by Tyler Moody
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
TEASER
FADE IN:
INT. FRANK'S DINER - MORNING.
TAMSIN, VI, MIKE, TYLER and LON are sitting in the diner. Lon
is reading his paper and drinking coffee. Tamsin is
distracted by a magazine, leaving Vi, Tyler, and Mike
gathered at one end of the bar, talking, plates full of food
in front of them. POTS and PANS hang on a rack on the wall
next to the door of the kitchen.
MIKE
(telling a story; patting
Tyler on the shoulder)
...I'd have been dead if it weren't
for this guy.
Vi is listening intently.
VI
Aww, I'm sure you could have
handled them yourself.
TYLER
(frowning)
Well, don't I feel all self
esteemy.
VI
Oh, it's not that, just... Mike's
so strong.
TYLER
What? I'm twice his size!
MIKE
And yet you still keep eating all
those donuts.
TYLER
I don't have to take this. I'm
going to work, where people love
and care about me.
Tyler gets up and leaves. The diner door jingles behind him
as it closes. Vi slides over into his seat, so she's next to
Mike.
Mike gets some eggs onto his fork and eats them. Vi watches
closely. Mike looks uncomfortable.
MIKE
(mouth half full)
Something on my face?
VI
What? Oh! No. Nothing. It's just,
um... the way you chew is... good?
MIKE
I... chew good?
VI
No, um... never mind.
Mike gives Vi a weird look and goes back to his breakfast.
After a beat:
VI (CONT'D)
(nervously running a hand
through her hair)
So, um. I was thinking. Maybe we
could- I mean, the two of us could
go to, uh, this cool club here in
town, maybe, tonight?
A pained look crosses Mike's face. He puts his fork down on
his plate and turns his body so that no-one but Vi can hear
him.
MIKE
Ah, Vi, look. I know, I mean
you're... You know I'm gay, Vi.
Right?
Vi's face falls.
MIKE (CONT'D)
Oh! Come on! How could you not
know? I don't exactly hide it.
VI
Oh. I just... you're always joking
around, I thought you were kidding.
MIKE
Yeah, oh, no, I wasn't kidding. I
was, um, I was serious. I've been
pretty "serious" about it since I
was 16.
(beat)
I mean, don't misunderstand. You're
a great girl. It's just... did you
ever see "Dogma"?
VI
Of course.
MIKE
Well, remember the scene where Alan
Rickman shows the Last Scion how
he's an angel, and he's flat in his
genital region?
Vi nods.
MIKE (CONT'D)
Let's say, you're a little too flat
for me.
Vi frowns. Mike feels bad.
MIKE (CONT'D)
But don't worry! Tonight we'll go
out to that club and we'll find
us both guys!
He puts his arm around Vi's shoulder. She smiles.
MIKE (CONT'D)
Okay?
VI
Okay.
Mike nods and picks up his plate, taking it to the sink. We
stay on Vi as he exits frame. CLOSE ON Vi as her smile fades
and she looks at Mike, depressed.
FADE OUT.
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
INT. FRANK'S DINER - SAME TIME
Lon is still reading his paper, oblivious to what's going on
around him. Mike sees this and nudges Vi. She looks towards
him hopefully, and he nods towards Lon's coffee cup.
Under the table, Mike extends his index finger and moves it
to the left slowly.
On the table, Lon's cup moves further away from him. Vi
snickers and Tamsin looks up. She too smiles.
Lon reaches for his cup, but his hand grasps at air. He looks
down, shrugs, and picks up the cup, sipping from it. While he
drinks, Mike points at a salt shaker and magically drags it
across the table. He salts his eggs and sets the shaker down.
By now, Lon's put his cup back on the table. Mike squints,
and the cup slides just a bit forward. Again Lon reaches for
it, but misses.
Now he's puzzled. He picks up the cup and sets it down hard,
staring at it intently for a beat. Then he goes back to his
paper.
The cup slides all the way under Lon's arms to his other
side. Lon spots this motion out of the corner of his eye.
LON
What the hell...
He looks up, where Mike, Vi, and Tamsin have burst into
laughter.
LON (CONT'D)
What... Mike? Did you...?
Mike puts his hand on the counter and points, sliding the cup
across the table to him.
MIKE
(still laughing)
Sorry, dude, it was just too good.
Vi and Tamsin continue to laugh. Lon tosses his paper down on
the counter.
LON
(almost yelling)
Well, stop! Do you have any idea
what you're doing?
Mike's smile fades.
LON (CONT'D)
Do you?! You think magic is a
bloody toy, use it for laughs?!
Lon starts moving towards Mike.
LON (CONT'D)
When you use magic you tap into
primal forces! The forces that
created the universe! They're too
dangerous to be used for parlor
tricks!
In the BG, Tamsin stands up.
TAMSIN
Lon, come on, it was just a joke.
LON
(turns his head towards
her)
Oh, yes. Just a joke. Frivolous use
of mystic power is hilarious.
(turns back to Mike)
It'll be especially funny if, one
day while pulling one of your cheap
pranks, you accidentally levitate
my head off my body!
Now he's right in Mike's face.
LON (CONT'D)
"Look at Lon. See how he bleeds."
Won't that be comical?!
Mike clenches his jaw. It's clear he wants to say something
harsh, but think the better of it.
MIKE
(beat)
I've got to get to class.
Mike stands up, pushes past Lon, and heads out the door.
VI
Hey, wait up!
She grabs her bag off one of the tables and quickly follows.
Lon moves back to his seat. Tamsin gives him a look. He
raises his eyebrow at her.
LON
What?
TAMSIN
I know you mean well...
Tamsin stands and approaches Lon.
TAMSIN (CONT'D)
...but you can be a real ass
sometimes.
She leans in and give Lon a quick kiss on the head. She turns
and exits. Lon rubs his forehead and sighs.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY BEHIND FRANK'S DINER - DAY.
FRANK is carrying two trash bags to the dumpster behind
diner. He sees TOMMY, who's rooting through that dumpster in
search of something.
FRANK
Hey, what are you doing?
Tommy jumps and turns around. Frank puts the trashbags down.
TOMMY
Oh, uh...I'm sorry...um...
Tommy runs off. Frank starts to follow, but gives up.
FRANK
No, hey, kid! You don't have to...
Shaking his head sadly, Frank picks up the trashbags and
throws them into the dumpster.
FADE TO:
EXT. WILCOX COLLEGE CAMPUS - DAY.
Co-eds are walking around, playing Frisbee, having a good
time in between classes. Vi enters the frame and we FOLLOW
her, as she walks along a brick pathway, textbook in her
hand. We hear a voice from behind her:
FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
Hey! Vi!
Vi turns around and we see SARAH MONROE, a girl with dark
skin and hair which falls just past her shoulders. She's
almost pretty, but in her current state she's just sort of
bland.
VI
Hey, Sarah.
SARAH
What's going on?
VI
Oh, you know. It's all this- why do
I need to take calculus if I'm not
going to be a... you know ...evil
scientist?
SARAH
I hear that. I'm starting to wish
I'd taken more AP courses in high
school. Gotten this out of the way.
VI
Didn't you take, like, seven AP
courses?
SARAH
Yeah. So?
Vi laughs.
SARAH (CONT'D)
Okay, I was thinking. You. Me.
Lunch. Now.
VI
It's like ten-thirty.
After a beat, Sarah nods.
SARAH
Okay, then. I was thinking. You.
Me. Lunch. Two hours from now.
VI
Sure. Sounds fun.
SARAH
Cool.
(starts to walk away)
Oh, and you're buying.
Vi frowns.
VI
Wait. What?
(follows Sarah)
Sarah, come back here!
WIPE TO:
INT. WILCOX COLLEGE - ART CLASSROOM - DAY.
The room is darkened, lit by an overhead projector only. Mike
is sitting at his desk, blank paper in front of him. The
PROFESSOR is standing at the front of the room, pointing at
the work of art on the screen. It's "Minotaur" by Boris
Vallejo.
PROFESSOR
Now, I know this maybe isn't what
most of you expect from an art
class, but fantasy art is a
legitimate genre. Plus,
(pointing at the scantily
clad female)
this sure beats Duchamp's wheel on
a stool.
There are a few laughs as the Professor turns off the
overhead and turns the lights back on.
PROFESSOR (CONT'D)
This assignment is one I look
forward to every semester. I want
each of you to draw a fantasy
image. Unicorns, dragons, Conan the
Barbarian. Whatever. I want to see
which ones of you have a future at
Dark Horse.
This time more laughter. Mike is smiling, already planning
his drawing.
Off his grinning face:
CUT TO:
INT. WILCOX COLLEGE - CAFÉ - MIDDAY.
Vi and Sarah sit at a small table next to a window. The café
is crowded, loud, and bright. Vi is leaning across the table
to talk with Sarah.
SARAH
So where have you been doing with
yourself? We haven't talked in
days.
VI
Yeah, sorry. I've been busy with
slay- work. And school. That kind
of work. School work.
SARAH
(laughs)
So what's new with you?
VI
(sighs)
Nothing, really.
SARAH
Oh, come on.
VI
Seriously. With work, and school, I
haven't really gotten out much
lately.
SARAH
You haven't done anything? Haven't
read any good books? Gotten new
clothes? Met a guy?
At this, Vi blushes. Sarah catches on.
SARAH (CONT'D)
Ooh, so there is a guy! Well, come
on. Spill.
VI
(looking around
uncomfortably)
Oh, it's... we're not dating, or
anything.
SARAH
But he's cute.
VI
Yeah.
SARAH
And you like him.
VI
Well, yeah.
SARAH
So what's the problem?
Vi leans back in her seat, deflated. Sarah frowns. She
reaches her hand out across the table.
SARAH (CONT'D)
Come on, girl, you can tell me.
We're not just study buddies. We're
friends, right?
VI
(sighs)
He's gay.
Sarah's face is blank.
SARAH
Ah.
VI
Yeah.
SARAH
That's a problem.
VI
Kinda figured.
SARAH
Who is it?
VI
What?
SARAH
Come on, give me a name. That way
I'll know if there's hope.
VI
Hope? Gay people don't just up and
decide they like women, usually.
SARAH
Maybe he likes both. You know. A
switch-hitter.
VI
(reluctantly)
I don't know if I should...
SARAH
Oh, I'm your friend. What am I
gonna do? Mock you? I mean we've
only known each other a couple of
weeks, but you should know
me better than that.
VI
(weary)
Okay, okay. It's...Mike Czajak.
SARAH
(excitedly)
Oh my God.
VI
(looking around)
What? What?!
SARAH
He is so hot!
Vi hangs her head.
FADE TO:
EXT. FRANK'S DINER - ESTABLISHING SHOT - AFTERNOON.
CUT TO:
INT. FRANK'S DINER - AFTERNOON.
Frank and Lon sit across from each other at the counter.
They're in the middle of a discussion.
LON
...has got to learn to control his
powers.
FRANK
Yeah, but come on, Lon. He's just
a kid.
LON
He may be "just a kid" to you, or
to Tamsin, but to me he's a conduit
between this realm and something
far greater. That's a heavy
responsibility.
FRANK
Exactly! He didn't ask for this.
He's going through something none
of us can imagine, and all he
wanted to do was draw pictures.
Lon grows frustrated, stands up.
LON
The Powers That Be decided, for
reasons frankly utterly beyond my
comprehension, to grant Mike with
extraordinary power. If he doesn't
utilize that power, our mission
here may very well be pointless.
Now Lon is marching back and forth, reminiscent of an old war
film. His speech is INTERCUT between shots of him ranting and
Frank reacting to said rant.
LON (CONT'D)
Who knows what power is contained
within that sphere? Or how Mike
could wield it in our favor? His
flippant attitude towards magic is
putting all our lives in danger.
One day we will depend on him to
save us, and he'll be too busy
making swans out of napkins, or
making pots and pans dance across
the countertop like a bloody Disney
cartoon!
Frank rolls his eyes.
LON (CONT'D)
And every time I try to get him to
stop goofing off and seriously
focus on expanding his control, he
blows me off.
Frank looks up, an amused expression on his face. Lon looks
at him and waves his hand dismissively.
LON (CONT'D)
You know what I mean.
Frank stands up as well.
FRANK
I still think you're taking this
too far. You never did anything fun
when you were his age?
LON
(indignant)
I practically am his age!
FRANK
Whatever. Didn't you have any
special talent you liked to show
off?
LON
(smugly)
I was quite the adept fencer in my
school days.
Frank sadly shakes his head.
FRANK
So that'd be a "no," then?
Lon rolls his eyes and sits on a stool, facing away from
Frank.
LON
No one ever takes anything
seriously around here.
FRANK
Jeez, fine.
Lon turns back towards Frank.
FRANK (CONT'D)
If it's so important to you, I'll
have a talk with Mike when he gets
back from school.
LON
That's all I ask. For some reason
he listens to you.
FRANK
(sarcastically flexing his
muscles)
It's because I'm so rugged and
handsome.
Lon gives him a flat look. He then gets up from the counter
and goes through the kitchen. Frank is left alone, standing
in a ridiculous, Herculean pose.
FRANK (CONT'D)
What? Too much? Too rugged?
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. FRANK'S DINER - LATER
The diner is empty. After a beat, the DOOR OPENS and Mike
walks in. He puts his stuff on a table and looks around.
MIKE
(yelling)
Anybody here?
(beat)
Guess not.
He sits down at the counter. Frank comes down the stairs.
FRANK
Mike.
MIKE
Hey, Frank. How's it going?
FRANK
I'm fine.
MIKE
Cool.
FRANK
You gone down and done your thing
with the orb recently?
MIKE
Not in the past few days.
FRANK
Well, you might wanna. Who knows
what cryptic foreshadowing they've
got to feed you?
Mike nods and gets up, heading to the kitchen. As he OPENS
the kitchen door, Frank calls to him:
FRANK (CONT'D)
Hey, when you get done...
MIKE
(turning around)
Yeah?
FRANK
When you get done we need to have a
talk. Something about magic and Lon
being angry.
MIKE
(groaning)
Jeez, fine.
Mike goes through the kitchen.
CUT TO:
INT. COMMAND CENTRAL - MOMENTS LATER.
The Sphere rests atop its stone pillar, glowing brilliantly.
To the left side of the cave, the impressive computer banks
sit, humming away. Mike enters the cave and approaches the
sphere. He stretches his arms out, flexing his hands.
MIKE
Okay...
He puts his hands on either side of the sphere and slowly
reaches in. As his hands touch the sphere, his hair begins to
blow gently and his eyes glow brilliant white. After a
moment, there's a flash and KAT appears in the command
center.
KAT
Hello, Mike.
MIKE
Hey.
KAT
What brings you down here?
MIKE
(shaking his head)
Nothing. It's- Frank told me to
come down and see if anything was
up.
KAT
You never come down just to say hi.
MIKE
(mumbling)
Sorry.
Kat puts her hand on Mike's shoulder.
KAT
(concerned)
You seem upset.
MIKE
I'm not... I'm not upset.
KAT
(like a worried mother)
Something's on your mind.
Mike turns away.
MIKE
There's nothing. Except...
(beat)
Lon.
KAT
(laughs)
I should have figured. What did he
do?
MIKE
(turning back)
Aren't you connected to the all
knowing Powers That Be? Shouldn't
you know?
KAT
Do you think the mail guy at the
Pentagon knows nuclear launch
codes, Mike? I get what they tell
me, which isn't much.
Mike sighs and sits down on a rock in the cave. Kat joins
him.
KAT (CONT'D)
Now come on.
MIKE
This morning we were upstairs
and... I was just doing some stuff,
you know, with magic. Moving salt
shakers, books, that sort of thing.
(beat)
I might have screwed with Lon's
coffee. A little.
KAT
Lon got angry about his coffee?
MIKE
No, Lon got upset because...
(sighs)
He thinks I'm not taking my powers
seriously. That I need to focus
more on training and less time on
goofing off.
KAT
Oh. That sounds like Lon.
(beat)
He's right, you know.
Mike turns to her, flabbergasted.
MIKE
What?
KAT
Magic isn't a toy. It isn't even a
tool. It's powerful, it's, it's--
(with big, sweeping hand
gestures)
visceral.
MIKE
Jeez, not you too...
KAT
Yeah, hello! I happen to be a
primal mystical force represented
by this pleasing human form! I
think I know what I'm talking
about.
Mike puts his hands on his head.
KAT (CONT'D)
Now listen to me.
(grabs Mike's shoulder and
spins him to face her)
If you don't focus yourself, stop
goofing off with your power, it'll
consume you.
Now Mike's interested- he raises his eyebrow and turns his
body to her.
KAT (CONT'D)
It's not unprecedented. Magic can
occasionally take over a person,
pervert them. Change them. Death
and sorrow follow them, unless they
can tame it.
Kat leans in closer.
KAT (CONT'D)
And it takes something legendary to
bring them back.
She leans back. Mike exhales a deep breath he's been holding.
MIKE
Wow.
KAT
Yeah.
MIKE
So I should probably stop with
floating salt shakers.
KAT
I'm sayin'.
Off her grinning face:
CUT TO:
[top | next]
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.