act 3


 

 

Fade In:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Interrogation Room – Night

Velika watched from behind the one-way mirrored glass as Katherine paced about the interrogation room, crying. She saw Katherine turn abruptly when the door was opened and Giles and Jocasta entered the small room.

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – Interrogation Room – Same Time

Katherine carefully wiped her bruised face and moved directly towards the door when she saw Giles and Jocasta come in.

“Giles, Jo!” Katie called anxiously. “I-I-Is Mira okay? I-I-Is she going to be all right?”

“She was injured badly, but will recover,” Giles replied.

“Oh, thank God,” Katherine said, relieved.

“Now, if you’ll have a seat, we can begin,” Giles stated officially.

“Begin?” Katherine said, confused, as the three of them took their seats at the table.

“Katherine Allison,” Giles said in official tone again, “you have been placed under arrest on charges of ‘Cowardice in Battle, specifically for running away in cowardice in the middle of an engagement thereby endangering the lives of your comrades. Anything you say in this interview will be recorded and may be used against you in evidence. You may choose not to answer questions, and you may request legal representation at any time. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Katherine said meekly, having heard the spiel several times already.

“Katherine,” Giles said in a softer tone, “now that formalities are over, please, tell us what really happened tonight.”

She looked down at her hands. “I’m sure you read the report.”

“Yes but, I need to hear your side,” Giles said soothingly. “We’re here to help you, but you must tell us the truth. All of it.”

Katherine swallowed hard. She looked up at Giles and Jocasta briefly but quickly dropped her eyes again. Then she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

“When I saw the four vampires come my way, I just froze,” she said. “It was like I wasn’t where I was any more. I was…in a cemetery, surrounded by more than a dozen vampires, and I couldn’t get away.”

“You thought you were in a cemetery?” Giles asked, confused.

Katherine nodded. “It seemed so real, just like in the nightmares.”

“The nightmares?” Jocasta asked.

Katherine nodded again. “Like I told you, I don’t think I’ve slept a single night solid since—” Katherine stopped and looked at Jocasta. Then she looked away and continued. “Since we got back from the space station.”

“But during the fight, you were reliving what you experienced in your nightmares?” Giles inquired.

“Yes,” Katherine replied, looking at Giles. “Everything just changed in a flash, a-a-and I just reacted. I couldn’t seem to stop how I was reacting. It was like…all my emotions were multiplied, and I had no control over them at all, and I just lost it.”

Katherine hung her head in shame as she finished explaining. “I ran. I turned my back on Livia and Mira, and I ran. I didn’t stop until I ran into Commander Jenkins on the street. I probably would have kept on running if she hadn’t held onto me. It was only afterward that I realize what had happened.”

Giles and Jocasta were silent for a moment, as if trying to absorb what Katherine had told them. Then Jocasta leaned forward and met Katherine’s eyes.

“These nightmares you’ve been having,” Jocasta asked, “have they overlapped into your waking hours at any other times?”

“Yes,” Katherine said. “Three other times: when I was sparring with Livia, when you and I were preparing for the magic demo, and then…at the demo itself.”

That’s why you were freaking out,” Jocasta said, making the connection. Then she softly asked, “What did you see, Katie? What was in your nightmare?”

Katherine’s face became pained as she remembered the nightmare image of a dead and blood-covered Jocasta.

“I-I-I…can’t,” Katherine said as she choked back a sob.

Jocasta’s face became pained as well as she watched Katherine cry. “Katie,” she said comfortingly, “it’s okay. Everything will be okay.”

“No, it’s not okay!” Katherine said hotly, switching abruptly from sadness to anger. “It’s never going to be okay again!”

“Katie, we’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise,” Jocasta assured Katherine, reaching for her hand.

“Don’t touch me!” Katherine snapped sharply, startling both Jocasta and Giles. Then she backed away from the table, putting space between herself and her two visitors.

“You think I’m stupid? You’re doing this to me,” she accused, pointing at Jocasta and Giles, “You’re trying to hurt me.”

Katherine nodded, looking away. “That’s what it is,” she rambled to herself, “a plot…against me…trying to push me down, hold me down…that’s what it is.”

Jocasta and Giles stared in shock as Katherine ranted. They jumped when Katherine suddenly cut her eyes back to them.

Stop looking at me!” Katherine shrieked.

Then she backed herself into the corner. She brought her hands to her head as if she were in pain. She began to cry as she slid along the wall to the floor. “I was a good girl, wasn’t I?” she whined, dropping her arms limply to her lap.

Jocasta ran around the table and knelt in front of Katherine. Then she cautiously took one of Katherine’s hands.

“Katie?” Jocasta whispered.

Katherine looked up and glanced from side to side. Confused, she touched the tears on her own face. Then she turned her eyes to Jocasta.

“What’s happening to me?” Katherine said in a strangled voice.

“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out,” Jocasta said, as she pulled Katherine into a hug.

Cut to:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Interrogation Room – Same Time

Velika touched the glass as she watched Jocasta holding the distraught slayer in her arms. Then she looked away, deep in thought.

After a few moments of contemplation, Velika instructed the two security officers standing nearby to enter the room and take Katherine back to detention.

Cut to:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Interrogation Room – Moments Later

Giles, Jocasta, and Velika frowned as they observed a handcuffed Katherine being led away by the two guards. Katherine looked back once, new tears on her face. Then she hung her head and followed the officers down the hallway.

Once Katherine was out of their sight, Jocasta grabbed Giles’s arm urgently.

“Giles, we have got to get her checked out,” Jocasta said worriedly.

“No kidding,” Giles said. “Velika?”

“I concur,” Velika said. “I’ll make arrangements.”

“I had thought Katherine was coping well,” Giles said. “You know, with the pressure of her added responsibilities and the…ummm…the stress of all that’s happened, but–”

“No, Giles,” Jocasta said, interrupting. “This isn’t some simple mental breakdown caused by job pressure or a breakup,” she insisted. “Something about this isn’t right. These nightmares of hers, they don’t seem…natural,” Jocasta said ominously.

“It’s unusual, no doubt,” Giles commented.

“Agreed,” Velika said.

“I’ll do some research, see what I can come up with,” Jocasta said to Giles. Then she turned to Velika. “Can you call me when you hear something from medical?”

Velika nodded. Then she and Giles watched Jocasta head down the hallway.

“She seems quite devoted to Katherine, and vice versa,” Velika stated.

“Yes, they are…very much in love, despite their current separation,” Giles replied.

“Giles,” Velika said in milder voice than she’d used earlier, “you know how deeply I value our friendship. You were my watcher. In many ways, you mean more to me than my own father.” Velika dropped her eyes for a moment, then raised them again. “I’m walking a fine line here,” she said sternly. “Don’t make me choose between you and my duty. I think you know which I’ll choose.”

Giles tilted his head in acknowledgment. “I know that you’ll do what you think is right,” Giles responded firmly. “As will I.”

Giles gave his former slayer a quick squeeze on her arm and then headed down the hallway in the same direction Jocasta had gone.

Fade out

Fade in:

Int.

Watchers Council – Infirmary – The Next Morning

After a short and restless night, Katherine was brought to the infirmary. There, flanked by two security officers, she was put through a thorough check-up and a barrage of tests.

At one point, Katherine sat in an examination chair, grimacing as the nurse took what felt like three pints of her blood.

Later, Katherine lay on a gurney with various electrodes attached to her head. She cut her eyes to her left where a technician watched a series of monitors and collected the long tapes of readings being churned out by the machine.

Later still, Katherine tried not to move as her body was mechanically guided into the imaging machine. Once she was inside, the machine began to hum.

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – Council Chamber – Same Time

Giles banged the gavel repeatedly in an effort to end the angry bickering that had broken out between two factions of the Council after the group had viewed the video of the magic demo and of Katherine’s interrogation.

“Stop this! Stop this at once!” Giles bellowed, continuing to rap the gavel on the podium.

The Councilors involved grumbled and reluctantly took their seats. Giles sighed in relief, until he saw Travers get to his feet.

“Yes, Councilor Travers,” Giles said in weary acknowledgement.

“Mr. Chairman,” Travers reminded firmly, “the Sub-Committee on Magic, based on the evidence given at the demonstration, has made a motion to implement an immediate cease-and-desist order for all magic research. Since it was properly seconded, the motion must be brought to a vote.”

“That’s true,” Giles said, “but a counter motion was also proposed that the decision to stop any magic research be postponed until the matter with Slayer Allison is fully investigated.”

“Our motion was made first!” Travers replied hotly.

“Be that as it may,” Giles answered, “I’m going to put them both to the vote at the same time.” Giles made a few entries into his console then turned to address the entire Council. “Councilors, two separate motions have been made, and we shall vote on them at once. Make your choices now.”

Giles cast his own vote then walked over to Veronica to await the results once the voting period was over. When Veronica had cast her own vote, she stood and joined Giles.

“What do you think?” Giles asked his friend.

Veronica shook her head uncertainly. “I don’t know. It’s gonna be close. The video from the demo…that hurt.”

Giles nodded in unhappy agreement. When he saw the time for voting coming to an end, he returned to the podium. He looked at the results and let out a relieved breath. He punched a button, which sent the results to the big screens about the room.

“45% for an immediate cease-and-desist, 53% for a postponement, 2% abstaining. The motion to postpone has passed,” Giles announced. “As per the details of the motion, we will revisit this matter in three days, when more is known about the condition of Slayer Allison. In the meantime, we are adjourned.” Giles rapped the gavel one final time.

Fade out

Fade in:

Int.

Watchers Council – Infirmary – Later That Morning

As one of the security officers handcuffed Katherine’s hands in front of her, the other watched carefully, his hand resting on the grip of his pistol. When he was done, the officer took hold of Katherine’s arm and began to lead her towards the other officer. Katherine followed along.

“Wait,” Katherine said, stopping in place.

The officer stopped with her, and the other quickly joined them, expecting trouble from the prisoner.

“Could we…ummm…stop at ICU before you take me back?” Katherine asked. “I’d like to see M-M-Mira…if I could.”

“No can do, Slayer,” the first officer said. “Here and then straight back to detention, that’s the order.”

“Well, could you call Commander Petrova a-a-and ask her?” Katie asked. “I-I-I think she’d let me if you asked her.”

The first officer looked to the second with an inquiring eye. The second rolled his eyes and shrugged. Then he went across the room to a console and placed the call to Petrova. Katherine watched nervously as the second officer spoke, listened, nodded, then ended the call.

When he returned, he said simply, “Okay.”

Katherine thanked the two security officers, and they led her down the hallway to ICU.

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – ICU – Moments Later

As the two security officers stood several feet away, Katherine walked nervously towards Mira’s hospital bed where Mira was still unconscious. Katherine felt tears spill over her eyelids as she looked at the battered young slayer.

Katherine lifted her hands to the rail on Mira’s bed, the metal of her handcuffs clinking lightly against the metal of the rail.

“Mira,” Katherine began in a whisper, “I know you probably can’t hear me, but…I just w-w-wanted to say that I’m—”

“Get the hell away from her!” Katherine heard belted out from behind her. She turned around to face the angry voice.

Livia stood in front of Katherine, her face furious.

Katherine dropped her eyes to her hands. “I was just t-t-trying to—”

“I said, ‘Get…the hell…away from her’,” Livia said menacingly, closing in on Katherine with each pause and each step.

Katherine cringed and backed away and didn’t say another word. The two security officers grabbed Katherine’s arms and started leading her from the room.

Livia glared, clenching and re-clenching her fists, until Katherine’s form disappeared from her line of vision behind the ICU door.

Fade out

Fade in:

Ext.

Watchers Council – Infirmary – Late Morning

Giles stood anxiously outside the infirmary as he waited for Jocasta to join him. He looked up when he heard the elevator opening. Jocasta hurried out of the car before the doors had even finished opening.

“What did the doctor say?” Jocasta asked.

“I don’t know, I haven’t spoken with him yet. Velika is with him now, waiting for us,” Giles answered as he led Jocasta towards the infirmary entrance. “How’s your research coming? Have you found anything?”

“No, nothing yet,” Jocasta admitted with a frown. “At first I thought maybe it was a drug of some kind, one designed to induce psychosis, but…”

“What?” Giles inquired. “None of them fit?”

“Oh, plenty of them fit, it’s just…” Jocasta paused and shook her head. Then she continued: “It’s the nightmares, Giles. They’re the key here. I just know it.”

“Well, let’s see what Dr. McClelland has to say,” Giles replied. “If it is a drug, he’ll tell us. If not, we’ll go from there.”

Giles and Jocasta entered the infirmary and went to the doctor’s office.

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – Infirmary – Moments Later

Giles and Jocasta joined Velika in the doctor’s office, greeting both the doctor and the commander as they took their seats.

“Tell us, doctor, what did you find out?” Velika asked.

“All of the test results suggest that Miss Allison is suffering from extreme sleep deprivation,” Dr. McClelland explained.

“That would explain her fatigue,” Giles commented.

“Yes, it would,” Dr. McClelland concurred. “Mild to moderate sleep deprivation can cause tiredness, edginess, irritability, inability to tolerate stress, problems with concentration and memory—”

“Which would explain why she had so much trouble with the magic,” Jocasta said to Giles, interrupting the doctor. “It takes extreme concentration, and she clearly wasn’t able to focus at all.”

Giles nodded to Jocasta, then turned back to Dr. McClelland. “What else, doctor?” Giles prompted.

Severe sleep deprivation, however,” the doctor continued, “can cause the impairment of both motor and mental functions. The sufferer can experience vivid hallucinations and develop intense paranoia. Left unchecked, the condition can cause the person to harm himself and others.”

“Do you have any idea what’s causing it?” Velika asked.

Dr. McClelland opened his mouth to answer, but was once again interrupted by Jocasta.

“It’s the nightmares,” Jocasta insisted to Giles. “Every time she sleeps, she has nightmares.”

“The nightmares,” Dr. McClelland interjected in a superior tone, “are more likely a symptom themselves than a cause. The scans clearly indicate that something isn’t right in her brain patterns. It’s my theory that something is disrupting her normal brain functions, thereby causing the nightmares and the sleep deprivation.”

“So it’s not stress induced?” Giles asked.

“A slayer’s life is not easy but in this case…no, not in my opinion,” Dr. McClelland answered.

“Well, what’s causing this…disruption?” Velika inquired.

“We’re not sure,” the doctor answered. “But we do know what it’s not. It’s not a brain tumor or aberration of any kind. There’s no evidence of drugs in her system. There’s no familial tendency to sleep disorders or mental illness. We’ve ruled all those out.”

“What does that leave?” Velika asked.

Dr. McClelland shrugged in response. “I wish I knew. But I’d have to say science has reached its limits here.”

“What can you do? To-to help her, I mean?” Giles asked.

“There are some different drugs we can try, things that will hopefully make her sleep,” the doctor said. “Sometimes if you can force the body back into a regular sleep pattern, the brain will essentially reset itself. But that will work only if the original disruptive influence is no longer present.”

“We’ll just end up running circles at some point,” Jocasta said disappointedly.

Again the doctor shrugged. “That’s my prognosis. So find the key, the catalyst if you will, and we can work on fixing the problem. But honestly, I’m at my wit’s end. I can’t think of any other test I could give her here.”

“Yes, well, thank you, doctor,” Velika said.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have a patient to see,” the doctor said, coming around his desk. His three visitors stood. “Mr. Chairman, Colonel Rosenberg,” he said in parting.

“I’ll have Miss Allison brought back in,” Velika said to the doctor, walking out with him as he left his office. “Do what you can, and call me if there is any change whatsoever.”

After Velika departed, Giles and Jocasta were left alone in Dr. McClelland’s office.

“What about magic?” Jocasta asked. “Maybe it’s a spell or-or some kind of psychic attack?”

“Katherine is highly sensitive to magical and mystical energies,” Giles said. “We should look into it.”

“I think it’s time I had a talk with Willow,” Jocasta said.

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – Jocasta’s Office – Later

Jocasta dropped into her chair and immediately activated the program containing the Progenitor File. Within seconds, a full-sized holographic representation of Willow Rosenberg appeared beside Jo’s desk.

“Jo!” Willowgram said cheerfully. “It’s so good to see you again! It’s like seeing myself, really.”

“Yeah, right,” Jocasta said quickly. “Listen, we’ve got a problem.”

“Boy, things never change, do they?” Willow said. “What do you need?”

“Information about nightmares and sleep deprivation,” Jocasta answered. “Is there a spell or some kind of psychic attack that could cause them? Or-or is there a demon that specializes in nightmares?”

Willow tilted her head as if in thought. “Accessing,” she said. “One moment please.”

After a several seconds of accessing, Willowgram straightened and looked at Jocasta.

“Willow Rosenberg’s early journals report an incident in Sunnydale in which everyone’s nightmares were coming true. They tracked the problem to a comatose boy, whose own nightmare was somehow being fueled by the energies of the Hellmouth. Once the boy confronted the source of his own nightmare, the occurrence ended.”

“Hmmm,” Jocasta said, thinking. “That doesn’t seem to fit. Anything else?”

“During the early years of the new Council, the Presidium launched a psychic attack on the entire slayer line, literally kidnapping them in their dreams and transporting them to some kind of dreamscape arena where they had to fight to the death.”

“I don’t think that’s what’s going on,” Jocasta said. “It’s not all the slayers being affected, as far as I know. It seems to have one particular target: Katie.”

“Katie?” Willow asked.

“Yes,” Jocasta answered. “It’s like someone is intentionally afflicting her with nightmares. What could do that?”

“Let me narrow the search,” Willowgram said, tilting her head once again. “One moment please.”

Jocasta waited anxiously, rapping her fingers on the desk, then nervously rearranging items. She looked up when she heard Willowgram exclaim, “Aha!”

“I think I have what you’re looking for,” Willow said, smiling proudly.

“What is it?” Jocasta asked.

“The excruciatio nocturna,” Willowgram answered.

“The what?” Jocasta said.

“The excruciatio nocturna,” Willowgram repeated. “Literally, ‘torment by night.’ It’s a nightmare curse.”

“I-I-Is it dangerous?” Jocasta asked.

Very,” Willowgram said.

Fade out

Fade in:

Int.

Watchers Council – Conference Room – Early Afternoon

Giles sat in his usual place at the head of the table. To his right sat Jocasta, Antonia, and Lex. To his left were Livia and James. Livia sat slumped in her chair, clearly unhappy to be there.

When Giles explained Katherine’s nightmares and sleep deprivation and their effects on her physical and mental condition, Livia sat up straight in her chair.

“Wait just a minute,” Livia interjected. “You’re telling me she went wacko ’cause she wasn’t gettin’ enough sleep?”

“No, there’s more,” Jocasta said. “Katie’s under the influence of a spell.”

“A spell?” Livia asked incredulously. Then she snorted derisively and slumped back in her chair.

“Yes,” Jocasta replied insistently. “It’s called the excruciatio nocturna.”

“Night pain?” James asked, doing some quick translating in his head.

“Close,” Jocasta replied. “It’s Latin. Literally ‘torment by night.’ The victim is forced to experience progressively worse nightmares—nightmares that feed on his worst guilts and fears. The worse the guilt or fear, the more likely it is that it will manifest in his nightmares.”

“What can we do?” Antonia asked. “There’s a way to break the spell, right?”

“Yes, there is a counter-spell, and I’ve gathered the ingredients necessary to cast it,” Jocasta said.

“Well, what are we doing sitting here then?” Lex said, standing. “Let’s go see Katie, Jo can do the witchy-wonder-cure, and everything’ll be okay.”

“That is our intention,” Giles explained. “Katherine is being brought up from detention to the infirmary. We intend to do the spell there in case…” Giles didn’t complete his sentence.

“In case what?” Antonia asked worriedly. “In case it doesn’t work?”

Livia sat up in her seat and looked in Jocasta’s direction as the redhead nodded in response to her cousin’s question. Antonia took Jocasta’s hand and squeezed it.

“W-W-What will happen to her if we can’t break the spell?” James asked.

Giles took off his glasses. “If it goes unchecked…”

“…she’ll go insane,” Jocasta finished sadly. “Probably have to be put away. Somewhere she can’t…hurt herself…or somebody else.”

As Jocasta bottom lip quivered, Livia and the others frowned sympathetically. Antonia moved closer and put her arm around her cousin’s shoulders.

“I should’ve talked to her,” Jocasta said in anguish to Antonia. “I let my stupid grudge about Trent go on too long, and now—”

“It’ll be okay,” Antonia assured her. “You’ll see.”

“Well, who did this?” Lex said. “I mean, somebody had to do this to her, right? So who did it?”

“We don’t know,” Giles replied. “Our focus at the moment is to free Katherine from the curse. After that, we can—” Giles stopped when his link began to beep.

“Yes?” Giles said, answering his call. “Yes, thank you, we’ll meet you there.”

Giles deactivated his link and turned back to the group. “That was Commander Petrova. They’ll be bringing Katherine up shortly.”

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – Medical Lab – Same Time

Two female figures dragged a struggling Katherine into a darkened room.

“What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” Katherine demanded.

Her captors didn’t answer. Instead, they threw her onto a metal examination table and strapped her arms and legs down via wrist and ankle restraints. Once Katherine was secured, they switched on the directional light above the table, revealing their features.

“Livia, Mira,” Katherine pleaded with the two slayers, “I’m sorry…it wasn’t my fault, I swear!”

Livia and Mira still didn’t speak. They glared coldly at Katherine until approaching footsteps caught their attention. They looked up, and Katherine did the same, but she couldn’t make out who else was there.

Suddenly, the main overheads were turned on, and the room was brightly lit. Now Katherine could clearly see her former watcher, Sean Rayne, standing beside the light switch on the wall. He was dressed in scrubs, with his hands gloved, but his face free of the surgical mask.

Katherine looked around the well-lit room, as if searching for anything that might aid in her escape. As she took in her surroundings, a look of realization came over her face. She was in the autopsy lab—the same lab in which Rayne had done the examination on the cyber-vamp, the last time she and her watcher had officially worked together.

“Oh, god!” Katherine cried as she began to fight her restraints in earnest.

Livia and Mira calmly pressed Katherine’s shoulders back onto the table and held her firmly in place as Rayne approached.

Rayne let his gaze trail over the body of the bound slayer before he settled on her terrified eyes.

“What would make a slayer betray the sacred trust between herself and her watcher?” Rayne asked sarcastically as he came to the side of the table.

Katherine strained uselessly against the hands of her fellow slayers.

Rayne lifted his eyes to Mira and Livia. “For that matter, what would make a slayer abandon her sisters in the heat of battle?”

At that, Katherine closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them once again. She found Rayne leaning over her, staring at her face.

“What’s inside a slayer that could possibly make her do such things?” he asked. After a pause, he straightened and said in a matter-of-fact but enthusiastic tone, “Let’s find out!”

Rayne cheerfully lifted his hand, which was holding a large scalpel. He twisted it several times in his grip, letting the steel glint in the harsh light of the lamp. As he leaned over her torso to make the first cut, Katherine began to shake her head and yell “no” in rising intensity. A hand covered her mouth, muffling what quickly became agonizing screams.

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – Katherine’s Detention Cell – Same Time

After ending her call to Giles, Velika watched Katherine as she tossed and turned on her bunk, clearly in the throes of a nightmare. Katherine began to pull at her hair, becoming more vocal and more violent in her movements. Velika reached for the button on the speaker.

Before Velika could press the button, Katherine awakened in terror, screaming and tumbling off the bed. She scrambled into the far corner, shielding herself with her arms.

Velika frowned at the sight. Then she turned to the two security officers behind her and instructed them to prepare the prisoner for transport to the infirmary upstairs.

When the officers entered her cell and came towards her, Katherine began to shake her head and say “no” over and over in an increasingly distressed voice. Velika called the officers back. Then Velika herself entered the cell, with the officers guarding the door.

“Katie,” Velika said in a gentle voice as she slowly inched her way towards the hysterical slayer. “It’s Velika. You remember me, don’t you?”

“No, no,” Katherine whimpered from behind her arm.

“I remember you,” Velika said. “I remember when you came to the Council, when you first became a slayer. Do you remember that?”

Katherine lowered her arm and lifted her head, her eyes darting nervously about the room.

“So shy, you were,” Velika said, kneeling beside Katherine. “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure how you’d turn out. I remember thinking that you were too gentle a soul to have been gifted with such a violent calling.”

Katherine’s eyes finally settled on Velika’s face. She frowned, as if trying to remember who this woman was. Velika took Katherine’s hand and smiled at her. Then Katherine allowed Velika to pull her to her feet.

“Katie, I need you to come with me,” Velika explained in a soothing voice. Then she nodded to the security officers, who came forward with a pair of handcuffs.

Katherine shot a frightened look at Velika when the officers began cuffing her.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Velika reassured the slayer until it was over. “There, all done. Now we’re just going to take a little walk, okay?”

As Velika led Katherine away, the two officers followed dutifully behind. As they left the cell and headed down the hallway, Katherine leaned over to speak to Velika.

“I tried to tell them,” Katherine said in a crazed voice, “but they wouldn’t listen…”

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – Elevator – Moments Later

Katie continued her ranting as Velika and the officers entered the elevator.

“They didn’t believe me,” Katherine said conspiratorially to Velika when the elevator doors closed. “I told them, ‘I have things in my head.’ ”

Katherine banged her head with her fist. “Things that don’t belong there,” she continued, “that’s why I did it, that’s why, not because…”

Katherine trailed off and looked away as the elevator closed.

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – Outside the Infirmary – Moments Later

When the elevator doors opened, Velika and the two security officers led Katherine out. Katherine started up again as they walked down the hallway, her voice was a mixture of hardness and hysteria.

“Fear is for the weak-minded, those who cannot control their fear will be controlled by their fear, fear is a worm with no name, wriggling in your gut, filling your throat, choking the air from you, till you run, run, as fast you can to escape it, but you can’t, because it’s in you, part of you, always, eating you from the inside out—”

Katherine froze in place when she saw the entrance to the infirmary. She shook her head and tried to back away. The two security officers stopped her and began gently pulling her towards the door.

“Katie, we’re just trying to help, okay?” Velika said, trying to calm the rattled slayer.

“No,” Katie whimpered as she was pulled inside.

Cut to:

Int.

Watchers Council – Infirmary – Moments Later

Dr. McClelland watched the officers drag Katherine inside the examination area. When he saw her agitated state, he went to a nearby exam table and pulled out a hypodermic loaded with a sedative. He moved slowly towards her. Velika stepped aside to allow him access to Katherine.

“I’m going to give you something to calm you down, okay?” Dr. McClelland said in soothing voice. “We just want to take care of you, but we need you to be calm so we can do that.”

Katherine locked her eyes on the hypodermic and then on the exam table. The fear on her face gave way to fury, and she went into action.

Using the two security officers as a counter-balance, Katherine kicked Dr. McClelland in the chest, sending him crashing into the exam table.

Then, she rammed her elbow into the gut of the officer to her right before delivering a high round kick to the face of the other officer, causing him to tumble into Velika. When the second officer went down, Katherine turned back to the first. She linked the fingers of her cuffed hands and delivered a double-fisted blow to the back of his head.

When Katherine spun around to face Velika, she found the commander getting to her feet and pulling out her stun gun. Velika was no match for the crazed slayer, however. Katherine rushed the tall blonde, slamming her hard against the wall.

As the dazed Velika slipped to the floor, Katherine whipped around to see if her other attackers were moving. They weren’t. When she heard the sound of people rushing to the scene from elsewhere in the infirmary, Katherine grabbed the handcuff keys from one of the officers then quickly fled.

Fade Out

 

 

End of Act Three

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