B R I M S T O N E VS episode #307 "Dreams" Written by Greg Lemieux EXT. NEW YORK POLICE STATION – LATE AFTERNOON (BLACK & WHITE) A GRAPHIC SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE SHOT READS: OCTOBER 8th, 1981 5:07 P.M. INT. A LINE UP ROOM - DAY We see five male suspects, all of the same general height and weight, all with short brownish hair, each wearing a chain with a number on it (numbering 1 to 5) over his neck. We fade back a little passing through the glass partition to: THE ROOM OUTSIDE THE LINE-UP ROOM (B&W) There stands Detective Stone in his plain-clothes outfit, flanked by a young couple in their late twenties. The woman LAUREL is standing quietly looking through the one- way mirror at the five men. Her husband ROBERT is next to her, offering his support but obviously not involved in the identification. STONE Take your time. Get a good look at all of them. Laurel looks at them carefully. Then in sadness, she shakes her head. LAUREL I’m sorry, Detective. It’s none of them. STONE Are you sure? Take another look. LAUREL I saw him clear as a bell when he grabbed Jim from me. I got another perfect look at him just before he punched me in the face. (choking up a little) I’ll never forget his face as long as I live. And he’s not there. ROBERT takes hold of her and hugs her in support. ROBERT It’s all right, honey. You did all you could. LAUREL It’s all my fault. He’s gonna die and it’s my fault. ROBERT Don’t blame yourself. I don’t blame you. (a beat) Neither does Jim. Laurel starts to cry. Stone makes a motion with his head toward the door, as if to say politely, “Take her outside.” Robert understands and gently leads his wife out the door. STONE (punching the intercom button) Cut ‘em loose, Joel. He releases the button, takes a long breath, then... STONE (softly) Damn! THE SQUAD ROOM – DAY (B&W) The room bustles with activity. POLICE OFFICERS walk through the area with SUSPECTS. Others sit at their desks questioning people. Standing near the wall are Detective Stone and his commanding officer LT. D’AMATO, the latter looking years younger than the last time we saw his face. Stone is talking to him, and visibly frustrated. STONE I thought sure something would come of it. That kid made threats against both of them D’AMATO It’s a helluva lot easier to make a threat than to follow up on one. (a beat) You just wanted it to be something else – a kidnapping for ransom, a revenge ploy. Anything but some nutcase grabbing the boy so he can sacrifice him at midnight on the full moon. STONE It’s insane. It makes no sense. D’AMATO It makes some twisted sense to him. If we knew what his logic was, we could find him. STONE (pulling a notepad from his pocket) I’m going back to his neighborhood. Canvas the neighbors again. Maybe… D’Amato gently takes the notebook from Stone and shakes his head. D’AMATO You’ve worked this case for twelve hours straight today, and three days before that. You’ve done all that’s humanly possible. Go home, Stone. That’s an order. STONE But... D’AMATO Better yet. Take that lovely wife of yours out to dinner. She’s probably long overdue for treatment like that. Take her dancing, take her home and make love. Just forget this case for now. (a beat) We’ve got officers staked out near the location of the first killing. Just pray we get lucky. STONE He won’t use the same spot again. I just know it. D’AMATO Yeah, that what we think too. But it’s all we’ve got to go on. (firmly) Now, go HOME. Stone reluctantly nods his head. He takes his notepad back but visibly drops it on his DESK as he walks out of the room. (REMAINING SCENES ARE IN COLOR UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED) EXT. A DOCTOR’S OFFICE IN NEW YORK CITY – DAY A GRAPHIC READS “PRESENT DAY” INT – AN OB-GYN’S OFFICE - DAY ROSALYN COPPER is lying down on a small bed, dressed in a hospital-type gown with her ever-enlarging belly now exposed. DOCTOR JOHN FAGAN is sitting on a chair beside her holding an ULTRASOUND INSTRUMENT in his hand. Next to him, NURSE JULIE HUGHES adjusts the CONTROLS on the ULTRASOUND MACHINE carefully. ROSALYN Thank you for seeing me on such short notice doctor. I didn’t make the decision to leave L.A. until just recently. JOHN No problem. I want you to have a healthy baby just as much as your regular doctor does. ROSALYN I’m probably just being overcautious, but when I saw what looked like spotting coming from my vagina... JOHN I’ll take overcautious over unconcerned any day, Mrs. Copper. Now just lie back and watch the monitor. He glides the monitoring device over her stomach and begins to move it slowly. C.U. ON ULTRASOUND MONITOR An image of a tiny but almost fully-formed baby girl emerges on the monitor. We see SMILES on the faces of Roz, Dr. Fagan and Nurse Hughes. JOHN She’s looking quite distinguished already. He smiles as he moves the instrument further down. Then he ceases to smile. His face takes on a LOOK OF CONCERN. He moves the instrument in a tight circle in one area, looking at the monitor. The Nurse adjusts the image to make it larger. Clearly she knows what the doctor is looking at and wants to get a better look. ROSALYN Something wrong, doctor? There is only SILENCE in response. ROSALYN What’s wrong? A long beat of silence. The doctor and the nurse shared WORRIED GLANCES. C.U. ON ROSALYN ROSALYN (extremely nervous now) Doctor – What’s wrong? WHITE FLASH END OF TEASER ACT I EXT. – A CITY STREET – LATE MORNING STONE is jogging down the street, looking around and seeming to enjoy the sights on this lovely day. There is sporadic traffic on the streets, a few PASSERS-BY dot the sidewalk, but it is otherwise rather quiet. Stone stops at a street corner for just a moment. He looks around like he’s trying to decide whether to cross the street on his left, go straight ahead or trot off to the right. As he turns to the right, he is greeted by an unexpected sight. ANOTHER CITY STREET Down the path to his right we see the back of a MAN dressed like he walked out of a Civil War movie. He is wearing a gray outfit that looks like the back of a uniform. His hair is long and white but is professionally cut along the back. He also wears boots and has a sword in a hilt on his left side. Ezekiel heads off to his right racing faster than before, trying to overtake this man without being too obvious. He races up to the back of the man and then grabs his shoulder. The man turns around to show his face. He is THE DEVIL wearing an amused smile. STONE You son-of-a... DEVIL Really, Ezekiel. Did you think your man was just going to walk out and greet you on a city street? The two men are now proceeding down the sidewalk at a casual pace. The Devil is slightly ahead of Stone and seems to be subtly controlling the pace and the direction of the walk. DEVIL Why would he be dressed like this anyway? I told you he never fought in the Civil War. STONE He was too old. I know. DEVIL You also know his name. STONE Ogden H. Parker. DEVIL And his occupation… STONE He owned a munitions factory. It didn’t take much research to find that out. DEVIL And you know he’s in this city somewhere. What more do I need to do? Draw you a map? STONE That would be nice. DEVIL Detective, by now you should know... STONE That you don’t do nice. I know. I was hoping for…semi-decent. DEVIL (chuckling) Semi-decent was allowing Hitler to commit suicide instead of letting him be tried in Nuremberg and hanged. (a beat) Of course, I’ve had him put on trial several times down home. He’s been executed in many ways. The gas chamber is my favorite. Sort of poetic for him STONE I’ve got a question for you. You’re the one that put most of those ideas in his head, weren’t you? DEVIL You flatter me, detective. He had a pretty evil mind to start, but, yes, the vilest ideas were mine. STONE So how come he’s not a big hero to you down there? Why is he punished and tortured? DEVIL Like the rest of you commoners? Zeke nods. The Devil stops walking and turns to face Ezekiel directly. DEVIL Because he felt short of his goal. He lost the war. (a beat) Oh, I had such plans for his regime, too. STONE So you blame him for losing the war? DEVIL Absolutely. I told him several times not to invade Russia, but he wouldn’t listen. (with added emphasis) He failed to read the writing on the wall. Stone makes a puzzled glance at that seemingly inconsistent statement. He looks around to see if there are any walls with writing on them. When he looks back to the Devil, Old Scratch has vanished. STONE (pondering) Writing on the wall... He looks a few steps ahead of him and sees: AN ALLEY Essentially it is deserted. But at the far end of it, he sees A POLICE PHOTOGRAPHER taking pictures of something on the far wall. He takes a moment to decide and then heads down the alley at a casual gait. THE END OF THE ALLEY As he reaches the back of the alley, the photographer steps forward to block his path. PHOTOGRAPHER Sorry sir, you can’t come through here. Police matter. But a familiar voice interrupts. KANE (O.S.) It’s okay Phil. Let him through. I know him. Phil steps aside politely. Stone sees Kane standing over by the wall that Phil was taking pictures of. The wall is emblazoned with bright white letters reading “All Hope will die at noon tomorrow” in fancy script-like lettering. The H in Hope is especially large and has a fancy loop at the end of all four corners. STONE So Kane, what brings you here? KANE My job. (a beat, then indicating the message) and this. STONE They bust you to graffiti detail now? KANE No. I’m afraid this is a very real threat. (a beat) Now tell me what brings you here. And please don’t say it’s... STONE (finishing the thought) My job. KANE I didn’t want to hear that. INT. DOCTOR FAGAN’S OFFICE - DAY Roz is still seated on the ultrasound table, but now her gown is wrapped around her normally. The doctor is showing her some DIGITAL STILLS produced by the ultrasound device. She is obviously worried now, as his tone conveys much concern. DOCTOR As you can see, there are hairline tears in the umbilical cord. Small amounts of amniotic fluid are leaking out. That’s what you found; what brought you here. It’s a rare condition, but sometimes occurs in cases of women having children past the age of 40. ROSALYN How bad is it? DOCTOR The baby’s still healthy right now. But as she shifts around and as you shift around, the tears will become more pronounced and the leakage more serious. Within a few days, the umbilical cord may rupture. The baby will die, and the fluid leaking into your uterus may cause toxic shock. (a beat) Most doctors would recommend immediate termination of the pregnancy. Rosalyn is BEYOND SHOCKED at such a revelation. She looks at the pictures for a moment as if hoping she can magically change what they convey. Then… ROSALYN No, I won’t let you do it! I won’t let you kill my baby! There has to be another way. DOCTOR I thought you might say that. (with a trace of a smile) In fact, I was hoping you would. ROSALYN Why? DOCTOR There’s an experimental procedure... ROSALYN I’ll try it! DOCTOR But, I haven’t... ROSALYN I don’t care if it involves baboon hearts and... (a beat) ...chicken blood. I’ll try anything to save my child. DOCTOR It’s nothing that exotic, I promise. (a beat) You really want this baby, don’t you? ROSALYN More than you could ever know. (a long thoughtful beat) More than I think I even knew. DOCTOR There’s a Doctor Nelson in Vermont. She specializes in “in utero” procedures. Do you know what that means? ROSALYN It means she can operate on the baby and still return her to the womb afterward. DOCTOR Exactly. I did my residence in Long Beach. I saw her do a procedure on a case similar to yours. ROSALYN Do you think she’ll be able to help me? DOCTOR I think so. I know she still lives in Vermont. It’s too dangerous to move you, so she’ll have to fly here. Just say the word and I’ll try to contact her. ROSALYN Consider it said, Doctor. DOCTOR Then I’ll call her right now. Meanwhile, I’ll have you moved to a hospital bed. We have to make sure you make as little movement as possible the next 36 hours. ROSALYN I’ll be a statue if that’s what it takes. DOCTOR Good girl. He begins to get up and leave. As he reaches the office door... ROSALYN Doctor, thank you for doing this. For caring. DOCTOR You can thank my sister, Beverly. (a beat) When she was born, the doctors thought she wouldn’t live through the night. But she fooled them. She survived. And she thrives to this day. She’s my inspiration to never give up on anyone – born or unborn. He receives a reassuring smile from Rosalyn. Then he calmly exits the room. INT. THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE DOCTOR FAGAN’S OFFICE. Nurse Hughes is waiting for the Doctor. She was clearly listening in, obviously with the Doctor’s consent. NURSE Should I call Dr. Nelson for you, Doctor? DOCTOR (shaking his head) No need. She’s already on her way. NURSE But you hadn’t even... DOCTOR Sometimes... you just know! Nurse Hughes understands and smiles at him. They walk off down the hall together. INT. POLICE STATION – KANE’S DESK - DAY Kane is now seated behind his desk, while Stone sits in front of it. Kane pulls a FILE out and hands an 8x10 PICTURE to his friend. C. U. – THE PICTURE It shows the wall of another alley, on which is inscribed the phrase, “Hobart’s will soon be History.” The script is the same style as the message on the other wall; in particular the Hs are the same fancy loopy style as the H in Hope was. KANE Found that message three days ago. Didn’t think much of it at the time, but just to be sure we ran a few extra patrols on the Hobart Bank, Hobart’s Jewelers, even Hobart’s Furniture Store. The next day however, Hobart’s Hardware was bombed. STONE I remember seeing that in the paper. Couldn’t figure out why anyone would want to harm that place. KANE Yeah, not just harmed. It was obliterated. Damaged the businesses on either side of it as well. Overkill. Just glad it was at night when the store was closed. Only casualty was the security guard. STONE Any other oddities about the incident? KANE Yeah, forensics can’t figure out what the bomber used. Seemed way too powerful even for C4 explosives. They found some traces of gunpowder. Odd thing was they also found some tobacco. STONE What’s odd about that? KANE Hobart’s didn’t sell any tobacco products or allow it on the premises. Very health-conscious people. Plus forensics said it looked like some fancy blend... (a beat, then with realization) that hadn’t been made in decades. STONE Sounds like I’d better start filling you in now. KANE Yeah. STONE My boss is playing games with me as usual. I’ve complained about always needing to track down names, so this time he gave me a name to start with. But nothing else. KANE Be careful what you wish for, huh? STONE The name is Ogden H. Parker. KANE Sounds vaguely familiar. STONE He was the founder of the Parker Fertilizer Company. KANE That’s right. (a beat) That seems harmless enough STONE But the fact is it started as a munitions company. They changed over in the late 1860’s. Can’t find out why though. KANE You think it has something to do with why he went to Hell? STONE Maybe. The Devil keeps giving me odd clues. Parker never fought in the Civil War, but the Devil wore a Rebel uniform today. KANE You think he’s trying to trick you? STONE No, it meant something. He’s playing with my head, seeing how many clues I need before I finally figure it out. Kane’s PHONE begins to RING, interrupting the conversation. Kane dutifully picks it up. KANE Detective Kane. (a beat, jovially) Oh hello, Mrs. King. How are you? (a beat) Okay, Susan then. What can I do for you? STONE (quietly) Roz’s mother? Kane nods to him. KANE Sure I’ll be glad to give you a lift. Where to? (a beat) The hospital? Are you okay? (a beat) My God. I’ll be in front of your house in ten minutes. STONE What’s wrong? Is Roz’s mother ill? KANE No, she’s fine, but... (a beat) Roz is here... in New York. (a beat) And she’s in the hospital. Stone and Kane exchanged WORRIED GLANCES. WHITE FLASH END OF ACT I ACT II INT. HOTEL MEZZANINE – STONE’S ROOM – EARLY AFTERNOON Stone is seated in the bedroom, reading a newspaper and occasionally glancing at his watch. He is alone for a few moments. Then as he glances at his watch again, he looks up and THE DEVIL is seated right next to him. DEVIL I don’t believe this. You have a case to solve and here you are just reading the paper. STONE I’m waiting on word from Kane. DEVIL Yes, But not about your target. You’re waiting on word about your widow. STONE She’s in the hospital and I want to know why. If I knew which hospital, I’d be there already. DEVIL She’s not your concern any more. You’re dead to her. She’s remarried. (a beat) And now she’s pregnant. Stone gives an obviously startled look. He wasn’t expecting that little bombshell. DEVIL (with a smile) I see you didn’t know that. Amazing isn’t it? Two years with you – nothing. A few months with Dan – Bingo. Bun in the oven. (a beat) Still so concerned about her now? STONE Even more so. She’s had a tough life. She deserves some happiness. DEVIL And how are you going to help that? STONE I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just pray for her. DEVIL You think God listens to your prayers? STONE I think he’d listen to anyone’s prayers. Even yours. (a beat) Maybe if you’d tell him you were a bad boy and you were sorry, he might forgive you. Maybe even let you off with a few eons of community service. DEVIL (pissed off) I don’t need his forgiveness – or anyone else’s. But I may need a new soul-hunter soon if you don’t get off your ass and start working. (a beat) You’re not going to find where Ogden Parker is sitting around here. STONE You never know. (a beat) Sometimes answers come in the last place you’d expect them to. Stone looks particularly thoughtful after making that remark. We zoom in on his face and then quickly jump to: INT. A NICE RESTAURANT – EVENING (B&W) We are obviously back in the past again. Stone and his wife ROSALYN are in a nice restaurant – not a fast food joint, not exactly the Ritz either, though. Stone still only makes a policeman’s salary and this was a last minute suggestion from D’Amato as you recall. The Stones are at a quiet table in the corner of the room. Most of the other CUSTOMERS are at least a couple of tables away. Rosalyn is eating her salad. Stone just sits there picking at his. ROSALYN Zeke. Unless they’ve changed the rules, I think the idea of eating out is for both of us to eat. STONE (distant) I’m sorry Roz. I just don’t have any appetite. ROSALYN This case you’ve been working on? The one you don’t want to talk about? Stone surrenders to Roz’s comment. If he can’t eat a simple meal with her, at least he can open up to her. STONE It’s a kidnapping case. A little boy – Jimmy. Six years old. His mother was picking him up from school two days ago. A big guy knocked her down, snatched him right out of her hands. They’re worried sick. He’s their only child. ROSALYN How horrible. STONE It’s even worse. The doctor botched the delivery. He’s the only child they’re ever going to have. ROSALYN And you have no idea where to find him. STONE The M.O. matches a similar kidnapping last month. That kid was snatched from an orphanage. Then he was sacrificed in some bizarre ritual that took place on the top floor of a tall building. It was at midnight on the first night of the full moon ROSALYN And tonight... STONE Is also the first night of the full moon. (a beat) He’ll be dead in five hours, and we haven’t got a clue on how to find him. ROSALYN That’s creepy. STONE I’d use a stronger word than that. ROSALYN No, I mean it’s really creepy. It sounds like something I was reading just today. STONE What do you mean? ROSALYN Some story I was reading for a friend of mine. She wasn’t sure if it was suitable for children and asked my opinion. So I read it. It involved little children and full moons. Stone’s interest is definitely perking up. He presses subtly for more details. STONE Tell me more about it. ROSALYN Well, it centers on a young boy named Daniel – almost seven. Two of his friends are kidnapped by a man named Tinlok, trying to gain immortality. Tinlok sends them into oblivion at midnight on the night of the full moon – one month apart. Finally, the man comes after him, but Daniel outwits him. Tinlok is sent into oblivion instead, and the boy manages to bring his two friends back into his own world. Meantime, he learns lessons about friendship, confidence in himself, that kind of thing. STONE You say he was seven years old? ROSALYN Almost. He saves the other children on the night before his seventh birthday. STONE Were his friends the same age? ROSALYN Yes. The legend Tinlok was following said he needed to sacrifice three children “on the cusp of reason.” STONE Seven years old is considered the age of reason… ROSALYN This all means something, doesn’t it? STONE The child who was kidnapped last month and the latest abductee. Both of them were within a week of their seventh birthday. (a beat) Roz, give me any other details you remember. Where were the sacrifices made? ROSALYN The first one had to be at a place overlooking the crossroads of good and evil. Stone looks like someone suddenly turned on all the lights in his head at once. STONE The first murder took place in a tall building at the corner of Providence Avenue and Red Devil Lane. Good and evil. (a beat) Roz, do you know where this book came from? Is it something widely available that anyone could have read? ROSALYN No. It was written in England. It’s just now being made available here. (a beat) But I did ask Terry about the story. She said it was based on an ancient legend, but made palatable for children. She compared it to how they changed stories of the evil Djinn into stories of friendly genies. STONE All right, think carefully. Where was the second child to be sacrificed? ROSALYN They were all near crossroads. The second one was the crossroads of darkness and light. (a beat) Yes, I’m sure of it. The last one was life and death. And that’s where Daniel won out. Stone is already running the phrase “light and darkness” through his head – practically saying it aloud as he thinks about it. He looks up to Rosalyn with hesitation. STONE Roz... ROSALYN This can help you find that boy, can’t it? Stone just nods. ROSALYN (firmly) Then what are you sitting here for? Go! Stone hops up, goes over to kiss Roz quickly. STONE Have you got...? Roz calmly pulls a CREDIT CARD from her purse and shows it to him. It’s clear that this isn’t the first time he’s run out on her on short notice, and she is always prepared. STONE I’ll leave you the car. I’ll call for a lift. With that, he races out of the room. INT. THE ENTRANCE TO THE RESTAURANT (B&W) Stone goes up to the cashier, flashing his badge. STONE Police business. I need to use your phone. The female CASHIER immediately takes a phone from behind her desk and sets it on the counter for Stone to use. In a flash, we jump to: INT. SQUAD ROOM – NIGHT (B&W) A MAP of the city has been hung up on the wall. Two or three OFFICERS hover around it, following the paths of certain roads, carefully checking all the roads that cross it. Stone, D’Amato, and another COP are in the foreground. OFFICER #1 Here’s another one. Carbon Street crosses Bright Avenue. D’AMATO (speaking into a microphone) Bristor. Stewart. Head to Carbon Street and Bright Avenue. Check all the tall buildings. Call for backup if you need it. STONE (looking at his watch) There’s only an hour left. I can’t just sit here and wait. D’AMATO I agree. Take Marsico with you. (a beat) Day Avenue and Black Street is the closest. Get out there quick. EXT. A CITY STREET – NIGHT (B&W) A POLICE CAR pulls up to the corner where ANOTHER POLICE CAR is already parked on the street. Stone and SGT. MARSICO climb out of their car quickly. TWO OFFICERS – one male, one female – race out to meet them. FEMALE OFFICER (to Stone) We’ve checked the buildings on the East corners. There’s two left on the West corner. You take the bank building. We’ll try the office complex. STONE Got it. INT. AN OFFICE – NIGHT. (B&W) Stone and Marsico bust open the door to the office, and rush in with GUNS drawn. But the place is empty, except for the usual furniture. MARSICO It’s gotta be one of these offices. This is the floor where the elevator was stopped. STONE I know. It’s too late to call for more backup. Let’s try the conference room. INT. A CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT Stone and Marsico burst in again, with guns drawn. A very different sight awaits them this time. The room is filled with windows, ideal for overlooking the city. On the far end of a large CONFERENCE TABLE, a YOUNG BOY, not moving, is sprawled out on the table. Kneeling atop the table, next to him, is a TALL MAN dressed in a RED ROBE, like something an Aztec priest or some ancient civilization would wear. He has a CEREMONIAL DAGGER in his hand raised high above his head. STONE & MARSICO Drop the weapon. Drop it now. TALL MAN (contemptuously) No. He must die, so I can live! The man starts to swing the knife. Stone and Marsico OPEN FIRE on him, pumping out shots as quick as humanly possible. The man is hit and falls off the table to the floor. The two officers run up to where the boy is, checking him for a pulse. INT. THE SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT. (B&W) Unlike before, the place is almost silent now. The clock shows it is a few minutes past midnight. Suddenly the PHONE RINGS LOUDLY. Lt. D’Amato picks it up and speaks into it. D’AMATO Hello. (a beat) Stone... what did you find out? (a beat) My God. Are you sure? (a beat) Yeah. You bet I will. D’Amato pushes the hold button and quickly exits the room. INT. AN EMPTY OFFICE. (B&W) Laurel and Robert are sitting quietly in one of the unused offices, holding each other tightly for support. Suddenly, the door bursts open and D’Amato rushes in. D’AMATO We’ve found your son! The young couple rise nervously – hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst. D’Amato picks up the office phone, punches a button to take it off hold, and excitedly hands the receiver out toward Laurel and Robert. D’AMATO And he’d like to talk to you! The couple’s faces both show wondrous disbelief. Laurel reaches out and takes the phone, cradling it so that Robert can listen in with her. LAUREL (nervously) Jim? Then she hears a voice on the phone. We can’t hear it, but we can tell it must be him. Laurel’s face lights up, as does Robert’s. She looks like she is ready to cry tears of joy, but is trying to hold it in so she can talk. LAUREL Are you all right? (a beat) Oh, God. We were scared too! Now she loses it and starts to cry. Robert takes the phone in his hand. He looks like he’s about an eyelash away from bursting into tears himself. ROBERT Where are you son? (a beat) Yes, We’ll be right here waiting for you. Robert drops the phone and he and his wife hug each other tenderly. Their nightmare is over. D’Amato quietly steps out, closing the door behind him so the couple can have a good joyful cry in peace. D'AMATO (shaking his head in wonder) Stone, you son-of-a-gun, you! OFF THAT, BACK TO: INT. HOTEL MEZZANINE – STONE’S ROOM - DAY (IN COLOR AGAIN) Stone is finished with his little flashback. The Devil is obviously aware of what events he was recalling. DEVIL Ah yes! Jefferson Trudeau. A man who’d just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Rather than preparing for death, he chose not just to try to live – but to live forever. STONE As Judas Booth would confirm, immortality’s not all it’s cracked up to be. DEVIL So he latched onto that old legend about three young boys sacrificed to some Aztec god bringing immortality. Absolute nonsense, but he believed it. (a beat) Of course, now he is living forever – in my kingdom, in absolute misery. STONE He made his choice. A bad one. DEVIL Not for you, though, of course. You received a special medal for solving the case – one of your many accolades. None of which meant a damn when you were judged. STONE The medal didn’t matter. Nothing meant more to me than hearing the voices of those two crying over the telephone. DEVIL Pity about young Jimmy, though. Died of an overdose at age 16. Got a few of his friends hooked before that, too. STONE (totally unfazed) Nice try. But Jim graduated with honors from Rutland University. Now works for an adoption agency. Same one his parents used to adopt his sisters Valerie and Ursula. (a beat) Want to know how well THEY’RE doing? DEVIL (mildly seething) Maybe if you weren’t wasting time researching your past cases, you’d be catching my lost souls more quickly. STONE Maxine got that info for me last year. I was curious. DEVIL You were lucky, detective. No more, no less. The odds against Rosalyn relating that story to you at that particular time... STONE Who knows? Maybe an angel whispered in her ear to read that book. Or to talk to me about it. DEVIL An angel who was obviously derelict the day you decided to murder Gilbert Jax. STONE I don’t know. Maybe one did whisper in my ear not to do it. Maybe I just wouldn’t listen. (a beat) Or maybe I listened to the voice of a FORMER angel. DEVIL You should be listening to one now. If you don’t get moving on this case... STONE You’ll fire me? I don’t think so. Besides, it wasn’t too long ago you were trying to mess up my attempt to dispatch a soul for your own purposes. Now you’re saying I can’t take a break for mine? You can’t have it both ways. (a beat) Although, God knows, you always try. DEVIL (seeing he’s getting nowhere) All right, fine. Waste your time on your precious widow. You’ve got 24 hours, then I expect you back on the case. STONE If that’s all I need, you’ve got it. Stone turns away from the Devil and looks back in his paper. There’s a brief WHITE FLASH next to him, and then he turns to see that the Devil is gone. Before he can look back though, there’s a knock on the door. Stone gets up and opens it. Kane enters the room. STONE What’s up? I thought you were gonna call. What did you find out? KANE First, there’s something you should know. Something I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. You might not wanna hear it. STONE That Roz is pregnant? Kane looks at him with an amazed expression. STONE A little rat told me. (a beat) Make that a big rat. KANE Well, the good news is she’s okay for now. But the baby is in danger. She’s having an operation tomorrow to try to save the child. STONE Is the baby far enough along to survive outside the womb? KANE No. But they’ll operate on the baby while still in the womb. They can do that nowadays. STONE Wow. What else have I missed out on? KANE Artificial hearts. Cloning. Viagra. STONE I’ve got to be there tomorrow. Even if she doesn’t know it, I just have to give her my support. KANE Well, if you can’t be there, have a little faith. I’m sure Sophia will be just fine. STONE Excuse me? KANE I said I’m sure Roz will be fine. STONE No, you said Sophia would be fine. KANE Did I? (a beat) Slip of the tongue. STONE Freudian slip if you ask me. (a beat) C’mon Kane. I’m dead but I’m not blind. I see the way you look at her whenever she’s in the same room. You obviously still feel something for her. KANE I’ve always had feelings for her. It's just... (a beat) She’s a cop. Her father was a cop. I’m a cop. There was just too much of that in her life. I think she needed to get away from it. STONE Well, her father’s gone now. Your being a cop and a friend might be the anchor she needs right now. (a beat) And she knows the damned souls are real now. She doesn’t think you’re crazy anymore. KANE I just don’t know. I can’t tell if she still feels the way she used to about me. STONE Then talk to her about it. What’s the worst that could happen? If she doesn’t have feelings for you, at least you’ll know. KANE God knows I have been looking for a way to broach the subject. STONE Well, don’t miss your chance. Life’s too short. I’m proof of that. KANE Okay, I’ll think about it. But what about you? If you want to be there for Roz, you’d better have a good disguise because her mother will be there for sure. STONE Yeah. (a beat) I think I’ve got an idea about that. INT. A PRIVATE HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY Rosalyn is in a hospital bed, with the usual amenities – she’s hooked up to a monitor and has an IV drip in her arm. On the more unusual side, the side railings on her bed are raised up and she has large cushions on either side of her to try to keep her body in place. She is alone in the room until the door opens, and her mother SUSAN KING enters. Rosalyn is obviously glad to see her. ROSALYN Oh, it’s so good to see you. It’s good to see anybody (a beat) but especially you. SUSAN Wouldn’t you know it? The one day I decide just to drop you off instead of coming in with you, you get news like this. ROSALYN It’s okay, Mom. You had errands to run, that’s all. SUSAN I’d have been here sooner, but the car broke down. Fortunately, that nice Detective Will Kane came and got me. (a beat) I told him about your condition. I hope you don’t mind. He seemed so concerned. ROSALYN It’s all right, Mom, he seems like a very nice man. SUSAN So how are you feeling, honey? ROSALYN (chuckling) Well, I can’t tell you how many times when I was grading stacks of homework that I wished I could just hop into bed and veg out for a few hours. But right now, I’d rather be doing anything else but this. (a beat) But I’d stay like this till my delivery date if that’s what it would take. SUSAN So you really do want this baby? ROSALYN Well, of course, Mother. Did I ever give you the idea I didn’t? I mean, I know this wasn’t planned... SUSAN I know. But up until now, I had the impression that you could care less about whether you had a baby or not. ROSALYN (sternly) Mother! (a beat) It’s not “COULD care less”. It’s “COULDN’T care less.” (a beat, then lightly) Sorry. I’m a teacher. Bad grammar drives me nuts. SUSAN (amused) Sorry. ROSALYN It’s not that I never cared about having a child. Zeke and I tried up until... (a beat) But after he was gone... I mean, I didn’t have a husband. A baby just seemed out of the question. SUSAN (hedging, but going ahead) Speaking of Zeke... ROSALYN I’d rather not, really. SUSAN That story you told me, about seeing him in Los Angeles with that... young girl. ROSALYN I didn’t imagine it, Mother. SUSAN Well, tell me. How did he look? ROSALYN As handsome as ever – for a two-timer. SUSAN And his hair? Turned gray, was it? ROSALYN No, still the same shade of brown. SUSAN Really? How odd. ROSALYN Grecian Formula 16, Mother. SUSAN Okay. Did he have lots of wrinkles, crow’s feet? For the first time in the conversation, Roz pauses. Obviously, her mother has made a valid point that had eluded her. ROSALYN No. Actually he looked exactly the way he did the day he died. (a beat, then casually) He’s probably using Botox. SUSAN (chuckling) Zeke never struck me as the kind of man who’d resort to Botox. ROSALYN Well, he never struck me as the kind of man who’d fake his death and dump me for a girl half his age, but there you go. SUSAN Half his age, huh? That means she’d have been what...seven years old when he supposedly faked his death. ROSALYN (hesitates, and then) So he’s exchanged the earlier one for a younger model. Men do it all the time. SUSAN Are you sure he wasn’t just someone who looked like Zeke? A younger man. ROSALYN With the same name? SUSAN Maybe he knew about his resemblance. Tried to cash in on it by using Zeke’s name. ROSALYN That’s ludicrous, mother. SUSAN So, it’s easier to believe that he faked his death, laid low for sixteen years, popped up in the very city you’d moved to, and he hasn’t aged a day? He cared so little for you he dumped you, yet he stopped to save your life in a bank robbery? Roz is a little steamed now, but doesn’t have a quick retort. Susan moves in for match point. SUSAN Why didn’t you confront him? Call him a two-timer to his face? Expose him for what he was? ROSALYN Obviously I wish I had now. But instead I just wanted to run home and... SUSAN And what? (a long beat) And make love to Dan, right? ROSALYN Yes. Passionately. SUSAN I always suspected something like that. I mean you did marry him so suddenly. I hadn’t even had a chance to meet him. (a beat) Do you love him? ROSALYN Oh, mom, of course I love him. There’s never been any doubt about that. SUSAN Are you IN LOVE with him? Roz visibly hesitates on a response to that. ROSALYN I’m not sure, Mom. He’s a great guy, really. I’d counted on having time with him for my feelings to grow. But then he left for six months. And now this. Susan walks over and sits next to Roz. She takes her hand in hers gently. SUSAN Roz, honey. Is there any chance that you had feelings for Dan so much so that you wanted to see Zeke in a bad light so that you’d have an excuse to go on? ROSALYN Oh, God, Mom. I wish it was that simple. The fact is I feel like I’ve spent the last 15 years hoping against hope that Zeke would come home. And then when I saw him with that... that floozy I suddenly felt like I’d wasted my life, my chance to have a family, to be happy. SUSAN So you jumped at the chance Daniel represented. ROSALYN Maybe. Maybe I was overenthusiastic. But now that I’m in this position, I don’t want to lose this baby. And I don’t want to lose him. I mean, he’s not Zeke, but... SUSAN Maybe he can be your Gary Morton. ROSALYN (looking extremely confused) OK, Mom, you have officially lost me now. SUSAN (with a little chuckle) I thought you wouldn’t recognize the name. (a beat) He’s the man Lucille Ball married after she and Desi had broken up. They were married for many years, they produced her shows together. He was there with her right up to the moment she died. And she always told people he made her very happy. ROSALYN But people don’t remember him. They remember Desi. SUSAN Right. But in many ways, Gary may have been the true love of her life. (a beat) I think Dan can be that for you. He’ll never be Zeke. But, I think he can make you happy. Can be a good husband and father. Whether you really saw him or not, Zeke’s gone now. And I think you’re finally ready to move on. ROSALYN (nodding) And when Dan gets home, I’ll do my best to make our marriage work. SUSAN I know you will, honey. ROSALYN (smiling) Mom. You know me so well. SUSAN Well, I should honey. (a beat) I’ve known you all your life. Mother and daughter share a quiet, peaceful laugh together, as we slowly FADE TO BLACK END OF ACT II ACT III INT. HOTEL MEZZANINE – STONE’S BATHROOM – EARLY MORNING Stone is standing in front of his bathroom mirror, looking like a man ready to face a tough adversary. He is talking to himself intently, psyching himself up. STONE All right, remember what Ash told you. If you can create a fire in your body, surely you can change your face a little. He dips his head down so that he is looking toward the floor. STONE Now concentrate. Think of all the things that slimy weasel did to you in Hell. All those humiliations, degradations. His face, what we can see of it, is a mask of rage now. STONE Now take that energy and use it to change your face. He pulls his face up quickly to look at his reflection in the mirror. To his utter shock, the face of the Devil is staring back at him. STONE Holy shit! He moves his hands over his face to be sure that it is not just an illusion. But apparently it is quite real. However, to us, he still appears to look like Ezekiel Stone, except when we see his reflection. A familiar voice speaks out from another corner of the room. DEVIL I believe the proper line should be “Oh, boy.” STONE What? DEVIL Oh, that’s right. You never saw QUANTUM LEAP. You were incarcerated at the time. As Stone speaks, he is wiping his face with a towel, as if it could magically wipe away his new face. STONE QUANTUM LEAP? What was that – a science show? DEVIL A horror show if you ask me. The very idea of someone putting things right that once went wrong. When I put something wrong, it stays wrong. (a beat) And that silly episode they did, “The Boogieman.” As if I couldn’t handle one puny time traveler. Stone is now bowing his head, preparing to try to shift his features again. DEVIL Oh, detective, you’re going to try to change your face again after you’ve just gotten it looking so handsome? STONE I see enough of your ugly face as it is. I don’t need it staring back at me in a mirror. DEVIL Now be practical, detective. You want to not be recognized. Is anyone going to mistake that face for yours? STONE (reluctantly) You do have a point. And it’s only for a few hours. (a beat) But what if Kane or Alex sees me like this? They’ll think I’m you. DEVIL Everyone sees me differently, Ezekiel. Kane has his own image of me. Your friend Alex had a different image of me when she saw me. No one will think of your current features as resembling me except you. STONE How do I know you’re not lying? DEVIL Well, you never do for sure, of course. But…I’m not. STONE Okay, I guess I can stick with this just for today. DEVIL A wise decision. (a beat) A nice change of pace for you. Stone turns to give the Devil a dirty look, but His Infernal Majesty has now vanished. STONE Still, I need to make sure this really works. Stone goes over to the WINDOW with the FIRE ESCAPE outside. He opens the window and begins to go down the fire escape. INT. HOTEL MEZZANINE. – LOBBY - DAY ALEXANDRA is studying a law school book intently behind her desk. Stone enters the room from the front door. He obviously used the fire escape so Alex wouldn’t know he had left his room. He strides right up to her desk. She closes her book and looks up at him. ALEX Yes sir, can I help you? STONE (casually) Yes, you can. Does Ezekiel Stone live here? ALEX Yes, he does. Do you want me to get him for you? STONE Oh, no, no. That’s not necessary. (a beat) Actually, I was wondering if you could help me settle a bet. ALEX I’ll try. What do you need? STONE Well, some people say I look a lot like Zeke Stone. Tell me what you think. Alex looks at his face carefully, and then SHAKES HER HEAD. ALEX Sorry. You’re about the same size, but... you don’t look anything like him. STONE I’m delighted to hear that. (catching himself) I mean I’m surprised to hear that. I guess my buddies were just pulling my leg. ALEX Afraid so. (a beat) Do you want me to leave him a message? STONE No, that’s fine. I’ll take your word for it. Thanks a lot. ALEX No problem. Stone then walks out of the room, but as he is almost out the door, he calls out. STONE Oh, and good luck on your big test today. ALEX (smiling) Thanks! Alex looks down at her book for a moment, as if to get back to studying. Then suddenly, what Stone said hits her, and she looks up with her EYES BUGGING OUT wondering just how this total stranger knew about that! INT. THE HOSPITAL - ROSALYN’S ROOM - DAY Rosalyn is still lying in her propped up position. Dr. Fagan enters the room with a clipboard full of paperwork in his hand. DOCTOR Here are the last of the medical forms I mentioned earlier. He hands Roz the CLIPBOARD. She starts to scan the material carefully. DOCTOR We’ve slated your surgery to start about 11:45. ROSALYN The sooner the better. I’m hungry and tired of sitting still. (a beat) Will I have a chance to meet the doctor before surgery? DOCTOR (with a smile) She’ll be in to meet you in just a few minutes. She’s just running a little late. Her flight was delayed an hour or two by airport security. ROSALYN Sometimes I think there’s a little too much security at airports. Aren’t the days of people hijacking flights to Cuba long gone? DOCTOR Well, better to be safe than sorry. Rosalyn finishes looking over the paperwork. She signs it and politely hands it back to the doctor. He looks over it just long enough to see that she signed it. DOCTOR I’ll be assisting with the surgery. ROSALYN Great. Then I know I’ll be in good hands. DOCTOR I’ll see you just before surgery then. And Doctor Nelson will be by in just a few minutes. ROSALYN Great. Thanks again, doctor. Dr. Fagan politely leaves the room. Roz settles down in the bed again. Just for a moment, she thinks out about. ROSALYN Doctor... Nelson? (a long beat, then shaking her head) Naah. Couldn’t be. INT. HOSPITAL - A WAITING AREA - MORNING It’s a standard hospital waiting area. There are couches and chairs in the area, plenty of room for everyone. There are magazines on a table between two of the couches. There’s a TV playing overhead set to a local news channel, but tuned so low nobody is paying much attention to it. Currently occupying the room are Susan King and a couple of other PEOPLE, probably there for a different patient. Into this area enters Ezekiel Stone. He tentatively sits down on one of the couches and picks up a magazine. From another couch, Susan gets up and walks over to him. SUSAN Hi. I’m Susan King. Do I know you? STONE Detective John Gonner. An old friend of Rosalyn’s. SUSAN Oh, I’m sorry. I thought I knew all of Rosalyn’s friends. STONE Well, might be more accurate to say I was a friend of her husband. SUSAN Oh, really. You know Dan? STONE Oh, no. I... meant her first husband. SUSAN (annoyed with herself) Oh, of course. How silly of me. You said you were a detective, after all. STONE Detective Kane at the precinct house told me what happened. I just thought I’d come here to give her some moral support. SUSAN Well that’s very kind of you. (a beat) So, you... uh... knew Ezekiel Stone then? STONE Pretty well. Why? Susan sits down on the couch next to Stone. He’s a little nervous now, but tries to be as casual as he can. SUSAN If it’s not too personal a question, did you know him before he met Roz? STONE For quite a while. Yes. SUSAN Was he... well... kind of a ladies’ man back then? STONE No. He just dated one woman at a time. Didn’t like playing the field too much. (a beat) He didn’t talk much about the women he dated. Until he met Roz. He just adored her. I think he fell in love with her the minute he saw her. That was a man really head over heels. SUSAN I really appreciate you telling me that. STONE It’s just a shame... about what happened to him. SUSAN I know. It took her years to get over it. It’s just nice now to see her finally opening up to a new relationship. Starting to blossom again. Susan starts to look at Stone peculiarly. He’s not sure what to make of it. STONE Is something wrong? SUSAN Oh, I’m sorry if I’m staring. Something about your eyes looks familiar… Suddenly, Susan visibly jolts a little in her chair. SUSAN Oh, I’m sorry. I just... I thought I saw a flash of light in your eyes. STONE (very casually) Oh, it’s these crazy contacts. The lights play all kinds of tricks on them. SUSAN Yes, they do. (a beat) Well, I’ll let you get back to your reading. It was nice to meet you. STONE Same here. Susan gets up and returns to her couch. Stone breathes a sigh of relief just loud enough for us to hear it, but nothing Susan would notice. A few moments later, a TALL BLACK MAN in his early twenties enters the room. He walks over to where Ezekiel is sitting. MAN Is this seat taken? STONE No, help yourself. The man sits down next to Zeke. He seems like a friendly fellow and so… MAN My name’s Anthony Avery. My friends call me Tony. STONE Detective John Gonner. Nice to meet you. TONY This is the waiting room for Rosalyn Copper, isn’t it? STONE Yes. I’m an old friend of her husband. How about you? TONY You might say we went to school together. Stone looks a little puzzled at that remark. TONY (with a smile) She was my second grade teacher. Stone smiles now. He gets it. STONE She must have made quite an impression on you then. TONY That’s for sure. She changed my whole life. STONE Really? TONY Yeah. My father had lost his job back then. My parents were always fighting. I started acting up. Ignored my schoolwork. Started picking fights. They were ready to expel me. (a beat) But, Mrs. Stone, she took me aside. Talked to me. She really seemed like she cared, so I told her everything. She went to the School Board and fought for me to get another chance. So, they gave me one. STONE And how’d you do? TONY Just barely squeaked by that year. But it was all “A”s and “B”s from then on. STONE And your parents? TONY Dad found a job later that year. They’re still together today. STONE Well, that’s great. TONY I only had Mrs. Stone that one year. I always wanted to thank her for what she did. If I’d gotten kicked out of school, I might have ended up in a gang or something. Instead, today I’m a teacher. STONE Oh, wow. Is that how you found out about Rosalyn being here? TONY No. I’d just been trying to track her down to say thank you. Wasn’t easy though. There’s a lot of Stones out there. STONE Tell me about it. TONY I finally find out where she is – that’s she’s even here in New York. Then this happens. Thought I’d just come by and say some prayers for her, give her a nice surprise when she wakes up. STONE I’m sure she’d appreciate that. It’s a rough operation she’s going through. TONY Well, if there’s any hospital she should be in, it’s this one. It’s the greatest. Its name says it all. STONE (amused) Yeah. New York Municipal. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. TONY (chuckling) Oh, I meant its original name. All Hope Hospital. Stones eyes widen as he hears that name. STONE Did you say All Hope Hospital? TONY Yeah. Actually the full name was Our Lady of All Hope Hospital. They just called it All Hope for short. STONE (all business now) How long has it been here? When did they change the name? TONY Well, let’s see, it was founded in the early 1800s. Changed its name sometime after the Civil War. Several times more after that. STONE (almost in a whisper) My God. It fits. He quickly looks at his watch. It is 11:30 now. STONE I’ve got to go somewhere. It was nice meeting you. Stone is up and out the door quickly, leaving Tony wondering what it was he said. INT. AN OPERATING ROOM – DAY We are looking at a close-up of Rosalyn’s face. She is lying on a surgery table in a hospital gown with a surgical cap over her head. A female doctor’s voice can be heard overhead. DOCTOR NELSON (O.S.) Okay, Rosalyn. Start counting backward from a hundred. ROSALYN (slowly) One hundred... ninety-nine... ninety-eight... ninety seven... ninety-six... ninety- fi... fi... Suddenly, we flash instantly to the past again. INT. A KITCHEN – NIGHT (B&W) In the kitchen of a small but comfortable home we find Zeke and Rosalyn Stone having an after-dinner drink with Laurel and Robert, the couple from the kidnapping case. Laurel is just re-entering the room from the hallway. LAUREL (slightly exaggerated tone) Fi...nally got Jim to lie down and go to sleep. I think having company just got him overexcited. ROBERT After what’s he went through last week, he’s entitled to be a little easily excited. LAUREL Yeah. If it wasn’t for you two and what you did… (a beat) Yesterday was his birthday. Last week I thought he wouldn’t live to see it. ROSALYN All’s well that ends well. LAUREL Well, I’m going to see to it that the rest of his life ends well. (a beat) I’ve made a decision. I’m going to be a full-time mother. I’m quitting school. Robert puts his arm around her gently ROBERT I’m proud of you, honey. It’s a tough decision to make. LAUREL I picked him up at six that day instead of five-thirty, because I was coming from school. I’ll never let anything like that happen to him again. STONE It wasn’t your fault. The man who kidnapped Jimmy was stalking him because of his age and his birthday. If you’d shown up at five-thirty, that’s when he would have attacked you. Being late made no difference at all. LAUREL That doesn’t matter. I won’t take the chance on him being hurt again. I won’t. There’s a moment of uneasy silence among the four of them. Then Stone decides to break the quiet. STONE Well, it was a wonderful dinner, but we need to call it a night. We're flying out to California in the morning. We'd been talking about driving down the coast, and this seemed like a good time to use up some vacation days. LAUREL Oh, sounds like fun. Well, thank you both for coming. ROSALYN Oh, it was wonderful. Thank you so much for dinner. LAUREL Thank you both again for everything. If there’s ever anything we can do for you… ROSALYN (a little hesitant) Actually, there is something you could do for me. LAUREL Sure. Anything ROSALYN I’d like you to consider... not quitting school. Laurel is too surprised by the request to respond for a moment. ROSALYN Tell me, is school something you just started recently? LAUREL No, I’ve been going for three years now. ROSALYN What are you studying for? LAUREL To be a doctor. ROSALYN Oh, that’s wonderful. You shouldn’t give up on that. LAUREL But I... ROSALYN Look, we don’t have kids yet, so I can’t pretend to know what you’ve been through. I know you’ll be afraid for his safety for a long time to come. That’s understandable. (a beat) That man tried to take Jim away from you; he failed. But if you let him take away your dream, then he wins. He takes something away from you that you can never get back - something you may regret giving up for the rest of your life. LAUREL I... I just want to be a good mother to Jim. ROSALYN You have been. And you will be. But you can be that AND a doctor too. You’ve already invested three years in that. Laurel nods. ROSALYN All I’m asking is that you think it over carefully. Take whatever precautions you need to protect your son. But, please don’t give up on your dream. LAUREL Okay. I’ll think it over. That’s the least I can do for you. Roz gives Laurel a supportive HUG. Then she and Zeke AD-LIB GOODBYES and start to leave. EXT. LAUREL AND ROBERT’S HOUSE (B&W) As Zeke and Roz step outside, they see a light rain is falling. ROSALYN I left the umbrella inside. I’ll grab it. INT. THE LVING ROOM (B&W) Roz slowly opens the front door and slips inside just far enough to grab the umbrella from the stand they left it in. She looks toward the kitchen. INT. THE KITCHEN (B&W) Robert and Laurel are still in the kitchen, hugging each other. ROBERT I never wanted you to quit, either. I just... didn’t want to question your decision. Laurel looks at him. Her expression shows she understands he’s telling her the truth, and that’s she’s very happy to have such a supportive husband. She leans forward and kisses him. THE LIVING ROOM (B&W) Roz smiles and quietly slips back out, turning the lock and closing the door behind her. THE OPERATING ROOM (COLOR) Roz is passed out now, with a little smile on her face. DOCTOR NELSON (O.S.) Okay, she’s out. Let’s get started. INT. A BASEMENT CORRIDOR – AN ELEVATOR Elevator doors open up and Stone emerges from the car and walks cautiously forward. After he takes a few steps, he looks like a smell is assailing his nostrils. STONE Smoke! Cigar smoke! Zeke draws his gun. WHITE FLASH END OF ACT III ACT IV INT. ANOTHER HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DAY Stone is creeping forward stealthily to make as little noise as possible. The basement consists of a long corridor dotted by an occasional door leading to a storage area or an electrical room. Stone seems to detect a smell coming from behind a STORAGE ROOM DOOR. With one hand on his gun, he THROWS OPEN the door and looks inside. A STORAGE AREA Among some of the boxes of medicines and other paraphernalia, he finds a MAN IN A SECURITY UNIFORM lying still on the floor. He feels the man’s neck, but it has no pulse. The man is as dead as he is. In front of the dead man is a LARGE CIGAR BURNING on the floor. Stone crushes the cigar and it makes a crunching sound. He picks the cigar up and pulls off the tobacco portion around it revealing a small primitive looking explosive device on the inside. THE CORRIDOR Stone returns to the corridor and proceeds cautiously onward. INT. AN ELECTRICAL ROOM - DAY The room is filled with electrical circuits and wiring, some built into the walls, others on large devices setting on the floor. But completely out of place in the room is a MAN DRESSED IN AN OLD-FASHIONED OVERCOAT. He is lighting up a cigar of the same type Stone had found earlier. He is very casual about it, and remains calm even when the door BURSTS OPEN and Stone enters the room. STONE Haven’t they told you yet? Those things’ll kill you. MAN (calm but annoyed) From those tattoos on your arm, I’d say you must be the one hunting us down. Ash told us about you. STONE And I assume you’re Ogden H. Parker. PARKER The same (a beat) How did you find me? STONE Despite what they say on Madison Avenue, it DOESN’T pay to advertise. The man responds with a blank look. STONE All Hope will die tonight. Your signature on the fence. PARKER I guess I should have known better. But revenge isn’t nearly as satisfying unless someone knows it’s coming. STONE And what exactly did this hospital do to piss you off? PARKER They saved a man’s life. A man who betrayed me. STONE From what I know about you, you were pretty successful. So who betrayed you? PARKER My servant. A Negro who owed his livelihood to me. A man others treated like cattle. But I gave him freedom. He was going to reward me by turning me in to the authorities. I didn’t intend to spend the rest of the war in prison. STONE For what? You sold munitions. Everyone knew that already. (a beat) Let’s see what you have on under that overcoat. Stone shakes his gun lightly at Parker for emphasis. Parker looks mildly disgusted but removes his overcoat. Underneath is a Civil War uniform – gray in color, not unlike the one the Devil had worn earlier. STONE A Rebel uniform? (a beat) You were selling munitions to both sides weren’t you? That’s what your servant found out. PARKER I offered him money not to divulge it. He pretended to go along with me, and then tried to sneak off to the authorities that night. (a beat) So I followed him, jumped him near an alley in town and stabbed him in the back. His cries for help alerted some people so I was forced to just leave him for dead rather than finishing him off. I figured he was just a darkie. Who would care? STONE But somebody did. PARKER A hardware store owner – Cyrus Hobart. He found the man and took him to All Hope Hospital. A place that catered to everyone – darkies included. STONE We don’t call them darkies anymore. They’re Blacks or African-Americans. And they have the same rights as we do. PARKER Well, he had no right to betray me. STONE He was a patriot. He loved his country more than money. I take it he survived. PARKER You are correct. STONE So why did you wait so long to take your revenge? You've been out of Hell for months. PARKER Initially I had some idea that I could retake control of my company. But it’s been destroyed. The same machines that once produced gunpowder now make worthless fertilizer. STONE Not so worthless. It helps things grow, helps feed the world. What’s so bad about that? PARKER (closing his first) Munitions represented power. The power to destroy. The power to give a weaker man an advantage over a stronger one. A power you presently enjoy – for now. STONE I never said munitions didn’t have their place. PARKER But I have a stronger weapon. Can you guess what it is? STONE That cigar. Full of explosives. Like the other ones I found and crushed. Parker is visibly dismayed by that revelation, but still maintains an air of superiority. PARKER But I know how long a time we have. You don’t. It could be just a few seconds. Are you willing to take that risk? STONE Oh, it can’t be that risky. If it was a short fuse, you would have set them from the back of the hospital coming out, instead of vice versa. You obviously thought you had plenty of time to stroll back upstairs and out of here. I’d say we have at least half an hour. PARKER You’d have made a good chess player. STONE I’m a better poker player. Now why don’t you put out that cigar and I’ll give you a quick one-way ride back home. PARKER With my hellpowers, this device is a thousand times more powerful than it was back in 1865. So you see I have nothing to lose, sir. When this goes off, we’ll likely both be sent back to Hell anyway. But those people upstairs are obviously a concern of yours. STONE Maybe. (a beat) So, that’s like a sophisticated version of a fuse bomb. How come you never marketed it? PARKER I’d initially planned to unveil it and offer it to the North. But when the Union found out about my secret munitions sales to the South, they planned to try me for treason I had to flee my mansion. I dressed this way to sneak across Southern-held lines to sell this weapon to them – a weapon that could have won them the war. But on my way I got caught in a battle and shot in the crossfire. (a beat) I died in this wretched soldier’s costume. I awake in it every morning now. STONE What did you wake up in each day before the escape? PARKER (visibly angered) When I was in Hell, I awoke each day to find myself a different soldier in a different Civil War battle. The events were different, but the outcome was always the same- I was shot or killed in battle. I’ve died a thousand times. I’ve felt bullets penetrate me, cannonballs decapitate me, I’ve had my legs sawed off on some blood-spattered table in a tent. Finally one life ends, but another one takes its place. A vile perversion of justice. STONE Seems perfectly fair to me. You wanted to sell arms to both sides. You would have extended the war for years. It wouldn’t have mattered to you, sitting back in your comfy chair, drinking your fancy wine, counting your money. But it would have mattered to all those men dying out on the battlefield. Parker is getting visibly incensed with Ezekiel’s comments. Stone senses that and goes for the jugular. STONE So now, the Devil is making you live out every horror story of the War. Every bullet, every ounce of gunpowder you sold. You’re feeling the effect it had on the soldiers - the brave ones who fought and died so cowards like you could get rich off their suffering. Ogden loses all control and CHARGES at Stone YELLING AN ANIMAL-LIKE YELL. Zeke’s gun is knocked away, but the detective trips Parker effectively and then gives him a brutal karate chop to the back of his neck. Parker rolls over and kicks out his legs, toppling Ezekiel over. But the advantage is only momentary. Stone lands right on top of Parker, POUNDS HIS FACE WITH HIS FISTS several times and APPLIES A KNEE TO THE GROIN for good measure. Parker is doubled-over in pain. Stone picks up the cigar that Parker had dropped. For a moment, he looks like he will crush it out, but then he has a better idea. He puts the lit end of the cigar into Parker’s left eye socket. In a few seconds, OGDEN’S EYE BURNS OUT and BLUE FLAME BEGINS TO SHOOT OUT. Ogden makes a last attempt to grab at Stone and stop him, but the detective pushes the cigar into Parker’s right eye socket. It too EXPLODES INTO BLUE FLAME and the former munitions magnate is SUCKED BACK TO HELL. When the BLUE FLAME activity is over, Stone calmly CRUSHES OUT THE CIGAR. STONE (talking toward the empty floor) Well, I did warn you those things would kill you. WHITE FLASH INT. THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE WAITING ROOM Tony, the young man from before, is walking down the hallway back to the waiting room, returning from a trip to the restroom. Stone runs up to catch up to him, in a quick but non-threatening manner. He stops Tony just as he gets to the doorway. STONE Listen, I’m glad I caught you alone. Can I talk to you for a second? Tony is a little nervous, since Zeke is a cop and all, but he wants to help. TONY Is something wrong? STONE No. Just the opposite really. I’d like to thank you for your help. TONY I don’t understand. What did I do? STONE I can’t go into too much detail. It’s a pending case. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone else, but someone we were investigating had made a reference to All Hope. We were stymied. But when you mentioned that this hospital used to be called that, something clicked. TONY Oh. I wondered why you left so fast. I was afraid I’d said something wrong. STONE Not at all. In fact, I think you provided us with a vital piece of the puzzle. We appreciate your help. TONY No problem. I was just trying to be friendly. Stone shakes the young man’s hand. He’s obviously made Tony’s day. STONE I’m just curious though. How was it you knew so much about this hospital’s history? TONY Oh, that’s easy. It’s part of my family history. My great grand-dad, also named Anthony, was stabbed in the back in an alley back in 1864. He would have died, but someone found him and took him to All Hope Hospital. They were a color-blind hospital. They saved his life. STONE I guess you were right all along. This really is a great hospital. TONY That’s for sure. STONE You said you were a teacher, right? Tony nods. STONE Well, you must be a good one. I’ve already learned something from you today. Stone gives Tony a pat on the back and then the two re-enter: THE WAITING ROOM The people who were there before are still waiting, some READING MAGAZINES OR BOOKS, others just LOOKING AROUND. Stone and Anthony reenter the room and calmly sit down. Anthony looks likes he’s feeling particularly good now. C.U. – A CLOCK ON THE WALL The clock reads 12:15 at first, but it speeds up and quickly changes to 1:05. We look back at THE WAITING ROOM Stone is still reading a magazine. Tony is now talking with two other people in the waiting room. He’s obviously made friends with them already. A moment or two later, Nurse Julie Hughes suddenly enters the room. Susan, Tony and Stone all LOOK TOWARD HER EXPECTANTLY. NURSE Mrs. Copper just came out of surgery. She’s fine and so is the baby. SOUNDS OF BOTH JOY AND RELIEF come from the three of them. SUSAN Can we see her? NURSE She’s in recovery now. She can have one visitor. (a beat, with a smile) I assume that would be you. SUSAN Absolutely. Julie takes Susan by the hand and gently escorts her out the door into the main hospital area. Tony resumes talking with his new friends. Stone, however, realizes his job is finished and he quietly slips over to the other door and then exits the waiting area completely. EXT. THE WINDSHIELD ON A CAR. (B&W) Rain is falling on the outside of a car and the wipers can be seen rocking back and forth to keep the windshield clean. Through the glass we can see Mr. and Mrs. Stone returning home from their dinner with Bob and Laurel. INT. THE FRONT SEAT OF THE CAR. (B&W) Ezekiel is driving. Roz is in the seat next to him. It is quiet for a moment, and then. STONE So what’s your dream, Roz? ROSALYN (puzzled) What do you mean? Was I asleep? STONE No. It’s just that back at dinner there, you spoke so passionately. when you told Laurel not to give up on her dream. I figure that means you have a dream of your own. Besides a family, that is. What is it? ROSALYN Well, I want to be a teacher. STONE A teacher? Really? ROSALYN Yeah. I had a lot of teachers in my life – good and bad. But the good ones really made the difference. They taught me the joy of learning and discovery. And I want to pass that on to other kids (a beat) Besides our own, of course. STONE That sounds like a wonderful goal. ROSALYN Well, I don’t mind postponing it a few years, to have a child or two of our own. But once they’re of school age, I plan for at least one of their teachers to be me. Zeke takes his wife’s hand with his right hand tenderly. STONE Well, when that time does come, I’ll be behind you 100% You can count on that. Roz smiles back at Ezekiel and squeezes his hand gently, before letting him have it back to put on the steering wheel again. WHITE FLASH INT – HOTEL MEZZANINE – STONE’S APARTMENT – THE BATHROOM Stone lifts his head up and looks at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. It is once again his normal face. STONE Wow. Positive memory energy works too. I’ll have to remember that. He glances away from the mirror for a moment. When he looks back, the Devil’s face is once again looking back at him. STONE What the... The Devil’s face mirrors his movements as he speaks. STONE But I just got it… He stares bewildered for a few more seconds. Then his expression changes, as if he has figured this situation out. STONE (slowly, deliberately) Praised be the name of... The Devil’s image vanishes from the mirror and is replaced by Stone’s reflection. Off to the side of the room, leaning against the wall, the Devil appears. Stone turns around to face him. DEVIL (in an annoyed tone) There’s only so far I’ll go for the sake of a practical joke. (a beat) Seems you’re learning to use your hellpowers like a real pro. STONE You still sound pretty pissed off. I got what I wanted, but so did you. You got Ogden back in your lap, ready to die another day. What’s your problem? DEVIL You told him too much before you sent him back, that’s what. I think you finally made him understand the reasoning behind his punishment. He’s lost most of his righteous indignation now. That was my favorite part. (a beat) And then there’s Judas Booth. One of my underlings made the mistake of letting him visit his mother. Now he’s spirited her off to some remote corner of Hell STONE Remote corner of Hell, huh? Sounds like you haven’t found them again yet. DEVIL Oh, I’ll find them all right. I have all the time in the world. STONE True. But if you waste time chasing after them, you might miss out on corrupting a petty thief or an adulterer or two. DEVIL Yes, that is the rub. Stone just chuckles lightly, and starts combing his hair, as if to ignore the Devil. DEVIL Just what do you find so amusing, detective? STONE You. That’s what. I’ve been thinking lately about dreams and goals. And I’ve realized you’ll never have yours. DEVIL That’s rubbish. I set goals for myself all the time, and I achieve them. STONE But they’re never enough for you. No matter how many people you get in Hell, you’ll always want more. However many souls you succeed in corrupting, you’ll ache and moan about the ones that got away. If I succeed here, it’ll probably irk you for years that I got away from you. (a beat) You can’t be happy because your world centers on you and your wants – and they can’t ever be satisfied. DEVIL You’re describing the kind of greed you humans know. STONE You know something? I don’t think it was Hitler’s idea to invade Russia. I think it was yours. You weren’t satisfied with all the countries he’d conquered. You wanted more. You made him overstep his bounds and you lost everything! DEVIL Unrealized dreams are hardly my sole territory, Mr. Stone. I saw your little flashback from before. You still hold out the hope that you can get Rosalyn back. Well you can’t, detective. She’s married to another man and carrying his child. You’ve lost! STONE Well, then you missed the whole point of my trip down memory lane. DEVIL Which is...? STONE Ever since the day Rosalyn was raped, I’ve been thinking about all the things she lost – her innocence, the joy of making love, that feeling of safety and security. Eventually she lost me and our marriage too. DEVIL So now you’re going to tell me she GAINED something from it? STONE No. But I realized there’s one thing she didn’t lose. Her dream! She wanted to become a teacher. She set that goal for herself and she succeeded. She wanted to be a mother too. (a beat) I wanted that to be with me. I know that can’t be now. But, I’m glad she’ll still have a chance to live that dream too. DEVIL You’re rationalizing, detective. Stone walks over to the Devil and speaks to him face to face. STONE No, I’m thinking clearly for the first time in years. Maybe if I’d done that before, I’d have had the sense not to murder Gilbert Jax. DEVIL Yes, and only because of me do you have a chance to undo the damage you did to your soul. STONE True. But even if I fail, and get sent back to Hell, I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing I helped Rosalyn succeed in her dream. I’d still be a happier man down there than you could ever hope to be. DEVIL Well, detective... (a dramatic pause) I sincerely hope I get a chance to disprove that little theory of yours. And then in a WHITE FLASH, the Devil vanishes. Stone pauses to think for a moment and then... STONE (firmly) Not in this lifetime! He shakes off the whole idea and returns to the mirror and begins brushing his teeth. SLOW DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE HOSPITAL RECOVERY ROOM - DAY We are focused on Rosalyn, lying in her hospital bed quietly sleeping, seemingly at peace with the world. We can hear her mother and Dr. Nelson in the same room talking about her, though we don’t see them yet. SUSAN (O.S) She looks so peaceful. DR. NELSON (O.S.) Well, she should be. The operation went very smoothly. She should wake up in a few minutes feeling just fine. Our point of view glides up to Susan now, talking to the doctor who is standing to her right, still just out of our view. SUSAN And the baby? DR. NELSON (O.S.) Oh, I’ve repaired much worse damage than she had. The baby should be just fine. And there’s no reason Rosalyn can’t have a normal delivery. SUSAN I don’t know how to thank you, doctor. I mean, coming here on such short notice, doing this experimental surgery and all. We really owe you one. And then the camera GLIDES OVER to give us our first look at Dr. Nelson. Well, it isn’t really our first look – we’ve seen her before. Only this time, she’s nineteen years older, and we’re seeing her features in color. Her full name is DR. LAUREL NELSON. LAUREL No, not really. (a beat, then looking toward Rosalyn) The truth is I owed HER one. From a long time ago. And Dr. Nelson smiles – a warm smile of thanks to the woman who helped make her dream a reality. FADE TO BLACK