Hero/Transcript

Helen Magnus investigates an unlikely "superhero" whose crime-fighting efforts are interfering with their work and unintentionally threatening innocent lives.
== Cold open ==
=== Teaser sequence ===
EXT. - PARK NEAR RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY
[A man is running down the street being chased by two motorcycles. The man runs in between two commercial buildings. As the motorcycles get close the man dives under a large truck and slides under to the other side. The man runs into an alley but it's a dead end and he is trapped by the motorcyclists. The motorcyclists dismount and pull out their guns.]
MOTORCYCLIST 1:Get down, down on the ground now!
[The motorcyclists walk forward toward the man who is still standing looking at them.]
MOTORCYCLIST 1:I'm not joking mate, get down. 
[A man in super hero costume flies down and stands in a fighting stance between the motorcyclist and the man.]
SUPERHERO:That's far enough citizen.
MOTORCYCLIST 1:Who the hell are you?
SUPERHERO:The Adjuster and your about to be adjusted!
[The Adjuster walks up to motorcyclist 1 disarming, punching and kicking him to the ground. Motorcyclist 2 tries to run past The Adjuster but is cloth lined causing him to fall on the ground hard. The Adjuster walks back over to Motorcyclist one who is still on the ground.]
THE ADJUSTER:Let that be a lesson to you fiends. The streets of Old City are no longer safe for your kind.
[The Adjuster kicks Motorcyclist 1 and walks back to the man he rescued.]
THE ADJUSTER:When crime is around, oh I'll be found.
THE ADJUSTER:Let's go.
[The Adjuster grabs the man and flies away with him.]
MOTORCYCLIST 2:What in the hell was that!
[Motorcyclist 2 takes off his helmet and reveals that he is Will.]
[Motorcyclist 1 takes off his helmet and reveals he is Declan.]
DECLAN:Mate, I have no idea.
== Title sequence ==
== Act I ==
"HERO"
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - MAGNUS'S STUDY - DAY
[Magnus and Kate are watching a monitor while Bigfoot is checking over Will's injuries and Declan is holding an ice pack to his shoulder.]
KATE:Oh here, this is my favorite part.
[Kate points at the monitor which is showing video of Will getting cloth lined by The Adjuster.]
WILL:You know I'm so pleased that my pain amuses you all.
KATE:Oh God, look at the whiplash on that baby!
[Will cries out in pain as Bigfoot finds a sore spot.]
BIGFOOT:I'm checking for broken bones.
[Bigfoot smacks Will upside the head.]
WILL:Yeah well if you press any harder you'll find something.
[Magnus points to the monitor as it shows The Adjuster flying away.]
MAGNUS:How does he manage to fly like that without wings? I've never seen an abnormal with that ability before.
WILL:Yeah I thought the same thing when my head bounced off the ground.
[Magnus looks back at Will and smiles. Then turns to Declan.]
MAGNUS:How's the shoulder?
DECLAN:Nothing I can't handle.
MAGNUS:Not exactly the welcome I had in mind when you volunteered to come aboard. 
DECLAN:Sorry the guy we were chasing got away.
MAGNUS:He's an empath trying to break free from the mob. If he's smart he'll come to us. As to your flying man, I'm having Henry look into it. 
DECLAN:Keep me posted. I'm dying for a rematch.
[Bigfoot has switched to looking at Declan's shoulder.''
DECLAN:I'm good mate.
WILL:Well if anyone needs me, I'll be coughing up blood.
MAGNUS:Actually I need you. Get dressed.
[Magnus walks out of office.]
----
EXT. - NEW CITY - CONSTRUCTION SITE - ESTABLISHING SHOT - DAY
EXT. - NEW CITY - CONSTRUCTION SITE - DAY
[Magnus and Will are following the construction site foreman.]
FOREMAN:Happened around eight. Guys were digging out a corner when the wall gave way.
INT. - NEW CITY - CONSTRUCTION SITE - CAVERN - DAY
FOREMAN:They found this.
[Construction foreman has lead them to a cavern.]
FOREMAN:I called the city inspector right away. He took one look at it and called you. So you guys archeologist or something?
[Magnus and Will have walked over to what looks like an opened egg and Magnus starts to examine it.]
MAGNUS:Would you mind rounding up the rest of the crew that was here at the time? I'd like to speak with them.
FOREMAN:Ok sure I'll be right back.
MAGNUS:Thank you!
[Construction foreman leaves.]
WILL:Have you seen some of these eggs before?
MAGNUS:No. Whatever it is it hatched recently. 
[Will looks around the walls of the cavern.]
WILL:These look like claw marks. You think something dug this hole, laid the egg and then just left it?
MAGNUS:It would have had to occur years ago before the city was built.
WILL:It's difficult to imagine something surviving that long.
MAGNUS:But not impossible. The real question is, why did it hatch now?
WILL:This room was probably a vacuum before the workers broke through. Maybe the introduction of air started the process?
[The construction foreman returns.]
FOREMAN:The men are all outside, except Joe.
WILL:Joe?
FOREMAN:The backhoe operator, first guy on the scene, he left said he wasn't feeling well or something.
----
EXT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - ESTABLISHING SHOT - DAY
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S LAB
[Magnus is examining the egg when Will walks in carrying a laptop which he sets on the table near Magnus.]
WILL:Joseph Koster, thirty-eight, divorced. No sign of any abnormal behavior.
MAGNUS:I take it you've tried to get in contact with him?
WILL:He's not answering his phone. He's not at his place either.
MAGNUS:Try putting out word to our contacts.
WILL:I already did. Squid just gave us a tip. There is some guy matching this description acting very weird on the top floor of Saint Canare Place.
MAGNUS:Saint Canare, that's a condemned building.
WILL:Yeah. I know it's a long shot, but Declan and I figured we ought to check it out.
MAGNUS:Absolutely, but be careful. We have no idea what effect this creature could have had on Mr. Koster.
WILL:Any idea what it is or was?
MAGNUS:The shell membrane would seem to indicate something reptilian. But the embryonic fluid is definitely consistent with that of an insect.
[Magnus picks up some of the embryonic fluid and Will gags.]
WILL:I'll ah just read the report.
[Will rushes out.]
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MAIN LAB - NEAR ABNORMAL HABITATS
[Henry is pushing a cart full of food and Kate is following him.]
HENRY:River banshee, fire shrimp, word of advice, wear gloves. Shouldn't you be writing this down or something?
KATE:What for?
HENRY:In case you need to fill in for me one day.
[Kate laughs and hits Henry on back.]
KATE:Yeah right. Hey! What's in here?
[Kate walks over to one of the habitats and pound on the glass.''
HENRY:I wouldn't do that if I were you.
KATE:Why not?
[What appears to be an octopus leg with suction receptacles on it smacks the glass where Kate is standing. She jumps back away from it.]
KATE:Ah! Whoa!
HENRY:Told ya.
[Kate's cell phone rings. She looks at display but doesn't answer it.]
HENRY:That sound usually means you should answer it.
[Chuck comes in and places another tray on the cart. Henry stops and looks back at Kate. Kate turns away and answers the cell phone.]
KATE:Yeah.
EXT. - STREET - ON SIDEWALK - DAY
[Man is shown walking down street talking on phone.]
MAN:Hey it's me. I need to see you.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MAIN LAB - NEAR ABNORMAL HABITATS
KATE:I'll call you back.
[Henry is still watching Kate.]
HENRY:Everything okay?
KATE:Yeah, I got to go.
[Kate leaves.]
----
EXT. - SAINT CONAIR PLACE - DAY
[Will and Declan enter a room with no wall to the outside of the building.]
DECLAN:What's a guy like Joe doing in a place like this?
WILL:No idea.
[They start to look around and Will finds an employee badge.]
WILL:He was definitely here though.
DECLAN:Hey Zimmerman, you hungry?
[Declan puts up a chair that is on it's side to reveal a dead animal.]
WILL:Not anymore.
DECLAN:You've got to be kidding me. He likes chowing down on cats.
[Will picks up stick and pulls a collar out of the animal remains.]
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - HENRY'S ARRAY
MAGNUS:Have you found anything Henry?
HENRY:Looks like your mystery superhero has been busy. 
MAGNUS:Doing what exactly? 
HENRY:Everything it seems; foiling robberies, beating up bad guys. The best is this.
[Henry plays video on his monitor.]
MAGNUS:What am I looking at?
HENRY:Video of a jumper taken yesterday, here check it out.
[Video shows a person jumping off building and then The Adjuster catching him mid-fall and flying off.]
MAGNUS:Unbelievable.
HENRY:Yeah, except the guy ended up with four crushed vertebrae from the force of the catch.
MAGNUS:Ouch. Any information on how we can find this flying man?
HENRY:Well so far he's done a really good job of keeping his secret identity a secret. 
MAGNUS:Well we need to track him down. For one thing he is getting in the way of our work and for another, he keeps this up and a lot of people are going to get seriously hurt.
HENRY:Well I don't know if this helps but eyewitness reports state that he arrives on the scene right away sometimes before the police.
MAGNUS:Hmm.
HENRY:You think he has some kind of ESP?
[Magnus smiles and looks at Henry.]
MAGNUS:Ah Henry.
[Magnus leaves smiling.]
----
INT. - APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
[Comic books and figures are sitting on a table.]
THE ADJUSTER:Where ah where crime is found, I'll be around. Ah no. Where crime is seen, I'll be on the scene.
[The Adjuster is sitting with pad and pencil.]
THE ADJUSTER:Where crime is plotted, I'll be sp...spotted. Damn!
[He scribbles over what he has written. A police scanner can be heard.]
VOICE:All available units we have 10 36 in progress at 820 Orchid. Three suspects, shots fired. All units 820 Orchid.
[The Adjuster runs around putting on hockey gloves.]
THE ADJUSTER:Right.
[He runs out doorway onto balcony and leaps into the air and flies away. He lands in back alley with no one in sight.]
----
EXT. - 820 ORCHID - ALLEY - DAY
[The Adjuster clumsily lands in the the alley outside of 820 Orchid. He quickly looks around, and finds no one outside. He then points at the building in front of him, and walks inside a back / side door.]
INT. - 820 ORCHID - DAY
[The Adjuster enters the building ready to fight. Not seeing anyone he begins to walk up the stairs. He stops on the first landing when he hears Magnus.]
MAGNUS:Hello.
THE ADJUSTER:Who are you?
MAGNUS:My name is Helen Magnus and we need to talk. 
THE ADJUSTER:You tricked me. This is a trap. 
MAGNUS:Yes, but if you'll just listen.
[The Adjuster flies up and hovers to match the same elevation Magnus is standing at on level above him.]
THE ADJUSTER:I knew sooner or later my activities would attract the wrong kind of people. But you're going to have to do a lot better than that to bring me down. 
[Will has come in behind him and shoots him with a stunner.]
MAGNUS:Nice shot.
WILL:Well he, he's kinda hard to miss.
== Act II ==
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - HOLDING CELL
[The adjuster is restrained in a chair as Magnus and Will look through glass protection.]
THE ADJUSTER:You think these puny restraints can hold me!
MAGNUS:How's he doing?
WILL:He's still convinced we're super villains who have kidnapped him to conduct experiments. What did you find out?
MAGNUS:Well his suits looks to be home made but seems to be some type of Kevlar material. I had to draw blood from between his fingers.
WILL:And?
MAGNUS:See for yourself.
[Magnus hands will a clip board.]
WILL:Huh, he's not abnormal?
MAGNUS:Not according to his DNA.
WILL:How is that possible? That guy was flying.
MAGNUS:It... I can't explain it but it does mean we're going to have to do a far more detailed exam.
WILL:Ah oh well that doesn't bode well for our "we're not super villain case".
MAGNUS:Try to avoid the topic of total global domination.
[Magnus leaves.]
WILL:Thanks
----
EXT. - PARKING LOT - DAY
[Kate exits Jeep and a man runs up to her.]
MAN:Kate!
[He moves to hug her and she punches him in the gut.]
KATE:You've got a lot of nerve calling me out of the blue like that. I haven't heard from you for months. Mom didn't even know where you were.
MAN:It's good to see you too.
KATE:When did you get here?
MAN:Couple of days ago.
KATE:A couple of days!
[Kate starts to grab him.]
MAN:Oh easy, alright okay! I.... I meant to call, I just, I got tied up.
KATE:With what?
MAN:I need a favor.
KATE:Oh no, no Tad I thought you were going to give that up.
TAD:I did. I've been straight for six months.
KATE:Right
TAD:I swear.
KATE:So what happened?
TAD:I slipped. I mean these guys pulled me into a game.
KATE:How much?
TAD:It's not the how much it's the who to. Guy named Constantine.
KATE:Argh
TAD:You know him.
KATE:Yeah. Yeah.
TAD:Kate, you've got to believe me. I never meant for any of this to happen. I met this girl we were going to California.
KATE:Save it.
TAD:Kate, I... I just need to get clear of this. Please.
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - ABNORMAL CELL
THE ADJUSTER:Here's my chance.
[Will enters the glass enclosure.]
THE ADJUSTER:So, come to face me the last time. Who are you people anyway? Hydra, League of Assassins, Circus of Crime?
[Will gets a chair and sits beside The Adjuster.]
WILL:I just wanted to talk to you Walter.
WALTER:How did you know my name?
WILL:Your DNA matched some hospital records in our database.
WALTER:Shhhhi.
WILL:Says here you work as a claims adjuster.
WALTER:Yeah that was before. Now I am just The Adjuster.
WILL:Right. Yesterday afternoon you had a run in with some guys on some motorbikes.
WALTER:Who told you that?
WILL:I was one of those guys. We were trying to catch the guy that you, saved.
WALTER:Yeah that's pretty much why I saved him.
WILL:Right, but what you don't realize is that we actually trying to help him. See we're not the bad guys here Walter but there are some bad people that are after him.
WALTER:Why?
WILL:He's an empath.
WALTER:Like Psylocke. From X-Men. She was killed by Vargas and then later resurrected without a tattoo.
WILL:Yes, just like Psylocke.
WALTER:Seriously, who are you guys?
WILL:We'll get to that. But first why don't you tell me how you got these powers?
WALTER:Never.
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAIN LIBRARY - DAY
[Magnus is sitting at table working. Bigfoot enters carrying a tray.]
BIGFOOT:What are you working on?
MAGNUS:DNA test on the eggshell didn't yield anything substantive. But when Will told me about the cat remains he found it reminded me of an encounter my father had with another abnormal. Coleanthropus. It was discovered by US federal troops in 1892 when they were trying to quill a miner's uprising in Idaho.
BIGFOOT:What makes you think it is the same abnormal?
MAGNUS:According to reports, the soldiers found an egg inside the mine. It hatched and the creature went inside the body of one of the soldiers. The victim ran away but then shortly then after the others found the carcasses of several small animals.
BIGFOOT:Says here the creature attacked again the following evening but its appearance had changed.
MAGNUS:It was no longer inside the body of the soldier. My father suspected it had evolved to a further stage of its lifecycle. Unfortunately by the time he got there the creature was long gone and most of the survivors had fled.
BIGFOOT:Not much to go on.
MAGNUS:No, however all the eyewitnesses spoke of the creature's high pitched shriek said it was unlike anything they've ever heard before. 
BIGFOOT:Perhaps we could use that to our advantage.
MAGNUS:Hmm.
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - HENRY'S ARRAY
[Magnus and Declan are looking over Henry's shoulder as he works.]
DECLAN:You sure this is going to work?
HENRY:Absolutely, we've tapped into the city's terrorism suppression grid. If your monster makes any noise above 90 decibels, we'll know about it.
MAGNUS:Excellent work, Henry.
HENRY:
Thank you. Now, I've calibrated it to detect high-frequency sounds, so don't go getting too close to any ambulances... or Christina Aguilera.
DECLAN:No worries about that mate.
[Magnus and Declan leave Henry to his work.]
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - HALLWAY
[Henry and Will meet up in hallway.]
HENRY:Hey, how's it going with super-dude?
WILL:Oh, pretty good. I managed to convince him that we are not evil. So, that's something. The Big Guy is checking him out now.
HENRY:Did he say how he was able to fly?
WILL:Yeah, three weeks ago he was hanging out on a friend's yacht off the coast of Africa when they got attacked by pirates called the "Singh Brotherhood". Somehow in the middle of it all he got pushed over the side and he swam to shore, and he found a cave, and in the cave there was this temple, and in the temple there was this ruby called---
HENRY & WILL together:The Crimson Gem of Cyttorak. Yeah.
WILL:How did you know that?
HENRY:This guy is good.
WILL:What are you talking about?
HENRY:For real, you never read comic books as a kid?
WILL:I mean, yeah... I was more of a Sherlock Holmes guy. Why?
HENRY:Okay, the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak? That's the stone Cain Marko found in the X-Men number 12; turned him into Juggernaut. The Singh Brotherhood is from The Phantom, and the yacht, well, if you don't know the story the Green Arrow, then there's no hope for you, pal. Dude, you got played.
WILL:Crap.
[An alarm sounds and they take off running to Henry's array.]
HENRY:What happened?
BIGFOOT:Super-guy was in the scanner. I turned back for a second...
HENRY:Which way did he go?
BIGFOOT:Away.
WILL:Come on.
HENRY:Okay.
[Henry and Will take off at a run.]
WILL:You go to the residences, I'll check the foyer.
[Will and Henry are in a hallway when they turn the corner.]
HENRY:What... he couldn't use the door?
[Will and Henry come to a stop as they see a big hole in the wall of the Sanctuary.]
----
INT. - VAN - DAY
[Declan is in the van with two other guys.]
DECLAN:You call that tea?
WILL (on radio):Declan, it's Will. Anything?
DECLAN:No, nothing yet. Although there was a faint...stand by. We got something.
----
EXT. - ALLEY - DAY
[Declan leads a team into an alley way. They discover a body that has been militated.]
TEAM MEMBER 1:Is that Joe?
DECLAN:Bloody hell.
[The team hears a noise at the end of the alley and turn guns raised to investigate. A head of a creature can be seen beside a dumpster but the rest of it's body is hidden.]
DECLAN:Alright, fella, out you come.
[The creature pushes the dumpster back and raise to his full height. The creature has grown into a large insect abnormal.]
DECLAN:Take it down! Get him!
[The team shoots but the creature avoids it and leaps over them.]
DECLAN:Where's that bloody flying man when you need him?
== Act III ==
EXT. - ALLEY - DAY
[Will has joined Declan and they are walking down the alleyway as others study the scene.]
DECLAN:Well it's a lot bigger than a man now.
WILL:Yeah, the file was right. The creature evolved.
DECLAN:Yeah, if you can call it that, good news is that Henry's sonic scan worked. We should be able track it.
WILL:You know...
DECLAN:What?
WILL:Magnus said that the amniotic residue inside the egg was similar to that of an insect.
DECLAN:Okay.
WILL:Well, we've already seen three stages, the egg, Joe, and that creature that attacked you.
DECLAN:You think you there might be a fourth stage.
WILL:Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean maybe it's looking for a place to cocoon.
DECLAN:It also means it might go quiet on us. We'll have to work fast.
WILL:Alright, let's split up and sweep the area. Signal if you find anything.
DECLAN:Team two with Will.
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - HENRY'S ARRAY
[Magnus and Henry are sitting in front of Henry's computer.]
MAGNUS:Were you able to transfer the data from Walter's medical scan?
HENRY:Yeah, but it's no use. Walter corrupted it.
MAGNUS:Walter?
HENRY:"The Savage Seven", issue 319.
MAGNUS:What?
HENRY:Dustin Blake is captured by a group called "The Sentinels", they perform experiments on him. He wipes their computer clean while he escapes so they can't....
[Henry has noticed Magnus has raised her eyebrows.]
HENRY:... track him.
[Magnus gives Henry a curious look.]
HENRY:[CLEARS THROAT] I've been trying to recompile the image using raw data. I don't think we're going to find anything; Walter wasn't in there for very long.
MAGNUS:Well, let's see.
HENRY:Yeah. Right there. You see? That's what I was afraid of, there's a shadow.
MAGNUS:Do you mind?
HENRY:Be my guest.
[Magnus hits a few buttons on the keyboard.]
MAGNUS:I'm just going to magnify the image.
HENRY:You can magnify away, Doc, but I don't think you're gonna find... What the hell is that?
MAGNUS:That is Walter's suit.
HENRY:Walter's suit is made of bugs?
MAGNUS:Billions of them, it makes perfect sense. Walter isn't an abnormal, he's wearing one and I'll wager it's what's giving him his special abilities. 
HENRY:The bugs?
MAGNUS:Think of them more as a collective rather than individual beings, and yes, I believe they're what's allowing him to fly.
HENRY:How?
MAGNUS:I'm not sure. I mean he must be controlling them somehow. I need to take another look at his blood work.
----
EXT. - WAREHOUSE BUILDING
[Kate is walking up to some men guarding a door on a loading dock.]
KATE:Hey, boys, I've got something for Constantine.
[The men take the paper bag she is carrying and search her.]
INT. - WAREHOUSE BUILDING
CONSTANTINE:[On phone] Who wants a sentient fungus? This is not what we agreed. I have to tell you, I don't like surprises.
[The caller hangs up and Constantine turns to see Kate entering.]
CONSTANTINE:Katie Freelander. As I live and breathe.
KATE:You know why I'm here.
CONSTANTINE:Of course, your brother's debt; what terrible luck he has. What's this?
[Constantine points to the paper bag one of his men has left on his desk.]
KATE:Payment in full with interest.
CONSTANTINE:Ah steno tusk, I thought they were extinct.
KATE:Well, just gotta know where to look, I guess. That more than covers his debt. So don't try pretend that it doesn't.
[Kate turns and walks back to the door.]
CONSTANTINE:You know, this selfless act of yours is touching, but I don't want your money.
[Kate stops at the door.]
CONSTANTINE:Rumor has it, that you have found a comfy place to sleep at the Sanctuary!
KATE:Now where'd you hear that?
[Kate walks back to Constantine.]
CONSTANTINE:Around, hey, I don't judge. In fact, it makes you, uniquely valuable to me.
KATE:What are you talking about?
CONSTANTINE:I don't mind telling you that the Cabal's demise has opened up quite a few opportunities for me. There is a huge demand for abnormals out there. A demand I find myself unable to fill. However, with an ally inside the Sanctuary...
KATE:Whoa, whoa, wait a second, an ally?
CONSTANTINE:Oh well why not? You're just staying there. You're not "with" them.
KATE:You used my brother to get to me.
CONSTANTINE:We used to be such an incredible team together. You and I. Don't you remember?
[Kate leans over his desk.]
KATE:I am not 21 anymore.
CONSTANTINE:And I'm not a two-bit banger fencing counterfeit junk anymore. This is real. I urge you to take it seriously.
KATE:Those days are gone, Constantine. You know, it was a really, really nice offer but I'm not interested.
[Kate knocks some papers off the desk.]
KATE:Don't contact me again.
[Kate leaves.]
----
EXT. - STREET - DAY
[Will is in van listen to surveillance equipment.]
DECLAN:Well, we searched the entire area. Not a trace.
[Declan has walked up to the opened back door of the van.]
WILL:Damn it. That thing could be anywhere now.
----
INT. - WAREHOUSE
[The creature has made a cocoon inside the warehouse high up in the steel racks.]
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S LAB
[Magnus is looking through a microscope.]
MAGNUS:Are you sure this is the right sample?
HENRY:Absolutely, why? What's the problem?
MAGNUS:His CPK-3 and creatinine levels are through the roof.
HENRY:So what does that mean?
MAGNUS:It means we need to talk to Walter right away.
----
INT. - WALTER'S APARTMENT - DAY
[Walter is stilling in a chair and looking very poorly.]
POLICE RADIO:All available units, we have a 411 in progress at 1310 Marine. Suspect is fleeing. All units available, please advise.
WALTER:Right.
[Walter jumps off the balcony but instead of flying he falls.]
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTAURY - LOWER LEVEL - ABNORMAL CELL
[Magnus is treating Walter as he lies on a gurney.]
WALTER:What the... how did I end up back here?
WILL:You'd be amazed at how much buzz it creates when a guy in a super-suit falls off his balcony.
MAGNUS:Before you go knocking another hole in my wall know this; you are free to leave whenever you like.
WILL:But you might want to hear what we have to say first.
MAGNUS:Your suit's not really a suit, but you knew that already. 
WILL:What you may not know is that it is actually a parasite, and it appears to be feeding on you.
MAGNUS:Your latest test results show the signs of early organ failure. Your body is shutting down.
WALTER:No. You're lying. This is just another one of your super-villain tricks.
WILL:Really, how are you feeling? Do you have any dizziness or shortness of breath?
MAGNUS:Walter, we need to get this suit off you, immediately.
WALTER:But...I can't.
WILL:Walter, this is a matter...
WALTER:No! You don't understand. I can't take it off. I'm telling you, I tried dozens of times. Nothing works. It's stuck. Which means I'm a dead man.
== Act IV ==
MAGNUS:What do you mean... stuck?
WALTER:Stuck, glued, impossible to remove.
WILL:Hold on, so, you've been wearing this suit since...
WALTER:Since about 8 days ago, yes.
WILL:Well, how have you managed to, you know...
[Will makes a gesture to indicate reliving oneself after eating.]
WALTER:I have no idea. All I know is I feel lighter after meals.
[Magnus glances at Will who is making a face.]
MAGNUS:How did you come by the suit in the first place? We need the real story, Walter.
WALTER:Right, uh... Well, as I mentioned before, I used to work for an insurance company, by the way, if you guys need any kind of coverage...
MAGNUS:We're good.
WALTER:Right, well, every year the company took us on a team building retreat to this dude ranch in the mountains. I was leading this team through the forest on a pretty cut throat game of "capture the flag"... 
FLASHBACK - DAY
[Walter is walking slowly through the woods.]
WALTER:Hello? Hello? Hello? Guys? Guys? Ahhhhhhhhhh!!
[Walter falls into hole and lands next to some fluid.] 
WALTER:I must have slipped down into a sinkhole or something because the next thing I knew, I woke up in a cave covered in slime.
[The fluid starts to move up Walter's arm.]
WALTER:What? What?
PRESENT
WALTER:The shorts and gloves I added myself. The chest plate I had from before. Don't judge.
WILL:When did you get your super-powers?
WALTER:That's the beauty. I already had them. All I had to do was think "fly" and I popped out of the hole, just like that.
MAGNUS:Telepathic communication of course, the suit's living off you, in exchange for giving you these powers.
WALTER:I soon realized that I had speed, super-strength, x-ray vision.
[Walter looks over at Magnus who straightens her stance and looks over to Will. Will's mouth has fallen open but then he recovers and smiles at Magnus.]
WALTER:It was like my greatest wish come true!
WILL:Well... Be careful what you wish for.
MAGNUS:We'll help you get it off, Walter.
WALTER:Yeah...
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTURAY - LOWER LEVEL - HOLDING CELL
[Henry has Walter stand isolated as he sprays him with a cryrogenic blast. Magnus frowns as she stands behind the protective shield as it seems to have no effect on the suit.]
HENRY:We are all ready in here. Alright, here we go.
[Henry next uses a chain saw which has no effect.]
[Henry, Will, Walter and Henry all have protective head gear on. Henry tries sonic sound…still no effect.]
[The head gear has been replaced by dark glasses as Henry next tries a laser....still no effect.]
[Henry next uses some sort of vacuum that cause Walter to collapse.]
MAGNUS:Walter!
[Magnus and Will rush out behind the protective barricade.]
----
EXT. - STREET - DAY
[Tad is sitting on steps as Kate walks up. Tad gets up quickly and rushes over to Kate.]
TAD:Hey. Did you manage to...
KATE:It's taken care of.
TAD:Oh thank God. 
[Tad hugs his sister.]
TAD:Thank you. Thank you.
KATE:This is the last time, do you hear me?
TAD:Totally, this was a one time slip, I promise.
KATE:You should get out of town. Take a cab to the bus station.
[Kate tries to hand Tad some money.]
TAD:I don't need money...
[Kate holds it against Tad's chest.]
KATE:Just take it. 
[Kate punches Tad in gut.]
KATE:Good luck in Cali.
TAD:Kate... Thank you for... for everything. Thanks.
KATE:Yeah.
[Kate starts up the stairs but turn back with Tad's next words.]
TAD:Hey! Don't tell mom, okay?
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S STUDY
[Magnus is sitting at her desk as Will knocks and enters.]
WILL:Hey.
MAGNUS:How's Walter doing?
WILL:Uh, he's stable. How's things going with you?
MAGNUS:Take a look.
[Magnus moves to the computers.]
WILL:They're dead.
MAGNUS:I believe so. I was able to create a toxin that attacks the suit creatures' specific DNA.
WILL:Well, that's... good.
MAGNUS:Is it? I have no idea what kind of impact this will have on Walter. At minimum, be sick for weeks as he undergoes treatment and there's no guarantee he'll ever fully recover. Not to mention we killing an abnormal who exhibits untold abilities, the likes of which I've never seen before.
WILL:Well, we knew that going in.
MAGNUS:Yes, but our job is to be smarter; to come up with a brilliant clever way to save both human and abnormal.
WILL:Right. But have time for that. I mean, this thing is killing Walter. At least we're saving him.
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - HOLDING CELL
[Magnus and Will are talking to Walter.]
WALTER:I wanted it off, not kill it!
MAGNUS:Walter...
WALTER:Come on! It's my suit. You can't do this to me.
WILL:You're gonna die, Walter. Do you realize that?
WALTER:I don't care. Do you realize what this suit has done for me? My whole life I've been scared to do anything, not even hobbies. Do you realize how many people die each year in Renaissance reenactments? The statistics would blow you away. But now thanks to this suit, I don't even worry about it. I fly around saving people. It's pretty incredible!
MAGNUS:I realize how exciting it must be but, is it really worth risking your life for?
WALTER:You risk your lives every day doing what you do. Look, I may not have a lot of time... So I want to use it for what I was meant to do. Not sit around on the sidelines anymore.
HENRY:[on radio] Magnus, it's Henry. I heard from Declan. He tracked the coleanthropus to Kennington Row.
MAGNUS:Alright. Think about it. Please.
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - HALLWAY
[Kate is walking down hallway when her cell rings.]
KATE:Tell me you're at the bus station, Tad.
CONSTANTINE:You should have accepted my offer, Katie.
KATE:Son of a bitch, where is my brother?
CONSTANTINE:He's fine, for now.
KATE:Look, this is between you and me, Constantine, okay? Let him go.
CONSTANTINE:No, it was until forced me to bring him back into it; seems to be the only way to get your attention. Now, I'm a fair man, Katie. You don't want to work with me, that's fine, but there is something that I need from you. Now inside that Sanctuary there is a very rare species of lizard. I believe he's called "Steve". Now my client is prepared to pay handsomely for it. You get me that lizard, and I'll release your brother debt-free. I think you'll find that I'm being more than generous. Katie...
KATE:Fine, but this is gonna burn me with them so I'm gonna need a piece of the action. Plus, I don't transport. You supply the truck, bring Tad, and the steno tusk with you. I'll call you when it's safe.
----
INT. - WAREHOUSE
[Magnus and Bigfoot enter the warehouse. Will and Declan walk up to them.]
MAGNUS:Where is it?
DECLAN:Far end. I've got a man on each exit, two more keeping watch.
WILL:Henry was able to modify these for subsonic action. Hopefully it will disorient the creature long enough and we can get the upper hand.
[They have moved to the lower level of the warehouse and are cautiously walking through the steel racks.]
MAGNUS:Declan, where are your men?
DECLAN:I left them here.
[Bigfoot finds fluid on the floor and touches and sniffs it.]
BIGFOOT:Blood.
[The team looks around and Will spots something.]
WILL:Uh, guys.
[They all see the cocoon with no coleanthropus inside. Suddenly the coleanthropus moves very fast past the cocoon. The coleanthropus stops and looks at the team as they raise their weapons.]
== Act V ==
[They move toward the coleanthropus when it suddenly leaps to the floor in front of them.]
MAGNUS:Bring it down! 
[Everyone fires their weapons at the coleanthropus.]
MAGNUS:Watch your ears, everyone! Spread out!
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - HENRY'S ARRAY
[Henry and Walter enter.]
WALTER:To be honest with ya, I'm still just kinda playing with it.
HENRY:Okay, you want to try it on me?
WALTER:Sure... Where evil lurks, that's where I work.
HENRY:(sucks in breath)
WALTER:What? It... it's no good? 
HENRY:No, it's not bad, not bad, just... a little sing songey.
WALTER:Right.
HENRY:You should try something along the lines of, like, "It's time to... you know? Um...Time to take out the trash."
WALTER:Right, right.
HENRY:Or like, uh...Time to put the kids to bed.
MAGNUS: (on radio) Henry, come in!
HENRY:One sec---
[Henry moves away from Walter.]
HENRY:Yeah, go ahead.
----
INT. - WAREHOUSE
MAGNUS:The stunners aren't working! We need large containment!
[Magnus is firing as she moves away from the coleanthropus.]
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - HENRY'S ARRAY
HENRY:Okay, I'll get there as soon as I can. Hey, listen, Walter, man, I'm gonna have to put you... Crap!
[Walter isn't around.]
----
INT. - WAREHOUSE
[Magnus is running along the racks. Declan and Bigfoot are above next to a very large box. They shove the box off the rack and it falls on the coleanthropus.]
DECLAN:Did we kill it?
WILL:I'm thinking we just pissed it off. 
[The coleanthropus moves and gets up.]
WILL:I got him!
DECLAN:Coming at you!
[Will runs and the coleanthropus chases him. Will runs but finds himself trapped. ''
WILL:Okay. Easy, boy... Easy now... Take it easy. 
[Magnus is running to catch up to Will.]
WILL:What, this thing? It doesn't work anyway.
[Will indicates the stunner. Walter crashes through window and lands on the coleanthropus' back.]
MAGNUS:Walter?
[Walter throws punches and head butts the coleanthropus.]
WALTER:Come on! You like that? Come on!
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - ELEVATOR
[Kate is in the elevator with Constantine, one of his henchman, and Tad.]
KATE:Okay, everyone's out but we don't have much time.
CONSTANTINE:This is more impressive I imagined.
KATE:This isn't a tour. Keep up.
[The doors open and Kate exits into the main lab.]
CONSTANTINE:Oh my God!
[Constantine has walked over to the mermaid's habitat.]
KATE:Will you quit gawking? We don't have a lot of time. You're lucky they all got called out to fight some insecto-freak. Your lizard is over here.
[Constantine follows Kate to another habitat containing the sorkel.]
CONSTANTINE:I can't see anything.
KATE:Just tap on the glass.
[Constantine taps on the glass and Kate raise the glass protection.]
CONSTANTINE:What the...
[The sorkel grabs Constantine. Constantine's thug takes aim at Kate. Kate uses the pad and has a mounted gun aim at the thug.]
KATE:Drop it.
THUG:Please...
[The thug lowers his gun and Kate takes it.]
KATE:Unless you want to see your autopsy before you die, I suggest you get the hell out of here. And spread the word: Kate Freelander is not for sale.
[The thug rushes out.]
TAD:Wait, what is this place?
KATE:I've got to get you to the bus station.
TAD:But how... would you have really done it? Would you have killed that guy?
KATE:Absolutely.
TAD:Wow!
KATE:No one messes with my family.
----
INT. - WAREHOUSE
[Walter is still fighting the coleanthropus. Will sneaks past and joins Magnus. ]
WALTER:Tired? How about one of these?
WILL:Do you think he's got a shot?
MAGNUS:Not without help. Will.
[Magnus has noticed a crane above.]
WILL:Yeah.
[Magnus runs over to the control for the crane as Bigfoot, Declan and one of his injured men joins them. Henry arrives.]
HENRY:Hey, what did I miss? These things don't work?
WILL:Uh, ...ish.
[Magnus moves the crane into position above the coleanthropus as Walter continues his battle. The coleanthropus manages to dislodge Walter and then bat him away. Henry and Will start firing at the coleanthropus.]
WILL:Fire! Keep firing! Magnus, now!
[Magnus pushes the control to cause the crane to drop on the coleanthropus, grab it, and raise it up. The coleanthropus is restrained and unable to move.]
DECLAN:Go, I've got it!
[Declan takes the control from Magnus and she rushes to Walter.]
HENRY:Hey, buddy.
MAGNUS:We need to get him back to the Sanctuary right away.
WILL:I'll take him.
HENRY:Oh boy!
WILL:There we go.
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S LAB
MAGNUS:He's breathing. Henry's getting the toxin. We need to get this suit off him right away.
WALTER:No.
MAGNUS:Walter, we have no choice. 
[Henry enters and hands Magnus a syringe.]
MAGNUS:Thank you.
WALTER:No, wait, please!
[The suit starts to dissolve and the substance falls away from his body.] 
WILL:Whoa.
HENRY:It's leaving.
[Magnus grabs a glass cage and takes the lead off. She sets it on the ground near the collective. They move into the cage and Magnus replaces the lid.]
WILL:What the hell just happened?
WALTER:I guess I just... wished it off. I didn't want it to die. For the first time since I got it I truly wanted it off. I guess it was just granting my wish. 
[Magnus has pick up the cage and is holding it. Walter motions to Magnus.]
WALTER:May I? Thank you. 
[Walter raise his hand and presses it against the glass. The collective has mirrored his action.]
WALTER:I'll miss you, little buddy. 
[Walter spreads his fingers in the Vulcan greeting. The collective also mirror this.]
WALTER:Live long and prosper.
[Walter passes out.]
MAGNUS:Get him to the infirmary.
WILL:Yeah...
[Will and Henry push the gurney out of the room. Henry rushes back over to Magnus.]
HENRY:It just did that because of the heat of his hand, right? Well right? 
[Magnus doesn't answer and rolls her eyes and walks out of the room.]
HENRY:Come on...
----
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
[Magnus and Kate meet in hallway.]
KATE:Oh, hey, you asked to see me?
MAGNUS:Yes. Henry said that when he went to feed the sorkel tonight, it wasn't hungry. I wondered if you knew anything about that.
KATE:No.
MAGNUS:Then I guess you would also have no idea why all the security cameras in the main lab suddenly malfunctioned at exactly 9:14 this evening?
KATE:No idea.
MAGNUS:I see. 
[The two women stare at each other but Kate looks away.]
MAGNUS:I asked Henry to move your things into more permanent quarters.
KATE:You what?
MAGNUS:I trust that meets with your agenda?
KATE:Uh, that would be great. 
[Magnus moves past Kate to continue down the hall.]
KATE:Um... Dr. Magnus? 
[Magnus turns back.]
KATE:Thanks.
[Magnus smiles and nods.]
----
EXT. - OLD CITY - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - ESTABLISHING SHOT - DAY
MEANWHILE... A FEW MONTHS LATER
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S STUDY - DAY
HENRY:Is there a meeting? What are you guys doing?
WILL:Walter wrote a comic book.
HENRY:What?
WILL:Check it out.
[Bigfoot hands Henry a copy.]
HENRY:"Time to put the kids to bed?" Oh, no. No, no, no! He totally stole my idea! I was going to publish this when things calmed down around here. 
[Bigfoot grunts.]
HENRY:I was!
KATE:That's too bad. It's really good.
MAGNUS:Nominated for several awards.
BIGFOOT:Yeah, and he already sold the movie rights.
[Magnus is sitting next to Will on the couch and she turns the copy she is looking at toward Will.]
MAGNUS:[laughs] That's you.
[Magnus and Will both laugh. Henry continues reading.]
HENRY:Oh, man...
== End credits ==
/Credits
Category:Season_2/Transcripts