tc2x07
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.

[ bottom ]



                                      TEASER

                                                             FADE IN:

               EXT. MORGAN RESIDENCE – FRONT LAWN – MORNING

               It's slightly overcast but warm enough. A soft breeze blows
               through the leaves of the tree in the front yard.

               VI MORGAN sits on the broadest branch, her back to the
               rough tree trunk. 

               With eyes closed, she nods along to the MUSIC coming from
               her ipod. She's completely calm.

               THWACK!

               A small rock hits the side of her head. Vi's eyes fly open
               and she tumbles sideways – startled.

               She scrambles for a hold on the branch. Her fingers slip.
               The ipod falls and then...

               ... She's upside down. Legs wrapped around the branch, arms
               struggling to hold her shirt in place.

                                   MALE VOICE (O.S.)
                         Uh... Sorry.

               Frustrated, Vi blows her hair from her face.

               From a few metres away, ANDREW FRIAR waves sheepishly.

                                   ANDREW
                         Hi.

               Vi glares.

                                   VI
                         Oh, it's not a problem.

               Andrew darts forward and helps her down. As Vi maneuvers
               off the branch...

                                   VI (CONT'D)
                         A near death experience is the
                         only way to start the day.

               Her feet touch the ground and she fixes her hair as best
               she can.

                                   VI (CONT'D)
                         After a big breakfast, of course.

               She looks to Andrew. Waits for him to speak. Andrew just
               stares at her intently.

                                   VI (CONT'D)
                         I'm not a witch, I swear.

                                   ANDREW
                             (snapping out of it)
                         Huh?

                                   VI
                         The rocks? With the throwing?

                                   ANDREW
                         Oh. Uh. I was just... I called
                         but you didn't...

                                   VI
                         Right.

               A beat. A long, awkward beat.

                                   VI (CONT'D)
                         I assume you're not looking for
                         me. Given the way you practically
                         ran screaming when I opened the
                         door last night.

               Andrew grimaces – not sure how to start.

                                   ANDREW
                         Well... Here's the thing...
                             (beat)
                         You really don't recognise me?

               Vi shakes her head.

                                   VI
                         Should I?

                                   ANDREW
                         It's me. Andrew.

               Taking a few steps back, Vi laughs nervously.

                                   VI
                         Look, I don't know who you've
                         been stalking on MySpace but it's
                         not me.

                                   ANDREW
                         Vi, come on --

                                   VI
                         And, by the way, how do you know my
                         name?

               Andrew's mouth gapes open.

                                   ANDREW
                         I-I-Uh, it's... I mean --

               Vi turns and walks quickly towards the front porch.

                                   VI
                         Okay, this is starting to creep
                         me out. You need to go.

               He starts after her.

                                   ANDREW
                         Wait. Please.

               Vi reaches the front door. As she opens it:

                                   VI
                         Leave me alone!

               She enters, SLAMMING the door behind her.

               INT. MORGAN RESIDENCE – FRONT HALL – MORNING

               Vi turns to peer out of the window beside the door.
               Andrew's gone.

               She takes a deep breath. Turns back.

                                   VI
                         That was weird.

               She thinks for a moment. Half smiles.

                                   VI (CONT'D)
                         Cute. But weird.

               She moves off.

               EXT. MORGAN RESIDENCE – FRONT LAWN – MORNING

               MOVING ALONG the rocky garden edging by the base of the
               tree, we land on Vi's ipod – a huge crack running down the
               front.

               The MUSIC playing from the earpieces begins to FADE. The
               screen shows the powering down message: "Goodbye". 

               It flickers and dies.

                                                        CUT TO BLACK.



                                   END OF TEASER
                                     ACT ONE

                                                             FADE IN:

               INT. THE COMPANY – HOLDING CELL – DAY

               An ANT feels its way across a grey cement floor. It reaches
               a bread crumb and stops, inspecting it.

               A huge blurred MASS lowers itself into frame behind the ant
               and it's hoard. The mass sharpens.

               It's DOC. Lying on the floor of his cell beside a lumpy
               cot.

                                   DOC
                         Hello there, little fella.
                         Whatcha found there? Come on,
                         don't be scared.

               ALISTAIR BENSON stands outside the cell – separated from it
               by shatter-proof glass.

                                   BENSON
                         Now, Wilhelm. You've only been in
                         here for twelve hours. It's far
                         too early for that.

               Doc nods and sits up. He glances over his shoulder at
               Benson.

                                   DOC
                         Very true.

               He stands, dusting off his palms.

                                   DOC (CONT'D)
                         I'll wait a few months before I
                         name him.

               Doc nears Benson.

                                   BENSON
                         You're expecting to be here that
                         long?

                                   DOC
                         Aren't I? Because according to
                         you, I did a very naughty thing.

                                   BENSON
                         And I'd like to know why.

               Doc chuckles.

                                   DOC
                         Getting straight to the point, I
                         see.

                                   BENSON
                         I'm a very busy man. Thanks to
                         you.

               Doc's eyes roam Benson's blank expression.

                                   DOC
                         Pull up a chair.

               Benson doesn't move. Doc shrugs. He seats himself on the
               cot and, with some struggle, sits cross-legged.

                                   DOC (CONT'D)
                         Now, let me see. Where do you
                         start with any good story? I'd
                         wager it would be at...

               He holds his hand out to Benson, waiting for the response.

                                   DOC (CONT'D)
                         The beginning. Very good, sir.

               He clears his throat.

                                   DOC (CONT'D)
                         Once upon a time --

                                   BENSON
                         Get on with it, Wilhelm. I don't
                         have time for this.

               Doc's smile drops.

                                   DOC
                         It started with a walk. I left
                         the Company for the first time in
                         years. Maybe the first time since
                         I was hired. I just wandered for
                         awhile, I had no mission, no real
                         desire to go to any one specific
                         place. That's how I ended up at
                         the park. Sitting on a bench.
                         Next to one Peter Morgan.

                                   BENSON
                         You didn't seek him out?

                                   DOC
                         Now why would I do something like
                         that? You seem to think I did
                         this because I have some...
                         vendetta against the Company,
                         Benson, which, I can assure you,
                         I don't. This is about the
                         threads of the universe. They
                         weave themselves in ways we can't
                         even imagine.

                                   BENSON
                         The universe led you to Peter
                         Morgan?

                                   DOC
                         He was tired and broken and
                         spent. I could see almost
                         immediately that Peter was a man
                         of great potential. He already
                         had the words inside of him, he
                         just needed me to help him put
                         them together.

                                   BENSON
                         You gave him the idea for the
                         book.

               Doc nods.

                                   DOC
                         We continued our meetings.
                         Whenever he got stuck on some
                         small detail. It seems strange to
                         you, Benson, but... he needed it.
                         He needed to become the man he
                         once was.
                             (beat)
                         Peter Morgan's connection was
                         broken.

               A smile creeps over Doc's face.

                                   DOC (CONT'D)
                         And I fixed it.

               Off Doc's maniac grin, cut to:

               INT. THE COMPANY – BENSON'S OFFICE – DAY

               Andrew enters.

               He ignores JENNA COOKE and SHANE EVANS, who sit in chairs
               opposite Benson's desk.

               He slumps to the ground, his back leaning against the side
               of the desk - his feet to the wall.

               Jenna starts to stand.

                                   JENNA
                         Andrew? Are you...

               Andrew kicks his foot forward – SMASHING it through the
               wall. He makes no effort to remove it.

                                   JENNA (CONT'D)
                         ... Okay....

               She sits back down and turns to Shane instead.

                                   JENNA (CONT'D)
                         You want something to eat?
                         There's a buffet breakfast in
                         five minutes.

                                   SHANE
                         I don't think I could ever eat
                         again.

               Andrew SCOFFS.

                                   ANDREW
                         Bloody teenagers. You're all so
                         goddamn overdramatic.

               He YANKS his foot free.

               The door BURSTS open and Benson strides inside. He SLAMS
               the door closed behind him and, fuming, stalks around the
               desk.

               He sits down and clasps his hands together. A beat. 

                                   BENSON
                         So, how is everyone today?

                                   JENNA
                         Uh...

                                   BENSON
                         Reports? Updates? Progress?
                         Anyone?

               Andrew stands.

                                   ANDREW
                         She doesn't remember anything. I
                         tried again this morning.

                                   SHANE
                         Maybe I could --

                                   BENSON
                         I think trying to bring Vi back
                         is a lost cause, I'm afraid. She
                         made her choice.

                                   JENNA
                         But, sir, this isn't just
                         something we can decide
                         ourselves. There are channels.
                         Head Office has to be informed.

                                   BENSON
                         And they will be. But, right now,
                         we need to assess whether we can
                         continue without Violet Morgan.

                                   ANDREW
                         Of course we can't. What about
                         all that balancing out the
                         universe crap? There'll be one
                         less Runner, meaning more
                         assignments for everybody else.

                                   BENSON
                         Not with young Mr. Evans, here.
                         Somehow, the power that controls
                         the Company has decided that he
                         is important enough to bring into
                         our circle. And, judging from the
                         events of the past few days, it
                         seems he's the one getting Vi's
                         assignments now. He can take over
                         for her.

                                   SHANE
                         Hang on, I didn't ask for this.
                         This isn't fair.

                                   BENSON
                         Life isn't fair, Mr. Evans.
                         Sometime's you just have to
                         accept it.

               Looking back down to his desk, his eyes gloss over the hole
               in the wall. He does a double take.

                                   BENSON (CONT'D)
                         Why is there a hole in my wall?

               With a soft CLICK, the door closes. Andrew's slipped out.

               INT. THE COMPANY – RECEPTION OFFICE – DAY

               Andrew reaches the elevator. Jenna hurries out of Benson's
               office and joins him. She looks concerned.

                                   JENNA
                         Andrew, please don't do anything
                         stupid.

               The elevator CHIMES and the doors slide open. Andrew steps
               inside and turns to face her.

                                   ANDREW
                         I think Vi's already covered
                         that.

               Jenna moves a hand in between the doors, stopping them from
               closing. She purses her lips.

               A beat. Andrew sighs.

                                   ANDREW (CONT'D)
                         I'm just going to get the memory
                         gizmo back. Can't have Little
                         Miss Forget-Me-Now running around
                         with Company property, can we?

                                   JENNA
                         Then I think Shane should --

                                   ANDREW
                         The kid's a mess. He hasn't
                         slept, he's just... I can handle
                         this, okay?

               Jenna nods and steps back.

                                   JENNA
                         Okay. But take Kou. And --

               The doors slide closed. A beat.

                                   JENNA (CONT'D)
                             (softly)
                         Be careful.

               INT. MORGAN RESIDENCE – LIVING ROOM – DAY

               MUSIC is playing. More specifically, it's Shania Twain's
               "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!".

               We are on the faces of CAROLINE MORGAN and PETER MORGAN as
               they stand in the doorway. They watch something with
               confusion and a little concern.

                                   PETER
                         Should we do something?

                                   CAROLINE
                         What's there to do?

               Inside the living room, Vi dances wildly to the MUSIC VIDEO
               playing on the TV. She holds a feather duster in one hand
               and cleans as she SINGS ALONG.

                                   CAROLINE (CONT'D)
                         This is... normal.

               She looks to Peter.

                                   CAROLINE (CONT'D)
                         Isn't it?

               CAM MORGAN and PENNY MORGAN appear beside them. Following
               the gaze of their parents, they turn to look at Vi.

                                   PENNY
                         What's with the freak?

                                   CAM
                         Is she alright?

                                   PETER
                         She's fine. Just a little...
                         cabin fever.

               He looks to Caroline, pleadingly.

                                   CAROLINE
                         Maybe we should all go out for
                         lunch. De-stress a little.

                                   PENNY
                         I think Vi's already got that
                         covered.

               At this point, Vi turns to them – completely comfortable
               with having an audience. She strikes a pose.

                                   VI
                             (singing along)
                         Man! I feel like a woman!

               Off the faces of her family, we cut to:

               INT. ANDREW'S CAR (NOT MOVING) – DAY

               Andrew and KOU YIMOU watch intently as, across the street,
               the Morgan family exit the house and climb into their car –
               Cam and Vi playfully fighting for the last window seat.

                                   KOU
                         She looks happy.

               Andrew ignores him. The Morgan's drive off. 

                                   ANDREW
                         Let's go.

               He climbs out.

               INT. MORGAN RESIDENCE – VI'S ROOM – DAY

               Andrew enters first. He moves slowly, taking in the stillness
               of the room.

               Kou steps around him and begins searching swiftly. He is
               careful to replace whatever he moves. Never leaving a trace
               that he was there.

               Andrew runs his fingers along the books on Vi's bookshelf.
               Kou stops, studying him. 

                                   KOU
                         I can do this, Andrew. If you
                         want to wait outside.

                                   ANDREW
                         No, I don't want to wait outside.

                                   KOU
                         I know how hard this must be for
                         you.

                                   ANDREW
                         Really? That's funny, because
                         it's really not all that hard.
                         She's a good kid. She deserves a
                         break from all this. It's fine.

                                   KOU
                         She's not... she's not taking a
                         holiday, Andrew. Vi's not coming
                         back.

               Andrew turns away. 

                                   ANDREW
                             (muttering)
                         I guess we'll see about that.

               Kou shakes his head sadly and gets back to work. Andrew
               reaches the window seat. He starts lifting the cushions -
               throwing them onto the floor.

               Underneath the last one is the memory wiping device. Andrew
               picks it up. A piece of paper is rolled around it. 

               With shaking fingers, Andrew hesitantly unrolls the paper.

               He glances at Kou who's searching the other side of the
               room. His back is turned. 

               Andrew looks back to the paper. As he reads it, his eyes
               slowly start to well with tears.

               After a few moments, he hastily stuffs the note into his
               pocket. Blinking back tears, he turns to Kou.

                                   ANDREW (CONT'D)
                         Found it.

               Andrew tosses the device to him and quickly fixes the
               window seat cushions.

                                   ANDREW (CONT'D)
                         Let's go.

               He hurries out of the room. Kou takes a moment then slowly
               follows.

               MUSIC CUE: "Sweetness" by Jimmy Eat World

               INT. WICKER RECORDS – MAIN FLOOR – DAY

               The place is a little less crowded than usual. Probably
               because of the complete disarray of the main floor.

               BB and VINKLE set up the stage area, hefting display racks
               off a raised platform.

                                   VINKLE
                         BB! You're not doing it right!

                                   BB
                         I'm lifting a big metal thing.
                         There's only one way to do it.

                                   VINKLE
                         It's - - ow! -- on my - - ah! --
                         my foot!

               Vinkle drops the shelf and it falls to the side. With a
               huge CRASH, it hits the ground. CDs spiral in all
               directions.

               Vinkle hops away, shaking out his foot.

                                   VINKLE (CONT'D)
                         My podiatrist said I'm not
                         supposed to put heavy things on
                         it!

               Across the store, Shane enters. BB, ignoring Vinkle, spots
               him.

                                   BB
                         Dude, where've you been? We've
                         got a gig tonight, you know!

               Behind Shane, HANNAH MARSHALL enters. BB grins. Vinkle
               stops hopping around.

                                   BB (CONT'D)
                             (re: Hannah)
                         But we forgive you, if she's back
                         for good.

               Shane and Hannah share a smile.

                                   SHANE
                         Yeah. I think she's back. Do you
                         think you're back?

                                   HANNAH
                         I very definitely think so.

               She grins. BB opens his arms and Hannah skips forward,
               hugging him. She turns to Vinkle but he flinches away.
               Hannah smirks and grabs him anyway.

                                   GWEN (O.S.)
                         Shane?

               Shane, somewhat startled, looks up. GWEN HART makes her way
               down the stairs from the loft.

                                   SHANE
                         Uh, hi, Gwen. Hey.

                                   GWEN
                         What are you doing here?

                                   SHANE
                         I sort of, well, my cousin –-

               He turns, searching for Jimmy but he's nowhere to be seen.

                                   SHANE (CONT'D)
                         -- Doesn't seem to realise my
                         band is trashing his store.

                                   GWEN
                         The blonde guy? With glasses?

               Shane nods. 

                                   GWEN (CONT'D)
                         He was ranting before and trying
                         to figure out what to do. I'm
                         pretty sure he landed on
                         "ignoring it and hoping it goes
                         away".

                                   SHANE
                         Right. Yeah...

                                   GWEN
                         I'm just picking up a CD for
                         Niko.

                                   SHANE
                         So, you guys are still...

                                   GWEN
                         We're still, yeah.

               Over with BB and Vinkle, Hannah notices Gwen.

                                   SHANE
                         Well, no, I just meant that you
                         guys should... come to the show.
                         My band. Tonight. Here. We're
                         playing a...

                                   GWEN
                         Show?

                                   SHANE
                         Exactly. And you should come. I
                         guess it's sort of... an apology.
                         For the other week. 

               Gwen thinks for a moment. Smiles.

                                   GWEN
                         Yeah. That sounds like fun.

                                   SHANE
                         It will be. Fun. Lots of it.

                                   GWEN
                         Well, I'm just gonna... pay.

               Shane leaps out of her way, waving out his arms towards the
               front counter.

                                   SHANE
                         Okay. You go pay and I'll just
                         be... over there. With my band
                         who you will see tonight.

                                   GWEN
                         Tonight. Okay.

               Shane, practically dying from awkwardness, moves away. As
               he exits frame, he cringes in embarrassment.

               INT. THE HAPPY VAMPIRE – DAY

               Caroline, Peter, Cam and Penny are seated in a booth by the
               window. They each have a macabre themed meal in front of
               them but no one's very interested in eating at this point.

               Vi approaches the table, tossing a handful of tomato sauce
               packets onto it.

                                   VI
                         I bring sauce.

               She sits down, picks one back up and eyes it carefully.

                                   VI (CONT'D)
                         Okay, I'm all for being detailed
                         but do they really have to shape
                         these like blood bags from the
                         hospital?

               Looking up, she waits for a response. The rest of the
               family stare at her with a mix of nervousness and
               anticipation.

                                   VI (CONT'D)
                         What is it? Do I have something
                         on my face?

                                   CAROLINE
                         No, sweetie. We have to... tell
                         you something.

               Vi's face drops.

                                   VI
                         Oh God. Is Penny pregnant?

                                   PENNY
                         What?!

                                   VI
                         Because you are not turning my
                         room into a nursery.

               Penny grabs a chip from Cam's tray and hurls it at Vi who
               dodges easily.

                                   PENNY
                         Skank!

                                   VI
                         Well, obviously not if I'm not
                         the one --

                                   PENNY
                         I found Dad's book, you freak!
                         It's getting published and we're
                         having the stupid launch party
                         tonight!

               Silence. They stare at Vi. Waiting for the inevitable
               meltdown. Vi blinks. She looks to Peter.

               A beat.

               Her face lights up.

                                   VI
                         You're getting a book published?
                         Oh my God, Dad! That's awesome!

               Peter, Caroline, Cam and Penny share stunned looks. This is
               definitely not the reaction they were expecting.

               INT. THE COMPANY – BENSON'S OFFICE – DAY

               Benson looks asleep, sitting back in his chair. 

               His telephone RINGS and his hand moves only slightly to
               pick up the receiver and lift it to his ear.

                                   BENSON
                             (into phone)
                         Yes?

               There's a long beat. Some RAPID UNINTELLIGIBLE SPEAKING
               from the other end of the line is heard through the
               silence.

               Benson's eyes open.
[ top | next ]

Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.