DARK KNIGHT PART 1, by Barney Cohen and James D. Parriott Forever Knight episode 1, season 1 transcribed by Victoria E. Meredith Characters with lines other than "AAAAAAH!" (in the order in which they appear.) Janette, vampire (J) Detective Nick Knight, vampire (N) LaCroix, vampire (L) Reporter (R) Dietrich, an officer (D) Detective Don Schanke, Metro homicide detective (S) Dr. Alyce Hunter, assistant curator of the museum (A) Dr. Natalie Lambert, coroner (NA) Police Captain Stonetree (ST) Bobby Topper, a homeless friend of Nick's Jeannie, a homeless friend of Nick's Dr. Dave, a homeless friend of Nick's Don Fenner, a blood bank technician (F) A crack-crazed gunman (G) Female hostage (H) Harry, a guard Man eating Bouncer at The Raven TEASER [Flashback] [Catacombs under the city of Paris. The year, according to the screen legend, is 1228. The characters speak in French, but the on-screen subtitles are English. Janette, robed in white and wearing a crown, approaches the camera.] Janette: You are awake, my handsome one. Come...come. [She pulls Nick onto the scene. They kiss.] We have an endless parade of nights before us. [She leads him to LaCroix, who is holding a bowed instrument (rebec?).] LaCroix: My Nicholas. Now you are as eternal as Paris. Nick: I'm thirsty. L: Yes...I know. It's very simple. It's time to kill. [Present day] [Flyby shot over Toronto. Sirens. Pan to inside museum, where a lone guard is patrolling the midnight shift. He sets his portable radio on a glass display case which holds an elaborately carved jade cup. The guard turns away, and a black leather-clad arm silently removes the radio and smashes in the case. *Something* advances on the guard, and he screams in terror....] [Fade to black] OPENING CREDITS He was brought across in 1228. Preyed on humans for their blood. Now he wants to be mortal again, to repay society for his sins. To emerge from his world of darkness...from his endless, forever night. COMMERCIAL [Outside the museum. Reporters are gathered around the exit, and they swarm Nick with questions as he steps into the crime scene. He is wearing a black leather jacket.] Reporter: Is this another vampire murder? N: Oh, come on. You're not going to call them(?) that, are you? R: We hear there's no blood in the corpse. Is that true? N: (hesitates) Inquiring minds want to know. R: Knight, you're stonewalling. Knight! [Nick turns and looks hard into the reporter's eyes.] N: *Go home.* R: [The reporter responds to the "persuasion" with widened eyes.] Yeah. Sure. Think I'll...go home now. [Dietrich comes alongside as Nick walks away from the throng.] Dietrich: 'S up. N: Hey, Dietrich. [They walk. Farther on, Schanke takes a camera from a man standing by the body and, parodying a high-fashion photographer, "clicks" right up in the corpse's face.] Schanke: Gimme this thing. Gimme this thing. Ya gotta get real low-- right up the honker. Nice low angle like this--bing, bang, bang. "Work with me--work with me." Like that. [Camera owner starts to leave; Schanke returns the camera.] Don't be afraid, it's just a dead body. [He sees Nick.] Hey, Wonder Boy! What kept you? N: Thought you were working old town tonight, Schanke. S: I thought ya might need some experienced help. N: And your experience tells you we should be looking at nasal hairs? [He bends to examine the body.] S: It's the fourth one in two weeks. You haven't been doin' too good. N: [Sighs.] We're working on it. [To a plainclothes detective:] Is there any blood left in the body? [Nick draws back and winces.] Detective: Not much. Looks like just all the others. S: Can you believe they put a guy like this in homicide? He falls apart when he sees a little salsa picante. N: Dietrich. Who found the body? Dietrich: The assistant curator. She's over there. [Museum exhibit floor. Nick and Alyce talk, apart from the others.] Alyce: I was working downstairs when I heard the crash. The first thing that occurred to me was that one of the exhibits had fallen. Jacques was already dead when I got there. N: And the killer? A: I don't see how he escaped so quickly. Especially with--what could he want with their blood? N: These are from {?sounds like Alten Canal?}, aren't they? A: How would you know that? N: The green in the pigments. And the glyphs of {sounds like Shak- Moor}. Do you know, the really scary thing is, the first four digits up there match my alarm code. A: [Surprised but somehow not surprised:] You can read it. N: I've done a little amateur grave-robbing in my time. A: We were going to announce it. No one's excavated that site in a hundred years. N: The curse. A: Not many "amateurs" know about that. [Oops....] N: The jade cup. The one that was stolen from the case. Was that from Canal? A: It was used in sacrifice ceremonies. We unearthed it last month. N: Do you have a drawing? [She shows him a sketch.] A: It was extremely rare. Maybe the only one of its type in existence. N: Do you know what that cup was used for? A: Yes, of course. N: It was a practice unique to the area. A: It was used to drink the sacrifice victims' blood. [A disembodied hand stirs a glass cup of green liquid with a plastic spoon. The cup has been personalized with label tape to read "Natalie Lambert Only." The camera pulls back, and we see that we are in the coroner's office. Nat continues to prep for autopsy as she hands the cup she's been stirring to Nick, who is hovering nearby.] Natalie: Here, drink this. N: What is it? NA: Grasshopper buns, eye of newt, what the hell do you care? Drink it. [Nick takes a sip. For a second he freezes, then rushes for the sink and spits.] Have you ever noticed how you can take a simple thing like, oh, say, drinking tea, and turn it into this gigantic theatrical production? N: That's easy enough for you to say. NA: Come on. [Nick reluctantly takes a *tiny* sip of tea and swallows, grimacing.] Good boy. N: Well, that's enough for today. [Puts cup down.] NA: I'm trying to help you. It's good for you. N: I don't see you drinking any. NA: [Laughs.] How's your tan coming? N: I'm up to about ten minutes in the sunbed. NA: Oh, a regular George Hamilton. N: Are we dissecting me here, or the corpse? [Nat directs her attention to the body on the table beside her.] NA: Well...cause of death is similar to that of the first three victims. Broken neck, body almost completely drained of blood, again type O-- but this one has a new twist. Now, the first three victims all had their throats slashed. The average length of the cut was almost ten centimeters. Here, I want you to look at this. [Nat turns the body's head to reveal its neck.] These are the only points of entry. Wounds this size are not consistent with the amount of blood he lost. Two neat little holes. [Very seriously.] Nick...is this something I should worry about? [Police station. Nick and Stonetree walk through the building, arguing.] Stonetree: If the mayor calls, (??????????) N: Look, we have an agreement. I work alone, right? ST: You've got a point--but we've got four bloodless bodies sitting over in the morgue, and we've got nothing on them. N: Look, we're making progress here. All the victims were type O, three were homeless-- ST: But the last one wasn't! So that puts a great big hole in your parachute. I mean, put yourself in the mayor's shoes. He's sitting over there, everybody's coming over to him and asking him, "what's all these fang marks on the victims' necks?" And did you know what they're saying the Mayans used that cup for? The one that was stolen? N: Yeah. Yeah, I know what it was used for. [Bobby appears, laden with bags of take-out.] Bobby: Nick. Captain. Who ordered the three cheeseburgers? N: Me. Thanks, Bobby. ST: Skinny guy. Eats like a pig. I had the, ah, Chinese chicken salad, hold the chicken. (to Nick) Look, I've been doing you a lot of favors. You tell me you're allergic to sunlight, so I put you on the night shift. Then you want to work alone. My instincts are kicking me in the face, but I say, "Okay. Why not? Let him work alone." But I am NOT going to stop this investigation when the sun comes up. N: Who's he going to be, Captain? [Stonetree's expression widens guiltily, and he begins backing towards his office.] ST: Well, he's a day guy. N: Who? ST: You'll like him. He's got a...different experience. N: His name. ST: You'll only have to work with him on the shift change. N: Oh, come on, Captain. [Stonetree opens the office door to reveal Schanke sitting inside. Schanke smirks, making the most of Nick's discomfiture.] S: Well, howdy...partner. [Nick turns from the door in mock horror. He speaks to the precinct floor at large.] N: Will somebody shoot me? Please? [City street. Dr. Dave and Jeannie huddle around Topper, who's listening to a tiny radio.] Topper: News says he got another one. Security guard in the museum. No idea how he got in. Like a ghost. [Nick's blue Caddy pulls up alongside.] N: Morning, Jeannie. Topper. Hey, Dr. Dave. Topper: Radio says he got another one. Sucked him dry. [Nick looks away. He hands his three cheeseburgers to Jeannie.] N: Got extra ketchup for the fries. Now, look. My offer still stands. You guys should be sleeping inside until we catch this guy. Jeannie: We don't wanna sleep in your garage, Nick. We're fine. Air's fresh, and the sun thaws us up real good. N: Yeah, I'll bet it does. Aah, I'll see you guys when I get up tonight. [Nick's car pulls up at his warehouse-cum-apartment. The door slides open to reveal a dark but open room, with paintings on easels near the door. Nick removes his jacket, and clicks on a remote that closes his electric blinds. Suddenly, violently, Nick throws open the doors of his refrigerator. Inside it is nearly bare, containing only six glass bottles with various levels of red liquid. Nick grabs the closest bottle and rips the cork from it with his teeth. He pours the liquid into a cup, and as he turns we can see that it is a green jade cup of Mayan design. Nick tosses back the contents, then pours another cupful from the bottle. Again he drinks, and this time as he puts the cup down we can see a trickle of blood staining his lips. Nick stares straight ahead, then looks down.] COMMERCIAL [Flashback] [Catacombs. LaCroix carries in an unconscious young woman and sets her down before Nick. All the flashback's dialog is in French with English subtitles.] N: I can hear her heart. L: It beats for you. N: Her life.... L: Mortals die. Does it really matter how or when? [Pause.] Can you smell her blood? N: I'm so hungry.... J: Then take her.... L: Yield to your thirst. J: You must.... L: Drink out her goodness. Her life for yours. J: Drink, my love...drink.... [Nick bites the girl's neck--] [And immediately sits up, awake in the present. He wipes red sweat from his face. Still shaken, he plays back his answering machine messages.] A: [beep] Uh, this is Alyce Hunter. I'm going to be doing some research on that jade cup tonight at the museum, if you want to call or drop by later, maybe I'll have something on it. My number is 555-6077. [Nick staggers through the room, picking up empty bottles.] NA: [beep] Hi, it's Nat. Have you checked yourself in the mirror? Is it working? Now, your favorite medical examiner wants you to eat something this evening. Understand? Cold turkey on the hemoglobin. [Nick drops the bottles in the trash and half-grins, embarrassed.] Eat anything, anything you want. I'm sure you have something yummy at home...[Nick pokes a cold, dried-out hamburger sitting in a pan of congealed grease atop the stove]...aaand don't worry, you won't be graded on your table manners. If you're a good boy, I might even let you take me to dinner sometime. Tell me you understand. [beep] [He bites the hamburger and does a spit take as he did earlier with the tea.] [Police station. A sign reads, "City Police Dept. Blood Drive." Schanke is stretched out on a table, and Fenner stands nearby, finishing up the donation.] S: So, uh, type O blood, that's the universal donor, right? Fenner: Yeah, anybody can take type O, but type O's can't take anything else. S: It's gotta be type O. F: Right. S: So, am I O? F: A negative. I told you. S: Great. With what's been going on out there, that's a major relief. Just wanted to hear it again. [Schanke pulls a clove of garlic out of his suit pocket and munches on it.] F: Garlic? S: Yeah, my wife says it builds the blood. But you gotta eat it raw. Hey, watch this. Watch this. [Waves to Nick.] Hey, hey, partner. Partner. [Schanke breathes in Nick's face.] How are ya? [Nick falters, swaying. Schanke laughs.] [Inside Nick's Caddy.] S: What's the matter, my breath still bothering you? I'll smoke a ciggy. N: Not in my Caddy. S: You know, why don't you drive a nice clean city car, huh?? A regular beater. I mean, we all know you're Joe Cool, but I think the-- N: Trunk space. S: Trunk space? N: Mmm. The 1962 Cadillac has more trunk space than any car made in the last thirty years. S: Trunk space. N: Yeah. S: I knew that. [He sighs and looks at his cigarette regretfully.] It's probably better for me, anyway. My wife has tried fifty thousand times to get me to quit. Nag, nag, nag. It's tough. It's an addiction, you know. Addictions are hard to give up. N: Tell me about it. S: Look. Stonetree said we only gotta drive a couple of shifts together. How bad can that be? Besides, you could stand to learn a couple of things from me. My experience....Been around the block, Knight. Dahmers. Mansons. Serial killings, ritual killings. And one thing I always keep an eye out for? Common links. What do we have here? Type O blood, the homeless-- N: The guard wasn't homeless. S: But he was type O. Okay, he could've been killed by somebody else. All right, maybe that's stupid, but, y'know, take it from one who's been there, Kojac. In-tu-i-tion. You're not gonna solve this thing by the book. You've gotta follow your instincts. [Focus on Nick. We hear sirens, voices, screams, as if from far away. The camera changes to Nick's "vamp-vision" view, and we know that the far-off sounds we are hearing are ones that Schanke can't possibly hear. Nick stomps on the brake and swerves down a side street.] S: What the hell are you doing? N: Three words, Schanke: in-tu-ition. [Inside a building, a gunman holds a screaming hostage. The gunman fires his automatic weapon, hitting a man on the staircase. The gunman pulls the girl up the stairs, screaming "Shut up!"] [Nick and Schanke reach the scene running. Nick stops a witness, an Asian woman, and converses briefly with her in her own language.] N: [To the other cops:] Okay, we've got some wacko with a full automatic and a hostage. Shut down the elevator and get someone on the exits. [Nick and Schanke enter the building and come across the body on the stairs. Nick stops, wavering at the sight of blood.] S: Just a little plasma, Knight. Don't get worked up about it. [Nick continues. They pinpoint the gunman's location and approach the doorway.] Gunman: Shut up! You shut up! [Nick and Schanke jump to cover opposite sides of the doorway. It is very dark.] Hostage: Ah! Ah! No! N: Metro police! Release the girl and respond! [After a beat, Nick kicks the door in and jumps back. The gunman fires repeatedly into the wall opposite where the door used to be.] G: I'm gonna kill her! N: No! [The girl continues to scream.] G: Shut up! [We see a "vamp-vision" view of the room's interior.] Now! Shut up! [Nick moves to Schanke's side of the doorway, and the gunman fires again.] S: [Whispering:] It's gotta be a Mach 10 or an Uzi. N: [Also whispering:] Back wall, by the window. He's got the girl in front of him. Don't shoot. S: Wait--you can see in there? N: Try to get him to talk. I'll go around. S: Around? What the hell's around? [Nick runs around to the rear of the building and looks up at the room's outside window. Inside, Schanke speaks:] You've gotta tell me what you want! How do I know what to give you, all right? [Another blast from the automatic.] G: You know! Dammit, you know. I'm gonna kill her. I have to do this. You son of a bitch. [Behind the gunman, Nick floats up to the window. His eyes are glowing.] You'll lie to me. I know you have it. I know you! S: I have it, I have it, just cool out, all right? G: I know you do! No! [The window shatters, and Nick pulls the gunman out. They fall, and the gunman lands in a dumpster. He stands, shaken--and Nick flies through the air towards him, fangs bared and eyes glowing. The gunman screams and fires, but the vampire just keeps coming....] [Night. On the street. Jeannie and Topper huddle around a burning barrel.] Topper: We got enough for a candy bar and a video game? Jeannie: Yep, too bad we had to play "Rocky Mountain High" seventeen times to get it. [Topper rolls a cigarette.] Topper: How about a pouch of tobacco? Jeannie: How about no lunch? [*Something* is stalking them. They are still unaware, though....] Topper: You know, Jeannie, it would be a lot warmer in Nick's garage. Jeannie: Top, I told you: I don't want to owe anyone anything. [A twig snaps.] I thought Dr. Dave was going to meet us here. Topper: Yeah, well, you know Dave. The Doctor's never in. Jeannie: Do you want an extra blanket? It's gonna get cold. Topper? [She turns, and sees--whatever it is. She screams.] Topper? Oh! [Fade to black] COMMERCIAL [Night at the museum. Alyce reads silently to herself.] A: "The bodies of the Indian workers would be found the next morning completely drained of blood. It was only natural that the Indians believed that there were vampires in their midst." Alyce stops, inspecting a picture in the huge volume. Her eyes widen. One of the workers in the photograph has Nick's face.] [A noise. Alyce rises to investigate, looking around nervously.] Harry? Harry, is that you? [She turns around and screams, because Nick is standing right behind her.] N: Easy. A: [Breathing hard.] You scared the living hell out of me! N: Sorry. A: Hold me. [She buries her head in his shoulder. We can hear a heat beating as he eyes her neck.] N: I don't know what got into me. It was a bad joke. I'm sorry. [Nick's fangs begin to appear.] [Stonetree's office.] S: A vampire. That's what he said. ST: No kidding. S: I heard him. A vampire swooped out of the sky and knocked him out. That's what he said. ST: Amazing. S: Of course, the perp had been smoking crack for 72 hours. ST: But you saw Knight pull the perpetrator out the window, right? S: Well, yeah, Captain, I did. ST: And you weren't on crack. S: Me? No. I had a souvlaki with onions, but no crack. ST: [Ominously.] You ever been bitten by a scorpion? S: Well, they're poisonous. I've seen 'em on TV, but, uh...they're scary things. No. [Getting nervous.] ST: A lot of them are deadly. Where I used to live, they were all over the place. There's a legend...if you ever catch a scorpion, don't ever burn it. S: Why, do they smell bad when they're fried? ST: If you burn it, the scorpions come from miles around to where you are and-- S: Don't tell me, don't tell me, don't tell me. You get all covered with scorpions, right? Is that true? ST: No. It's just a legend. Like vampires. S: But what about what-- ST: The media--and a lot of people--are going bananas about this vampire thing. I don't want you to be one of them, okay? S: Right. Right. [Museum. Nick and Alyce walk and talk.] A: They say that everything in our future can be found in our past. N: Ah. "The past is the only dead thing that smells sweet." Edward Thomas. A: Do you feel that way too? N: No. It's too easy a place to hide. A: Is that what you think I'm doing? N: [Playfully.] Oh, come on. Aren't you? Burying your head into old books, artifacts, digging in dusty soil, working alone in here at night? A: Mmm...I like the night. N: No people, no...present, no future, just the past. A: I'm comfortable with it. N: Don't be. Dwell on yesterday, and you have no today, no tomorrow. [He looks down.] A: Another quote? N: No, the voice of experience. A: [Laughs.] You haven't lived that long. N: I'm working on it. [They are close. Nick takes the book from Alyce and drops it on the floor. She leans forward, and they kiss--first hesitantly then passionately.] A: Hold me. You know, I was really scared tonight. Before you came. It was that book. N: {?Alten Canal?}? A: It scared me. [Nick turns her around and embraces her from behind. He traces the curve of her neck with his lips as she continues to talk absently.] The first dig was abandoned because the Indian laborers were being killed at night. [A heartbeat. Nick stops. He raises his eyes, and we see that he has begun to change. His eyes glow and his fangs are revealed. He looks back at Alyce's neck, trying to restrain himself.] They said it was vampires. Sucked their blood. N: No. [He turns away, but he is drawn back to the pulsing at her throat.] A: It sounds incredible, but apparently they were searching for a pair of cups like the one we had stolen. And they found one, but they abandoned the dig before they found the other. That was ours. [Closer.] Don't you see? [Closer.] The murderer might have had one cup already, and stole ours to make the pair. [Nick wrenches his face away.] N: No. I can't. A: Nick? N: Alyce, I-- [He slips away as Harry the guard interrupts from the hallway.] Harry: Dr. Hunter? A: Harry? Harry: Are you okay over there? A: I'm not sure. I....Nick? Nick? [But he is gone.] [Police station. Schanke is typing a report.] S: Yeah, I figured he might come back here, so I drove the Caddy. NA: Do you still have the keys? [She puts on her coat in a rush.] S: You know, I forgot the way those things used to ride? We're talking smooth. Rolling condominium. [Nat grabs the keys.] You think you can find him? NA: What time's sunrise? [She glances at her watch and rushes out before Schanke can answer.] S: Oh, five-thirty, six. What's that got to do with anything? [Dawn. Nat arrives at Nick's place. She lets herself in and finds Nick on the couch, watching a Bela Lugosi movie. She picks up a remote and opens the blinds.] N: What are you doing, Nat? NA: You weren't picking up the phone. N: I didn't want to talk to anyone. NA: You know, you create a lot of tension when you disappear like this. Stonetree starts eating Kleenex. Have you ever seen him do that? I think he does it for the roughage. N: [Menacingly.] Close the blinds, Nat. [Nick unsteadily sets a near- empty bottle on the table. He looks bad.] NA: No. You have got to stop drinking this stuff. [She takes the bottle, and Nick leaps for it violently.] N: Give me that! [Nat takes a step back, startled.] NA: Is this the same guy who came begging to me to help him change so he could see a sunrise? N: Screw the sunrise. Give me the bottle. [He makes a grab for it.] NA: No! Look, everything I do for you, everything that can help you regain your mortality is wasted when you drink this stuff. It is the blood that keeps you from coming over. N: I am what I am. And I don't think Betty Ford takes vampires. NA: You can be human. N: Human? What's more human--to drink a little cow blood now and then, or commit cold-blooded murder? NA: You've done both. N: I caught a killer tonight. I'm paying my debt. NA: Oh, and you couldn't have caught him without the vampire? N: Who cares how I did it? NA: You do! N: [Low and hateful.] Close the blinds and get out of here. NA: Well. I guess this is a major change in attitude. Hmph. You don't want help? Hey, I'm a dot on the horizon. [She sets down the bottle; Nick snatches it.] N: [Hung over.] Give me a break. NA: Here, I'll just close the blinds for you, and you can go back to your Bela Lugosi film. Maybe he can give you a few tips. You know...you could go public with this. And do quite well. "Bloodsuckers as public servants--next on _Geraldo_!" Oh, excuse me--he's probably already exhausted that subject. [The phone rings, and Nick's machine picks it up.] N: [On the machine:] Yeah. Nick Knight. I'm either in bed or incommunicado. [beep] A: Nick. I'm--I'm sorry to keep calling, but after what happened tonight, I think we ought to talk. Will you call me, please? [beep] NA: Is this the curator from the museum? [Nick looks miserable.] What happened last night? N: I kissed her. NA: And? N: And then I nearly killed her. [Nick looks at the bottle in his hand with undisguised loathing, then hurls it at the wall. It shatters.] NA: Nick. Don't you think it's time we talked about the others? [He turns to glare, but she meets his gaze steadily.] COMMERCIAL [Museum. Alyce reads silently to herself.] A: "Adding to the problems of keeping the Indians at work were the mystical properties said to be possessed by the jade cups themselves. Many European occultists believe that the Mayan ceremony where the blood of the sacrifice victim was poured from cup to cup and then swallowed by the high priest could in fact be the cure for vampirism." [She looks at a blow-up of Nick's photo from the book, thinking.] [Nick's place.] NA: So it was this LaCroix who was killing the Indians at {?Alten Canal?}? N: He didn't want me to have the other cup. He didn't then, he doesn't now. LaCroix was my master. The vampire who brought me over. It's hard to explain. He's like a father, or a brother. But he'll do anything to keep me this way. NA: Including killing a guard and stealing it from a museum. N: The skylight was the only way in when I did it tonight. It's him. NA: And he believes that if you perform this ceremony, you can become mortal again. N: We both do. [Late day, on the street. The bloodmobile has arrived. The homeless who have donated are counting their money and eating "donor snacks" as several guys play basketball in an alley nearby. Dr. Dave emerges from the bloodmobile. Man eating: Hey, Doc, what's goin' down? Dr. Dave: Hey, not much. You seen Jeannie or Topper? Man eating: No man, not today. [The basketball players continue to play, chattering amongst themselves. A wild throw sends the ball into a pile of junk. Retrieving the ball, the players discover Topper's body.] [Sunset. Nick zips the body bag over Topper's face.] NA: He was hit on the head with a blunt object. He was probably knocked unconscious before the jugular incision. [Nick turns away.] N: Were there two puncture marks? NA: One incision. Singular. [Nick whips back around.] N: Where the hell is she? NA: Nick... N: Jeannie never left Topper alone. S: Maybe she was with him. N: [Louder.] All right. Who was the last person to see her? Dr. Dave: I--I was. At the dome. Yesterday around noontime. You can usually find something to eat around the hot-dog stand. N: They were together, right? Dr. Dave: You know they were never apart. I knew something was wrong when they didn't show up for the bloodmobile. S: Wait a minute, wait a minute. There--there was a bloodmobile here today? Dr. Dave: Yeah. Every Thursday. Give a little, get a little. It's our way of making a meaningful contribution to society. S: You hear that, Knight? N: I should have made them stay with me. NA: Oh, what, are you going to put up every person who's out in the street? Look, you have got to stop blaming yourself. This is not your fault. N: It is my fault, Nat, it IS my fault. All of this. S: Okay, okay. Listen, listen. We got the bloodmobile, the homeless--if this guy was type O, we have got a hat trick. N: You work the day shift, right? S: Yeah. What has that got to do with-- N: Do it on your own time. [He walks away.] S: What is his problem? NA: I don't think you want to know. [Inside The Raven, a dance club. Music; people, wearing mostly black, dance. Nick makes his way through the crowd, stopping at the bar beside an elegantly dressed, dark-haired woman. It is Janette.) Janette: [Sexily, to Nick:] I'd heard you were in town. N: Three years. Do I still call you Janette? J: If you like.... Wasn't it Chicago before? N: It was time to move on. J: Ah, yes. The Dorian Grey syndrome. N: Although if I'd known they were going to install lights at Wrigley Field.... J: I hate baseball. And slow games make eternity seem so much longer. N: [In French.] This seems to be going well for you. J: [Also in French.] Yes...I guess it does remind one a little of Paris. The young men...[licks her lips]...the music.... N: Depends upon which century. J: No, not all of them. They were all good in Paris. Every one of them.... [She takes a sip of what appears to be red wine; Nick puts his hand to his mouth in hunger. Janette notices and laughs.] [Switching to English:] The night is dark, I am the owner, and I find I am able to mix it with a little wine. My bartender thinks I am a lush. Would you like some? N: No. J: Oh, that's right. Yes. You're probably...on duty. N: He's here. [Janette looks away.] J: I know so many people. What is your name this time, hmm? Nicky- something? N: I want to know where he is, Janette. J: He hasn't been making these kills, if that's what you think. Nowadays nobody is that stupid. N: Where is he? [Nick grabs her arm, and immediately a bouncer takes him by the shoulder.] Bouncer: Is there a problem? [Nick lets go.] J: Always the gentleman, eh? [She takes a puff from a long-stemmed cigarette holder.] Filthy habits. At least I know it can't kill me. [She hands Nick a paper.] I'd be careful, if I were you. He's very disappointed. [Nick kisses her hand and leaves The Raven. As he gets into his car, he fails to notice Alyce watching in the shadows. She gets in her car and follows him.] [Inside his car, Nick flips on the radio.] The Night-Crawler: The Night-Crawler, bringing you a little lead on CERK, metal for the ages. [A look of recognition appears on Nick's face. He listens, transfixed.] Three weeks in this town, and I still haven't seen my old friend. This next song is dedicated to you, Nicholas...my brother...my child. [Flashback] [Catacombs. Nick is about to make his first kill.] L: [French] Yield to your thirst-- J: [French] You must-- N: [French] I'm so hungry-- J: [French] Drink, my love, drink-- [The voices overlap in a whispering chant. Nick caught up in the past, has to swerve to miss a car in the present. Nick looks down at the radio. He is almost tearful as the sustained notes of a bowed instrument come from the speakers.] [In the CERK studio, the Night-Crawler leans forward and we see that he is LaCroix.] L: The Night-Crawler's...waiting for you. [Fade to black] [Screen legend reads, "To Be Continued."]