"The Black Buddha", Part 1 Forever Knight, Season 3, Episode 1 written by James Parriott transcribed by Marg Baskin proofreading and Spanish transcriptions by Nancy Warlocke Guest Cast: Claire Gibson...............................Tamara Gorski Vudu........................................Stuart Hughes Karen.................................Gillian Vanderburgh Newscaster.....................................Ola Sturik Hawkeye.....................................Justin Allder Mountie...................................Thomas Mitchell Miller......................................Karen Waddell Inca.....................................Damon d'Oliveira TEASER: [A song, "That Voodoo black magic is in your eyes. You weave that mystery so well..." etc., plays over a series of quick-cuts, alternating back and forth between two scenes. In one, a man, Vudu, and woman, Karen, are involved in wild sex. The other shows Vudu at work somewhere, assembling what it appears to be a bomb. He secretes it inside a music box which is decorated with a ballerina figurine. Finally, Vudu places the finished music box inside a decorative gift box.] [CUT TO Vudu and Karen. He's sitting on the bed; she is starting to get dressed. She smiles at him as he holds out a gift--the bomb he was preparing earlier.] Karen: Is that for me? Vudu: If you promise not to open it until you're airborne. Karen: [Laughing, she takes the gift, then leans down and kisses him.] You're so sweet. [She continues dressing, in an airline flight officer's uniform.] OPENING CREDITS [FLASHBACK: A miasma of voices, cries and sounds play over quick- cut images of chaos aboard the slanting deck of a ship. People are running around in panic. A child drops her doll, which falls down a long flight of stairs, etc. The clothing shows the time to be the Edwardian era. Focus in on Claire Gibson, an elegantly dressed young blonde woman, and Nick. They are standing together on the deck.] Claire: There is no escaping. Do you understand what I'm saying? I brought this on. Nick: You can't believe that. You don't know. Claire: Yes! I did this. I deserve to die because I... am... the Buddha. [She sighs in despair. Nick leans towards her, his fangs extended. Behind them, the chaos continues to grow. Nick sinks his fangs into her throat.] [CUT TO Nick waking violently from the dream and sitting upright in his own bed. He's sweating blood. He brushes his fingers to his forehead, then licks away the stain. Jumping out of bed, he goes to the fridge, drags out a blood bottle, and begins to drink.] [SCENE: Nick, in the living room of the loft. He has the TV turned on, and is listening to the news.] Newscaster: ...will be moved to Alberta this evening, along with crucial evidence regarding the deadly courthouse bombing in Edmonton this past July. Dollard, apprehended last week in Toronto, is believed to have acted alone. [The phone rings. Nick answers it.] Nick: Knight... Yeah, it was just on the news. Oh, wear the good suit, Schank. You can expect some press out at the airport... Oh, don't worry about them. I'll drop in, see if they need anything. Maybe Myra will want to fool around a little --It's a joke, Schank. It's a joke, okay? Joke... Yeah... Yeah. No, I think we can all survive a week without you. Just give me a call when you get there, okay? Yeah. [He's laughing as he hangs up the phone. His good mood instantly evaporates and, looking thoroughly morose, he lifts the blood bottle again.] [SCENE: The morgue. Nat is working on an autopsy, while Nick hovers around.] Natalie: All I'm saying is that if you want results, you have to follow the rules. Nick: What if the rules aren't working? Natalie: You've got to give them time. Nick: Four years. Natalie: Is an eyeblink to you. Nick: I can barely get raw hamburger down. Natalie: See? You couldn't even do that when we first started. Hold that thing up for me, will you? [She indicates a small tape recorder. Nick picks it up and holds it for her while she records data.] Natalie: Subject's jaundice and excessive bilirubin indicate liver failure due to acute cirrhosis. [Nick turns off the recorder.] Natalie: Now, this guy drank himself into an early grave. You really want a shot at mortality? You've got to give it a chance. Don't give up on me, Nick. Nick: Well, maybe if I spent a little less time in morgues. Natalie: Or just stood a little farther away from the table... [She makes shooing motions, and he steps out of her way.] Thank you. [The phone rings, and Natalie answers it.] Natalie: Lambert?... Yeah, he's here. [to Nick] It's Joe Reese. Nick: From Castlefrank? Natalie: Yeah, he's taken over from Cohen while she and Schank are out of town. Nick: [taking phone from Natalie] Yeah? [SCENE: The precinct. Nick and Joe Reese are walking towards Cohen's office, which is temporarily Reese's.] Reese: This is a deal for me, okay? I don't want to blow it. Nick: Why me? Reese: Because you collared the bomber. Because last week you were all over the 5 o'clock news, and because I want to keep her safe on my watch. And you're without a partner for an entire week--and can you please tell me why it is you guys can afford a paint job every six months, and we can't get urinal deodorizers? Look, the bottom line is that you could've been on your way to Edmonton tonight, and Schanke would have pulled the job... [He thinks about that idea.] Well, maybe not, but you get my point. Nick: Her father's on the police commission. Reese: Which I wasn't going to bring up, but since you did, yes, he is. And if I want to get a job like this permanently, I'm gonna need his support. Which is why I've assigned his precious daughter to a bona fide hero during the one week I'm here. [They reach the office, and Reese takes a seat behind the desk.] Reese: And why you are going to do everything in your power to make sure she stays in one piece, understood? [Nick's only response is an expression of pure disgust.] Reese: Hey, if she weren't any good, she'd still be in blues. Kid's got a head on her shoulders. Disciplined. Feet on the ground. [CUT TO Reese leading Nick to meet his new partner. They find Tracy sitting on a bench in the hallway. She has fallen asleep, with her head propped up on her hand. Reese throws Nick a "don't say a thing" glance.] Reese: Detective Vetter. [Tracy wakes up and jumps to her feet, horribly embarrassed.] Tracy: Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. Sorry. I guess I'm just more of a day person. [Nick and Reese exchange another look.] [SCENE: The Cadillac, with Nick and Tracy inside, driving through the streets. The convertible's top is down.] Tracy: All I'm trying to say is I didn't ask for this. I mean, I know what you're thinking. Nick: [long suffering tone] I wasn't thinking. Tracy: Yes, you were. Don't try to deny it. Everyone thinks it. The Academy. The streets. It's like it's a big neon sign over my head. "Commissioner's daughter. Proceed with extreme caution."... [She looks around at the Caddy, and when she speaks again, she is obviously fishing for a reaction.] They really allow you drive this fossil? Nick: I won't tell anyone if you don't. Tracy: [triumphantly; he's proven her claim] See? My point exactly. [SCENE: Vudu parks his car near the airport, and gets out. He looks up at the sky, smugly. Cut to a plane taxiing for take off.] [SCENE: the interior of the plane's cockpit. Karen is in the co- pilot's seat. She is holding a microphone, and speaking to the passengers.] Karen: Captain Hilschieffer estimates arrival at 11:07 Mountain Daylight Time. [CUT BACK TO Nick and Tracy, in the Cadillac.] Tracy: I am my own person, with my own talents, and who my father is-- Nick: Has nothing to do with where you are in your career. Tracy: [Embarrassed again] No... I'm not going to say that. We both know it's a lie. I'd just like to be-- Nick: Judged on your own merit? Tracy: Exactly. Thank you. Sorry. I just had to get that off my chest. Nick: No problem. [CUT TO the plane taking off, then back to Nick and Tracy.] Tracy: So where are we going? Nick: Nowhere in particular. I just thought we'd drive around, get acquainted. Tracy: [disgusted] Keep me out of harm's way? Nick: I didn't say that. Tracy: You didn't have to. [She notices where they are.] We're almost at the airport. Nick: My subconscious must be working overtime. [CUT to Vudu, as they drive past his parked car. He's leaning on the hood, waiting. Back to Tracy and Nick.] Tracy: So why didn't you go? You made the collar. Nick: Schanke made it to. Tracy: No, no, no. They said Dollard would have gotten away, but that you somehow beat his car to the end of the block, and forced him into a wall? Nick: Well, the guy panicked. I got lucky. Tracy: So, you gave up a week in Alberta. Nick: I hate to fly. [CUT TO Vudu, as he touches a button on what appears to be a normal cellular phone.] [CUT TO the plane. In the cockpit, the music box begins playing "Voodoo Black Magic."] Pilot: What's that? [Karen realizes the sound is coming from the gift Vudu gave her. She laughs, pulls the box from its carry bag, and begins to unwrap it.] Tower: L-1011 1-7-3 in a holding pattern. [CUT TO Nick and Tracy.] Tracy: I heard that you were allergic to the daylight? Phototropic, or something? Nick: Yeah. Tracy: So why the convertible? [Nick throws her a surprised look, realizing there's more to her than he expected.] [CUT TO the cockpit. Karen is holding the music box, now fully unwrapped, while she talks to the tower.] Tower: Do you copy? Karen: We copy that Pearson. 1-8-7 through 2-0-7. Climbing through 14,000 feet. Tower: 10-4. 14,000 feet. [She reaches to turn off the music box. The plane explodes.] [CUT TO Tracy and Nick below. They hear the explosion, and see a fireball blossom in the sky above them.] Tracy: Oh, my God. Nick: Call it in! Tracy: [too stunned to hear him] Oh, my God. Nick: Tracy, call it in. [SCENE: A field filled with the wreckage of the crashed plane. There are scattered chunks of metal and small fires burning everywhere. Nick and Tracy arrive and climb out of the Cadillac. For a moment, they just stand on the edge of the carnage, staring in horror.] Tracy: Oh, my God... No one could have... [Nick hears the sound of an infant crying. He starts forward into the maze of wreckage.] Tracy: Nick? What is it? [Getting no answer, she follows him.] [Nick runs through the wreckage, hunting the sound. Tracy follows, horrified and not knowing what he's up to.] Nick: [skirting debris on the ground] Watch there... [They move through the burning wasteland, until he locates the child. He throws aside some impossibly large chunks of the plane, and frees the infant beneath.] Tracy: I can take her. [He hands her the baby.] [Nick's hands seem to be burned. He squats down on the ground, then spots a scrap of paper. It tells him the flight number of the downed plane, and his expression changes to a more personal horror.] Nick: Schanke. [He seems on the verge of collapse.] Schank. COMMERCIAL [SCENE: same location, but by now a horde of emergency vehicles have arrived. Police and medical personnel are milling around the site. Tracy is standing with Captain Reese.] Tracy: My partner got her out. I don't know how he lifted that thing. Reese: Yeah, I've heard of things like that. Pretty incredible. [They move past Natalie, who is embracing Nick. She releases him, and steps back, on the verge of tears.] Nick: I should have gone instead. Natalie: You know that's not true. Nick: If I hadn't caught him. If... he'd gotten away. Natalie: Nick, you can't blame yourself. You can't! Nick: You know, Schank had a dream last week. He dreamt his own death. He was standing naked at the end of a bowling alley, and Myra was at the other end, holding a big ball... [In spite of the situation, he can't help smile at the ridiculous image, then his features grow sober again.] Myra. [Reese joins them, with Tracy trailing behind.] Reese: I sent someone over to the house when we got word. Nick: I have to go see her as well... What am I going tell her? Reese: That the plane went down. Nick: There was an explosion. We saw it. We saw an explosion in the air. Reese: It could've been a lot of things. They're not sure. You can't assume there's a connection to the bomber. For what it's worth, things like this never make sense. We're all going to die, one way or another. It's inevitable. Nick: I sincerely hope you're right. [He turns away. As he passes Natalie, she touches him briefly, but he doesn't stop. Tracy starts to follow him, but Reese catches her arm and prevents her from going.] Reese: You can ride with me. [They walk away together. Nat puts her filter mask on again, and turns back to the carnage.] [SCENE: Nick is walking through the wreckage, with a dazed expression. CUT TO FLASHBACK: Aboard the *Titanic*, before the disaster. Nick is standing on the upper deck, leaning on the railing. He's wearing Edwardian evening dress, and there is music playing in the background. Claire approaches him.] Claire: Aren't you being a little irresponsible? Nick: Excuse me? Claire: Traveling in such high profile among mortals. The lion in our midst. I thought your kind was more... discreet. Nick: My kind? Claire: Oh, don't be coy. I know what you are. Nick: Then you should know to stay away. Claire: I have a fascination for danger. And the occult. [She scratches her arm with a jewelry pin, and offers the blood to Nick as she introduces herself.] Claire Gibson. [Nick is obviously desperate for blood, he snatches her wrist, barely maintaining control long enough to complete the introduction.] Nick: Nicholas de Brabant. [He pulls the wound to his mouth and drinks. Her body language and expression telegraph that she finds it very erotic. When he raises his head, his mouth bloody, Claire smiles.] Claire: [Very breathy--triumphant.] I need your help. [CUT TO Nick returning to the Cadillac, parked at the edge of the crash site. He walks through a crowd of gawking onlookers which includes Vudu, who is causally drinking a cup of coffee while he watches the results of his handiwork.] [FLASHBACK: Claire's stateroom aboard the *Titanic*. She is showing Nicholas a small, black statue. Despite its name, "the Black Buddha", it is a statue of Kali.] Claire: It is said that great destruction and death follows anyone who removes it from the Temple of Khan. I think that is the standard curse they place on anything of value. I paid two million dollars for it. Nick: And the curse does not bother you? Claire: Well, that is why I'm traveling on the safest ship afloat. And I believe that my days of owning the Buddha are coming to an end. [Nick starts to hand it back, but Claire intercepts the movement, and pushes it back to him.] Claire: Oh, no, it is yours, Mr. de Brabant. Nick: I don't understand. Claire: The true value of the Buddha is not its jewels. It has the power to grant one wish. I know that sounds foolish, but each owner has had one spectacular dream come true. Napoleon owned it. Louis-Philippe. I bought it from an opium lord who virtually owned Hong Kong. He had a severely crippled daughter. She walks perfectly now. You must have one wish, Mr. de Brabant. You must have something you've wanted more than anything in the world. Nick: I do. But why would you give this to me? Claire: I adore life. People. Laughter. My youth. You are my wish, Nicholas. The Buddha has delivered you to me. When we reach New York, I will step off the *Titanic* immortal. [As she speaks the final words, the ship is rocked by a slight jar--the first warning of the disaster to come. CUT to the present, as Nick breaks free of his memories. He's in the Cadillac, driving across town.] [SCENE: the crash site. Reese and Tracy are walking back toward Reese's car.] Tracy: You think both of her parents are here? Reese: Who's that? Tracy: The baby. You think she lost both of them? Reese: I suppose we'll know pretty soon. [Tracy is lagging a little behind him as they move through the wreckage. She looks down at a body (Vachon) which is lying on the ground beside them, just in time to see its eyes blink open. She jumps in shock.] Tracy: Captain! He just blinked! I think he's alive! [Reese hurries back and leans over the corpse, checking for a pulse. Reese: He's stone cold, Tracy. There's no pulse. [He closes Vachon's eyes.] Tracy: But... I saw--I saw... Reese: Look, I think we've both seen enough for tonight. Now, let's go. [Reluctantly, she follows him. As soon as she moves away, Vachon's eyes flick open again. He waits until she is a few steps away, then runs for it. She catches sight of the movement, and hesitates.] Reese: [wondering what's keeping her] Tracy? [Dismissing the sight as imagination, Tracy catches up with him.] [SCENE: Voice over of LaCroix as the Nightcrawler. His speech overlies a mixture of images of Nick.] LaCroix: Who knows the pain of death better? [Nick is seen on the steps of the Schanke house, saying goodbye to Myra Schanke, then walking toward the street.] LaCroix: He who gasps his final breath? Or those of us who must breathe the foul air of his decomposition? [Nick gets into the Cadillac, and drives away.] LaCroix: Which bears the greater burden? The cold bones of the dead man in his coffin, or the spine of the pallbearer, carrying his load? No one knows this burden better than we, dear listener. We who have seen so many paths. [The sun rises. Nick is in the loft, but the shutters are still open. He hides in a corner, barely out of the path of the sunlight, watching it, then finally activates the shutters and the loft sinks into darkness.] LaCroix: I see you sagging. Laden. And yet, I have to ask--is it grief that weighs so heavily on your shoulders? Or is that should-have, would-have, could have fool's game called guilt? [Nick yanks the cork from a blood bottle, and begins to drink.] COMMERCIAL [SCENE: Vudu's workshop. The song "Voodoo Black Magic" again plays, as he begins to assemble another bomb.] [SCENE: the 96th Precinct. Nick and Reese enter, arguing.] Nick: Was it a bomb? Yes or no? Reese: Maybe. The crash site is closed to us. It's RCMP. TSB. FBI. FAA. You want to know what I know, turn on the evening news. Nick: If it's a bomb-- Reese: Then someone out there wanted Dollard to keep his mouth shut. Nick: Yeah, an accomplice. Reese: Yes, I know that. The press knows that. We're getting reamed for moving him on public transportation. But it doesn't change a damned thing, we're out of the investigation. [He goes into his office, tries to close the door, but Nick follows him.] Reese: Does this office have a door or not? Aw, Nick, cut me some slack here. I know I'm new at this, but listen to me, just a little. [He looks up, and finds Nick staring at the pile of objects that are packed in a box on the corner of his desk. On the top of the pile are Amanda Cohen's photos of her family.] Reese: [more gently] We're too close to it here, Nick. I said take the week off, and I meant it. Everybody needs time, Nick. You especially. Now, come on--just let the other guys do it. Nick: Is Tracy in? Reese: I gave her a couple of days. At least she's got the good sense to stay home. [SCENE: The hangar which has become the crash investigation HQ and temporary morgue. Tracy enters, walking down the hallway past several Mounties. In the background, someone has a radio or TV playing.] Newscaster [V.O.]: No one has stepped forward to identify the baby girl, the disaster's single story of hope which now seems to be taking a tragic turn. [As Tracy passes a Mountie sitting at a desk, he stops her.] Mountie #1: It's a closed area, Ma'am [Tracy pulls out some ID and hands it to him.] That's fine. [Tracy moves on into the building. A moment later, Nick arrives, and is also stopped.] Mountie #1: Closed area, sir. I need to see an ID. Nick: Metro Police. Mountie #1: Closed to Metro. Sorry. Nick: How'd she get in? Mountie #1: Well, she's with the police commission. Nick: [His voice becomes vampire hypnotic.] So am I. Mountie #1: I knew that, sir. Go right ahead. [Nick catches up with Tracy.] Nick: Would this be Tracy-I-never-use-my-father-Vetter? Tracy: I was just... Look, I just wanted to see what was going on with the baby. Maybe help locate the relatives. Something. How did you get in? Nick: A few well-chosen words. [They reach the actual morgue area and both stop, seeing the carnage spread out ahead of them. Natalie, who is working inside, sees them and comes over.] Natalie: This is not the best place for either one of you. [Nick moves past her, and she turns to follow him. Tracy heads off in another direction, to examine a corkboard that holds photos and descriptions of some of the passengers.] Natalie: How are Myra and Jenny? Nick: Holding up. They're strong. Tracy: Um, why are these over to the side? [She indicates the information cards for three passengers, which are on a different board than all the others.] Natalie: [walking over to join her] Those are the ones we can't find. The two women were seated over the wing, probably incinerated. Valdez... We don't know much about him other than he was in his twenties, he was on the plane, and we haven't found his body. Yet. [While Nat and Tracy are talking, Nick has approached another of the display boards, and is staring at the photos and information sheets on Schanke and Cohen. The photo of Schanke is a holiday snap, of him grinning wildly and wearing a Hawaiian shirt.] [A Mountie approaches Nat and Tracy. They're shutting the building for the night.] Natalie: [to the Mountie] We're the last ones out. [Nick joins them, and they start for the exit. Tracy lags behind a few steps, then looks around and sees a shadow moving across one of the walls.] Natalie: [calling back to her] Hey, Trace, you coming? [Tracy follows them out into the hall, then stops.] Tracy: Um, guys? I think I dropped my keys back there. Go on ahead. I'll see you tomorrow. [She returns to the morgue.] Natalie: [with brittle humor] Well, that Mountie is kind of cute. Nick: You think that's why she went back? Natalie: That would be the only thing that could get me to go back in there. [She puts her arms around him and holds on.] Oh, God, why would somebody do this? Nick: Then it was a bomb? Natalie: Yeah. Yeah, it was a bomb. [SCENE: Back inside the morgue area, Tracy encounters the Mountie who is on guard duty.] Tracy: Hi. I left something in there. I'll be right back. Mountie #2: Sure, I'll be outside if you need me. [Tracy pulls out her gun and starts to move around silently, looking for further evidence of movement. She spots a figure kneeling on the floor, with his back to her. He is digging through dismembered body parts, looking for something.] Tracy: Freeze. Metro police. Vachon: [amused] You guys. You guy really say that, don't you? "Freeze?" Like, what's that game kids play? "Statue"? [He stands up.] Tracy: Slowly turn around with your hands where I can see them. [Vachon obeys, allowing Tracy to see he's the "corpse" she saw blink at the crash site. He's covered in blood, and his clothes are reduced to shreds. As he raises his arms, we see that one arm ends in a stump at the wrist. He's holding the missing hand in his other hand.] Vachon: I'm afraid that's going to be impossible. I lost one in the crash. [He grins amiably.] [Tracy faints.] COMMERCIAL [SCENE: the loft. Natalie is holding the Black Buddha, while Nick stares morosely out the window.] Natalie: I've heard of it--when they did that television special on the *Titanic*. Nick: It's believed to be in the ship's safe. That's where it belongs. [FLASHBACK: Nick hurries into Claire's stateroom. She's sitting, listening to the growing tumult on the decks, but making no move to leave.] Nick: They're putting the women and children off in boats. You have to go now. Claire: It's sinking, isn't it? Nick: Well, they say the ship's unsinkable. Claire: If it were, then they would not be putting people off. The men are not leaving? Nick: There aren't enough lifeboats. Claire: Then this is it. The wish. The curse. Nick: You can't believe that? Claire: No? I should believe that vampires exist? That crippled girls can walk? That Napoleon can become Emperor--but deny his Waterloo? The ship is unsinkable, but it is going down. What are the chances of that happening? How can you think that is an accident? Oh, no, no--this is the work of the Buddha. [CUT to the present. Natalie's face shows disbelief in the tale Nick is telling her.] Natalie: And now you believe her? Nick: Maybe. If it wasn't a bomb-- Natalie: The Buddha didn't plant the bomb, Nick. Nick: But I did. If I hadn't caught Dollard, he wouldn't have been on that plane. He wouldn't have been targeted, and all those people-- Natalie: Nick this is a pretty black rock with a lot of big jewels glued to it, and I am not going to believe that it had anything to do with the *Titanic*, or those people that I was piecing together today. And you can't buy into that nonsense. [She pauses, thinking.] But you do, don't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't still have it. And if you didn't still have it, and didn't still believe in it, then the wish you wanted from it wouldn't come true. [Her voice is angry, and disgusted now.] That's it, isn't it? You know what, Nick? I'm tired. I'm going to go home now. Nick: Nat! You don't understand. I thought you were the wish that the Buddha granted. I... I thought your work, what we were doing-- Natalie: [furious] Oh, that makes me feel fabulous. The Buddha is working its magic through me? That just sends thrills right up my spine. Nick: Natalie-- Natalie: Stop it, Nick! You want to believe in black magic? That's fine. It probably goes with the territory, but us poor mortals have to live in the real world. Now that may not be pleasant, but it is the only thing we've got. [FLASHBACK: Nick and Claire are still in her cabin.] Nick: I can still bring you across. There's time. Claire: What would you do, Nicholas? Would you want a thousand deaths on your head? Would you want to live forever carrying that kind of burden? [Nick's face shows understanding of the emotion. He accepts the Buddha from her.] [SCENE: the interior of Tracy's car. Vachon is driving. Tracy is still out cold, leaning against his shoulder. She wakes up, startled, and withdraws quickly to the far side of the passenger seat to stare at Vachon. In particular, she sees he is holding the steering wheel with two normal, healthy-looking hands.] Tracy: Your hand! Vachon: You're awake. Tracy: [notices the deep, half-healed wounds on his face.] Your face! Vachon: [who thinks this is all just too funny] Your scream--don't, and let's try to begin a sentence with another word. [He reaches for the waistband of his pants, where Tracy's gun is visible.] Tracy: [seeing the movement] My gun! Vachon: Excellent! [He hands the weapon over. She holds it on him through the rest of the scene, which doesn't bother him in the least.] Tracy: You stole my car. Vachon: And what a screaming fine ride it is, too. You pick this bucket out? Tracy: Why? Vachon: Looks like something your parents would drive. Tracy: As a matter of fact, I did. Vachon: Dual air bags, ABS--bet it gets great mileage. [He grins at her.] Tracy: Who the hell are you? Vachon: Javier Vachon. Tracy Vetter, Metro police--checked your ID. [He holds out his hand, offering to shake. It's the same hand that was previously severed, and there is no way Tracy is going to touch it. She withdraws to the opposite door.] Tracy: Good. Then you know why you're driving us both downtown. Vachon: We are downtown. Or is that cop speak again? You talking about the station? Tracy: Queen and Spadina. Vachon: We don't want to do that, Tracy. Tracy: We don't? Vachon: No. You're going to take me to the salvation for some clothes, then back to your place to clean up. [His voice takes on the vampire hypnosis qualify.] Then we're going to say buenas noches, and you're going to forget you ever saw me. [There's a pause, then Tracy shakes herself free of his mind control with a visible effort.] Tracy: You're full of it, Vachon. Vachon: [looking nonplused, but not entirely amazed that it didn't work.] Well, what if I could tell you something about the crash? [CUT TO LaCroix, broadcasting as the Nightcrawler.] LaCroix: There was a young man with a suitcase of guilt that weighed his immortal life down. He just couldn't see all it took to get free was to drop it and get out of town. [SCENE: Nick is driving in the Cadillac, listening to LaCroix. He arrives at The Raven. People are milling around. Music is playing loudly. There are exotic dancers, both male and female, and a live band in the background. Nick approaches the bar, where a man he doesn't know is working.] Nick: Where's Janette? Bartender: Who? Nick: Janette. [The man shrugs and moves away. Nick looks around in confusion, then LaCroix approaches him.] LaCroix: Well... Like the changes? Sex is back. We have a strip on Friday night. Nick: Where's Janette? LaCroix: I broadcast from a little booth in the back. It's really quite convenient. Nick: [annoyed and impatient] Where, LaCroix? LaCroix: It really does pay to keep in touch, Nicholas. It must be at least a month. [Accepting that Nick is really angry.] I don't know. She wanted it that way. She thought it would be easier to leave without saying goodbye. Nick: She's gone? LaCroix: It was her time. She'd been here twenty years. Said it was getting stagnant. Been there, done that--sold me the club for a song... Don't go searching. She doesn't want to be found. Somewhere down the line, your paths will cross again. You know that. That's the way it always is. What you should be thinking about now is yourself. Look at the life you're living. Look at your recent losses. What is there still to hold you here? The worst thing any of us can do is to stay beyond our time. That's when we feel the burden of immortality. Friends aging. Dying. Our world changing, and we remaining the same. That's when the loneliness sets in. Janette knew it was her time, Nicholas. Maybe it's yours, too. [He walks away, leaving Nick to ponder the words.] [SCENE: the bedroom of Tracy's apartment. She's sitting on the side of the bed, looking edgy and restless. In the background, we can hear the shower running in the bathroom, then it turns off. Tracy stands up and fusses around, checking her appearance in the mirror, wiping a small smudge off the glass, burning time. Vachon appears in the bathroom door behind her. He's wearing jeans, but no shirt, and scrubbing his long hair dry on a towel.] Vachon: Missed a smudge in the corner. [Tracy hastily stops primping, and turns around to look at him. The wounds on his face are still evident.] Tracy: I should take you to the hospital. Get someone to look at those. Vachon: [He brushes his finger carelessly across one of the scars.] Actually, everything's healing up quite nicely. Toss me that shirt. [Tracy picks up a denim shirt from the bed and throws it to him.] Tracy: You were in the crash. I saw you getting away last night. Three people are unaccounted for. Two women, seated over the wing, and a 25-year-old Toronto man. No known means of support. Vachon: [smiling] Do I look a slacker to you? Tracy: What you are... I have no idea. But I'll bet you're a dead ringer for J.D. Valdez. Vachon: Good choice of words, Trace. But Valdez died in the crash. Tracy: You're running from something. Vachon: You can't help. Tracy: I'm a cop. Vachon: My point exactly. [Fully dressed now, he approaches her. He studies her for a minute, then reaches out to pull out the plastic comb that's holding up part of her hair. Tracy makes a move to stop him, then lets him do it. Vachon smooths her hair into place around her face.] Vachon: Not bad, Tracy Vetter. Tracy: [About equally fascinated and abashed, but trying to keep her mind on business.] You were going to tell me something about the crash. Vachon: No time. I have to go. Tracy: This isn't making sense. [As they talk, Vachon continues to touch her very lightly, running his hand along the edge of her jaw, etc., exploring her by touch.] Vachon: Doesn't have to. Tracy: How will I find you? Vachon: Too dangerous. Don't try. I'll come to you, all right? [He smiles then steps closer and slowly leans in to kiss her. Tracy, who is far more mesmerized right now than she was when he tried to whammy her in the car, lets him. As they kiss, his eyes turn gold. He breaks away.] Tracy: [uncertainly] Vachon-- [Vachon steps away from her. His eyes are normal again, and he grins, but he's obviously in a hurry to get away from her.] Vachon: Thanks for the shower. [He heads for the door, leaving Tracy very confused.] [SCENE: Vudu's workshop. He has prepared a whole group of colorfully wrapped gift boxes, each one with a card attached.] [SCENE: the 96th Precinct. Nick is listening to an audiotape which is being played for him by a technician.] Karen: [on the tape] We copy that Pearson. 1-8-7 through 2-7-0, climbing through 14,000 feet. Nick: One more time. [The tech rewinds, and the words play again as Reese approaches them.] Reese: Knight, that's enough. He's got better things to do. Nick: Congratulations... *Captain.* Reese: [uncomfortable] Oh, thanks. It would feel a lot better... Well, you know. Nick: Yeah... Listen to this. There's music in the background. It's tinny, like a music box or something. [to the technician] Back it up one more time. [The tech replays the tape.] Reese: Knight, the feds have been all over this tape. It's a waste of time. Nick: Reese-- Reese: Enough, okay? Now, look, maybe Cohen would let you go off on tangents like this, but I'm not. Tax payers pay for this. I'm not going to have this guy logging hours on a dead issue that's out of our jurisdiction. Clear? Nick: Clear. Reese: What are you here for, anyway? You're supposed to be off. Nick: Yeah, I... just thought I'd clean out Schanke's desk before the funeral. [Reese nods understanding and leaves him to it. Nick crosses the squad room to Schanke's desk, and begins to pack its contents into a box. Among the items are the "Partners of the Month" award he and Schanke won. He tosses it onto the desk, and looks at his surroundings.] [SCENE: Vudu is addressing more of the cards to go on his packages. He finishes one that reads "Captain Reese, Congratulations from the Commissioner," and tapes it to one of the gift boxes.] [SCENE: The precinct. Reese is in his office, on the phone. Nick approaches and knocks.] Reese: [to Nick] Enter... [into the phone] No, no, no, thank you, sir... No, I couldn't have done it without your support... Yes, sir. Yes, I'll make sure she stays out of trouble... Yeah, you know I will... Thank you sir. [he hangs up the phone.] Well, so I suck up. Everybody sucks up. That's how you get ahead in this world. [Miller sticks her head in through the open door, and hands Reese the package Vudu was preparing earlier.] Miller: Captain. It's from the Commissioner. Reese: [gleefully] Put in a little effort, and it all comes back to you. [Nick hands him the paper he's been holding since he arrived.] Nick: What's this, Nick? Nick: Too many changes, Captain. Not enough coming back. It's time to resign and move on. COMMERCIAL [SCENE: the 96th Precinct squad room. Tracy is working on her computer. Reese approaches her, carrying the box of chocolates.] Reese: Chocolate? They're from your father. Tracy: My father hates chocolate. Says it acts like a germ collector in the throat. Reese: You're not supposed to be in until Monday. Tracy: If you're really worried about my mental state, you should put me to work. I'm going stir crazy. Reese: [looking over her shoulder at the video display] What's this? Tracy: A guy who was on the plane. The best we can do on an address is a condemned church. I guess it'll have to do. [She stands up, and reaches for her jacket.] Reese: You're not going there? Tracy: I'm just going to swing by and say a prayer. Reese: Well, at least have someone go with you. Tracy: I'm off duty. And my partner resigned. It's nothing, Captain. Really. [She leaves.] Reese: [reading off Tracy's computer screen] J.D. Valdez? [SCENE: the loft. Nick is playing the piano. The loft is packed up, the furniture covered with sheets. The elevator opens and Nat enters.] Natalie: So you were just going to leave. Nick: It's been better that way in the past. Natalie: I had to find out from a desk sergeant. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? There are people here who care about you. Who love and depend on you. Nick: I just killed my friends. Natalie: Right. Of course. So you're running because you think that you are cursed. Because you think that you are some kind of a Black Buddha. Nick: Yes. Natalie: Well, you're not. Oh, there is a Black Buddha, I firmly believe that. And he did kill Schanke and all those other people, as sure as I'm standing here. But you are not that man. And, he's out there. He's crazy and he will probably kill again. [Her voice turns from angry to sarcastic.] Oh, wait a minute--that won't matter to you, will it, because you will be off starting a new life somewhere. Feeling sorry for yourself. Running. Nick: Natalie! Natalie: No, no--you know what? I don't want to hear it. This isn't a debate. I don't even know why I bothered to come. This was... uh... this was wrong. I'm sorry. I guess I just expected more from you, Nick. [SCENE: the exterior of Vachon's abandoned church. Tracy parks her car by the building and enters. She mounts a flight of stairs and looks around. The place is decrepit, filled with miscellaneous junk and dust.] Tracy: Hello? Anybody there? [There are candles burning amidst the detritus, so someone has been here recently.] Tracy: Anyone there? [Nervously, she pulls our her gun and continues exploring.] Tracy: Vachon? Hello? [A dark, oddly dressed man--the Inca--steps out onto a balcony above her. He leaps the railing, drops down on her and grabs her.] Inca: Donde esta el? Tracy: I'm a police officer. Step back or I'll shoot. [She places her weapon against his chest. He doesn't release her. She shoots. He flinches, and his vampire eyes and fangs appear.] Oh, my God. Inca: [As he speaks, he picks up Tracy and carries her aloft.] Donde esta el? De me lo antes se muerta . Donde esta? Tracy: Oh.... my God. [SCENE: The phone rings in the loft. Nick leaves the piano and answers it.] Nick: Knight. Reese: Look, I'm sorry to bother you. Look, uh, J.D. Valdez--does that ring a bell? Nick: He's a victim of the plane crash. Can't find the body. [As he talks on the phone, Nick is staring out the window. There is the sound of a distant explosion, and a flash of light from outside.] Reese: [hears the sound through the phone] What was that? Nick: It's out my window. About two blocks from here. The 25th Precinct. [Reese is sitting in his office. As he talks, he's exploring the contents of the box of chocolates.] Reese: Are you sure? [The box on Reese's desk begins to play music.] Nick: [Hearing] What was that? Reese: What? Nick: The music? Where's it coming from? Reese: Um, a candy box. Who gives a damn--what about the explosion? [As he speaks, there is another explosion from somewhere in the city.] Nick: Don't touch the box. Reese: What? Nick: Don't touch it! Reese: [scared now] Nick, I-I-I-I've got my hand on a piece. Nick: Don't move it, Reese. Vacate the building and call in the bomb squad. Now! [As Reese slowly puts down the phone and stares at the box, Nick leaves the loft and flies toward the precinct.] [CUT TO the interior of the church. The Inca is still holding Tracy, still levitating above the ground. Inca: El piensa que se me ha escapado, pero no. Me van a decir a donde el ha ido. [CUT TO the 96th Precinct, which is being hastily evacuated. Miller calls information to Nick as he rushes inside.] Nick: Everybody out! Miller, get everyone out the south side, and keep the back alley clear! Miller: The 23rd, Lansdowne and Queen Street--they've all been hit. Bomb squad's disarming one at Davenport right now. Nick: Okay. Better get out--and clear that alley. Miller: We're on it. [Nick enters Reese's office. Reese is still at his desk, with his finger on the chocolate.] Reese: How the hell did you get over here? We just got off the phone. Nick: I flew. Reese: Say that again. [Nick leans over his desk and reaches for the box.] Reese: Hey, what are you doing? Nick: We're going to trade places. Reese: The hell we are. The bomb unit's-- Nick: All tied up. And we don't how these things are set off. Reese: Why should you do this? The package was addressed to me. Nick: Because you have a wife and two kids. Because this is something I have to do. I think you understand, don't you? [His voice has taken on the hypnosis tone.] Reese: [dazed] Yeah, I do. Nick: [still hypnotic] I've got it now. [He touches the chocolate.] Stand up and get out of here. Reese: [hesitates, half waking up] Knight--? Nick: I've got it. Go. Go! [CUT TO: the church.] Inca: Donde esta Vachon? Tracy: I don't know where he is. I don't know. [CUT TO: outside the precinct. Vudu is in a car, watching, and obviously angry that the device hasn't already exploded. Nat arrives, and tries to go inside. Reese catches her as he's coming out. Natalie: What's going on in there? What is it? What the hell's going on? Reese: There's a bomb. Knight's got it in my office. Natalie: [trying to get past him] Nick! Nick--we can't just leave him in-- [Reese pulls her away from the building.] [CUT TO Nick, who releases the trigger and dives through the window at vampire speed. The fireball of the explosion follows him.] [CUT TO the church, where Vachon comes crashing in through a stained glass window. He grabs the Inca, just as the Inca is about to sink his fangs into Tracy. The momentum carries them away from Tracy. The Inca strikes a wall, impaling himself on a metal candle bracket, or something similar. He hangs there, unconscious while Vachon turns to Tracy, who is lying on the floor, staring at them. His eyes are still golden, showing her that he is the same thing as the Inca. He approaches her, and squats down.] Vachon: I wish I could make you forget this, Trace. Tracy: I can't. I won't. [Vachon pulls her to her feet, and gazes at her, his eyes still inhuman.] Vachon: [very quietly] I know. [CUT TO: Nick walking out of the side of the building. Nat runs to him and they embrace.] COMMERCIAL [SCENE: the loft. Nick is holding the Black Buddha. Nat is sitting beside him.] Natalie: What are you going to do with it? Nick: Take it back out to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where it belongs. Natalie: You don't believe it's magic? Nick: I didn't say that. But blaming this statue isn't going to bring Schanke back. Or help me catch a killer. You were right. It's time to get on with my life. Natalie: Still, that's a lot of expensive rocks to just throw away. Nick: Don't tempt me. [The TV is on behind them, and they pause to listen to a news item.] Newscaster: On a positive note, Baby Doe, as she's been called, has a family. Her name is Mary Ellen Martin, and her father, an Alberta oil worker, was not on the flight. Peter Martin only learned of the tragedy this morning, at his remote oil rig. Nick: That should make Tracy happy. [CUT TO the roof of the church. Vachon is standing on the peak of the roof, holding Tracy--who is unconscious--in his arms. He takes off from the roof of the church, flying up into the night sky.] END CREDITS