Act 9

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Underground Bunker – Resume

“A Color Bomb,” Jocasta repeated, her voice hollow.

“Uh-huh.” James spun around in his chair. “And that has no purpose other than, well, destroying the world.”

“But we don’t have one here on the grounds,” Travers pointed out.

“They keep one at Rickenbacker Air Force Base,” Lex said. “It’s maybe a hundred miles south of here.”

“Alert the base,” Giles ordered Travers, who hurried off to do just that with an uncharacteristic lack of argument.

Nearby, Velika finished getting updates on the battle above from Jenn and Lian, who rushed off to return to the fighting.

“Bad news,” she announced. “Cassandra just blipped away from the battle.”

“Blipped away?” Jocasta sounded skeptical.

Velika nodded. “Mira and Finola were fighting her one second, and then the next, poof, she was gone.”

“Mira and Finola took her on?” Katherine asked, concerned. “Are they all right?”

“They’re fine,” Velika said.

John looked up a computer station where he had been monitoring the battle. “An aircar just outside the battle zone has taken off,” he reported.

“Where’s it headed?” Lex asked.

“South,” John answered.

“She’s going for the bomb,” Katherine said, speaking for everybody.

“Our elite transport might be able to get a strike team there first,” Velika said, “if we leave now.”

“It wasn’t damaged in the hangar explosion?” Lex asked.

“It’s in the South tower,” Antonia said from the seat where she was recovering. “Smaller, but less likely to get hit by a strike…like this one.” She sighed. “It can only carry a small team, though.”

“Pardon me for asking,” John said, “but what’s the squad going to do once they get there? How do you defeat somebody as powerful as Cassandra is?”

Everyone seemed at a loss, except for Willowgram. “Hey, guys,” she said, “I might have an idea. But it relies pretty heavily on Jo and some cooperation from our new wolfy friends.”

“I’ll do it,” Jocasta nodded, “anything.”

As Velika put in a call to Livia, Giles turned to Katherine. “Bring Ms. Devereux and the others in here, if you please?”

She nodded and left the room.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – The Vault – Moments Later

Jocasta, Katherine, Cooper, and Reese hurried through the Vault, past rows of warehoused artifacts. Katherine stopped to notice something hanging on the wall. “Is that…?” She was looking up at the sharp red curves of the Scythe.

“The Slayer Scythe,” Jocasta confirmed.

“I thought that Matthewson lost it in Thailand, over a hundred years ago,” Cooper said, sounding surprised.

“She did,” Jocasta said. “A Council archaeological expedition found it again back in the teens. We thought it would be safer if everyone thought it was still lost.”

“So even the slayers don’t know?” Reese asked. “Wow, you guys sure are big with the sneaky around here.”

Jocasta shot her something approaching a dirty look, then walked away. “C’mon, guys, time’s a-wastin’.”

Soon the group came to a large object covered with cloth. Jocasta pulled the cover off to reveal a small, dark-colored, angular statue.

“The Idol of Fenris,” Reese breathed.

“I’ve…heard legends,” Cooper managed, similarly awe-struck.

“Fenris was the source of all werewolves,” Jocasta said. “So we figured it might be handy to have some werewolves on hand when we try this.”

“Try what?” Reese asked.

“Just give me your hands,” Jocasta told them. Somewhat reluctantly, the werewolves did as they were asked. “Close your eyes and try to relax. This shouldn’t hurt…I hope.”

Jocasta’s brow furrowed in concentration. “Fenris, God of all wolves…”

Before she could even get a full sentence out, a strange, dark energy emerged from the Idol like amorphous black smoke and plunged into the chests of each werewolf, disappearing as it entered them. Then a larger trail of energy jumped into Jocasta herself as she continued the incantation.

When she opened her eyes, they were black as pitch. Having noticed this, a very worried look grew on Katherine’s face.

Cut To:
Ext.
Rickenbacker Air Force Base – Later

An alarm sounded the alert throughout the Air Force Base as a small transport touched down within the base perimeter. Hovertanks lined up to greet the new arrivals, while dozens of soldiers ran into position, high-powered rifles at the ready.

The door to the transport slowly opened. Cassandra and several of her slayer minions walked confidently out onto the tarmac. Immediately, the full force of the military opened fire.

Cassandra held up her hand. Projectiles ranging in size from large heat-seeking tank shells to individual bullets slowed to a stop and hung suspended in mid-air in front of Cassandra’s group. The soldiers shifted uneasily in place.

With a flick of her wrist, Cassandra sent the munitions back in the direction they had come from. Several of the tanks exploded spectacularly into orange fireballs, and many soldiers fell as if they had been shot. Surveying her handiwork, Cassandra pointed at one of the remaining tanks. Her face exhibiting very little strain, she moved her hand slightly upwards, and the tank rose into the air. She moved it over a nearby group of soldiers and then let it drop. The men shielded themselves uselessly with their hands before being crushed.

Cassandra picked up two more of the remaining tanks and smashed them into each other. A huge explosion consumed both, sending shrapnel shooting into the crowds of soldiers below.

At the sound of another craft landing, Cassandra turned to see the Council’s elite transport touching down nearby. The transport bay doors opened, and out walked Jocasta, her eyes dark with power. Beside her strode Katherine and a pair of huge wolves. Behind them, Mira and Livia also emerged, each holding a sword.

“Get to the bomb,” Katherine told her fellow slayers, and with a nod from Livia the pair took off running for a huge nearby hangar.

Cassandra turned to the vamped slayers behind her. “Stop the slayers,” she said. “I’ll take care of them.” She inclined her head to show that she meant Jocasta and the werewolves. The girls immediately began to pursue Livia and Mira with the combined speed of vampire and slayer.

The werewolves growled and charged at Cassandra. She exhibited a slight look of surprise at their speed and ferocity. “The Idol of Fenris,” she remarked. “An interesting move.”

With a wave of her hand, Cassandra knocked the werewolves aside, sending them rolling across the tarmac. Then she unleashed a great bolt of crackling eldritch energy toward Jocasta. In self-defense, Jocasta produced a similar bolt, meeting Cassandra’s in mid-air. A large glowing ball of energy formed where the two bolts met. Slowly, the ball began to move toward Jocasta… Cassandra was winning. The redhead went to her knees under the obvious strain.

Cut To:
Int.
Rickenbacker Air Force Base Hangar – Same Time

Meanwhile, Mira and Livia were entering the building where the Color Bomb was housed. Finding the hangar empty, Livia’s brow furrowed. “Okay, now where is it?”

“Um, Livia?” Mira asked nervously as she looked over her shoulder.

“What?”

“Turn around.” When Livia did so she found several of Cassandra’s slayer minions grinning at her.

“Hey girls,” Livia said. “How’ve ya been?”

Cut To:
Ext.
Rickenbacker Air Force Base – Same Time

Back on the tarmac, Katherine tried to help Jocasta by adding her own, smaller white bolt of energy to her girlfriend’s. She managed to slow the descent of the deadly magical confluence.

Seeing this, Cassandra inclined her head respectfully to the other woman and then dissipated the energy bolts. She walked purposefully toward the building where the Color Bomb was being kept.

“We have to stop her!” Katherine yelled.

Jocasta rose to her feet and regarded her girlfriend with strange black eyes. Katherine took a step back. But Jocasta only nodded, and moved to follow Cassandra.

Cut To:
Int.
Rickenbacker Air Base Hangar – Minutes Later

Cassandra walked down a corridor beneath the hangar. Coming to the end, she reached a door marked with large radiation symbols. She pushed this open without a thought. The bomb was in the center of the room, a large metal contraption covered with similar symbols.

Cassandra arrived just in time to see the last of her turned slayers decapitated, immediately turning to dust. Livia and Mira slowly turned to look at the new arrival. They were bloodied and beaten, but determination showed in their eyes. Cassandra herself didn’t move.

Livia looked at her friend. “So, it’s been fun. Catch ya next time?”

“That’d be nice,” Mira agreed.

Then the pair launched themselves at Cassandra with a wordless yell, swords raised. When they were almost upon her, Cassandra magically stopped the two of slayers, holding them in place. A split second later she sent them flying at high speed into the far wall of the room, impacting with a loud crash.

When Mira and Livia fell to the floor, there were two slayer-shaped impressions left in the wall of the room. Mira groaned in pain, and neither girl looked like she was immediately capable of rising to her feet.

Cassandra strode towards the bomb in the center of the room, then suddenly turned and deflected a magical blast.

Jocasta strode into the room. This was a different Jocasta, one with a powerful, confident stride and jet-black eyes.

“What do you believe you are going to accomplish?” Cassandra asked her. “You cannot even annoy me, I assure you. You can barely slow me down.”

“I can’t let you do this,” Jocasta said, her voice sounding somewhat deeper than usual. She sent another ball of magical energy at Cassandra, who once again deflected it easily.

“Little girl,” Cassandra said coolly, “I don’t believe you have any choice in the matter.” She reached out her hand and great magical claws, of the same type that had liquefied Sean Rayne, reached out in Jocasta’s direction. As Jocasta raised a hand to defend herself, two dark shapes flashed past her.

Cassandra was taken by surprise, and her attack on Jocasta was broken when the two juiced-up werewolves bowled into her. She went down, holding one’s claws away from her face while she used her legs to fend off the other. She threw one off of her and struggled to her feet. When the other attacked, she physically batted it away with a growl.

Having gained a little breathing room, Cassandra mumbled something, and the werewolves found themselves floating a few feet above the ground, each encased in what appeared to be an impermeable bubble.

“Pure force,” she told Jocasta. “They won’t be troubling us again.”

While Cassandra had been distracted by the werewolves, Katherine had sneaked into the room. Now she crept up behind the vampire and raised her sword to strike.

Suddenly, Cassandra turned and grabbed Katherine by the throat. The slayer tried to slice downward with her sword but with a flick of her free hand Cassandra made her drop the weapon.

“Katie!” Jocasta shouted. The word was slightly strangled, as if she could hardly speak with the magic coursing through her veins.

Cassandra spun around so that the futilely struggling Katherine was between her and Jocasta. “Go ahead,” she said simply.

Jocasta’s feet rose off the ground, her hair blowing wildly as a wind out of nowhere swirled around her. She wore a panicked expression, as if her powers were starting to get away from her. “What?”

“Go ahead,” Cassandra repeated. “Let go. Give in to it! Destroy me with your powers. If you can. Then, you can finish what I started. Save me the trouble. Do it!”

“Jo…” Livia gasped, trying unsuccessfully to get to her feet.

“Do it!” Cassandra shouted. “Or I DRAIN HER DRY!”

Jocasta hesitated. Very slowly, Katherine managed to shake her head.

Cassandra made a tiny motion that might have been meant as a shrug, then her features shifted to those of a vampire. She drove her fangs into the side of Katherine’s neck.

Seeing this, Jocasta hurled all her magic in Cassandra’s direction, a huge, dark swirl of energy. Rather than striking the vampire, however, the energy poured into the Color Bomb next to her. A brilliant purple flash filled the room, and when it dissipated, the Color Bomb had vanished, only a few stray wisps of vapor indicating where it had previously stood.

Cassandra dropped the limp Katherine to the floor, staring at the spot where the bomb had been. Jocasta, obviously drained and with her eyes back to normal, crawled over to where Katherine lay unconscious on the floor. She frantically checked the slayer’s pulse.

“Oh, thank the Goddess,” Jocasta said, breathing a sigh of relief that her girlfriend was still alive.

Nearby, Mira finally managed to struggle to her knees, flexed her back, then helped Livia to do the same. They watched Cassandra stare longingly at the missing Color Bomb.

“It’s gone,” the vampire said, her voice hollow. She slowly turned to face Livia and Mira. The two slayers tensed up, expecting a fight.

“I’d say goodbye again,” Livia said to Mira, “but I already used my best facing-certain-death speech.”

“Yeah, well –”

Both slayers jumped when Cassandra suddenly turned from them and released the werewolves from their force fields.

” – maybe we’ll get lucky,” Mira finished.

The snarling wolves leapt toward Cassandra. She bared her fangs and struck at one of them, while the other’s claws caught her full in the chest.

As Cassandra went down under the assault of the werewolves, Livia asked, “Why doesn’t she just use her powers to beat them?”

Jocasta looked up from Katherine. “Because she doesn’t want to beat them,” she said, a little sadly.

Cassandra scratched the wolves with her fingers and bit at their hides, giving as good as she got, but soon the two enraged wolves had her pinned. One held her down while the other tore at her face. With a tearing sound, Cassandra’s head was removed from her body. She turned to dust and evaporated into the air.

Jocasta held Katherine’s unconscious body, while the two wolves turned to lick each other’s wounds. Livia reached into her pocket and pulled out her comm link.

“Base, this is Emergency Strike Team One,” she said. “It’s over.”

Fade Out.

Fade In:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Later That Night

The infirmary was filled with wounded slayers and guards. In the treatment area, Jocasta was standing beside Katherine’s bed. The doctor had just left to get an injection ready for blonde slayer. Katherine touched the bandage on her neck and made an unhappy face. Jocasta dropped her gaze to the floor.

“I’m so sorry, Katie,” she said.

Katherine looked puzzled. “For what?” Katherine took Jocasta’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

The watcher looked up. “For letting you get vamp-bit…again.” Jocasta shook her head. “I should’ve…I mean, she could’ve killed you, and I just stood there… I should’ve –”

“What?” Katherine interrupted. “Done what she said? Used that dark magic against her? You know what would’ve happened if you’d done that.” She touched Jocasta’s cheek and looked deeply into her eyes. “I would’ve lost you…you would’ve stopped being you.”

Katherine kissed her, and the two women embraced, needing the comfort of one another’s arms.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Same Time

In another area of the infirmary, Livia and Mira sat uncomfortably in hospital gowns on a bench outside the scanner room, waiting for their turn for x-rays. The two hadn’t spoken much upon their return to HQ, but they hadn’t left each other’s side. Mira glanced around the small waiting room, which was empty except for them.

“God, I hate this place,” she said. “Spent way too much time here lately.”

“Yeah,” Livia said in a guilt-ridden tone.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Mira said. “What happened in Orlando…it wasn’t your fault. We tried a risky maneuver, and it didn’t quite work out. I don’t blame you for me gettin’ skewered.”

Livia just shrugged.

Mira lightened her tone. “Now the passionate kissing and love professing…well, I can’t let you slide on that.”

Livia groaned and hid her face in her hands. “God, I wish I could take that back.”

Mira’s smile vanished. She looked a little hurt and didn’t say anything for a long moment. Finally she softly asked, “Did you mean it? What you said?”

Livia looked up from her hands and cast a quick glance in Mira’s direction. She sighed and leaned back against the wall. “Yes,” she answered with a hint of self-disgust in her voice.

“Geez, calm down. You don’t have to sound so excited about it,” Mira shot back sarcastically.

“Well, I’m not, okay? All it’s done is screw things up!” Livia replied hotly. “We’re not partners anymore. Hell, I don’t even know if we’re friends anymore.”

Mira grabbed Livia’s arm. “We are,” she said firmly.

Livia’s expression was charged with a mixture of emotions: relief, gratitude, fear, and pain. She pulled away without speaking.

“You surprised me is all,” Mira went on. “I needed some time to think things through.”

Livia nodded. “I get that.”

The two girls were silent again. They could hear voices in the hallway outside and the hum of the scanner in the other room. Livia leaned up and looked toward the scanner room door.

“Man, how long is this gonna take? I’m gonna be half-healed before they figure out what got broke.”

Mira ignored Livia’s attempt at a subject change. “How long have you…had feelings for me?”

Livia sighed heavily. She really didn’t want to have this conversation. She leaned back again, resigned to her fate. “I think it started when you got hurt last year…in that old garage…you know, when Katie freaked out?”

Mira nodded in recognition. “Oh yeah. The other time I got skewered. I have this nagging feeling that I’m going to be measuring my life in significant impalements.”

Livia actually chuckled at that, and Mira grinned too. Livia soon sobered, though, and went on. “I was so mad at Katie. I wanted to kill her for running out on us like that.”

“But it wasn’t her fault. She –”

“Yeah, I know. She was under that curse. But still…I just couldn’t let it go, not for a long time. I realized later that the reason I was so upset was because…”

Livia opened her mouth to say the next word, but nothing came out. Her brow furrowed, and her eyes became pained. She looked down at her hands as she wrung them nervously. She separated her hands and tightened them into fists, then looked up and met Mira’s eyes.

“…because I was in love with you.”

The two girls stared at each another for the longest time. Then they both looked away and remained silent for a full minute.

Then, without glancing at Mira, Livia asked, “So…what now?”

Mira looked at Livia and waited for her to look up. When she did, Mira shrugged and said, “I don’t know.”

Livia gave a that’s-fair nod, but was surprised when Mira reached out for her hand.

“But friends, right?” Mira said. “No matter what?”

Livia smiled and gave Mira’s hand a squeeze. “Always.”

They fell into a very thankful and very tight hug. Within seconds, their smiles scrunched into frowns as their physical injuries made themselves known again.

“Owwww…” they said at exactly the same time.

Fade Out.

Fade In:
Int.
Watchers Council – Giles’s Office – The Next Day

Sebastian Giles was sitting at his desk in the Chairman’s office. The werewolf delegation to the Peace Conference was scattered through the rest of the room, Anita, Oliver, and Dr. Ash sat in chairs, with Cooper standing nearby and Reese nonchalantly leaning against a wall. Both Cooper and Reese were covered in scratches and bruises from the battle, but otherwise they seemed okay.

“The Watchers Council owes you its thanks,” Giles said.

“That’s what this Conference was supposed to be about,” Anita said. “Finding ways not only for a peaceful coexistence but also for beneficial cooperation.”

“And I think that is a goal we can all support,” Giles said. “Your vaccine is a great step in that direction.”

“I’m looking forward to working with the Council to produce it on a large scale,” Dr. Ash said.

“I was thinking we could go further than that in terms of cooperation,” Giles said. “I’d like to establish further ties with the werewolf community. We could start with an exchange program. Werewolves proved to be very useful in this crisis.”

“I would certainly support that,” Anita said.

“I would like to volunteer for that program,” Cooper said, raising a hand. “I-I-If that’s all right.” Behind his back, a smirk crossed Reese’s face.

Giles looked surprised. “I’m…sure that could be arranged.” He stood, reaching out a hand to shake Anita’s and Oliver’s. “Thank you again.”

“Our pleasure, Chairman Giles,” Anita said, and the group began to file out of the room.”

“Want to spend more time with your Irish slayer lass?” Reese asked Cooper snidely as they walked out the door.

“What?” he asked, his eyes widening.

“I saw the way you looked at her,” Reese grinned. “Just remember, most of these girls would just as soon stake you as look at you. Make sure she’s different.”

Cut To:
Int.
Lex’s Apartment – That Night

Still recovering from her ordeal, Antonia had slept the entire day. She awakened to a strangely familiar smell. She sat up in bed, grimacing for a moment and cradling her injured arm. Then she sniffed the air.

“Garlic?” she whispered with a puzzled expression on her face.

She got out of bed and headed for the kitchen. When she rounded the corner, she found Lex decked out in a chef’s apron and hat, pouring up a pot of pasta into the strainer in the sink.

He smiled and set the empty pot back on the stove top. “Hey, honey! Good timing. I was just about to get you up.”

Antonia’s mouth dropped open when she took in the sight. White candles were everywhere. The table was covered in a red-and-white-checked table cloth. On it were several kinds of breads, a bowl of grated cheese, an oil and vinegar holder, two place settings, and a bottle of wine already opened to breathe. The soft hum of accordion music played in the background. She looked around the room as if trying to remember why the scene was so familiar.

Lex came over and gave his girlfriend a quick kiss. Then he held out his arm in a formal gesture. “I believe your table is ready, my lady.”

Antonia grinned and took Lex’s arm. He led her to the table and seated her properly. He picked up the bottle of wine and held it out. She nodded, and he poured them both a glass. Then he picked up their plates, stepped away to the stove, and returned with two steaming servings of spaghetti and meatballs.

“Dig in,” he replied as he removed his hat and apron and joined her at the table. “And don’t forget the parmesan cheese.”

Antonia was about to reach over to grab the bowl of grated cheese when a grin of realization came across her face. “Crazy Dave’s,” she said out loud as Lex matched her grin. “Our second date,” she went on. “We both got bad food poisoning and had to postpone our third date for nearly two weeks.” She gave the food a concerned look.

“Don’t worry, I made it myself,” Lex said, answering the unspoken question. “You know…it’s still there. Same ole hole in the wall. I went there a few days ago to get the setting right.”

“Really?” she said, looking touched by the lengths to which Lex had gone. “I hope their food has improved.” She began sprinkling cheese on her pasta.

“Well, I didn’t eat there,” Lex said. “Ya think I’m crazy?” The two laughed lightly, and Lex continued his nostalgic turn. “Remember how we said we would go back there to mark all important occasions so that we would have that one place we could tell our grandkids about?”

Antonia set the cheese bowl next to her plate, her smile turning into a frown. “Lex, I think we need to talk about what’s been going on.”

Lex nodded. “I agree.”

They both sat there in silence for a long moment as the music changed to a new song. Antonia bit the bottom of her lip as she laid her hands flat on the table.

“I guess I’ll go first,” she said, breaking the silence between them. “I know I’ve been acting strange. Part of it was work related, but mostly it was us related.”

“I’m listening.”

Antonia shifted slightly in her chair as she started to fiddle with the spoon in the cheese bowl. “I haven’t been totally honest with you about some of the thoughts that have been going on in my head. It kind of started hitting me after Orlando. There was the virus, and then the medication thing, and I almost lost you twice, in less than a year.”

“I’m still here, Toni,” Lex said firmly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know,” she said, continuing to pat the parmesan cheese with the spoon, “but we don’t know about tomorrow, and –”

Antonia stopped when she heard a clank as the spoon hit something hard in the cheese. Looking down, she caught a glimpse of something sparkling in the cheese. She reached in and pulled out a ring.

It had to be the single, most unique ring she had ever seen. The diamond in the middle had jagged cuts to make it look like a shiny single star; underneath it, a crescent sapphire moon was on the right with a yellow topaz sun on the left peeking through. She looked back at Lex her eyes wide.

“Lex.”

Within seconds, he was at her side, on one knee, as he took the ring from her. He shook off the few crumbs of cheese and then held it up for.

“You’re right. We don’t know about tomorrow,” he said. “What I do know is this: I love you, I love you more than you can imagine. I know you. I know that you can’t stand the taste of eggs, that you have to sleep on the left side of the bed, that you can navigate anywhere just by looking at the stars. I know that you’ve been there for me, at times when I wasn’t exactly at my best. You’ve seen me at my worse, my lowest, and that made me see that I had something worth fighting for. You are my north star, Toni. You keep me grounded, and you keep me here. You make me a better man.”

“Lex…” Antonia tried to speak, but the words disappeared in small sob.

“When that infection took over my body and I was thinkin’, ‘Yep this is it,’ I remember hearing your voice, the sadness, the struggle to tell me to keep fighting, and I did.” Lex paused and took a deep breath. “If the world ends tomorrow, I wanna go knowing that you’re my wife.” Lex looked away, cleared his throat, then looked into Antonia’s eyes.

“Toni, will you marry me?”

She glanced down at the ring, taking in the whole scene as tears stung her eyes. Her hands were shaking, and Lex cupped his hands in hers. She stared at how they seemed to fit together, entwined together not being able to see where one begins and the other ends. She looked up when she heard a grunt from Lex.

“Toni, I can’t stay like this forever,” he said. “I’m starting to get a cramp.”

The blonde pilot let out a laugh and pulled Lex up towards her with a force that caused the chair to nearly tip over sideways. Lex countered the motion by pulling Antonia toward him, catching her in his arms as they fell onto the floor.

“You’re always catching me,” she whispered.

“I’ll always catch you,” he said as she smoothed her hair back. After a moment of sincere smiling, Lex expression changed into hopeful smirk. “So….?” he prompted.

“So…” Antonia repeated in a teasing tone. Then she pulled Lex’s face close to hers. “Yes,” she said before giving Lex an earnest kiss.

Lex pulled back and looked at her, his eyes darting wildly with excitement. “Yes?” he repeated, as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

Antonia nodded, and he kissed her soundly. With the two lovers lost in the moment, the spaghetti was all but forgotten.

Fade Out.

Fade In:
Ext.
Somewhere Else – Day

Mira’s feet scrabbled up a dusty hillside as fast as she could make them. Large, sharp brown rocks were scattered through the steep slope’s short, scrubby grass, impeding her progress. Mira’s face was bloody and torn, her arms and shoulders caked with dirt and sweat.

In her hand she gripped a weapon. It was ancient, made of wood and red metal. The Scythe.

Soon Mira reached the top of the hill, a lone promontory amidst a great misty plain. As far as the eye could reach, the plain was covered in demons. A great army of demons, some human-sized and armed with swords, others bigger than houses and possessing claws large enough to slice a skimmer in two. In the sky, dragons flapped their massive bat-wings, blotting out the weak yellow sun.

With a horrible, blood-curdling noise, a battle cry rising from a thousand throats, the demon army charged towards the hill. Mira took in the sight for a moment, unable to catch her breath.

Then she lifted the Scythe above her head and screamed in defiance.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Same Night

Mira woke up with a start, her scream petering out as soon as she realized that she was still in her bed and that it had been only a dream. Breathing hard, she pulled her knees up to her chest and looked around the empty room.

Fade Out

End of Unbound

Next on Watchers: Restoration