Act 2
Cut To:
Int.
Sterling’s – Table – Resume
“Who do you think you are?” Trina asked Jen.
“For starters, someone who can literally bend you into the shape of a pretzel. So maybe it’s not such a good idea for you to piss me off.”
Willow groaned slightly, and Giles turned toward her with a slight grin. “Apples and trees,” he muttered.
Trina shrugged. “I didn’t do anything to you, Rosenberg. I don’t know what in the world you’re talking about.”
Jen grabbed Liz’s phone and held the screen towards Trina. “Stop stalking her like some obsessed fangirl.”
Trina barked a laugh. “When would I have time to stalk Giles? I have a full load of AP classes, all of which I’m passing by the way, and right now I’m picking up two new languages to go with the eight that I already know. I don’t give a damn what her over-privileged ass does. I have to work for everything I get in this world.”
“Enough with the sob story,” Liz countered. “I had to learn the twelve languages that I know. It wasn’t through nepotism or having them enchanted into my head with magic.” Liz stopped, her expression indicating a lightbulb moment, then turned to Willow. “Could you do that? Because that would be awesome and save us all tons of time.”
Willow grinned. “Uhhh, no.”
Liz shrugged and then turned back to Trina. “I guess we’re stuck doing it the old-fashioned way.”
“Of course, leave it to you to try to find a shortcut thanks to who you know,” Trina countered.
“I said ‘us’, not ‘’me’. And using whatever resources we have to get a job done is not nepotism. Knowledge is power after all.”
“Whatever,” Trina sighed, and she walked away before either Liz or Jen could say anything more.
Liz slumped into a chair next to Willow. She looked at the ceiling for a moment, then she found that the witch’s arm was around her shoulders.
“So Liz,” Willow said to her, keeping her voice low, “I think I might be slightly more familiar with online acronyms than your parents.” Liz’s eyes got wide. “No judgment, sex is a natural part of–”
“Oh God.” Liz put her face in her hands.
“If you ever need to talk to anyone–”
“Alright everyone!” Joe said from the stage, making everyone face him. “For anybody new around here, I’m Joerrki Sterling, I run this joint. But my friends just call me Joe. My enemies don’t call me anything, because I rock so hard, I don’t have any enemies. The totals are counted, and we’ve got a winner tonight. Coming in third place is Rebellion, with their version of Savage Garden’s ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’.” He held for a round of applause. “Taking second…” The members of Stoned Platypus collectively held their breath. “Bronx’s Zoo! With Backstreet’s ‘As Long As You Love Me’.” Liz and Jen smiled at each other, as Becca exclaimed “Yes!”
“We got it,” Liz said confidently.
Joe held up a piece of paper and proclaimed, “The winner of tonight’s Battle of the Bands not only hit all four song requirements, they got extra points for having the oldest ‘not in this century song’ and having both hate and love in the title, when you only had to have one. Put your hands together for Stoned Platypus.”
The room and their table erupted in cheers.
“Come on up and give us one more song tonight!”
They watched as Joe waved to them. Alex motioned for Sophie to jump on his back and he gave her a piggyback ride. Martin then motioned for Nikki to do the same. She resisted at first, but he waved her over again and she jumped up and he caught her legs as they went to the stage with Liz, Jen and Jake.
“They were brilliant tonight,” Giles said with a smile.
“I think I know which one they’re going to be doing,” Becca said. “It was our last round robin song.”
“Round robin?” Buffy asked.
“Yeah,” Becca explained, “when a song comes on we like, we each take a verse and then we name the next person to sing, and then they sing and name another person, and so on.”
“I’m surprised she hasn’t been in an accident or ticketed,” Giles threw out.
“I’m safe. We’re fine. It’s all good fun.”
“Yes, except for when you nearly ran over Rowena and me.”
“He’s so dramatic…I barely tapped you.”
Buffy laughed. “What?!”
Flash To:
Int.
Giles House – Garage
Rowena and Giles were standing in the garage when Becca’s SUV pulled in. Liz was in the front seat, while Alex, Jen and Martin were in the back. The radio was on full blast, and all five of them were singing at the top of their lungs.
“Let’s lose our minds and go fuckin’ crazy. Ay ya ya ya. I keep on hopin’ we’ll eat cake by the ocean!”
The SUV was inches from Rowena and Giles when Becca looked up and slammed on the brakes. She put the car in park, and everyone in the car stopped singing and dancing. Seeing that everyone outside was okay, she started to dance and sing again in her seat, and the kids all followed suit.
Rowena and Giles just looked at each other and shook their heads.
Flash To:
Int.
Sterling’s – Continuous
“My wife is a bad influence on the children”,” Giles grinned.
Willow, Buffy and Xander laughed.
“I’m the reason they know Joan Jett and they won,” Becca countered.
Giles paused and then said, “That’s fair.”
They both giggled and moved in and gave each other a slow kiss.
“Hey everybody. Having fun tonight?” they heard Liz ask from the stage.
The audience clapped and hooted. “Aww no, I asked, are you having fun tonight?!” She put her hand to her ear, and this time the crowd’s response was much louder. “Great! First, thank you to the judges and other bands tonight. Let’s give it up for them, gang!” Liz got another enthusiastic response. “Joe is going to be cool enough to play some of our pre-recorded tracks later tonight, but I told him we’d do another live one, so are you ready to get started?” She got a few claps, then yelled, “Are you ready to get started?!” The audience got more animated. “Let’s start with some hand claps like this….and please sing along if you feel the need.”
Oh, no
See you walkin’ ’round like it’s a funeral
Not so serious, girl, why those feet cold?
We just gettin’ started, don’t you tiptoe, tiptoe (ah)
Liz walked over to Alex’s mic and the two of them seemed to be singing to each other, their faces not far from each other. Jen began to grin at their display.
Waste time with a masterpiece, waste time with a masterpiece (huh)
You should be rollin’ with me, you should be rollin’ with me (ah-ah-ah)
You’re a real-life fantasy, you’re a real-life fantasy (huh)
But you’re movin’ so carefully, let’s start livin’ dangerously.
Alex motioned for everyone in the audience to sing along. Giles smiled as he watched his wife start to sing.
Talk to me, baby
I’m goin’ blind from this sweet-sweet cravin’, whoa-oh
Let’s lose our minds and go crazy crazy
I-I-I-I-I-I keep on hopin’ we’ll eat cake by the ocean (uh)
Cut To:
Int.
Sterling’s – Stage Left
Joe Sterling was watching the performance with a smile when the female judge came over to him. She handed him a business card.
“Let’s talk about them sometime soon,” she said, pointing to Stoned Platypus on the stage. “Thanks for the heads up.”
He nodded and put the card in his pocket. As she walked away, he turned back to the band, his smile even bigger.
Fade Out
Fade In:
Int.
Horse Barn – Day
Daylight streamed through the open door of a large stable. Several individual stalls lined its walls. Horses poked their heads out from several of them. A few slowly chewed on strands of hay. At one end of the barn, an eight year-old girl with dark hair buckled the strap of a black riding helmet under her chin.
After securing it, she walked over to a nearby stall, occupied by a large, gray horse. The girl stroked its face for a moment and whispered in its ear. Then she pulled on the horse’s stall door and found it locked.
The girl gave a surprisingly adult sigh, then called out, so loudly the horse’s ears pricked, “Marguerite!” When no answer came within three seconds, the girl turned around, creases forming in her small forehead. “Marguerite!” she called again, definite impatience in her voice.
After a few more seconds, an older woman appeared, silhouetted against the stable doorway. “I called for you,” the girl told her flatly. “Twice.”
Marguerite walked forward toward the girl, ignoring her petulant tone. “Don’t you have your lessons?” she asked. “Mr. Calder will be looking for you. You know that your father–”
“Daddy’s not here,” the little girl said, “and Mr. Calder said it was too beautiful a day for multiplying.” She used a fake “fancy” accent for the latter statement.
“Still…” Marguerite spared a glance at the horse, then shook her head. “I suppose you’ll be needing help with the saddle. Which one were you thinking of? I’ve been meaning to do some exercises with–”
“I want to take Max,” said the girl, her tone brooking no disagreement. She pointed a small hand at the gray horse in the stall next to them.
Marguerite sighed and looked down at the young girl. “You know your father said you can’t take Maximilian. He’s too…unpredictable. He doesn’t want you to get hurt, and neither do I.”
The girl glared at her. “Max is the best one, and you know I can ride whatever horse there is. And if you don’t let me ride the horse I wanna ride, I’m gonna tell Daddy I saw you stealing our silverware.”
Marguerite regarded her balefully for a long moment. “Nobody would believe you.”
The girl put her hands on her hips. “Wanna bet?”
Cut To:
Ext.
Country Estate – Day
The house was enormous, gaudy even, in a McMansion sort of way. A fountain in front sprayed multiple stories into the air. The landscaped grounds stretched off into the distance. Somewhere on those grounds, the little eight-year-old girl rode the gray horse between the trees, if not at a gallop, then faster than might have been recommended by an adult. They passed tennis courts and well-kempt rows of vines. She had a broad smile on her face.
Somewhere far out of sight of the house, the girl and her horse came to a large, wrought-iron gate at the end of a dirt path. This area was more overgrown than the rest of the estate. The trees along either side of the path had once been planted in neat lines, but had since grown wild.
The little girl pulled on the reins when she saw that, not only was the gate at the end of the path unexpectedly open, there was a man standing just inside it. He wore a tweed jacket, despite the sunny weather, and his eyes hid behind thick glasses. The horse reared slightly on its hind legs at the girl’s insistence, but she seemed entirely unperturbed, maintaining her hold and bringing her mount to a stop a good fifty feet away from the new arrival.
“Nobody uses that gate,” the girl called out. “If you’re not supposed to be here, I know how to call security. My daddy won’t like it if you’re not supposed to be here.”
The man in tweed casually strolled towards her, undeterred. “Actually,” he said, in an upper class English accent, “it is you I seek, young lady.”
She eyed him warily. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” Her horse nervously backed up a few paces.
“A sound policy,” the man replied, “but am I one? A stranger, I mean.”
“I don’t know your name, so yeah.”
The man adjusted his glasses briefly as he came up beside the girl. “Quite right. It is Terence Jacobs, by the way. My name. What’s yours?”
The girl said nothing, keeping her eyes fixed on him from atop her horse. He cleared his throat and continued.
“What I meant to say is that, even if you do not know my name, I think you may know who I am. I am a watcher.”
Still, she said nothing, but she blinked several times at the term.
“I see you recognize the word,” the man continued. “You recognize it because you have been having the dreams.” The girl’s eyes got much bigger at this, and he nodded. “Yes, I know about your dreams. Where you’re another girl, in another time. Always fighting. Sometimes dying. And sometimes there’s another there, a watcher.”
“I never told anyone about my dreams,” the girl finally said, in a very quiet voice.
“That was the right thing to do,” the man said. “Your family, your caretakers, it is unlikely they would have understood. Most likely, they would have thought something was wrong with you. But I know the truth, and I’m here to help you.”
“Who are you? Help me how?” the girl asked skeptically.
The man drew himself up to his full height, though he still had to look up at the little girl on the horse. “You have the potential to be the next Slayer. You may be the only one who can fight the forces of darkness. Your life will be one of danger and adventure. You have a great destiny, Kennedy.”
The little girl stared at him for several seconds, her eyes wide. Then, very slowly, she started to smile.
That’s when she heard a piercing scream.
Cut To:
Int.
Kennedy and Kadin’s Cabin – Bedroom – Early Morning
Kennedy woke up to the grating, high-pitched sound of a baby crying over the monitor. She grabbed the pillow next to her and stuffed it over her head, but this failed at blocking out the noise. She groaned loudly.
“Kad, it’s your turn,” she growled, her voice muffled by the pillow. There was no response.
Then she removed the pillow from her face, eyes open wider. It was just before dawn, and her bedroom was dark, but she was alone in the bed. The baby kept crying.
Kennedy rolled over and reached for the end table next to her side of the bed, grabbing haphazardly for her phone. Finally finding it, she saw, below the display indicating the time was 5:24 a.m., a notification of a text from Kadin. Opening her phone with a swipe, she read:
Still dealing w/ monster be home asap sry
This was closely followed by an emoji of an angry-looking blue face. Kennedy gave a full-body sigh and let her arm holding the phone fall back to the bed. The sound of the baby crying continued unabated.
Cut To:
Int.
Kadin and Kennedy’s Cabin – Living Area – Moments Later
Kennedy held Vanessa in the crook of one arm as she held a coffee mug in her opposite hand, balancing both of them very successfully. Although the baby continued to cry, Kennedy paid it no mind. She didn’t even offer words or soothing sounds of consolation. Taking her spot on the sofa, she settled in and opened her shirt in an attempt to feed her daughter.
As the baby continued to cry, not taking the offered breakfast, Marsha hopped up on the sofa next to both of them and gave a small growl.
“Stop,” Kennedy told the dragon, “She’s being annoying I know, but she’s growing and getting louder. You just need to get used to it girl.”
Marsha sniffed at Vanessa’s feet and then recoiled before she hopped off the couch and went into her den a few feet away.
For a moment, the baby stopped crying, but Kennedy didn’t react. Vanessa kept her eyes on her mother’s face. Kennedy sat on the couch for a long moment in silence, staring out into space.
At the sound of the door opening, Vanessa burst back into tears. Kennedy and Marsha both turned to see Kadin walking inside. The dragon ran over to welcome her first.
“Hey, girls,” Kadin greeted and patted Marsha’s head. “Hunting ‘weres’ seemed easier when I was younger. Go figure. But we got ‘em contained, and the Council is happy.”
Vanessa continued to cry as Kennedy stood and walked over to her wife, handing her the baby. “You wanna take over? I’ve been up all night.” Kennedy didn’t wait for a reply before beginning to walk away.
“So have I. Werewolf hunting, remember?”
Kennedy yawned. “Babies are supposed to sleep more the older they get, but that is not happening. In fact, she’s sleeping less. Something is not right.”
“You’re just tired, like I am.”
“No. I’m telling you something is off. She’s not latching properly like she used to, and Marsha gets a weird look on her face when she smells her.”
For her part, Vanessa seemed to calm down as Kadin rocked her back and forth. The cries subsided into small whimpers.
“She does stink more,” Kadin admitted. “It’s part of having a baby they never tell you.” She grinned.
Kennedy didn’t look amused. “Whatever. I’m going back to bed. She seems to like you better than me anyway. Milk’s in the fridge.”
“Kennedy.”
“What?” She stopped and turned to face her wife.
“I don’t think it’s Vanessa that has the issue. Postpartum depression is very real. Maybe you should talk to somebody.”
“I’m not crazy.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“Fine. I’m not hormonal. And I’m not the only one. Marsha’s been growling at her. Something’s not right.”
Kadin blinked several times, while Vanessa now seemed very sleepy in her arms. “Marsha is growling at her?”
“It’s nothing. Just forget I said it.”
“No. I’m not gonna forget that the animal in our house that has the ability to shoot fire out of its mouth is now growling at our daughter. That is a very big red flag.”
“Exactly. Marsha isn’t acting like herself, because she has loved this baby since we walked her through our door.”
“This thing with Marsha bothers me,” Kadin said firmly.
“Marsha’s not going anywhere,” Kennedy said flatly. “I’ll take Vanessa to the doctor to see if she has any advice, but after I’ve had some sleep.”
Kadin watched Kennedy walk into the bedroom and only then did she head toward the kitchen, still cradling a sleeping Vanessa.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Grace’s Office – Morning
The small group in Grace’s office all sat in silence. Willow, Buffy, Robin and Shannon all sat in chairs around Grace’s desk. For several seconds, nobody spoke.
“So…Vor again,” Willow said. She had dark circles under her eyes and didn’t look like she had slept much. “I know there’s been a lot of refugees, but I just figured it was, y’know, more of the usual. Not…I thought we were done fighting giant hell dimension armies. Is that asking too much? I feel like it’s not that high a bar as a life goal. One hell dimension army may be an accident, but two…feels like carelessness.”
“So helpful,” Grace commented flatly.
“We’re not planning another invasion, are we?” Robin asked. “I…don’t have very good memories of our last one.” He and Willow exchanged a brief look.
“We’re not there yet,” Grace said. “I had my first debriefing session with Muller last night, there’s gonna be more. But that’s what I’m going to want from you guys. Next steps. Speaking of,” she turned to Willow, “have you seen your wife? I couldn’t find her this morning. I want her in the loop on this.”
Willow licked her lips, shook her head. “No, not since…not this morning.”
“She said she had a couple things to take care of on her way to the office,” Robin said. “She should be here.” Willow’s head swiveled toward him and she blinked several times, but she said nothing.
Shannon raised her hand. “I-I’m sorry, did the murderer say what this Z chick wants? Or did you not have time to get to that between all of the kissing her ass you did?”
“Shannon,” Grace said evenly, “I understand why you would be upset, but–”
“Oh, I’m not upset,” Shannon said. “I’m fucking…” She turned to Buffy. “What’s, like, pissed, but way more than that?”
“Super extra pissed?” Buffy supplied.
Shannon nodded. “Super extra pissed, is what I am. I risked my life to take that bitch down, and she seems…pretty not down. At least tell me it was worth it.”
“Well, we don’t have all the specifics, yet–”
“Christ,” Shannon muttered derisively under her breath.
“I did what I had to do, Shannon,” Grace shot back. “For everyone. And you should know that Buffy was in here yesterday saying almost the same thing you’re saying, and I can see why some of our slayers might feel…”
“Betrayed?” Shannon offered flatly.
“Look, Shannon,” Buffy said. “I’m super extra pissed, too. But I’m trying to remember who the real bad guy is here, and I don’t think it’s Grace. I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have done the same thing. I mean, I teamed up with Spike against Angelus, and he…” She looked over at Robin, who regarded her steadily. She gulped and kept going. “The point being, sometimes we have to make hard choices, I get it.”
“So, did you team up with the slayer-killing vampire before or after you banged him?” Shannon asked bluntly.
Buffy opened her mouth to snap back. Willow looked between Buffy, Grace and Shannon, one eyebrow raised.
“Can we not?” Grace said loudly. Everyone stopped and looked at her. “Like I said, I get it, but this is the big time, and we have to saddle up. You want to know what Zorgrafilloraxtragor wants? All of us dead. To take over the world. Supervillain shit. The rest…we’re still figuring out.”
Silence descended again. Then Grace continued, “OK, look, I just wanted to get this to you guys as soon as possible. But keep it to yourselves for now. Once this is general knowledge, no matter what I say, it’s going to end up on the internet. And apparently one thing Muller does know about this Empress is that she’s weirdly tech savvy.”
Robin shook his head. “Demons on the internet. What’s next?”
“It’s not so new,” Willow said. “Actually, I dated one once, all the way back in the Nineties.” She looked up to see that everyone was staring at her, then shrugged. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Cafeteria – Day
“I need your help,” Alex told his sister as he sat down beside her at her lunch table. “You’re off patrol tonight, right?”
Jen’s french fry was perched at her lips. She paused and then waved it at him. “Why are you asking?”
“I need a favor. We’ve been tasked with taking care of Jake and Sophie tonight, while Moms are at Becca’s Karaoke party.”
“That’s if they both go,” Jen offered.
“You think they won’t?” Alex asked.
“Yeahhhhh,” Jen replied. “Have you noticed the tension? Someone might be staying home. Besides, why are you asking? You got a hot date?” she teased. When he didn’t answer immediately and looked away, she turned more serious. “You do have a hot date? With who?”
“I don’t want to say, in case it doesn’t work out,” he told her.
“Really?” she asked, fries now forgotten. “Someone I’ve met?”
“I’m not saying. So will you help or not?”
Jen paused again and then smiled. “Okay, I’ll help, but you will owe me. What exactly, I’m not sure yet. But I’ll think of something.”
“I might need help getting in and out.”
“Out won’t be hard. Just say you’re tired and head to bed. You can sneak out the window.”
“Will you help me back inside?” Alex asked.
“If I’m awake, sure. If not, you’re on your own. But I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Magic Boy.”
Cut To:
Ext.
Golf Course – Day
The white ball sailed through the air and came crashing down on the green just inches away from the hole, much closer than the other two balls in the immediate vicinity.
“That’s how you do it, gentlemen!” a middle-aged woman with dark features said. She pointed her golf club at the two men behind her and then cast it back over her shoulder.
Jason Felix and Rupert Giles both proceed to give Miss Sanger a small “golf clap” in response, at which she laughed, “Come on, you have to admit that’s a hell of a shot.”
Mr. Felix laughed. “A great golf swing. She does not age. I think that Miss Sanger is a day-walker vampire.”
Sanger chuckled, “I’ll let the vampiric council know you’re on to me. Just don’t send Guillermo after me.”
Giles grinned.”We love What We Do in the Shadows,” he confessed. “It’s one of the shows that even the kids watch with us, although I admit some episodes can be a bit uncomfortable to watch with them.”
Sanger nodded in understanding.
“Hey, I’ll bet you twenty thousand dollars you can’t make that shot again,” Felix challenged her.
“Not a chance,” Sanger laughed. Everyone chuckled then.
“Miss Sanger,” Felix began, “ever the cautious one.”
“Life is about calculated risks, Mr. Felix. Some risks are not worth the reward,” she countered.
“Point taken,” he agreed, before turning to Giles. “Speaking of risks, I hear you’re back in the game.”
Giles’s face betrayed nothing. “You heard that, did you?”
Felix nodded. “We did. And I assumed it’s why we’re here, watching Miss Sanger kicking our behinds up and down this course.”
“Don’t misunderstand,” Giles protested, “I enjoy our seasonal get together.”
“But…” Sanger prompted.
“We have a threat coming,” Giles said.
“You can take the watcher out of the Council…” Felix teased.
“I was out, y-yes,” Giles admitted. “But this threat is–”
“Vor,” Sanger said, cutting him off. “We know. It’s Vor. Oversight Committee is looking into it. We’re trying to figure out angles that perhaps the Council isn’t…addressing.”
“What are you saying?” Giles asked.
“Something is coming,” Felix said calmly.
“Yes, I said that,” Giles repeated. “If that’s the case, then the Council would appreciate your assistance.”
Felix and Sanger spared each other a brief, meaningful glance. Then Sanger told Giles, “Some investors are worried. With the influx of demons becoming greater worldwide every day, and a disease that seems to follow them with no cure, many backers are…concerned about where the Council’s allegiance lies.”
“Meaning?” Giles asked.
Sanger said, “It’s not an unfounded concern.”
“I would prefer you answered my question,” Giles insisted.
Jason Felix cleared his throat, then said, “Their broader concern is that the Council might be spending more time building relationships with demons than combating them, or helping humanity.”
At first, Giles didn’t say anything. “I very much hope that you’re not saying what I think you’re saying.”
“Which is?” Sanger asked.
“You won’t aid the Council in protecting the world, since we’re helping those who, at times, look similar to our enemies.”
“It’s merely a safety concern,” Sanger offered.
Giles harrumphed. “Wasn’t your late friend and colleague Mr. Nogura in an internment camp because his family looked like the enemy?”
“Mr. Giles,” Sanger said forcefully. “This is not the same thing as–”
“The hell it’s not,” Giles challenged.
“Rupert,” Felix tried again, “Please listen. You are in the company of friends. I assure you. We’re telling you that there is a genuine concern that the Council spends too much time defending demons. Add that to the fact that you’ve got an entire legion of independent slayers who have no desire to join the Council…what does that tell you?”
Giles considered it. “It tells me that the Council doesn’t see these women as tools any longer – they are individuals who are free to make their own choices within the confines of the laws we have set up to govern us. It tells me we’re getting closer to a society where anyone, regardless of how they appear, is welcome here, to make this dimension a better place for everyone.”
Sanger took a deep breath. “And this has nothing to do with the fact your daughter is dating a Brell demon?”
Giles removed his glasses to look at her with wide eyes. “She’s not dating anyone right now.”
“She has plans for the…Spring Formal, I believe, with a Brell–”
“This is insane,” Giles sighed. “First, they’re lifelong friends going to a dance, and second, even if they weren’t, how is that your business? Or anyone’s business, for that matter? If you looked that far into Elizabeth’s life, you’d also learn Belizet is a fine boy, and I’m proud of my daughter for asking him to the dance.”
“Please, don’t be upset,” Felix said with a sigh.
“Easy for you to say,” Giles countered. “They’re not spying on you, Jason.”
“Of course they are,” Felix chuckled. “Right?” he asked, turning to Sanger. She grinned slightly and shrugged in agreement. “Everyone is under surveillance.”
Sanger held up a finger and took her phone out of her pocket. She dialed a few numbers and then said, without so much as a hello, “Get everything on Project Midnight Rain…Yes, everything…thank you.” She turned back to Giles. “I trust you, Mr. Giles,” she began. “I’ll give you everything I have today. As for the higher-ups, I can’t say they’ll share as openly as me.”
Giles took a deep breath. “Thank you.”
“The Council needs to start working on building a larger force – they need to get the independents in line for this fight.”
“I know that Tiffany–” Giles began.
“Not the Guild,” Sanger told her. “There’s a location downtown. A bar. There’s an entire legion of girls and young women who aren’t part of the Guild or the Council who need guidance. It’s run by an ex-pat, a Lisa Fan—”
Before Miss Sanger could finish the sentence, the trio heard someone from the caddyshack let out a blood curdling scream.
Cut To:
Ext.
Caddyshack – Same Time
A woman wearing a full golfing outfit screamed as she watched her caddy be thrown over a nearby hedge fence. Two demons with skewers coming out of their arms barreled toward her. The rest of her group scattered, yelling, in all directions. One of her companion’s caddies followed the first over the fence, while the woman seemed rooted to the spot.
A third caddy jumped in front of him, wielding a golf club like a sword to try to fend off the approaching demons. He swung it repeatedly in front of him, but the demons continued to advance, undeterred. However, it was enough of a distraction to allow the people around them to make their escape toward the nearby restaurant and caddy clubhouse.
Giles, Sanger and Felix ran around the end of the hedge to take in the scene of the demons grabbing the lone caddy. Giles moved to rush forward to help, but found Felix’s arm across his chest, stopping him.
At that moment, two young women, axes at the ready, leaped out of the trees and unceremoniously sliced down both of the offending demons.
As the demons tumbled to the ground dead, people began to leave their hiding places and give the ladies a round of applause. One of the girls reached down to give the caddy a hand up, which he took gratefully.
At the same time, Giles pulled his phone from his pocket with a sigh and began to dial.
Sanger put her hand over Giles’s phone. “Freelancers to the rescue,” she said.
“That was a fluke.”
“I respect you, Mr. Giles,” she told him. “But keep in mind, incidents like these do not help the ‘Council’s cause. Because if demons don’t shape up and start putting an end to attacks like this, the world will find ways to ship them all out.”
“You don’t threaten people you respect.”
“I assure you, it’s not a threat. It’s a warning. Steps must be taken to build better bridges everywhere, and fast. It’s up to you to figure out how that happens.”
Giles silently considered her words, his eyes squinted slightly at her sincere stare. He glanced back over to the Lancers and then blinked, turning back to Miss Sanger with a quizzical raised brow. “Hold on, what was the bar owner’s name again?”
Black Out
End of Act Two