THE RUNE-BEARER
ACT SEVEN
By DragonWriter17
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer/Spoilers/Pairings: Not applicable. This is an all-original piece.
My Website: http://www.dragonwriter17.net/
Feedback: Yes, but only if it’s of the non-flamey variety: DragonWriter17@aol.com
Distribution: Only here. (If you are interested in posting this on your site, please contact me first for permission.)
Author’s Notes: This story is in screenplay format, not in fiction format. NOTE: This screenplay is protected by registration with the Writers Guild of America, East: R14442-00.
Number of Chapters: 7
Complete: Yes
Summary: The Rune-Bearer is a two-hour Movie-of-the-Week that can also serve as the pilot for a one-hour weekly fantasy/drama series. It features a female private detective who is suddenly bestowed with supernatural powers after a chance encounter with the dying victim of a serial killer. She uses her skills and her new powers to fight evil and to solve mysteries in Memphis, Tennessee. It's like Witchblade, only lighter and funnier.
ACT ONE
ACT TWO
ACT THREE
ACT FOUR
ACT SEVEN
EXT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - NIGHT
Casey and Mitzi walk up to the main entrance. A horse carriage waits outside. Mitzi looks at it longingly as she and Casey go inside.
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE LOBBY - NIGHT
Casey and Mitzi go straight to the elevator. The lobby is somewhat crowded with people: some waiting to enter the restaurants, others on their way out on the town.
At the elevator, Casey pushes the up button, and the elevator opens right up. Casey and Mitzi enter the car. Casey pushes the button for the top floor. The elevator doors close.
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE ELEVATOR - NIGHT
The elevator moves up at an excruciatingly slow pace. Casey fidgets. Casey checks the dagger she has stowed in her belt under her shirt.
MITZI
Are you sure you wanna do this?
CASEY
No. But I have to. It's him or
me.
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE V.I.P. FLOOR - NIGHT
The elevator doors open. Casey and Mitzi exit. They walk to Frederic's suite. Casey stands beside the door.
CASEY
Okay, Mitzi. You first.
MITZI
Here I go.
Mitzi materializes through the door to the suite. She's gone for a few seconds. Then she materializes back through.
CASEY
Is he there?
MITZI
Oh yeah. And he doesn't look
good.
I think you really hurt him, Casey.
CASEY
Good. I plan on hurtin' him a
lot more.
Casey takes position in front of the door. She pulls out the dagger. Casey focuses her eyes on the door, takes a deep breath, then kicks the door open.
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - FREDERIC'S SUITE - NIGHT
Frederic is not wearing his shirt. The wound he received from the dagger is still there, gaping and bleeding. A roll of gauze is loosely wrapped around his torso.
When Casey breaks open the door, Frederic jumps up from where he was sitting on the sofa doing first aid on himself. He scrambles to his feet, dropping the roll of gauze.
Casey walks calmly in, brandishing the dagger.
CASEY
Hurts, doesn't it?
Frederic looks afraid for a moment, then he stands tall, refusing to back down. He rips the gauze off his body.
FREDERIC
It is nothing. It shall not stop
me.
CASEY
How 'bout if I add twenty or
thirty
more just like it?
Casey goes on the offensive, forcing Frederic back as she slices at him time after time.
Frederic manages to evade Casey's attacks and then takes advantage of an opening, punching Casey in the face once then twice, then a third time extra hard, sending her flying back into the wall.
Casey hits the wall hard, then slides to the floor. She sits up, trying to shake the stars from her head.
EXT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - NIGHT
Liz and her backup team pull screeching up to the front entrance. They hustle out of their cars.
Liz gives directions while donning her bullet-proof vest. Some leave the group to take up stations at the other entrances. The rest enter the front door with Liz.
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - FREDERIC'S SUITE - NIGHT
Frederic goes to his briefcase and pulls out a gun. He turns to point the gun at Casey, who is just now recovering enough to stand. Frederic grins as he begins firing the weapon.
Casey runs for the bathroom. The bullets slam into the wall, trailing her, inches from her body, all the way into the bathroom. She dives in. The gun stops shooting, the magazine empty.
Frederic drops the gun. He looks at the bathroom then cringes as his wound makes itself known. He runs from the suite. Mitzi follows him.
Casey stumbles from the bathroom, looks for Frederic, then heads for the door.
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE LOBBY - NIGHT
Liz is at the registration desk. The STUBBORN CLERK is standing rod-stiff with her arms crossed tightly.
STUBBORN CLERK
I'm sorry, but I cannot release
that
information without a warrant.
LIZ
The warrant is on its way.
STUBBORN CLERK
Well, until it's actually in my
hand,
I'm not saying a word.
LIZ
Look, if we don't get to Mr.
Johan right
away, somebody could die.
The STUBBORN CLERK doesn't budge. Liz groans in frustration and turns to look at the front door anxiously.
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE V.I.P. FLOOR - NIGHT
Casey runs toward the elevator. Mitzi meets her halfway.
MITZI
Casey! He took the elevator to
the roof!
Take the stairs!
Mitzi points at the exit door to the stairwell. Casey runs toward it with Mitzi right behind her.
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE STAIRWELL - NIGHT
Casey dashes up the stairs until she gets to the roof. She thrusts the door open.
EXT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE ROOF - NIGHT
AT THE STAIRWELL EXIT:
Casey stands still a moment, breathing hard, listening, scanning the roof. There is no sign of Frederic. She points to one side of the roof.
CASEY
You go that way. Yell if you see
him.
MITZI
Okay.
Mitzi goes off in the direction Casey pointed out. Casey goes in the opposite direction.
ON CASEY'S SIDE:
Casey moves silently and cautiously as she searches for Frederic. She goes around the corner, no luck.
She creeps around a large HVAC unit, again no Frederic.
She moves to the utility room. She follows its wall from the elevator toward the Duck Palace.
Frederic peeks over the top of the utility room. He looks down at Casey and smiles.
ON MITZI'S SIDE:
Mitzi looks ahead of herself and sees nothing. She keeps going.
She turns the corner and sees the Duck Palace. She moves towards it.
AT THE UTILITY ROOM NEXT TO THE DUCK PALACE:
Mitzi sees Frederic about to jump off the utility room onto Casey.
MITZI
Casey! Look out!
Casey whips around toward Mitzi's voice, not realizing that Frederic is above her. Frederic lands on Casey.
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - FREDERIC'S SUITE - NIGHT
Liz and two BACKUP COPS arrive at Frederic's door and find it wide open.
Liz goes in and looks around the trashed room, but finds no one.
LIZ
Damn it!
INT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE V.I.P. FLOOR - NIGHT
Liz and the two Backup Cops meet outside in the hallway.
LIZ
You two check the other floors.
I'll
check the stairwell.
The Backup Cops nod then head for the elevator. Liz goes to the exit door to the stairwell.
EXT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE ROOF - NIGHT
Frederic tackles Casey to the ground, knocking the air out of her. The fall hurts him as well, so he doesn't immediately attack again. He groans in pain and gets to his feet.
Casey crawls away.
Frederic sees a broken pipe with a jagged end leaning against the utility room. He grabs it, then swings it in a large arc toward Casey's back.
MITZI
Casey!
Casey looks up just in time and rolls onto her back to avoid the blow. The pipe clangs loudly on the concrete floor.
Frederic pulls the pipe back as Casey regains her feet. He pokes it at her face, and she dodges. He rams it toward her body, and again she dodges. He pulls it back and circles it in a sweeping blow about waist high.
Casey jumps straight up. The pipe slices harmlessly through air. As she comes down, she lands a kick in Frederic's face, sending him reeling back.
Before he can recover, Casey moves in on him again, pummeling him with punches and kicks.
Mitzi watches in delight.
Just when Casey thinks she's got Frederic beat, he makes a comeback, doing the same to her. A blow to her arm sends the dagger skittering across the smooth floor.
As Casey watches it go, Frederic lands two big hits, one to Casey's gut and the other to her chin. She goes down, flat on her back, barely conscious.
Mitzi gets a terrified "Oh No!" look.
Frederic is a little unsteady on his feet, but he moves purposefully toward Casey, putting himself between her and the dagger.
FREDERIC
You have put up a good fight,
girl.
More than any of the others...
Casey leans up, looks at Frederic and the dagger. She falls back, too weak to stay up.
FREDERIC
...but you shall not prevail.
Frederic reaches Casey, who is barely able to move and cannot defend herself. Frederic raises the pipe with the jagged edge pointing at Casey.
Mitzi looks on in horror.
Frederic brings the pipe viciously down, directly into Casey's stomach.
Casey screams in agony, wrapping her hands around the pipe uselessly.
Frederic grins maniacally.
MITZI
Noooooo!!!
Casey gurgles and jerks then goes still, her arms slipping to her sides.
Mitzi falls to her knees and covers her face with her hands.
Frederic yanks the pipe from Casey's stomach and tosses it aside. He turns from Casey to where the dagger is lying.
Frederic staggers to the weapon and picks it up. He looks at it, smiling in a mixture of relief and madness. He turns back to Casey.
Casey is still motionless.
Frederic stumbles to Casey and kneels beside her. Using his left hand, he rips her shirt aside to reveal the Rune above her heart. He touches the Rune and grins maliciously.
FREDERIC
At last I shall have what is
mine.
Then, bracing himself with his left hand on the ground, Frederic raises his arm to strike.
EXT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE ROOF - NIGHT
Liz emerges from the stairwell exit door. She looks around cautiously, then sees Casey and Frederic in the distance. She runs towards them, gun ready.
LIZ
Police! Freeze!
EXT. THE PEABODY HOTEL - THE ROOF - NIGHT
Frederic brings his right arm down hard...
...only to find his arm stopped by Casey's left hand, which grips his wrist tightly.
CASEY
It's not yours.
Mitzi looks up suddenly at Casey's voice and smiles.
Frederic tries even harder to push the dagger down, with no success.
CASEY
It never was.
Casey puts her right hand over Frederic's right hand and tries to get a grip on the handle of the dagger.
Frederic actually begins to look slightly afraid as he struggles to maintain control of the dagger.
Casey slowly but surely redirects the dagger away from herself and towards Frederic. She gets more and more of her own hand on the dagger's handle. Finally, she holds the dagger over Frederic's Rune.
Frederic looks down in terror, then back up at Casey.
CASEY
And it never will be.
Casey shoves the dagger into Frederic's Rune and heart.
Liz arrives, just in time to see the huge power surge. It blows her back from Casey and Frederic. Liz sits up and watches, holding her hand in front of her eyes to partially block the brightness.
Golden energy shoots out of Frederic from his chest, through the dagger, and into Casey. Frederic's arms fly involuntarily to a position straight out from his body.
Casey cries out in pain as her body convulses from the force of the surge, her hand helplessly pinned to the dagger.
As the final jolt of the power transfer takes place, Frederic is thrown off the dagger's blade, away from Casey, and onto his back a few feet away.
Casey's arm drops to the floor, the dagger still in her grip. As she gasps for air, her Rune glows and changes as Frederic's two Runes are added to the one she already has.
When she gets her breath back, Casey sits up. Mitzi is kneeling beside her, grinning.
MITZI
Ohmigod, that was so cool.
Liz arrives and kneels beside Casey, frowning in concern.
LIZ
Casey! Are you okay?
Casey looks dazed and sways uncertainly. She looks down at her blood-soaked shirt. Liz follows her gaze.
LIZ
Oh, Jesus...
(grabbing her radio)
I need paramedics on the roof,
now!
Casey looks at the bloody dagger in her hand then crashes to the floor, unconscious.
INT. THE HOSPITAL - CASEY'S ROOM - DAY
Casey is lying in her partially-elevated hospital bed. She awakens slowly, unsure of her surroundings. She tries to sit up more, but is stopped by intense pain in her stomach.
MITZI
Hey, you just stay put, missy.
Don't
wanna tear out all them stitches, now do ya?
CASEY
What happened?
MITZI
You nearly died is all! After
you zapped
Johan, you just fell out. You didn't even
get a chance to use
his Rune to heal yourself.
I mean it was so freaky --
CASEY
Wait! Johan's Rune?
MITZI
Yeah. Look.
Mitzi points at Casey's chest.
Casey pushes aside her hospital gown and exposes the area above her heart. There she sees her newly modified Rune, a combination of her own Rune plus Frederic's two.
MITZI
They're yours now, Casey. All
three
of them.
Casey looks at Mitzi in wonder, then smiles.
INT. THE HOSPITAL - CASEY'S ROOM - DAY
Liz pokes her head in and sees Casey.
LIZ
You're awake!
CASEY
Yeah. Sort of.
LIZ
Good. 'Cause you've got a
visitor.
Liz pulls back into the hallway.
Then the door is pushed all the way open as Liz propels Pete's wheelchair through the door.
Pete has casts on one arm and one leg.
CASEY
Pete! You're okay!
PETE
Yeah. More or less.
Liz rolls Pete over to Casey's bedside. Pete takes Casey's hand.
PETE
What about you?
CASEY
I'll live.
LIZ
Good. 'Cause when you're better,
you've
got some major ass-chewing to get through.
PETE
Really.
CASEY
Ahhh...ummm...sorry?
Pete and Liz look at each other conspiratorially, then grin at Casey.
LIZ
Seriously, Casey, what happened
up there?
I had to do some fast talking when the
captain arrived.
CASEY
I...ummm...I did to Johan what he
intended
to do to me.
Casey pushes down her hospital gown to reveal her new Rune below.
Liz leans over and looks at intently.
LIZ
It looks different now.
CASEY
Yeah. It's mine plus Johan's.
Some
kind of combo-Rune, I guess.
PETE
Does this mean you have his
powers?
CASEY
I guess so.
MITZI
Of course you do! You're gonna
be the
real Super Bitch now, kickin' ass, takin'
names, fightin' evil, all
that good stuff.
PETE
So, what are you gonna do with
these Runes
of yours?
CASEY
I don't know. Learn more about 'em,
that's
for sure. And...do good, I guess. That's
what Mitzi says they're
for.
PETE
Hey, maybe you can help me and
Liz on some
of our cases, you know, be our psychic
consultant?
CASEY
Sure. You bet. Just call me
Sister Casey.
Liz rolls her eyes and sighs while Casey and Pete smile at each other.
Mitzi walks off, thinking hard, making plans, and talking to herself.
MITZI
Yeah! Sister Casey. When you
got troubles
that no one else can solve, call Sister Casey.
She can help
like nobody else.
BLACK OUT.
MITZI (V.O.)
Yeah! I like that.
THE END