| Begin Mazzy INT: SUMMERS�HOME KITCHEN: NIGHT Buffy and Spike enter the kitchen and find Dawn clacking away on the Mac laptop in order to do research. Dawn looks up at Spike�s entrance and flinches slightly. She looks to Buffy for direction, unsure of the vamp�s motives for being there. BUFFY Dawn, Spike came across Anya being infected by some green goddess thing. Maybe it�s linked to the mysterioso robe guys. Have you found anything? DAWN (slightly embarrassed) Well, first thing I did was check the regular book marks, but when I entered green glow or energy in the search engine, all I get is info on me. BUFFY Oh! DAWN Oh yeah and on Glory�s minions. So are minions always in robes? SPIKE They�re clothes that tend to travel well through a hunt and through the ages. DAWN Well, I guess you�d know. Buffy breaks the tension between her sister and her former�, well she wasn�t sure what Spike was to her at the moment. She pushes the statue towards Dawn. BUFFY What about this? Can you do a search on female goddesses and see if you come with any matches for this? DAWN (Dawn inspects the statue) I�m really better with the demon stuff than the goddess stuff, but I�ll give it a whirl, and then I�ll see what historical matches come up. If Willow was here� BUFFY But she�s not, so here�s your opportunity to shine. SPIKE And you better make it quick Lil Bit. Anya didn�t look like she was doing too well. EXT: STREETS OF SUNNYDALE: NIGHT Willow and Xander lumber away from the bar. Willow does her best to hold up a very drunken Xander in an attempt to get him home. XANDER (singing) "Oh show me the way to go home I�m tired and I wanna go to bed I had a little drink about an hour ago And it went right to my head Wherever�" (he stops) Come on Will, you know this one, sing along with me Willow reluctantly joins in... XANDER & WILLOW "I may roam By land or sea or foam Blah da da di da da ba di da di da --they don�t know this line; Xander slurs it anyway-- Show me the way to go home." Xander steps away from Willow bows and applauds for them. He nearly falls over. Willow moves quickly to catch him. XANDER Now that was fun. Didn�t you think that was fun? WILLOW Well actually, singing�no, not a barrel of fun or monkeys for me. XANDER And you like your monkeys in clothes, right? Willow gives Xander a strange look, unsure why he brought thought that up. A drunk Xander is not a very fun or smart Xander. A dark robed figure runs past them quickly in the distance. Willow doesn�t notice but it catches Xander�s eye. XANDER (slurring) Did you just see that? WILLOW What, now you�re seeing things? (mutters to herself) I knew we should�ve taken the car. XANDER No, really, I saw something. It was probably a vamp or something. Come on, we should go kill it. We�re the Slayerettes! Fear us! Xander takes off down the street in pursuit of the so-called baddie. Willow shouts after him. WILLOW Xander! NO! Come back. INT: ANYA�S APARTMENT She speaks with the robed figure that ceases to get up from his place of worship on the floor. ANYA So let me get this straight. I am now the Vessel for Clantus, Goddess of Indignity? ROBED GUY (let�s call him Jake, shall we?) You are Clantus. For you�re the one and only, and I shall serve you. ANYA Yeah, I get that part, but how exactly are you serving me? JAKE Retribution shall be paid. Those who have wronged shall be humiliated. I am your humble servant. We have gathered and await your orders. Anya�s fear begins to subside once she realizes that she now has acquired an enviable position of power. ANYA Retribution�huh? Like vengeance, but less veiny. Jake nods his head, seeming to understand her unnatural talk. ANYA So, I can choose anyone, anyone I want, and punish him or her with indignity? JAKE That is the way. Anya rubs her palms together, the wheels beginning to turn in her head. ANYA Ok, I�m gonna need a pen and paper for this. Jake, can I call you Jake? JAKE Actually my name is Freshanlopsiquandillyno ANYA I like Jake. She touches his shoulders much like the Queen does when granting a commoner a title. JAKE So be it. ANYA Ok, first thing we must do is find the Harris boy. INT: SUMMER�S KITCHEN: NIGHT Time has passed and Dawn�s still doing the research thing, with Buffy and Spike hovering. Spike picks up the statue again. He studies it to get some more info. SPIKE I�m no Antiques Roadshow expert, but this looks like it�s made of pure jade, probably from China--Ming Dynasty maybe. BUFFY Dawn, does that help at all? DAWN (excitedly) Wait, I think I found something! Here. There�s a mention of a crime circa 1622. A woman murdered her brother with a long sword. She claimed that it was retribution in the name of the goddess she served. It says they found the body covered in robes. Eww and in a puddle of ooze? BUFFY Ew to the ooze. Spike looks to the statue again upon hearing this information. Suddenly pain surges through him as a memory flashes in his mind. He begins to ramble and pace in his crazy way. SPIKE It wasn�t her fault. It wasn�t her. Daddy was wrong. Daddy made the boy hurt. Mother served for me. Mother was a servant. BUFFY (worriedly) Spike! DAWN What�s wrong with him? BUFFY (upset) I don�t know. Something must have set him off. Spike continues to pace back and forth with his incessant rambles. Buffy approaches him and tries to calm him down grabbing him tightly in an attempt to seat him. Spike stares off into space. SPIKE It wasn�t her fault. It was Clantus. Clantus killed Daddy. Commercial: Home delivery of the NY Times. �The only thing I like doing more than the crossword, is actually finishing it.� End Mazzy Mazzy again�(and for the duration) EXT STREETS OF SUNNYDALE: NIGHT Xander runs loudly down the back streets of Sunnydale in pursuit of the figure he saw. Not far behind him is a distraught Willow. XANDER Here I come you vampy bastard! WILLOW Xander, slow down! Wait for me. Xander catches a piece of the figures clothing as he/she/it (?) runs around a corner. Xander picks up the pace and follows. When he turns the corner, he sees the figure against the wall. Its face is revealed to be slightly grotesque in manner, but it is certainly not a vampire. It stares down at Xander in triumph. Though Xander had chased him, clearly the robed man had set a trap. Xander hears shuffling behind him and notices two more robed figures closing in on him. XANDER Whoa! The robed guy who was running walks toward him, speaking. ROBED GUY In the name of Clantus, we seek retribution. Prepare to suffer. Suddenly, Willow dashes into the alley. The moment she sees the danger, she morphs from worried Willow to black-eyed goddess. She extends an outstretched hand and electric currents begin to flow from her fingertips. WILLOW Chiavus! The currents strike the three robed men who have formed a triangle against Xander. They are frozen in time, Xander between them looking around at the energy triangle and it�s source�Willow. He is suddenly sober. XANDER Will, what�s going on? Is this kosher? Willow turns her strong, dark eyes upon him, power still emanates from her palm. WILLOW Quiet! In a quick motion, all three robed men lift up their arms simultaneously. Green light surrounds them and forces back Willow�s energy. A burst of the green light collects in a ball and back into her palm. The force of the green energy throws her back on the ground. The triangle is now surrounded in a curtain of green. Willow stands up and dusts herself off. The moment she reaches out her hand again, the green light envelops the alleyway, and is gone in an instant, taking the robed men and Xander with them in a flashing burst of light. Cut back to Willow; zoom in close on her face. Her dark eyes glaze over in a trance. She is lost. INT: SUMMER�S KITCHEN: NIGHT Spike is on the couch, cradled in Buffy�s arms as she tries to soothe him. She hushes him as she rocks his body. BUFFY It�s okay Spike. (she yells to Dawn) What have you got on Clantus? DAWN Buffy, I think this is it. Come here and take a look. Buffy gently moves Spike from her, moving a pillow in place of her body and touching his forehead tenderly, as if she could soothe his hallucinatory fever. BUFFY It�s okay Spike. You�ll be fine. Just rest now. (pleadingly) Please! She sees him close his eyes, and then moves toward Dawn. She comes around her, peering at the computer screen. DAWN Look at this picture of Clantus and now look at the statue. Dawn moves to pick it up. BUFFY Be careful Dawn! The last thing I need is for you to be pricked on this thing too. Buffy grabs the statue from Dawn and makes the comparison. BUFFY Well, it generally looks the same. Some differences in clothes, but look, the same type of weapon. See the ax? Dawn nods. Buffy looks back toward the living room where she hears quietude BUFFY (she whispers toward Spike) What happened to you? DAWN What? BUFFY Nothing. What does it say? DAWN Goddess Clantus, Nordic figurehead of retribution. Known for aiding aggrieved parties who command righteousness. She exists in spirit form, but can possess the powerful. A legion of followers� (Dawn turns to Buffy) �I�m guessing that�s the robed guys we saw� (she looks back at the screen and continues reading) �carry out her deeds and seek out a vessel for her splendor. She is conjured by their leader in a solem mystical ritual. They see her will be done. BUFFY Is there more? Like how to deal with her? DAWN No, not on this site, but I can keep looking. BUFFY Keep looking. I�ve got to get to Anya before anything tragic happens. Buffy begins to gather her stuff and load up. DAWN What about me? What about Spike? BUFFY He should be okay. He seemed really worn out. But just in case� Buffy leaves the room for a bit. Dawn can hear her carefully opening the weapons chest. She returns with the stun gun. DAWN What, no stake? Buffy gives her sister an aggravated look. BUFFY I know I showed you how to use this, but please be careful. I gotta go. I�ve got the cell if things get really hairy. You keep researching and call me if you find out more. Buffy exits through the kitchen door. Dawn goes back to the computer. It is deathly quiet but she can hear Spike mumbling in his sleep. SPIKE (mumbles) She�s the strongest woman in the world, the Slayer. You can touch her, but she�ll break your heart. EXT: SUNNYDALE ALLEY: NIGHT A powerful, entranced Willow stalks the streets. Down the way she sees two shadows illuminated by sparse moonlight. There looks like a quiet struggle. Willow approaches them with sheer force. It is a vampire feeding on a female victim. It takes no notice of her, consumed in its kill. Willow creates fists with both of her hands, and then brings them together in a slam. A ball of energy forms from her fingertips and consumes the vampire. It begins to burn. It�s too late for the victim though. She slumps to the ground. Willow watches as the vampire burns, the flames reflecting in her dark eyes. She is transfixed. EXT: SUNNYDALE--ANOTHER ALLEY: STILL NIGHT! Buffy, determined, walks to Anya�s apartment. Ahead of her, a darkened alley is suddenly consumed in a burst of fiery light. She races toward the light, ready to fight. When she is at its source, she sees Willow standing in its glow. Stunned, Buffy watches her entranced friend. BUFFY Willow? There is no reply BUFFY Willow? It�s me. What�s happening to you? |
| RETRIBUTION |
| PART IV |
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