INT. COLLEGE CLASSROOM - DAY
Mike sits near the front of the class, doodling around on a
sketch pad. The professor isn't there yet, and there's loud
CHATTER throughout the room. A scruffy-looking stoner guy (22,
uncombed hair, goatee, dirty t-shirt) flops down in the seat
down next to Mike. This is BERNIE.
BERNIE
Mike-el! How's it hangin', brotha'?
MIKE
You know me, Bernie. Straight up and
to the left.
BERNIE
Wha?
(beat; shrug)
Did you hear the news, man?
MIKE
(shaking his head)
What news?
BERNIE
Professor Seaver totally ran off with
his secretary!
MIKE
So, not just a little then?
BERNIE
Wha?
(beat; shrug)
Anyway, Professor Malloy is taking
over for the rest of the semester.
MIKE
Who?
From behind Mike and Bernie, JOAN (22, Asian) leans forward to
butt into their conversation.
JOAN
(excitedly)
Professor Malloy!
Mike shakes his head.
JOAN (CONT'D)
You don't know Professor Malloy?!
(beat)
Well he's only like the most exciting
teacher ever! He's so intense!
BERNIE
(to Mike)
Intense is right. Dude needs to take a
major chill pill.
Joan scoffs. Mike frowns. The door opens. The three look up.
Joan's face lights up as the Gruff Man from the previous night
enters the room. The chatter from the other students dies down.
A horrified look crosses Mike's face. He ducks down and brings
his hand up to his face attempting not to be seen.
GRUFF MAN
Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Jack
Malloy. As some of you may already
know, Professor Seaver has gone on an
unexpected "sabbatical", so I'll be
filling in for the remainder of the
semester.
JACK stands up at the podium. He surveys the class.
JACK
I see a lot unfamiliar faces out
there.
JACK's POV: Joan perks up and waives excitedly.
JACK (CONT'D)
But I also see there are quite a few
of you whom I've already had the
pleasure of hav...
His eye catches Mike slumping down in his seat, a hand over his
face, trying not to be seen.
JACK (CONT'D)
(annoyed)
...having.
When he realizes he's been spotted, Mike waves timidly to Jack
and gives an embarrassed smile.
Jack furrows his brow and scowls as we:
BLACKOUT.
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. COLLEGE CLASSROOM - DAY
Jack's lecture is underway. He's pointing to an image on the
projection screen, a carving on a stone. Mike leans forward in
his seat, rapt.
JACK
Of course, "Mesopotamia" isn't so much
a culture as a region, which was host
to dozens of famous civilizations,
including the Babylonians, the
Sumerians...
Jack's watch BEEPS. He looks down at it.
JACK (CONT'D)
Well, I guess that's it for us today,
folks. I'll see you next week. Enjoy
your weekend!
There's a mad rush as students PACK UP and leave the room.
Eventually the room is empty, except for Jack, who's packing up
his own bag, and Mike, who shuffles around awkwardly.
MIKE
Hi.
Jack turns.
JACK
(neutrally)
Mike.
MIKE
Jack Malloy.
JACK
Yes.
MIKE
We went to a concert together. Two,
three months back.
JACK
We did.
MIKE
And then...
JACK
Yes.
Mike scuffs his foot on the floor.
MIKE
(embarrassed)
I kinda forgot.
JACK
Well, I understand, after all, the
names and faces must get pretty blurry
after a certain point.
MIKE
Dude, it's not like that. I wasn't...
"right", when that happened. I had
just lost someone really special to
me, and it all just got to me and I
went a little crazy. I'm sorry.
Jack raises an eyebrow, but says nothing.
MIKE (CONT'D)
I just... I really enjoyed your
lecture and thought maybe we could
grab a cup of coffee together and...
start over, you know, as friends.
Jack give Mike a cool, neutral stare for a beat.
JACK
Thank you for the apology, but no, I
don't think so.
Jack picks up his bag and walks away. Mike stands alone in the
empty room, stunned.
CUT TO:
INT. FRANK'S DINER - NIGHT
Frank is closing up, locking the door, turning the sign around.
Fletcher enters from the back, his jacket gone, his sleeves
rolled up. He rubs at his eyes.
FLETCHER
Coffee?
FRANK
On the counter.
Fletcher pours himself a cup and leans back against the counter.
FRANK (CONT'D)
You tired?
FLETCHER
If I fall asleep, don't let me drown
in my mug.
FRANK
Did you find anything?
FLETCHER
Oh, yes. Our amulet is rather famous.
There's a reason it gave off a magical
force strong enough to set off our
detectors. It's had, like, a hundred
names in the past few thousand years.
Eretuk Chi, which is untranslatable.
Smenkhkare's Gold, obviously. But my
personal favorite, mostly because I
can pronounce it, is the Amulet of
Aeons.
FRANK
Well, until you find it a name like
"John" or "Steve", why don't we just
call it "the amulet".
Fletcher raises his coffee mug to Frank as a toast.
FRANK (CONT'D)
What does it do? Did you manage to
figure that out while you were playing
Ancient Scrabble?
FLETCHER
As a matter of fact, yes. It could be
used as a catalyst for a very potent
spell.
His eyebrows raise, as if this news is quite stunning.
FRANK
What? What was that, am I supposed to
be surprised? What the hell isn't a
catalyst for a potent spell today?
Jeez.
Fletcher rolls his eyes.
FLETCHER
Yes, well. Thank you for deflating.
FRANK
(sighs)
Golly, Fletch, what does the magic
necklace do?
Fletcher smiles.
FLETCHER
Since you ask, it can be used to
harness an immense amount of mystical
energy and store it.
FRANK
I don't like that.
FLETCHER
The energy gets siphoned away from the
source and into the amulet itself, so
it's portable. Useable. Like a
battery.
FRANK
I don't like that either.
FLETCHER
And, of course, a large number of
summoning spells call for high levels
of mystical energy.
FRANK
I hate that.
FLETCHER
(gazing off)
And with what we know about Zachariah,
his cleverness... he could be
summoning one of the Outer Gods...
FRANK
Stop talking! It's not getting any
better!
Fletcher snaps back into the real world.
FLETCHER
Oh, sorry. Right. The point is, we
should find them before they use it.
FRANK
I can get behind that. Simple.
FLETCHER
Except... where are they?
FRANK
We located the amulet with the
trackers before. Can't we just use
them to find it again?
FLETCHER
(shaking his head)
It's not appearing on the scope
anymore. Something is blocking its
energy signature.
Frank leans back.
FRANK
Well, yeah. That's definitely a snafu.
The two men stare into the distance as they consider their next
move as we:
CUT TO:
INT. SUBURBAN LAIR - NIGHT
Silas sits on the couch, reading a book. One the table next to
him is the amulet. Zachariah's small ORB sits beside it, glowing
softly. Hester enters from the other room, buttoning her pants.
SILAS
Done?
HESTER
I think so.
(thinks)
Yeah.
SILAS
Great. This was a productive use of
moonlight, by the way, super timing.
Zach follows Hester, shirtless.
ZACHARIAH
Don't get your knickers in a twist,
Si.
(beat)
Unless they're around your ankles.
Zach gives Silas a flirtatious wink. Silas smiles thinly.
ZACHARIAH (CONT'D)
We've got plenty of time, mate.
Everything will work out.
SILAS
Do you want to describe what, exactly,
"everything" consists of?
ZACHARIAH
That'd be no fun. Work it out
yourself.
SILAS
Without that thing being charged, you
can't summon your demon army of doom.
ZACHARIAH
Yep.
Silas puts his book down.
SILAS
And you can't charge that thing
without a dimensional portal?
ZACHARIAH
If our pretty lass here is to be
believed.
HESTER
And I am.
SILAS
Well, this isn't "Back to the Future".
You don't know when a portal's going
to form.
ZACHARIAH
(to Hester)
What's "Back to the Future"?
HESTER
It's a movie where -- nevermind, don't
worry about it.
SILAS
Wait a minute.
(nodding toward the orb)
You're going to use Madam Cleo's Magic
Ball to pop open a rift, aren't you?
ZACHARIAH
If you are referring to my orb of
incredible power, then yes.
(beat)
Tonight's the night, my lovelies.
We'll have our amulet full of juice...
Zach leans in close to Silas.
ZACHARIAH (CONT'D)
...and be one step closer to
immortality.
He leans in quickly and give Silas a peck on the lips. He smiles
wide, cheeky grin, grabs a shirt off the back of the couch and
bolts out the door.
ZACHARIAH (CONT'D)
Come on!
Silas and Hester move to follow as we:
CUT TO:
INT. HEAVEN'S GATE POLICE HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT
Tanya sits at her desk, drinking coffee, filling out paperwork.
A shadow falls over her desk. She looks up.
Detective Reed stands over her, fingers templed together.
TANYA
Hey, Reed.
REED
Tanya.
Reed stands expectantly. Tanya puts her coffee down. Sighs.
TANYA
Can I help you with something?
REED
That, um --
(sniffs)
-- diner which you frequent.
TANYA
Yeah?
REED
What's the story?
TANYA
Well, long ago, Man realized that it
was damned inconvenient to have to
make all his food himself. So he built
special places that would make food
for him, whenever he went there, as
long as he paid for it.
This "diner" is a modern-day version
of those mystic places.
Reed narrows his eyes.
REED
Cute. No. I meant more along the lines
of, what's going on there?
Tanya squints her eyes.
TANYA
Reed, really, I-- I have no idea what
you're talking about.
REED
It's empty all day. Not even any
employees. A big glass box.
TANYA
It's nothing-- wait, how do you know
whether it's empty all day?
(beat)
You been staking out the diner?
REED
(matter-of-fact)
Yes.
TANYA
I... I don't know how to respond to
that.
REED
By telling me what I want to know?
TANYA
There's nothing to know. It's a diner.
A run-down, unpopular diner, but
nothing sinister. This isn't a Stephen
King story. The mundane is just the
mundane.
REED
(smiling coolly)
Okay.
He lingers on her for a minute before walking away. Tanya
shuffles the papers on her desk and sits back, sighing.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
INT. CHUCKIE'S RESTARAUNT - NIGHT
Frank holds the door open for Tanya. Both are dressed nicely--
this is a class place. Frank motions at the MAITRE D'.
FRANK
McGann, two.
The maitre d' scans the list of reservations in front of him.
MAITRE D'
Ah, yes. Right this way, please.
He motions for them to follow. They do, to a table at the back.
Frank pulls Tanya's chair out for her.
TANYA
Ooh. Thank you.
FRANK
No problem.
The maitre d' walks away and Tanya and Frank stare at each other
from across the table, illuminated by the single candle on the
table.
FRANK (CONT'D)
So.
TANYA
A real date.
FRANK
I know!
TANYA
I'm impressed.
Frank glances down at his menu.
FRANK
So, how was work?
TANYA
Hmm? Oh, yeah, it was... fine. Good.
FRANK
Great.
He taps his fingers on the table, uncomfortable.
TANYA
So.
FRANK
Yeah.
TANYA
What about yours?
FRANK
My-- my work?
TANYA
Right.
FRANK
Same as usual, you know. A lot of
"cooking."
TANYA
I think you should do some actual
cooking once in a while.
FRANK
(waggling eyebrows)
Is that an invitation?
TANYA
(snaps)
No, Frank. Actual, using-the-stove-to
make-food cooking.
FRANK
Jeez, Tan. What's wrong with you?
TANYA
Nothing. It's nothing.
She puts down her menu.
TANYA (CONT'D)
I got questions at work.
FRANK
What kind of questions?
TANYA
About you. You guys. The diner. Why
there are never any people there, how
do you stay in business with no
customers...
Frank shuffles in his seat.
FRANK
Who asked?
TANYA
Detective Reed.
FRANK
That guy? Damn.
TANYA
He's suspicious. I don't know why. You
should just... watch out, you know?
Frank nods.
FRANK
Thanks.
CUT TO:
EXT. HEAVEN'S GATE - CITY STREET - NIGHT
Hester, Zach, and Silas stalk the street, three abreast. They're
alone, and Silas is on the lookout.
HESTER
Where are we going, love?
ZACHARIAH
I'm looking for a good spot.
HESTER
For what?
Zach takes out the glowing orb.
ZACHARIAH
A good place to cut this baby loose.
SILAS
You're going to open a portal? In
broad moonlight. Right. Okay. That's
not the dumbest idea in the entire
world, or anything.
ZACHARIAH
What is your problem now?
SILAS
Whenever a dimensional rift pops open
around here the damn "A-Team" shows up
with guns to kill everything that
comes out of it.
ZACHARIAH
True, but I don't need the portal for
very long. We'll open it, charge up
the amulet and take off. The do
gooders can deal with whatever comes
out, we'll be long gone.
SILAS
Your plans always sound like they make
sense.
ZACHARIAH
Yes.
SILAS
And then they go horribly, horribly
wrong.
ZACHARIAH
(shrugging)
I work without a net.
Off his cheeky grin we:
CUT TO:
EXT. HEAVEN'S GATE - ALLEY - NIGHT
The trio stalk down the dark alley, Zach's orb lighting the
path.
HESTER
Here?
ZACHARIAH
Good a place as any.
SILAS
I mean, yeah, because there's only one
way to run if we get caught, and
that's always the height of strategy.
ZACHARIAH
Just mind the entrance, ay?
Silas leans against the wall and guards the entrance to the
alley while Zach hands the orb to Hester.
ZACHARIAH (CONT'D)
Hold this a tick, love.
He rolls up his sleeves, breathes into his hands.
ZACHARIAH (CONT'D)
Let's see what my ladies can do.
Hester smiles. Zach rubs the orb lightly, MUTTERING under his
breath. The orb starts to glow brighter, the energy POURING OUT,
seeping into the alley. Slowly, one of the otherwordly PORTALS
begins to open.
JUMP CUT TO:
INT. FRANK'S DINER - NIGHT
Fletcher sits at the counter, reading a book. Suddenly his
BEEPER goes off. He plucks it off his belt and checks it.
FLETCHER
Damn.
CUT TO:
INT. HEAVEN'S GATE - ALLEY - NIGHT
The portal continues to grow. Hester watches, enthralled.
HESTER
I never saw one open before...
ZACHARIAH
Beautiful, isn't it?
Off her smile we:
CUT TO:
INT. FLETCHER'S CAR - NIGHT
Fletcher, Tamsin, Mike, and Vi sit in the car. Fletcher drives
wildly through the streets.
FLETCHER
It started about two minutes ago, I
think.
TAMSIN
Where's it at?
FLETCHER
Corner of 52nd and King.
VI
You should call Frank.
FLETCHER
I sent him a text, but I think he's on
a date. We may be doing this one sans
commander.
MIKE
I nominate me to be the leader.
TAMSIN
Veto'd.
MIKE
Since when do you get to veto?
TAMSIN
Seniority. Frank, then me, then
Fletcher, then Vi. Chain of command.
MIKE
(mutters)
Chain of my ass.
TAMSIN
I heard that.
MIKE
I... I meant for you to.
Mike pouts as we:
CUT TO:
EXT. HEAVEN'S GATE - ALLEY - NIGHT
The rift is now almost completely opened. Silas looks over his
shoulder.
SILAS
Hurry up.
ZACHARIAH
Calm, calm. You're so antsy.
SILAS
Well, I've already been staked once.
I'm not anxious to repeat that again.
(beat)
Hell is...
A serious looks creeps over Silas' face.
SILAS (CONT'D)
...not fun.
ZACHARIAH
Don't worry. They're not going to send
you to hell.
HESTER
I won't let them, sweetie.
She smiles at him across the alley. He smiles softly back,
touched by her caring, but clearly still worried.
ZACHARIAH
Almost done anyway.
He reaches into his shirt and takes the amulet out. He pulls it
off his neck and holds it up.
ZACHARIAH (CONT'D)
Just an invocation away.
Silas gives a quick, nervous look around as we:
CUT TO:
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