Quickening (October 12, 2001) Written by: Jeffrey Bell Directed by: Skip Schoolnik Teaser EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - BARE, GNARLED BRANCHES Silhouetted by moonlight. O.S. HOOFBEATS motivate the CAMERA to ADJUST off the tress and onto a trail as a MAN ON HORSEBACK thunders past. CLOSE - THE HORSE At a full gallop. Nostrils snorting. CAMERA ADJUSTS up to HOLTZ, pressed against his steed, riding with steely-eyed intensity. Holtz spurs his horse through the thick forest and out into a, WIDE - MOONLIT FIELD He rides across the open expanse. SUPER: "YORK, ENGLAND, 1764." Holtz charges from the distance, TOWARD CAMERA, then yanks on the reins; brings his stallion to a dead stop and himself into a CLOSE UP. He scans the dark horizon. HOLTZ' POV - A TORCH Waving in the distance. Holtz goads the horse toward the moving light. REVERSE - A RIDER Waiting. Dressed in riding leathers. Signaling with the torch as Holtz gallops up. RIDER We've found them. Without wasted word, the Two Men turn their horõses, dig in their spurs and stampede into the night. INT. ENGLISH COTTAGE - NIGHT A HURRIED KNOCK on a wooden door as SARAH, a girl of eight or nine, steps into the entryway and opens the front door. REVEAL - ANGEL AND DARLA Dressed for the times. There's a quiet urgency about them. ANGEL Is your mother at home, young lady? The Girl nods. ANGEL (cont'd) Will you take us to her? SARAH Father said not to let strangers in while he's away. ANGEL But we're not strangers. (a beat) You're Sarah, aren't you? Sarah nods, surprised. Angel leans close. ANGEL (cont'd) We know all about you. You're the apple of your father's eye. DARLA (smiles) Would strangers know that? Angel glances back over his shoulder into the darkness. ANGEL So, lass, may two friends enter? Sarah thinks for a moment, then swings the door wide. ANGEL (cont'd) Is that a yes, then? SARAH Yes. Darla steps over the threshold, brushes Sarah's cheek. DARLA Such a dear girl. Remind me to give you a special treat.ì EXT. COTTAGE - NIGHT Holtz and the Rider gallop out of the woods as A HALF DOZEN MEN with torches hurry toward the house. RIDER (to Holtz) They're trapped inside. Off Holtz dismounting: INT. ENGLISH COTTAGE - CONTINUOUS The Mother, CAROLINE, sits in a chair, rocking a cradle near a warm fire. She looks up as Sarah steps into the room. CAROLINE What's all the fuss out there? Darla appears, holding Sarah's hand. Angel's right behind. ANGEL Evening to you, Ma'am. CAROLINE Good evening. Caroline nods cordially, but not without reservation. INTERCUT WITH: HOLTZ Reaches into his saddle bag, pulls out a pair of wooden STAKES. Moves toward the cottage as his men fan out. HOLTZ Burn it down if you have to. ANGEL Steps close to Caroline. ANGEL We can only stay a moment, but we have a message for your husband. CAROLINE You know my Daniel? Off Darla sharing a glance with Angel: HOLTZ'S MEN Armed with stakes and swords encircle the house. Holtz steps to the front dooôr. HOLTZ On my signal. CAROLINE Watches Angel and Darla nervously. CAROLINE And what is this message? Darla bends down to Sarah. DARLA I'll give it to Sarah. Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you. Sarah closes her eyes. CLOSE - DARLA MORPHS into VAMP-FACE. Caroline realizes the peril too late, SCREAMS, darts toward her daughter as the UNSEEN INFANT in the cradle starts to cry. Angel, behind Caroline, grabs her, YANKS her back into her chair. Leans in menacingly. Caroline shudders. ANGEL Tell your husband, Mr. Holtz... CLOSE - ANGEL VAMPED, ANGEL (cont'd) Nevermind, I'll tell him myself. HOLTZ Kicks in the door. Rushes in. But the place is deserted. It's not the same cottage Angel and Darla are in. Wild-eyed, Holtz dashes from room to room. He finds a trap door in the wooden floor. Swings it open. A tunnel disappears down into darkness. There's a note pinned to the underside of the door. Holtz grabs it. "How do you hope to save others, when you can't save your own?" ù CLOSE - HOLTZ Realizing. Takes off, as we PRELAP A BABY WAILING: VAMP DARLA Hunched over (the discreetly framed) Sarah. She looks up, her mouth smeared with blood. She glances toward the crib, then to Angel, who's straddling Caroline Holtz in the chair. DARLA Can't something be done about that horrible noise? Vamp Angel stands, leaving Caroline Holtz lifeless. He moves to the crib. Looks in at the wailing infant. DARLA (cont'd) I think it wants its mother. ANGEL Let's send it to her. Do you want to do it or should I? HOLTZ ON HORSEBACK Accompanied by TWO OTHERS, spur their horses through the countryside. INSIDE THE HOLTZ HOUSE - THE FRONT DOOR Holtz bursts in. All's quiet. A bloody streak on the wall. Blood all over the crib. Caroline on the floor; her body contorted like a rag doll. Angel and Darla, long gone. CLOSE - HOLTZ His face twists into a mask of pain. He falls to his knees. Then hears an echo-y voice; distant, as from another world. SARAH (O.S.) Father... FLASH CUúTS BRING US INTO L.A. AND A TIME LAPSE SUNRISE: INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - ANGEL'S LIVING ROOM - DAY Blinds and pulled curtains fend off the daylight. CAMERA DRIFTS across the room. Finds pregnant Darla asleep on a sofa. The door opens and Angel enters. He sits next to Darla, stares at her. Beautiful in sleep. He tentatively extends his hand, rests it on Darla's swollen belly. She wakes. Gently places her hand on his. DARLA Are you going to do it -- or am I? Off Angel, with some decisions to make: END OF TEASER Act One THE SPACE SHUTTLE BLASTS OFF CAMERA PULLS BACK as other air and space footage plays, until we're wide enough to see an entire television screen. CONTINUE TO WIDEN AND REVEAL, OTHER MONITORS (4 or 5 total) stacked together, broadcasting a history of the past couple hundred years (wars, city skylines, rock n' roll, sporting events, the Hoover Dam, the atom bomb, etc.) We are: INT. UNDERGROUND CHAMBER - DAY As established at the end of the episode #3ADH07, "Offspring." Holtýz sits alone in front of the monitors, eyes glued to the history lesson flashing on the screens. He's dressed in simple, contemporary clothing. The demon, SAHJHAN, enters behind Holtz. Watches the images. SAHJHAN I know it feels like only a moment to you, but two hundred and twenty-seven years have passed since our agreement. Empires have risen and fallen. Mankind has harnessed the power of the sun, walked on the moon and turned arid deserts into fields of green. War images play on a monitor: tanks, bombs, jet fighters. HOLTZ What of England? Has it survived the years and destruction? SahJhan steps around next to Holtz. SAHJHAN (nods that it has) It went through a rough patch about sixty years ago, but it's mostly unchanged. Warm beer, boiled meat, bad teeth. -- That's why I moved to L.A. He sits down next to Holtz, points at the screens as images of covered wagons unfold. SAHJHAN (cont'd) Did you follow this part of the history? -- American Revolution, Manifest Destiny, westward expansion, thýe Beach Boys. HOLTZ I understand enough. (a beat) But one thing baffles me. These visions; the wars, the weapons of destruction -- how is it that no one's killed Angelus or Darla? SahJhan leans close. Almost whispers. SAHJHAN That's why I brought you here, remember? -- Because your fate and their fate are entwined. Holtz stands. HOLTZ Then let's go. Let's finish this. -- I want Angelus. SahJhan stands as well. SAHJHAN I know. I want him too. -- But we're going to do it right. I haven't waited two centuries to mess it up. HOLTZ Have you been tracking them this entire time? SAHJHAN Yes, but not the way you imagine. -- There are other dimensions, other worlds where time behaves differently. I have an ability to navigate those dimensions. HOLTZ And is that why you haven't aged? SAHJHAN Yes. (a beat) That and I've had a little work done, mostly around the eyes. (another beat) Now get some rest. You're going to need it. SahJhan turns and leaves. Off Holtz, anxious to get back to work: INT. ÷ANGEL'S HOTEL - ANGEL'S LIVING ROOM - DAY Darla stretched out on the sofa. Angel stands nearby, lost in thought. DARLA You figure out a way to do it? ANGEL No. -- I was thinking about the last time you were here. DARLA Oh that. Kind of hard to forget. She struggles to sit up with her pregnant stomach. ANGEL I know. I've tried. DARLA Hey, you're the one who came in all, the world's a cold and lonely place. ANGEL I'd had a bad day. Darla stands, takes a few steps toward the bedroom. DARLA So you threw me through those glass doors, slammed me against a wall, pushed me onto the bed and took what you wanted? There's a KNOCK on the door. ANGEL Seemed like the thing to do at the time. (calling over) Come in. WES, GUNN, CORDY and FRED enter the room. Gunn's armed with a crossbow. WESLEY Sorry to intrude, but we've had a bit of a breakthrough with the Nyazian scroll translation and thought you should know. Fred launches in, excited by the discovery. FRED It turns out some of the irrÔegular verbs Wes was using were problematic when converted to Ga-Shundi, because of the Nyazian trick of conjugating both nouns and verbs, which he discovered by-- Fred realizes what she's doing. FRED (cont'd) --sorry, I'll shut up now so Wesley can tell you what he figured out. She sits down in a chair. Angel looks to Wesley. WESLEY The Tro-Clon isn't a person or persons. It's a confluence of events. CORDELIA Which means it involves not only you and Darla and the child, but other horrible things we don't know about. ANGEL But that's good, right? Doesn't that mean the kid isn't the evil, apocalyptic thing that we feared? WESLEY Not necessarily. There are a couple of Nyazian phrases related specifically to the thing being born that I haven't been able to complete. ANGEL So it's important that you do. GUNN Because we need to know what kinda bun's in the oven. Darla sits down on the sofa. DARLA I know one thing about it. (off their look) Something's Ôprotecting it. FRED How do you know that? DARLA Because I can't get rid of it. FRED Sorry I asked. Gunn steps over to Darla, aims the crossbow at her belly. GUNN You saying if I shot this into your stomach it wouldn't do anything? DARLA (spreads her arms wide) Fire away. Angel quickly crosses over. ANGEL No one's firing anything. He takes the crossbow from Gunn. WESLEY Angel's right. Clearly something wants this thing to come to term. (a beat) We'll wait until it's born and, we'll chop its head off. Everyone starts tossing out ideas. FRED What if it doesn't have a head? CORDELIA We're gonna need a really big mallet. GUNN If it skitters we should have a net or something. Maybe a flamethrower. ANGEL Flamethrower?! There will be no throwing of flames. Nobody's doing anything until we know exactly what's going on. -- If anyone has a problem with that, they should leave now. Darla stands, starts to leave. ANGEL (cont'd) Not you. She stops, sètands nearby. ANGEL (cont'd) Come on guys... How about it? Grumbling nods from Wes, Gunn and Fred. All but Cordelia. Angel steps over to her. ANGEL (cont'd) Cordy? CORDELIA Protect the vampire bitch who bit me, and her evil love child? POW! She jabs past Angel and punches Darla in the nose. CORDELIA (cont'd) Okay, I'm in. Darla takes half a step back. DARLA Owwww. CORDELIA Oh come on, tough girl, you're a vampire. A punch in the nose couldn't have hurt that much. Fred sees what's going on. FRED Not owww her nose... Darla grabs her pregnant stomach. FRED (cont'd) She's having contractions. Darla stretches back on the sofa as everyone gathers around her to help. EXT. WOLFRAM & HART - DAY To establish. INT. WOLFRAM & HART - LILAH'S OFFICE - DAY - LILAH Picks up a straight pin, PRICKS her finger. A drop of red blood beads out. CLOSE - AN INKWELL As Lilah dribbles blood from her finger into its top. She then picks up a pen, dips it into the inkwell, and sßigns her name at the bottom of a contract in blood. Just another day as an attorney. There's a KNOCK on her door and it opens. The mail guy, CYRIL, enters, pushing his cart. He's early twenties, in an ill-fitting shirt and tie. Lilah blows on the blood to speed its drying. CYRIL Morning, Ms. Morgan. He sets Lilah's mail on her desk. She hands him the contract, barely makes eye contact. LILAH Morning. Would you take this down to Pinderhook in Demon Resources fro me? CYRIL Sure. Cyril puts it in his mail cart. Doesn't leave. Just stands there nervously. CYRIL (cont'd) Ms. Morgan, I hate to bother you, but I've admired you for quite a while and I was wondering if-- LILAH (cutting him off) --Don't flatter yourself, Cyril. I don't date guys from the mail room. CYRIL Me neither. -- I just thought you should know about this. He hands her a CD-disk, turns the mail cart and heads for the door. Lilah, curious, slips it into her computer. CLOSE - THE SCREEN High anglëe surveillance video of Lilah and Fake Angel making out on Wesley's desk. Lilah calls out to Cyril, LILAH Wait! Cyril stops, Lilah stands. Starts toward him. LILAH (cont'd) (livid) You little weasel. If you think you can blackmail your way onto me, on my desk-- Cyril raises his hands in protest. CYRIL No. That's not, you've got it all wrong. -- I respect you way too much to be attracted to you. It's just, (how to say this) Down in the mailroom, I see a lot, y'know, the different factions in the firm. There comes a time when a guy has to choose a side. Lilah reaches over, closes the door. Traps Cyril against it. LILAH And is that disk your way of telling me you're choosing my side? Cyril nods, nervous. Lilah moves closer. LILAH (cont'd) And who are we allied against, you and I? Who is this common foe? CYRIL I'd rather not-- Lilah's charm turns to steel. LILAH --If you don't tell me right now, I'm going to have your skin peeled off and stapled back on inside out. Who isñ it? CYRIL (spills) Mr. Park. LILAH (to herself, of course) Gavin. CYRIL Remember those exterminators he sent to Angel's hotel? (off her nod) They don't kill bugs, they plant them. Off Lilah, on a mission: A SUPER STATIC-Y SURVEILLANCE CAMERA VIEW OF ANGEL'S HOTEL LOBBY. A Hand reaches in, adjusts a knob, nothing changes. The hand SLAPS the side of the monitor -- the static disappears. We are: INT. WOLFRAM & HART - SURVEILLANCE ROOM - DAY A secret room. Tech equipment, videotapes. A BANK OF SCREENS silently monitor different rooms in Angel's hotel. There's a TECH GUY wearing headphones, transcribing the tape on a laptop. GAVIN PARK stands behind him, perusing a voluminous transcript. GAVIN "Keee-yiiii, ha, yawaaa, ooow." -- Someone doing an incantation? TECH GUY No. Angel started training Female One in martial arts. I think she got in a lucky punch. GAVIN (nods/flips pages) Any tech problems? TECH GUY A couple of glitches. But don't sweat it, I've been staying late. The Teòch Guy tosses a thick transcript to Gavin. TECH GUY (cont'd) That's a transcription of everything up to yesterday. Gavin flips through the pages when the door to the room swings open. Lilah in the doorway. LILAH How about that? -- I just asked myself, "If I were a cockroach, where would I hide?" And voila... there you are. She steps in, holding the CD-Disk. LILAH (cont'd) Did you really think you could blackmail me with this? GAVIN Blackmail? Nobody cares. From what I hear, bumping uglies with an old man who body jumped into a vampire is the closest thing you've had to a meaningful relationship in years. That wipes the smirk off Lilah's face. He takes the CD. GAVIN (cont'd) This was about something else. (a beat) Thank you, Cyril. Cyril peeks around the corner, steps in. CYRIL You're welcome, sir. Lilah's trying to make sense of what just went down. LILAH (to Cyril) What about all that crap about choosing sides. GAVIN He did. He's on mine. Lilah steps closer to Gavin. LILùAH Is this your convoluted, pathetic way of asking me for help? (looks around) Because you sure need it. You're under-staffed, underfunded and clearly under-talented. She picks up the new transcript, starts flipping through it. LILAH (cont'd) So what have we learned? GAVIN We? -- There's no we. I just thought it was time you understood the full scope of what I'd been doing these past few months. Lilah spots something in the transcripts. LILAH Who's this "unidentified pregnant female?" She hands the transcript to the Tech Guy. TECH GUY (scanning transcript) Don't know. We lost audio for a couple days last week. I can pull the tape. LILAH (to Gavin) See? Need me. Tech Guy reaches over to a stack of videos, rifles his fingers along their edges until he finds the one he wants. Pops it into a deck. An angle of the empty lobby appears on screen. Tech Guy hits REVERSE. Images scramble backwards in abstract bits. Gavin, Lilah and Cyril crowd around the monitor as the Tech Guy hits play. CLOSEú - THE MONITOR Nothing for a beat, then A VERY PREGNANT WOMAN opens and walks in the front door of the hotel. CLOSE - LILAH Stares at the monitor. Recognizes the Pregnant Woman. LILAH Darla... Lilah hits PAUSE. FREEZES THE FRAME. Grabs a phone. GAVIN Darla? That's impossible. Vampires can't give birth. LILAH Tell me about it. (into the phone) Linwood, it's Lilah. You're not going to believe what I'm looking at. Off Lilah, her mind racing: PRELAP: A GROAN OF PAIN INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - ANGEL'S LIVING ROOM - DAY - DARLA Taking deep breaths on the sofa. Angel's next to her. Wes, Cordy and Fred are close by. Gunn has the crossbow again. ANGEL How long since the last contraction? Fred's staring at a stopwatch. FRED About twenty minutes. They're still real irregular. Darla looks to Angel. DARLA Something's wrong. The pain... ANGEL (flat) You like pain. She grabs Angel's arm. DARLA This is different. (digs her fingers in) I want it out. Now! Wesley steps closer. WESLEY That's Ëexactly what's happening, Darla. You're in the first stage of labor. ANGEL Labor. That's good, right? -- How long does it last? WESLEY It varies, but on average, the whole thing? -- Maybe eighteen hours. DARLA Eighteen hours!? She struggles to her feet. DARLA (cont'd) (barely able to speak) That's too long. Another contraction nearly buckles her to her knees. Angel catches her. Leads her across the room to his bed. Helps her lay down. ANGEL (to Darla) I'll be right back, okay? He crosses to the living room, pulls the french doors closed behind him. Turns to the gang. ANGEL(cont'd) We need to find out what's inside of her, and now. Before it "skitters" out. Gunn steps closer. GUNN We should get a demon-y doctor up here. -- Y'know, somebody who understands how her vampire girl- parts work. (a beat) That came out wrong, but you know what I'm sayin'. CORDELIA Didn't she already try that whole shaman-voodoo-witch-doctor-thing? Angel nods thaÏt she already has. FRED (almost afraid to say it) I don't suppose she ever went to a normal doctor or hospital? CORDELIA Hey, there's an idea. A hospital. (a beat) Oh wait, they don't admit vampires. Her crack gets Angel thinking. ANGEL (an idea forming) Who says we have to admit? He looks at Wes who catches on immediately. WESLEY Of course. We don't need the right doctor, we just need the right equipment. Darla howls in pain from the other room. Off Angel, springing into action: GRANDMASTER FLASH AND HIS FURIOUS FLASHES TAKE US TO: INT. WOLFRAM & HART - CORRIDOR - DAY LINWOOD MURROW, Lilah and Gavin stand in the middle of pandemonium. CAMERA CIRCLES THEM as humans and not-quite-humans scurry past in the bustling corridor. LINWOOD (on a cell) I don't care what it costs, find someone who can answer the bloody question. He snaps his phone shut. Turns to Lilah and Gavin. LINWOOD (cont'd) (feigning calm) Heads are going to roll if the Senior PÎartners hear about this. GAVIN They won't. That's why we came directly to you. LINWOOD (shaking his head) Darla. Pregnant. How did we miss it? Lilah gestures down the hall where some people are being escorted into a conference room. LILAH I'm sequestering the psychics and the mind readers in the conference room. We'll get to the bottom of this. Linwood nods, then loses himself in a moment of dark reverie. LINWOOD A man works hard, builds a thing, waters it, grows rich and powerful, leaves his wife for a younger beauty. These are why we take certain blood oaths. (shakes his head) To have it all vanish because of... He steadies himself, heads toward the conference room. Lilah and Gavin flank him. LILAH Sir, I can't stress enough. There's no way we could have foreseen this. GAVIN (chiming in) She's right, Sir. No one could have known. Off the three of them striding into the conference room: INT. WOLFRAM & HART - N.D. ROOM - DAY - CYRIL PeekingÝ out into the corridor. Closes the door. Presses SEND on his cell, puts the phone to his ear. The phone rings a couple of times. Then we hear a CHEERFUL WOMAN'S VOICE at the other end: CHEERFUL WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.) Hi, you've reached the Tittle's. We can't come to the phone right now. If you want to leave a message for Christine, press One... Her voice is followed by a YOUNG MAN'S, YOUNG MAN'S VOICE (O.S.) ...for Bentley, press Two... And then the Young Man's Voice is followed by a deep, rumbling, DEMONIC GROWL, DEMONIC GROWL (O.S.) ...or to speak to, or worship Master Tarfall, Underlord of Pain, press Three. CLOSE - THE PHONE Cyril presses Three. Turns his back and speaks conspiratorially into the phone. CYRIL Master, it's happened. The thing you have foreseen has come to be. We must tell the others. Off Cyril, beatific: END OF ACT ONE Act Two INT. HOLTZ HOUSE - NIGHT - WIDE To establish. SUPER: YORK, ENGLAND, 1773: INT. HOLTZ HOUSE - NIGHT Holtz, sluæmped on a wooden chair drinking from a mug. He's a broken man. The house has fallen into squalor and disrepair. A fire burns in the hearth, casts his shadow up on a wall. After a beat, A SECOND SHADOW A thin line, materializes up on the wall behind him. The line mysteriously widens into the silhouette of a man (VFX). REVERSE - OVER HOLTZ As a Dark Figure steps up behind him. BACK to Holtz, a lucidness in his eyes, sensing the intruder. HOLTZ (without looking) Another step and it'll be your last. The Dark Figure stops. Holtz drains his mug. HOLTZ (cont'd) If you've come for anything but a fight, you're in the wrong place. DARK FIGURE A fight's exactly what I'm looking for. Holtz turns to see who's behind him. In this dim light, the figure is little more than a silhouette. Though we may recognize it as SahJhan, Holtz does not. HOLTZ Then be a man and show your face. SahJhan steps out of the shadows. SAHJHAN I am not a man. HOLTZ' POV - SAHJHAN For the first timeð; his demonic face with its sharp, wise features and reptilian eyes. SAHJHAN (hedging) What I mean is-- HOLTZ --you're not human. SAHJHAN (nods) But clearly masculine. You get that, right? Holtz stands, takes a step toward SahJhan. HOLTZ You'll get more than a fight, if you don't leave right now. SahJhan takes a step back. SAHJHAN Fine. My mistake. (a beat) I just thought you might want help killing Angelus and Darla. CLOSE - HOLTZ A spark igniting at the mention of their names, then disappearing. HOLTZ I don't need your help. I'll kill them myself. SAHJHAN Not to rain on your parade, but, no you won't. You'll die a bitter old man and never see them again. HOLTZ You don't know that. SAHJHAN I kinda do. In fact, I know it'll be over two hundred years before you'll get another chance to confront either Angelus or Darla. Holtz holds the demon's gaze. HOLTZ And is this the part of the tale where the demon offers the broken man a chance to change all that? SAHJHAN (nods)ó I'll take you to them. Two centuries into the future. HOLTZ Through black magic and sorcery? SAHJHAN No, on a mule cart. (a beat) Of course through black magic and sorcery. I'm a demon. HOLTZ What do you want from me? SAHJHAN Your word. I want your word that when the time comes, you will show them no mercy. Holtz turns away, weighs the offer. SAHJHAN (cont'd) I don't mean to be pushy, but this is a limited time offer. Say, yes, and I'll take you to them this very hour. Say, no, and realize the one chance to avenge what they did to your wife and children has slipped away forever. Off Holtz, making his decision: INT. UNDERGROUND CHAMBER - NIGHT Holtz paces back and forth like a caged animal. If there's some video we haven't seen, it can be playing on a monitor behind him, but Holtz is no longer interested in watching. He looks up on the sound of the chamber door opening. Sees SahJhan enter. Crosses to him. SahJhan has a long coat, a duster, draped over one arm. HOLTZ You've keñpt me here long enough. Where are they? SAHJHAN It's not that simple. HOLTZ (angry) I'm tired of waiting. Holtz tries to grab SahJhan by the lapels, but his hands PASS RIGHT THROUGH HIM -- not as if the demon's a projection or hologram, but as if he's composed of displaceable atoms (VFX). SAHJHAN Like I said, not that simple. SahJhan straightens his jacket. Get's in Holtz' face. SAHJHAN (cont'd) (clearly irritated) You think I'd go to all this trouble of transporting you two and half centuries if I could walk up to Angelus and stake him myself? -- Please. There are rules and time tables and forces at work, far greater than either of us. He waves toward the monitors and they all go black. SAHJHAN (cont'd) You vengeful-types aren't real good at playing with others, are you? CLOSE - SAHJHAN As he MORPHS into a human version of himself. He then throws the duster he's holding to Holtz. Pulls off his own robe to reveal contemporary clothing. SAHJHAN Now put this on. I've lined up ósome men to help us. Off Holtz: EXT. ST. PATRICIA'S HOSPITAL (STOCK) - NIGHT To establish. INT. ST. PATRICIA'S HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - NIGHT Angel pushes Darla in a wheelchair down the hospital corridor. He nods, cordial, as hospital staff walk past. ANGEL (quiet to Darla) How you doing? DARLA I haven't had blood in almost a day and your demon spawn is trying to rip its way out of my body. How do you think I'm doing? As they roll past a doorway, Cordy pokes her head out behind them, calls after them. CORDELIA (stage whisper) Pssst. Paging Dr. Angel... Angel glances back. Cordy motions, "in here." She disappears back into the room as Angel pulls a U-turn. INT. ST. PATRICIA'S HOSPITAL - OPERATING THEATRE - NIGHT Wes is gathering supplies, laying them out as Angel and Cordy wheel Darla into the fully outfitted surgical bay. WESLEY I've sent Gunn and Fred to find an ultrasound machine so we could take a look. (clarifying) Inside Darla that is. Angel looks up toward the ceiling. è ANGEL'S POV - UPSTAIRS OBSERVATION AREA A viewing area with seats for students to watch surgeries and demonstrations. Above that, a canted window. ANGEL What is this, a classroom? WESLEY Yes, this is a teaching hospital. -- Darla, how are you felling? Darla sits stock still in the wheelchair. Angel notices. ANGEL Something wrong? DARLA (concentrating) I think the contractions have stopped. Wes crosses over to Darla. ANGEL (to Wes) Is that bad...? Wes starts to put his hand on Darla's stomach, then remembers who he's dealing with. WESLEY Do you mind if I... DARLA I won't bite. Wesley's not so sure as Darla places his hand on her stomach. CORDELIA No, but that thing inside might. Wes shoots Cordy a glance, feels Darla's belly. WESLEY We should get you up on the table. -- You may have been experiencing something called Braxton Hicks contractions. ANGEL Is that bad? WESLEY No. They're a form of false labor. DARLA False, as in, this isn't ready to come out yÜet? WESLEY Until I finish translating the Nyazian manuscript, anything's possible. Darla stands out of the wheelchair. DARLA (pissed) That's it, I'm cutting it out. She grabs a scalpel off the table. Angel catches her arm. DARLA (cont'd) Get your hands off me, before I cut it off. ANGEL We have a deal, Darla. DARLA We have a deal not to kill each other. We never said anything about amputations or disfigurement. Gunn and Fred burst through the door, pushing an ULTRASOUND MACHINE on wheels. Gunn's decked out like a doctor. Scrubs and a stethoscope slung around his neck. GUNN We better get busy. I think the lady we snagged this from is one of those "hound you 'til you die" types. Off Angel, waiting to see what Darla will do: INT. WOLFRAM & HART - CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT CAMERA DRIFTS across the conference room. It's been turned into a command center. HUMANS and MIND READERS are being interrogated. A DEMON is taking a polygraph. CAMERA FINDS Linwood in tÝhe f.g. He's lecturing A PSYCHIC. LINWOOD Correct me if I'm wrong, but the role of a Psychic is to be psychic. To predict the future so that Wolfram & Hart doesn't find itself in this kind of predicament. PSYCHIC I can't apologize enough, sir. LINWOOD You're right, you can't. Linwood changes gears. Backs off. LINWOOD (cont'd) But I'm not without compassion. I'm going to give you a chance to save your job and your skin. The Psychic processes the info a beat. PSYCHIC (suddenly alarmed) No you're not. You're going to have me killed. Linwood clamps his hand on the Psychic's shoulder. LINWOOD Now why couldn't you have had that kind of foresight when we needed it? A LARGE MAN behind the Psychic jerks a PLASTIC BAG over the Psychic's head. Starts to suffocate him. YANKS him out of frame. Linwood spots Lilah talking with a Mind-Reader and moves toward her. Lilah breaks off, meets up with Linwood. LILAH Intelligence is just coming in. No one seems to know how Darlêa could be pregnant. There's a rumor about a prophesy involving a vampire birth, but the scroll it's recorded on seems to be missing. LINWOOD Do you have any idea how many groups, cults and organizations would kill to get a hold of this baby? -- We need to get it before anybody else finds out. LILAH Yes, sir, and we will. LINWOOD We need to get it and dissect it and find out what it means. That "dissect" part is news to Lilah. Gavin hurries over. GAVIN Berlin's on the phone for you, sir. LINWOOD Oh God. If they've heard about this in Berlin, Singapore and Muncie can't be far behind. (to Lilah) Look, if the Senior Partners are looking to assign blame, the buck stops here. Understand me? LILAH Not exactly, Sir. LINWOOD If the Partners are looking to place blame, I'm going to have to step forward. LILAH That's inspiring, Sir. LINWOOD Yes, I'll step forward and blame you. Darla was resurrected on your watch. I can think of no better scapegoat. He pats her on the shouldeïr and goes to answer the phone. Lilah notices that Gavin is grinning at her. LILAH You think this is over? She pulls out her cell phone. LILAH (cont'd) Watch and learn, rookie. Off Lilah, dialing: INT. RUNDOWN DOWNTOWN HOTEL - NIGHT A place Travis Bickle might spend some quality alone time. The room is lit with candles. TILT UP A CANDLE and reveal a Man's hand clenched just over the flame. We'll call this man the ASSASSIN. He sits cross-legged on the floor wearing only a pair of shorts. Slowly the Assassin opens his hand, palm up, keeping it against the burning flame. There's a crumpled ball of paper in the hand. The Assassin concentrates. CLOSE - THE CRUMPLED PAPER Starts to smoke, then catches fire, as if his hand were conducting the heat. A phone RINGS, breaks the silence. The Assassin reaches over, picks up his cell. ASSASSIN Yes? (listens) I understand. He hangs up. Snuffs out the candle. Stands. ASSASSIN'S POV - A SAMURAI SWORD Across the room, leaning againsät a wall. The Assassin stretches out his arm -- The sword starts to VIBRATE, then MAGICALLY FLIES across the room and into his hand. The Assassin executes a quick, precise flourish. Off his bad ass moves: INT. HOSPITAL - OPERATING THEATRE - NIGHT - DARLA Lying on an exam table. Wesley tweaks some knobs on the ultrasound machine. WESLEY Well, then. Let's take a look, shall we? CLOSE - DARLA'S BARE BELLY As Wes puts the ultrasound wand on it. CLOSE - THE MONITOR Grainy, abstract images. Everyone leans close, tries to decipher the murky picture. WESLEY I haven't studied one of these in quite a while. ANGEL (pointing at the screen) Isn't that a head? WESLEY I think it is. (points elsewhere) Or is that the head? FRED Maybe you're both right. Everyone shoots her a glance. FRED (cont'd) (defensive) It's not like I'm suggesting it's an evil two-headed thing. Wesley moves the wand, the image changes, and suddenly a HUMAN-ISH FETUS is clearly visible. CORDELIA ×I see it... Darla glances at the monitor. Sees it too. DARLA My little parasite. Wes scrutinizes the image. WESLEY Oh my... ANGEL What is it? WESLEY It's..., it's human. GUNN Human, as in humanoid? As in Cannibalistic, Humanoid, Underground Dwellers? WESLEY No. Human as in... (smiles at Angel) ...A boy. ANGEL A boy? WESLEY A boy. (to Darla) You're carrying a boy. Darla's less than thrilled. DARLA Great. Angel's shocked. ANGEL I'm going to have a son? (likes the sound of it) I'm going to have a son. Fred's attention drifts past the monitor. FRED Uh, guys..., as fascinating as the ultrasound image of an unborn child may appear you should-- ANGEL (cutting her off) --Me. A father. To a son. Do you know what that means? FRED We're surrounded by vampires. ANGEL No, it's a human boy. (glances around the room) Oh. We're surrounded by vampires. ANGEL'S POV - VAMP-FACED VAMPIRES All around. Maybe a dozen; all dressed in similar-style clothes. åHe glances up: More Vamps upstairs. Darla sits up. The gang presses together. CORDELIA Okay, who's got a plan? GUNN Don't let 'em kill us sounds like a good first step. One of the Vamps, a GUY wearing some kind of PENDANT to distinguish himself from the others, steps forward. VAMP CULT GUY Behold, the "Miracle Child." WIDE - THE ROOM AS THE VAMPIRES surrounding the gang, and those upstairs, call out in response. VAMPIRES (in unison) The Miracle Child! The Miracle Child! And then, instead of attacking, they all bow down in unison. Off our guys, wondering what's next: END OF ACT TWO Act Three EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT STEADYCAM LEADS Holtz (wearing the duster) and SahJhan (with his hair in a ponytail) down the urban sidewalk. Holtz is taking in the sights and sounds of the modern world. SAHJHAN The buildings are taller, the machines more powerful and you can get really great Thai food at two in the morning. -- But the thing to understand is that people today are ×the same as they were in your day. They walk past a homeless guy passed out by his shopping cart. SAHJHAN (cont'd) They drink too much, they fight, they work hard, they fall in love-- HOLTZ --they have families. Holtz stops. Stares. HOLTZ'S POV - A FAMILY ON A POSTER. Several worn posters of the same image have been slapped on a roll-down security door. They feature a loving Mexican family; MOM, DAD, and A COUPLE OF KIDS. HOLTZ (cont'd) That's good... He nods to himself. Clearly this image brings up emotions. After a beat he starts walking again. HOLTZ (cont'd) I hope these men you've hired are ruthless bastards. SAHJHAN Ruthless is a good word. -- Down here. SahJhan turns toward an old building, leads Holtz down a short flight of steps to a heavy, battered door, with a narrow, CLOSED SLOT about eye level. SahJhan presses the button on an old intercom. A gravely, "GO AWAY!" crackles out. SAHJHAN (cont'd) It's SahJhan. (to Holtz) This is where we'lâl get your men. After a beat, the narrow slot in the door slides open. Behind its scratched safety glass, A GIANT EYEBALL fills most of the slot, checks them out, blinks. The slot slides shut. SAHJHAN (cont'd) (to Holtz) Very exclusive... The door BUZZES and then a CLICK. SahJhan opens the door. CLOSE - FEET SKIPPING ROPE CRANE UP, revealing more of the person. Okay, not so much a person as a demon; a hulkish, GRAPPLER DEMON with Popeye arms, a bald head and the exaggerated features of something that's had its head bashed in way, too many times. We are: INT. GRAPPLER DEMON'S BOXING GYM - NIGHT A low-rent gym. ADJUST OFF the Rope Jumper to see the rest of the place. ANOTHER GRAPPLER DEMON works a speed bag. A COUPLE MORE train in other parts of the gym. TWO OTHERS spare in the gym's make-shift ring. They don't wear gloves, just CLOBBER each other with their huge fists. SahJhan and Holtz enter the gym. SahJhan has reverted to his DEMON FACE. PUSH IN on Holtz, who caðn't believe what he sees. HOLTZ These aren't "men"... SAHJHAN Once again, gender, not species. I should've said, "minions." He indicates the two in the ring. SAHJHAN (cont'd) You ever see Grappler demons fight? ONE of the DEMONS in the ring does a move and throws the other onto its back. Holtz shakes his head no. The Throwing Demon then wraps his thick arm around the Fallen one's neck. Pulls. CLOSE - HOLTZ AND SAHJHAN As we hear a sickening, wet, THWOP! SAHJHAN (grimacing) Not the sharpest pencils in the box, but merciless in battle. (calling out) Okay guys, over here, time to meet the new jefe. (to the guy in the ring) And Flarmar, leave the head in the ring, okay? WIDE - THE GYM As the demons circle around Holtz and SahJhan. SAHJHAN (to Holtz) Ready to command your troops, Captain? Holtz stares at the Grapplers, looks to SahJhan. HOLTZ Any other surprises I should know about? Off SahJhan, and an enigmatic smile: INT. HOSPITAL - OPERATING THEATRE - NIGHT Angel, ðWes and Gunn have all drawn weapons. Fred and Cordelia stand nearby. The Vamp Cult is still on bent knees. CORDELIA Hey, I'm all for being idolized and worshiped, but what the hell's going on? Angel calls over the Vamp Cult Guy. ANGEL What do you want? VAMP CULT GUY To protect the Miracle Child. ANGEL Protect? Oh... (relaxes) We're all here for the same thing. THERE'S A HUGE CRASH FROM ABOVE Everyone looks up as, THE CANTED WINDOW - SHATTERS And the Assassin, dressed in ninja black, his face visible, plummets through the window and down to the floor. ASSASSIN Aiyyaaaa! He draws his samurai sword, suddenly realizes there's a party going on as, FIVE OR SIX VAMP CULT MEMBERS ROCKET ONTO HIM. They're blindingly fast, and the Assassin disappears beneath them as they dispense with him in seconds. CLOSE - THE VAMP CULT GUY Rising off the slain Assassin, blood around his mouth. He calls out to the others. VAMP CULT GUY As it is has been prophesied by our Great Potentate, öUl-thar, we vow our lives to protect this Special Child. Angel turns to Darla. ANGEL (kinda proud) Hear that? Our kid, special. Then the Vamp Cult Guy says, VAMP CULT GUY Now let us kill the humans so we may use their blood to nourish the Mother and her Miracle Child. Wes and Gunn exchange a look -- "kill the humans?" Darla turns to Angel. DARLA Guess I'm going to get dinner after all. Off our gang, in deep shit: CLOSE - BLUEPRINTS As they unroll on a table. We may or may not recognize the floor plan of Angel's hotel. We are: INT. WOLFRAM & HART - CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT The command center is on red alert. Gavin and Linwood stare down at the schematics with SPECIAL OPS COMMMANDER BURKE. The Commander, wears a vaguely military uniform, maybe a beret. GAVIN Commander, this should provide your Ops Unit with a solid tactical base. (flipping pages) Plan and elevation drawings of every floor in Angel's hotel. I also have strategic surveillance capabilities so we can monitor the engagemûent from here. COMMANDER Excellent. He turns to Linwood. COMMANDER (cont'd) I'm confident my men will be able to capture and retrieve the target. The larger question for me revolves around the subsequent extraction of the target's cargo. Linwood's a bit confused, didn't quite follow that last bit. Looks to Gavin for clarification. GAVIN Getting the baby from Darla. LINWOOD Oh, of course. -- For that we've called in an expert. MAN (O.S.) You flatter me, sir. ANGLE - DR. FETVANOVICH A tall, spooky man wearing a buttoned up, floor length, leather duster. Fetvanovich leans heavily on a cane as he takes quick, tiny steps to the table. Lilah's at his side. LILAH Special Ops Commander Burke, may I introduce Dr. Fetvanovich from our satellite office in the Balkans. COMMANDER Welcome aboard, Doctor. LILAH Dr. Fetvanovich is the world's foremost specialist in paranormal obstetrics. -- We're very fortunate he's consented to help. DR. FETVANOVICH It is I who feel fortunate. A vampire birth is òunprecedented. I look forward to dissecting both the mother and the child. Off Wolfram & Hart's finest: INT. HOSPITAL - OPERATING THEATRE - NIGHT WIDE FROM ABOVE - Angel, Wesley, Cordy, Gunn and Fred are circled around Darla, facing out with weapons. The Vamp Cult is then circled threateningly around them. The circling Vampires lurch, but don't attack. ANGEL Darla, you might want to join the fight. DARLA Sorry, darlin', I'm going to have to be Switzerland and sit this one out. (to the Vamp Cult Guy) You did say you just wanted to kill the humans, right? VAMP CULT GUY Yes. Just the humans. Then we will nourish you, slice you open, wear your entrails as a belt and consume your eyeballs before we worship the Miracle Child. Not quite what Darla had in mind. DARLA (to Angel) Okay, I'm in. Angel susses the room. ANGEL Gunn, you and I'll hold them off for as long as we can. Wes, Cordy and Fred, get Darla to the car. DARLA I'd rather stay and fight. (she smiles at a young Vamp Dudeö) Show these youngsters a thing or two about real carnage. ANGEL Thoughtful, but you should go. Fred, who's been wide-eyed and quiet through this whole thing, turns to Gunn. FRED Charles, you have an extra dagger I could borrow? Gunn reaches inside his jacket. Pulls out a long knife. GUNN This okay? FRED Perfect. ANGEL On my count of three. One..., two, Fred suddenly spins on Darla, points the knife into her swollen belly. FRED (yells to the Vamps) YOU FREAKS MAKE ONE MOVE AND I SLICE YOUR MIRACLE KID INTO TRIPLETS. CORDELIA (sotto) It's always the quiet ones. The Vamps freak out, but they don't attack. One LEAPS DOWN from above, but the Vamp Cult Guy calls out, VAMP CULT GUY Wait! The Leaper backs off. The gang, circled around Darla, Fred still holding the knife, slowly move toward the exit. HIGH ANGLE - THE VAMPS Part as the Gang moves toward the exit, though they're watching for the slightest opportunity to attack. FRED (in Darla's ear) They don't know this knife can't ÷hurt the baby. DARLA (back into Fred's) They do now. Vampires have great hearing. Fred looks up to see that the Vamps have overheard. "Uh-Oh." DARLA (cont'd) Here we go. Darla PUNCHES past Fred, smashes a Vamp in the face and all hell breaks loose. LOW ANGLE - TOWARD THE OBSERVATION AREA Upstairs Vamps LEAP DOWN into the fray. Wes steps over, dusts a Vamp as it lands. Gunn trades blows with a Big Vamp. Cordy and Darla each hold their own as Angel takes a couple of punches from the Vamp Cult Guy. Wes looks around. WESLEY Everybody out! Then he grabs Darla as Wes, Gunn, Cordy and Fred head for the exit. Darla can't resist a parting shot, stops, hurls a Vamp into a supply cabinet. Angel grabs a janitor's broom, snaps it over his knee, and in a beautiful move, blocks the exit, spins and dusts the Vamp Cult Guy with the splintered broom handle. off the back of the Vamp Cult Guy's head DUSTING, reveal Angel in front of him: INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT - WIDE A contrast to the õscene we just left. Quiet, quiet. A SLOW PAN reveals the dark lobby to be empty. Until, A SWAT GUY'S HEAD Pops up in the f.g. He's decked out in high-tech finery. He backs away from the CAMERA, makes hand signals to someone else. SWAT GUY (into his lav. mic.) All clear. ROPES DROP into frame from above. TWO SWAT GUYS slide down and move off into position as, THE DOORS to the lobby open and SEVERAL MORE SWAT GUYS fan through the door and station themselves strategically. A beat later, Commander Burke and Dr. Fetvanovich step through the doors. Fetvanovich leans heavily on his cane; his feet hidden beneath his duster. Behind them, more SWAT GUYS enter carrying what appear to be TWO Inquisition-style CAGES on wheels; a Darla-sized one and a baby-sized one. Fetvanovich looks around the lobby, seems pleased. DR. FETVANOVICH Let's set up here. (a beat) And get a hose. I'm afraid there might be some blood. CAMERA ADJUSTS OFF Fetvanovich and settles on the cages: END OF ACT THREE Act Fæour EXT. AERIAL VIEWS OF DOWNTOWN (STOCK) - NIGHT FLASHY CUTS of buildings and traffic take us to, EXT. ANGEL'S CAR (MOVING) - NIGHT Angel's behind the wheel. Cordy and Fred in the front. Darla's in the back, head down, hair in her face, between Wesley and Gunn who keep glancing back behind them. GUNN I think we lost 'em. Angel looks over at Fred and Cordy. ANGEL Anybody hurt? Both women shake their heads. CORDELIA Nothing a couple of band-aids and a pint of Heath Bar Crunch can't fix. WESLEY I'm good. ANGEL Darla? No response. Angel glances back at her. Her head's still down. ANGEL (cont'd) Darla, everything okay? DARLA Yeah, I'm fine. She looks up. Though her hair still hangs forward, it looks like her eyes are wet. WESLEY Are you alright? DARLA It's nothing. ANGEL (realizing) It's the kid isn't it? Seeing him on the monitor? Something vulnerable almost surfaces on Darla's face, then quickly vanishes. DARLA I'm just disappointed the Vamp Cult didn'òt kill you all. (a beat) Now where we going? I'm famished and we all know how ugly that can get. Fred turns to Angel. FRED Where are we going? Angel's still thinking about Darla. ANGEL Somewhere safe. CORDELIA Where's safe? The hotel's definitely out. GUNN How 'bout if we go to-- ANGEL (cutting him off) --Vegas? Sorry, Gunn. Too high- profile. (off Gunn's clear disappointment) But I agree we need to get out of Dodge. Wesley leans forward. WESLEY Actually... Cordelia turns around, glares at Wes. CORDELIA God, I hate when you say that word. "Actually." (off Wes's look) "Actually" means your over-active, gi-normous brain has thought of something the rest of us have failed to consider. Right? WESLEY Just that other people seem to know a lot more about this kid's importance than we do. And the only thing that can help us, is back at the hotel. Wes leans forward toward Angel. WESLEY (cont'd) We can't protect your child unless we get the scrolls. Angel thinks for a beat, makes ða decision. ANGEL Okay, then. A quick stop. Off Angel's car, squealing around a corner and into the night: INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - GARDEN - NIGHT A Wolfram & Hart SWAT GUY posted in the garden. He hears a CLICK. Turns to investigate. Nothing. Turns back toward the hotel. REVEAL HOLTZ - RIGHT BEHIND HIM Holtz silently raises his sword behind the Guy. Brings it down hard across the SWAT Guy's neck (just out of frame). INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - LOBBY - NIGHT A stainless steel tray holds an array of scary, medical and obstetric tools. A hand reaches in, picks up a scalpel. Fetvanovich tests its edge. Sets it back on the tray. A mobile medical area (including a gothic-looking operating table) has been set up. Wolfram & Hart SWAT GUYS are everywhere. CLOSE - THE BACK OF FETVANOVICH As an o.s. door BANGS open. He turns around into a C.U. Sees Holtz, sword drawn, standing just inside the garden doors. Fetvanovich looks over to Commander Burke. DR. FETVANOVICH Is this man with you? òBefore Burke can answer, Holtz strides into the middle of the room, scans the opposition and says, HOLTZ Where's Angelus? MATCH CUT TO: A SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ANGLE OF THE SAME SCENE. WE ARE: INT. WOLFRAM & HART - SURVEILLANCE ROOM - NIGHT Lilah, Linwood and Gavin are pressed against each other as they watch the monitors. The TECH GUY is working in the b.g. The picture gets STATIC-Y, then clears. Linwood, already agitated, points at the monitor. LINWOOD Who's that pirate with the sword and what's he doing in the middle of my operation? Lilah shakes her head. LILAH I don't know, Sir, but he called Angel by his old name, Angelus. LINWOOD (frustrated) I need better audio. Linwood twists the knob to no avail. The Tech Guy patches and unpatches cables, trying to improve the sound. TECH GUY Any second... CLOSE - THE MONITOR A wide angle of the lobby. Holtz surrounded by a half dozen SWAT Guys. The FUTZING SOUND suddenly clears, just in time to hear Holtz say, HOLTZ Hand over thªe Vampires. LINWOOD This has gone on long enough... He picks up a walkie-talkie on the table in front of him. LINWOOD (cont'd) (into the walkie) I don't care who that man is... take him out. Take him out now. (then he adds) Over. On the monitors, a PAIR OF SWAT GUYS attack Holtz, the picture gets STATIC-Y. GAVIN (to Lilah) This should be sweet. ALL THE MONITORS GO TO BLANK STATIC-Y NOISE But the audio is crystal clear. Linwood yells, LINWOOD I need picture! TECH GUY Working on it, sir. The Tech Guy scrambles as AUDIO from the hotel continues -- hacking, screaming, swords clashing against each other, furniture being knocked over. CLOSE - LILAH Listening. Looks to Gavin. GAVIN Burke's never lost. LILAH I'm sure it'll be over in just a second. A LOUD, MANLY SCREAM GAVIN That should do it. But the UNSEEN fracas continues. The Tech Guy continues to plug and unplug cables. Linwood picks up the walkie-taÑlkie. LINWOOD (into the walkie) Anybody there? (remembering) Over. Off Lilah listening to the unseen carnage. EXT. DOWNTOWN STREET - NIGHT - WIDE CRANE DOWN as Angel's car turns onto the street from the far end of the black and drives toward CAMERA. Continue to CRANE DOWN until the CAMERA'S SHOOTING through the front windshield as Angel pulls the car over to the curb. He get's out. CORDELIA Why are we stopping here? ANGEL It's only a couple of blocks to the hotel. I'll go the rest of the way on foot. Cordy slides over behind the wheel. Gunn shoots her a look. GUNN Who said you get to be the wheel man? CORDELIA Who says is has to be a man? Angel moves over to Wesley. ANGEL The scrolls? WESLEY In the cabinet at the back of the office. ANGEL If I'm not back in five minutes, leave without me. CORDELIA Leave to where? ANGEL Anywhere. Somewhere safe. Angel starts away from the car. DARLA (calling after him) Angel... He looks back at Darwla. Holds her gaze for a beat. Clearly she wants to say something. ANGEL Yeah? She changes her mind. DARLA Just get out of here. Angel runs toward the car, LEAPS onto the hood, uses it to, SPRING UP ONTO A FIRE ESCAPE On the side of AN OLD BROWNSTONE. A beat later he's on top of the building. Off the gang in the car, waiting for Angel's return: OMITTED INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - UPSTAIRS - NIGHT - ANGEL Barrels along an upstairs hallway, rounds a corner, gets to the elevators, LEAPS over the balcony, lands in the lobby. CLOSE - ANGEL IN THE LOBBY His expression saying, "Oh shit." ANGEL'S POV - DEAD GUYS Everywhere. SWAT Team members sprawled lifelessly about the lobby. The mobile medical area has been torn apart and scattered. There's enough blood to suggest this wasn't a swift, easy fight. Angel sees something strange. Walks over and stares down at t he late Dr. Fetvanovich. SLOW PAN across his lifeless face, down the length of the Doctor's body. Fetvanovich's leather duster is pulled to one side revealing pants that taper down and end in, shockingly TEENY, TINY FEET. Shoes that would fit a two year-old jut out from his narrow, cuffed trousers. As Angel stares down at the odd sight, he hears a voice behind him. HOLTZ (O.S.) Angelus... CLOSE - ANGEL Recognizing the long-forgotten voice. He turns to face, HOLTZ - ACROSS THE LOBBY Bloodied, but clearly victorious. PUSH IN ON - ANGEL Not believing who he's seeing. MATCHING PUSH IN ON - HOLTZ HOLTZ I've been looking for you. Off Angel, steeling himself for what's to come: INT./EXT. ANGEL'S CAR - NIGHT - GUNN Sits on the passenger door, feet on the seat. Cordy's behind the wheel. Looks at her watch. Starts the car. GUNN He said five minutes. CORDELIA It's been six and a half. Darla's alŸone in the back. DARLA It's so typical of him... Wes and Fred stand outside the car, watching for Angel. FRED It probably can't hurt to wait another minute, right. I mean, what's the worse thing that could happen in another min--? DARLA SCREAMS IN PAIN Fred jumps. Darla arches her back, grabs her belly. FRED Ask a stupid question... Everyone hurries to Darla. Wesley leans into the car. Sees everything's wet. WESLEY Her water's broken... He opens the door to get in. WESLEY (cont'd) This is the real deal. There should be a blanket in the trunk. Gunn moves to get it. Cordy looks around. CORDELIA So we gonna deliver the kid here or go somewhere? No one seems to have an answer. Fred cranes her neck, looks up at the buildings. FRED What's keeping Angel? HIGH ANGLE - LOOKING DOWN At Fred looking up. Slowly PULL WIDER as the Gang tends to Darla and decides what to do. FADE TO BLACK THE END