not that I don’t love you, but it was my wife’s idea.”
“It doesn’t matter how you got here. The point is, you did, so give me…” She paused for a moment, then waved to Mary Grace and said, “give us at least one night here.”
“I’m really tired, guys,” Willow admitted.
“A cup of hot cocoa and off to bed? How’s that sound?” Althenea offered. “Then, in the morning, we can grab some breakfast before you leave.”
Willow grinned. “It’s really hard to say no to you. Do you realize that?”
Althenea smiled as she stood up. Mary Grace followed.
“It’s part of my charm,” she said. She put her arm around Willow and took Mary Grace by the hand. She started to lead them both down the hall.
Cut To:
Int.
New Mexico – Motel Room – Later
Andrew strolled through the open doorway of the team’s motel room and was met with a crushing hug by Shannon. “Andrew!” she exclaimed.
“Can’t…breathe,” he gasped.
“Sorry.” She let go. “I thought you were dead.”
“We were really worried,” Dawn agreed. She was sitting on the edge of one of the beds. Skye was lying down behind her and once again staring at the ceiling. “We were just about to come to rescue you.”
“I wasn’t,” Skye put in.
“From where?” Andrew asked.
“That’s what I told them,” Skye agreed.
“We hadn’t worked that out yet,” Shannon said. “What happened?”
“Yeah, where did they take you?” Dawn asked.
Andrew opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a knocking on the open door frame behind him. He turned to see Tracey standing there, suitcase in hand.
“Hey,” she said. “It’s me. And it’s not even completely dark yet on New Year’s Eve.”
Andrew couldn’t say anything just then.
Cut To:
Ext.
New Mexico – Desert Near Artesia – Night
Tracey drove her car, its convertible top pulled down, out over a dirt road in the middle of the scrub. Andrew sat in the passenger seat next to her, silent. He wasn’t quite looking at her, though occasionally he would steal glances.
After a while, Tracey pulled the car off the road. She craned her neck upwards, looking towards the sky.
“I grew up in the city,” she said. “I love it…well, I know I love that there are malls, movie theaters, all-night convenience stores, all within a ten minute drive. But…the stars in the city are never this bright. It’s like, transcendent, or whatever.” She suddenly turned to face Andrew. “So, what’s the deal?”
“What?” Andrew asked, confused.
“You’ve been totally weird since I got here,” Tracey said. “At first I thought you were just basking in my beauty, but…something’s bothering you, and you can tell me.”
Andrew looked up at the stars for a moment, then back at Tracey. “I’m not sure if I can do this.”
“Do what?” Tracey asked, a hint of exasperation showing through in her voice.
“This,” Andrew repeated, pointing between him and Tracey. “Or, more specifically, all the parts other than this, where we’re a thousand miles apart.”
“Andrew,” Tracey began, “long-distance relationships can be hard, but it doesn’t mean –”
“I know about the other guys,” Andrew butted in.
Tracey’s mouth fell open in shock.
“You know,” Andrew continued, “Roger. He’s probably not the only one, is he? I mean, it makes sense. You always were more involved in that kind of stuff than I was and –”
“Andy,” Tracey interrupted. “It’s been a really rough couple of days. I have been on the road for most of it. It’s late, and I’m tired…and I am not cheating on you. Who…who told you that?”
Andrew looked at her for a long second. Then he ran his hands over his face and sighed. “I-I don’t know. I just can’t stand being away from you so much. It’s like when a vampire doesn’t get enough blood, and he gets, you know…insane.”
Tracey smiled a little. “So, in this analogy, I’m blood?”
“I’m not thinking straight right now,” Andrew told her.
Tracey reached out a hand and rested it on Andrew’s knee. “I feel that way sometimes, too. I’m used to knowing what’s going on with you all the time. Now I get home from class and wonder who I’m going to talk to about stuff.”
“You can always call me,” Andrew assured her. “We have the videophones…”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to be stalker girl.”
“I really don’t mind.”
“I know.” Tracey leaned over and gave Andrew a lingering kiss on the mouth. When she pulled back, she glanced at her watch. “Two minutes to midnight, we’re early. Oh, well.” A wicked smile appeared on her face, and she pulled open her shirt in a brisk motion. “Now, get in the back seat and do me.”
“Ma’am, yes, ma’am!”
Cut To:
Ext.
New Mexico – Desert Near Artesia – Moments Later
Andrew and Tracey moved together in the back seat of the car, covered by a blanket against the night chill.
“Happy… New Year… Andrew,” Tracey managed between gasps.
“Happy New Year, Tracey,” Andrew replied.
They were too busy to notice the three strange balls of light that moved toward them with incredible speed. The balls of light passed through the sky directly overhead, bringing a sudden brightness for a split second before passing on into the night.
Fade to Black.
Special Guest Starring:
Renée Zellweger as Mary Grace Allister and Seth MacFarlane as Roger the Alien
End of The Unknown
Next on Watchers…
The fraying relationship between the Council and former members of Bureau Nine complicates attempts to save Kadin from a secret government organization that wants to turn her into the ultimate weapon.
