Act 4
Fade In:
Int.
Watchers Council – Giles’s Conference Room – Resume
“What do you mean?” John leaned forward in his chair. Giles glanced to his right, at Travers, who looked sternly back at him, then to Veronica, who nodded slowly.
“There is a database of girls who are likely to be called as slayers. It contains records on every female born in the country in the past 100 years,” Giles said. “It’s called the Registry.”
“Excuse me?” Lex wore a look of confused shock. “There’s a what now?”
“Every foreign branch of the Council has its own Registry,” Veronica explained. “It tracks all females from birth through the age of thirty, recording basic biographical details as well as significant life events. Special attention is paid to slayers and relatives of slayers, but the idea is to pinpoint any other girls who could be potentials.”
“The existence of the Registry is known only to the High Command and to other senior councilors,” Travers added, his tone indicating his displeasure with Giles’s decision to share information about the Registry.
“Why didn’t the Council tell me about this?” Velika asked, agitated. “I would think that such a thing would fall in my territory. I mean, we have the list of potentials, but something like this, it’s – ”
“How could you keep something like this from us?” John cut in.
“It wasn’t personal, John,” Giles replied.
“You had access to the knowledge that my niece was going to be called as a slayer and you didn’t tell me? You don’t call that personal? The Council could have protected her.”
“We had no prior knowledge of anything, I assure you.” Giles began to run his fingers along his temples. “The Registry is far from an exact science. At best, it’s a list of ‘maybes’.”
“So, is it possible that the guy who’s killing these girls somehow got access to this Registry?” Lex questioned.
“It’s entirely possible,” Veronica agreed. “All of the victims were listed in the Registry; it’s the common thread for all of them.”
“All personnel with access to the Registry must be questioned,” Giles said.
Travers grumbled at that. “Is that really necessary? Surely you don’t believe that anyone on the High Command is involved. It’s preposterous!”
“As preposterous as resurrecting the 314 project?” Giles coldly pointed out, referring to Tyrell’s failed coup.
Travers’ eyes narrowed, but he didn’t respond. Giles turned back to Lex and John.
“We’ll need a full-scale security scan on the network,” Giles said. “Contact Jo down in Orlando and tell her that we’ll need James back as soon as possible.” Lex and John nodded.
Giles then glanced at each person present. “Anything else?” he asked. When no one spoke, Giles dismissed the meeting.
One by one, everyone left until Travers and Giles were left alone. When the door closed, Travers sighed. He leaned back in his chair and turned to face Giles, his arms folded.
“Do you think it was wise to tell them?” Travers asked.
“I don’t see how I had a choice,” Giles replied. “Young women are being murdered. The Registry could very well be the key to solving this case.”
“And if the public finds out about the Registry, then what? Do you think we can afford another scandal on the news net? After your debacles with that Lance woman and that spectacle at the Anomalous Zone, it’s a wonder we can get any slayers signed on at all!”
“Our enrollment rate has suffered a bit,” Giles admitted, “but not enough to cause alarm.”
“The refusal of any slayer to serve should cause alarm,” Travers countered.
“Yes, yes, I’m well aware of your standing on the issue,” Giles said. “You would have us conscript them like – ”
“And why shouldn’t we? Slayers are born to serve; that is their purpose,” Travers said. “And do we not provide our slayers with generous benefits for that service? An enviable salary, free room and board, top-of-the-line insurance, state-of-the-art medical care, elite schooling…”
“It’s not right to force them to serve,” Giles insisted.
“And that is where you and I disagree,” Travers said. “Don’t think for a minute that I’ve abandoned my proposal to require slayers to serve. It may be stalled in committee at the moment, but I will see it passed.” Travers rose to leave.
Giles got up from his chair and stepped in Travers’ path. “These girls are not machines; they aren’t tools!” he argued angrily. “They are human beings. It’s bad enough that we intimidate the unwilling slayers and their families into compliance, but your recommendation…it’s unthinkable. Financial penalties against the families? Possible incarceration for the slayers themselves? Stripping slayers of their powers via forced drug regimens?”
“You know very well how dangerous it is to allow unsupervised slayers into the populace! They put the lives of all around them at risk, not to mention the fact that many of these ‘free’ slayers have abused their powers in the commission of criminal acts!” Travers shouted. He calmed himself a bit then said, “The power of the slayers must be kept under control.”
“And that’s what it’s really about, isn’t it?” Giles responded. “The power.”
Travers merely scowled.
Cut To:
Int.
Council Transport Ship – Moments Later
Antonia had a wireless joystick resting on her lap and a pair of virtual reality glasses on her head. The sounds of laser bursts and screaming ship maneuvers could be heard emanating from the tiny headphones folded down over her ears from the glasses. The pilot leaned hard left as she jerked the joystick in that direction.
“Die, scum, die!” she called out as she began hammering the rapid fire button. Multiple laser blasts soon resulted in a huge explosions. “Yes!” she said, pumping her fist several times. “Good-bye Level 12, hello Level 13…”
Before Antonia could start the next level, she was interrupted by a call signal on her computer console. She carefully removed her VR glasses then punched the answer button on the console.
“Whatever you got to say, it better be good,” Antonia said as she set aside the joystick, not looking at the screen yet.
“Hey honey!” Lex greeted happily over a very static-y link.
Antonia instantly changed her tune and smiled widely at the camera atop the monitor. “Hey…I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.”
“What can I say? I simply couldn’t bear the separation,” Lex teased.
“Yeah right,” Antonia replied. “You’re checking up on me, that’s what you’re doin’.” She pointed accusingly at the screen, which went snowy then cleared somewhat.
Lex put his hand on his chest as if appalled. “I’m shocked you would suggest such a thing,” Lex said, his voice a little hard to distinguish through the static. “I guess the booster isn’t working too well. Link’s kinda nasty.”
“It’s working pretty good inside the shield,” Antonia said. “We ran checks on the comm links twice, and no problems there. But calling outside the shield? That’s been the iffy part. I checked in at the Orlando office, and it was pretty much like this.”
“So how are things going at the most demon-y place on earth?”
“Well, I’m manning the fort here at the ship, the slayers are on patrol, Jo and James are geekin’ out over the shield console. You’d be right at home there, I’m sure. Lance is – ”
“Oh! Oh! Memory coming back now,” Lex interrupted. “There really was a reason why I called.”
“You mean other than just wanting to bask in the glow of my personality?”
“I’m afraid so,” Lex said. “We’ve kinda got a situation here, and we need – ” With a screech, Lex’s image disappeared, leaving a softly buzzing white screen.
“What the hell?” Antonia complained. She tried a few commands on the keypad. Nothing. She gave the monitor a bang. Still nothing. “Stupid shield,” she grumbled.
Suddenly, she heard a scuffling noise above and behind her. She whipped around but didn’t see anything. She took a step, looking all around her.
“Hello? Anybody there?” she called out.
There was no response. She turned back to the console, listening intently. She heard nothing. Just as she began to sigh in relief, she saw a creature scuttle across the front of the ship. She gasped in alarm and stepped away.
Cut To:
Ext.
Disney World – Shield Console – Same Time
James and Jocasta were huddled over the shield console, examining the shield generator’s specifications, while Willowgram looked on with interest from atop her mobile emitter.
“What if we installed a flux compensator right here at this junction?” Jocasta suggested.
“That would work, but only on the one side,” James replied. “We would need another one here so that the whole shield would be covered.”
Willowgram’s expression changed from curiosity to worry. “Uhhh…guys?”
“What is it, Willow?” Jocasta asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.
“Speaking of cover…you might want to take some,” Willowgram answered.
“What?” Jocasta asked as she and James stood up and turned around.
Before they could even take in the sight before them, they were set upon by a horde of small, dog-sized demons. The creatures scrambled over them, clawing and snapping, overwhelming the two humans by sheer numbers.
Jocasta belted out a quick incantation, which flung the demons off her in one big burst. She turned to James and spoke a different spell, which allowed her to knock the demons from him one at a time. The horde was not deterred, however, and came back for more.
“Livia, this is Jo, we are under attack at the shield console!” There was no answer. “Damn it! Why isn’t she answering? Okay…any slayer who hears this, we are under attack at the command center!” As the demons approached once again, Jocasta readied herself to cast again. “Stay behind me, James,” she ordered.
James didn’t comply, though. Instead, in a panic, he dashed over to a nearby crate where a pair of kama sat, left behind by a slayer. He scooped them up then ran back over in front of Jocasta.
“James!” Jocasta warned.
James ignored her and began flailing the kama in front of himself in a series windmill-like swoops, all the while screaming like a villain in a bad karate movie. The demons actually seemed taken aback by this for a moment.
“Since when do you know kung fu?” Jocasta asked in surprise.
“Since right now….aaaahhhh!” James started to freak out as the horde got over its momentary hesitation and attacked en masse.
Jocasta started to cast, but got interrupted when six demons jumped on her at once. She went down screaming.
Just then, Lisa Lance and her cameraman ran over, ready to record the action. Lance issued a few orders to Frank, who instantly activated his portable. When he started filming James’s ineffectual slicing and dicing, Lance smacked him on the arm.
“No, no…get the watcher being mauled, you idiot!” Lance corrected.
Just then, the demons hanging around on the outside of the melee noticed Lance and her cameraman. They growled and moved in their direction. The two humans froze.
“Oh sh – ” Lance began before the demons rushed them.
Frank dropped his portable camera as both he and Lance ran screaming away, a set of demons hot on their trail.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Giles’s Conference Room – Moments Later
Lex entered the conference room to find Giles sitting in his chair massaging his temples.
“All this giving you a headache?” Lex asked.
“Indeed,” Giles replied.
“Well, I hate to add to your pain, but…we’ve lost contact with the Orlando team.”
“What?”
“I was on the comm with Toni when boop! the link just went down,” Lex explained. “The booster I installed was working okay at first, but I guess it just konked out.”
“Should we have the Orlando branch check on the team?” Giles asked in a concerned voice.
“I don’t think so,” Lex answered. “Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on from what Toni said. We just can’t get James back here in a flash.”
“Very well,” Giles replied. “I guess we’re going to have to do this without James.”
“Don’t worry, G-Man,” Lex teased. “One Lex Harris plus one John West equals at least half a James Wells.”
Giles couldn’t help but smile.
Cut To:
Ext.
Disney World – Shield Console – Same Time
A tattered and bleeding Jocasta and James were huddled in front of the shield console, a force field keeping the dog-sized demons at bay. Cowering behind them, peeking from behind the shield console, were an equally battered Lisa and Frank.
“Katie! Can you hear me?!” Jocasta said frantically into her comm link, grimacing with the strain of maintaining the barrier.
“Why aren’t they answering?!” Lance demanded in a panic. “Isn’t it their job to save people?”
“I’m sure that they’re….yyyaahhhhh!” Jocasta jumped when a figure suddenly rushed into the fray, scattering demons. It was Brianna.
The blonde slayer ripped through the crowd with her sword, taking out demons left and right. Within seconds, the ground was littered with the dead and dying, and the few remaining creatures were running off squealing.
When the coast was clear, Jocasta released the barrier and embraced Brianna gratefully. “Oh thank god you came,” she told the slayer. “I was beginning to think no one had heard me calling.”
“You were calling on the link?” Brianna asked.
“Yeah, you didn’t hear me?” the watcher asked. Brianna shook her head. “Then how did you know we were in trouble?”
“I didn’t,” Brianna said. “I came back for my kama.”
She pointed at James, who had stood up, but was darting his eyes back and forth, clutching the pair of sickle-like weapons tightly in his fists. She tried to take the kama from him, but he refused to let go.
“Gimme those, you twit!” Brianna demanded.
“No, I need them!” James insisted uselessly as Brianna yanked the weapons from his grip. “You’ve got a sword, and I’ve got nothing. Nothing but a-a-an exhausted witch a-a-and a static-y, bodiless hologram.”
“Hey!” Jocasta and Willowgram said simultaneously.
“Don’t worry,” Brianna said, stowing her kama in her belt. “Those critters won’t be coming back.”
“I wonder why our comm links aren’t working,” Jocasta said.
“Maybe it’s the shield interference,” James suggested. “Maybe Lex’s booster went ka-blewy. He’s good at making things go ka-blewy, you know.”
“Oh god!” Jocasta exclaimed worriedly.
“What?” Brianna asked.
“The ship! Toni’s there all by herself!” Jocasta answered.
At that, Jocasta and James and Brianna rushed off toward the transport ship.
“No! Don’t go!” Lance cried from her hiding place behind the console. “Don’t leave us here!”
As Willowgram rolled her eyes, Brianna called over her shoulder, “You’re on your own, News Gal. Report on that!”
Cut To:
Ext.
Council Transport Ship – Moments Later
As the trio approached the ship, they found it overrun with another pack of the dog-sized demons. The communications dish was lying on its side as demons skittered across the top of the ship. Suddenly, they heard a commotion on the other side of the transport.
Blaster burst. Squeal.
“I said…”
Burst, burst. More squealing.
“Get. The Hell. OFF MY SHIP!!!”
When Jocasta and the others arrived at the far side, they found a scratched-up and very angry pilot systematically eradicating the demons attacking the transport. Cut down to just a handful within minutes, the stragglers scurried off the ship and headed for cover on the sides of Main Street. Antonia ran after them, still shooting, until Jocasta caught up to her and carefully re-directed her back to the transport.
“Those little bastards,” Antonia complained, looking over her shoulder at them retreating. Then she looked back at the transport and pointed. “Did you see what they did to my ship?!”
Jocasta grinned and said with mock seriousness, “Yes, I saw. Bad, bad, naughty demons.”
Antonia shot a deadly glare at her cousin.
Realizing that the blonde was still armed, Jocasta stopped grinning, cleared her throat, and changed the subject. “So…dish is down, huh?” Jocasta said. “I guess that explains why our comm links weren’t working.”
Antonia relaxed a little. “Yeah, I was talking to Lex, and then blip, down it went. I didn’t realize until a bit later what caused it.” They stopped and looked up at the demolished communications device. “Oh…Lex was about to tell me something before we got cut off, something about ‘a situation’ up there at HQ.”
Jocasta shook her head. “HQ is gonna have to take care of itself. We’ve got our own problems to deal with.”
Cut To:
Int.
Disney World – Bio-Pod – Later
Inside one of the pods left behind by Burkle’s crew, Jocasta and the others sat around a table discussing their situation. Willowgram’s mobile emitter sat on the table in front of Jocasta.
“So, w-w-we have no communications at all?!” Lance said in a panicked voice.
“For the third time, yes, we have no communications,” Jocasta said sternly.
“You’ve got to do something!” Lance said, seemingly on the brink of hysteria.
“We are doing something,” Jocasta growled through clenched teeth. Lance wasn’t comforted. She rocked in her chair, a frightened look on her face.
“I’ve got a question,” James said. “How come Willow’s here?”
Willowgram looked appalled before spluttering, “Because…because…I happen to be very useful! I, um, have data and stuff, and well…I know things.”
“No, I mean why is your signal getting through when no others seem to be?” James clarified.
“Oh.”
“Why are you still here?” Jocasta asked. “I mean, how come you’re still connected to your CPU back home?”
“Sheer force of personality?” the grinning Willow offered.
“Who cares why she’s connected…can’t she just call for help for us?” Brianna asked.
“Sorry, no can do,” Willowgram answered. “My multi-tasking abilities are still down. Alas, I can be in only one place at a time.” She sighed in disappointment.
“Well, what about the communications dish?” Antonia asked. “I helped Lex put it in. Maybe I can fix it. I’d probably have to cannibalize some of Lance’s equipment, but – ”
“What?!! ” Lance demanded, suddenly not so hysterical after all. “You’re not touching my equipment! Nobody touches my equipment!”
“Well I guess that explains your three divorces,” Frank said, rolling his eyes. Then he handed over the key to the crates containing the network’s remote broadcasting equipment. “Help yourself,” he said. Lance gave him a scathing, you-are-so-fired glance.
“We still need to fix the shield generator, too,” Jocasta pointed out. “The last thing we need is for a gang of those demons to start showing up at the other parks.”
“I can work on that,” James said, “but I’m gonna need some help.”
“I’ll help,” Frank offered.
“I’ll go with you,” Brianna added. “If you’re gonna be down in the tunnels above the hellmouth, you’re gonna need a slayer.”
“I’ll help Toni, then,” Jocasta said with a nod before rising from her chair.
“What about me?” Lance asked.
“You can…” Jocasta thought for a moment. “Honestly, I don’t care what you do. Just stay out of the way.”
As Jocasta scooped up Willowgram’s mobile emitter and led the group in exiting the pod, Lance just stood there looking shocked.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Red Sector Lab – Same Time
Lex, John, and Velika worked at a cluster of computers in the corner of the lab. Velika frowned at her screen.
“My god,” Velika said in awe as she glanced up and down the Registry. “I didn’t know something like this was even possible. The sheer magnitude of the data they’ve collected…it’s mind-boggling!”
“Here it is,” Lex said, pointing at his screen. “Everyone who’s accessed the Registry most recently.”
“We’ll have more luck if we divide the list up between us,” John suggested.
Lex nodded and began a series of commands on the keypad. Within minutes, he had the divvied-up list transferred to three data pads. He handed out the pads to John and Velika. “Let’s go,” he said.
Cut To:
Int.
Disney World – Small World – Same Time
“It’s different in ‘ere,” Finola said, poking at a glass window behind which were arranged several dolls dressed to reflect various cultures. “It’s…”
“Not falling apart?” Katherine supplied. Finola nodded. “Yeah, this was part of the museum tour, so they kept it a little nicer.”
They approached a large kiosk covered with explanatory signs about the exhibit. Finola spotted a red button in the center of one of its panels. She reached out to press it, but suddenly Katherine was next to her, grabbing Finola’s arm to stop her.
“Don’t…press that,” Katherine warned. Finola’s brow furrowed in confusion, but she did as she was asked, withdrawing her hand.
“A wee bit high-strung today, aren’t we, Bird?” Finola asked.
“I just don’t need to hear that song right now,” Katherine defended. “When I was – ”
Finola held up a hand. “Be wide.”
“What?”
“Thought I ‘eard something.”
The Irish slayer looked around, then quickly and quietly stole towards a nearby corner. Katherine followed. The pair glanced around a glass case containing dolls in sombreros. In the next room skulked two large, slimy demons. Each had a set of jagged, sharp teeth set into a huge mouth below two wide, yellow eyes. They had legs but seemed to slither rather than walk, leaving a trail of slime wherever they passed. Currently, both demons were curiously examining the African display. The slayers quickly pulled back and sank to the ground.
“I can’t figger it,” Finola whispered. “Even with the ‘ellmouth, the demons ’round ‘ere aren’t exactly your garden-variety.”
“There’s gotta be some sort of nastiness going on,” Katherine agreed. “Above and beyond, I mean.”
“You think we should ring for backup?” Finola asked.
“You think we can’t handle it?” Katherine challenged.
“All I know’s I’m bleedin’ deadly with Rose, ‘ere,” Finola replied with a grin, unsheathing her sword.
“‘kay, then,” Katherine nodded, and the pair stood up and ran around the corner.
Cut To:
Int.
Disney World – Small World – Moments Later
Finola flew backwards into the kiosk. Sparks flew as the redhead collapsed to the floor. The jolt to the device seemed to trigger its sound system, causing the ride’s famous song to play.
It’s a world of laughter,
A world of tears.
It’s a world of hopes
And a world of fears.
“Bollocks,” Finola groaned, attempting to get to her feet. Katherine, who was slowly backing away from one of the demons, growled in annoyance. Then the other creature slowly came up alongside its companion, backing Katherine into a corner.
“No, no, no,” she said, great determination in her voice. “Not like this.”
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a small world after all
One of the demons pounced. Enraged, Katherine leapt forward to meet it, pounding the creature between the eyes with her sword. The other demon tried to attack as well, but found itself held back by something.
Finola was hanging desperately onto the creature’s slimy tail. “‘at’s right, ya bucket of snots,” she crowed, “your arse is mine!”
There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev’ryone
“Can you shut that off?” Katherine shrieked, continuing to slash at her demon’s face.
“Sorry, can’t,” Finola replied through gritted teeth, trying to climb up her demon’s slime-covered tail. “Bleedin’ contraption’s banjaxed.”
Katherine took a flying leap onto her demon’s head, but slipped in the slime covering its skin and nearly slid off entirely. Regaining her balance, the slayer plunged her sword downwards into the creature’s brain. With an otherworldly growl, the demon shuddered and died.
Finola’s demon bucked wildly, sending the Irish girl flying through a glass window. She rolled through the nearest display case, sending dolls dressed like Swiss maidens flying everywhere. “Bleedin’ typical,” Finola remarked, pulling a flattened cow figure out from under her behind.
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It’s a small world after all
Katherine tried to attack the remaining demon, but was batted away with a paw and sprawled on the floor across a dark, slimy trail. Finola leapt out of the display case onto the creature’s back. She landed awkwardly, smacking her face against the demon’s back and barely managing to keep from sliding off completely. The Irish slayer hung on for dear life with one arm as the creature tried to turn its head and bite her.
“If I could get me-self a bit of ‘elp, that’d be brilliant,” Finola managed. With her free hand, Finola managed to swing her sword at the demon’s face. However, it got lodged between the creature’s long teeth, and she lost her grip. The sword clattered to the ground below the demon’s chin.
“‘at’s me Rose, ya gack!”
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small, small world
Katherine sliced a long gash in the demon’s side. The creature squealed loudly. It bucked in pain, sending Finola rolling hard into the wall. She stayed on the floor, not moving. Katherine thrust her sword into the demon’s neck. It died with a final growl. She heaved a sigh of relief, until the song from the kiosk began again.
It’s a world of laughter,
A world of tears.
It’s a world of hopes
And a world of fears.
Katherine made her way over to Finola. “Are you okay?” she asked her.
“Bloody lovely,” Finola groaned, getting to her feet. “‘e just lamped me out of it.”
Katherine nodded shortly, then shot a disturbed look at the kiosk that Finola had been thrown into. She walked over to it. She stared at it for a long moment.
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a small world after all
With a feral growl, Katherine brought her sword over her head and slammed it down into the box. The song didn’t stop; instead, it skipped to the chorus and stayed there.
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small, small world
Her eyes unfocused, Katherine pulled the sword back and repeated the action.
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after –
With the third blow, the kiosk’s song ceased. But Katherine didn’t stop her rampage, hitting the box again and again.
“No. More. SINGING!!!” she screamed, punctuating each word with another swing.
Cut To:
Int.
Disney World – Pirates of the Caribbean – Same Time
“Is that singing?” Livia asked as she and Jenn walked down an underground tunnel.
Jenn made an indignant sound and put her hands on her hips. “I was talking!”
Livia rolled her eyes. “Maybe that’s the problem. Shut up and listen.”
The two slayers moved silently through the tunnel. Jenn stopped every now and then to look sadly down at her shoes, which were quickly becoming covered in an unidentifiable muck. However, she managed to keep quiet. Soon, the faint melody grew louder. The slayers stopped and flattened themselves against either side of the tunnel. The singing grew louder and louder; whatever was singing was definitely heading toward the girls.
“It sounds like…is that a drinking song?” Jenn asked.
“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.” Livia grinned at Jenn, who grinned back.
“This is the coolest job ever,” Jenn whispered.
The slayers drew their weapons. Around the corner in front of them, shadows of figures began to creep up the walls.
Fade Out.
.
End of Act Four