Act 5

Fade In:
Ext.
Disney World – Pirates of the Caribbean – Resume

Jenn ducked as a barrel went flying over her head. She slipped on a large patch of mud and fell on her rear. A vampire charged her, but slipped on the same patch and fell face first on top of her. He exploded in a shower of dust. Disgusted, Jenn scrambled to her feet. She dusted herself off and groaned as she looked down at her stake, which was dripping with mud.

“Eww! Well, that’s just…great.”

She looked around for Livia and found her in the midst of a group of vampires. The vamps were dressed to impress, fully decked out in period pirate garb. The undead swashbucklers swarmed around the slayer, swinging swords and knives and, apparently, pistols. One of the vampires moved forward to confront Livia.

“Whatcha gonna do, vamp?” Livia taunted. “Huh? Something like this?”

As Livia punched the attacking vampire, Jenn casually wrenched the antique gun out of another vamp’s hand as he aimed at Livia. She pistol-whipped him, then dropped the gun and reached for one of the discarded swords. She decapitated the startled vampire and tried to reach Livia.

The senior slayer was holding her own. Snarling, she sent a tall vampire with an eye-patch flying through the air, then turned on a dime to stake another. She moved like she was dancing, twisting and twirling until all that was left was a tornado of dust around her. Jenn staked Mr. Eye-patch as he got to his feet and lunged for Livia’s back.

“Having fun?” Jenn laughed.

Livia decapitated a vampire dressed as a wench. She grinned maniacally at Jenn.

“I’m just gettin’ started.”

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Red Sector Lab – Later

“Looks like we’ve narrowed it down considerably,” John commented, tossing his data pad onto a nearby table.

“I’ve got a few left,” Lex said. “And one in particular really stands out.”

“Who is it?” Velika asked, leaning over his shoulder.

“Amelia Adams.” Lex pointed to her name on the list. “She was a slayer.”

“Was?” John questioned.

“She’s inactive,” Velika replied.

“You know her?”

“Oh yes,” she said. “She took the loss of her powers very badly. With time, however, she got over it. She works in the Council’s physical plant now, I believe. Shipping and receiving department, if I remember correctly.”

“That’s right,” Lex confirmed. “And, according to the computer records, she’s been doing a lot of hacking lately…directly into the Registry.”

“We should talk to her immediately,” Velika replied. “I’ll arrange for a couple of guards just in case things get – ”

“Can I go?” came the extremely loud and excessively cheery voice.

“Gee-yah!” Lex jumped. When he turned, he saw Anya smiling pleasantly at him. He composed himself. “Anya.”

“I want to come,” Anyabot insisted. “I want to help interrogate the potentially-evil ex-slayer.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking maybe that’s not the best idea,” Lex replied.

“Now wait just a minute,” Anya said, putting her hands on her hips. “I know how to make cake, and I have valuable insights to offer, and if need be, I can stare at her sternly and – ”

Anya suddenly froze in place, her rant abruptly cut off. Lex smirked slightly and held up a remote control.

“You gotta love stand-by mode,” he said. He turned back to Velika and John. “Shall we?”

Cut To:
Int.
Disney World – Haunted Mansion – Same Time

“Why does this girl have snakes coming out of her head?” Janet asked. “What’s the point?”

She and Mira looked up at one of several grotesque paintings that lined the walls of a gothic hallway. “I think it’s supposed to be creepy or something,” Mira said.

Janet shook her head, turning to walk down the hall. “Is it me or is the old Disney World really lame?”

“Maybe to you,” Mira replied, “but people had to entertain themselves somehow in the days before CGI.”

“I don’t need CGI,” Janet said defensively. “I like to watch baseball.”

“Yeah, so you can say things like ‘I could jump twice that high’.”

“Well, it’s true! I’m telling you, one of these days a slayer’s gonna rip that league a new…” Janet was cut off when all the lights suddenly went out, plunging the hallway into total darkness.

“Oh, fudgemuffins,” sighed Mira’s disembodied voice.

“Did you just say ‘fudgemuffins’?” Janet asked.

Before Mira had a chance to respond, the pair were illuminated by what seemed to be a flash of lightning. Somewhere one could hear the sounds of floorboards creaking. The general theme could be described as spooky.

“Well, this is a little better,” Mira said. “At least now we can find our way out.” The lightning flashes continued on a fairly regular basis, lighting both slayers in a strobe-like fashion. Mira glanced back in the direction she and Janet had come. “Um…where’s the door?”

“I don’t remember it raining outside,” Janet said nervously.

“It’s not,” Mira told her. “It’s part of the effects from back when this place was an attraction.”

“I gotta admit,” Janet said, “the Diz knew their stuff back in the day.”

“C’mon,” Mira began, “let’s get – ” She was interrupted by a long, loud howl, made either by something in pain or something eager to cause some.

“I-I-Is that part of the effects?” Janet asked.

“I don’t think so,” Mira replied. The pair stood still for a moment, their eyes flicking around, taking in the fleeting glimpses they got of the surrounding paintings.

“It’s probably the Orlando girls,” Mira eventually decided. “They’re trying to make the Cleveland big-shots look like scaredy-cats.” She raised her voice. “Nice try, but you’re not gonna get us that easy!”

“Let’s keep going,” Janet reasoned. “This was a ride, right? It’s gotta end sometime.”

“Okay,” Mira agreed. “You first.”

As the pair walked off down the hall, a pale, ghoulish face could be seen momentarily peeking out from a nook in the wall. The next time the lightning flashed, the face was gone.

Cut To:
Int.
Disney World – Haunted Mansion – Later

“Okay, now I’m really confused,” Janet said. “Since when is there a graveyard in the middle of Disney World?” She and Mira walked between the comically titled tombstones of a ghostly graveyard, stars twinkling in the night sky. Gnarled faces could be seen in the bark of nearby trees.

“We’re still indoors,” Mira told her, pointing straight up. “Check it out, the stars are never that bright.”

“But the building was not this big!” Janet exclaimed. “I saw it! I even remember thinking it was kinda small for a mansion.”

“I think there’s an explanation, but I don’t have it,” Mira said. “Just pretend you’re in a Jessica Wells movie, and start accepting things that don’t make sense.” Janet just frowned as the pair neared the front gate of the cemetery. There stood statues of a grave-keeper and his dog. “Look, let’s just keep following the tracks, eventually they’ll – ”

A very, very ugly, demon leapt out from behind one of the gate-posts. Its eyes were sunken into its face, its upper lip curled back to reveal rotten teeth, its torso scarred and distorted.

The demon pushed the startled Mira into the side of the gate. She hit her forehead and fell to the ground. Then it leapt onto Janet, pinning the slayer to the ground between the tracks of the ride. Janet’s sword flew out of her hand and fell nearby between rows of headstones.

Janet head-butted the creature to loosen its grip and scrambled backwards on all fours. She stretched one hand out behind her, searching for her weapon. The demon leapt forward again. Janet tried to hold it off with her legs, but the creature just grabbed both of her feet and flipped the slayer over, sending her further down the path.

The demon jumped onto Janet’s prone form, holding her shoulders and legs to the ground with its hands and feet. The blonde slayer’s eyes widened as she got a close-up look at the demon’s distorted grin. Janet screamed as loudly as she could. The demon only sniggered.

Mira smacked the demon with something in the back of the head, knocking it unconscious. Janet hurriedly threw the demon’s limp form off herself.

“Gee-yah!” she shuddered in disgust. Then Janet noticed the animatronic dog in Mira’s hands. “Thanks. New pet?”

Mira nodded, putting the statue down. “I think I’ll call him Spot. Nice scream, by the way.”

“I was just getting into the ride,” Janet replied. Mira raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. “Can we get out of here?”

“You got my vote there,” Mira agreed.

Cut To:
Ext.
Council Transport Ship – Later

Antonia and Jocasta were perched atop the transport trying to repair the communications dish. The two women were surrounded by various tools and parts. Willowgram and her mobile emitter sat on top of a tool box, watching the proceedings. Antonia was lying on her back, her head stuck behind the dish itself.

“Sonic screwdriver,” the pilot called out.

“Got it,” Jocasta replied, smacking the tool smartly into Antonia’s hand.

“Is it fixed yet?” came a voice from below.

Jocasta leaned over the edge and saw Lisa Lance standing there. The redhead groaned and rolled her eyes and went back to what she was doing.

“Oh yeah, it’s been fixed for over an hour,” Jocasta replied loudly, the sarcasm heavy in her voice. “We’re just up here having tea and crumpets now.”

“A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed!” Jocasta heard Lance shoot back before stomping off in a huff.

“We are so gonna make Giles pay for this when we get back,” Antonia said.

“Oh yeah…” Jocasta agreed.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Physical Plant – Same Time

Amelia wrung her hands together nervously. She found the eyes of three rather stern-looking officers of the Council staring at her. Two armed slayer guards were in the background.

“Ms. Adams, I am going to be quite frank with you,” Velika stated. “We have evidence that you have been hacking into the Council’s Registry.”

“The what?” Amelia asked, feigning ignorance.

“Don’t play the fool with me!” Velika warned. “You know exactly what I’m talking about!”

Amelia just looked down at her hands.

“This is a very serious crime,” Velika said. “Slayers have died, and if you are involved in this, you’d better start talking now, before another girl dies, or so help me, I will bury you!”

“I…”

“Yes Ms. Adams?”

“It wasn’t me,” she finally blurted out. “I swear, it wasn’t me.”

“It wasn’t you what?” Lex prompted.

“I didn’t kill those girls, I swear. I just got her the lists, that’s all!”

“Her who?” John asked pointedly.

“Sonia. Sonia Petrovich.” Amelia looked at her hands again and took a deep breath. “When I lost my powers, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere, to anyone, and I just wanted to get that back.” She closed her eyes tightly and sighed. “Sonia said she could do it, she could find a way. But she needed access to the Registry.” Amelia looked up and saw angry, disappointed faces staring at her. “That’s why I hacked into the Registry. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. I just…I just wanted to get my powers back.”

Velika took a step closer to Amelia and got right in her face. “You are going to tell me everything you know about Sonia Petrovich. And then you are going to be placed under arrest. Are we clear?”

Amelia swallowed noticeably and nodded.

Cut To:
Ext.
Disney World – Adventureland Jungle – Same Time

As Livia and Jenn rounded the bend on their way from the Pirates of the Caribbean to the Jungle Cruise, the two slayers were rehashing their favorite moments of the battle with the vampire-pirate-wannabes. For once, Jenn was managing to be un-annoying, and Livia actually seemed to be enjoying herself.

Suddenly, they heard a screeching roar behind the trees up ahead of them. Their smiles fell away, and they dashed off to investigate.

When they came around the curve in the walkway, they skidded to a halt. Before them stood a much larger version of the mother demon they had encountered in Splash Mountain.

“Uh-oh,” Livia said. “Looks like Daddy’s home.”

“And he’s not alone,” Jenn pointed out.

Well over a dozen adolescent demons scurried about their father’s feet, hissing and snapping. Daddy lowered his head and looked hard at the two slayers. He twitched his spiky tail once or twice, then let out another deafening roar.

Livia instantly activated her comm link. “Attention all slayers, this is Livia. I need backup at the Jungle Cruise. Now!” Livia listened intently but got no response. “What the – ?” Livia gave her link a smack. “What’s the matter with the damn comm link?”

Daddy and his teenagers started charging in Livia and Jenn’s direction.

“Off the path!” Livia ordered Jenn, and the two of them hopped off the walkway and headed for the brush.

Cut To:
Int.
Disney World – Tunnel Beneath Cinderella’s Castle – Later

Brianna led the way as she and James and Frank descended a set of stairs into the tunnel system below the castle. The huge tunnel was dank and dirty, not having been used for some time. Footprints from those who had installed the shield generator were still visible in the years’ worth of grime on the tunnel floor.

At a sudden creak and clank, James jumped and clutched his tool kit close to his chest. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” Brianna assured him.

“I-I-I changed my mind,” James said. “I don’t wanna work on the shield generator.”

Brianna gave a scoff. “Well, we’re already down here, so you’re just gonna have to deal.”

James took a deep breath. “Picture happy things. A lake, candy canes, bunnies…”

The trio kept moving down the tunnel and eventually came to a junction where the generator was housed. James and Frank immediately went over to the console and started to work. Brianna glanced down the three remaining passages before returning to the middle one.

“I’m gonna scout ahead,” Brianna said.

“Okay,” James answered.

Cut To:
Int.
Disney World – Tunnel Beneath Cinderella’s Castle – Moments Later

“James!” came Brianna’s voice from the center tunnel. “James!”

James left his work at the generator and went to the tunnel’s entrance. “What?”

“You need to come see this.”

James and Frank crept down the passageway until it widened. There they found Brianna looking at something intently. It was a ring of stones interspersed with other mystical objects.

“What is it?” Frank asked.

“Looks like a magic circle of some kind,” Brianna said.

“Could be a portal,” James added. “And if so, that’s what’s interfering with the shield.”

“What should we do?” Frank asked.

“Destroy it, that’s what!” Brianna answered before heading for the nearest stones.

“Brianna, no!” James called out, stopping the slayer.

“What?” Brianna said, annoyed.

“Look,” James said, pointing at the ring.

The ring had begun to glow, and a vibration could be felt in the ground and in the air. Brianna stepped back from the ring.

“We need to get out of here!” James said. “We need to get Jo!”

At that, the three of them rushed from the room, retreating back the way they had come.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Red Sector Lab – Same Time

John sat in front of the database and pulled up the Council’s records on Sonia Petrovich. Velika took a seat next to him as Lex re-activated Anya.

“How dare you!” the android shouted. “That was extremely rude! All I wanted to do was help, and you turned me off!”

“I put you in stand-by mode,” Lex replied. “I did not turn you off.”

Anya narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. “It was still rude,” she muttered under her breath.

“Well, now that you’re re-activated, how about you help us with some research?” Velika suggested.

Anya’s anger seemed to fade. She smiled and nodded. “All right,” she said, moving past Lex, still looking at him through narrowed eyes. She stood at the database with John and Velika. Lex followed.

“It says here,” John scrolled down Sonia’s extensive profile, “that Sonia was never allowed to be a slayer.”

“Why not?” Lex asked.

“She was considered highly unstable, so her powers were suppressed via required drug therapy,” John continued.

“That happens occasionally,” Velika confirmed.

“Sonia tried to circumvent the requirement by…oh my.”

“What?” Lex asked.

“She cut the dosage implants from her body and disappeared. She turned up a few months later, arrested on assault charges. She beat up a man for ‘trying to look into her brain’.”

“I’ve seen brains before,” Anya announced. “Nothing to write home about,” she added with a shrug.

John looked back at Anya for moment, then turned back to his screen. “The Council took Sonia into custody and locked her up until her thirtieth birthday. Deeming her to no longer be a threat and having already served the maximum for the assault charge, the Council released her.”

“Let the crazy person out, that’s a good plan,” Lex commented.

“Anyway, she hasn’t been since,” John finished. He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “How are we ever going to find this girl?” he asked.

“She has to be somewhere,” Lex replied. “It’s impossible for her not to leave some kind of trail.” He turned to Velika. “The bodies were all found around the same area, correct?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“That means she has to be close. Right?”

The room sank deeply into silence at the prospect of searching such a vast area. Finally, Velika folded her hands together and let out a deep sigh.

“I need to brief my girls,” she said, standing and leaving the room.

John and Lex exchanged a worried look.

Cut To:
Ext.
Disney World – Outside Haunted Mansion – Same Time

Janet slammed a plain green door behind her, taking a moment to catch her breath. The door was the only break in the long wall of a large, non-descript building. It looked like it might have been a warehouse.

“Who knew Disney World was that creepy, huh?” Mira asked, waiting nearby. Both girls were somewhat disheveled, their clothes wrinkled and their faces dirty. They looked exhausted.

Janet nodded. “How did we get here?” she wondered.

“Don’t ask me how this place works,” Mira replied. “Maps are apparently useless.” She pressed the button on her comm link. “Base, this is Mira.” There was no answer. “This is Mira, do you copy?”

“Nothing?” Janet asked. Mira simply nodded. Janet tried her own link. “Base, this is Janet, do you copy?” The blonde slayer shook her head.

“Toni’s probably just fiddling with the wires,” Mira reasoned. “I’m sure the comms’ll be back up soon. Anyway, Livia said to stay out here.”

Janet looked unsure. “Maybe we should head back, just to be sure,” she suggested.

Mira sighed. “I am really hungry.”

Janet was trying to smile, but it was only half working. “You are a slayer, are you not?”

“Exactly,” Mira agreed. “Screw Livia! I need to eat.”

The pair began to walk back towards the castle, in somewhat better spirits.

“So, you were really freaked out in there, weren’t ya?” Mira smiled.

“Hell yes,” Janet replied. “Scariest theme park ride I’ve ever – ”

A screeching roar in the distance cut Janet off. After a shared look, the two slayers immediately ran in the direction the sound had come from.

Fade Out.

End of Act Five